Daily Doses of Gospel "PiLLs": Ruth

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Have You Gone Out Full Only to Return Empty?

Read the Book of Ruth

How many of us have gone out ready to win the world, full of hope, dreams, and ambitions only to return gleaning sheaves of empty hopes and promises? Raped and victimized by this thing call life. That education you invested so much time and money or that marriage of many years that ended up in heart-breaking divorce, the ministry your poured into, the people you faithfully served that turned out to be a disappointment, the business deal that never took off, or the business that went bankrupt? How about the dream of motherhood and life-long parenting, only for it to be shattered by miscarriages, the inability to conceive, or death?

Have you gone out full like Naomi, which means "pleasant, lovely, and delightful", only to come back Mara, "bitter and sad"? Naomi knew the joy of going out full and the devastation of coming back empty. She knew what it felt like to have dreams dissipate like smoke rings in thin air. Does this sound anything like you?

Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of God's designed plan for our lives. He has a purpose for our lives, but it is only when we acknowledge Him will that plan be revealed. Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you depends on what you are made of and your view of God. Do you believe that God is in control of your most difficult circumstance? Your circumstance may have surprised you, but it didn't catch God by surprise.

If you've gone out like Naomi only to come back empty, then may I suggest that you give the broken pieces of your wounded life to the only one who can put it back together again. God can heal a broken heart, but He has to have all the pieces.

Narda Goodson

First Lady of Whitewright, Texas

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Monday, March 8, 2010

Keys to Finding Your Ruth and Boaz: Biblically Waiting Versus a 21st Century Profile

Society has implemented so many ways to finding the woman or man in your life that even Christians have fallen away from the basic fundamentals of finding a spouse the Biblical way. While setting up profiles and posting the prettiest photo of one’s self on a site has become the norm, it sounds more like a human cattle round up if you ask me. We may as well all line up and have an auction.

A wise man will not commit to a relationship with a woman based on shallow and superficial reasoning and emotions. He should do some researching first before making ties with someone he barely knows.

Boaz was a wise man. He knew exactly who Ruth was and had her “checked out” before getting involved with her. There were three important elements that were important to Boaz: 1) spiritual stability, 2) personal loyalty, 3) character. He knew of her faithfulness to God, commitment to her mother in-law Naomi, and of her reputation.

Boaz was a man of integrity. He was a man of what I call the FOUR P’s – He offered Ruth POSITION, PROTECTION, PROVISION, and was a man of PRAYER. And as a result of her connection to Boaz, she began to experience PROSPERITY.

Ruth was selfless and young enough that even after losing her first husband could have returned home and married again. Yet, her fidelity, commitment, and love for her mother in-law, Naomi, was more important than fulfilling her own desires. Ruth was a woman who knew her past, understood her present, and was moving toward her future. She also knew that with God, the world was her playground, but without God, she would just be played.

The inability to wait for God’s best and unwise choices can be a very costly price to pay. One thing I encourage women is to avoid the temptation of fishing for a man. Nothing is less attractive than a woman on the prowl out of desperation; for desperation will cause you to compromise your morals and settle for almost anything. You are more than likely to end up with a shark on your hands rather than a blessing, and for the men, one moment of pleasure may just end you hooked up with an inescapable piranha for the next eighteen years.

Women don’t need to look for Boaz or their knight in shining armor. If you are minding the Father’s business, you’ll be found by him. Let’s learn from Ruth example and how her prudent choices led her to be at the right place at the right time.

Ruth lost herself in the ministry of caring for someone else. Yet, without losing her sense of identity, she was a woman with confidence and had learned a lot from Naomi. In fact, she was Naomi’s spiritual backup when Naomi got a bit off track and began talking crazy.

My “type” is the Father’s best for me. Ladies, be encouraged because the Father knows exactly what thrills and excites us as women and knows just the “type” of man we need and has already made the provisions for it. For the men, let Boaz’s commendable and noble character serve as an example of what men should be.

Tilt your hearts toward the SON!