Archive for the ‘Encourgement’ Category

Spiritual Training 19 March 2015 (Ruth 1:22)

Posted: March 18, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Ruth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command (Ruth)

Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

Everything that God does and when we circle back to where we began from, God will always bring us back at the right time to the right place for the right purpose. It was also the time of Passover and celebration.

Bethlehem was about five miles southwest of Jerusalem. The town was surrounded by lush fields and olive groves. Its harvests were abundant.   Ruth and Naomi’s return to Bethlehem was certainly part of God’s plan because in this town David would be born (1 Samuel 16:1), and, as predicted by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2), Jesus Christ would also be born there. This move, then, was more than merely convenient for Ruth and Naomi. It led to the fulfillment of Scripture.

Because Israel’s climate is quite moderate, there are two harvest each year, in the spring and in the fall. The barley harvest took place in the spring, and it was during this time of hope and plenty that Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a farming community, and because it was the time of the harvest, there was plenty of leftover grain in the fields. This grain could be collected, or gleaned, and then made into food.

(Gleaning): When the wheat and barley were ready to be harvested, reapers were hired to cut down the stalks and tie them into bundles. Israelite law demanded that the corners of the fields not be harvested. In addition, any grain that was dropped was to be left for poor people, who picked it up (this was called gleaning) and used it for food (Leviticus 19:9; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:19). The purpose of this law was to feed the poor and to prevent the landowners from hoarding. This law served as a type of welfare program in Israel. Because she was a widow with no means of providing for herself, Ruth went into the fields to glean the grain.

Remember 1:06 When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.

Lets Bring it Home: God has visited his people, so what is the point? There will be seasons in your life where you feel like you’re in the middle of famine. Have you ever felt dry spiritually, emotionally or financially? When one of these seasons or others comes into your life you keep doing what you always been doing and don’t give up. You don’t stop Praising God. God will always show up.

Spiritual Training 18 March 2015 (Ruth 1:17-21)

Posted: March 18, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, honor, Inspiration, integrity, Loyalty, Personal Growth, Ruth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command (Ruth)

Ruth 1:17-21 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 19So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?” 20“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”  

Naomi had experienced severe hardships. She had left Israel married and secure; she returned widowed and poor. Naomi changed her name to express the bitterness and pain she felt. Naomi was not rejecting God by openly expressing her pain. However, it seems she lost sight of the tremendous resources she had in her relationship with Ruth and with God. Things in the Scripture are truly stated, but there not statements of truth. God does not give and take. God is a giver not a taker. Every good and perfect gift comes down from above from the Father.

Lets Bring it Home: When you face bitter times and filled with frustration, have you ever said why? But deep down inside you know that God is good Good. God welcomes your honest prayers, but be careful not to overlook the love, strength, and resources that he provides in your present relationships. And don’t allow bitterness and disappointment to blind you to your opportunities.

Proverbs 12:10 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 12, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 12, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

How well do you treat animals? It can be a measure of your character. A good man is merciful; he is gentle and kind; he is ruled by pity and compassion; he will not be mean or hard. But the wicked are cruel. Even their kindness is harsh, for they lack the tender, gentle spirit of the righteous man, who is concerned even for animals. They are not kind and merciful; they are like their master the devil, a liar and murderer from the beginning.

This proverb is not for PETA. The lesson is not the care of animals, but the illustration of compassion. While the LORD ordained merciful care of animals from the working ox to birds in the nest (Deut 25:4; 22:6-7), He also gave man dominion over them to work them, wear their skins, sacrifice them, and eat them (Gen 1:26-28; 3:21; 4:4; 9:1-4). A man may hunt honorably even today, but boyish torture of insects or animals is profane.

This writer witnessed many Amish horse-and-buggies in northwestern Pennsylvania as a boy. The difference in men’s character was visible, by this proverb. Some horses were well fed and groomed; others were undernourished and neglected. On hot days, some men walked their horses up the area’s steepest and longest hill; others whipped them on, ignoring the temperature, grade, or speed. And these were often the more pitiful horses!

The lesson is this: righteous men are tender, gentle, compassionate, and merciful; but the wicked are hard, harsh, inconsiderate, and cruel. A righteous man will bear the fruit of the Spirit, which includes tenderhearted gentleness (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 4:32; James 3:17). If you want to be like Jesus Christ instead of the devil, learn gentle kindness (II Co 10:1).

