So I'm rolling back to Ruth as I said I would.
I think everyone loves the story of Ruth, particularly the ladies, because it's a story of love. It is the making of an ideal situation in the middle of a not-quite-so ideal situation, sort of a Cinderella story. First of all, Ruth apparently has a phenomenal relationship with her mother-in-law, something that I think most girls hope for, because we all know the stories of mothers-in-law that seem to be sent straight from the underworld to make your life a misery - case in point, Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond. I'm not married so I don't have a wicked mother-in-law story.
I love my own mother too much to even grasp the idea of being so close to my mother-in-law that I would want to leave my home, family, and friends to be with her wherever she went. Perhaps Ruth's life was in shambles before she met Mahlon, Naomi's son. I once saw an old movie about Ruth, and though not corroborated by the biblical account, it portrayed her as a priestess in the temple of a Moab god where she assisted in the sacrifice of children! YUCK! So yeah, if that had been my life before I married a man of a God-fearing - or should I say, Yahweh-fearing - family, I would probably want to skip town too.
Somehow I think that it was more than the family and more than Naomi that persuaded Ruth to make this journey and total life-changing decision. Orpah, after a little reluctance, finally turned and went back to her home, to her family, to her comforts. How many of us are just like Orpah? Seemingly, she was only half-heartedly invested in this family. The appeal of the familiar called out to her and she answered the call. I must say I can sympathize with her. Not only in the physical world but also in the spiritual realm, my comfort zone calls my name and I quite often give it attention.
Then there is Ruth. She is steadfast in her decision, the only direction she will go is in the direction that Naomi is going. She had invested her life in this family and, dare I say, in this God of her in-laws. She was sold out to Yahweh. How could she stay in Moab when she knew what she knew about the Lord because of this family? Moab held no promise for her, but Israel, Israel was the land of promise! How little she realized at that moment how much promise there was for her. God had a husband for her in Israel - a kind-hearted, hard-working, God-fearing, prosperous man.
And with her husband, Boaz, was the promise of children. In her line would be the greatest king of Israel - David. But even more than that, would be the King of Kings! Can you imagine? She belonged to a gentile nation, a nation that had been at war with Israel, and yet the Lord saw fit to have her grafted into the lineage of THE CHRIST! AAAHHH I'm tearing up just thinking about it! How humbling! Ruth is a picture of how even the gentiles have a share in the inheritance of God's Chosen People, as Rahab before her was also a part of this great lineage.
God plucked Ruth out of a wicked nation for in her he saw integrity, devotion, character. He saw a heart that He could use for his purpose in the earth!!! Simply Amazing!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Greatness
I have been stuck on Ruth for who knows how many weeks. No, I don't have a crush on a girl named Ruth, you sicko. Nor have I had a fascination with Babe Ruth, I'm not a baller :)
I have been reading the book of Ruth over and over, and totally noticing things that I've never picked up on before or haven't quite grasped in the same way as I am now (thank you, Holy Spirit). Everyone focuses on Jesus as the kinsman-redeemer or dwells on Ruth's famous pledge to Naomi, and like other scriptures that have been sermonized it's easy to not look beyond those things. However, I don't really want to go into what He's been showing me in my reading; I'll save that for another day.
I just came across a quote: "Those who are different change the world. Those who are ordinary simply keep it that way." Now let me preface what I'm about to say as I have to do with most things that I say, because sometimes my thoughts don't quite jive with everyone else's': to the person who posted this quote and to those who know who posted this quote - this is not an affront to you. I know your heart, and I know that for you to have posted this it struck you in a way that only God could. You know that I love you, but you also know that my thought processes are weird. :) This is by no means an insult to you but just how it hit me. However, if you so wish, we may schedule a time to meet in a parking lot somewhere so that you can beat me up... when I was in high school, the place to do this would have been the Country Crossings gas station at say 6:00? :)
Ok, back to the quote: Those who are different change the world. Those who are ordinary simply keep it that way. So upon reading that, I think to myself 'inspirational,' but then as it sets in it kind of ticks me off. (again, I must say that you don't tick me off, just the way I interpreted it ticks me off - Country Crossings 6:00?) Why did that tick me off? Maybe 'ticked off' is too harsh a word, let's say 'bothered'. It has too much pressure associated with it. In my thought processes, I suddenly find myself with a huge weight on my shoulders. I MUST DO SOMETHING TOTALLY AWESOME AND CHANGE THE WORLD OR I AM NOTHING AND HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR GOD! OH GEEZ!!! Panic ensues.
