Podcasts about so ruth

#7The Compassion Gift:  “People don't care how much know, until they know how much you care” Luke 15:17-24 NIV “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' (20) So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (21) “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' (22) “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. (24) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. Rom 12:3-8 NIV For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (4) For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, (5) so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (6) We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; (7) if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; (8) if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Positive: -are greatly concerned for the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of others.  -They have desire and ability to help people who are suffering or distressed.  -They are happy to help all, and don't cease being happy  Need to be aware: -Because people with this gift are so patient and compassionate with those in pain, they will benefit from setting clear boundaries so as to prevent them from burnout.  -They need to be in a system of care that helps order their world.  -They may not understand others who are not so compassionate as not caring.  Old Testament  -Moses and God's compassion  Exodus 33:19 NIV And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -Boaz and Ruth Ruth 2:14-18 NIV At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. (15) As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her. (16) Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her.” (17) So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. (18) She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. New Testament :-Jesus Matthew 9:35-36 NIV Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease... Support this podcast

Ruth 3 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it's time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. 2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he's been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. 3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don't let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.” 5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of her mother-in-law. 7 After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he lay down at the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. 8 Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet! 9 “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.” 10 “The LORD bless you, my daughter!” Boaz exclaimed. “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor. 11 Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. 12 But while it's true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am. 13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as the LORD lives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.” 14 So Ruth lay at Boaz's feet until the morning, but she got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. For Boaz had said, “No one must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor.” 15 Then Boaz said to her, “Bring your cloak and spread it out.” He measured six scoops of barley into the cloak and placed it on her back. Then he returned to the town. 16 When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “What happened, my daughter?” Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her, 17 and she added, “He gave me these six scoops of barley and said, ‘Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.'” 18 Then Naomi said to her, “Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won't rest until he has settled things today.”

Ruth 2 NLT read aloud by Simon MacFarlane. 1 Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi's husband, Elimelech. 2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.” Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. 4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “The LORD be with you!” he said. “The LORD bless you!” the harvesters replied. 5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?” 6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes' rest in the shelter.” 8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don't go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.” 10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.” 11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” 13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.” 14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over. 15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don't give her a hard time!” 17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket. 18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal. 19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May the LORD bless the one who helped you!” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” 20 “May the LORD bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.” [...]

Luke 15:17-24 NIV “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! (18) I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. (19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' (20) So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (21) “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' (22) “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. (23) Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. (24) For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. Romans 12:3-8 NIV For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (4) For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, (5) so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (6) We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; (7) if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; (8) if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Exodus 33:19 NIV And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Ruth 2:14-18 NIV At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. (15) As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her. (16) Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her.” (17) So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. (18) She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. Matthew 9:35-36 NIV Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. (36) When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Luke 10:30-36 NIV In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. (31) A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. (32) So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (33) But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (34) He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought... Support this podcast

Paul JonesProverbs 16:25 (NKJV) 25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.Ruth 2:1-3 (NLT) 1 Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech. 2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.” Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.” 3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.Romans 8:28 (NKJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Psalm 37:23 (NKJV) 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.Job 38:1 – 4 (KJV) “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is it that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man: for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.” Ruth 2:2-3 (AMP) 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one [of the reapers] in whose sight I may find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth went and picked up the leftover grain in a field after the reapers; and she happened to stop at the plot of land belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Ruth 2:5-10 (NLT) 5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?” 6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. 7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.” 8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. 9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.” 10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”Ruth 2:11-13(NLT) 11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. 12 May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” 13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”Ruth 2:14-17 (NLT) 14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over. 15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her. 16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!” 17 So Ruth gathered barley there

The author of the book of Ruth finishes his love story with a ... genealogy?Yes!Rather than words to be glossed over, the genealogies in Scripture are reminders that God accomplishes HIs purposes over time through real people.So Ruth ends as the Gospels begin ... with a list of names that tell a gospel story.

How do you learn to be content in all things?  Can you grow in contentment and be satisfied in Him daily? From these Bible verses about food, learn a simple way to improve in contentment every day!   Encouraging Bible Message - Understanding Bible Verses about Food for the Soul   It's time for another taste and see moment, and that's where we go into God's word. We read the stories and we see how God uses food to teach us a story or a lesson. Because so many circumstances in scripture were dealt with the fact of food for God to get our attention.    Recognizing Bible Verses about Food and Satisfaction   Here’s something I want you to try with your family members at the dinner table, when you read the scripture together, and if you don't, I challenge you to start because your family will be changed in ways food could never change.  And as you read the stories and scripture, I want you to come up with some signs. Every time you read a word that deals with food, you say “Yum”. That’s something you can do to be more aware of the times food is mentioned in the Bible that teaches us lessons on contentment and satisfaction.   Bible Verses on Contentment - What the Bible Says about Being Content   The following are Bible verses and biblical stories with lessons on satisfaction and contentment through food… And don’t forget to say out loud the signal word “Yum” when you read these to your family!   “At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” (Ruth 2:14)   “So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.[a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had leftover after she had eaten enough…” (Ruth 2:17)   “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:9)   “So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” (Ruth 2:8)   “So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished.” (Ruth 2:23)   Naomi took her sons in the Moabite area and they married Moabite women when they are of age. And then after 10 years, her sons died and Naomi lost her husband. And so she decided to go back to the land of Bethlehem because she heard that God has visited there and brought food.   So be satisfied in that experience and practice satisfaction and contentment by knowing that God wants to do amazing things in your life. Instead of always looking for something new that man has come up with, always remember that only God's word will make you happy. That is the secret to spiritual contentment. Just the understanding that God dwells in you will suffice to keep you satisfied. To learn more, visit https://thebiblicalnutritionist.com/

