Ever since the life and faith of Amy Carmichael gripped my heart as a Sunday School child, I have remained fascinated and burdened for India. So it was with great excitement that I made the acquaintance of “Sam” (his easy-to-pronounce, Americanized name). Sam left behind a professional career in soccer in his native India to spread the Gospel message. Now, with two grown sons, Sam and his wife continue to minister in their home country.
Whenever Sam comes to visit us, we immediately adopt a learning posture, carving out time to listen and glean from this man so filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Sam’s example is every bit as convicting as it is encouraging. He rises early each morning for prayer – around 4 AM. He reads through the New Testament monthly. When asked why these practices are so important to him, he explains that the enemy in India is so blatantly at work that he must fill up on the power and authority of God’s Word to be effective in ministry. He must pray. He must.
As I launched into a new year, I decided to try this practice of reading the New Testament through monthly until it permeates my soul and my every conscious thought. I’m not making fast progress. January is half over and I’m still in Matthew chapter 8. There’s just so much in every verse . . . every word. I keep stopping and soaking.
Possibly I should consider reading quickly through in addition to stopping here and there, or maybe the Lord has a different discipline in mind for me. Either way, it’s been so good, so rich, to approach the “familiar” Gospel of Matthew with eyes and ears wide open. Over the next days and weeks, I hope to share with you here what I’m hearing there.
Please feel free to chime in! If you stop by regularly, you’ll see that I’m posting a little more frequently. Trying to get the hang of this blogging tool and praying that the Lord is taking the lessons He is applying to my heart and making them useful to you as well.
So here we go with the first of our Moments in Matthew . . .
Matthew 1:17
From Abraham to David = 14 generations.
From David to the Deportation to Babylon = 14 generations
From the Deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ = 14 generations
No one knew when the Messiah would come and yet in hind sight, there was perfect order. Today we await Christ’s second coming, and no one knows the day or the hour. Still, we can be sure that His coming will be at just the right time. Our God is not a God of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). He does not behave randomly but accomplishes His plan decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40). At just the right time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). At just the right time He will return to reign. Be encouraged and keep looking up!
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