"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love."
~1 Corinthians 13:13~***"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"
~Matthew 25:40~
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Day 3: God's Hand in Our Blessing (Ruth 2:14-23)
Day 3 of the Ruth study proved to be anything but disappointing! :) Here are some things that stood out to me:
"God elevated two Godly singles." The culture we live in often looks down on singleness and views it as a curse. Yet, in the story of Ruth, God chooses to bless and work in the lives of two single people (Ruth and Boaz) who choose to follow Him. Instead of looking at singleness as a curse, I believe we as children of the King need to take a look at how He views it and uses it. Through the pain of becoming single again, we see Ruth pass by the opportunity to be angry at God and instead become more like Him. She shows a love and devotion to her mother-in-law that she couldn't if she were still married. God uses the pain of being a widow to lead her to a place in life where she will be blessed beyond understanding. I'm sure Ruth wasn't too excited about suddenly being husbandless, poor, and in a place where she was looked down upon. Yet, she chose to let God use her singleness to bless her. We don't know much about Boaz's life as a single man, but it is clear to see that God has done great work in his life. Boaz is truly a man of God and has come to the point where he is ready to become one with a woman. However, getting to that place took time and the work of God. By not being married, Boaz was ready to receive the blessing God was sending his way: Ruth.
Even though Boaz was the boss and the "well-off guy," he was the one who served Ruth. He didn't just pass her and her needs onto his other workers or simply ignore her. Instead, He was the one who invited her to "dine" with him and be served. He lived out the humility and servanthood of Christ.
Boaz once again acted as Ruth's protector and provider. He told his men not to speak to her in a way that would embarrass her. He required that they honor her and not rebuke her or correct her. He even told them to leave extra stalks for her to glean. What a man. :)
Boaz not only honored and provided for Ruth, but for her mother-in-law as well. He sent food to Naomi. You can tell a lot about a man by how he treats his mother--or yours!
Ruth chose to stay where God blessed! His blessing was an indication that she was following His will. Therefore, she followed God's lead and stayed in that place.
Hi Micah, Yikes I'm late with my comments...I got behind and watched Parts Three and Four last night..late...but it was so worth it :) :) :)
I never thought about the possible issue of Ruth's dad or lack of one, until Pastor Driscoll brought it up...but then it got me to thinking that maybe Ruth's homelife was so bad, that she'd rather risk the unknown than stay in her homeland..."But God..." God had a plan for Ruth...:) :) :)
I noticed that too...Boaz served Ruth and he certainly wasn't obligated or required to do so. He just did it because that's the kind of man he was...He was generous and kind to all the people in His life. That's the kind of man you want...someone who loves God AND is nice to everyone!!!
Another thing that I loved was how Boaz not only served Ruth...but he served Naomi...Ruth's "mother in law"...or "mother in love"...to borrow a phrase from Linda ;) :) He not only is showing care/concern for Ruth...but also for things/people that concern Ruth...namely Naomi :) :)
Ruth is a hardworker... and it's important to note that she had absolutely nada and it didn't matter to Boaz. He saw her heart and her true character..and knew that she took every opportunity that was given to her to do something productive to take care of herself and Naomi.
I thought that was important. I'm in a season of unemployment right now...and I've certainly had feelings of unworthiness. However, I realize that it's not based on my job, but rather what God says about who I am. YOu may or may not have experienced feeling unworthy or less than perfect..but remember, that God loves you no matter what station in life you are at...and I love the other point that Pastor Driscoll brought home, that inspite of Ruth's dire circumstances she always ran to God and people!!!...Or for us, run to God and the church!!! Go to the place where you'll be blessed. I think Pastor Driscoll put it this way "Stay in the place that God blesses until God blesses". :) :) :)
The best thing ever is to learn from older women. I"m 36 now, but I still love to learn from older women...your mom, other ladies I know who've got lots more wisdom than I have...They can give you wise counsel on what it means to be a true woman of God, what true beauty is etc...I'm not sure how I can be a blessing to younger women yet...but if you ever have questions you can always ask me to clarify something :) :)
Anyway, I feel like I may have gone off topic a bit..but you know how you read/listen to a lesson and it makes you think of all sorts of things? This is one of those days.
It's worth it to wait for the one God has for you...but "get in his way"...so he notices that you're there :) :) ...hee hee he :) :) In any case, a man of character and integrity. That's the kind of man I want...someone who treats everyone well...!!!!
Oh, I share an apartment with my dad and I was telling him about part three. I said that whoever courts me is going to have to be nice to my dad..So for my dad, that translates to good Christian books, worship CDs etc..We had a nice laugh about that..but in all sincerity, whoever Mr. Right for Me is has to be nice to my parents!!!
Well, I guess that's enough for this post. I've got to go over to Part four and read what you wrote there!!! Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)
Day 3 of the Ruth study proved to be anything but disappointing! :) Here are some things that stood out to me:
Hi Micah,
ReplyDeleteYikes I'm late with my comments...I got behind and watched Parts Three and Four last night..late...but it was so worth it :) :) :)
I never thought about the possible issue of Ruth's dad or lack of one, until Pastor Driscoll brought it up...but then it got me to thinking that maybe Ruth's homelife was so bad, that she'd rather risk the unknown than stay in her homeland..."But God..." God had a plan for Ruth...:) :) :)
I noticed that too...Boaz served Ruth and he certainly wasn't obligated or required to do so. He just did it because that's the kind of man he was...He was generous and kind to all the people in His life. That's the kind of man you want...someone who loves God AND is nice to everyone!!!
Another thing that I loved was how Boaz not only served Ruth...but he served Naomi...Ruth's "mother in law"...or "mother in love"...to borrow a phrase from Linda ;) :) He not only is showing care/concern for Ruth...but also for things/people that concern Ruth...namely Naomi :) :)
Ruth is a hardworker... and it's important to note that she had absolutely nada and it didn't matter to Boaz. He saw her heart and her true character..and knew that she took every opportunity that was given to her to do something productive to take care of herself and Naomi.
I thought that was important. I'm in a season of unemployment right now...and I've certainly had feelings of unworthiness. However, I realize that it's not based on my job, but rather what God says about who I am. YOu may or may not have experienced feeling unworthy or less than perfect..but remember, that God loves you no matter what station in life you are at...and I love the other point that Pastor Driscoll brought home, that inspite of Ruth's dire circumstances she always ran to God and people!!!...Or for us, run to God and the church!!! Go to the place where you'll be blessed. I think Pastor Driscoll put it this way "Stay in the place that God blesses until God blesses". :) :) :)
The best thing ever is to learn from older women. I"m 36 now, but I still love to learn from older women...your mom, other ladies I know who've got lots more wisdom than I have...They can give you wise counsel on what it means to be a true woman of God, what true beauty is etc...I'm not sure how I can be a blessing to younger women yet...but if you ever have questions you can always ask me to clarify something :) :)
Anyway, I feel like I may have gone off topic a bit..but you know how you read/listen to a lesson and it makes you think of all sorts of things? This is one of those days.
It's worth it to wait for the one God has for you...but "get in his way"...so he notices that you're there :) :) ...hee hee he :) :) In any case, a man of character and integrity. That's the kind of man I want...someone who treats everyone well...!!!!
Oh, I share an apartment with my dad and I was telling him about part three. I said that whoever courts me is going to have to be nice to my dad..So for my dad, that translates to good Christian books, worship CDs etc..We had a nice laugh about that..but in all sincerity, whoever Mr. Right for Me is has to be nice to my parents!!!
Well, I guess that's enough for this post. I've got to go over to Part four and read what you wrote there!!! Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)