Disqualified?

Recently I was told that someone had said, “I was disobedient to God; I did things I shouldn’t have, and therefore I have been disqualified.”

When I heard this, my immediate thought was, “Disqualified? I wonder how many others believe that the wrong they’ve done is so great that they now consider themselves disqualified.”

The Gospel of Matthew gives us the detailed ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that genealogy, four women, whose backgrounds are less than reputable, are mentioned. They are, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

1. Tamar deceived her own father-in-law, pretending to be a prostitute in order to become pregnant by him (see Genesis 38).
   
2. Rahab was a prostitute from Jericho, one of the principal seats of idol worship (see Joshua 2).
   
3. Ruth, though a woman of noble character, was from Moab and therefore a Gentile and considered unclean (see the Book of Ruth).
   
4. Bathsheba committed adultery with David (see 2 Samuel).

All these women, sinful yet used by God not in any ordinary way but in the very genealogy of Jesus. So, what can we all learn from this? What is God telling us?

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” – Romans 5:20 (NLT)

God is telling us that His wonderful grace is greater than our sin – "where sin abounds, grace overabounds"! The world may disqualify us but God qualifies us. 

“He saves you from destruction; He supports you with grace and with compassions.” – Psalm 103:4 (ABPE)

Even when your troubles are of your own making, God will turn your situation around if you’ll but go to Him with a repentant heart (see 2 Kings 22:19). 

1 John 1:9 (ERV) tells us that, 

“…if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.”

It is never too late, and your sin is never too great to receive forgiveness from God. Do not ever hesitate to seek God’s forgiveness.

Amen†

Disqualified?   Shelley Johnson 15-Jul-2016