Choices and Family Trees

Ruth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 

That night Ruth made a choice. Steal enough grain to feed her and Naomi for maybe a week or heed her mother-in-laws counsel and rest at the feet of the one who owned a pile of grain and the fields it came from. She chose wisely and from that one small, seemingly insignificant choice her and Naomi were fed for the rest of their lives. What’s even more amazing? Her small choice led to her eventual marriage to Boaz, and from their union a baby was born named Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father to a shepherd boy turned giant-killer and king. And from this king came the Messiah. From an insignificant, pagan widow’s lineage the King of kings descended. One small choice impacted, and is still impacting the world.

Now the question you have to answer: Who and what is being “birthed” from the little choices you have been making?

An American educator, A.E. Winship decided to trace the descendants of Jonathan Edwards almost 150 years after his death.  His findings are remarkable, especially when compared to another man from the same time period known as Max Jukes. Jonathan Edwards’ legacy includes: 1 U.S. Vice-President, 1 Dean of a law school, 1 dean of a medical school, 3 U.S. Senators, 3 governors, 3 mayors, 13 college presidents, 30 judges, 60 doctors, 65 professors, 75 Military officers, 80 public office holders, 100 lawyers, 100 clergymen, and 285 college graduates. Max Jukes’ legacy came to people’s attention when the family trees of 42 different men in the New York prison system were traced back to him. He lived in New York at about the same period as Edwards. The Jukes family originally was studied by sociologist Richard L. Dugdale in 1877. Jukes’ descendants included: 7 murderers, 60 thieves, 190 prostitutes, 150 other convicts, 310 paupers, and 440 who were physically wrecked by addiction to alcohol. Of the 1,200 descendants that were studied, 300 died prematurely. (Larry Ballard, YWAM, Multi-Generational Legacies – The Story of Jonathan Edwards)

Who, what and where are you “resting” your choices on? Something that may feel good for the moment or something that will greet you in eternity?