0 (1s): Well, good morning. Welcome everyone. Welcome to Harvest. My name is Cheryl Lynn, and we're just so excited that you guys are here to worship this morning and hello to everyone watching around campus and at home. I hope you're all doing well. If you're able to, why don't you stand with me as we begin, we'll take a moment. Pray and just invite the Lord's presence to be in our midst here this morning. 1 (33s): Let's go before him. 0 (35s): Thank you, Lord. We do just welcome your presence. Holy spirit. We want to meet with you this morning. I just want to come into your presence with boldness and courage, the springing to your hearts, to speed vulnerable before you to be real knowing we don't have to have it all put together or all figured out. We don't have to be perfectly polished to come into your presence. That's exactly why you died on the cross that you covered it all for us, Jesus, that we could come messy and Rogan and hurting and real before you. And so we just bring you our hearts this morning and worship you bring you our tears. 0 (1m 17s): We bring you our discouragement. We bring our doubts and our questions. Thank you, Lord that you meet us there 1 (1m 25s): As we just, 0 (1m 26s): Or auto Harts and praise. And thanks as we remember who you are and what you've done for us. 1 (1m 39s): where Jesus and died for me. I see independent on the cheek. 0 (13m 7s): Great. Is your faithfulness to us. Thank you, Laura. That we can truly depend on you. That's you're the one thing that never falters that never fails. Everything else in this world fills us breaks. Deserts, us abandons us, runs the dry, but you never do unless you're the weld. It never 1 (13m 36s): Thank you. 0 (13m 36s): And so we just happened to that. Well, this morning, the well, and your faithfulness, your goodness, your kindness and your mercy, we need it. God 1 (13m 47s): Thank you. 0 (13m 50s): And we actually want to teach you a new song this morning, all about God's faith. He talks about him. He's the God who could make mountains. If you know that story in the Bible, even when they're singing and the person, 1 (14m 4s): The reason and the doors come open as they worship 0 (14m 10s): And they marched around the walls of Jericho. And when they worshiped walls came tumbling down, I just feel like the Lord wants to remind us Church that there's power only worship. As we invite his presence. As we focus on him, there's the power. Let me praise. Sometimes we have to speak to our own fear and preach to our own souls reminders. 1 (14m 36s): God's goodness. And that's a lot. What the song is about this morning. 0 (14m 39s): I hope you'll join. And as you can, of course goes like this 1 (14m 54s): To shake and walls. I wouldn't speak to my fear. I will preach to you a favor. 1 (15m 7s): God you are the God who makes the mountains move. 1 (19m 4s): The God who heals, rescues, redeems. The sets are feet upon the rock. Remind us of your faithfulness and your goodness today. And mine is that there's never anything out of your sight. 0 (19m 23s): That's going on in our lives. You're you're not aware of you're a detail oriented. God you know everything about it. 1 (19m 34s): You made each of us uniquely site, the spray that you would need everyone who's here today or watching online and she would speak to their hearts. So that still small voice to bring encouragement, to bring hope, cast, vision, to give us purpose. We need you, or would you continue to just be in our midst today 0 (20m 8s): And our hearts to receive all that you have for us? It's your kingdom come 1 (20m 15s): Jesus' name. Amen. So good celebrates. I love it. 0 (20m 25s): Yeah. Never be afraid to praise and celebrate him. That's awesome. Well, let's take a moment to 1 (20m 29s): The new worshiping by saying hello to somebody just spreading some love 0 (20m 33s): Of some waves, fist bumps, elbow bumps, whatever you feel comfortable with. We'll gather back for some announcements. 1 (20m 42s): Good morning. My name is Ron. And what want to do first is 2 (20m 48s): Just welcome everyone here. So whether you're in the sanctuary or the law for the patio area, or maybe you tuning in online, we're super happy to have you here today. And by the way, if you happen to be new to Harvest Church, we do have a gift for you and you just head up to the info center and meet up with the people up there. And they'll be happy to hand off that gift to you. And while you're there, if you wouldn't mind, there's no strings attached, but if you want to fill out a communication card that just helps us to have you on the list where we can communicate to you, all the updates and things that are going on here at Harvest Church, that would be super helpful. And, and just as a friend for your information's ever since covert happened, we don't pass the bags anymore for communication cards or offering or anything like that. 2 (21m 36s): But we do have collection boxes here in the sanctuary and the loft in the patio area. So we want to make it easy for everybody. Hey, just want to say a couple of things just starting out today. Yesterday was a very special day for a couple reasons. One is yesterday morning, we were hearing the sanctuary. We had a Memorial service for a young man named Michael . So he died at 38, he had cancer. And so myself and another, another fellow kind of walked him through that journey. And, you know, he loved the Lord. And so it was kind of a family reunion yesterday. It's about a hundred people here. A lot of people came in from out of town and it, you know, it's a time of, of grieving for sure, but it's also time of celebration, you know, when a believer graduates and goes to heaven. 2 (22m 24s): And so we had the Memorial service here and then the reception in the patio area. So that was really uplifting actually. And then afterwards at four o'clock we had on the beach, we had a bonfire and baptism and I heard I didn't get to go, but I heard there was between 200 and 250 people there. Thankfully there were enough hot dogs to go around. So that was the big answer to prayer. Especially since I talked to a young man just a little bit ago, who will rename unnamed? His name is not Nathan, just in case. You're wondering, I said, how many hotdogs did you eat yesterday? He said, yes. 1 (23m 2s): Eight. 2 (23m 5s): I said, you can't fit eight hot dogs in there. You said, well, I didn't eat the buns. I told Nathan that does not count. Okay. But thankfully there were enough hotdogs to go around, but more importantly, we baptized 15 believers, 15 people yesterday. 1 (23m 22s): Yeah. Yeah. So 2 (23m 27s): Super wonderful time at the beach. So those of you that were part of that, it was, it was thanks for being there. One of the things we do a few times a year, we call growth track. And so that is where people that are newer to Harvest Church or maybe been here for awhile. You just want to learn more about who we are, meaning what, what makes us unique from the other churches, great churches in our community. So you're gonna learn a little bit about that, but more importantly, we're going to help you to, to discover your spiritual gifts and to give you opportunity and encourage you to get involved. Not only here at Harvest Church, but you know, our gifts are not only for Church ministry, but as for community ministry, we want to help you on that journey. 2 (24m 8s): And so the growth track we're offering, it's going to begin next Sunday. So Sunday, October 11th, it'd be 11 o'clock during the 11th clock service. And it's going to be in the office space, which is just up the road here, but we need to just sign up. Now here's the catch. It is four consecutive Sundays. So this is not sort of like a onetime thing. You can have opportunity to gather with other believers, four consecutive Sundays during the 11 o'clock service, you're going to get to know the other people in the group really well. And that's just a side benefit and a, but you need to sign up so you can sign up a couple of different ways. In fact, we want to make it really easy for you. We actually have 'em the Harvest Church app. So in fact, I got to jump ahead. 2 (24m 50s): So to AIG Harvest app, and then we added a new feature to our app. Recently we call it the connect link. So if you go to the connect link on our Harvest Church app, you can sign up that way four, the growth track, or you can just walk up the Hill to the info center it's right next to the coffee. So if you like coffee, boom, you're there. All right. So go ahead and sign up for the growth track, if you would like to participate in that. And as I mention, and we have this new connect way of communicating and, you know, in a, in a group of believers, it's really helpful to communicate things, right? In fact, I'm going to just read this to you because it's new to me as well. We have a new place on the AIG Harvest app for you to communicate anything and everything with our staff at Harvest simply click CA simply click on the connect link and fill out the form to let us know prayer requests, sign up for classes, events, volunteer for help, to help out or et cetera. 2 (25m 44s): So we'd love to hear from you. And that's true. We, we, we want to encourage you. If you have something to say, sign up for, be involved in, you know, we love to make that easy for everybody to do. And then as a last thing I want to mention this morning, our children's program has kind of been rebooting now that we're kind of getting a little bit further away from COVID. And so we've got the children's ministry going four, the 11 o'clock service, but we're going to start it up again for the nine o'clock walk as well. So the, the CA, the kids classes will resume for the nine o'clock service on November 1st. So just want to let you know about that. If you have kids and you prefer to go to the early, early service, that's going to be available to you and it's not too late to volunteer. 2 (26m 26s): So if you'd like to help out ministering to the young people of our church in my mind, that is one of the most important ministries that we can have pouring our lives into the young people. And so if you want to be a part of that, it's not too late. Go ahead and sign up at the info table. Or again, that connect link would be a good way to help 3 (26m 44s): Us out as well. All right. That's all I have to say. I'm going to invite Jeremy up. He's going to share the word to us this morning and thank you. Thank you. One last thing. Sorry. I have one more thing. Stay here. The, the youth are standing in today because Jeremy's their youth leader and Oh, there they are. Okay. Alright. I'm done. 3 (27m 38s): Check, check. Oh, there it is. There's the check. I apologize. My name is Jeremy. I'm the youth and family pastor. Hello youth. Yeah, so we baptized 13 youth yesterday. It was, it was amazing. And the weather was perfect. You know, it was a, it was really low tide. So it was, it was fun to, to actually have to get as deep as we had to go to actually dunk a person, half, half of the people there. It was just we're in the water and it was, it was a really special time. So we'll have some pictures and videos to show for those who didn't make it. Yeah, it was, it was, it was powerful if you're just joining us this week. 3 (28m 22s): This is my second part of the book of Ruth, the God of the Insignificant and Ordinary Part. And so we're gonna kind of jump into the middle of Ruth Ruth three and four is what we'll, we'll kind of try to finish off today. We ended it, we, we, we started with some big things last week, kind of whittled away from starting from looking at Ruth as it emphasized the whole as the whole of nation, the nation. And then we kind of looked at a family and then went down to a couple individuals. So we're going to start this week with those individuals and kind of work our way back out. But before I jump in, let me just start with the word of prayer. 3 (29m 9s): We were S we were so grateful Lord for what you are doing and the plan that you are unfolding. And we're, we're thankful that you are the almighty sovereign God Lord. And yet you, you know, and you care for the estate of, of your people. Lord, I pray that just today, we would learn to trust and to obey you the Lord to you, to, to even a further degree, Lord teach us from your word Lord, just using the simple narrative, this, the simple love story, comfort our hearts Lord in Jesus name, we pray. 3 (29m 51s): Amen. So there's a lot, the book of Ruth isn't ma it's one of my favorite books. It is humanity and four chapters. And so with only having two weeks to teach it, there's a lot that I've have to kind of kept under the table. I haven't, I've, haven't been able to bring up to the surface to bring up to the light. So just know that as we're, there's a lot of things I ha I have to, for sake of time floss over, you know, growing up in our garage, there was a band saw and a number of other woodworking tools. And, and funny enough, it wasn't my dad's band. It was my mom's band saw my mom was the woodworker of the family. 3 (30m 33s): And we grew up on the mission field when I was, I was born in the mission field. And then my parents worked for a missions organization back here and the States. And because of that, my dad did the bookkeeping and accounting, but we were always trying to fundraise and try to keep support for our family. And it was one of the ways that my mom kind of provided help, provide help, kind of subside our income is she would do these little woodworking. So our friend had a woodworking arts and craft shop, and she would widdle and she made little Noah's arcs with little characters and paint them. It was, it was really cool. So I grew up with her, you know, whittling away at would and doing stuff with wood. And, and sometimes every once in a while, she'd whittle all the way, a little bit too much and have to Chuck it. 3 (31m 17s): And I was driving in this morning. I'm like, Oh man, I hope I haven't whittled away too much to the book of Ruth. That was, that was my fear. But with that said, let's just, let's just dive in. I want to recap for those of you who weren't here last week, just, just to try to bring you up to quick speed, but you know, we, the book of Ruth starts out in a very dark place. It's it? It takes place in the book of, during the period of the judges and in the period of judges, it was like everyone did what was right in their own eyes because there was no King. And so we were introduced to there's a famine land of Israel, and it narrows down to this family of Elimelech and Elimelech had a wife, Naomi, and in two sons, one was named Mehan and the other was Chilean and their names mean CIC and pining away. 3 (32m 5s): So it kind of shows you what was happening in that day in time and, and impossibly to save his family. He, what he does is he ends up taking them to a land of Moab. He traveled six 70 miles over the mountains and, and, and to a place that where they weren't supposed to go, but yet he's trying to save his family. So he takes him to land a Moabite Moab, and the F Elimelech ends up dying in a far away place, away from family and way from friends and their, his, his sons are left with his, his widowed and, and they, over the course of time, his sons take Moabite wives. And in the course of time, both of those sons died. 3 (32m 45s): So now we're left in MOA with three widows Naomie, the mom, here's the thing that they're there, that there's bread back at home. And so she, she goes from Moab to start to leave, to return to her, her town of Bethlehem. And on the way Orpah decides to stay with her own people. One of her daughter laws remains, but Ruth clings to Naomi, and she makes this statement like mine, your God will be my God. Your people mind people. And, and we, we, we find them back in Bethlehem and, and we find them not staying idle. Ruth does not stay idle. So she leaves walks out her front door and simply looks North, South East and West and decides, well, I need to do something. 3 (33m 28s): I need to go glean. I need to provide some out. And so she finds herself in this field and the Bible says it just so happened that she ends up in Boaz field. And from there, we see that over the course of time that there's this budding relationship between Ruth and Boaz. And she was simply obedient to say, I need to do something. And she found herself in this field of Boaz. So one of the important things that we need to to understand, and as we're reading through the book of Ruth is that, that this was written to very different culture. And, and, and we have to understand a bit of the context with which the Bible was written. Our, our Western postmodern understanding doesn't often help us understand this very Jewish culture sometimes. 3 (34m 14s): And sometimes I think we forget that Jesus was this middle Eastern Jewish rabbi. And so, so many of the things that Jesus said and did while he was doing his ministry go right over our head. But it was like, if you were a Jewish, or if you understand the culture and the context, you're like, Whoa, this is, that's what he's saying. Kind of blows your mind. As you begin to understand the culture. And what that does is it opens up these different patterns of the Bible that begins to emerge from these narratives. That's why this narrative is the story of Ruth is in the Bible. Our understanding our Western understanding says that there's prophecy and fulfillment. The thing that's called out, and then it's fulfilled. 3 (34m 57s): But the Jewish understanding is that there's these pro there's a prophecy given. And then there's these partial fulfillment along the way, pointing the way to an ultimate complete fulfilling of that, of that prophecy. So we get these partial, we get these patterns or types that emerge from the word of God. And the part of that pattern, part of those types will emerge from Naomi, Ruth and Boaz and who they represent. So chapter three, Let's jump in. How about that chapter three, verse one, it says, then Naomi mother-in-law said to her, my daughter, shall I not seek security for you? 3 (35m 42s): That it may be well with you, Naomi, the mother-in-law. And she wants to seek security and rest, which she was, she knows God has designed to be found in marriage. And it's within that culture, that Naomi is actually sacrificed in her own, right? The law of the love, right? It was, it was Naomi's right. But, but so that her daughter law will succeed. Naomi, stepping back and saying, I want you to succeed. I want you to be provided for, I want, I care about you. And so she's going to start to work and as a good mother-in-law or a good mother, and she's going to set up her daughter for success, she wants to set them up. 3 (36m 26s): All right. My wife loves to set other gals up. She loves to create these marriage, create these love stories. And so Naomi is going to do that for her daughter in law, Ruth, she wants to seek security and rest. And it leads to a question. I love asking the Bible questions and often, and the, on the margins, all the right questions. Well, why this, or why that? And some things I know will not be answered and tell it, tell her an attorney, but some of the things I'm like, well, I'll say this question for labor are stored in a little file cabinet, wait for later. And one of those questions that I've asked for a long time is why is Boaz single Naomi's, it's going to set up Ruth. So that there's this, the love story gets completed with Boaz, but why was Ruth? 3 (37m 11s): Why was Boaz single? You know, in that culture to be a single older man is, is, was like a . And yet we find that he had a great reputation among his, his employees running the community. He was a man of great wealth. The Bible speaks. Why was he single? And there's a few different thoughts. You know, what was he married? And his wife had passed away is one of the prominent ones that come out that's, that's understandable. And it's yet after reading and studying and, and really looking at the full picture of scripture. This is my personal opinion. My personal opinion was that was that Boaz was untouchable. 3 (37m 58s): He was untouchable. He was in touch long, the way that his mother-in-law had, maybe his, sorry, his mother had put up maybe a scar on him. You see boys, his father was one of the men that marched around Jericho, and that blew the trumpets. And the walls came tumbling down except where Ray had the harlot was and her family and Boaz, his father had taken Rayhab the harlot as his wife, Matthew records that in the genealogy. So it's my personal, if you knew that, that, although Boaz was a great and amazing man that he was still, there was still some stigma in the community and said, well, I don't want my daughter to marry this man. 3 (38m 43s): Who's only half Jewish. And so somehow there was this divine protection that now that God would orchestrate another foreign woman to come into his life, It says in verse two, now, Boaz whose young woman or we're with you, is he not our relative in the army? He says, in fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor, the threshing floor was the saddle on the Hill where the grain and the shaft for separate owners would take their grain and they would, they would, they would kind of crush it and you'd throw it up in the air and allow the wind to kind of blow off the shelf. The shelf was the light stuff, the whole, and the, and the grain would fall in place. 3 (39m 24s): And so it was a great celebration. It was a great time of like, yes, look at my pile of grain, look at what God has provided. Look what he's done. And so what you do either, it'd be just a big celebration. There'd be feast, there'd be excitement. And you wanted to protect that. So the, so the men would gather around and they'd lay on these piles to protect it. So that some fee for bandit wouldn't come and steal from their, from their CA their take at night. And so, and so Naomi's like, I know what's going on. I know where he'll be. And so she gives these specific instructions to Ruth. She says, therefore, wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor. 3 (40m 5s): Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be when he lies down that you shall notice the place where he lies and you shall go in and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what you should do, Remove taking her best garment and putting our best God wasn't as much as getting fancy as it was removing her clothes of her widowhood. She's now saying Ruth, you are on the market, go dress like it. 5 (40m 36s): And the fees 3 (40m 37s): And the parties that would have gone on, and the eating and drinking was not in a way of access. So you remember the men are there to protect their grain. So if they, if, if you want to read into this, that, Oh, the, that Boaz got drunk. That's, that's just simply not in the text. Bose is there he's feces. He's exciting. There's joy to be found, but then he's going to lay down to protect his grade. And had he been at completely inebriated, then he wouldn't be able to protect if somebody came in. So Boaz and I love the scene is being excessive in his moderation. When he came to drink, be excessive in your moderation, because when he's laying down, he wants to protect what's there. And now, as Naomi is like, Ruth, this is what I want to do. 3 (41m 17s): These are the steps to take, say, tell him, or when you, when he wakes up, he will tell you what to do. And this is putting the ball in Ruth and Boaz this court. And it's a vulnerable position to be put in, especially as a woman, it's a foreign woman in those days. And yet Ruth said all that you say to me, I will do. Now we've got to hold up there, especially cause of the youth you guys are in here. And you're maybe thinking about someday, you want to meet a guy or a gal, and I'm going to say that don't be spiritual or biblical and say, Oh, I'm going to be like Ruth and go find a guy after party. Who's had a little celebration go find and uncover his feet and see what happens. 3 (41m 60s): Like don't do that. Okay, don't do that. That is, that is not what is saying. Is there a little bit of scandal on this as possibly, there's a little bit of scandalous, but there's nothing sinful going on here. This is once again, the culture and the context, and these are two people who that night keep their Virtu and keep their character. It's important in their, in their seeking out of love and seeking out of this marriage. There's still character and virtue to be kept. So Ruth does all that. So her mother-in-law's asked and it says that after Boaz in verse seven had eaten and drunk that his heart was cheerful. 3 (42m 42s): He is he's excited. The Lord has provided the Lord has returned to his people and given them green. And he laid down at the end of the heap of grain and she came softly and he, and she uncovered his feet and he laid down. Now I'm thankful that Hollywood has not tried to remake this into some kind of movie because they would for sure bring some things that aren't biblical and bring some scandal into it. They would botch it for sure. You think of, of, of Boaz. He had been working all day sweating. You know, his feet are dirty, stinky, sweating. She, and she's now laying by them. There's nothing attractive about that. And yet there's something significant that she goes in, uncover his feet and had she gone and tapped him on the shoulder. 3 (43m 28s): He might've jumped up ready for battle, ready to take somebody out. And he's trying to come out his grain, but instead she just simply softly uncover his feet. And there's the significance. And that this has more to do with the hem of his garment than any kind of uncovering we might think. So somewhere back in my genealogy, you might find I'm from Scotland. My last name is from Scott and there's a little village up in Scotland that bears my name Sutherland and the Scots don't wear skirts. They were kilts. Okay. Men back then didn't wear dresses. They wore tunics. Okay. And on the bottom, on the hem of that, tunic was part of it. 3 (44m 8s): There was embroidered into it a lot. And it said it had to do with your genealogy, your, your inheritance, the hem of your garment was something that was showed your authority or your protection, your lineage. It's the reason David, when he was being chased by Saul, he went and hidden the cave with all of his men and saw needing a little reprieve from the sun and needed a little rest, goes into that cave. Not knowing that David is hidden behind and David's men are like there saw, you can take him out. He's been chasing you. You're that you're supposed to be the next King. You've been anointed King. You can take him out. 3 (44m 48s): Now this has God has done this. And David's like, no, no, no. I could never do that to the Lord. And I did. But he, then he went and what did he, what did he cut off at the hem of salts? The hem of his garment. And David still felt guilty about cutting the head of his garment because the hem of God, wasn't just simply a piece of cloth. It's it's stood for the authority that Saul had been given Jesus on his way to heal gyrus. His daughter 12 year old daughter is surrounded by a crowd and a woman with a flow of blood for 12 years reaches out. And what does she touch the hem of his garden garment. 3 (45m 33s): It was this authority in her and she was healed instantly. And Jesus knew that there's power that had left. Why? Because it's this Ruth asking Boaz to take me under your, under your covering under your protection under your provision, verse eight. Now it happened at midnight that the man startled and turned himself and there was a woman lying at his feet. And she S and he said to her, who are you? Remember? There's the dark. There's no streetlights. There's, there's, there's the little light from the is. And maybe there's a moon out. And he says, who are you? And she says, I am Ruth. Your maid servant, take your maid servant under your wing for you are a close relative. The, the Hebrew word is go El. 3 (46m 15s): Or we also are translated into the kinsman Redeemer. And the girl had three aspects to them. He had to be a relative. He had to be related. He had to be able to redeem, and he had to be willing as well to redeem. And she kind of goes off, off her mother-in-law script. You know, Ruth says, well, he'll tell you what to do, but she says, I am Ruth, your maid servant, take your mates over. And under her wing, she is proposing marriage. Ruth had proposing, take me under your covering she requests. 3 (46m 55s): And she's doing this, redeem the land and fulfill the law of the lever marriage. And he says, bless her to you. My Lord of the Lord, my daughter for you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich, it seems like she had options. And now my daughter do not fear for all that. You, you requests for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. Remember that night, they both kept their virtue. They're both kept their, their character. He says, now it's true. I am a close relative. However, there's a relative closer than I now hold up. 3 (47m 35s): Where did that come from? Right? The guy that's where there's drama suspense. There's a closer relative in the story. Boys was introduced way back in chapter two. And it was just kind of briefly mentioned. And now, now the author is choosing to reveal. It there's even close relative. What's this about? That's not supposed to happen. And so now Boaz begins to tell her what to do. Just like Naomi said, he says, stay the night in the morning. It shall be that if you will perform the duty of a close relative, do you good? Let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you as the Lord lives, lie down until morning. 3 (48m 16s): So they both are laying there. I doubt either of them slept. Ruth is thinking there's a wedding tomorrow, but I don't know to who, but as this thinking, okay, how am I going to make this happen? There's someone closer, but I got, how can I, how can I do this? First 15 says, and also he said, bring the Shaw that is on you and hold it in which he held it. He measured six of barley and laid it on her. Then she went into this city and when she came in to her, her mother in law said, is it, that is that you my daughter? 3 (48m 57s): And she told her all that the man had done for. And he, and she said, these six of barley, he gave me, he gave me for, he said to me, do not go empty handed to your mother-in-law. He's sending a code. And there's two things that he's seen with this six measures of two important things. One is Naomi remember had, had, had allowed Ruth to go for, go for Boaz. She didn't claim her right to Boaz. Naomi was laying her sight aside her right to Redeemer by seeking security for both Ruth's wellbeing. But now both Boaz is showing that his concern and care that he will provide for Naomi as well. He's providing for her as well. 3 (49m 41s): He seen you could have come at me and demanded that I do the law of love, right with you. But instead he chose the same roof. And now I'm going to take care of you nail me. Don't worry. I'm going to take care of you, but she's also sending another message or he's sending another message through this verse. 18 says is still my daughter and tell you no how the matter will turn out for the man will not rest until you is concluded. The matter of this day, think about that. Here's six ethos of barley free mother, and I'll give her those to you. And the man will not rest. You think of something has to do is six and then rest God's creation, right? 3 (50m 27s): God created in six days. And then he chose to rest the seventh. That was his message. That was a secret code to Naomi, like Naomi, I got this, here's your six ethos, but now just know that you can rest and rest. And I, there was probably a lot of concern and warring going on back in that house. Like what's going to happen. Who's the wedding going to be too, but they were told to rest. And that just enters into my mind, all the, what ifs have you ever read those books? I grew up with these books that you read, you know, part of a chapter. And then it would say, well, if the character chooses to go into the jungle, or if the character chooses to go to the forest, choose which way they go. 3 (51m 7s): And you say, okay, you know, forest is page 10 and, and the jungles page 20. And it leads you into the story of all these little different what ifs. And so you kind of, you can lead your character through these books, into these, these innumerable different little ways, and finally the bookends. And then you say, well, I want to see what happened if he went the other way. And so you go back and you reread it and it's all these what ifs and the what ifs start to haunt the story, or make me think that the story, all the, what ifs, what if Elimelech had never left? What if he had kept his sons there? 3 (51m 47s): What if that, what if his sons hadn't chose to, to marry these Moabite woman? What if Ruth hadn't decided to return with her? Mother-in-law what if Ruth had stayed in the house and said, you know, I'm too tired for this long journey. I don't really feel like going out. I just hope somebody will bring us some food. What if she never went out to the field? What if she'd gone to a different field? What if Boaz was not a kind and generous and man of character? 3 (52m 28s): What if he was a cruel and didn't want to fulfill the law that God had said for the law of gleaning and allow his corners of his grain to be Glen gleaned. There's so many what ifs. And you think about God, who knows in his, all the sovereignty seems to know all these what ifs, but yet he's working. He's unfolding his perfect plans through our choices, through these freewill decisions that we're given we're given. And yet they don't get outside of his ultimate plan. Cause now we're going to see, as it continues on now, Boaz verse, chapter four, verse one. Now he goes up to the gate and all night he'd been doing the what ifs. What if I go to the gate? And nobody comes by what if I go to the gate? 3 (53m 10s): And he doesn't want to sit down and be, what are all these what F so now Boaz went to the gate and he sat down and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken, came by and Boaz said, come aside, my friend, sit down here. And so he came and he sat beside and sat down. And this enters into the scene. Now another person unnamed relative, right? This man will go down in the history. Books is unnamed, which is a protection during the time that this was first written, they would have known who this man was, but the author chose to keep him out of the pages, book, the book. 3 (53m 51s): And it says, and he took 10 men are the elders of the city. And he said, sit down here. And they sat down and it seems like Boaz has this way of commanding respect. Now Boaz is setting up the scene. He has all these people around and you can imagine to see his heart beating out of his chest. Okay? Okay. How's this going to go? What's going to happen. He said to the close relative, Naomi has come back from the country of Moab is sold the piece of land, which belonged to our brother a liberal check. And it wasn't as much of a selling as it was a loaning or releasing. It was like a lease on the land. The land belonged to the family, but you could lease out if you were poor, if you needed extra cash, you could lease out parts of your land. 3 (54m 35s): And that's what Elimelech had to do. He had to lease out his family land because he couldn't keep the crops. There was just something that happened. And so in, in those scripts of, of, as the land got transferred, there's also this, the right to be able to buy the land back. And so now Boaz in his strategy is saying, okay, this close relative here. I want to remind you that this piece has been sold, but it needs to be redeemed verse Fortnite. And I thought to inform you, save and buy it back. And the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not redeem it, then tell me that I may know for there's none. There's no one like you to redeem it. 3 (55m 16s): And then I am after you. And so the man says all redeem it. That's not the plan. I will redeem it and Boaz. Okay. So he's been strategy. He's been thinking about all this night, all night, and he says this. He says, on the day that you buy the fuel from the land of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth. The Moabitess, the wife of the dead to perpetuate, or the name of the dead through his inheritance. It was a reminder that you're not just redeeming the land. It's not just about the physical land, but there's also the redeeming of the lineage and the inheritance, which was part of their culture. And the close relative says, I cannot redeem it for myself. 3 (55m 57s): Lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself. I cannot redeem it. So yes, he was a kinsmen and he was able, but he was not willing. It says, now this was the custom in former times and Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging. And you'd give a sandal off your foot. The close relative in verse eight said to Boaz, buy it for yourself. So he took off his sandal. It was the giving away have the right of the land. And, and this has the implication of, of Deuteronomy 1124 and Joshua one three that wherever the sole of your foot treads, that's where your land will be, that you have to actually walk into it and walk onto it. 3 (56m 41s): And that reminds us of, of this is a part of a pattern of our Christian life. There's so many abundant promises in the scripture and in the word of God, there's an abundance wealth out there, but we have to, as Christians, we have to step on it and we have to step into those things into those promises of God. We have to take those as ourself for ourself. We need to step in our sole of our foot. Our feet of faith need to like walk onto these promises of God. So the CA the sandal symbolize that. Now you can see in verse nine, that Boaz is probably holding up that sandal. And he says to elder the people, you are witnesses this day, I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chileans. 3 (57m 27s): And Mahons from the hand of Naomi, he is, he is redeeming the land from Leviticus 25. And he says, Gomorrah over the Ruth, the Moabitess the widow of may hon. I have acquired as my wife to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brother. And, and from the position at the gate, you are witnesses of this at this day. So now he was taking the Deuteronomy 25 of redeeming his bride to the left right marriage. And it says all the people who are out the gate and the elders said, we are witnesses. The Lord, make the woman who is coming to your house like Rachel and Leah, the two who built the house of Israel. 3 (58m 11s): And may you prosper and epitaph as well as, and be famous in Bethlehem. So they're going to give, they're going to give Boaz now two blessings, and they're kind of interesting blesses. You have to kind of read and the survey, you have to know what was going on in this first class. And they're going back to Rachel and Leah of the house of Israel. And they're reminding that God promised that a Messiah would come through his people. And so there's, there is simply saying like the Messiah will CA, this will be part of the lineage of the Messiah. Micah five, two talks about Bethlehem being that Citi. And it talks about how he will be famous and you will be famous. 3 (58m 59s): He'll be famous in that space. Then they give a second blessing, which is interesting. Especially if you know the culture, the context of it, it says, may your house be the house of Perez who Tamar bore to Judah because of the offspring, which the Lord will give you from this young woman. So without going very deep into Genesis 38, this is an interesting blessing. You see, Judah had three sons and he sought a wife and he found a wife for his first son that son ended up passing away. And so he wanted his second son and marry that woman. Then the second, second son rejected that, and God rejected him. And so he also passed away. 3 (59m 40s): And then the third son, Judah was like, well, I don't want that same thing to happen to him. So he held him back and that left Tamar in a very vulnerable position as a widow unprotected in that culture. And Tamar does something that's super skinless. She puts on the clothes of a prostitute, gets pregnant and bears a son to her. Father-in-law, it's sad that this is even in the Bible, but it shows the human condition. And the fact that this is Jesus, his lineage even is even blows my mind even more. And so the son that Judah BOR Perez, who is a relative of Boaz is illegitimate and God, and in Deuteronomy 23 had laid out in the law that 10 generations will be disinherited from entering into the temple to worship. 3 (1h 0m 38s): And so they're saying, may your house be like Perez who Tamar boarded Judah. That sounds like the weirdest kind of blessing to give to this man Boaz. Who's about ready to get married. And I'll circle back on that at the end. So Boaz took Ruth and he became his, and she became his wife. And when they went in and he went into and the Lord gave her conception and she bore a son, the barren woman brings forth a sun. And the woman said to Naomi blessed, be the Lord who has not left you this day without a close relative. And may his name be famous and Israel, and it was famous. Do you notice that same fields that were Boaz Ruth, those same fields? There were some shepherds watching their sheep at night and the sky was opened up and the angels came down in their glory, singing about a Messiah that was born in Bethlehem. 3 (1h 1m 29s): Those are those fields it'll be fit. His name will be famous for 15, and maybe he be a restore of life and a nourisher of you and your old age for your daughter law, who loves you is better to you than seven sons. And they only took the child later on her was them and became a nurse to him. She became a caretaker. She, this, this little child, his little baby obeyed became her like adopted son and away. 3 (1h 2m 9s): And I have one of those women in my life. I, so I was born in Hong Kong and I was born in Hong Kong. My parents were missionaries in South China and in McCalla, South China and Macau was not known for the best hospitals. And so my parents were like, we want to, you know, we want, we want to have our baby in Hong Kong. And so my parents traveled to Hong Kong, which has across the Harbor. And they stayed with this missionary lady and her name was Hazel Kline top. I call her Tutu for grandma and Tutu was one of the ones who every birthday, she, you know, for my, for my second birthday, she sent me $2 bill. You know, for my 14th birthday, she'd sent me $14. She prayed for me your whole life. 3 (1h 2m 49s): I'm so grateful her she's the sweetest lady, but my parents were coming back and they bring you back from the hospital. And she just felt like the Lord had spoken to her while, while, while I was in the hospital, like, don't let him go and sleep back in the guestroom where my parents had been staying. So she had just had a little two room apartment there and in Hong Kong. And so my parents came back home. They bring me in there. They're like, Oh, you moved the beds around. And she's like, no, no, no. I want you to take the master bedroom. And she's sleeping with the baby. And I'm like, Oh no, the guest room was fine. It was comfortable. And she's like, she just insists. And the Lord made it clear. You are not duty that the first night I'm back from the hospital to, to sleep in the room. 3 (1h 3m 31s): And she gets like, here's this noise. And what had happened is these rats had come in through the window, big rats, big, big rats, urban overseas, you see these big rats had come into the window and she's like, they would have, who knows what would happen? There's like this, this protection and to do was that, that amazing woman of faith. And now Naomi is holding this baby and she's realizing, she thought she went out four and came back flat and empty. And now she's seen all the blessings come back through this little baby. And she, and, and the name obeyed. And now it gives the genealogy. We're going to finish for the book of genie, the genealogy. And this is important because it says, now this is the genealogy of Paris. 3 (1h 4m 13s): Remember that illegitimate son Perez we've got Hezron has, rhombi got Ram. Randy got Neisha. And he got Solomon, Solomon begot, Boaz, Boaz. We got Obad. OB got Jesse and Jesse, we got David lists, 10 generations. There's 10 generations that illegitimate sons generations were to be disinherited. Now it's closing the loop. And it's saying, this is my son. And David was going to be that, that, that one. So in closing, this is that Ruth leaves, no detail overlooked, No promise, unkept, no prophecy that will not go unfulfilled. 3 (1h 5m 0s): Jesus said not one jot or tittle will by no means pass away. Jesus will complete it all. And what started out as a big nation, focusing in the nation that everyone was doing and what was right in their own eyes and, and how that led to tragedy and death. And now closing, we focus on a few individuals who are chosen to trust and obey and honor the Lord, despite the conditions that surround them, that we see this joy and birth that come in and not just for them personally, but for the family. And then also ultimately for the nation into the world. 3 (1h 5m 40s): And so looking at these characters, Ruth Bo Boaz and Naomi, where did they put their trust? And my question is where do you put your trust? Will you trust in yourself? And, and the good things that you do, your bank account, your 401k, your career. Do we trust in someone that someone will carry us through the, the hard times that some thing, some activity, but I wanted to say that Ruth was putting her whole trust into the God of Israel forsaken her own tribe and Mo and the mobile site has God. 3 (1h 6m 20s): I mean, what if, what if Ruth had just decided on that journey back? Well, I'm forsaking my God. I'm going to go to this God of Israel, and maybe, maybe I should just be at play a little safe. And I'll just take one of my little idols with me. I'll just take a little God with me that way. If anything really bad starts to happen, I can just pull out my little God and pray to this. God, what if she had kept something back? But I don't see that in Ruth. She abandoned everything completely. Totally. It was all putting her trust in it, into God. She was completely forsaken everything back home. And do you obey God and honor him with your day to day decisions? What if Boaz had not obeyed and honored God with his crops and obeying God with the law of, of gleaning? 3 (1h 7m 5s): What if Boaz had said, well, there's been a famine. I need to keep all this. I need to keep it for myself. And he instructs his Gleaners to glean everything. Don't let anything, we left here and get the corners. Don't let don't let anything fall. Like, what if you'd been that guy who said, I need everything that I'm simply not gonna let anybody have anything. And he's been just so held onto it, but he doesn't. We see him being obedient to God and to be generous to others. See the Lord knows every detail because he is the God of the ordinary and Insignificant, and in that God chose over the scope of humanity to narrow into a Bethlehem farmer and a foreign widowed woman. 3 (1h 7m 54s): And he brings us the book of Ruth. I'm going to pray Psalm 20 for a closing prayer. Believe it's applicable very ahead and close your eyes with me. Psalm 20 may the Lord answer you. And the day of trouble may the name of God, of Jacob defend you may he send you help from the sanctuary and he strengthened you out of Zion. May he remember all your offerings and accept your bird sacrifice? May he grant you according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your purpose? 3 (1h 8m 37s): We will rejoice in your salvation and the name of our God. We will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions? Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed. He will answer him from his Holy heaven, with the saving strength and his right hand, some trust in chariots and some trust in horses. But we will remember the name of the Lord, our God, they have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen in. We stand upright, save Lord, may the King and stress. When we call having the fire, that is our prayer. You're good. God Lord. For any of those that might be here, who are carrying those extra bear burdens who are holding onto something who are holding on the trust to something that they shouldn't be doing Lord and not putting it in you Lord, pray. 3 (1h 9m 26s): They'd lay those burdens down. Lord, find the complete hope and trust in you. Jesus name. 1 (1h 9m 32s): Hey man. Why don't we all stand together? As we worship in response to what we've heard. You hear moving worship, worship, worship, worship. 1 (1h 10m 14s): God and then I don't feel it. 1 (1h 13m 8s): You working, you never stop. You never stop. Never stop. We never stop. I don't see he even man, I don't feel it. Never stop. Never stop. Never stop and stop. 1 (1h 13m 29s): 0 (1h 19m 43s): You were so good. You said faith full. Thank you. God for all that you've done for us. And he's continued to do to work in our, Thank you for the word that you brought today. I pray that it would take root in our hearts and fruit. Would you fill our cup for the week ahead? And we would overflow Jesus and to everyone, we come in contact with, make us more like you God The students to be together worshiping with here on campus and at home, just bless every family represent 1 (1h 20m 17s): That's your kingdom. Come in our lives in Jesus name. Amen and amen. Awesome. Such a great morning. 0 (1h 20m 26s): And any of you would like prayer. We would love to pray with you. Come on forward. We have some volunteers and staff that would be glad to pray with you. Have any needs. Have a wonderful week. Take a moment to say hi to somebody on your way out, and we'll see you next Sunday. Have a great day.

