Service is not just something we do: it's who we are. Just as Jesus came to serve rather than be served, we are never more like him than when we take on the nature of a servant. The church thrives through every member knowing their gift, functioning in their role, and building one another up in love. The question that can help us start to step out in our role is "what is in my hands?"
Bethany Missionary, Pat Dugan, shares a message inspiring us to think about how to live a life not controlled by the systems of "this world" in the coming year.
Naomi’s despair paled in comparison to what she gained. Although the loss of her husband and two sons was devastating, God restored through Boaz and Ruth not only another son, but ultimately brought forth the greatest king Israel had ever known. What neither Naomi nor the author of Ruth knew was that God himself would come to earth through her line, being himself the redeemer for all mankind. Through Christ, humanity’s eternal despair is transformed into eternal hope.
God uses Boaz to provide rest and redemption to Ruth, a vulnerable woman from a despised nation. God wants to use His people as instruments of righteousness and redemption in a crooked generation, just as Boaz and Ruth were during the period of the judges.
Often times we find ourselves in seasons of confusion and difficulty much like Ruth and Boaz. In this morning's short meditation from Ruth 2 we look at Ruth and Boaz to see how they exemplified some the important things we should do during those seasons of life.
The book of Ruth contains one of the most incredible stories of God's masterful redemptive work in the midst of the lowest points of human despair. Not only does God's redemption reach into the individual suffering of Ruth and Naomi in this book, but God also providentially works through this hopeless situation to bring about a great king for Israel and relieve the suffering of the nation. But not even the author of Ruth understood that through Ruth's line God was going to bring about redemption for all of mankind. In this first chapter of Ruth, we will see how God brings hope in our darkest hour, at times through unexpected means
With other religions, man gives to God seeking to be paid back. The God of the Bible needs nothing, and is always giving. Therefore, we are always receiving and always have reason to be grateful.
