ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 PULELULU ‘EPELELI 29, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 1-4; FILIPAI 3.8-14

It's important to remember that our hope in life and death is not our zeal for God, but his zeal to keep every one of his redemptive promises.

‘Oku mahu’inga ke tau manatu’i, ko ‘etau ‘amanaki ki he mo’ui mo e mate ‘oku ‘ikai makatu’unga ‘i he’etau ngaue mateaki ma’ae ‘Otua, ka ‘i he mateaki’i kitautolu ‘e IA ke ne tauhi ‘a ‘Ene fo’i palomesi kotoa ‘o ‘Ene huhu’i kitautolu.

You should dedicate and discipline yourself to keep every one of God's commands. You should work to apply the wisdom of his word to every aspect of your life. You should be a student of his word. You should be committed to understanding the theology of Scripture and live that theology out in your daily life. You should use the resources God has entrusted to you to contribute to the work of his kingdom and to meet the needs of those he places in your path. You should be committed to sharing the gospel when God gives the opportunity. You should commit yourself to having a marriage and family life that are shaped by the comfort and call of the gospel. You should build a robust devotional life of worship and study. You should be committed to counting your blessings every day and resist numbering your complaints. You should live with gratitude, even when facing trials. You should do all of these things with joy. But it is vital that you also remember that your zeal and discipline for God are not the rock of your spiritual hope.

We must constantly remember that true, unshakable hope is only ever found in God's zeal for his own glory and the plan of redemption he set in place before the foundations of the world were laid. If you faithfully do all of the things above, which God clearly calls you to do, you do so only because you have been rescued and empowered by God's grace. It's true that not only is he faithful, but we can be faithful only because he has been faithful first. All of our desires to love, serve, and worship him are the fruit of his grace. We must always resist taking credit for things that are the fruit of his faithful grace. All human righteousness is the work of his convicting, rescuing, transforming, and empowering grace.

So, when you read the genealogies in 1 Chronicles, you should be impressed with something other than the long list of names. Your heart should go to the God behind the list. First Chronicles 1-4 takes us from Abraham and his descendants, to David and his descendants, and to Judah and his other descendants. These genealogies are a tribute not so much to human effort, commitment, wisdom, righteousness, or faithfulness, but to the perfect faithfulness of God to every covenant promise he had made. He called, empowered, guided, warned, and forgave. From the early promises to Abraham, to the redemption from Egypt, to the journey through the wilderness, to the entrance into the promised land, and to the establishment of a kingdom, God acted with power and grace on behalf of his people. This is why they exist. Romans 11:36 is the best summary of these genealogies: "From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."