0 (0s): Well, good morning. Welcome to Harvest. Church thanks for coming this morning. Hello to everyone. 1 (6s): And then the loft and up on the patio, it's everyone watching at home. 0 (10s): It's awesome to be together. All one big family. So welcome wherever you're watching from with those of you here with me on campus, I'd like to stand and we'll begin standing. If you're able and let's invite the Lord's presence and praise, we begin. Thank you, Lord, that when we gather in your name that you promise to be in our list. And so we welcome you. Holy spirit, just to come in this time is to minister to every heart. Let's pray, especially for anyone who's just hurting this morning. Maybe hurting physically, maybe hurting within the city. 1 (49s): How would you meet us? Right where we hurt, 0 (52s): Or how would you meet us in our and our need and our brokenness? God, I asked for healing and restoration just to wash over us. Just let your love just cast out all anxiety and fear this week And this how much you care for us. 1 (1m 13s): Thank you. 0 (1m 17s): And we're going to sing a new song this morning and the song talks a lot about how God makes away. And there seems to be no way. And he's the God who parts the seize for us. He's the God who moves mountains. Some of you might know this, and I hope she can. The chorus goes like this way, man. 1 (1m 39s): Promise keeper lied in the darkness by God. That is soon Tom is the guy in the dark and my God and when I feel it's work and can never stop, never stop. 1 (5m 41s): Never stop. Never stop. by God. 1 (8m 22s): Sometimes you just put a new song and you put words upon our lips. 0 (8m 27s): So God we just flipped our praises to you this morning. 1 (8m 35s): God in this crazy world. 1 (19m 4s): What? The world, the world needs more. You want more of you in our lives. We want to reflect you. Jesus. 0 (19m 16s): 1 (19m 31s): Yeah, just soak in his presence. Just a moment. If you want to shut your eyes and just welcome him renewed, just pray with Jesus. 1 (20m 15s): You continue to minister to our hearts is so easy to just grow weary. It's so easy to forget. So help us to remember your faithfulness. 0 (20m 38s): I just pray that you would open our hearts to receive your word this morning. Let's pray a blessing over Jeremy, as he brings the word today, and that you would flow mightily through him and God would you be in our fellowship as we lift each other up, you share each other's burdens. That's pretty the, you give us courage just to reach out to someone this morning, we're hurting and to ask for prayer where you give us courage to reach out to someone and say, can I pray for you, God, that you would be the body of Christ working together to see your kingdom come here in our city and on the earth we ask all of this beautiful negative. 0 (21m 28s): Amen. Good stuff. Church awesome. Yeah. And we're going to take time to greet some folks around you. So please take a minute to say hi to somebody and we'll be back in just a few minutes with some announcement. 2 (21m 44s): Hey everyone. Welcome. We're all having so much fun talking to each other. This is great. All right. I love how social everyone is. It's so fun. So fun to see a welcome, everyone. Welcome to all of you that are joining us online and joining us from the laughed from the patio, from the sanctuary. It's so fun to see all of your guys, the smiling faces. Okay. I have a lot of things to announce. So bear with me. Okay. If you are new or if you have a question or if you want to know about a group or need any sort of information about Harvest Church visit the info table. 2 (22m 29s): It is a, there's a big sign that says welcome across the front of it. There are big banners that show you where it is. It's halfway up the driveway, or if you're elsewhere, then halfway up from the sanctuary. Okay. Let's see. We would love to have you fill out a communication card. You can do that by filling out. There should be a card in front of you in a seat in front of you or at one of the tables by one of the venues, fill this out and turn it into a collection box or to the welcome booth table. And you will get weekly emails. People will reach out to you about a group. If you want to join a group, or if you want to volunteer for kid's ministry, I'm the kid's ministry director. 2 (23m 12s): I highly recommend it. I'm also a plug for that real fast. If you want to volunteer for kid's ministry, but you're like, I don't know enough about the Bible. I'm not smart. And whatever the case is, you don't have to know everything. Cause if you did, no one would be eligible. No one would be able to do it. And so if you go, if you're, if that's your concern or if you're worried about, if you're a man and you're like, I want to volunteer in kid's ministry. And you're like, but I can't because I'm a man, not the case. We have lots of guys, the volunteering kids ministry, my plug is over a visit the info booth. If you want to volunteer, okay. Murder, mystery night, the deadline for that is today. So if you haven't signed up for that yet, and then you have to do it today by the end of the day. 2 (23m 54s): Cause if you don't, then it's literally, it's cut off at the end of the day. So that's for ages 20 to 40. And it's going to be on October 30th in the loft from six to 9:00 PM. And it's $5 to be a part of that. So it's going to be a super fun, exciting night, baptism and bonfire. So the baptism and the bonfire are happening on the same night. It's a week from yesterday. So it's next Saturday, October 17th at 4:00 PM. At the end of Grande just on the beach, straight out from where Grande Avenue ends. They are doing a baptism class for that right now. So if you're interested in being baptized, they're meeting right now in the Church office, which is up the Hill. 2 (24m 34s): So if you guys, if any of you want to get baptized, just go ahead and run up the Hill right now. And you can be a part of that if you want to get baptized and you're decided tomorrow and the baptism classes over reach out to us and we will figure out a way to make it happen. Okay? Let's see. 3 (24m 52s): Oh, 2 (24m 52s): Baptism and bonfire. Sorry. One more thing. There will be hot dogs. There will be smores and there will be hot chocolate. So bring a beach chair, bring a blanket, bring beach toys, bring the whole family and come and enjoy. I'm so bad at this guys. I apologize. Okay. Growth track. Moving out. If you are new to Harvest Church or newer, and you've never been a part of the growth track, it is a great opportunity to learn about Harvest. Church learn about the history, learn what we're all about, learn about why we're non-genetic denominational, why we're Bible based. All of the things. It is a great thing to be a part of. It's a four week class. 2 (25m 33s): It meets on Sunday mornings during the 11:00 AM service starting on October 25th. So sign up for that at the info table. Okay. We are doing a celebration of life service for Mike on October 17th, this upcoming Saturday at 11:00 AM here at the Church we're in need of some, either strong men or strong women to help set up. We need, we need people who can lift chairs off of chair rocks, who can lift tables. If you're a man, you can do that. Great sign up, please. If you're a woman and you can do that. Awesome. Please sign up. We need help with that for the celebration of life specifically, it's at 11:00 AM this upcoming Saturday. 2 (26m 14s): So if you're sign up for that, you're only signing up for like an hour next Saturday and that's it so, really easy and it's fun. So yeah, sign up for that at the info table as well. Okay. We're done. All right. Thank you for bearing with me. All of you who actually did, and pastor Jeremy is going to be bringing us the word today. 3 (26m 37s): Thanks, Leslie. 5 (26m 45s): Awesome. Great, great announcements. Thank you. I heard it said past month or so that we need more precedent in times, right? We keep seeing all over the news that there's all these, this is unprecedented times and in our, with our health and economy and, and, and the presidential candidates and, and they keep saying, this is unprecedented. I think we need more precedent at times, right? Would you guys agree with me? 4 (27m 11s): And I'm so, cause I get to be a 5 (27m 15s): Getting do, bring the word these next two weeks, pastor Steve has been leading us through this, this COVID crisis. He has his, he's taking the brunt of a lot of, just a lot of things. And so we are just stoked that we were able to as a staff and, and just to be able to send them out and get some refreshment or encouragement vision. And so he's out there meeting with the Lord. And, and so we're, we're just going to, we're going to pray for him this morning and then we'll pray for the, the time and the word this morning. So pray with him please. Heavenly father. We thank you that, that pastor Steve has led from the front Lord. 5 (27m 55s): And during these times, Lord, we thank you for, for this church that the doors are open. That, that, that we are Church that we're meeting here, Lord, and, and that we're, we're meeting with each other, the fellowship that the lien hands on a prayer, all those things they'll worship Lord, that, that, that goes on Lord. We thank you for that Lord. And it's and it has what it has. It come at a cost for pastor Steve. So the Lord will you be with him, Lord, will you pour into him this next week or so? And just a refresh his spirit. We thank you, Lord, that he gets to go out Lord and, and, and do that Lord. So, but with us here, Lord, I believe that you just have a message. Lord, you just have a, you have a word for each of us this morning and, and, and next week as well or God. 5 (28m 37s): And when you speak to us, we speak to our hearts. We use just speaking to our condition, Jesus name, we pray. Amen. So we're going to be in the book of Ruth this next two weeks. I get two, I get two weeks and the book of Ruth, we're going to try to accomplish a Ruth chapters one and two this week. And, and we're gonna have three and four next week. And with that, Ruth is my, is one of my favorite books. The Bible we have Genesis, I think is like my, my, my ultimate favorite and Ruth would be a close second to that. You know, we, we, we see in the book of Ruth that it, I like to say it's Ruth is humanity. And four chapters, 85 verses just a little over, just a little under 2,700 words. 5 (29m 22s): Hebrew words is found the book of Ruth and each word is just skillfully crafted it's and it's not just a beautiful story, cause there's so much that's happening underneath the surface that you can just kind of floss over when you read through the book of Ruth in the matter of 15, 20 minutes. So I'm excited to kind of jump in. We're going to take a very distant approach and kind of just dive in a few spots, dive in where I think the Lord wants to reach us today. But what I would, I hope we will all walk out is that God is he's the God of the Insignificant and Ordinary he's the God of the and Insignificant Ordinary and why. And, and the current that we see under the book of Ruth is this Providence of God. 5 (30m 6s): God sovereignty mixes somehow matches with our freewill and God is working out things in our life and through our lives, you see just at face value, read it through the book of Ruth and the beautiful story that comes out. You have all these things that come up, you have grief, you have joy, you have sorrow friendship, family, betrayal, redemption, you have drama, you have loneliness, compassion, romance, scandal, bravery, faith, grace, love, you have weddings and you have death. That's just, it just all their humanity in four chapters. And so what I want to show is that there's no such thing as an insignificant detail to our Lord and our understanding of God is so framed by what we think of God is God just the God of the big things is God just the God of, of, of the important, the, the, the things that we might think, Oh, well, God only cares about those big, those important things or has God also so intimately acquainted our lives. 5 (31m 16s): There was a German theologian. He said this, tell me how lofty God is for you. And I will tell you how little he means to you. So often the bigger we think of God, Oh gosh, this is this big, he's this cosmic force, all the things, the less intimate, the less we think he has to do with us. Tell me how lofty God is for you. And I will tell you how little he means to you these two weeks. We're only going to scrape the surface and maybe, maybe you, Steve gave me the glimmer of hope. Maybe we can jump into some, some things later on down the road, go into depth, but let's jump into the book of Ruth chapter one. 5 (31m 57s): It answers one of the questions of this is in the darkest of times, how does a person live a life that makes a difference? And the darkest of times, how does one live a life that makes a difference? And, and Ruth is going to show us, and he's going to show us and the simple things and the way we treat others and our business dealings and preparing a meal for a family, for your family, washing dishes, doing the laundry. It's the simple day to day things Insignificant as the main thing to us aren't to God first one starts out. It says, now it came to pass. And the day's when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land. And that's so that's, that's up the time period with which the book of Ruth was written. 5 (32m 37s): It was in the time of the judges and, and the book of judges ends with this verse. And it's it's it's right where we're at. It says in those days there was no King in Israel. Everyone did what was right in the eye, in his own eyes, there was no King and everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. I can relate to that. I think we can all relate to that. Remember the time when my parents left my brother and I home alone for the first time and ride, what no parents around this is awesome. What are we going to do? We're going to have a BB gun wore in the house. 3 (33m 13s): 5 (33m 16s): I don't, I don't, I don't suggest that I don't suggest cutting a Q-tip and half and putting it in your seven 60 pump master, and then pump it up a few times and shooting your brother and the leg. I don't, I don't remember that may or may not have happened may or may not have left a hole in my brother. And he may or may not have chased me around the house the next 20, 30 minutes. So the authority wasn't home. So we did what we wanted. And our times we, you know, we've taken God out of our government, out of our schools, out of the public spheres. And, and, and there's even the sense of trying to take God out of churches. And it feels, it's just, this is where we're at. And it's like, everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes. 5 (33m 57s): Yeah. I grew up with the sane. My friend said over and over in junior high and high school, it says, if it feels good, do it. If it feels good doing, and I watched my friends who listened to that and who went down that path of, Hey, if it feels good, they did it. I believe there's a famine. There's a drought in our land now, too. It was a famine of, of, of truth, of common sense of compassion, of love for calling men. Those, the things that seem to be lacking in our time and this time that they were in the time of judges, there was a famine and there was a drought. 5 (34m 40s): And that led to the lack of food for the nation of Israel. See God him. And Deuteronomy 11 had promised that as long as the, the Israelites were obedient, there would always be plenty. And so it seems like this is a dark, dark time. And even in the book of judges, that there was a famine in that, that there was this lack of, of just doing what was right as a nation. And so as the book of Ruth narrows it down, it goes from the nation is how the nation was doing as a whole. Now it's going to go to a family because God uses individuals. He uses families. So verse one and two is the name of the man was Elimelech. And the name of his wife was Naomi. And the names of their two sons were may Hahn and Chilean and their from Bethlehem. 5 (35m 25s): And they went to the country of Moab and they remained there. So they leave the land of Israel, the leave, the land of promise. And they go to, to journey to this land of Moab, because they were trying to find food and find the bed. Now, Bethlehem, interestingly enough means house of bread. That's what Bethlehem means. The house of red. And Elimelech his name means my God is King. So my God is King D decides to uproot his family out of the land. And they go and they travel to Moab and he takes with him, his wife and her name is pleasant or pleasant. One. That's what Naomi means. And the significance of those names. She was pleasant. And maybe this shows the, the, the names of they gave their son the show's the times and the difficulties and the struggles they were having their family cause a male, a Hawn or Mohan. 5 (36m 14s): His name means SIC. And his brother chili on his, his name actually means pining or wasting away. So we have Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons pining and wasting away and show the condition, show the struggles that that family was going, going through. And so they think they come down two and they think the best thing to do is to leave the house of bread and to go Sojourn in another country. And that sojourning turned into the remaining and it turning into, into settling down. And so often I think people try to hit it. Elimelech why would you leave the land of promise? 5 (36m 54s): Why would you leave the house of bread? And yet, I think he's just a father trying to do what's best. As he's watching his two sons waste away and the drought and the family, and that's brought on and they go to the faraway land, Elimelech ends up dying and Naomi's husband died. And she was left with her two sons. That's a lot to happen in a far away land to lose a spouse, to lose the, the, the, the covering the head of the family. She was now widowed now. And we found herself in a place of, she was being witty. 5 (37m 35s): She was widowed in the foreign land, and they took two wives, or the other woman of Moab, the sons did. And the name of the first was Orpah. And the name of the other was Ruth. And they dwelt there about 10 years. So you have orphan and her name actually means neck or, or like gazelle. Something about her neck stood out and Ruth, her name means friend. And what I'll, what I'll dive into deeper next week is the picture that's going on here. You have the beautiful story, but there's a picture that God's weaving in. It was, it's actually prophetic because Naomi is a picture of the nation of Israel. And now we have Ruth and Ruth has a friend. 5 (38m 19s): Well, Jesus called us friends. He says, you are no longer slaves, but you're friends. And they, they, they, they went there dwelled there about 10 years. And so they're there for 10 years and they're in a foreign land. There's no father. So the two sons, and it says, and as it came to pass verse five, the both Mahan and chili on died. So the woman survived her two sons and her husband. I mean, just sit in that loss for a little bit. All of Naomi's hopes, all of her dreams, all of her protection have all now died. 5 (39m 2s): The hurt, the pain, no family there to support no, no, no comfort, no community of God to support her in this time. So we have left as a house with three widows in it. Naomi has no children left. They both passed away. And now we have two women who are bearing two women. Who've been married with their husbands for 10 years and, and not have had any offspring had any children to, to pass on that line of, of Elimelech. And not much has made her that, that Ruth is barren, but the end of the book, there's this glimmer. Cause, cause that's what the beauty of this narrative is that in the end, we're going to see Ruth. This is Barry woman in the beginning that we see Ruth as a, as a, as a barrier in the end, we're going to see that the Lord opens her womb and now it's going from the family. 5 (39m 52s): And now we're going to, we're going to even narrow it and close. And we're going to go from the family to the individuals. And so Naomi arises with her daughters in law that they might return from the country of Moab. And for she heard in the country of Moab, that the Lord had visited his people by giving them bread, bread had returned to the house of bread. So she arises a Rose from her losses. She realizing all the pain and all the while she still has to move on, she still has to do something, just the travel and of 70 miles over, over a mountain, across the river dangers. I mean all that stuff there because God y'all way God had visited his people and theirs. 5 (40m 34s): Therefore, she went out from the place where she was and her two daughters went with her and, and she, she looks at her two times and she's like, you don't need to follow me. I am nothing. And she, she talks about the, that the Lord's hand had gone against her. She says, go return each to her mother's house. And verse eight, the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with me, dealt with the dead. And with me, those years of pain and grief and loss route, and Naomi had been milled down, she had been crushed. She feels like if there's nothing left, like there's no hope why you girls don't need to come with me. 5 (41m 16s): But verse nine, she says that she, that the Lord may grant you rest, that you may find arrest each in the house of her husband. And that is one of the designs of marriage. That marriage be a place of rest that is God's design. And so she desires that for her, her, her two daughter and loss go find rest and the house of her husband. So she kissed them and lift up. So the, so she kissed them and they lifted up their voices and wept. And surely we return with you as these people, you know, to your people. And it was a nice sentiment, but they weren't both willing to go there. And often in our grief and our loss, people try to reach out and people try to help. 5 (41m 58s): But when I, when I lost my dad to cancer, I remember a specific conversation and I, I understand the heart, but, but she's like, Oh, you know, trying to, trying to find words. And she's like, well, I understand what you're going through. Cause I just lost my dog. And there was two, there was like, I want to say some things. And the other was like, I just, I realized, I realized you're trying to empathize. And, and I just, you just have to take for face value. But I, I like how job's friends handled it. When Joe went through all of his losses, at least for the S the first part of it job, his friends came and sat with him in silence, in the midst of all of his lost for seven days. 5 (42m 43s): For seven days, they just sat there with Jobe and the friends that have, have comforted me and walked through my losses in my life. They were there. Just the ones that, Hey, I'm here for you. I don't know what to say. I don't have the right words, but I'm just here for you. If you need anything, just let me know. So you, after seven days, that's when job's friends opened their mouth and that's when it just went downhill, right? This went downhill. So Naomi says the second 10, and turn back my daughters, why don't you go with me? But there's still sons in my womb that they may be your husbands. And she's, she's talking about the law of the love, right. Marriage. And we'll leave that for later. So she views and she understands that God has come against her. 5 (43m 24s): She says, the hand of the Lord has come up, has come against her. And if she only knew we have, we I've redone as, as getting to overlook the whole book of Ruth and having read it. And haven't understood the gospel message and all that stuff. We know that God has awesome and amazing plans for new home. And she doesn't in that moment of grief and loss and pain and hurt all that stuff. She just thinks that the Lord has come against her. If somebody could just whisper into her ear, Jeremiah 29 11 for, I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and the future. Can you imagine that? 5 (44m 4s): And her daughter-in-laws, they lifted up their voice and they wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her or putt goes back off the pages of scripture and into, into oblivion. We never hear of her again. And they always seen an believe. She says to Ruth, now this is the third time she urges her. Go back, go back to your people. Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods return after your sister-in-law that's significant. You see back to she's saying, go back to your gods, go back to Chemosh. That was the God that the Moabites worshiped go back to the, the, the destroyer, the subdued. 5 (44m 47s): That's what, that's what she washed meant. She must was the God that accepted human sacrifice. She says, look, I have nothing left. And she washed, maybe Chemosh will be kinder than my God. Y'all the way the show's her, her, her just her hurt and her pain in Ruth hearing that will not turn back for. There's something that she's seen. And Naomi and Ruth said, and this is some of my fear versus the book of Ruth 16 and 17. 5 (45m 27s): But Ruth said, intrigued me not to leave you or to turn back from following you forever, where you go, I will go. And wherever you lodge, I will lodge your people shall be my people in my, and your God, my God, where you die, I will die. And there I will be buried. This is her statement of faith and that it, they, they, they have stay this and colleges. It's just a beautiful, beautiful literary work. And it has that Adam and Eve ring to it as well from Genesis two, where Adam says, this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Ruth is like, I will not leave you. 5 (46m 7s): I have clung to Ruth. She, where does she get this faith? She was raised in a gentle idol worshiping country. And now she's ready to abandon everything that she knew. Her family, her friends, her community, all of that is to follow after Naomi and to have Naomi's God be her God. How could that be? When Naomi had nothing but loss and pain and hurt. And I believe that it's because as Naomi was being crushed, there was something sweet that was still coming out of her. The way you create fragrance or perfume is you actually take the herb or the plant and you crush it. You grind it up so that it gives its full aroma. 5 (46m 50s): Paul would say later in the second Corinthians for, we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved. And among those who are perishing to the one, we are a realm of death, Lena death, and to other, the aroma of life leading the life we can in our times of crushing, still be that aroma to Christ that, that lead other the other say, I don't know what it is about you. You're going through some tough stuff, but there is something in you. There's something I desire. And that's what Ruth was doing. She was, she was like, despite the crushing, she was still said, your people are my people, your God, my God. So when they only saw ruse determination, she just moved on. 5 (47m 34s): And it says, as they came to Bethlehem and verse 19, all the city was excited because then they see two figures, two women returning from Moab. And it had been many years has been at least 10 years. And they look and they're looking, they're excited. And they said, Oh, is this Naomi life has been hard on her. Is this Naomi? And she says, I don't call me. Naomi, call me, Mara. See Naomi means pleasant, but she's now she's saying, call me, Mara for Mara means better. We can see where she's at. She's in a place of bitterness. She said, I went out full of verse 21. 5 (48m 15s): It and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi? Why do you call me pleasant? Since the Lord has testified against me? And the almighty almighty has afflicted me and I I'm, I'm thankful for it. Cause she, she has a way of speaking her mind. She has a way of going, Oh yeah, I lost everything, but I'm okay. I'm good. She doesn't do that. She's like, she's in this place of bitterness and God will still meet her there. And the people will meet her there. How often do we get asked? How are you doing? And we say, Oh, I'm good. I'm smiling when we're hurting inside the church. And I think our, this community should be a place of just authentic community. And it's my personal belief. 5 (48m 56s): And this, this, this is my understanding. As I've read through the story and traders say, I think that Naomi had a lot to do with them leaving Israel and the first place. I think I, my it's my personal belief that Naomi was like, Elimelech look at our sons. Why are we staying in this godforsaken place of Bethlehem? Why we need to leave this place? Look at our sons. They're dying. If we don't do something there, they're going to waste away. And so sh maybe she was positive. My thought she was the one, the impetus of pushing them out into the land of Moab. We have to go find food for our kids. We have to do something. And so now she's come back and she feels like she's just completely empty is because she, maybe it's my thought that she was the one who's pushing for that. 5 (49m 42s): And she's like, board's gone against me. I was the one who wanted this. Now the Lord is coming against me. Just think back to those evening conversations when the boys were in their beds and the husband and wife, a little luck, and now we're just talking. So I think, I think it's way. And it's obviously weighing heavy on Naomi. So Naomi returned in the us and Ruth and mobilize her Don law, went with her and verse 22, you and who returned from the country MOBE. And now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. This is, this is the season ender. This is the last episode like, Oh wait, why, why? There's like something's changing. 5 (50m 22s): The barley harvest has mentioned, food has not been mentioned this whole time, other than the lack of food. And now we have the barley harvest. The barley harvest has mentioned this. Okay. There's, there's a glimmer of hope. There's something happening. And it doesn't, God always give us those little glimmers of hope in the, in the loss and the hurt and the pain. And there's those little glimmers of hope that just get us, get us by just sometimes day by day, sometimes hour by hour, minute by minute, the loss of my dad was just at times unbearable. He was 51. 5 (51m 2s): I was, I had just turned 24 and I didn't know how I was going to make it. So we grew up in the central Valley and up in the, up in this year as there, there was this mountain that for whatever reason, I was always drawn to look at. This is Sawtooth peak and it's this diamond shape peak that just kind of stands out in the mountains. And, and it was like whenever there was a clear day, I could just see Sawtooth peak, whether it was snow on it or whether it was the evening sun and the setting on it. It was, it was just, it was, I loved looking at Sawtooth peak and it was like one day I woke up in that mountain was just gone. My dad was no longer there. And the, that loss that just hurt and every like the Lord has carried us through Florida's Curtis through the, it was like the little acts like our Church would come and help us out with little projects. 5 (51m 57s): My mom w with my dad had had in his, in God, given him foresight had, had had a life insurance policy that allowed my mom to buy it, the house over the fixer upper of her dreams. And there's like this little, like these little shimmers of, of, of God just, just so I'm here, I'm here. I'm still working. I'm not done. And that'd be the end of chapter one. We have this little glimmer, but let's quickly get into route two. Now. I don't know why verse one. I do not know why this has mentioned, but it says there was a relative. So we just go from the darkness the, the hard times, and there a glimmer of hope of the bar of the Harvest and now it mentions in verse one. 5 (52m 39s): Now there's a relative of Naomi's husband, a man of great wealth of the family of Elimelech and his name was Boaz. Well, full stop. Why is that in there? Why do you, why, why does that get added right there at the beginning of chapter two, right? And the narrative. Why does that get plucked in there? And we there's so many questions we should ask Bo ass. Who is Bo ass? Why was he mentioned? Well, he's a family of Elimelech. So he's a kinsmen to the family. He's the man of great wealth Boaz. His name is means in him, his strength in him, his strength, Solomon as he's building his temple later on would have two pillars at the front of the temple. 5 (53m 20s): One of those tent, one of those pillars, he named Boaz. And if you're single and the reason this maybe is say, is he married? Why isn't he married? I don't know. We'll get him. Maybe we will talk about that next week. So you've got it now. Okay. So Boaz, this guy, this guy that was introduced into the narrative. Okay. Put that aside. Let's continue on with Ruth and Naomi. Cause that's where we're at. Right? So Ruth inverse to the Ruth, the Moabite has said, and only please let me go out to the fields and glean heads of grain after him in whom site I may find favor. And she said, go, my daughter Russi Ruth. Didn't want to remain static. She wasn't just going to stay there. 5 (54m 0s): She just knew that she had to go do something. There was no welfare system to take care of them. There was no one God who was going to bring food to the door. She had to go out and do something. And this is where God in his, in his sovereignty. And his foresight had had put in the law of gleaning and allowed the reapers as they gleaned the harvest fields to only make one passed through. And they had to leave the corners and the reapers also, whatever they spilled or left was left was there for the widow's and the destitute. So if your bag, if you're lifting up your bag and it spills out the bottom, you had to leave that whole pile there. You couldn't take, you couldn't take it with you In verse three. 5 (54m 44s): And then she left. So Ruth goes out, she looks North, she looks South. She looks East, she looks West. Where's she going to go? There's fields surrounding Bethlehem. Where is she going to go? First three. And she left and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And it says, and she just happened to come to the part of the field, belonging to Boaz, who was the family of Elimelech second mention. It says she happened. Or the King James says she just so happened. The Bible God's sovereignty. Things just don't just happen. But it also doesn't say anything about some light coming and shining on that field, like Ruth steps out. 5 (55m 28s): And it goes, where should I go? And there's like this spotlight from heaven, there was no, there was no like being pushed along by some unseen force. She just simply stepped out in faith and said, I need to, to say, I need to do something. And where do I go? And the sovereignty of God in the freewill of her to choose where she wanted to go. She just so happened that she ended up in this field and it was idleness that says, I can't just stay idle. I need to, I need to go out and provide, I need to do something. And then I mentioned Boaz and Boaz is brought into the story. He says, he comes to his Reaper's in the field and says the Lord be with you. And they said, in response, the Lord bless you. And that just shows Boaz his character, that he is the Lord of the harvest that he takes care of his workers. 5 (56m 14s): And his workers just love him in return. And Boaz said to his servant, who was in charge of the reapers whose young woman is this, this unnamed servant gives her, him the report that, Hey, yeah, that's, that's Ruth. She returned with the mobile. She's the mobile fetus she returned with Naomi. And that she asked, Hey, can I come glean in your field? After the reapers? She was plaintiff. She didn't just say, there's a law allows me to do this. She said, can I do this? So she's polite. She's hard working, not demanding. And also probably very tired from the 70 mile journey that she had just gone on. So Boaz goes and speak to her specifically. He says, Boaz. He says to Ruth in verse eight, you listen to my daughter. 5 (56m 57s): Will you not do not go glean in another field nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. Let your eyes beyond the field, which they reap and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And then if you're thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn. And so in response, Ruth falls on her face, first 10 bows down the ground and says, why have I found favor in your eyes that you should take? Notice of me since I am a foreigner, that Hebrew word for grace is Kaine. And it's a, it's a meany of grace or favor. See, grace is the basis by which she's given all these blessings, this unearned undeserved favor as a mobile just woman, the law would keep her out, but grace would bring her in the law, keeps out, but grace is brought, brought her in and Boaz, recounts, like it's been fully reported of all that you've done for your, for your mother-in-law, for your, for your, your, your deceased husband and, and how you've left everything to come here. 5 (58m 4s): Your, your reputation has preceded you. And he says, in verse 12, the Lord repay you and full reward. Be given by the Lord of the God of Israel under hoons wings, you shall come for refuge. She CA Ruth had left her father's protection. Ruth had left her husband, his protection. He had died. And after the loss of my dad, the loss of my mom, the Psalm 65 was my GoTo verse for a long time. And that says a father to the fatherless and a defender of the widow is God. And his Holy habitation. God is the protector. 5 (58m 44s): And Ruth, you have come under your way as God. And he will protect and provide for you. And she said, let me find favor in your sight. My Lord for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to me. And then at mealtime Boaz does something that was not in the law. You didn't have to invite people, the forerunner into your home to share a meal. And yet she does that at mealtime, at lunchtime, come here. He says, and eat the bread and dip your peace and joy and the tip of your piece of bread in the vinegar. And so she sat beside the reapers and he passed parched greens, her and she ate and was satisfied. One of those little details that we missed, that the Bible doesn't miss the Bible does the, there's no word he reword. 5 (59m 27s): That goes unspoken. That Hebrew word for vinegar is climates helmets. And that is a vinegar of wine. So here we have Boaz offering to Ruth, essentially wine and bread, the communion elements, amazing. And Ruth just takes, she, she, she accepts it and then she keeps them back thinking of her mother in law, back at home. So she Rose up to glean and, and it's like, you know, a 30 minute lunch break. 5 (1h 0m 8s): And she leaves a little bit early. She gets up to go to work and, and Boaz has the time to sit there at his, at the lunch break with his men in the, and the reapers. And he gives these, these commandments for her. And he says also, verse 16, let grains of the bundles fall purposely for her and leave it that she may glean and do not rebuke her. See, now grace has turned into gifts, letter, verse 15. I missed that. Let her even glean among the sheaves and do not reproach her. He is now just giving her gifts upon gifts. The new King, James ranch renders it handfuls on purpose or handfuls of purpose. 5 (1h 0m 48s): And I love this cause it w w what was Ruth thinking as she's began to glean out in the field and like, Oh, wow, they miss this whole stock. Oh, wow. There's a, there's a clump of, of, of a barley here. Wow. This is hardly. And those are good workers. Like, they're like, why are they leaving so much behind? This is amazing. And it seems like it just all goes right over her head. She's just picking what she has right there in front of her. Maybe she's a little ditzy, maybe not my sister. I love my sister. And I asked her for permission, but she took a, one of her classes in high school. There she was, and she walks into a classroom and she was like, mr. 5 (1h 1m 31s): Parker, the teacher, mr. Parker, that who's the teacher. And she's like, mr. Parker, I didn't realize there was a basement in this classroom. And he's like, Oh yeah. That's where we keep all the wine for school. And it's nice and cool down there. She's like, I didn't realize there's been a basement. So I've been coming to his classroom for a whole year. I didn't realize there's a basement. She sat down and like, everybody started chuckling. She's like what? It was a door that was just on the ground. She thought it was a she'd walked into class thinking it was a basement. It was just a door on the ground. And maybe Ruth was having them on those moments. Like, wow, I just don't understand all this grain on the screen. Well, Naomi's going to help her figure it out. Cause she what she ends up doing. She goes, she goes and beats it all out and takes all that. 5 (1h 2m 14s): She gleans, it. She has a whole barley and that was a good measure. And it says, then she took it up. What she, and she went into this city and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought out and gave it to her. What she'd kept back after she'd been satisfied. It was huge. This was not a gleaning you would normally get in one day. And her mother in law said to her, where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed to be the one who took notice of you. And so she took her mother-in-law. And so she told her mother-in-law who'd, she'd been working with that day. And she said the man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz in him. His strength is Boaz. See Ruth had been completely oblivious to what had happened all that day. 5 (1h 2m 55s): Naomi was not Naomi that knew that there was something going on the Lord. And then Naomi said in verse 20, the daughters in law blessed to be he of the Lord who has not forsaken his kindness to the living and the dead. And Naomi said to her, this man is a relation of ours. One of our close relatives. He is our Goel, our kinsmen Redeemer. And all of a sudden the woman who'd went out full and come back empty is all of a sudden realizing the plan that she's in the middle of. Oh my goodness, this is incredible. This man is showing you great favor. We left full, but we came back empty, but really she came back full this go, and this is a kinsman Redeemer. 5 (1h 3m 44s): And she encourages Ruth don't don't don't don't go anywhere else. Go to that field, go to that, go to Boaz field, stay by those workers. There's protection in that. And as she says, it is good. My daughter that you go out with this young woman and that people do not meet you in any, any other fool field. So verse 23. So she stayed close by the young women of Boaz to glean until the end of barley Harvest and we'd Harvest. And she'd dwelt with her. Mother-in-law the barley harvest was the time of Passover. The weed harvest wen all the way through until the time of Pentecost. The first fruits of the wheat harvest were presented to God at CA the Pentecost. And now we begin to see the Providence of God unfolding, and we're not done. 5 (1h 4m 27s): This is just a glimmer of the hope. And now the thing is, things are in motion and things are gonna happen in the book of Ruth and what, what it goes to shows that being faithful to the very little things that God puts in front of, you got a reward that in those Insignificant details that we just floss over and think, Ugh, that's not much. No. See Jesus said, the very hairs on your head are numbered. That's incredible. That shows how intimate it's not, he's not some big, all powerful way out there got his intimate God that would know each and every hair on my head, each and every hair on your head. There's nothing missed. 5 (1h 5m 14s): I had a chance this a couple of couple weeks ago, and a couple came into the church for prayer and the, the guy that I was my friend that we were praying with for this couple, he he's just said, I believe the Lord has a few things that he wants to speak to you. And, and, and to, especially for her. And he began just speaking little things. I don't think you've told anybody about this, but, and he just started going into some really minutiae details. The God had revealed to my friend for her, and she just started bright. She broke down crying, and I've never told anyone this stuff. 5 (1h 5m 59s): She had come as a partner to help to help her, her, her guy, fiance, tail, her fiance. She come as like, Oh, I'm just, he's, he's here to help. But then God began revealing and speaking things into her life. And she just melted because all of a sudden she realized God knew every little thought and intended for heart. And how incredible is that? That God, there's no detail too small for our, for our God. Tell me how lofty God is for you. And I will tell you how little he means to you. How about tell me how, how much God knows how God knows the hairs on our head and how much he loves you. 5 (1h 6m 46s): I think when we simply obey the Lord and inner faithful to the task, bigger, small, that brought to pass before us, God will lead and guide our way. Even in these, even in these darkest of times, let me pray. 3 (1h 6m 59s): 5 (1h 7m 13s): Lord. As we sing in that first set, the shoe or the way maker that even when we don't see it, we know that you're still working. Lord God, I believe that's a song Ruth and Naomi might've been able to sing at this moment. The thought you turned your hand was against them. And yet your hand was not. Your hand was for them. You were going before them Lord. And how, how often are you going before us? And we just miss it. Lord, God help us to see Lord speak, speak words of life into us. Lord God, as the darkest of times, start to encroach around and give us that faith. Just to simply take it step by step. 5 (1h 7m 54s): This, this walk of faith that you've given us Lord to be obedient and the little things as well as the big, the big things Lord God or do you are working in our midst. Thank you, Lord Jesus name. We pray 3 (1h 8m 10s): 1 (1h 8m 41s): magnify and exalt your name, 0 (1h 18m 49s): Our affection, and our devotion. We bring to you very live 1 (1h 18m 54s): Because he laid down 0 (1h 18m 59s): And maybe be forever changed because we've been in your presence because words 17 deeply into our hearts, God, and took root. We pray that a bit. Bear good fruit this year, 1 (1h 19m 12s): Help us 0 (1h 19m 12s): The love of those. We come in contact with your kind of 1 (1h 19m 19s): Low from our hearts. 0 (1h 19m 23s): I thank you for our church family. We just lift up everyone who's watching right now. And who's here on this campus. How would you strengthen us? Would you give us wisdom and discernment to walk out this crazy time of life? There's so much going on in the world. And so many distractions. God, we look to you and we listen for your voice, your leading your team. 1 (1h 19m 48s): So we welcome you 0 (1h 19m 50s): To work in our lives all this week and pray the chief, keep us all safe and healthy until we gathered together again. The precious name of Jesus. Somebody say, amen. Amen. Oh, it's so good. Church yeah. 1 (1h 20m 6s): Awesome. 0 (1h 20m 8s): Well, if anyone would like some prayer this morning, there'll be staff and other volunteers. We'd love to pray for you. Come right on up. Otherwise, have a great week. We'll see you next Sunday.

