It’s doubtful that Naomi and Ruth ever gave a thought to the possible impact of their lives. Given their obscurity and the shattered nature of their circumstances, they were simply hoping to have some semblance of a life at all. But God’s economy does not yield itself easily to human measurement or estimation. Often the greatest faith and faithfulness are demonstrated by those with the least, facing the most difficult. And often, those are the very lives of greatest significance and most enduring impact. Ruth 4:1-22 brings our story to a telling end and surprising conclusion, in a message entitled, “The Measure of a Faithful Life”. (Fifth in an expositional series of messages on Ruth: Faithful Lives in Fateful Times).
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The faith and faithfulness of Ruth had sustained Naomi when her own shattered faith would not. But the faithfulness of God, so clearly demonstrated in the providential generosity and kindness shown to them by Boaz, had been the gracious means by which Naomi’s faith had been wonderfully restored and fully renewed. Now it was Naomi’s turn, it was her faith and faithfulness that stepped in to take center stage in securing the future of both Ruth and herself. Ruth 3:1-18 recounts one of the most daring demonstrations of faith recorded in all of scripture, in a message entitled “Operation Resting Place”. It is a gripping account and an important reminder that sometimes the life of faith can be a high risk, high stakes venture. And, as James reminds us, that true faith is a faith that works.
It would be difficult to exaggerate how bleak the lives of Naomi and Ruth appeared upon their arrival back in Bethlehem. To be a widow without a male survivor, accompanied only by a widowed, Moabite daughter-in-law, returning to your home and community only after a long time away, while other’s lives had moved on, was about as dim a prospect as could possibly exist. In the words of Naomi, they were “empty” (1:21). Their only consolation was that food was available again, and at the very least they would not go hungry. But one important factor was missing from that equation, as we’ll see movingly revealed in Ruth 2:1-23, in a message entitled “The Never Ending, Never Failing, Steadfast Love of God”. It’s an important reminder that what often looks like the end of the road, may be just the beginning.
The book of Ruth opens to a scene of unimaginable hardship, tragedy, and loss. A family forced to leave their generational family home owing to the economic consequences of war and famine, to take up residence as migrants in a land and among a people not their own, only to experience the untimely death of their husband and father and then later both of their sons. But out of those ashes emerges one of the most beautiful and powerful stories of faith ever written. In Ruth 1:6-22 we begin the journey of Naomi and Ruth in a message entitled “The Faith Behind the Faithfulness”. The vivid account is a telling reminder of that most essential characteristic that must form the bedrock of our lives. The book of Ruth opens to a scene of unimaginable hardship, tragedy, and loss. A family forced to leave their generational family home owing to the economic consequences of war and famine, to take up residence as migrants in a land and among a people not their own, only to experience the untimely death of their husband and father and then later both of their sons. But out of those ashes emerges one of the most beautiful and powerful stories of faith ever written. In Ruth 1:6-22 we begin the journey of Naomi and Ruth in a message entitled “The Faith Behind the Faithfulness”. The vivid account is a telling reminder of that most essential characteristic that must form the bedrock of our lives.
For the next several weeks we turn our attention to one of the smallest but most loved books in all the Bible. Out of the sweeping, tumultuous history that is the period of the Judges, comes the encouraging, personal account of an obscure, ordinary family deeply impacted by a season of unprecedented hardship and suffering. Out of which emerges a story of unprecedented faithfulness, both theirs and God’s. We begin with a general introduction to that book in a message entitled “Ruth: Faithful Lives in Fateful Times”. We do not get to choose the times in which we live—but we do choose the way we live in the midst of those times. And no matter how difficult the times, God is always faithful and faithfully about his work.
Having warned the Corinthians in no uncertain terms of his pending visit and sure intention to discipline the opposing faction of the church, Paul concludes his letter with one last appeal to their remaining opportunity for self-correction. His letter had been a final and definitive statement on the basic and fundamental differences between his gospel and the one being peddled by his opponents. Nothing now remained except their personal decision to act on what they had been given. In 2 Corinthians 13:5-14 he lays before them that opportunity and responsibility in a message entitled “Taking Stock of Where We Stand”. In an age characterized by pervasive casualness and indifference, it is a clear-eyed call to understanding and renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ
The humility, patience, longsuffering, and gentleness Paul had demonstrated toward his opponents at Corinth had been taken by many of them as an indication of weakness and cowardice. Paul had been explicit about his intention to eventually return and, if need be, personally confront them. But their assumption had been that it was all mere bluster and in fact would probably never happen. In 2 Corinthians 12:20–13:4, he serves notice on his plans to make good on that intention, in a message entitled, “Daring to Discipline”. It is a rare but valuable glimpse into this important responsibility, which is one of the authenticating marks of what constitutes the true church.
Having laid bare some of the most personal and private experiences of his life, Paul had left nothing on the table in his effort to turn the Corinthians from the error of their ways. All that remained was his actual visit to them. As he nears the end of his letter, he turns his attention to the prospect of that difficult encounter. In 2 Corinthians 12:11-19 he begins with a spirited defense of both his foolish boasting as well as his continued unwillingness to accept their financial support, in a message entitled, “In Selfless Defense”. It is a telling reminder that spiritual responsiveness is not necessarily the result of spiritual opportunity.
Out of his catalog of hardships and sufferings, Paul specifically highlighted two experiences that were defining moments in his life and ministry. The first was the night he had to be lowered in a basket from a window in the city wall of Damascus under the cover of darkness in order to escape with his life. Not exactly the debut he had imagined. The second was what he described as a thorn in the flesh, an affliction which so tormented him that he pleaded with the Lord to take it away. Only to be told that instead of it being removed he would be given the grace sufficient to bear it. Not exactly the answer he had anticipated. Later, however, he came to see the crucial value and benefit of both. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 he unfolds the reason why in a message entitled “The Prerequisite to Power”. Which might help us to understand why that crucial ingredient seems in such short supply.
Glimpses into the life of Paul are few and far between. Auto-biography was neither his mission nor his calling. He wrote, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). And what he wrote he lived. References to himself were brief and sparing, and only for the purpose of communicating truth that redounded to the good of his hearers. There is not a single gratuitous reference to himself in any of his many letters. Given that, 2 Corinthians 11:22-33 comes as quite a surprise. In a pointed use of irony, by way of personal biography, Paul takes a poke at his opponents in a message entitled, “A Little Boasting About a Lot of Suffering”. A timely message to a church enamored with all the trappings of success.
Glorifying God by Encouraging
All People to Pursue a Lifelong,
Joyous Relationship with Jesus Christ