Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. Praise the Lord for Christopher Columbus, who among many who brought the Good New of Jesus Christ to the shores of America the Beautiful. Christopher means "The bearer of Christ"; what a beautiful name! Christopher Columbus wrote in one of his dairies that the Holy Spirit laid on his heart the desire the explore the new world and it is the Holy Spirit that led him west to the New World.
Alice spent the long weekend in Washington, DC with Sunita and Andy. Sunita and Andy recently had hired a man to work on the reinforcing the retaining wall that held the lawn in front of their house. That contractor hired two others. There was accident on Friday afternoon before Sunita and Andy returned from work. One of the retaining walls collapsed and fell on one of the workers, who suffered severe internal injuries. He died later that night in the hospital Sunita and Andy are devastated by this tragedy. They are crying out to the Lord for His grace and mercy in the whole situation and for every one who is involved in this tragedy.
One of the most powerful and assuring verses in the Word of God is found in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
The ending of the story in the Book of Ruth, comes in a short few verses but they tell us much about God and how His grace of provision is present. Boaz took Ruth to be his wife and they bore a son to perpetuate the name of Naomi. The greatest joy seems to be how well things turned out for Naomi. In 4:14 and 15, the women of the town praise God for what He has done for Naomi. The birth of a grandson was such an important event for Naomi that the women said she herself has a son. Naomi had returned to Israel empty - no children and no purpose. She wondered if God really cared about such an ordinary person as herself. After the birth of the baby, she was full - with a grandson and a purpose. In fact, Naomi's grandson became the grandfather of David, the greatest king of Israel and through their family line Jesus was born. Naomi's life was important - she played a role in bringing Christ into world.
God is a God of grace, a sovereign God who watches over each of us and cares for us. He watches over you and knows your struggles, your doubts, and fears, your need for a sense of purpose. The book of Ruth reveals God's faithfulness to us and His grace of provision.
God's grace goes beyond the law. God calls us to be faithful to Him in order that He might bless us. We read in 2 Timothy that even when we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself. Boaz went beyond his legal obligations to help Ruth and Naomi. God could have said that Naomi had "made her own bed and now had to lay in it", and that she "had to reap what she sowed". It is true that we often reap what we sow, but God is a gracious and loving God. Sometimes the seeds we sow in our lives are not very good but God turns them into good seeds. Even the mistakes we make can be turned into good by our Loving Lord.. When you feel that things are bad and you blame yourself, do not feel that God is punishing you. He does refine us and discipline us but He does not take us out of His grace because of our disobedience if we are His people. We all have disobeyed Him through our foolishness at one time or another.
The other thing we learn is that God often uses the very people who pray for others to help the people that they are praying for. In 2:12, Boaz prayed, "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel." She was repaid and rewarded by God through Boaz.
Have you ever prayed to God that He would help someone and then found yourself being God's instrument of assistance? As we pray, God urges us and shows us how to help.
We see that God's hand is in our lives even when the focus seems to be on others. In Ruth's story, the focus is on Boaz and Ruth and yet God did not forget Naomi. So it is in our lives. Perhaps others seem to be in God's favor or "in the limelight". Boaz is seen as a figure to represent how Christ would redeem us. God is faithful and just. He cares for ordinary people like you and me.
May we remember that when we go through valleys we may not see Him, but He has not left us. May our hope always be in Him.
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcjDoMJBbu4
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