FMQs: Virus and Inquiry Ruth wanted to avoid talking about the virus and Nicola wanted to avoid talking about the inquiry. So Ruth attacked the FM’s veracity but Nicola retorted “One minute you suggest I’m in a conspiracy against Alex then the next I'm colluding with him” Mentioned by us were; Lesley Evans, Geof Aberdein, Paul Hutcheon, Neil McKay, Kate Forbes, Alex Burnett, Patrick Harvie, Pauline McNeil, Anas Sarwar.

Dan Parnell | Deuteronomy 8:7-11 | Ruth 2:14b-18 [Moses said,] 'The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig-trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.'As [Ruth] got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, 'Let her gather among the sheaves and don't reprimand her. Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.' So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening.Harvest in lockdown: while we couldn't celebrate in the normal way, we were still able to give thanks for God's provision for us and remember the need to share what we have with those in need. This livestreamed service includes a talk from Dan and contributions from other members of the All-In team and extra helpers.The full video version of this service, including music, can be viewed on YouTube. All the links to the various follow-up activities are on our website. 

Studies of Ruth Study 5 - Ruth's Worship through Obedience. The book of Ruth is a cameo story of love, devotion and redemption set in the black days of the Judges. It tells the story of a pagan woman giving up everything to cling to the people of Israel and to God Himself. Shows her faithfulness when the nation was faithless. Download the mp3 audio using the link below to start discovering more about this great lady of faith. In our previous episode, we looked at Ruth's wholeness of obedience. In this episode, we look at Ruth’s worship through obedience. Now, finally, Ruth's obedience was also worship. How is this? The result of Ruth's obedience was Obed, the child fathered by Boaz as kinsman-redeemer, the one would inherit the family land and name in place of Naomi's dead husband and sons. Obed in Hebrew means "worship". Is not obedience really the outward action that derives from the inner response of faith love, and trust practised in regard to individuals and God? Jesus said "If you love me, you will obey what I command!" (John 14:15). Ruth's acts of obedience throughout this her story, are also practical acts of worship of the God she had made her own by faith. So Ruth's obedience has four factors to it: the wow factor, the witness factor, the wholeness factor and finally the worship factor! ConclusionLet us ask God to work in us, changing our weak attempts at obedience into acts of divine worship. We find delight in serving the Lord, instead of indulging in resentment over sinful leaders. The result will be inner freedom and release from bitterness, and also a powerful story to those in authority and to onlookers as well. Just as too Ruth's obedience of Naomi, moved Boaz and all Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit will enable us move others (Colossians 3:23-24). While we obey others, we can joyfully remember that it is God alone who is worthy of complete obedience. When our confidence in Him is reflected in our submission to others we become living stories to our trust in God's perfect plan. If we follow the example of Ruth, perhaps someone will notice our stories and find the witness, the wholeness, and the worship in our lives of obedience and praise God because of us. Remember this from 1 Samuel 15:22 "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” So go from here and be obedient to our awesome and holy God! Through obedience to Him as revealed in Scripture, you will be growing and changing into the very likeness of Jesus Christ whom you follow. Through obedience, you will be able to enduring and be persistent in your Christian lifestyle and evangelism. So much so, that people will ask you for the reason for the hope you have and portray. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

