"Learning the quality of gracious but bold speech can be a balm in bitter and complicated situations." -Kelly Minter
Ruth is such a beautiful and deep part of God's Word. Every time I venture into it I gain something new. "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and the God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also if ought but death part thee and me." Ruth 1:16-17 Wow! What commitment. Couldn't we all hope for such? Well of course. However, this becomes even more beautiful when we see the heartache Ruth and Naomi are experiencing. Naomi has lost her husband and both of her sons. She has been in a foreign place, and in this foreign place happens to be a place God forbid, so I would think she's not walking to closely with Him. I'm certain she's feeling rather alone and maybe even a bit bitter. Ruth has lost her husband, and her fellow Moabite has returned to Moab, her homeland. She is committing herself to a foreign land with a foreign people and, to her, God. And this commitment comes after Naomi has repeatedly told her to leave. I'm certain Ruth is feeling quite lonely and rejected, yet she was committed. "When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her." Ruth 1:18 The Hebrew of steadfastly minded (according to Strong's) means to be alert, courageous, strong, to fortify, harden, and prevail. Naomi saw this character trait in Ruth and finally "accepted" her. While she was steadfast, I think Ruth also possessed other qualities. Can you imagine if Ruth had been snotty to Naomi? What if she had been boastful? What if she had been rude? What if she had been weak? What if she had been fill in the blank? I believe Ruth recognized Naomi's hurt and loneliness, and Ruth had compassion on a widow who was about to embark on a difficult life alone. The most beautiful part of this account in the Bible is the fact that God used this forbidden relationship (God's people were forbidden from the Moabites) in the family line of Jesus Christ. In life we mess up. Sometimes we break Grandma's favorite dish and sometimes we break someone's heart. Sometimes we do these things on accident and sometimes they're on purpose. Either way, broken is broken, and it hurts. Those are the moments when I stand absolutely amazed at the God I serve. Y'all, every day, everyone, in the ENTIRE world, sins against Him. He knew this would happen when He created us, but you know what? He loves us anyway. You know what? He sent His Son to atone for our sins KNOWING we would continue to sin against Him, and He did it anyway. Forgiveness is a hard pillow to swallow. Forgiving someone when they have wronged you can be almost painful. Sometimes accepting forgiveness seems impossible. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness. Bitterness is a deadly poison. God commands us to forgive. Ephesians 4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Mark 11:25 - And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Matthew 6:15 - But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Colossians 3:13 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Matthew 5:23-24- Therefore if thou bring they gift to the altar, and there remberest that thy brother hath ought against thee: leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and the come and offer they gift. I started this post with the intention of focusing on how the words we speak are powerful, and here we are talking about forgiveness. Elimelech's disobedience resulted in great heartache for his family, but God is so graceful and so big that He used Elimelech's disobedience, and He used this forbidden Moabite girl in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the SAVIOR of the world. In my flesh, had I been Naomi, I'm certain I would've been angry at Ruth. Ruth's Moabite roots had a big tie to Naomi's heartache. If Ruth had not been so determined, and Naomi would not have been forgiving, neither of these ladies could've been used to further the kingdom of God. I wonder how often our bitterness keeps us from furthering the Kingdom of God? How many times have we turned people away from Jesus because of stinky attitudes? How many times have we allowed bitterness to control our lives? How many times have we allowed circumstances outside of our control dictate our decisions? Let us turn our eyes on God, in all His grace and wonder. Today, I challenge you to forgive.
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