But then I think back to Ruth. Did Ruth stand before the masses and preach a rockin' sermon on the Lord's divinity??? Did Ruth build a home for orphans??? Did she lead an army in God's name? Well sure, she could have... she could have done all of those things and more! But what is she remembered for? What did the Holy Spirit impress upon someone so long ago to record for the ages to know about Ruth? She was faithful to a widow (indeed when she was even a widow herself), she worked hard, she was humble, she had character and integrity, and the Lord redeemed her for it. That's all. And YET she changed the world! She was grafted into THE bloodline, the greatest bloodline of all! She was a part of the family tree of Christ!
So my encouragement is - don't get hung up by your perceptions, but perceive as the Lord perceives. See the bigger picture. Those who are different change the world - We are different as we belong to the Lord and are a part of His Body. He is what makes us different. Christ uses ordinary people for ordinary things that have extraordinary results. You may simply be cooking a meal for someone whose family is in the hospital today, but the effects of that could be eternal and phenomenal. Don't forget that there is purpose in the small things! We won't all stand before thousands like Billy Graham, or walk on the water like Peter, or lead an army like David, but we may just, like Ruth, live our lives faithfully (even in the simplest things) so that they bring glory to His name!!!
I have been reading the book of Ruth over and over, and totally noticing things that I've never picked up on before or haven't quite grasped in the same way as I am now (thank you, Holy Spirit). Everyone focuses on Jesus as the kinsman-redeemer or dwells on Ruth's famous pledge to Naomi, and like other scriptures that have been sermonized it's easy to not look beyond those things. However, I don't really want to go into what He's been showing me in my reading; I'll save that for another day.
I just came across a quote: "Those who are different change the world. Those who are ordinary simply keep it that way." Now let me preface what I'm about to say as I have to do with most things that I say, because sometimes my thoughts don't quite jive with everyone else's': to the person who posted this quote and to those who know who posted this quote - this is not an affront to you. I know your heart, and I know that for you to have posted this it struck you in a way that only God could. You know that I love you, but you also know that my thought processes are weird. :) This is by no means an insult to you but just how it hit me. However, if you so wish, we may schedule a time to meet in a parking lot somewhere so that you can beat me up... when I was in high school, the place to do this would have been the Country Crossings gas station at say 6:00? :)
Ok, back to the quote: Those who are different change the world. Those who are ordinary simply keep it that way. So upon reading that, I think to myself 'inspirational,' but then as it sets in it kind of ticks me off. (again, I must say that you don't tick me off, just the way I interpreted it ticks me off - Country Crossings 6:00?) Why did that tick me off? Maybe 'ticked off' is too harsh a word, let's say 'bothered'. It has too much pressure associated with it. In my thought processes, I suddenly find myself with a huge weight on my shoulders. I MUST DO SOMETHING TOTALLY AWESOME AND CHANGE THE WORLD OR I AM NOTHING AND HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR GOD! OH GEEZ!!! Panic ensues.
But then I think back to Ruth. Did Ruth stand before the masses and preach a rockin' sermon on the Lord's divinity??? Did Ruth build a home for orphans??? Did she lead an army in God's name? Well sure, she could have... she could have done all of those things and more! But what is she remembered for? What did the Holy Spirit impress upon someone so long ago to record for the ages to know about Ruth? She was faithful to a widow (indeed when she was even a widow herself), she worked hard, she was humble, she had character and integrity, and the Lord redeemed her for it. That's all. And YET she changed the world! She was grafted into THE bloodline, the greatest bloodline of all! She was a part of the family tree of Christ!
So my encouragement is - don't get hung up by your perceptions, but perceive as the Lord perceives. See the bigger picture. Those who are different change the world - We are different as we belong to the Lord and are a part of His Body. He is what makes us different. Christ uses ordinary people for ordinary things that have extraordinary results. You may simply be cooking a meal for someone whose family is in the hospital today, but the effects of that could be eternal and phenomenal. Don't forget that there is purpose in the small things! We won't all stand before thousands like Billy Graham, or walk on the water like Peter, or lead an army like David, but we may just, like Ruth, live our lives faithfully (even in the simplest things) so that they bring glory to His name!!!
