Many people love to study and track genealogy, but to be completely honest, I find it to be a bit of a bore. I do enjoy the unique stories like the one from my husband's side, where his grandmother's family missed their ship coming to America, the Titanic. The scandalous or mysterious stories which give personality and understanding to our ancestors are interesting, but the long list of names and dates are a yawner for me.

Even when I read the Bible, I skip through the long genealogical lists. However, the one for Jesus in Matthew 1 has always intrigued me. Why didn't God include Jesus, who became the Highest Priest, in the genealogical Levite line of priests? Furthermore, why was Joseph's lineage listed when he wasn't even Jesus' biological father. Scripture says, "Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah." Matthew 1:16 (NIV).

Today, I had a light bulb moment while reading the Message translation of Hebrews 7:14, “there is nothing in Jesus’ family tree connecting him with that priestly line.” To sum it up, God was intentional in leaving Jesus out of the genetic line of priests. The old priesthood had failed and through Jesus, “a new way that does work brought us right into the presence of God”. Jesus was left out so there would be no connection to the old priesthood. None, a fresh start, a new beginning.

On the other hand, Joseph was intentionally included. As the mother of adopted children, that makes sense to me because Joseph was, in every sense, Jesus' father without prejudice of genealogical lineage or blood lines, just as our adopted children are ours.

This caused me to think of the idea of God's intention, and I realized that just as God intentionally created situations for Jesus, He has intentionally done the same for us. It is no accident we are alive today, in this season of time, with the family we are in, with the past history, and future promise ahead. Our physical appearance, personality, and purpose have all been intentionally designed by God.

God has also intentionally left things out of our lives because it's not His will. If I try to pursue them, I will waste my time and energy on things that don't honor God. Yet even when I go after the wrong things, He is faithful to give me the resources, tools, knowledge, and support to realign my life with Him. First, I need to recognize I've strayed so I can repent and humble myself enough to learn the lesson.

Just as God is intentional in what He chooses to include or exclude from our lives, we need to be intentional in what we do and don't do. For me that has meant spending more time in God's Word while putting healthy boundaries around divisive, toxic agendas and people. It's meant praying and seeking counsel so the emotional side of me doesn't lose sight of God's purpose and plan.

In this journey of life, I want to be intentional about being aware of God's purposes so that I’m not distracted and drawn away. We can't afford to be sucked into sin, divisions, and conflict. There is too much kingdom work that needs to be done. With Jesus' death, God overhauled the old covenant and replaced it with a new one. There is no greater message or cause to share than the Good News of Jesus Christ. Be intentional about telling others about Him.

"Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)