John 3:16 and Me

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

John 8:36

Lately, I have been hearing a lot about this new DNA test that can unveil much more about your ancestry than you could have ever known. It can tell you your health predispositions, traits, relatives, etc. By exploring your 23 chromosomes, the website says that they can tell you a lot about YOU. Just pay $200, mail in some of your saliva, and they can unlock a whole lot of information.

I have quite a few friends who have done this. The reports are usually not encouraging. People are finding out truths about ancestors that can be somewhat unsettling. I just read about a girl who discovered she had 29 siblings after growing up as an only child. Their biological father was a sperm donor. That's a lot to find out!

People who were adopted are finding out who their real parents are. They seem to be left with more questions than answers and are having to walk through deep pain along with the discovery. One of my friends told me that the test told her that her daughter had a pre-disposition for being bi-polar. That is unnerving to think about for a mom! But, it runs in the family so it may just run right into her? 

Another person I know found out that her mom was married to more men than she was ever made aware of. 

Often, the information obtained opens wounds but the people needed to talk to for reconciliation are no longer living.  It is extremely difficult to process.

There tends to be misplaced shame and a deep darkness that comes with the uncovered knowledge.

What do we do with all this information? Is it beneficial to even know?

I think as we continue to see the breakdown of marriages and the family, our generation is left with a lot of unanswered questions. Who am I, really? Where did I come from? What are my pre-dispositions? What is the truth about my past?

If we aren't careful, this can become damaging... we were never suppose to look into our DNA for these answers. It can feel hopeless.

We have to press on! Not looking back but looking forward by faith!

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Phil 3:14

It doesn't matter if you come from a solid family or the most dysfunctional family since Adam and Eve. Either way, we have inherited a broken and sinful nature. We inherited it from our parents who inherited it from their parents who ultimately inherited it from theirs (a famous couple in the Garden of Eden). 

Every DNA test is going to give you BAD NEWS. I can save you some money by telling you that your ancestry will include some of the following: alcoholism, mental disorders, divorce, suicide, homosexuality, infidelity, cancer, abandonment, and every other sin. 

You have the same predisposition for brokenness as they did! 

That is the bad news. :(

Here is the GOOD NEWS!!!!! You have been REDEEMED!!! 

Not with spit but with the precious BLOOD of Jesus Christ.

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were REDEEMED from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

1 Peter 1:18,19

When you give your life to Jesus Christ, you are given a whole new DNA!!!

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:4

You can overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Just like all of the overcomers in Hebrews 11! How did they do it? Two words... 

1.BY 

2.FAITH. 

They longed for heaven. They didn't focus on the past or where they came from. They focused on where they were going!

If you look long and hard enough, you will find FAITH in your ancestry as well. 

There are people who have gone before you who finished well!

Yes, you need to be aware of your weaknesses that may have been inherited. If you come from alcoholism, don't drink alcohol. Don't give the enemy a foothold to trap you! If you come from a long line of divorced people, invest in your marriage and ask God to stop the cycle of divorce through your faithfulness in marriage. Give your children a heritage that they can stand on. Let this be a reminder that we are all handing down SOMETHING to our children. 

We all come from dysfunction thanks to Adam and Eve. We can get discouraged by what we find out through our spit OR we can focus on building a foundation for the future generations coming after us!

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.  Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

Romans 5

Hallelujah!!!

If my kids were to get a glimpse into my life before Christ, it would be so sad for them. One hard look into their spit, and they will see the emptiness of their DNA and how much they need Jesus!

It is devastating for me to remember who I was without Jesus. 

Tim and I have both apologized to them for the years we squandered away with sin and bad choices. Apart from Christ, I have NOTHING to give them. But Jesus didn't leave me like that. He REDEEMED me from my empty life with the precious blood of His Son. He has given me a new nature. My children need to know that without the blood of Christ, they will walk in their own fallen nature as well.

We have got to be reminded of the GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL!! That God can set "any old bush on fire" (as Kay Arthur used to say). It doesn't matter where you came from. It matter what Jesus did on the cross as He conquered death and made a way for you to be reconciled to God! He can live His perfect life through you. He knows what lies ahead for you. He knows your predispositions and He still LOVES you. When you accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life. He will give you the grace you need to walk through illness and He may miraculously heal you if you ask Him. We don't have to be afraid.

You can have victory over the enemy's foothold in your DNA. Jesus is stronger than the alcoholism, the homosexuality, the adultery, and whatever else is crouching at your door. You can participate in a DIVINE nature instead of your own! You can give your children a glorious inheritance of faithfulness and a life lived well! But it won't be through pointing them to spit, it will be pointing them to THE BLOOD.

I prefer "John 3:16 and Me" over 23 and Me. :)

It's not what my DNA says about me. It is what Jesus says about me!

He redeemed me from the empty way of life handed down to me (PERIOD).

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

It is no longer I who live but Christ!

I don't know why I have been burdened to write about this. 

I just want everyone to know that Jesus LOVES you. 

If you are writing your life story now of brokenness and sin, Jesus Christ can change that in an instant.  You have no power over sin and the enemy's grip on you. But Jesus does.

Run to Him and let Him give you new life today.

If you don't know how to start a relationship with God, please write me an email.

I can tell you.

tsblackiston@comcast.net

"open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me."

Acts 26:18’