Loving Protection

“Boaz said, ‘Go not to glean in another field’.” Ruth 2:8

Boaz was concerned for Ruth’s safety. God is concerned for our safety. Boaz told Ruth not to leave his field to work somewhere else because of the quite probable harm that would come to her if she did. This world is not an hospitable place. There are the many dangers to beset the believer, not just physical, but spiritual. The world will eat us up, consume us for its own purposes. Everyone wants a piece of us, but the believer belongs to God, every piece of us.

When we wander from Christ’s field, we are captured by the demands of the world. “Do this and do that to be fulfilled”, the world says. Christ says, “I will fulfill you always.” The world demands our agreement its ideas and its objectives. Those objectives leave out Christ. Christ demands our agreement with His ideas and objectives. He did for us what the world would never do – died on the cross for us. A man cannot serve two masters. Ruth had a choice to make. So do we.

Dear Father, Help me stay obediently in Your field. Amen

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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Not Unnoticed

“Boaz said to his servant, ‘Whose damsel is this?’” Ruth 2:5

In this true story of Ruth, Boaz is not just a real man but also a picture of Christ. Boaz came to the field and saw Ruth gleaning and wanted to know who this stranger was. Christ sees our efforts in his harvest field whether anyone else sees or cares. His keen eye keeps track of what is going on in his field. The most obscure work and worker is noticed and recorded by Him. Man may regard what we do as drudge work, but God makes all work for Him noble.

As a pastor I see how difficult it is to get people to work in the church. “I have done my part,” is an often repeated saying. “I can’t do that,” is even more common. “I’m too busy with my worldly pursuits,” is never spoken but very often true. All believers need to realize that our work is for God and are excuses are all known by Him for what they really are – Excuses.

Dear Father, Give us willing hearts to serve our loving Savior. Amen

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Gleaning in the Sheaves

“Ruth said, ‘Let me go now and glean’.” Ruth 2:2

Do you want a real pain in the back? Bend over and pick up tiny sticks for ten hours a day. Put those sticks into a big bag and lug it around as you go. Oh, and it’s hard to find the sticks so you have to look closely all the time. That is what gleaning was like. You followed the reapers and if they happened to drop a head of barley, you got to pick it up and put it in your bag. Backbreaking work for minimal reward. That was what Ruth set out to do to provide for Naomi.

Christian service sometimes feels a lot like gleaning. We teach Sunday school or keep the pews dusted each week or practice hours to play the music for ten minutes during a service. Such work is necessary but seldom recognized or rewarded and so it is often hard to find workers. Ruth wasn’t dismayed at her task and her blessings came from God.

Dear Father, Like Ruth, help us not to grow weary in well doing. Amen

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A Sad Confession

“Call me not Naomi; call me Mara.” Ruth 1:20

There are multiple types of tragedies that afflict the believer in this world. From hatred and persecution to suffering the same sadnesses shared by all people, Christians are not exempted from pain and sorrow. How we respond to them, however, is to be a more shining testimony of our faith than we find in Naomi. Her name means “Pleasant”, but she wanted her friends to call her Mara, meaning “Bitter”. 

Christians are not required to put on a happy face when sad things happen. That would deny our humanity. But we are expected to see things in a different light and reflect that light in our attitude. We are never to be called bitter because that is the nature of the world. We still have our hope in Christ, our home in heaven, the presence of Christ in our lives, and a peace that passes understanding. We can sorrow, Paul says, but not as others who have no hope. That is the difference.

Dear Father, Thank you for never leaving us in life’s darkest hours. Amen

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A Firm Confession

“Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” Ruth 1:16

There are moments in our lives when we make great affirmations of faith. When we stand before the congregation and tell of our conversion, when we are baptized and confess our faith, or when a crisis hits or lives, and we reaffirm our trust in and devotion to God. Ruth’s affirmation of faith is one of the most beautiful ever.

But it wasn’t just her confession that inspires; it is the fact that she fulfilled her confession with her life. Many people stand and profess their willingness to follow Jesus, a lot fewer ever do what they promised. Ruth went with Naomi, worked hard to feed them both, faithfully followed the law in her daily life, and in the end she reaped the reward. As we continue through the book of Ruth, may these facts shine brightly and point us in the way not only of confession but also obedient devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, Strengthen me in faithfulness to my confession. Amen

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Questionable Evangelism

“And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return, turn again.” Ruth 1:8-11

Naomi has decided to go back to Bethlehem, which is literally “The House of the Bread of God”. Now her pagan daughter’s in law want to go with her. She says, “Go home.” She is not exactly the world’s greatest evangelist. On the other hand, she was not forcing them to make a decision they were not serious about. I stood on the front porch of a man with whom I had been sharing the Gospel and came to the point of asking if he wanted to pray and receive Christ. He looked back into the house then turned back to me and said, “Sure, whatever.” I asked him if he was paying attention to me or just being polite and get rid of me, and he said, “Get rid of you.” I said, “So you don’t believe anything we have been talking about.” He said, “Nope.” I gave him a tract and left. One of Naomi’s daughters-in-law turned back.