"And what does the Lord require of you, But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Everyday Christian
Christianity is too hard! There I said it... what of it? But don't get me wrong, it's not the Christ who has made Christianity difficult, it's the Christians who have made it so.
CS Lewis said, "What we want is not more books about Christianity, but more books by Christians on other subjects." What I want to focus on about this statement though is the fact that we say too much. We write too much and speak too much. We have too much to say about how people should be 'doing' this thing called Christianity. We make it too hard to keep up with our lifestyle because we have so many theories and formulas of how to do it right. Now I'm not saying that all of the books, TV shows, sermons, dramas, etc. have not been inspired by the Holy Spirit. What I am saying is sometimes we need to turn it off (not the Holy Spirit, actually that's what is left when you turn it off)... turn off what everyone else is saying. Declutter your soul and spirit of the words of everyone else. Take the complexities and turn them into a simplicity. Run to the root. The root is the Word, the wellspring, the original of God's inspired words to man. Because where do all Christian books, TV shows, sermons, dramas, etc. flow from? They flow from The Bible (or at least they should, because if they don't line up with the Word, we've got another problem on our hands).
Simplify. Simplify. Simplify... that might actually be my favorite word, because in it lies the connotation of relief, unburdening, destressing. Simplify your life by going to the root. Get in the Word and know what it says for yourself. Drop all manner of formulas and hocus-pocus. Faith, Hope, and Love is what it boils down to. There's no formula! It's knowing His Word and spending time with Him and all other manner of this Christian walk will find its way with each step. Know for yourself what He says and you won't need 10 million how-to books!
Smith Wigglesworth only ever read the Bible and never wrote a book... and yet his walk with the Lord was one of the most powerful!
Now having said this I feel like I must back track. Reading the Word reveals that we need the Body of Christ to help us live... so what I'm saying is, you cannot rely solely on the body because the Head is what gives the body direction!
(Side Note: Sometimes I don't make sense, because my thoughts find it hard to make it to paper and express what I'm really thinking. In fact, based on what I've just said in this blog, you shouldn't read what I've just written anyway HAHA.)
CS Lewis said, "What we want is not more books about Christianity, but more books by Christians on other subjects." What I want to focus on about this statement though is the fact that we say too much. We write too much and speak too much. We have too much to say about how people should be 'doing' this thing called Christianity. We make it too hard to keep up with our lifestyle because we have so many theories and formulas of how to do it right. Now I'm not saying that all of the books, TV shows, sermons, dramas, etc. have not been inspired by the Holy Spirit. What I am saying is sometimes we need to turn it off (not the Holy Spirit, actually that's what is left when you turn it off)... turn off what everyone else is saying. Declutter your soul and spirit of the words of everyone else. Take the complexities and turn them into a simplicity. Run to the root. The root is the Word, the wellspring, the original of God's inspired words to man. Because where do all Christian books, TV shows, sermons, dramas, etc. flow from? They flow from The Bible (or at least they should, because if they don't line up with the Word, we've got another problem on our hands).
Simplify. Simplify. Simplify... that might actually be my favorite word, because in it lies the connotation of relief, unburdening, destressing. Simplify your life by going to the root. Get in the Word and know what it says for yourself. Drop all manner of formulas and hocus-pocus. Faith, Hope, and Love is what it boils down to. There's no formula! It's knowing His Word and spending time with Him and all other manner of this Christian walk will find its way with each step. Know for yourself what He says and you won't need 10 million how-to books!
Smith Wigglesworth only ever read the Bible and never wrote a book... and yet his walk with the Lord was one of the most powerful!
Now having said this I feel like I must back track. Reading the Word reveals that we need the Body of Christ to help us live... so what I'm saying is, you cannot rely solely on the body because the Head is what gives the body direction!
(Side Note: Sometimes I don't make sense, because my thoughts find it hard to make it to paper and express what I'm really thinking. In fact, based on what I've just said in this blog, you shouldn't read what I've just written anyway HAHA.)
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