Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of July 2023. My prayer is that nothing needed for your prosperity and peace will be hidden from you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
One of the things we are shown in Scriptures is that we must never use the challenges of our lives as an excuse for living meaningless and unprofitable lives. Instead, in spite of the challenges we may be faced with, we are to open our eyes to see what legitimate things we can do with our hands to make life better for ourselves and those around us. And it is those who function in this manner that will experience God’s glory and exaltation in their lives, regardless of how lowly their positions in life may be.
For example, when Ruth came to the land of Israel with Naomi, her mother-in-law, she came with nothing and to meet nothing. She came to a place where she had no friend or family member to turn to for help. Yet she had to survive and take care of herself and her aged mother-in-law. And did she start crying because of that and saying that she had made a mistake by leaving all her people behind and following Naomi? No! Or did she go out to start prostituting herself? No! (Cf. Ruth 1:19-22)
See, Ruth had very genuine reasons for leaving her people and the comfort she could have been enjoying with them. She wanted to get away from the idolatry, sexual immorality and wickedness that were widespread among them. And it was her decision to do this that made her follow her mother-in-law, a woman who had nothing to offer her, to the land of Israel. So, she knew that she would most likely start life as one of the poorest people in the land when she got there. Yet she came because she would rather be a poor person among God’s people than be the richest of people among the wicked (Ps 84:10).
In like manner, our choice to live for Jesus Christ may place us in a position of poverty or shame in our society. But that does not mean that God wants us to stay in that position forever. What He wants is for His people to be above and not below. So, regardless of how lowly our position in life right now may be, God is able to lift us up from there to where we should be.
However, we also must be willing to act like Ruth in whatever lowly position we may now find ourselves in order to experience God’s favour and elevation. And how did she act in order to be lifted out of poverty into wealth and comfort? First, instead of complaining about her situation or messing around with her body, she found herself a job. This woman did not sit down at her home with her mother-in-law praying and expecting God to be sending money to them. Instead, she went out to look for a job. And God led her to find one, even though the job could only take care of their daily food at the time. (Cf. Ruth 2:1-3)
Now I am not saying that God could not have been sending money to Ruth and Naomi at home. He could. But could they tell when He was going to send it or how much He was going to send each time He did send them money? No! And since He had not said that they could not go out and work and make money, it would only be wise for Ruth to go out and work and expect God to make money available for her by doing so.
So, while it is alright for you to pray and expect God to miraculously supply your needs, you must also find a job to do, for God has commanded it (Eph 4:28; 1Thess 4:11-12). Get yourself a job to do, then, as long as it is legitimate, instead of complaining, stealing or messing up your body to make money. That way, God can supply your needs through that job and through any other miraculous means He may choose.
The second thing Ruth did was to be diligent in doing the job she found. Yes, it was a lowly job she found at that time. But she did it in such a way that the foreman of the field in which she was working took notice of her and spoke highly of her to his master, Boaz, who happened to be a relative of Ruth’s late husband. And that opened a great door of favour for her. If you too will do whatever job you are handling now with all your heart and might, it may just be what God will use in leading you to meet those who will favour you and lift you up. (Cf. Ruth 2; Ecc 9:10)
The third thing to emulate from Ruth was her willingness to accept godly counsel (Ruth 3-4). Yes, she had a godly mother-in-law who was always there to counsel her on the right steps to take. But if she had not taken her counsel seriously, she would not have come out of poverty and be known as we know her today. You too must recognise the people God has planted in your life to give you sound counsel. And as they counsel you, take it seriously and act on it. For their counsel, not even money, may be the very thing you need to rise above all your challenges in life. My prayer is that God will strengthen you to embrace these things and apply them to your life without delay. Amen.
Have a great week.
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