Dear Father, For those who have turned back, give them another call. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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Good News!

“Naomi heard that the Lord visited his people and gave them bread.” Ruth 1:6

In the midst of the consequences of sin, God still offers the hope of salvation. Israel had entered a period of repentance and God had restored their food supply. God is always reaching out to save sinners. He is constant in extending His grace to a world hurting from the effects of sin. He always calls out, “Come unto Me.” Naomi heard of God’s grace and decided to make a move back to where she had been before her husband had led her astray. Bethlehem was calling.

The cycle of sin leading to more sin and families falling further from the faith of some distant ancestor can be broken. It can be broken by the decision to hear of God’s Bread of Life and choosing that Way to go. Sin doesn’t have to ruin families forever. God wants to bring life and not death to this world. It takes one person to move to Christ, in faith and obedience, and then begin a new cycle of life and hope with God.

Dear Father, Draw many wandering souls to the true Bread of Life today. Amen

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Lingering Effects

“So the woman (Naomi) survived her two sons and her husband.” Ruth 1:5

Elimelech didn’t just destroy his own life, he destroyed the lives of his sons and the life of his wife. Naomi was a widow in a world where widowhood was fraught not only with loneliness, but with great suffering. Sons were to take care of their mothers. Her sons were dead. Elimelech’s sin brought a brought great suffering to his wife. How was she to survive? Was a full stomach in Moab really that much better than a half empty stomach in Bethlehem? Naomi felt sure the answer was no.

When we abandon the King of Bethlehem for the world’s fare, it doesn’t only affect our lives. We set a pattern for our children that can lead to their spiritual death as well. It can lead to cascading death for generations to come. When we choose the world, we are saying to our families that the world comes first and Christ second. That pattern will carry on with increasingly greater consequences for the people we leave behind.

Dear Father, Help us to set the right example of following Christ. Amen

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Bad Choices - Bad Results

“A certain man went to sojourn in the country of Moab.” Ruth 1:1

This man was Elimelech and he left Bethlehem to live in a country of pagans. Bethlehem, the birthplace of our Savior, was abandoned for a land of idols and perverse practices. What Elimelech wanted was earthly security so he chose an earthly place to get it. Of course, he died in that pagan land as did his two sons. The wages of sin is death. How ironic that he should die in the very place that he sought refuge while those who stayed in Bethlehem, although they suffered need, still survived. 

What is most important to us? Earthly security or Christ? What is most important to us? Earthly recognition or Christ? Do we abandon Bethlehem for fame, fortune, applause, or a simple meal of worldly fare? Do we wish to pay the price Elimelech paid? Jesus said we cannot serve two masters; we must choose. Joshua said the same thing, “Choose you this day whom you shall serve.” That is still the challenge today.

Dear Father, Strengthen me to make the right choice to serve You. Amen.

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Cause and Effect

“Famine in the land.” Ruth 1:1

The Book of Judges ends with this sad comment, “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” The book of Ruth states that it begins in the days of the judges and there was famine in the land. The two ideas are firmly connected. When we do what is right in our own eyes we will have a spiritual famine, and possibly a physical one, in our lives. There are only two choices - our way or God’s way. One leads to loss and the other to gain.

God’s way is clear. “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before Me.” That is clear. Putting ourselves before God in time, talent, resources, or expectations, there will be famine. It will be in our lives and in the life of our churches. Famine leads to death in our lives and in the life of our churches. Are we dry spiritually? Are our churches dying? Doing things God’s way is the way out of famine.

Dear Father, Help us set our proper focus on You. Amen

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A Letter of Commendation

“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church.” Romans 16:1

Paul spends a great part of his conclusion in this letter to the Romans with commendations for the faithful workers in the church. What had Phoebe done? She had been a servant, not a sitter. Anyone can sit, but the faithful will serve. She succored the church. That means she aided it, supported it, comforted it, provided for it, and was a benefactor in many ways. Her heart was in her work. It was not done because no one else would. It was done because she loved the church.

Churches today find it increasingly difficult to find workers, even to find people willing to sit on a committee to oversee one small ministry of the church. This is sad. Romans 16 lists many who willingly stepped forward, who did not claim that they were too busy with the things of this world to be servants in the church. We need to be willing, as they were, to be servant of God and not totally absorbed in ourselves.

