WATCHWORD:
9 Then Boaz said to the witnesses and to the crowd standing around, “You have seen that today I have bought all the property of Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon, from Naomi, 10 and that with it I have purchased Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, to be my wife, so that she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband.” 11 And all the people standing there and the witnesses replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make this woman, who has now come into your home, as fertile as Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you be a great and successful man in Bethlehem, 12 and may the descendants the Lord will give you from this young woman be as numerous and honorable as those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.” 13 So Boaz married Ruth, and when he slept with her, the Lord gave her a son. Ruth 4:9-13
Meditation:
More Than Enough
When has God blessed you beyond what you imagined? Did you express your gratitude and recognize that it was the Lord moving in your life? Did you share that information with anyone, talk about how Jesus is more than enough for you? He is, you know.
Isn’t it true that we tend to keep things a secret, that we are shy in sharing our faith with others. Recently my children gave me a birthday party and I resolved to share with the whole family gathering some detail about my faith walk. They already knew where I came from but I wanted to share it in more detail. I began by saying that I always tried to be a man of faith and sometimes I’d fallen short, but most of the time I rested on my faith. I spoke about how my faith informed my writings, then I thanked them for the party. That was that. I wimped out, passed over the other points I wanted to make. Why? I don’t know, but I think God applied a muzzle. Maybe he was telling me I had said enough.
God has a way of blessing us beyond what we expect, in ways we don’t expect. In the scripture passage, Naomi was bitter and broken by the death of her husband and her sons. Then her desperate situation was rescued by Boaz, a relative who married her daughter-in-law Ruth and provide provided a home for her and Naomi.
That might have been all Naomi could hope for. But then God blessed Ruth and Boaz with a son. Now Naomi had a grandson to renew her life and sustain her in her old age. Still that might have been enough except for the fact that Ruth’s son, Obed, became the father of Jesse who was the father of David. That would have been enough but David, of course, is the ancestor of our Lord and savior Jesus.
If we believe in Jesus Christ, we were in the same position as Naomi, until He came into our lives and redeemed us. Now we are fully accepted and adopted by our Father who blesses us so that we, in turn, can bless others. That’s why we have more than enough.
Oh yes, we need to learn from the lesson of Boaz who looked out for the good of another. We live in a time of lies, greed, and selfishness all around us, in our politics and even in our daily lives. We need to actively embrace compassion, grace, and truth. We can be an island sanity and love. Be the Face of Christ to others amid this chaos? Yes, of course.
An Invitation:
Won’t you join me this coming Wednesday, 4 p.m., May 22, in the Chapel of Timbercrest Retirement Community. The Oasis program is entitled You Are Never Too Old, and it may not be what you think. Come, and bring your imaginations with you. In 30 minutes it could alter your perspective. Take a risk! Join me. Stan Escott
Prayer to Open My Eyes:
Heavenly Father, open my eyes that I may see glimpses of Your truth you have for me. Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free of needless burdens that life hands me. I wait for you now in silence and in prayer, ready my Lord to see and follow Your will for me. Open my eyes, inspire me, oh, Spirit Divine. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
