Message from the Monthly Flyer March 2020
Ruth 2:11-13 AMP Boaz answered her, “I have been made fully aware of everything that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for your kindness, and may your reward be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Then she said, “Let me find favour in your sight, my Lord, for you have comforted me and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not as one of your maidservants.” On the day that Boaz met with Ruth in his field, he was delighted because many things had been said in town about her, and now he had the opportunity to express his thoughts and tell her what he knew. In the portion of Scripture above, Boaz did not hide his admiration for this unique woman called Ruth, and in this chapter, we are going to allow Boaz to go deeper and express his thoughts towards Ruth.
When Ruth answered to Boaz, she did not have much to say. She just wanted him to continue to grant her the favour to come and work in his field without restrictions. Ruth was not carried away by the praises of Boaz. She remained down to earth. She was telling him: "I just want to be a good daughter-in-law for Naomi because I found no better way to express my gratitude and love for Adonai. I promised to care for her and this is what I will do. I promised to add value in her life by being there for her, and that is all I want to do. I don't want her to suffer or be worried as long as I am with her. I just want to be available and sow love everywhere I go. So please, just allow me to continue coming here to work with your servants, even though I am not an Israelite. I am not asking for more. I am not even expecting God to bless me in a special way. All I want is to let my light shine around me and be a blessing. I am the humble servant of the Lord, let Him do with me as He pleases.” Ruth had found the meaning of her life when she decided to consecrate herself to taking care of Naomi. Even though some voices were trying to discourage her from time to time and make her feel like she had made the biggest mistake of her life, she kept trusting and believing. She remained faithful to her promise to always be there for Naomi. Secretly she had been questioning the customs of her land with the idol worship and the practices that were attached to it. When she opened her heart to know the God of Israel, she knew that this was the true worship that her heart had always been longing for. It had not been easy to disconnect herself from her people and their customs but the more she persevered and remained steadfast, the more she came closer to the biggest surprise that God had in store for her, even though she did not know it yet. That day, Boaz blessed her with these words: "May the Lord repay you for your kindness, and may your reward be full from the Lord" And that is exactly what God was going to do in the life of this former idol worshiper. Boaz told Ruth that he had heard everything she had done for her mother-in-law. He was aware of her story because he had heard it from somebody. The God of heaven and earth does not need anybody to tell Him about us. He knows everything that concerns you and I. He knows when we sit down and when we rise up. Even before we express a thought, He knows about it. There is nothing we can hide from Him. There is no place we can hide from His presence. Just like the psalmist David says in Psalm 139: 1-10, God is everywhere and sees everything. He sees all the sacrifices that we are willing to go through because we love Him. He sees the time we spend in comforting someone who is in despair. He is in the secret place of our prayer when we pour out our hearts before Him. He sees what others around us do not see and He understands our thoughts, our motives and our feelings. He is a good God. He is a just God and He promises that He will not forget the labour of love that we perform in His name, as we can read in Hebrew 6:10 AMP “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for His name in ministering to the needs of the saints (God’s people) as you do.” Our actions and work are all registered in heaven, and if our work is motivated by God’s love, in due time we will reap the fruits of our labour. In Colossians 3:23-24 we read: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” The Lord Jesus says in John 15: 12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” It pleases and honours our heavenly Father when His divine love motivates our decisions and actions. The life of Ruth is an excellent demonstration of this principle and as her story goes on, we will see how God honored her in return. md |
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