Everybody Matters … by Moriah Rice

May 6th, 2020 Everybody Matters … by Moriah Rice

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19

Read the “0506 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea, And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things. These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.” (1 Chronicles 4:21-23)

We can see in 1 Chronicles 3-4 that it goes through the genealogy of David’s sons and successors. We often read through these passages of Scripture in order to just get through the list of names and check it off of our reading list, but as I was reading through those difficult to pronounce names this thought struck my mind, “God put every name here for a purpose.” It seems like a simple thought, but I correlated it with “God put every person on this earth for a purpose.”

We so often look at the big picture, per say. We see people and names and faces, but we don’t often recognize who they are and why God placed specific talents and abilities in certain people for a reason, including ourselves. We can see in 1 Chronicles 4:23, after it goes on to list all the names. It says, “These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.” We know that they are talking about the king that reigned during that time frame, but the thought is that we are all here on this earth ultimately to do the King’s work. We are all, when it comes to those who are saved, simply potters for the Lord’s use and if we personally choose to count that as an honor then there will be an automatic response of humility that follows. To be a potter for the Lord should be counted as a privilege and we should be able to find purpose in that.

We can see in chapter 5 where it talks about the sons of Reuben and in verse 1 it says: “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.” We see the importance of genealogy and birthright. God had a purpose for every single person He created for the time and purpose He created them. We can see in verse 1 when Reuben had sinned that it not only messed his life up, but also the genealogy that followed him. May it be a small reminder to be Christ-like in the way that we live, because in the end it does matter. God has a purpose; He has a plan and His ultimate desire is for us to follow and obey that which He has already put in place. Our heartbeat should be to find purpose in what He has called us to do, and then to live out His purpose in our lives all for His honor and glory.