Dear reader, are you compassionate before God and men? Here is how you can show your God and Father’s character, Who sends warm sunshine and nourishing rain on His enemies (Matt 5:43-48). The LORD, though great and dreadful in judgment, is a God full of compassion and tender mercies (Ps 36:7; 103:4; 145:9; Lam 3:22). His ordinance of the O.T. Sabbath included rest for working animals (Ex 23:12; Deut 5:14). How merciful!

A righteous man is merciful to himself (Pr 11:17), animals (Gen 24:19,32; 33:13-14), his wife (I Pet 3:7; Col 3:19), his children (Ps 103:13; Col 3:21), his friends (Jas 3:17-18), and his enemies (Ps 35:11-16). He will not foolishly afflict, punish, or trouble them (Lam 3:32-33; Gal 6:10). He will rather pamper these same parties with kindness. He loves mercy, just like His Father in heaven loves mercy (Mic 6:8; 7:18; Eph 4:32; I Pet 3:8-9).

But the wicked are perverse; their tender mercies are cruel and harsh. They trouble their own souls (Pr 11:17) and neglect their own flesh and blood (I Tim 5:8). Balaam cruelly beat his ass (Num 22:22-32); Judah’s tender mercy to Joseph was to sell him (Gen 37:26-28); Adonibezek had seventy kings without thumbs or big toes under his table (Judges 1:7); Nahash accepted surrender on terms of putting out all right eyes (I Sam 11:1-2); Joab murdered Abner and Absalom in cold blood (II Sam 3:39; 18:5); Rehoboam scorned his own willing nation (II Chron 10:1-19); Jezebel murdered Naboth for a mere vineyard (I Kgs 21:1-16); Pilate offered to chastise the innocent Lord before letting Him go (Luke 23:13-16); and the Romans broke legs to end crucifixions (John 19:31-32)!

Righteous Job tenderly cared for his servants and the poor (Job 31:13-22), but his wife cruelly stabbed him in his darkest hour of need (Job 2:9). David mercifully spared Saul’s life (I Sam 24:1-22), but his daughter Michal scorned David’s finest worship of God (II Sam 6:20-23). Joseph mercifully protected Mary, though horribly hurt (Matt 1:19), but Judah forgot his promise to the lonely and needy Tamar (Gen 38:11-26).

A wicked man will treat his wife harshly, work too many hours, yell at the children, stay at cheap hotels on vacation, forget to feed the fish, slander his enemy, think romance is effeminate, neglect to train his children, expect the family to appreciate his personal preferences, criticize his wife to others, not take his mother out to eat, repeat stories about a co-worker, treat his daughters like sons, or clam up and avoid talking to the family.

A wicked woman will presume she is better than her husband, gossip about the neighbor, criticize her mother-in-law, defraud her husband of daily sex, over-protect her sons from boyish activities, fret about things to get done, nag rather than punish the children, correct her husband often, worry too much about details, dote on the children to the neglect of her man, make the family eat a veggie pizza, or beg for pity for her hard life.

Let every melancholy, introverted masochist read these words: “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh” (Pr 11:17). Your self-reflection and negative thoughts are wrong and destructive. They destroy you and those around you by your sullenness, withdrawal, bad attitude, critical outlook, or harsh words.

How merciful is a “quiet man,” who clams up? The “strong leader,” who yells frequently at home? The “thoughtful man,” who remembers offences and harbors bitterness? The “funny man,” who laughs all the time and only thinks about himself? The “zealous man,” who cannot forgive quickly and completely? These persons are not merciful at all.

Mercy does not compromise God’s standards (I Kgs 20:31-34). His law includes mercy, and you do not have the wisdom or right to modify His rules. Mercy compromises your standards, your opinions, your feelings, your habits, and your convenience for others.

You will receive the mercy and compassion you give, so it is important you show kindness and gentleness to yourself and others (Jas 2:13). Tender words are not enough: you need bowels of compassion (Col 3:12-13; I John 3:17) and their actions (Jas 2:16).

The blessed Lord showed His tender mercies from hungry crowds to a single grieving widow, from an untouchable leper to a despairing Mary Magdalene (Mark 8:1-2; Luke 7:11-15; Mark 1:40-44; John 20:11-18). And He is compassionate and merciful to you every day, dear reader. If you are a child of the King, then show tender mercy to all, as does your gracious King. Show His grace in your life by reflecting it to all others.