The narrator has already told us that when Naomi and Ruth arrive back in Bethlehem it was the time of barley harvest (Ruth 1:22). Now (Ruth 2) the significance of that bit of information is played out.It was long-standing tradition, stemming from Mosaic Law, that landowners would not be too scrupulous about picking up every bit of produce from their land. That left something for the poor to forage (cf. Deut. 24:19-22; see meditation for June 19). So Ruth goes out and works behind the proper reapers in a field not too far from Jerusalem. She could not know that this field belonged to a wealthy landowner called Boaz — a distant relative of Naomi’s and Ruth’s future husband.The story is touching, with decent people acting decently on all fronts. On the one hand, Ruth proves to be a hard worker, barely stopping for rest (Ruth 2:7). She is painfully aware of her alien status (Ruth 2:10), but treats the locals with respect and courtesy. When she brings her hoard back to Naomi and relates all that has happened, another small aside reminds us that for a single woman to engage in such work at this point in Israel’s history was almost to invite molestation (Ruth 2:22) — which attests her courage and stamina.Naomi sees the hand of God. From a merely pragmatic perspective of gaining enough to eat, she is grateful, but when she hears the name of the man who owns the field, she not only recognizes the safety that this will provide for Ruth, but she realizes that Boaz is one of their “kinsman-redeemers” (Ruth 2:20) — that is, one of those who under so-called levirate law could marry Ruth, with the result that their first son would carry on the legitimate rights and property entitlements of her original husband.But it is Boaz who is, perhaps, seen in the best light. Without a trace of romance at this stage, he shows himself to be not only concerned for the poor, but a man who is touched by the calamities of others, and who quietly wants to help. He has heard of Naomi’s return and of the persistent faithfulness of this young Moabitess. He instructs his own workers to provide for her needs, to ensure her safety, and even leave behind some extra bits of grain so that Ruth’s labor will be well rewarded.Above all, he is a man of faith as well as of integrity, a point we hear in his first conversation with the woman who would one day be his bride: “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12). Well said — for the Lord is no one’s debtor. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 1) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Awaken The Possibilities Guest: Ruth AndersonFree Gift: www.EnlightenedWorld.onlineSummaryTO READ THE TRANSCRIPT SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.In episode 25 of the new Awaken The Possibilities Podcast, Host Terry Wildemann interviews Dr. Ruth Anderson in "A New World A New You!”. Awaken the Possibilities Podcast features successful entrepreneurs and intuitive leaders who offer insights on how to attract success in business and life. ____________________________________________________________________________ About Dr. Ruth Anderson:Dr. Ruth Anderson is an award-winning, international best-selling author and founder of Enlightened World. Retired after a satisfying and worthwhile career in special education and public school administration, Ruth embraced her second calling, that of an intuitive reader and spiritual counselor. After becoming a Reverend of the Church of Inner Light, she was given a ministry to witness and participate in the healing of souls with and without bodies in the ethereal realm called Open Clinic. Ruth serves as a conduit for the Spiritual Divinity and shares their teachings in an authentic and open manner. Her overarching mission is to bring Heaven to Earth and help others know their Spiritual Divinity. Ruth is passionate about sharing her experiences with the Spiritual Divinity and Divine Healing Beings. Website URL:: https://enlightenedworld.onlineFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/enlightenedworldnetwork/Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnlightenedWNYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4vYTrjMebqpKJNytJu-5dA?view_as=subscriber____________________________________________________________________________ About Terry Wildemann: Terry Wildemann is the owner of Intuitive Leadership® and a Business and Resilience Accelerator, Speaker and Certified Executive Coach. Terry's specialty is working with tired, unhealthy, close-to-burned-out entrepreneurs and professionals and helps them leap off the stress hamster wheel. They evolve into unstoppable stress resilient intuitive leaders and practical business mystics. Terry’s timely message guides clients and students to integrate intuition, stress resilience, positive communications and leadership with grounded business systems to achieve success by positively serving and influencing others. Her leadership experience includes owning a manufacturing company, image consulting company, leadership and holistic education center. Website URL:: www.IntuitiveLeadership.comFacebook Page: www.Facebook.com/intuitiveleaderFacebook Group: www.Facebook.com/groups/AwakenThePossibilitiesLinkedin: www.LInkedin.com/in/TerryWildemannTwitter: www.twitter.com/terrywildemann www.twitter.com/leaderintuition____________________________________________________________________________ TRANSCRIPTWEBVTT 100:00:02.790 --> 00:00:08.400Terry Wildemann: Welcome everyone to the awakened the possibilities Podcast. I'm your host, Terry will demand. 200:00:09.030 --> 00:00:19.680Terry Wildemann: As you know, I love bringing amazing, amazing people for you to listen to, or to watch via YouTube and today is absolutely no exception. 300:00:20.160 --> 00:00:30.270Terry Wildemann: I have with me, Dr. Ruth Anderson, who is an award winning international best selling author and founder of the enlightened world. 400:00:30.660 --> 00:00:36.990Terry Wildemann: She retired after a very satisfying and worthwhile career in special education and public school administration. 500:00:37.710 --> 00:00:43.500Terry Wildemann: Ruth embraced her second calling that have an intuitive reader and counselor. 600:00:44.130 --> 00:00:59.460Terry Wildemann: After becoming a reverend of the Church of inner light. She was given a ministry to witness and participate in the healing of souls without without bodies in the ethereal round called open clinic, that's going to be juicy to talk more about 700:01:00.240 --> 00:01:13.290Terry Wildemann: Ruth serves as a conduit for the spiritual divinity and shares her teachings and then authentic and open manner. Her overarching mission is to bring Heaven to Earth and help others know their spiritual divinity. 800:01:13.800 --> 00:01:22.290Terry Wildemann: Ruth is passionate about sharing her experiences with the spiritual divinity and divine healing beings. And what I can tell you is this. 900:01:23.400 --> 00:01:25.260Terry Wildemann: Those of us who are business people. 1000:01:26.550 --> 00:01:35.160Terry Wildemann: Those of us who are listening to this. You may be surprised at how much of this is going to be able to relate to your business because 1100:01:35.760 --> 00:01:53.190Terry Wildemann: When we separate the Practical. Practical and logical from the emotional the energetic in the spiritual world and working with half of us. So, folks, you see the angels on this side you see my books on this side, Ruth is going to help us integrate it all. Welcome to the show room. 1200:01:54.300 --> 00:01:57.090Ruth Anderson: I will do what I can to help us integrate it all. 1300:01:58.230 --> 00:02:03.900Terry Wildemann: We will. I know. Well, we've had so many delightful delightful conversations and. And so looking forward 1400:02:04.380 --> 00:02:12.420Terry Wildemann: To today's Fireside Chat where you're going to be sharing your brilliance with the awaken the possibilities. Audience So Ruth. 1500:02:13.320 --> 00:02:24.900Terry Wildemann: I know you were in education before as it said in our bio. What was the deciding factor for you to shift out of education and leap into this divine mission that you have 1600:02:26.430 --> 00:02:36.720Ruth Anderson: I was nearing retirement anyway. And I realized as I was working that I was using my spiritual skills. My gifts in my job. 1700:02:37.710 --> 00:02:47.550Ruth Anderson: But I wasn't really sure of that. But as I was getting closer to retirement. I was having experiences where spirit was making itself loud and clear. 1800:02:48.390 --> 00:03:08.460Ruth Anderson: And then I had a pivotal experience when my best friend of 26 years passed, and came to me after she passed the next day after she passed. I was driving in Los Angeles to get back home. I was with her when she passed and I was in the car driving sobbing. 1900:03:09.840 --> 00:03:18.840Ruth Anderson: Absolutely sobbing and I was hoping nobody was watching me. I'm trying to stay within the lanes and I heard wrestling in the backseat. And I thought, 2000:03:19.500 --> 00:03:25.650Ruth Anderson: Okay, I think I'm going to die right now because if there is somebody in the backseat. This is not good. 2100:03:26.250 --> 00:03:35.970Ruth Anderson: And I looked in my rearview mirror and I saw my best friend in the backseat in spirit form with her husband, who had passed, four years earlier. 2200:03:36.210 --> 00:03:48.600Ruth Anderson: Now, Sylvia was looking exhausted, as if she had just been obviously through through the wringer and her husband was looking so happy. And so satisfied. 2300:03:49.200 --> 00:04:02.460Ruth Anderson: And then my tears turn to laughter and tears realizing there is life after life and it's this close to me. I didn't really, it's this close 2400:04:03.120 --> 00:04:15.480Ruth Anderson: And that's what started this whole shift of wanting to learn more about spirit and as I learned more and more learned about Archangel michael and Archangel raphael divine mother. 2500:04:16.320 --> 00:04:33.000Ruth Anderson: They started guiding me and I started listening listening to this guide and spending time daily with them and they outlined enlightened world. And here it is. As a result, and that was that was started years ago. 2600:04:33.960 --> 00:04:34.860Terry Wildemann: How many years ago. 2700:04:35.340 --> 00:04:36.150Ruth Anderson: Six years ago. 2800:04:36.690 --> 00:04:48.600Terry Wildemann: bringing, bringing Brian so curious, what were some of the things that were happening when you were still in the workplace that we're giving you clues that there's a little bit more to this than what meets the eye. 2900:04:49.680 --> 00:05:02.550Ruth Anderson: I'm I supported teachers and principals with high needs students and sometimes high need parents. And as I was talking with them brainstorming over the phone. I would see a vision. 3000:05:03.150 --> 00:05:15.510Ruth Anderson: Or feel what was happening for that family, what was happening for those kids and I got the guts to say, you know, I wonder if this isn't a possibility for them. 3100:05:16.110 --> 00:05:26.970Ruth Anderson: And the more I did that, the more it was validated to me. Yes, I see that that's exactly what's going on. And now we know how to work with them. Now we know how to support them. 3200:05:27.360 --> 00:05:38.430Ruth Anderson: And so I kept getting those instances of validation where I began to trust those intuitive hits that I had been getting frankly since I was a child. 3300:05:39.480 --> 00:05:47.370Terry Wildemann: Wow, that is absolutely brilliant. And thank you for sharing how it was coming to you in the workplace, because I truly believe 3400:05:47.760 --> 00:05:58.170Terry Wildemann: That so many of us either see images or hear images or have these, you know, these feelings, intuitively, and we don't know how to trust them. 3500:05:58.650 --> 00:06:10.530Terry Wildemann: We get scared to trust them, and we think people are going to think that we're weird because, you know, it's just too, whoo, whoo, that kind of thing. If people only knew that when I work with my coaching clients. 3600:06:10.950 --> 00:06:22.470Terry Wildemann: I have a pullout keyboard here that has all of my angel cards on all of them. I have quite a few in the in a little cabinet behind me and actually others under here. 3700:06:23.040 --> 00:06:33.630Terry Wildemann: And when I'm working with a client who isn't open to the spiritual realm. If I get stuck on how to coach them I'm guided to which deck to use 3800:06:34.920 --> 00:06:51.420Terry Wildemann: And how which number card to pull out of the deck. And sure enough, it always gives me just the right insight to ask the next open ended question, but do I tell them that I'm working with angel cards. 3900:06:53.040 --> 00:07:01.440Terry Wildemann: Maybe a little way down the road after they trust me a little bit more. And they wonder, how is that you know exactly what to say. Because what 4000:07:02.460 --> 00:07:05.640Terry Wildemann: You see this. My angels tell me 4100:07:07.440 --> 00:07:16.980Ruth Anderson: Exactly right. In Terry, I hear the angel speaking to me find my here. Bring up the relationship 4200:07:17.010 --> 00:07:18.630Terry Wildemann: That's not going well, Bryce. 4300:07:18.720 --> 00:07:20.970Ruth Anderson: Bring up the past that kind of 4400:07:21.780 --> 00:07:29.070Terry Wildemann: Yeah, and I hear them to. I can see them and I hear them. I get it in my left ear, I 4500:07:29.100 --> 00:07:30.750Ruth Anderson: Get it, I get it in my left ear. 4600:07:30.930 --> 00:07:34.020Terry Wildemann: Eric go Michael that's Archangel michael 4700:07:35.460 --> 00:07:39.840Ruth Anderson: Brian referred to Michael, it's over here and a mother's over here. Yeah. 4800:07:40.050 --> 00:07:50.460Terry Wildemann: Absolutely, absolutely. So yes, I got it very much. And that's why it's important for us as leaders to realize that when we integrate all of our gifts. 4900:07:50.910 --> 00:08:05.190Terry Wildemann: Look at how we can help people on so many levels. That's why I love doing this show and bringing in folks like yourself to help the audience awaken the possibilities, instead of run in the opposite direction because 5000:08:05.640 --> 00:08:18.900Terry Wildemann: You know, our gifts we had them when we're born, you said you had him when you were young, I had them when I was young and it's important that we honor them. So what I love about the AWS, the 5100:08:19.860 --> 00:08:36.030Terry Wildemann: You are really showing people, different ways of doing things. So can you talk more about the AWS and in the system these last six years how it has evolved with insight from our dear friend, archangel michael 5200:08:36.720 --> 00:08:48.360Ruth Anderson: Yes. In Layton world was brought to me and it was to support light workers in first. It came in the form of create a website and 5300:08:49.050 --> 00:09:02.370Ruth Anderson: Put articles in that other people have written advertise their businesses, let them have a podcast on there. And actually when Archangel michael told me to have a weekly podcast. 5400:09:03.180 --> 00:09:10.350Ruth Anderson: I did it for about a month and then he said, Okay, now you're going to have your own network. I said, You are crazy. He said, No, you're gonna have your own network. 5500:09:10.770 --> 00:09:31.290Ruth Anderson: And then from then, it was a year of learning how to do a podcast and then starting to figure out how to do a network. So not only do I have the website and Latin world dot online, but we also I say we, it's me and Archangel michael frankly we have. Ew. When 5600:09:32.010 --> 00:09:33.270Ruth Anderson: It is enlightened world. 5700:09:33.360 --> 00:09:45.270Ruth Anderson: Network and that is podcast we have a YouTube channel. Plus, we are on Facebook on YouTube. We have over about almost 600. Wow. I think we're at 600 videos. 5800:09:45.480 --> 00:09:55.050Ruth Anderson: Now, wow, and they're all life affirming, they're all Spirit led, they're all Spirit inspired raise your vibration 5900:09:55.920 --> 00:10:04.350Ruth Anderson: Walking you're calling kind of videos and Terry you've participated in some of them as well, which I absolutely loved 6000:10:05.100 --> 00:10:19.290Ruth Anderson: And where Michael is going with this now is, okay, you've got you. Who can now create another channel. And so just last week we created enlightened living, which you see above me. 6100:10:19.830 --> 00:10:34.440Ruth Anderson: And we've added some shows on that and enlightened living is less sacred like the AWS shows, but more of. Okay, now let's bring that spirituality into life here in the 3D 6200:10:34.710 --> 00:10:40.470Ruth Anderson: So it's different kinds of fun shows we actually have Roberts haunted pajama party. 6300:10:40.680 --> 00:10:51.570Ruth Anderson: So he's talking about seen spirit in all different forms and how do you get rid of it. If it's you near house or, you know, so he's he's doing some things like that. We also have 6400:10:51.870 --> 00:11:04.260Ruth Anderson: Angel speakers interpret Tata in a spaniel so we have angel speakers and it is translated into Spanish. So we're building a broad base. 6500:11:05.010 --> 00:11:19.560Ruth Anderson: And then this week, archangel Michael said okay, now it's time to work on. Ew. Littles which is programming for little, little guys. So having videos up of really warm, comfortable, people like Terry, 6600:11:20.250 --> 00:11:33.660Ruth Anderson: In stories reading a bedtime story telling the story that kind of thing. So that's this week and then also this week is create the channel of AWS in stewards of our Earth. 6700:11:34.620 --> 00:11:51.600Ruth Anderson: And do with the inability piece and bring on live programs for that. So it is growing and it's growing quickly and most of the time I'm just sitting back. It's almost like bringing in a 737 and saying, Okay, bring a little to the right a little 6800:11:53.220 --> 00:11:54.120Ruth Anderson: That's how it feels. 6900:11:55.200 --> 00:12:00.300Terry Wildemann: Yeah, I bet it does. It's a lot it and I can feel I'm like oh my god 7000:12:02.040 --> 00:12:07.470Terry Wildemann: I have one podcast and that's enough. What I do for the one podcast. Good lord. 7100:12:08.970 --> 00:12:20.520Terry Wildemann: amazing, absolutely amazing. So Ruth. What is, what do you see at the end of all this, what, what is the end result of all of these projects that you're involved with 7200:12:21.090 --> 00:12:26.910Ruth Anderson: The end results as it's been shown to me is this very large 7300:12:27.390 --> 00:12:38.880Ruth Anderson: Very large organization that supports light workers gives them a safe community to come on, bring their programs bring their articles have their books be published. 7400:12:39.300 --> 00:12:57.300Ruth Anderson: And find a safe place to grow their professional visibility and at the same time giving folks that are new to energy work and spirituality and the angels, a place to come and learn about it. It really supports two very distinct populations. 7500:12:57.540 --> 00:13:04.320Terry Wildemann: So when you say the word light worker. Can you share with the audience because some of them may not know what light worker is 7600:13:04.650 --> 00:13:13.590Ruth Anderson: Well in different different people have different perceptions of what a light worker is, to me, a light worker is not a vocation. 7700:13:14.400 --> 00:13:33.480Ruth Anderson: To me a light worker is someone who brings divine light into our world. Now, they could be a surgeon who, while they're operating says a prayer to bring in divine healing. It could be someone who is indeed a medium, but they have to be working in high vibrational energy 7800:13:37.260 --> 00:13:42.210Ruth Anderson: Very much bringing in divine light walking with spirit. 7900:13:43.470 --> 00:13:44.550Ruth Anderson: That's light worker. 8000:13:44.820 --> 00:13:50.940Terry Wildemann: And it's not religious thing. It's just a spirit. There's a big difference between spirituality and religion. 8100:13:51.300 --> 00:13:52.380Ruth Anderson: Huge difference 8200:13:52.560 --> 00:13:55.260Terry Wildemann: Or can you share with us your perspective on that place. 8300:13:55.500 --> 00:14:10.620Ruth Anderson: Absolutely. To me enlightened world is about spirituality. It's about knowing your place in God's eye. It's about having that connection with the divine light and the divine beings. 8400:14:11.490 --> 00:14:21.270Ruth Anderson: Religion to me has some of those same tenants, but it also has a lot of men made doctrine and dogma. That's piled on top of that. 8500:14:21.780 --> 00:14:38.640Ruth Anderson: And there is a piece to me in religion of man judging man to see if they are holy enough and spirituality to me is none of those things, it is purely your relationship with your divine spirituality 8600:14:39.120 --> 00:14:45.660Ruth Anderson: Period. So, so yes, we celebrated Easter at AWS and at the same time, we 8700:14:45.660 --> 00:14:48.180Ruth Anderson: celebrate Passover and 8800:14:48.210 --> 00:14:48.750Terry Wildemann: We did. 8900:14:48.840 --> 00:14:53.010Ruth Anderson: The same time, it was a celebration of life. So it's nondenominational 9000:14:53.310 --> 00:14:58.920Ruth Anderson: Mm hmm. But in supportive everyone's religion as long as it is in support of divine light. 9100:14:59.400 --> 00:15:07.500Terry Wildemann: Yes. Got it. And you can be walking you know just your presence alone can 9200:15:10.170 --> 00:15:17.010Terry Wildemann: You may not even know that you're a quote unquote light worker, you just happen to be so tuned into your heart. 9300:15:17.520 --> 00:15:28.470Terry Wildemann: And doing good for others and for yourself, because we have to remember that doing good for others all the time will burn us out. We need to be conscious of doing good for ourselves. 9400:15:28.980 --> 00:15:40.740Terry Wildemann: And that energy just comes through us and out and we may be an individual walking through life with that amazing energy, people are just drawn to. You may not even know why. 9500:15:42.180 --> 00:15:42.630Terry Wildemann: Right. 9600:15:42.720 --> 00:15:47.730Terry Wildemann: I find that a lot of those folks are according to your definition light workers. 9700:15:48.090 --> 00:15:54.690Ruth Anderson: Have you ever been in the grocery store and the person checking you out. You just want to stand there. 9800:15:54.750 --> 00:16:03.540Ruth Anderson: Yes, they, in their presence and there have been times that I thought. Now that's an angel. That is an angel in human skin right there. 9900:16:03.840 --> 00:16:16.470Terry Wildemann: Yep, absolutely. I have met so many earth angels and you know I call them earth angels. You know when you meet those people, you know, and you also know for yourself when you're 10000:16:16.890 --> 00:16:25.140Terry Wildemann: In you may not. You may not see yourself as an Earth Angel, but all of a sudden you're put in a situation and the person looks at you and says, 10100:16:25.680 --> 00:16:35.520Terry Wildemann: I don't know how you got here but you arrived at just the perfect time that's you listening the call and being an Earth Angel in that moment. Do you agree with that. 10200:16:35.790 --> 00:16:40.080Ruth Anderson: Oh, absolutely. That's, that's, I think what we're here for. 10300:16:40.350 --> 00:16:40.770Ruth Anderson: Is to 10400:16:40.860 --> 00:16:43.650Ruth Anderson: lift each other up in spirit. At those times. 