When We Tell Others, Their Interests are Peaked

Scripture: Ruth 2:19

Her mother-in-law then said to her, “Where did you glean today and where did you work? May he who took notice of you be blessed.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The name of the man with whom I worked today is Boaz.”

Insights:  We learned yesterday when we are lavished on by the Lord, we need to tell other people about it.  As we are displaying this excitement to them, more often than not they will begin to ask questions.  Look at today’s verse for example.  Ruth has the “show and tell” we discussed yesterday and then Naomi responds, “Where did you work today?”  She has become interested in this lavished provision from the Lord.  Ruth tells here about Boaz and that answer sets us up for tomorrow’s Thoughts by Scott.  Until then, let me elaborate a little more on this idea of people asking us questions.  In 1 Peter 3:15 we read, “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”  People will ask questions because their interests are peaked if our life is different.  The reason our lives are different is because we have this hope.  Ruth had hope and proof the Lord was going to provide for them.  As a result, she encouraged Naomi to believe in God’s grace as well.  Naomi wants to know more about this amazing grace of God.  Beloved, we must be ready to share with others the reason we have hope and we must unashamedly tell them the answer is Jesus.  It is my personal fear the reason the church is not seeing more dramatic advancements in the gospel is because the church has become blinded to the activity of God.  With our impaired vision we rationalize and justify the activities of this world and miss the connection between the Creator and His creation.  If we the church are not connecting the dots, then how can we expect the lost world to see His activity.  Romans tells us they are still accountable to God’s testimony even if they reject it or don’t acknowledge it because God is still working.  The church needs to be the one to help them to accept this message of hope and grace as they see it displayed in our lives.  Pray for the Lord to give you boldness and wisdom to point those pricked by your excitement to the Jesus.

Questions:

1. Have your conversations in life stirred others to ask you questions about your excitement in Jesus?

2. Do you have an intentional plan as to how to respond to people when they start asking questions for the excitement in your life?

Prayer: Father, please grant me the boldness and wisdom to know what to say to people who ask me for the reason I have hope.  Amen.

When We are Lavished on, We Tell Others

Scripture: Ruth 2:17-18

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.  She took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also took it out and gave Naomi what she had left after she was satisfied.

Insights:  The second point this week is in some fashion difficult to put in written format.  If you had been at FBCBG Sunday, you would have watched me visualize this scene in such a fashion you would understand Ruth SPOKE words to her mother regarding the barley she harvested.  When God lavishes His love on us we have but one response and that is to tell others.  Ruth comes home and has “show and TELL” with Naomi about the days work.  To help you better understand the extend of the lavished love of God on Ruth you need to know what an ephah is.  There are historical discrepancies because of price gauging regarding how much an ephah weighed.  On the low end it would have been thirty pounds.  On the high side it would have been around fifty pounds.  Either way, this amount is far greater than any poor peasant gleaning the leftovers would have ever produced after a days worth of work.  It is for this reason Ruth comes home and “without” words just nonchalantly places the barley on the floor and opens her lunch pell and hands dinner over to Naomi and finally goes to bed quietly.  This version of the story just did not happen.  Ruth rushed home.  She flung the door open wide and hurriedly came inside.  She calls her mother-in-law loudly to come and see what the Lord has done and she proudly shows the ephah of barley and leftover lunch.  This thirty pounds was the lightest she had ever carried.  Beloved, do we get excited to tell others WITH OUR WORDS about the love of God?  He has done so much for us.  His Son died on a cross for our sins.  He purchased eternal life for us in His kingdom.  We have a future free of pain and sorrow and it is filled with joy and gladness.  We must go and tell others about Jesus.  This proclamation is imperative on our parts if we are going to give a proper response to God’s lavished grace.  Pray for God’s passion to fill your heart and out of the overflow spread His love.

Questions:

1. Who are you telling about God’s lavish provision in your life?

2. How excited are you at the privilege of being God’s mouthpiece to the world regarding His amazing love?

Prayer: Father, let my prayer be the same as the early church.  Lord, grant me boldness to proclaim unapologetically the name of Jesus.  Thank You for the way You lavish me with Your love, may I respond in a proper manner and tell others of Your grace.  Amen.

