Day 231: Psalms 109-111; Romans 16

In the episode of The Chosen we viewed last Wednesday, a clip showed Matthew working on the genealogy of Jesus. Those who watched will remember him recounting the non-Jewish members of Jesus' human ancestry. If you have known me for some time, you know how glad I am that the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of Scripture include lists of names. As in Romans 16, Paul writing through an amanuensis (a literary assistant...who adds his own greetings) lists another large group of people (more than in any other letter of his), I am reminded that names matter. God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, came into the world of real people and not only saved us, but showed us how to live in this world. So, real people walk the pages of the Bible and live the Jesus-life in growing (hopefully) likeness to Christ. You and I might not be in the pages of Scripture, but we are the real people called Christians. Romans 16 reminds me that this Word applies to me, and living it truly works...it has for millennia. So, let us run this race with joy and perseverance! Not only do we have a God committed to seeing us cross the finish line, we are surrounded by a cloud/crowd of witnesses who have made it through (Hebrews 11:39-12:2). By God's grace and together, we can!