10500:16:44.430 --> 00:16:59.490Terry Wildemann: Absolutely. Oh, how cool is that, so this large organization that you are creating that is we're going to have books. We're going to have articles, we're going to have services. 10600:17:01.110 --> 00:17:10.110Terry Wildemann: Healing services, you're going to have a little bit of everything in here. Who is your target audience for that organization. 10700:17:11.040 --> 00:17:25.680Ruth Anderson: Well, it's the light workers that are helping to provide it, and it is the other folks that are really new to energy and wanting to learn more about energy that is the target population. 10800:17:26.580 --> 00:17:37.500Terry Wildemann: Very, very nice. And in learning more about energy. What I'm getting is that you're providing a safe place so that they don't have to worry about the naysayers in their world. 10900:17:38.220 --> 00:17:47.850Ruth Anderson: Oh, absolutely. That's what I wanted. So bantering when I was first really learning and getting language for these things I wanted 11000:17:48.510 --> 00:18:03.540Ruth Anderson: Comrades, I wanted people who I could say, Do you know what I saw in meditation and they would go yes I've seen the same thing. Or they would just support me and go, and not give me that stink. I have okay you're losing it. 11100:18:05.370 --> 00:18:21.090Ruth Anderson: That's what I people I want it literally everybody around the planet to have someone that they can say this is what I saw today. This is what I heard today, what do you think about that and have 11200:18:22.230 --> 00:18:25.290Ruth Anderson: That I'm with you. That's what I want. 11300:18:25.500 --> 00:18:41.190Terry Wildemann: That sounds like a lot of fun. It sounds like an absolute blast. It really does. So Ruth, tell me where can or tell the audience, please, or share with the audience, where can people find you. 11400:18:42.330 --> 00:18:53.130Ruth Anderson: Enlightened world dot online is the website and on Facebook. It's enlightened World Network or Ew, an enlightened. 11500:18:54.600 --> 00:18:57.360Ruth Anderson: Or on YouTube. It's enlightened World Network. 11600:18:58.350 --> 00:18:58.980Terry Wildemann: That's 11700:18:59.040 --> 00:19:00.030Ruth Anderson: That's where I am. 11800:19:00.270 --> 00:19:20.070Terry Wildemann: Okay. And folks are you know where to find Dr. Ruth. As you can hear, she is just this grounded Earth Angel. That is just so much fun to be around, and I like to ask you, Dr. Ruth what parting words to have for our audience. 11900:19:22.410 --> 00:19:24.990Terry Wildemann: Or what words of wisdom, we rephrase that. 12000:19:25.140 --> 00:19:26.430Terry Wildemann: What words of wisdom. 12100:19:26.790 --> 00:19:28.440Terry Wildemann: Do you have for our audience. 12200:19:29.460 --> 00:19:38.520Ruth Anderson: When you think you're hearing something go ahead and listen. Give yourself the grace to go ahead and listen. 12300:19:39.120 --> 00:20:00.240Ruth Anderson: And then ask yourself, does this really feel like it's coming from divine places. And if it is, go with it, take the risk to go with it. And if it's telling you to call someone give them a call if it's telling you to, I would say book that trip. But right now, nobody's broken, they're 12400:20:00.270 --> 00:20:00.900Terry Wildemann: Good. Right. 12500:20:02.130 --> 00:20:13.140Ruth Anderson: If it's telling you reach out to someone or write that book or make that Facebook post, go ahead and do it started receiving those messages that you're receiving 12600:20:13.410 --> 00:20:14.370And it's nice 12700:20:16.470 --> 00:20:20.880Terry Wildemann: What a beautiful message. Thank you. It really is about giving yourself permission, isn't it. 12800:20:21.420 --> 00:20:24.330Ruth Anderson: It is and to give yourself the grace. 12900:20:24.690 --> 00:20:29.430Terry Wildemann: Yes, I love that the grace and permission. Yes, that's beautiful. 13000:20:29.940 --> 00:20:39.210Terry Wildemann: Well, again, thank you so much, Dr. Ruth, for being here on awaken the possibilities and to my audience. Thank you again for being here for this fantastic EPS episode. 13100:20:39.540 --> 00:20:52.950Terry Wildemann: With Dr. Ruth Anderson. I'm your host, Terry will demand and you can find us@facebook.com forward slash groups awaken the possibilities and you can join our Facebook group Facebook group there. 13200:20:53.430 --> 00:21:17.640Terry Wildemann: You can listen to these episodes at awaken the possibilities calm and on YouTube at youtube com forward slash intuitive leadership, I am thrilled that you're here with us today and I wish you. Your Best Week Ever see you next time on awaken the possibilities to your success. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ruth Kinzler; Facebook: @mystrokeofluckruthieRay Loewe: www.theluckiestpeopleintheworld.comTranscript:Diane Dayton  This is changing the rules, a podcast about designing the life you want to live, hosted by KC Dempster and Ray Loewe, the luckiest guy in the world.KC Dempster  Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Changing the Rules. I'm KC Dempster. And I'm here at Wildfire Radio in Woodbury, New Jersey booth with my co host, Ray Loewe, the Luckiest Guy in the WorldRay Loewe  and we're socially distanced, sort of,KC Dempster  Well, there is no sort of about it. We're about six feet apart. Okay. So, changing the rules is a podcast about how change affects people. You know, we do face change in our lives and, and we also face a lot of rules. You know, from the day we're born. People are making rules for us. It's our parents, our teachers, our churches, the society. Employers, as we get older, there's always rules. And for the most part, I believe, personally that the rules are intended to keep us safe and to guide us and to to make Society work. But oftentimes as we get older and more mature, a lot of these rules are not relevant. And in fact, they can become restrictive in our lives. And the luckiest people in the world realize this, they recognize it and they decide that they're going to change the rules so that it fits their lives. And once they start to create their own rules and live by their own rules, and understand I'm not talking about laws, I'm talking about rules. They they start to become free to be themselves and in fact, probably enjoy more and more success.Ray Loewe  So good morning, right. Thank you. Okay, so I'm here in Woodbury to we have a wonderful guest today. We are all appropriately socially distanced unfortunately. I have my own new Mike cover. Yes. Okay. And I get to take it home with me and thank you for that Taylor, use it next time. Yeah, I'm gonna have to remember to bring it back. But But you know, this whole rule thing gets out of proportion like you said, And the luckiest people in the world as I define them are people who design their own lives. They personally go on out and they figure out what do I want to do? They design it, then they go step into that life, they take control and they live it. Okay? Now, how can you do that if you have rules of other people, that's one of the reasons why you have to change the rules. Now, we all need rules. Rules are important. They give a structure to our life, but they need to be our law rules. And that's the only way you can be free to be you, in my opinion. So I've been studying this group of people that we call the luckiest people in the world for most of my adult life. And I've found that some people just are interesting to be around, they're fun to be around. They're doing wonderful things. You know, they have this glow around them that they're happy all the time. And if they're not happy, they fix it and get happy all the time. And why I you know, I decided, you know, I want Hang out with these people, right? These are fun people to be with. Right? And not only that, if I wanted to hang out with them, I better get to work and fix my own life so that I would be one of the luckiest people in the world to and there's no maybe about this, I am the luckiest guy in the world. Okay, so I didn't sayKC Dempster  I know that you like to call yourself that.Ray Loewe  Okay, so So, we have a wonderful guest today. And this guest exudes several of the mindsets that the luckiest people in the world have. One of them is that they handle rules really well. And this particular guest on had the rules change on her and you're gonna see how she responded. It's magnificent. Okay, then addition to that the luckiest people in the world always, always always find a positive solution. Our guest today certainly did that. Our guests also find out how to change those rules going forward, she adapted a plan like the luckiest people in the world did and She found a way to mesh what happened to her and what she decided to do into something that she can take forward. But there's another element in here that I want to throw in. We haven't talked about this one. And that is the luckiest people in the world also follow what is fascinating and motivating to them. And I think when you find out what our guest did today, she certainly is following what is fascinating and motivating to her and I think I see a smile on her. So I think she must be happy.KC Dempster  Yes, yes. So, so let's take a quick break. And then we when we come back, we're going to introduce Ruth and get into her amazing story.Diane Dayton  You're listening to changing the rules with KC Dempster and Ray Loewe the Luckiest Guy in the World. We will be right back with more exciting information.KC Dempster  Welcome back, everybody and I am pleased to introduce to you Ruth Kinsler and She had an event several years ago that turned her life upside down. And she's going to tell us more about it. So Ruth, welcome.Ruth Kinsler  Thank you for having me both. on this beautiful 95 degree morning.KC Dempster  Well, as somebody who hates winter, I'm more happy to to have that than a 35 degree morning.Ruth Kinsler  It's true. This is true, is true. But thank you for having me.KC Dempster  Oh, we're delighted. Because I think this is a story that that a lot of people need to hear, especially the, you know, in this time of pandemic and the way most of our lives have been turned upside down. And there's a tendency sometimes to feel a little sorry for yourself. And so I'd like them to hear your story. Sure. So So why don't you tell us Ruth, you were I mean, my understanding is you were working in the business world, and that you had decided to take a week at the shore with your girlfriends. Correct and take it from there.Ruth Kinsler  Okay, I was in the exhibit industry, I'm an accountant and I was doing accounting work for for 30, over 30 years. And I took a vacation. We went to the beach, and it was just a normal, beautiful Monday afternoon and I suffered a what's called a spinal stroke. And within three hours, my life changed completely. I was paralyzed from my chest down, which is where my spinal stroke happened. It was in the section of my the middle of my back. So from the middle of my back down was where I was completely paralyzed. And the doctors at that point, didn't understand why it happened, how it happened. But it happened and they they realized that I needed you know, beach hospitals are not always the best hospitals to be at so they rushed me to the University of Pennsylvania where I stayed for probably, I think it was seven, seven days until I actually started getting a little bit of movement back in my feet. From that point on, it was all up. I went to Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia and I was there for a couple months and by the grace of God and and the help and the expertise at at Magee, they they taught me how to live on my own. They taught me how to walk again, with assistance. Not only did they help me physically, they helped me emotionally. We had support groups. It was a change that just, you know what happened all of a sudden. So that's what I had to take in. This was my new life. I went home, I was I was home for a couple months and I decided, you know, this isn't, I was going to physical therapy, but I I had to find something to do and I had to do something That was going to make me happy and also give back because I was very, very fortunate and lucky that I got this this amount of mobility back. So I thought what can I do that makes me happy that makes other people happy that I enjoy doing. So I started a baking business, I started a catering business, and I called it A Stroke of Luck.KC Dempster  I love that name. I absolutely love it.Ray Loewe  So let me interrupt here for a minute. So what does a person do? When they have a stroke? their whole life changes. They quit their job to start a business, right? Sure. It doesn't ever make sense to me. Okay, and a successful business. And only the luckiest people in the world would do that right?KC Dempster  And I'm going to add a little bit of a commercial here. I happened to be at a birthday party about  nine or 10 days ago where one of the lovely desserts were cupcakes, carrot cupcakes made by Ruth and I will attest that they are absolutely Delicious.Ruth Kinsler  That's wonderful, thank you.KC Dempster  if I wasn't Q, I would have been embarrassed because I didn't know many of these people. If I knew everybody, I would have had a second one.Ruth Kinsler  Oh, well, I will make you some personally.KC Dempster  So, um, so I mean, that was a that was a that was a very digested version of what happened. And I think that our listeners probably should understand that. I mean, you touched on it. You said you were at Magee for several months. That's a long time and and too, you had to learn how to walk. And you had to learn how to take care of yourself. Absolutely. And, and I think it's wonderful that they also had groups for you where you could work on the emotional perspective, because that's something that as an outsider and somebody who's never suffered such a thing, I guess intellectually, I would know that there might be some mental issues that you have to overcome but it but I imagine that there are A lot more prevalent than we might appreciate, is that correct?Ruth Kinsler  Absolutely. I mean, until you experience something like that, you just don't know. And it's hard to, it's hard to explain to somebody what you're feeling. It's not only a physical, the spinal cord injury is not physical, it's physical, but it's absolutely emotional, mental, financial, it's this big, huge, you know, bucket of things stirring around in there. And you just don't know you can't grab that one and say, Okay, I'm going to fix this one, I'm going to fix that one. It's just a day by day basis. And there are many avenues that you take to accept what has been handed to you. And it's not it wasn't a you know, it's only been three years, this coming August will be three years. So I'm still going through all those processes, but I'm very, very fortunate that I like I have a positive attitude. I feel blessed and lucky that I am here and I'm able to even talk about it and try to help others. Right, you know, and I'm still looking for help from others. And as I gain that, you know, my hope is that I that I give it back.Ray Loewe  So it's real easy when something like this happens to just go into a shell and say, okay, you know, so I'll just live in misery for the rest of my life. And we all know people who do that and have done that,Ruth Kinsler  and which I did that as well in the very beginning.Ray Loewe  We're all allowed to do that for a while rightKC Dempster  and and I imagine it's sort of like the the processes of grief because in a sense, you're grieving a life that was completely up ended. So so there's the anger and the acceptance and all that kind of stuff. And but I think that you hit on something very important that you said that you're a positive person. And I am. I'm confident that in a recovery situation like this, being able to Look at the positive, even if you sometimes have to dig for it and can't see it every day. Absolutely. That has to be a tool that really works to your benefit. It absolutely does. AndRay Loewe  let's turn this conversation around.KC Dempster  Okay, here we go.Ray Loewe  That's the past and and you know what, what Ruth had to do was she got smacked with this change, and he faced it. And she did the rehab, and she went through whatever we had to go through. And that was that. And unfortunately, I get the feeling that that's still going on a little bit, but it no longer has that awful texture that it had before. All right, and then the second thing you did is you faced the problem and you said there's a positive solution out there. Okay, and you picked up what you like to do is baking and cooking. I do so so let's talk about where you take this in the future. So what's the vision? How are you going to do this? What are Some of the hurdles that you have to face you know, tell us a great story,Ruth Kinsler  it's in the very beginning, I you know, I was faking it to make it I just I love it you know, I enjoyed cooking as a child but my vision was I wanted to give back and I wasn't sure how to do that. So as I started developing this company, I decided that I would give a percentage of the proceeds back to the people that do the research and discovery and development for spinal cord injury. So I started this this business and I basically do you know, soups, comfort food and sweets. It's not a huge business. But my, my, my hope is that at some point because this has only been about a year now, a little more than a year that I've been doing this and I'm starting to get a little more well known. I would love to see myself in a state storefront maybes trying to try to give back more than just a little tiny bit of the proceeds. I've learned that through this COVID-19 pandemic, people love to eat sweets. Now I could see myself going in more Ray in that direction of baked goods and a bakery as opposed to you know, just the comfort foods. But, but going back to the hurdles, you know, it's I've never run a business before. So I've been doing my research on you know, licensing and tax implications and, you know, handicap accessible facilities. Will I be able to stand on my feet for 10 hours a day. There are a lot of obstacles that I'm going to have to to do. Possibly trial and error, you know, because it's something I want to do, but I'm just, you know, I've got to look into whether or not that's going to be feasible for me.Ray Loewe  Well, I think you'll make it feasible I think you're certainly going to try yeah and and what you'll do is you'll elicit help you'll elicit to help if if you need it and you'll figure out what you have to do. But but the whole concept here just amazes me and it's it's the stuff I like to do this whole concept of following people that are fascinating and motivating and you know, of all people you have to be one I I keep going back to this thought that goes through my head, you know, when is a paralyzed person do you know, they quit their job starts our business, I mean, you know, right. And it for you, this seems like natural it was there wasn't any other thought this was just what was going to happen. And you're in the process of making it happen, and I think you'll find out where it fits you, you know how big Go, is what you have to do for you. And so what a lot is people in the world do they design their own life and they step into it and they live it to the hilt, right? That's that's, you know, congratulations, Ruth. You're here.Ruth Kinsler  Okay, I do I feel lucky andRay Loewe  last. Yeah. Okay. So going forward. You said what some of the hurdles are, you know, what, what kind of help do you think you need? What, what is the message that we can send to our audience to get them motivated to do what you do?Ruth Kinsler  Well, I I know that's a tough one. You know, I was fortunate enough to be born with being a positive person. And always looking on the bright side of things. glass is half full. I mean, half, you know, half. You know what I'm trying to say? Yes, I surround myself with positive people with people that lift me up and try to help me and that's exactly what I want to do to give back I want to bring a smile to people's faces, right? that is clearly my objectiveKC Dempster  So is to the way people can help her is to order some of her cakes and cupcakes and,Ray Loewe  and and boy did she set us up for the end of the show. Yeah, that would be fabulous.Ruth Kinsler  If you'd like to look into that I could always go on Facebook and look at a stroke of luck catering.Ray Loewe  catering, okay, I think Unfortunately, our Time's up. So we need to go to a quick break here. And then we're going to come back and kind of close up.Diane Dayton  You're listening to Changing the Rules with KC Dempster and Ray Loewe the Luckiest Guy in the World. We will be right back with more exciting information.KC Dempster  Welcome back, everybody. And I'm still kind of on a little bit of a high over this podcast because I I am so uplifted by Ruth's spirit, and, and I think that instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I have a little, you know, bring a little of that into my own life. And I think that we often say that the luckiest people in the world make the commitment to be lucky. They don't just let life happen to them. And I think that Ruth is a perfect example of this. And and it's not just enough for one, you know, a one time commitment isn't enough. Life is a journey. And you're going to have things thrown at you right and left. And you do have to have that mindset, as you say, to find the positive to make the rules fit you and to and to carry them forward in a plan for your future. So most lucky people seem to continuously expand their opportunities in their lives and this means that they also get to meet lucky people and share experiences and learning from the experts and adjusting their own lives.Ray Loewe  Yeah, I think we're gonna make it a point to have Ruth at our Friend's Connection whenever we get out of the doldrums and do this okay. And and tell her story because ahh it's just a magnificent story. And it's one that we should all remember. And and I think gratitude is a real important part of this. I think we were all born lucky if you're in America, right? And, and sometimes we don't take the time to think about it. And sometimes it takes an event like this to to jar you and you were a boring accountant before.KC Dempster  I bet she wasn't a boring accountant.Ray Loewe  She was, but I don't think she was boring. Yeah, but I bet she didn't bake muffins.Ruth Kinsler  Boring was never in my vocabulary.Ray Loewe  So Ruth, I have to say you are certainly one of the luckiest people in the world. There is no question about that. And, you know, if you want to meet people like Ruth, you know, come to our website, check out the things that we do. We're going to have our friends connection coming up. We do various podcasts and things like that. And I'm gonna have to listen to this one about three or four times. Because I just gets me excited about life so much. And I'd likeKC Dempster  to just remind everybody that our website is our new website, and you can find it at WWW dot the luckiest people in the world.com. So, take a cruise around the site, come back again and again and don't forget to subscribe to our podcasts. We'll see you next week.Diane Dayton  Thank you for listening to Changing the Rules, a podcast designed to help you and your life the way you want and give you what you need to make it happen. Join us in two weeks for our next exciting topics on changing the rules with KC Dempster and Ray Loewe the Luckiest Guy in the World.  