Spiritual Training 12 March 2015 (Ruth 1:1-16)

Posted: March 12, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Choices, decisions, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Ruth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command (More on Ruth)

Ruth 1:1-16 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a whiled in the country of Moab. 2The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

Now remember, Bethlehem meant The House of Bread. So you leave your praised and provision to follow your emotions. If Bethlehem was the House of Bread, why would you leave there to go to the country of Moab when you know that was a place that God singled out to be one of the worst enemies of Israel? In Psalm 60:08 God called Moab a Washbasin, a place where you wash feet.

 3Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

This indicates that when trouble came (famine in the land) you give up the House of Bread for the Washbasin of Moab and then tragedy strikes.

Point 1: Bad decisions cause horrible destinies.

6When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”     Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”  11But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13would you wait until they grew up Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!”   14At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

Orpah remained in Moab. Sometimes when people decide to leave, we need to let them go. Don’t keep begging them to come back.

Point 2: Sometime God will release people out of your life and we want to bring them back. LET THEM GO!

 15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”  

16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Now remember, as Moabites she worship false gods. So what she means now is, she is leaving her false religion to follow the true God. So with living with Naomi’s and Elimelek with all the stress that happen in her life, something attracted her to God.

Point 3: God has a destiny for every person’s life.

Sometimes we need to understand that when God puts his finger on somebody, and how he selects them and how he puts his finger on them to bring them to a level where that person or the people around them would never realized that God has selected them. Are there some people in your life that thought you would never be where you’re at in life?

The woman who was stress out as a kid, sexually molested as a child and now preaching the Word of God all over the world like a Joyce Myer.

God has a way of selecting you, and singling you out. He does not regard your background, and use your background to select your future. What God does, he avoids the pit falls in your life and he selects you because he sees something in you that no one else can see.

Point 4: God does not select you base on the outside, but what is on the inside.   God looks at the heart.

Lets Bring it Home: It is so important that we make right decisions and no one should make decisions simply on basic economics. Where God leads you he will provide for you, but sometime we become impetuous and move on our emotions at that particular time.

Proverbs 11:14 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 11, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 11, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 11:14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.

Neither you nor your government know how to make good decisions in a vacuum. The protection against bad decisions is to identify a large number of wise men to help make important decisions. If a government proceeds in haste, pride, or by the whims of one man, corruption and trouble will likely follow for that principality. But when a government heeds a broad range of wise men, there is generally profit and safety for all.

God inspired Solomon to write Proverbs to teach young men to be wise (Pr 1:1-5). Here is an important rule of prudence and wisdom. Do not make large decisions without consulting a variety of wise and successful men, who are not emotionally, personally, or financially involved. They can apply their wisdom and experience to your situation without the distracting and distorting influences that may be corrupting your thoughts.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. Of course! Have you ever made a bad decision? Of course not! This is a fact of human behavior Solomon had often observed (Pr 14:12; 16:2,25; 21:2). But you are often wrong for many reasons, even though you may not realize it. You are inherently ignorant, emotionally affected, personally biased, educationally distorted, financially motivated, and peer influenced. You are dangerous!

Not every counselor will do! If you choose to check your ideas and decisions with just your friends, most of them will agree with you to keep your friendship and avoid debate. This very thing happened to Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. After the death of his father, he listened to his young friends rather than his father’s aged and wise counselors. Because of this foolish choice, he lost 10 of his nation’s 12 tribes to a rival (I Kgs 12:1-20).

It has been said, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” To counter this perverting effect of authority, those in positions of leadership must rely even more heavily on counselors. If they seek to go it alone, they are taking a great risk with their office and the poor people under them. How many souls, lives, and fortunes would have been saved, if all husbands, fathers, masters, pastors, and rulers had used counselors?

Consider World War II. Counselors could have saved Chamberlain from Hitler’s lies. If Hitler had trusted his military advisors, he would have defeated the Soviets. Counselors tried to save Japan from war with the U.S., but were rejected. And General Patton’s counsel to take out the Soviets should have been considered more. These are decisions that caused many to fall, and these are only a very few associated with only that one war!

Wise readers know God’s sovereign government of nations was the cause, course, and conclusion of World War II, so they need to remember that God in judgment may work above this rule of wisdom by corrupting counselors to bring about His will in nations. He is able and willing to do so, and He has certainly done so in the past (Job 5:12-14; II Sam 15:31; I Kgs 22:19-23; Ps 9:15-17; Isaiah 19:11-14; 29:9-16; I Cor 1:19-20; 3:18-20).