Dear Father, Help us to see Your work as truly important and then do it. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

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Helping to Reach the Lost

“I hope to be helped on my where there by you.” Romans 15:24

Paul was a man with a mission. He saw the world through God’s eyes, a world full of people on their way to hell unless someone told them about Jesus and how to be saved. He walked thousands of miles, endured countless trials, worked by day and preached by night that he might reach the world with the saving Gospel of Christ. To assist him along his way he welcomed support from believers to fulfill this task.

The world remains full of people headed to hell because they have still not heard the saving Gospel of Christ. Missionaries still travel to spread the word of God and they still need our help. God still calls us to be supportive, with prayers and finances, to those who obey the call to go and preach. Yet the church spends more and more of its money on everything but obeying that great commission. Paul hoped for support from the church and we should not be slack in providing it to those who will go and tell.

Dear Father, Give us a heart for spreading Your Gospel. Amen.

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I've Told You and Told You

“For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” Romans 15:4

“How many times to have to tell you!” the exasperated parent laments. “I’ve told you a thousand time!” Then kindlier and with less frustration. “Please listen and think before you do this again.” Wow, this must be just about everybody’s home. We speak to walls, we speak to rocks, we speak to empty air and all the while we think we are speaking to our children. Just think how God feels. That’s right. Just like a parent. He is, after all, our Father.

Year after year, century after century, God sent His prophets to the children of Israel. A few paid attention, but most did not. That is the clear record of Scripture. Now God is telling His church to pay attention. He tells His church that what has been written by the prophets of old, are still important for them to read and know. God has not changed nor have his expectations. We must not neglect to know His word.

Dear Father, Stir us by Your Spirit to listen and obey your voice. Amen.

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Our Brother's Keeper

“Let us therefore follow after the things that make for peace, and things that will edify another.” Romans 14:19

While our job is not to focus on our neighbor’s accounts with God, as Christians we are to look after the welfare of our neighbor and help them prosper. This is part of the message of “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Instead of stealing from our neighbor, we should help him retain his goods and instead of coveting our neighbor, we should seek his prosperity. This isn’t only in matters of the flesh.

Our Christian neighbors, the fellowship of the saints in our own church, can often find themselves in need of spiritual support. Things happen to all of us that rock our world. Challenges and temptations beset all of us that sap our will and steal our strength. Our job is to edify, to encourage, and to build up those who are suffering from the assaults of the evil one. We need to do this in peace and love.

Dear Father, Strengthen us to be of good service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

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Our Own Accounts

“So then, everyone one of us shall give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11

I have a bank account. I have no idea how much is in my bank account because my beloved bride handles all banking. But while I could actually look if I wanted to, I could only look at my own account and not the one of the family next door. How much they have or don’t have in the bank is not my concern. They have to keep the accounts with the bank clear themselves. I am not in charge of their debts or prospered by their assets.

Paul tells the Romans to consider this principle and follow it. They were getting too busy with the other believers’ accounts with God to remember their own balance. When we watch others and ignore ourselves, our accounts often go quickly into arrears. Let us carefully consider our walk with God each day and remain concerned only with our own balance.

Dear Father, Help me to live for you and not try to live my neighbor’s life. Amen

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Living in Peace

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another man esteemeth every day alike.” Romans 14:5

We are in the season of Lent; whether we do or don’t practice it, it is still in the season of Lent. Some esteem these days and some do not. Here is the sad part, some condemn others for practicing it and some condemn others for not doing so. Paul said that no one is going to hell for practicing a day or for not practicing it. Since it has no effect on our eternal salvation, Paul adjures us to not make a fuss about another person’s practice of a day or of a season.

Paul was actually quite clear that we are not to condemn our fellow believer for a great many things that we may or may not like. He even declared that nothing is “unclean of itself”. Our forms of Christian practice should be ours to do, or not to do, with full conviction of their rightness if we do them for the Lord. This Lenten season let us remember not to judge, but to love, and our Christian brothers.

Dear Father, Receive the worship we give you from our hearts. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

For quality inspirational, educational, and fictional Christian books visit www.davidccraig.net   

It Changed Augustine

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 3:14

This verse carries great historical significance for the early church. Saint Augustine sat in his garden reading the Scriptures when he heard this verse being read on the other side of the garden wall. Suddenly he understood. Christ is everything! Everything! He stopped toying with the idea of Christianity and committed himself to Christ and His service. Christ, not self, was to be the consuming fire of the believer’s life. It is what Paul said in Philippians, “For me to live is Christ” and again in Galatians “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God.” Or yet again it echoes what Christ said in Gethsemane, “Nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done.” Oh, what power we would have if we let go and truly let Christ live through us.

Dear Father, Help me to surrender myself to You each day. Amen.