June 28, 2020 How many of us have gone through tragedy and tremendous suffering? The book of Ruth revolves around Naomi, who finds healing from God after going through bitter pain and tragedy. The Story Our story begins with a family struggling to survive. Tragedy Strikes (1:1-5) Ruth 1:1 (ESV) --- 1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The first words should startle us. This whole story takes place "in the days of the judges." We did an overview of Judges last week, and many of you remember the judges from your own study last year. The book of Judges paints a very dark picture of Israel. A whole generation arises that does not know the word of God, and that generation begins to worship foreign gods and commit all sorts of evil. God sees all of this going on, and he decides to punish his people so that they might turn from their wicked ways and do what is right in his sight. The punishment we read about is a famine. So one family from the little town of Bethlehem decided to search for greener pastures somewhere else. They leave the promised land, much like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did in the book of Genesis. They were not supposed to leave the promised land, so this does not seem like it will turn out well for them, especially when they end up in the area of Moab. Moab was cursed by God for not helping Israel and even putting a stumbling block before Israel while wandering in the wilderness. As we would expect, things do not go well for them in the promised land. The father, Elimelech, dies, leaving Naomi a widow. Her two sons marry Moabite women, again this is something Israel was commanded not to do. Naomi's two sons die over the next ten years, leaving Naomi childless. What a horrible situation to be in. She is a widow in a foreign land with no-one but two foreign daughters-in-law. Loyalty (1:6-22) Then, Naomi hears that the Lord has visited Israel and given them food. This is an interesting way of talking about God's care of his people. So Naomi starts to head out toward Judah, and her daughters begin to follow her. When she sees them following her, she tells them to return to Moab and marry, but they refuse. Ruth 1:8--10 (ESV) --- 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” Naomi persisted and tried to help them see her dire situation. She has nothing to offer them if they return with her. She is too old to have more sons for them to marry. Ruth 1:13--18 (ESV) --- 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. These words from Naomi show that she has a heart of compassion for her daughters-in-law. She hates that they have suffered because of her rebellion against the Lord. We see that she regrets having left the promised land and that she again fears the Lord. The words of Ruth show that she has great love, devotion, and faithfulness to her mother-in-law, that has not been seen in any outsider until this point. She is pledging complete loyalty to Naomi and her God for the rest of her life. They come back into the town of Bethlehem together, and everyone is talking about Naomi, but she shows complete humility. The Lord has broken her so much that she asks them to call her Mara instead of Naomi. She asks them to call her bitter instead of pleasant. Harvest Time (2:1-23) The two of them happen to have arrived at the beginning of harvest. So Ruth went out to gather from the edges of other people's crops. This is something that Israelites were commanded to do for the poor. They were to leave the edges of their crops for the poor. It just so happens that Ruth was gathering in a field that belonged to Boaz, and it just so happens that he was visiting his slaves to see how they were doing. This man seems to be well-loved by all of those who serve him on his farm. He asks about Ruth and finds out who she is, and how hard she has been working together for herself and her mother-in-law. To this, Boaz invites her to stay close to his young women and not go into anyone else's field. He charges the young men to leave her alone, and he also encourages her to drink whatever the young men draw for the young women. To this, she seems completely surprised. Ruth 2:8--10 (ESV) --- 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Boaz tells her that he knows all that she has done for Naomi. Then he blesses her in the name of the Lord. Ruth 2:12 (ESV) --- 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Later, Boaz calls her to eat with him and enjoy his wine beside the reapers. She ate until she was full, and she had some leftover to take to Naomi. But Boaz wasn't finished yet. She got up from her table to glean again, and Boaz told his young men to let her gather from the main crop and give her some extra bundles. When she got home, Naomi was blown away. Ruth 2:19--22 (ESV) --- 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’ ” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” Wedding Bells (3:1-4:12) In Chapter 3, Naomi comes up with a plan to get Ruth married. Boaz is a relative of Elimelech, and in Israel, it was the relative's responsibility to marry a brother's or cousin's spouse to produce heirs for the inheritance. She tells Ruth to visit Boaz after he is done threshing the grain and uncover his feet. She does precisely as Naomi tells her. After Boaz is asleep, she uncovers his feet and lay down. Boaz was kind of startled at this. Ruth 3:9--11 (ESV) --- 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. But before Boaz could marry Ruth, he had to go and see the closest relative to Elimelech and allow him the opportunity to purchase Naomi's land and redeem Ruth. In Chapter 4, he gathers all of the elders of the town together to witness, and he lets the closest relative have an opportunity to buy the land. At first, he jumps on the chance, but then Boaz brings up Ruth, the Moabite. This scares him. Ruth 4:6 (ESV) --- 6 Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” This relative, who is not even named, refuses to marry Ruth because she is a Moabite. So Boaz jumps at the opportunity, buys Naomi's land, and agrees to marry Ruth, the Moabite, and help his kinsmen. All the people witness him consenting to this, and they proclaim blessings on Ruth, asking the Lord to bless her with as many children as Rachel and Leah. These two women brought about the entire nation of Israel, so this is a significant blessing. Bless The Lord (4:13-22) The final section of the book gives us the rest of the story. They get married and have a son, but instead of the end of the book revolving around Ruth and Boaz, it turns to Naomi. Ruth 4:13--17 (ESV) --- 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Notice how it shifts back to discussing Naomi again. Naomi, the broken woman who lost everything in a foreign land, returned to the Lord and found the blessing of redemption through Ruth and Boaz. Verse 16 portrays her life as returning to the pleasant state that she had once lost. But also notice that the women do not bless her name. They bless the name of the Lord, who has restored her life and given her Ruth, who is worth more than seven sons! Ruth has brought about her redemption and provided the loyal, steadfast love that she needed in her most desperate hour. Why Is This Important? From Genesis to Joshua, we saw where God was planning something, and he seemed to bring it about by conquering the land of Canaan. But the people show us why it was destined to fail in Judges. They did not follow the Lord with all of their hearts. They only followed him to get what they wanted out of him. As soon as the elders and Joshua passed away, they failed to show their children the way of the Lord. Everyone forgot God's word and did whatever was right in their own eyes, or so it seemed. In this story, after we feel that all hope is lost, we find that God is working providentially to bring about the great restoration of our relationship with God. Someway, somehow, God is going to set up a people who will be his treasured possession. In a time when Judges were showing themselves to be utterly useless at leading God's people out of rebellion, we find a book that shows a faithful foreigner and a faithful Israel repairing what is broken. They work together with compassion, love, loyalty, and obedient faith in the Lord. This whole story gives hope to our main storyline. The end of this book helps us understand how it found its way into the Old Testament Canan. Ruth is the great grandmother of David. We find out in the New Testament that redeems all sinful people through a descendent of a Moabite named Ruth. Matthew 1:5 (ESV) --- 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, God has no partiality against the foreigner. He cursed the Moabites for their evil, but he would not refuse the foreigner who repents and turns to him for refuge. Ruth 2:12 (ESV) --- 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Isaiah 56:1--8 (ESV) --- 1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant--- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” Jesus comes in the New Testament and shows us the love of Boaz when we have nothing to offer him. We are empty and destitute, but he shows us great kindness and compassion. He brings us into his family and gives us an inheritance that God wanted us to have. Application Three questions arise from this story that I think we should consider. 1. Are you broken and suffering from the pain of this life? Look at Naomi. She is completely lost and completely empty, but she recognizes her sins and her worthiness of this kind of suffering. She has complete and total humility, and she turns to the Lord. She confesses her sins and glorifies God to all of those she knows. God sees this suffering and this humility, and he heals her brokenness. He provides her with everything she needs. 2. Are you an outcast to God's people, looking for a way into these blessings? Look at Ruth. She pledges her life to the service of God and the service of God's people. Ruth is willing to humble herself and submit to the will of the God of Israel. She does not have a rebellious bone in her body throughout this story. As a result, God uses her to bless his people. Not only that, but he makes her the great grandmother to the greatest kings Israel will ever know. This is what God does. He takes the least in his kingdom, and he exalts them. 3. Do you want to see the love of God? Look at Boaz. He shows up at the right time to provide everything that is needed for those who are suffering. He is nothing but generous to the broken and the outcast. He makes a way to join himself to them and provide an inheritance for them all the days of their lives. God does this for us through Jesus. He pays off our debts and provides the spiritual nourishment we need to go from dead to alive in our relationship with the Lord. Hebrews 9:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Studies of Ruth Study 5. Worship by Obedience. Then finally, Ruth's obedience was also worship. How is this? The result of Ruth's obedience was Obed, the child fathered by Boaz as kinsman-redeemer, the one would inherit the family land and name in place of Naomi's dead husband and sons. Obed in Hebrew means "worship". Is not obedience really the outward action that derives from the inner response of faith love, and trust practised in regard to individuals and God? Jesus said "If you love me, you will obey what I command!" (John 14:15). Ruth's acts of obedience throughout this her story, are also practical acts of worship of the God she had made her own by faith. So Ruth's obedience has four factors to it: the wow factor, the witness factor, the wholeness factor and finally the worship factor! Conclusion Let us ask God to work in us, changing our weak attempts at obedience into acts of divine worship. We find delight in serving the Lord, instead of indulging in resentment over sinful leaders. The result will be inner freedom and release from bitterness, and also a powerful story to those in authority and to onlookers as well. Just as too Ruth's obedience of Naomi, moved Boaz and all Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit will enable us move others (Colossians 3:23-24). While we obey others we can joyfully remember that it is God alone who is worthy of complete obedience. When our confidence in Him is reflected in our submission to others we become living stories to our trust in God's perfect plan. If we follow the example of Ruth, perhaps someone will notice our stories and find the witness, the wholeness, and the worship in our lives of obedience and praise God because of us. And, remember this from 1 Samuel 15:22 "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” So go and be obedient to our awesome and holy God! Through obedience to Him, as revealed in Scripture, you will be growing and changing into the very likeness of Jesus Christ whom you follow. Through obedience, you will be able to enduring and be persistent in your Christian lifestyle and evangelism. So much so, that people will ask you for the reason for the hope you have and portray. Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file ~ You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