If you desire to grow in wisdom, you will jettison your thoughts and replace them with the opinions of wise counselors. This is a hard choice to make, because you sinfully hate being criticized or corrected. You want to be the wise one that always makes outstanding decisions. You must learn to crush your pride and subject your ideas and plans to the analysis and examination of others. By choosing godly and successful men as your counselors, you can instantly raise the quality and results of your decisions.

The ultimate counselors are those that know the word of God and can apply it to your life and choices (Pr 22:17-21; Job 32:6-22; 33:23-24; Ps 119:98-100; II Tim 3:16-17). Counsel contrary to the Bible is worse than no counsel at all; it is destructive (Is 8:20; I Tim 6:3-5). Do you have godly counselors in your life (Mal 2:7; Acts 8:30-31; Heb 13:7,17)? Are you such a counselor to those that need you (Pr 11:30; 15:4; Heb 5:12-14; I Pet 3:15)? You may find godly counselors in a true church of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Training 11March 2015 (Ruth 1:1-18)

Posted: March 11, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, integrity, Personal Growth, Ruth, Security, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

CHAPTER  1. Ruth remains loyal to Naomi

Ruth 1:1-18 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a whiled in the country of Moab. 2The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.  3Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5both Mahlon and Kilionl also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem  6When Naomi heard in Moabn that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. 8Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”     Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”  11But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13would you wait until they grew up Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!”   14At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.  15“Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”  16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

The story of Ruth takes place sometime during the period of the rule of the judges. These were dark days for Israel, when “everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). But during those dark and evil times, there were still some who followed God. Naomi and Ruth are beautiful examples of loyalty, friendship, and commitment—to God and to each other.

Moab was the land east of the Dead Sea. It was one of the nations that oppressed Israel during the period of the judges (Judges 3:12-31), so there was hostility between the two nations. The famine must have been quite severe in Israel for Elimelek to move his family there. They were called Ephrathites because Ephrath was an earlier name for Bethlehem. Even if Israel had already defeated Moab, there still would have been tensions between them.

Friendly relations with the Moabites were discouraged (Deuteronomy 23:3-6) but probably not forbidden, since the Moabites lived outside the Promised Land. Marrying a Canaanite (and all those living within the borders of the Promised Land), however, was against God’s law (Deuteronomy 7:1-4). Moabites were not allowed to worship at the tabernacle because they had not let the Israelites pass through their land during the Exodus from Egypt.  As God’s chosen nation, Israel should have set the standards of high moral living for the other nations. Ironically it was Ruth, a Moabitess, whom God used as an example of genuine spiritual character. This shows just how bleak life had become in Israel during those days.

There was almost nothing worse than being a widow in the ancient world. Widows were taken advantage of or ignored. They were almost always poverty stricken. God’s law, therefore, provided that the nearest relative of the dead husband should care for the widow; but Naomi had no relatives in Moab, and she did not know if any of her relatives were alive in Israel.     Even in her desperate situation, Naomi had a selfless attitude. Although she had decided to return to Israel, she encouraged Ruth and Orpah to stay in Moab and start their lives over, even though this would mean hardship for her. Like Naomi, we must consider the needs of others and not just our own. As Naomi discovered, when you act selflessly, others are encouraged to follow your example. 1:11 Naomi’s comment here (“Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?”) refers to levirate marriage, the obligation of a dead man’s brother to care for his widow (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This law kept the widow from poverty and provided a way for the family name of the dead husband to continue.     Naomi, however, had no other sons for Ruth or Orpah to marry, so she encouraged them to remain in their homeland and remarry. Orpah agreed, which was her right. But Ruth was willing to give up the possibility of security and children in order to care for Naomi.

Ruth was a Moabitess, but that didn’t stop her from worshiping the true God, nor did it stop God from accepting her worship and blessing her greatly. The Jews were not the only people God loved. God chose the Jews to be the people through whom the rest of the world would come to know him. This was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born as a Jew. Through him, the entire world can come to know God. Acts 10:35 says that he “accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” God accepts all who worship him; he works through people regardless of their race, sex, or nationality. The book of Ruth is a perfect example of God’s impartiality. Although Ruth belonged to a race often despised by Israel, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. She became a great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.

