Seize the Moment – Day 889
Continuity of Purpose!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, August 23.
In military operations, every soldier needs to know the commander’s intent – the ultimate objective of a military operation. As a leader, I needed to know the commander’s intent two up from me, so that I could CM (Continue Mission) no matter what happened. It was all about continuity of purpose, everyone working toward the same goal.
That is why the book of 1 Chronicles starts with nine chapters of genealogies, starting with Adam in verse 1, Noah in verse 4, Abraham in verse 27, Isaac in verse 28, and Israel in verse 34. Chronicles was written after the time of exile when the people were returning to Jerusalem. The Chronicler wrote with the same purpose of a military commander, not to write history for history’s sake, but to provide continuity of purpose to God’s people, as one scholar explains:
The genealogies were meant broadly to ensure the legitimacy of his generation’s claim to the covenant promises (to Abraham and David) and specifically the legitimacy of the Levitical institutions that had been revived in his day. In both of these the legitimacy is proven by the continuity of the generational lines. In effect he was saying to his generation, “We are the legitimate heirs of those promises and institutions.”[1]
The people of God needed to be reminded that they had a purpose in this life, one that went back to the beginning of God’s creation and covenant. The same is true for us today! Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon His Church so that we, all these generations later, can continue in Jesus’ mission – to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).
Seize the moment and be a hope-bearer, not a doomsdayer, remembering that God’s mission is to save the world through His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17). CM on God’s rescue mission!
YOUTUBE:
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Kevin D. Zuber, “1 Chronicles,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 554.