To be a childless widow was to be among the lowest, most disadvantaged classes in the ancient world. There was no one to support you, and you had to live on the generosity of strangers. Naomi had no family in Moab, and no one else to help her. She was in a desperate, desperate situation.Ruth 1:16-17 16 Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”01 Ruth was determined. Ruth 1:14-17: Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me." When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her. Ruth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said to her, "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before.John 16:33 In this world you will have trouble.Tenacity - the quality of being tenacious, or of holding fast; persistence 02 Ruth expected the sweet!Ruth 2:2 So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter." Ruth 1:19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, "Is this Naomi?" But she said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; 20 call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty remember that word has afflicted me?" Almighty, = “El Shaddai” “the all-sufficient God, the God of abundant supply.”HUMMINGBIRD PIC TURKEY VULTURE PIC3 Ruth got to work.Ruth 2:2 “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”Ruth 2:7 She said, ’Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves.' So she came and has continued from morning until now, though she rested a little in the house." Proverbs 21:25 The desire of a lazy person will kill him because his hands refuse to work.04. Ruth Had GrattitudeRuth 2:10 So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, "Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?" Ruth 2:13 "Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants." Ruth 2:13 (MSG) She said, "Oh, Sir, such grace! Such kindness! I don't deserve it! You've touched my heart, tre

GUEST BIO: Ruth Yakubu is a Senior Cloud Developer Advocate at Microsoft and founder of PoshBeauty.com.  Ruth specializes in Java, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Analytics, Data Platform and Cloud and has worked for companies such as Accenture, Warner Brothers and TicketMaster in software architectural design and programming.   Ruth has also been a speaker at several conferences including Devoxx, DeveloperWeek and TechSummit.   EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Phil’s guest on today’s show is Ruth Yakubu. She is a Senior Cloud Developer at Microsoft and founded PoshBeauty.com. Ruth started her IT career in 2001 as a Software Engineer for UNISYS, moving on to become a Manager and Software Engineer with Accenture before setting up PoshBeauty.com. Over the years, she has become a specialist in Java, AI, Advanced Analytics, Data Platform and the Cloud. She is also a well-known speaker who has spoken at large conferences including Devoxx, DeveloperWeek and TechSummit. KEY TAKEAWAYS: (1.11) – So Ruth, can you expand on that brief introduction and tell us a little bit more about yourself? Ruth thanks Phil for his introduction and explains that he has summarized her career well. But, she goes on to speak a litter about her public speaking role. Her main aim with much of her public speaking is to get everyone energized about Azure technologies. To help people to see how to use it to solve their problems. Ruth also explains that she now works with a lot of startups. Helping them to solve their technology issues regardless of where they are on their journey to success. Microsoft has a lot to offer start-ups. For example, they can get up to 120,000 credits in the Agile cloud. Providing start-ups with somewhere to do their proof of concept work and build their businesses. There is a growing demand from startups for this type of help. They really benefit from and appreciate the fact that the Microsoft team circles back to check in and see how they are doing. A lot of entrepreneurs are not tech savvy, so having someone who can lead them through the options that are available is invaluable. They also need help in hiring developers and working out if they are actually using the best architecture. It is not uncommon for what is built originally not to be right for the business in the long-term, which means it has to be stripped down and re-built using the correct architecture. Ruth helps entrepreneurs to build things right the first time and avoid this costly mistake. Ruth and her team enable firms to identify the best tech option for them. This prevents them from wasting time and money trying to find their way while their competitors surge ahead. In many cases, they can also help B2B startups find new customers. Microsoft helping in this way results in more consumption, by the startups, of Microsoft’s products. So, it is very much in everyone’s interests for the startups to find clients and do well. (7.45) – Can you please share a unique career tip with the I.T. career audience? After 15 years in the industry, Ruth knows that it is vital to keep on learning. You have to keep up and stay relevant. Everyone has to do this, companies as well as individuals. For example, Amazon, with its AWS offering, is now moving from being a physical product seller to being a service provider. Microsoft is also constantly transforming itself. Today, they are one of the leading cloud providers. Very quickly Microsoft has gone from being mainly a software provider to offering a long list of IT services. To be able to stay relevant, you need to learn to track the market trends. If you don’t do that you will soon be left behind. (10.55) – Can you tell us about your worst career moment? And what you learned from that experience. Despite some warning signs during the interview, Ruth took a job mostly because it was well-paid. Inevitably, she quickly realized that she hated the job and had taken a wrong turn in her career. Up until that point she had followed her professor’s advice to only take job’s she loved and not to be tempted by the money. Fortunately, that happened early in her career, so she was soon able to get things back on track. (13.32) – What was your best career moment? Ruth has been lucky enough to experience several great moments in her career. But for her, founding PoshBeauty.com proved to be her pivotal moment. She was full of trepidation while she was building the business. But, she plowed forward and proved that the idea was sound. Building her own startup opened many doors for her and she uncovered talents and abilities she had no idea she possessed. She ran the company for 5 years, before stepping away and joining Microsoft. The whole experience taught her not to be afraid of stepping outside of her comfort zone. Facing your fears is the only way to move forward. When Ruth joined Microsoft, she had to push herself to conquer her fear of public speaking, so she could become a more effective Developer Advocate. The first time she spoke to a large crowd, she nearly passed out. But, today getting up in front of people, in large or small groups is much easier, something she has learned to enjoy doing. Plus, importantly it enables her to stand up and show others that look like her that working in IT is possible for them. Overcoming her fear has benefited her and others in many different ways. (18.04) – Can you tell us what excites you about the future of the IT industry and careers? Not knowing what is going to happen next, keeps Ruth on the edge of her seat. Currently, she is particularly excited by what is happening in the field of AI. This tech is having an impact in so many interesting ways. For example, some firms are starting to use it to help them to make internal business decisions. There are more intelligent applications coming out in the form of bots and apps. We are getting to the stage where these apps can learn about you and what you need, then intuitively point out things that will help you in so many different ways. They are enhancing our lives and will do so far more in the future. (20.15) – What drew you to a career in IT? Ruth explained that she was supposed to work in the medical field. But, that was her parent's dream, not hers. Especially because she was good at computer science. When she saw her what her older brother was able to do using code she knew a career in IT was for her too. The problem was that, at the time, there were virtually no women working in the IT field. But, Ruth decided to just take a leap of faith and fight for what she wanted. (21.44) – What is the best career advice you have ever received? Ruth’s favorite piece of advice was given to her by her mentor at Accenture who told her to go back and try new things. At first, she hated doing this. But, as the years progressed, she built up a huge pool of knowledge because she had pushed herself to try new things. (22.31) – If you were to begin your IT career again, right now, what would you do? Ruth says she would trust her instincts and step out more. When she first started out she let the feeling that she was not quite good enough get in her way. If she were to start again, she would step out and find things she loved doing on her own rather than waiting for others to tell her what to pursue. She would also learn more languages. It is important not to be closed minded. To always be broadening your horizons. (23.50) – What are you currently focusing on in your career? Right now, her main aim is to help women involved in the STEM industries. The graduation rate of women in computer science has gone down. In 2015, 30% of graduates were women, but in 2017 only 16% were. Something Ruth finds very troubling. When she graduated only 5 women were on the stage. There were no females out there to vote count her graduation class. These two facts are pushing her to play a part in changing things for the better. She learned a huge amount from her start-up journey. So, she is also very focused on sharing that knowledge and advocating for entrepreneurs, so they can succeed. (23.57) – What is the number one non-technical skill that has helped you the most in your IT career? Ruth’s secret weapon is humor and being easy going.  She has always cherished her teams and tried to get along with everyone, which she finds keeps things positive. She also treats everyone with respect regardless of how significant their role is perceived to be by others. (26.20) – Phil asks Ruth to share a final piece of career advice with the audience. Ruth says it is important to remember that IT touches and impacts the lives of everyone. So, whatever you are working on always do it for the good. BEST MOMENTS: (5.46) RUTH – "Our goal is to help you build things right the first time and stay competitive" (8.15) RUTH – "You have to adapt and learn new things" (13.25) RUTH – "There are a lot of factors that you need to take into consideration, not just money when you're embarking on a new career." (16.17) RUTH – “The more you face your fears, and you conquer them, the better, once you’ve eliminated one handicap you can move on to conquer another one" (27.23) RUTH – “Enjoy the ride but always use IT for the good." CONTACT RUTH: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruthieyakubu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthyakubu/ Website: http://www.poshbeauty.com/

GUEST BIO: Ruth is an award-nominated digital artist, web consultant, keynote speaker and writer with 15 years of experience in the digital industry.  Ruth is a Google Development Expert, having worked for companies such as O2 and BSkyB and with clients including the BBC, NBC and Heineken. EPISODE DESCRIPTION: Ruth John is Phil’s guest on today’s I.T. Energizer show. For the past 15 years, she has worked in the digital design and development field. Ruth has worked for start-ups, creative agencies and media companies as well as in the telecommunications sector. She specializes in data visualization, animation, audio and 3D. Ruth is also a technical writer and a regular conference speaker. KEY TAKEAWAYS: ­(0.57) – So Ruth, can you expand on that brief introduction and tell us a little bit more about yourself? Ruth explains that currently she is a self-employed consultant. She specializes in helping companies to build or document creative development. Usually, she ends up filling in skill gaps for her clients, especially when it comes to audio, animation and visualization. (1.32) – OK, so what led you into that particular avenue? Ruth explains that while working for agencies on front end development projects, she ended up filling a range of skill gaps. One of which was design. Despite the fact that her focus was research and development, she ended having to use her creative skills a lot. It was this that made her realize that she had a flair for design and the creative side of IT and that she enjoyed that kind of work. (1.53) – Phil asks Ruth for a unique IT career tip. Ruth’s number one tip is not to be afraid to turn work down. Sometimes it is because she sees red flags, other times it is because the job is not fully suited to her skill set. She is especially cautious if it looks like the project has not been spec’d properly or is underfunded. Phil asks her if that is something she has had to learn from experience. Ruth said yes. When you are self-employed getting the balance right is tricky because you’ve still got your bills to pay. This fact makes it harder to learn to say no and will mean that occasionally you will have to say yes even when the role is not a perfect fit for you. (3.57) – Ruth is asked to share her worst career moment. Like quite a few IT professionals, Ruth has made the classic mistake of deleting a production database. Of course, that was a serious mistake, but one that was relatively easily rectified because they had a proper backup. Throughout the early part of her career Ruth experienced sexism. In one office, every morning when she walked into the office they shouted boobs at her. A pretty awful environment for her to work in, but that job did not last long. Fortunately, things are getting better now for female IT workers. The other negative situation that sticks in Ruth’s mind was landing a very well paid job only to then discover that the working environment was toxic. Plus, the team was not great. That was a very low point for Ruth. Sadly, it meant that her best career moment was rolled up with her worst one. (5.09) – Can you explain how your worst career experience rolled into your best moment. Ruth said that she left that job. It was a difficult decision for her to leave such a well-paid role, but doing so was extremely liberating. (5.45) – So, have you learned anything from that particular experience in terms of who you choose to work with? Ruth explained that it gave her a better understanding of when to say no and when to say yes to a project. For example, she recently took on a project that was slightly underfunded. She did so because it gave her the chance to work with someone she already knew and trusted. It turned out to be a great decision. (7.28) – Do you see the trend of applying multiple technologies to one problem continuing? Or do you think that it is going to go the other way? Ruth said that she hopes multiple technologies will continue to be used. Having options helps people to be innovative, dig deeper and come up with interesting solutions. (6.44) – Ok, Ruth what is it about the future of the IT industry and careers that excites you, in particular. Ruth is excited by how creative IT is getting, especially at the front end where she works. You can now build anything using CSS or JavaScript, even something quite abstract. (8.48) – What first attracted you to IT, Ruth? Ruth confesses that when she first left university she was not attracted to a career in IT, at all. Her entertainment technology degree was similar to media studies, but, with the focus being on technology. For example, music technology, 3D and film animation. During her course, she did a year of Java programming and hated it. But, despite that, she applied for and landed a job as a web developer and ended up enjoying it. (9.38) – So, there must have been something that kept you going in terms of wanting to continue to work in the industry? Ruth agrees and thinks that it was seeing 3D artists and video editors at work. That made her realize that they were stuck in a dark room all day. Whereas as a developer, she got to move around, experience more and get involved in all kinds of projects. (10.34) – What is the best career advice you’ve ever received? Ruth has recently read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and found it refreshing to hear someone recognize the fact that “having it all” is not really possible. Currently, Ruth is focused on her career, but definitely feels the social pressure to get married and have children. (11.38) – If you were to begin your IT career again, now, what would you do? Ruth says she would have more confidence in her own abilities. She really wishes she had worked an environment that had instilled that in her. (12.18) – What career objectives are you currently focusing on? Because this is Ruth’s 2nd year as a consultant, this year’s target is to make more money. In 2018, she has not quite hit most of her targets. She does not really set goals as such. Instead she has people she wants to work with and projects she wants to be involved in. (13.27) – What is the number one non-technical skill that has helped you the most in your IT career? Ruth teaches coding to adults. In that role, patience is an essential skill. The course is an intensive one, so there is a lot for the students to take in. Naturally, most of them struggle with various aspects of what they are learning. Getting students through this phase requires a lot of patience, so you get good at it. In time, you realize that this skill is actually very helpful in all aspects of your life. (14.13) – Phil says that he has also noticed that everyone learns in a different way. Something that has helped him to realize the importance of adapting what you say and how you say it to suit the person or people you are speaking to. Ruth agrees, and comments that in every class you end up with different kinds of learners. So, you have to think on your feet and adapt the way you teach to enable them to complete the course successfully. (14.50) – Do you incorporate all of those into the way you teach? Ruth does, she also takes advice from her mother and sister. Both of them are ex-teachers. (15.19) – Phil asks Ruth to share a final piece of career advice. Her advice is to find likeminded people. A while back Ruth was nominated for an award for an article she wrote. It was about a really random subject – doing audio video visualizations using web technologies. Not long after the nomination, a guy who was doing something similar got in touch with her. They collaborated for a while. In the end they formed a bit of a collective of people doing using similar technology to create music, control lighting rigs and that sort of thing. Over the years, these people have been really helpful, in many different ways. BEST MOMENTS: (2.20) RUTH – “I actually turn a lot of work back or just say no, off the bat, just because I see a lot of red flags.” (6.59) RUTH – “Front end technologies, like CSS and JavaScript have exploded so much over the past 5 to 10 years that you can quite easily build anything you want with them now.” (13.20) RUTH – “I like to think about projects that I would like to work on, or people that I'd like to work with.” (15.26) RUTH – “Find like-minded people.”   CONTACT RUTH:   Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rumyra LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthjohn/ Website: https://www.ruthjohn.com

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field 2 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. 4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” 6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” 8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” 10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” 14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” 17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.[a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. 20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.[b]” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” 23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field 2 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. 4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” 6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” 8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” 10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” 13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” 14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.” When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. 15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” 17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.[a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. 19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!” Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. 20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.[b]” 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’” 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” 23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Pastor Doug Paul delivers part 3 of our study of the book of Ruth. He shows how Ruth and Boaz are great examples of Hesed, the Hebrew word translated as Loving Kindness - of how living the gospel compels us to go far beyond the minimum. Our young sister Lauren Bleam presents her painting of the story of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth 2Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz.And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The LORD be with you!" "The LORD bless you!" they called back.Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, "Whose young woman is that?"The foreman replied, "She is the Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi.She said, `Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.' She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me--a foreigner?Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband--how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.""May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant--though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls."At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her."So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.Her mother-in-law asked her, "Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!" Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. "The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz," she said."The LORD bless him!" Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. "He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead." She added, "That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers."Then Ruth the Moabitess said, "He even said to me, `Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.'" Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with his girls, because in someone else's field you might be harmed."So Ruth stayed close to the servant girls of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Ruth Whippman Are you happy? Right now? Happy enough? As happy as everyone else? Could you be happier if you tried harder?Journalist and documentary filmmaker Ruth Whippman found herself increasingly perplexed by the American obsession with happiness. She found that despite spending more time and money in search of happiness than any other nation on earth, research shows that the United States is one of the least contented, most anxious countries in the developed world. So Ruth set out on to get to the bottom of this contradiction, embarking on an uproarious pilgrimage to a controversial self-help course, visiting a “happiness city” in the Nevada desert, delving into the darker truths behind the “positive psychology movement,” and more.She’ll share a rigorously researched yet universal answer, and one that comes absolutely free of charge. Learn more about Ruth Whippman: www.ruthwhippman.com

Yesterday on The Morning Meditation we looked at The Characteristics of the Servant of God.  Do you have those characteristics?Today we are going to look at a very beautiful story in the Word of God!THE REDEMPTION OF RUTHRuth 4:1 "Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down."Boaz went up to the gate to intercede for Ruth.  He was a man of might, wealth and influence.  Now there was a kinsman closer than he.  Boaz offers him the right to redeem but he declines and says that it would mar his own inheritance.  So after this Boaz makes the purchase because he is the next one in line.  It is the law of the kinsman redeemer.This is a picture of our redemption.  The one closest to man had the first right of redemption but he was unable to perform the duty of the kinsman redeemer.  Jesus came, born of a woman, became our Boaz and redeemed.  He was able in every way to do the work of the redeemer.  Let's notice the truths that come out of this story in chapter four.HE ONLY COULD REDEEMHe had the right as kinsman; he had the power as a mighty man of wealth; he was also in the right condition to redeem, being alone; and now the redemption itself brings joy and satisfaction to his own heart.Christ only can redeem.  His incarnation made Him our kinsman, and gave Him the right to redeem.  His divinity made Him mighty, and gave Him the power to redeem.  We have redemption through His blood (1 Pet.  1:18-19).THIS WAS A WILLING REDEMPTIONBoaz did not grudge the redemption money.  How could he when his heart was set on the purchase of Ruth.  He willingly offered the full price, although that price included the gift of himself.So it was with Jesus, our princely Kinsman, who loved us and gave Himself for us, that He might give Himself to us.  Nor did He hesitate to pay the awful price of sorrow, suffering, and blood, that He might redeem us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.THIS WAS A GRACIOUS REDEMPTIONBoaz was not ashamed to redeem Ruth, the poor stranger.  The prince of wealth stoops to lift the poor helpless one, who cannot redeem herself.  He has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; he hath shown strength with his arm; he hath exalted them of low degree, he hath filled the hungry soul with good things, and now the soul of Ruth shall magnify her Lord.The wealthy Prince of heaven is ashamed of none who look to Him for redemption.  He invites the wretched, the miserable, the poor, the blind, and the naked to look to Him and trust in Him.  He stoops in His redemptive work to lift the helpless from the horrible pit on to the Rock of Strength, to lift the poor and the polluted from the dunghill, to rank among princes, and to be co-heirs with Himself.  He is not ashamed to call them brethren.  So Ruth, the gleaner, through grace becomes an heir of His glory.THIS IS A PUBLIC REDEMPTIONThere were many witnesses to the fact that the price was paid; this thing was not done in a corner, but in the presence of the elders of all the people.  When Moses smote the rock, it was in the presence of the elders.  The Rock Christ was also publicly smitten, they put Him to an open shame.  He suffered without the gate.  As Boaz went up to the gate to finish the work in behalf of Ruth, in the sight of many witnesses, so Jesus went up to Calvary and finished the work  the Father had given Him to do in behalf of His people.  Afterwards, when the price was paid, He rose from the dead; and as Boaz, when the bargain was settled, “plucked off his shoe,” Jesus plucked off the grave-clothes as a token that the covenant was sealed and the inheritance redeemed; and the apostles says, “We are witnesses.” He was also seen of many others after His resurrection.THE PURPOSE OF THIS REDEMPTIONRuth 4:10,