God does not just Provide, He also Lavishes on His Own

Scripture: Ruth 2:14-16

At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers; and he served her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left.  When she rose to glean, Boaz commanded his servants, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not insult her.  “Also you shall purposely pull out for her some grain from the bundles and leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Insights:  Last week we learned God provides for those whom He loves.  In today’s verses, however, I want to expand the thought regarding God’s provision.  Notice with me Boaz feeds her lunch to such an extent she has to get a doggie back to take the rest home with her.  Also notice Boaz gives instruction to his sight manager to let her glean from the sheaves and to intentionally drop some grain for her to pick up along the way.  Beloved, she was already provided for in the previous verses we looked at last week.  In these verses we see God lavishing her with extra blessing and grace.  I would tell you this pattern is God’s hearts desire.  He does not just wish to supply our needs, but rather wishes to WOW us with His grace.  Does Ruth need more food than she has already harvested at this point?  The answer is no, but God is in a very real way displaying to her His amazing grace and provision.  I think one of the problems with the modern church is we have become so self-sufficient and prideful we no longer “need” God to provide for us.  Because we don’t even “need” His provision, we have lost the possibility of being lavished upon by the Lord.  We need to return to a biblical state of humility, gratitude and dependence on the Lord God.  As we display such an honest and contrite heart to the splendor of our King, we will be awed as we experience His ever increasing provision with which He is lavishing upon His own.  It is my prayer you evaluate your life and your walk with the Lord.  It is my desire for us all to experience the WOW of God’s love as He lavishes His goodness on us.  Tomorrow we will see Ruth’s response to being lavished on by the Lord.

Questions:

1.  Have you expressed gratitude to the Lord for the way He lavishes provision and love on you?

2.  How have you recently experienced God’s lavish provision in you life?

Prayer: Father, Your abundant provision is always amazing, but when You lavish Your grace on me, I am overwhelmed with inexpressible joy and thanksgiving.  Thank Your for Your love.  Amen.

Love is Grateful

Scripture: Ruth 2:10-13

Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”  Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.  “May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”  Then she said, “I have found favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me and indeed have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”

Insights:  My final thought this week deals with gratitude.  Notice how Ruth responds to Boaz for his kindness and provision.  She fell on her face and bowed to the ground.  She has physically demonstrated her appreciation for the love Boaz has extended to her.  When I read of such authentic displays of gratitude it forces me to evaluate my own life.  I fear all too often I say prayers of platitude to the Lord without much sincerity.  In other words, I know I ought to say grace before a meal so I pray and thank God for His provision.  Is this prayer of mine just a prayer or am I honestly seeking the Lord and giving Him true expressions of gratitude.  If I am honest with myself I think I fall into the category of taking God’s blessings for granted.  I mean, He always takes care of me, why ought I to expect something different.  Yet, He does not promise to make my life here on earth all roses without thorns and cake for dessert.  As a result, when He does extend His hand of mercy to me I ought to be extremely grateful and overly expressive of my love for His kindness.  Let me challenge you, Beloved, especially as Christmas approaches, to take an inventory of your life.  After thinking about your life, give the Lord honest and sincere gratitude for His loving kindness.  It will bless your heart to love Him in this fashion and He will be brought glory.  Thank Him today.  Thank Him right now!

Questions:

1.  Are you grateful for the Lord’s provision?

2.  In what ways do you demonstrate your gratitude to Him?

Prayer: Father, thank You is not enough.  May my life be spent serving You to the point all see You and You are brought glory.  Amen.

Love is Provided for by God

Scripture: Ruth 2:8-9

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.  “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.”

Insights:  Boaz responds to Ruth in the earthly equivalent to how God ministers to us.  In fact, Boaz is an Old Testament picture of Jesus and the way He ultimately redeems us from our sin.  In today’s verses we see Boaz providing for Ruth through the permission to glean from his fields and his willingness to let her drink from his servants water jars.  We know God’s heart is to be our Jehovah Jireh, which means the Lord God our provider.  The story in which God is given this title is found in Genesis chapter twenty-two.  God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and as he is about to when God stops him.  God then provides him a ram that has gotten caught in the thicket.  This theme of God’s provision is traced all the way back to the Garden with the fall of Adam and Eve and continues on all the way into the book of Revelation with God’s provision of the Wedding Feast.  At this point in our story of Ruth we see Boaz telling her to go to no other fields to glean, but to always return to his.  Boaz is giving this instruction for provision and protection.  What a beautiful picture of the way God treats us.  Beloved, God is still in the provision business.  He wants us to call out to Him and make our requests known so that He can sweep in and be our great provider.  One of our problems is we try to be prideful and self-sufficient.  We need to not be self-sufficient, but dependent on the God who owns the entire universe.  It is my prayer you will turn to Him and let Him be your provider.