Lets Bring it Home: No one should feel disqualified to serve God because of race, sex, or national background. And God can use every circumstance to build his kingdom.

Book of Ruth (Introduction)

Posted: March 10, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Faithfulness, Inspiration, integrity, kindness, Personal Growth, protection, Ruth, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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RUTH

WHEN someone says, “Let me tell you about my mother-in-law,” we expect some kind of negative statement or funny anecdote. That’s because the mother-in-law caricature has often been used in humor and comedy. The book of Ruth, however, tells a different story. Ruth loved her mother-in-law, Naomi. Recently widowed, Ruth begged to stay with Naomi wherever she went, even though it would mean leaving her homeland. She ended her plea with, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (1:16). Naomi agreed, and Ruth traveled with her to Bethlehem.     Not much is said about Naomi except that she loved and cared for Ruth. Obviously, Naomi’s life was a

powerful witness to the reality of God. Ruth was drawn to her—and to the God she worshiped. In the succeeding months, God led this young Moabite widow to a man named Boaz, whom she eventually married. As a result, she became the great-grandmother of David and an ancestor in the line of the Messiah. What a profound impact Naomi’s life made!     The book of Ruth is also the story of God’s grace in the midst of difficult circumstances. Ruth’s story occurred during the time of the judges—a period of disobedience, idolatry, and violence. Even in times of crisis and deepest despair, there are those who follow God and through whom God works. No matter how discouraging or antagonistic the world may seem, there are always people who follow God. He will use anyone who is open to him to achieve his purposes. Ruth was a Moabite, and Boaz was a descendant of Rahab, a former prostitute from Jericho. Nevertheless, their offspring continued the family line through which the Messiah came into our world.     Read this book and be encouraged. God is at work in the world, and he wants to use you. God could use you, as he used Naomi, to bring family and friends to him.
KEY VERSE: “But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God’” (1:16).
KEY PLACES: Moab, Bethlehem
When we first meet Ruth, she is a destitute widow. We follow her as she joins God’s people, gleans in the grain fields, and risks her honor at the threshing floor of Boaz. In the end, we see Ruth becoming the wife of Boaz. What a picture of how we come to faith in Christ. We begin with no hope and are rebellious foreigners with no part in the kingdom of God. Then as we risk everything by putting our faith in Christ, God saves us, forgives us, rebuilds our lives, and gives us blessings that will last through eternity. Boaz’s redeeming of Ruth is a picture of Christ redeeming us.

EXPLANATION: Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi as a daughter-in-law and friend is a great example of love and loyalty. Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz are also faithful to God and his laws. Throughout the story we see God’s faithfulness to his people.

IMPORTANCE: Ruth’s life was guided by faithfulness toward God and showed itself in loyalty toward the people she knew. To be loyal and loving in relationships, we must imitate God’s faithfulness in our relationships with others.

Kindness

EXPLANATION: Ruth showed great kindness to Naomi. In turn, Boaz showed kindness to Ruth—a despised Moabite woman with no money. God showed his kindness to Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz by bringing them together for his purposes.

IMPORTANCE: Just as Boaz showed his kindness by buying back land to guarantee Ruth and Naomi’s inheritance, so Christ showed his kindness by dying for us to guarantee our eternal life. God’s kindness should motivate us to love and honor him.

Integrity

EXPLANATION: Ruth showed high moral character by being loyal to Naomi, by her clean break from her former land and customs, and by her hard work in the fields

IMPORTANCE: When we have experienced God’s faithfulness and kindness, we should respond by showing integrity. Just as the values by which Ruth and Boaz lived were in sharp contrast to those of the culture portrayed in the book of Judges, so our lives should stand out from the world around us.

Protection

EXPLANATION: We see God’s care and protection over the lives of Naomi and Ruth. His supreme control over circumstances brings them safety and security. He guides the minds and activities of people to fulfill his purposes.

IMPORTANCE: No matter how devastating our present situation may be, our hope is in God. His resources are infinite. We must believe that he can work in the life of any person—whether that person is a king or a stranger in a foreign land. Trust his protection.

Prosperity/Blessing

EXPLANATION: Ruth and Naomi came to Bethlehem as poor widows, but they soon became prosperous through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz. Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David. Yet the greatest blessing was not the money, the marriage, or the child; it was the quality of love and respect between Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi.

IMPORTANCE: We tend to think of blessings in terms of prosperity rather than the high-quality relationships God makes possible for us. No matter what our economic situation, we can love and respect the people God has brought into our lives. In so doing, we give and receive blessings. Love is the greatest blessing.
 

