The Loyalty of Ruth
Ruth 1:12-17 (ASV) If I should say, I have hope, if I should even have a husband to-night, and should also bear sons; 13 would ye therefore tarry till they were grown? would ye therefore stay from having husbands? nay, my daughters, for it grieveth me much for your sakes, for the hand of Jehovah is gone forth against me. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god: return thou after thy sister-in-law. 16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; 17 where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me
How much do I love this account of Ruth, the Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law to Bethlehem after their husbands died? There is a stark contrast between Naomi and Ruth. Naomi was more than sorrowful at the loss of her husband and sons. She was forlorn and bitter thinking God had turned against her. But God had a plan.
Naomi’s daughter-in-law Orpah was convinced to return to her own mother while Ruth uttered some of the most beautiful words in the Bible. “..,for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;” Ruth demonstrates a loyalty that few can mimic, for this kind of love requires sacrifice.
When God calls us to sacrifice, may we do as Ruth did, without grumbling, but instead, may the joy of the Lord be our strength as we walk the pathway designed just for us. And may we share the name of Jesus with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Living By Faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness —
Romans 1:16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to believers: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed —a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Hebrews 11:1-3 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
There is nothing more important in our arsenal of beliefs than faith. Everything we are and all that we have is grounded in faith.
So what happens when life so overwhelms us that our faith begins to diminish? How do we restore our faith that God has a plan and that we are living in the center of His will?
We must return to the basics: pray that the Holy Spirit will remind us of the bedrock of our faith, that Jesus completed His redemptive work on Calvary. If you keep a prayer journal, find instances where God has answered your prayers. And finally read every scripture you can find on faith, then read them out loud, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God . Romans 10:17. To
I am finishing with an old song of faith. May we keep ourselves built up in our most high faith as we anticipate the great things God is doing.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. . Amen
Living by Faith, by RE Winsett
1 I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worry is vain.
Refrain:
Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.
Be Transformed
Romans12:1-2 I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice — living, sanctified, acceptable to God — your intelligent service; 2 and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what [is] the will of God — the good, and acceptable, and perfect.”
It is troubling to see some churches following today’s cultural trends rather than being a light shining into the darkness, leading people to eternal life. Those in leadership have a grave responsibility to follow the Holy Spirit and not lead others astray. In 2 Tim 2:5 we are instructed to study to show ourselves approved. It is difficult enough to walk the Christian way ourselves, but when we take on the responsibility of training others we must be true to the Word.
May we stay on the pathway of holiness and lead others into His marvelous light by being changed through the Holy Spirit and the reading and studying of the Word.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Proverbs of Solomon
Proverbs 13:3-9 3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.
4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5 The righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and bring shame on themselves.
6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8 A person’s riches may ransom their life,
but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
Qualities of the Good
Guard their lips
Diligent
Righteous
The light of the righteous shines brightly
In the book of Proverbs we notice a pattern—we are either righteous or we are not, we either work hard or we are lazy and we keep information to ourselves or share with all we meet. In other words, our actions fall into the categories of either/or.
It seems that these characteristics develop as children. We either complain to people or we take things to God, we are hardworking or we are lazy.
Can we change ourselves after these qualities have become seemingly ingrained in our character? We may not be able to institute a change, but God can.
As we read the Proverbs, we will do well to ask God to continuously mold us into His image. Keep us walking on the pathway of holiness, never even looking to the left or to the right.
May we enjoy the pleasures of His good will as we bring glory to Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seek First the Kingdom of God
Matthew 6:30-34 (NIV) 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Yesterday, we looked at the verses immediately preceding today’s scripture, and today we finish the thought—we are no longer pagans, running here and there after the things we not only need but want. When we seek the kingdom and His righteousness all these things will be given to us. Seek in the Hebrew “daresh” means to search for something diligently. So, if we search diligently after God, He will supply our needs according to His riches in glory. You see, putting things in God’s order makes all the difference.
Consider the story of Solomon, King David’s son. Solomon is a keen example of one who sought God first—not after all other options had run out, but first.
1 Kings 3:7-9 (NIV) 7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor —so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.
“Don’t borrow trouble” supposedly has its roots in Appalachia or deep Southern slang, but as we can see, the true root goes back much farther. In the words of a wise young girl I once pastored, “God has this.”
May we, if we slip into worry or doubt, remember these words, “God has this.”
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Seeking Holiness 