Word for the Day March 29 Saturday
By: Evang.
Cascille Hammack
"...it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the
children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Romans 9:8
The Lord said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
(Ex. 33:19, Romans 9:15) Clearly in Romans 9:16 the Word declares, "It does not, therefore, depend on man's
desire or effort, but on God's mercy." Even regarding Pharaoh God said, "I raised you up for this very
purpose, that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Verse 18 declares
further, "Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens who He wants to harden."
There is much teaching on the blessings of God
and how He blesses and who He blesses and why. Recently, there has been teaching on generational blessings and
generational curses. The Lord's Word is clear on this in Ezekiel 18:14-18, "But suppose this son has a
son who sees the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things...he will not die for his father's
sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin.." Yet you ask, 'Why does the son not
share the guilt of his father? Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my
decrees, he will surely live. The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the
father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him,
and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him." Once you receive what Jesus did for you, nothing
can cross the bloodline. When Jesus was resurrected, the first person he appeared to was Mary Magdelene. We know
nothing of her father or mother. We know she was a prostitute who had defiled her body with many men before she received
Christ. The angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the field tending the flocks to announce Jesus'
birth. We know nothing of their lineage, who their fathers and mothers and grandparents were. The honor they
received was because of the state of their hearts toward God, not who they came from. When we look at the disciples
Jesus chose to follow Him, we read absolutely nothing about what family they came from. Who were they descended
from? It did not matter. Jesus did say in Mt. 12:48-50, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?
Pointing to His disciples, He said, 'Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father
in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." He also said in Mt. 18:29, "And everyone who has left
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for My sake will receive a hundred times as much and
will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be
last, and many who are last will be first."
Consider the example of Manessah in 2 Chron. 33. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, even sacrificing his sons
in the fire, practicing sorcery, divination and witchcraft, consulting mediums and spiritists. Even after all of his
unfaithfulness and sins, God heard his prayer when he cried out to him and listened to him and had mercy on him. His
son Amon was evil and did not repent and died. Out his body came a king, Josiah, who began reigning at eight years old.
2 Kings 23:25 says of Josiah, "Never before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did-
with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with the Law of Moses."
Josiah removed all of the wickedness from the land, just as had been prophesied before he was born that he would do. 2
Chron. 34:33 explains that as long as Josiah lived the Israelites did not fail to follow the Lord. (2 Chron. 34:33).
Jesus said clearly in Rev. 21:5, "Look, I am making all things new!"
Then He said Write: for these words are true and faithful."