Proverbs 10:28 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 10, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 10, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 10:28 The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked are cut short

The man who obeys God has a bright future. The man who chooses sin will be destroyed. Every man has desires and plans for the future, but only the righteous man will realize blessings and prosperity. The wicked man will not achieve his desire, and then he will go to hell. The lesson is simple. Obeying God works now and later. Sin will never succeed.

Compare length of life that precedes this proverb (Pr 10:27). Righteousness extends life. God guaranteed it (Eph 6:1-3); Solomon confirmed it (Pr 3:2,16; 4:10; 9:11). But the life expectancy of the wicked will be shortened. Solomon declared it (Pr 2:22; 11:19). Experience confirms it. Sinful living and worldly popularity shorten the human lifespan.

Compare marriage (Pr 12:4). Men enter it with great hope and fond expectations. But the wicked man is soon disgusted with his odious tormentor, which is confirmed by the thousands of divorces daily (Pr 11:22; 30:21-23). The righteous man, demanding the fear of the Lord in a spouse, is blissfully glad with his virtuous wife (Pr 19:14; 31:10-31).

Compare children (Pr 10:1; 19:13). The wicked man expects Benjamin Spock’s child care fantasies to yield perfect children. His expectation fails as he sees the arrogant, greedy, lazy, and selfish product of his amoral, effeminate, and permissive approach to parenting. The wise man, trusting God, Solomon, and six thousand years of human history, trains the foolishness out of his son for great parental joy (Pr 22:6,15; 29:15,17).

Examples comparing a righteous man to a wicked man can be multiplied indefinitely, with the wicked man’s expectations always perishing (Ps 34:12-16). Compare Abraham to Lot, Moses to Pharaoh, David to Saul, and Daniel to Belshazzar. But there is another comparison that is much more serious than longevity, marriage, or children. There is the hope and expectation of death. Only the righteous will find anything glad in that event!

Wicked men think they will live forever, or at least leave a perpetual legacy behind them (Ps 49:6-14; 73:1-20). But they are quickly cut off, are forgotten by all, rot in the grave, and drop into the lake of fire (Pr 11:7; Luke 12:16-20; 16:19-26). They expect heaven, or maybe annihilation, but they wake up tormented in hell (Matt 7:21-23; 23:33; 25:31-46).

Righteous men live with the certain promise of eternal life (Job 19:25-27). Their hope is the gladness of heaven, and the reality will far exceed anything they can imagine here (I Cor 2:9). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself saw the joy that was waiting beyond the grave, and the horrible death of crucifixion was little in comparison (Ps 16:8-11; Heb 12:1-3).

Proverbs 04:24 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 4, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs, Proverbs 04, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 4:24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 

Rule your speech. Guard your tongue. Mark your words. After keeping your heart with all diligence, from which come the issues of life, Solomon warned you to reject ungodly speech (Pr 4:23). Beginning with the thoughts and intents of the heart, wisdom demands you govern your speech (Pr 4:24), your eyes (Pr 4:25), and your feet (Pr 4:26-27).

It is impossible to have godly and gracious speech without a pure heart, for the content of the heart supplies the mouth (Matt 12:33-35). You can tell a good heart by kind and holy words, and you can tell a bad heart by harsh or carnal words. Jesus said it; believe it. Kings love the perfect man who speaks graciously from a pure heart (Pr 22:11).

This proverb does not warn you to stay away from those with froward mouths and perverse lips, for that advice is given elsewhere (Pr 14:7; 19:27; I Cor 15:33). It warns you to get rid of your own froward mouth and perverse lips. The context is ruling your own heart, lips, eyes, and feet (Pr 4:23-27), not avoiding others with those sins.

Solomon taught his son and told him to listen and submit to his fatherly instruction (Pr 4:20). He then exhorted him to keep his advice directly before him and firm in his resolve (Pr 4:21). And he encouraged him by saying that it would give him life and health (Pr 4:22). Then in order, he told his son to guard his heart, lips, eyes, and steps (Pr 4:23-27).

A foolish mouth will ruin your reputation (Eccl 5:3; 10:12-14). An offensive mouth will cause trouble with men (Pr 12:13; 13:3; 14:7; 18:6-7; 22:10; 24:9). And then you will give account of every idle word in the Judgment (Pr 6:16-19; Matt 12:36-37; Eph 5:3-6).