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A Little Respect, Please

“Render therefore to all their dues.” Romans 13:7

Many people are dues paying members of some organization or another. To remain as a member they must pay their dues. Fortunately Christians are not held to that high standard of some worldly organizations or many would be declared non-Christians for failing to pay their dues. That might sound harsh, but why don’t we pay our dues? Do we respect our leaders? The Bible says not to speak evil of our leaders and that applied to Caesar as well as Caiaphas, both very ungodly men. Civility and respect are part of our dues.

There are millions who have never heard the Gospel message. Jesus assigned us the task to tell others. It is their due to hear the Gospel message. God told Malachi to let God’s people know that we owe Him our tithes and offerings. That is His due. The two great commandments, love God and love our neighbor both reflect the dues we owe to God and man. We need to take stock at how we are doing at rendering to others their dues.

Dear Father, Help me to remember the debt I owe to man and God. Amen.

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In Turmoil, Bring Peace

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18

We live in a hostile world. It isn’t just hostile to Christians; it is just hostile. Violent crime is rampant all over the world. Terror reigns in many countries. Christians get angry and start to shout back. But wait! That is against what Jesus taught and what Paul commanded. Peace is to begin with us. We are not to add to the cacophony of confusion and anger. Clearly we are not to be those who promote violence or destruction because we have been offended by someone.

The world is in crisis. When a crisis happens we have people who are called “First Responders”. They pick up the pieces of the crisis. Christians are supposed to be “First Responders” to a world in crisis. We are to help alleviate the stress of life, absorb the pain, and offer the solutions. We are not to contribute to the problem. We are to be peace makers not hate mongers. That power does lie within us. He is called the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, Help me to be a peacemaker in my world. Amen.

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Cleave or Decay

“Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9

We have become rather accustomed in our lives to “go with the flow”. We do object to some things that we find to be bad; it is just that we keep redefining what is “bad”.  My grandmother was a shut-in for the last six years of her life. TV was her constant companion. Sunday mornings she had a full list of TV preachers. She rarely ever watched evening TV except a game show or two. Every time I turn on the television I wonder what Grandma would think of what is on now.

What was evil when she died forty years ago is now so tame that it would be a laughing stalk for modern viewers, yet Christians watch it without batting an eye. Why? Because it isn’t as “evil as it could be”. God’s message to us is simple: Abhor evil things! Cling to good things! We cannot be lights in an evil generation if we love the same evil that they love. God calls us to cling to that which is good.

Dear Father, Help me to be discerning and to hate evil and love good. Amen.

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Transformers or Transformed

“But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

My grandson likes the Transformers. I can’t tell one from another, but he can. He thinks Transformers are neat. They can change from one thing into another. That is pretty cool, actually. Just think if we could transform ourselves into anything we wanted to be; what would it be? My grandson would probably want to be transformed into a car that could stop bad guys. We are not two, so what do we want?

God wants us to transform the programming center of our body. He wants us to renew our minds. He wants our minds filled with His Word. He wants our thought processes redirected from self to Christ. This will happen as we read, study, know, hear, and love the Word. His Spirit, who wrote the Word, will bear witness with our spirit how we can live that Word. Like my grandson, we need to love the idea of being transformed.

Dear Father, Help me be transformed each day through the Word. Amen.

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

For quality inspirational, educational, and fictional Christian books visit www.davidccraig.net  

March Milestones

March is upon us and there are many events that occur in this very exciting month. The month begins with St. David’s Day, yes that is true, a day which I am happy to note. Shortly afterwards comes Command Day, March Fourth, a day all Christians should take note of. This year it comes on a Sunday which is a good day to preach a sermon by that title. The following Sunday we return to Daylight Savings Time where we will begin to get another hour of light each day, which also is a great sermon idea. If we like the Light, how about shining some of it into the darkness of this lost world of sin?

Within that same week we have St. Patrick’s Day, which is not really a day to drink green beer and wear funny shamrock hats. St. Patrick was a great missionary evangelist who should be remembered in the church for his extensive work in converting a pagan nation to Christ. We can all commit ourselves to follow his pattern. Only three days later is the first day of Spring. It is a time of renewed energy and the prospect of new life coming to our cold earth. How many sermons could be made from that day’s celebration?

Five days later we begin Holy Week with the bringing of palms to celebrate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. But, lest we forget that those who were waving palms on Sunday were calling for Christ’s crucifixion on Friday, we want to stay vigilant in our own faith walk, not for a day but for a lifetime. Throughout the week there will be many opportunities to worship together in our expression of contrition of sin and praising Christ for His sacrifice. March is certainly a month full of events that will remind us of our walk with and work for Christ. Let us take them all to heart.

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