Key thought: In Boaz, God provided Ruth a kinsman-redeemer who exchanged her bitterness for blessing and foreshadowed the redemptive work of the coming Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Key Verse: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." Ruth 1:6
Key Action: Trust in the God who redeems the hardships of our past, blesses us now, and provides for our future.
Ruth: The Romance of Redemption - From Ray Steadman<-(click here for entire Bible summary)
As Ruth did with Boaz, if we would begin to walk out upon this mighty transforming truth that God has given us here in the book of Ruth – that we are now married to him who is risen from the dead, married to the man of strength and of wealth, who has given to us all that he is and all that he has – we would see the incredible folly of our gleaning for insignificant scraps. If we saw what we were doing by that, our lives would be transformed.
Ruth (Larry Crabb's 8th love letter)
No matter what happens in your life, I can reach into your heart with the power values. “But You do that slowly, right? I mean really slowly, after long seasons of trouble that make it.
Consider Ruth . She faced overwhelming disadvantages. Poverty. Racism. (Israel hated Moab. Ruth was a Moabitess.) No job prospects. Widowed. But she valued relationships over advantages.
Finally Boaz , the star of the story, is a picture of God's Son.
No matter how dark the world around you, no matter how difficult the world inside you, God's plan overcomes all obstacles to holiness.
I worry more about things going bad than about me going bad. Personal holiness really isn’t at the top of my priority list. I wish it were. Or maybe I don’t.
I would agree that we use God to give us what we want and when he does not we tend to get mad. So sad that it feels as though we have not changed since the beginning of his creation. There are some true gems that I have the privilege of knowing though who I believe are more concerned about their souls well-being with Jesus than what they have or do.
ReplyDeleteI really do appreciate all of the time you put into these posts.