Kind and wise speech will build your reputation (Pr 15:4; 18:20; 24:26). Appropriate words will enhance your relationship with men (Pr 10:32; 15:23; 16:13; 25:11). And the blessed God is pleased with constructive and helpful words (Pr 12:22; Eph 4:29; Col 4:6).

Improve your speech by cutting your words in half, if you talk more than the average person (Pr 17:27; Jas 1:19). You then must rule your spirit, for it can kindle a fire from hell (Pr 16:32; Jas 3:3-8)! And you have to avoid arguments (Pr 26:4-5; II Tim 2:23).

If you keep your heart at peace with the Lord and man, it will be difficult for you to speak harsh or painful things. If you keep your heart pure with the Lord and man, it will be difficult for you to have foolish or carnal speech. If you fill your mind with noble things, you will have precious material for conversation (Phil 4:8). May God guide your tongue.

 

Proverbs 3:25 Wisdom for the Soul

Posted: March 3, 2015 in Acceptance, Bible Study, Encourgement, Fear, Inspiration, Personal Growth, Proverbs 03, Spiritual Training, trust in the Lord with all your heart, Uncategorized, Under Gods Command
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Under Gods Command

Proverbs 3:25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked

Fear is one of life’s worst experiences. A dreaded event may be imagined, or it may be real, but both are very painful. Terrifying news or reports of danger can suddenly cause great alarm and fear. Or you may know God is going to severely judge the wicked around you. But in both cases, wise men will be happy and peaceful, because God will be their confidence in danger, and He will deliver them from judgment of the wicked (Pr 3:26).

The larger context describes the many benefits of wisdom (Pr 3:1-22). The smaller context teaches that peace from fear and safety from danger are some of these benefits (Pr 3:23-24). The proverb above declares wisdom’s value to deliver men from surprise events and trouble and from God’s judgment of sinners. Because wisdom includes the fear of God and obedience to Him, He will save such men and women from both dangers.

Praise the true and living God! A Christian should not fear anything, for his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord (Ps 112:7-8). Even if an army were to come against him, he can be confident, because the high King of Heaven is on his side (Ps 27:1-6). Even if the surface of the earth were violently overthrown, there is no cause for fear at all (Ps 46:1-7). Here is a glorious benefit of wisdom – faith in God will save you from all fears (Ps 34:1-7).

Consider sudden fear. A doctor says you have cancer! Your spouse of many years leaves you! You are fired unexpectedly! You are in the middle of a bank during a robbery! Your son is killed in an accident! Your auto quits, and you have no money for repairs! A powerful nation declares war against yours! Your retirement plan is cancelled entirely!

Those who fear God and love wisdom have complete confidence in the face of fear. Naaman contracted incurable leprosy, but he boldly sought Elisha for its full cure. Hezekiah had a fatal disease, but he prayed for a couple minutes and was given 15 more years. Jesus Christ went to the cruel death of the cross with total confidence in His Father. Paul and Silas could sing praises in a Roman dungeon in Philippi, Macedonia.

Consider the desolation of the wicked. The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed 40 million! World War II took 72 million more! Deranged moon worshippers destroyed the World Trade Center! A 2004 tsunami wiped out the lives and homes of many from ten nations!

Those who fear God and love wisdom are kept from God’s judgment of the wicked. God drowned all men by a worldwide flood 4500 years ago, but Noah and his family were dry in the Ark. He took Lot out of Sodom before burning it up. Jacob and his family were fed in the best part of Egypt during a terrible famine. Many saints were saved out of Jerusalem, when God sent the Roman armies to destroy the murderers of His Son.

What is wisdom? It is reverently fearing the LORD Jehovah of the Bible and keeping His commandments. God befriends, blesses, delivers, and helps such men, so they need not fear in this world or the next. They can respond confidently to any news of trouble, for they will be protected. If the God of heaven is on your side, then there is nothing man or natural disasters can do to you (Pr 3:26; Ps 118:6; Matt 10:28-31; Heb 13:5-6).

The worst fear the world has ever seen and the worst desolation of the wicked are yet to come, and they are not far off (II Thes 1:7-9). Jesus Christ will come from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that do not know God and do not obey the gospel. But those who believe in Him will be glorified and will admire Him at the very same event (II Thes 1:10). Believe and obey the Lord Jesus Christ today.

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