Questions:

1.  In what ways has God provided for you in the pass?

2.  What need are you presently looking to the Lord to fulfill?

Prayer: Father, thank You for always being my provider.  Your are always on time and I say thank You.  Amen.

Love is Perceptive of Others

Scripture: Ruth 2:4-7

Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “May the Lord be with you.” And they said to him, “May the Lord bless you.”  Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?”  The servant in charge of the reapers replied, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.  “And she said, ‘Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.’ Thus she came and has remained from the morning until now; she has been sitting in the house for a little while.”

Insights:  I love this portion of the passage.  Boaz the CEO comes and does a walk-a-bout with his employees.  He comes to his operations manager and is shooting the breeze about the daily activities.  He looks up and a notices a lady sitting in the break room and interrupts his managers report and asks, “Who is that young woman over there in the corner?”  Now, what we don’t know is if there were other sojourners in the room or other poor people from town or if it was just Ruth.  Whatever the situation, however, Boaz’ perception is specifically drawn to her and his interest is peaked.  The operations manager gives him the run down on who she is and what her work ethic had been that morning.  Beloved, people who are real worshippers of God have such a relationship with the Father they are pliable in His hands.  He prompts their hearts and He guides their eyes to notice other people and their needs.  For some people this comes as naturally as breathing.  For others, however, it is an area in which the Holy Spirit must continually work on the individuals visual perceptions.  Unfortunately, I fall in this later category, but even a few weeks ago, I was at a gas station and noticed this man who obviously was in need.  He was not in need of food or clothing.  In fact he was dressed very well, but as he stood there, I could tell he was needing something.  Normally, I would walk past a person like this and “not” notice them.  On this day, however, the Holy Spirit told me to say hello.  I ended up giving him a ride to the bank and I was late to my appointment.  The Lord was trying to teach me to be perceptive of other people and their needs.  I am grateful the Lord does not give up on me and continues to work on my heart.  May He continue to work on yours as well.

Questions:

1.  Would you describe your personality as one which is perceptive of other people and their needs or are you oblivious to them?

2.  If you are typically not perceptive of others, what might you do to become more intentional about noticing other people?

Prayer: Father, You are intimately concerned for all of Your creation.  Help me to love and have a burden for them as You stir my heart.  Amen.

Love is Prompted by God

Scripture: Ruth 2:3

So she departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers; and she happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Insights:  It boggles my mind the number of people who go through this life thinking everything is coincidental or accidental and not providential.  In my opinion all one has to do is read the Bible and see the story of God connected through the ages and doubts as to His intentional involvement would be dispelled.  As we read today’s verse, however, we see this notion that Ruth thought things were just happening to her.  From Ruth’s perspective she knew she needed food, therefore, she told Naomi she was going to go glean from someones fields.  In today’s verse we are told she “happened to come to” a field belonging to Boaz.  I described it this way to FBCBG: “Many of you travel past multiple churches to get to FBCBG.  Why do you think that is?  It is because God has divinely guided you here for a special word from Him to you this morning.”  Boaz’ field may have been the first one Ruth came to.  It is also possible it was the next one or even the one after that one.  The point is God is the one guiding her steps.  She set out on a plan to glean from a field.  It was God’s plan and prompting for her to stop at Boaz’ field.  It was because God had planned from the foundations of the world Ruth was to be a part of His plan of redemption for the world.  Beloved, God has a plan for your life.  He desires to use you in specific ways to reach His objectives.  It is my prayer you slow down enough in life to let Him speak to your heart.  It is my prayer you understand He is providentially prompting you to make decisions that honor Him and bring glory to him.  Live your life in total surrender to Him and watch Him do amazing things through you as you live intentionally for Him.

Questions:

1.  Do you see the situations in your life as coincidences or providential appointments?

2.  When was the last time your recognized God’s promptings in your life?

Prayer: Father, all too often I am to busy to recognize Your hand of guidance.  Help me to slow down enough and to be sensitive enough to You that I recognize Your activity in my life.  Amen.