Spiritual Ancestry 属灵的先祖
Dexu Xia
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1
Today's Scripture Matthew 1:1-6, 12-17
Today's Insights The New Testament opens with these words: “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The incarnation is the entrance of the Creator into His creation in human form. John the disciple said of Christ, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He added, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). John also records these words spoken by Jesus: “Before Abraham was born, I am” (8:58). The crowd rightly understood this to be a claim to divinity and wanted to stone him for blasphemy (v. 59). Because of Christ’s birth, those who believe in Him become part of the family of God
Today's Devotional After I took a genealogy test a few years ago, I became curious about my ancestors. I’m grateful I got to hear stories about a few relatives from my late father and from my mother. Hearing about my ancestors helps me feel connected to my family’s roots and helps me learn from their experiences.
When it comes to our spiritual roots, what a gift that Jesus’ earthly genealogy is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38. Jesus’ genealogy establishes that He’s the Messiah and a direct descendant of Abraham.
As we read His genealogy, we see God’s faithfulness in keeping His promise to Abraham to make him the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-8). Two thousand years after that promise was fulfilled, the apostle Matthew wrote, “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).
The biblical genealogy shows Jesus’ ancestry come to life. We see the names of royalty such as King David and ordinary people such as a carpenter named Joseph. And Matthew includes five women: Tamar, Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife), Rahab, Ruth (who some scholars believe were all gentiles), and Mary.
Whether or not we know much about our biological ancestors, we can—because we’re part of God’s family—learn about our spiritual ancestors throughout the Bible. We gain courage from seeing how faithful God was to them.
Reflect & Pray
Why is knowing your spiritual history important? What can you learn from your spiritual ancestors?
Heavenly Father, thank You that I’m part of Your family.
By Nancy Gavilanes
“亚伯拉罕的后裔，大卫的子孙，耶稣基督的家谱。”（马太福音 1:1 ）
今日经文 马太福音 1章1-6节, 12-17节
今日心得 新约圣经是如此开篇的：“亚伯拉罕的后裔，大卫的子孙，耶稣基督的家谱”（马太福音 1:1）。道成肉身是指造物主以人的形式进入他创造的世界。使徒约翰论到基督说：“太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神”（约翰福音 1:1）。他又说：“道成了肉身，住在我们中间”（约翰福音 1:14）。约翰也记录了耶稣说过的话：“还没有亚伯拉罕，就有了我”（约翰福音 8:58）。听见这话的众人正确地理解了耶稣的这番话，认为耶稣自称是上帝，所以，他们想用亵渎上帝的罪名用石头打他（约翰福音 8:59）。
因着基督的降生，凡信祂的人都成为神家中的一员。
今日灵修 几年前，我参加了一次家谱测试，测试后我开始对我的祖先感到好奇。我很感激能从已故的父亲和母亲那里听到一些亲戚的故事。听到祖先的故事，让我感受到自己与家族根源的联系，并且帮助我从他们的经历中学习。
说到我们属灵的根源，马太福音1章1-17节和路加福音32章3-38节记载了耶稣在地上的家谱，这是多么宝贵的礼物啊！耶稣的家谱确立祂是基督，是亚伯拉罕的直系后裔。 当我们阅读祂的家谱时，我们看到神信实地信守了祂对亚伯拉罕的应许，使他成为多国之父（创世记17:1-8）。在那应许成就两千年后，使徒马太写道：“亚伯拉罕的后裔，大卫的子孙，耶稣基督的家谱。”（马太福音1章1节）圣经的家谱生动地展现了耶稣的先祖。我们看到像大卫王这样的皇室成员的名字，也看到像木匠约瑟这样普通人的名字。马太福音还提到了五位女性：他玛、拔示巴（乌利亚的妻子）、喇合、路得（一些学者认为她们都是外邦人）和马利亚。
无论我们是否了解自己的血统先祖，我们都可以通过圣经来了解我们属灵的先祖，因为我们是上帝家庭的一员。看到上帝对他们信守应许，我们便会从中获得勇气。
反思与祷告 为什么了解你的属灵历史很重要？你能从你的属灵先祖身上学到什么？
天父，感谢您，因为我是您家中的成员。
作者：南希·加维拉内斯