by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Ruth 1-4
What a beautiful story! Ruth, a Moabite, becomes the great-grandmother of David – and the ancestor of Jesus.
So what are the characteristics of someone who is so exceedingly blessed by God?
First of all, she is faithful. When her widowed mother-in-law plans to return to Israel, Ruth and her sister-in-law have the opportunity to stay in their own country. Orpah stays, but Ruth is faithful. She sticks by her mother-in-law’s side and takes care of her.
When announcing her decision to go with Naomi, Ruth makes it clear that she is also being faithful to God. “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”(1:16). Just conjecture here, but I think that she had observed Naomi’s interaction with God and she wanted to have the same. She believes that the God of Israel is the true God.
Ruth is also humble. When she gets to Bethlehem, Ruth doesn’t mind gleaning the fields with the poor. Immediately she goes to work to bring in food for herself and Naomi.
Then, too, Ruth is a go-getter. When she sees the opportunity to marry Boaz, Ruth goes for it, and she gets her man.
So this poor girl from Moab, widowed at an early age, remains faithful to God and He blesses her beyond measure. Not only does she marry a rich man, but her son is Obed, the grandfather of David.
As Boaz says, “May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”
And He does!
Luke 8: 1-25
We hear the parable of the sower once again – and I think that we can’t hear it too much! In a nutshell, this parable is the most accurate at showing us where we are in our faith, and what we need to do to improve it.
Minds are funny things. We can be thinking about something and not even know it. Have you ever been driving or performing another routine task and suddenly realize that you have been thinking about something that happened long ago or something a person said to you?
Thoughts of anxiety, frustration, doubt, or fear can flood your mind without you even being aware of it. Then when you become aware of what you’re thinking, you may feel frustrated or worried or fearful. Do you know what I mean?
If we are going to live God’s best, we absolutely have to control our thought life. Otherwise, one of the devil’s imps will sit on our shoulder and make sure that we never have faith for anything God wants for us.
II Corinthians 10: says “we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
When a thought comes up which says that there is no hope for us, cast it down. When a thought comes up which says we will not get healed, cast it down. When a thought comes up which says that our children will never turn around and live productive lives, cast it down.
Those thoughts are not from God, who is the giver of all good things. We must cast down the negative thoughts and replace them with God’s Word, which promises us healing, deliverance, and hope for our families.
Luke’s account of this “sower” parable adds a tweak. “And the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”(v.15)
It takes perseverance. Seed takes time to grow and produce; it doesn’t happen over night. So the Words of God have to be held tightly within our hearts in order to produce the results.
Hold onto the Word. Cast down contrary thoughts. Be patient and persistent.
If you do these things, you will see the fruit spring forth.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Judges 19-21
Today we wrap up the approximately 335 years following Joshua’s death. Cycles of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance continue in the land. It’s hard to imagine that these people are thinking of God., yet every now and then there seems to be a little sign that they know that there are certain expectations.
One of these is when Israel rises against the tribe of Benjamin because of their treatment of a concubine. They are appalled at the rape and murder of this girl, so they take retribution. After the defeat of Benjamin, when there are very few left, the Israelites take an oath that none of their daughters may marry Benjaminites.
At that time, however, the other tribes mourn the fact that one of the tribes will become extinct. They have no wives to replenish their tribe – they have all been slaughtered.
Hey, wait. An idea pops up. Oh, when the great feast is held in Shiloh and everyone is dancing, the Benjaminite men may hide and watch. Then they can choose girls from the dancers and kidnap them. What a plan!
The last verse of Judges is a repeat of one we’ve heard before. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”(21:25)
Some strange things seemed “right,” didn’t they?
Better days ahead.
Luke 7:31-50
I love the way Jesus treats those around Him. He’s never ruffled by the charges of the arrogant Pharisees. He knows their hearts and thoughts, and speaks to them very directly.
At the same time, our Savior shows such love and compassion for those who are humbly seeking to be lifted out of their sinful lives.
We’ve seen this account in the other gospels, but I love reading it every time it’s presented. Jesus understands and appreciates the sinful woman who washes His feet with her tears and pours perfume on them. She is weeping and kissing Him because of her great love for Him. She knows that He has forgiven her.
“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”(47)
Over the years, I have seen this principle applied many times. Often you will see someone who came from a very sinful lifestyle turn to the Lord, and they will be the most radical christian in the crowd. Having experienced the love and power of Jesus, they know first hand how good He is.
I love to see those people as they share their stories. They have such a zeal, and often those people lead the way in evangelism.
He says, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”(v. 50)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Judges 16-18
It’s always a wonder when we see strong men so malleable in the hands of women. That’s the story of Samson. Even though he had kept himself from strong drink and unclean food, and even though he had never cut his hair and tried to obey God, he just wasn’t very discerning when it came to women. They could talk him into anything.
So Delilah makes many attempts to discover Samson’s secret – and she finally does. As soon as he tells her that his strength comes from his long hair, Delilah has Samson’s hair cut, has him blinded, and finally has him carried off with the Philistines.
Yet God is not through with him. Samson’s final act is one of tremendous self-sacrifice. He has the opportunity to pull the temple down upon thousands of the Philistines, and he dies in the process. Samson kills more in his death than in his life, and delivers his nation from the harsh rule of their neighbors.
So we go into more ungodly incidents. This time in Hebrew history can be pegged by one saying: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.”(17:6)
They might be considered the original “if it feels good, do it” generation. With no boundaries, people trampled each other. The weak and kind were overrun by the strong and arrogant.
The priests held onto idols and went where they had greater honor and accommodation. Truly dark, dark days for a nation which had known the Lord.
In our day, we need to take heed to the lessons to be learned here. Just because our nation at one time held high standards morally and spiritually doesn’t mean that it always will. Each generation has to be willing to take up the torch and fan its flame.
The fire can go out when there is no one to tend it. So my prayer is that many will rise up in our world who are willing to be the people God has called them to be. Many will tend the flame and help keep the one true God in the forefront.
Luke 7:1-30
When we look at Jesus, we see many characteristics – many facets of God’s personality. He says, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”
So when we see Him encounter the grieving widow, we have a window on God’s attitude towards her – or you when you are going through a hard time.
There are times when He says, “Stop crying, get up, and do the Word.” There are other times when we are encountering situations which are extremely hard to bear, and His compassion is the only source of strength we have. I can’t think of any harder situation than the death of a child.
As Jesus sees the widow accompanying her dead son – her only child – He feels compassion for her – and raises the son from the dead.
What a moment for her! Instead of having a funeral, these people have a celebration to beat all celebrations. He was dead; now he is alive!
Is there something in your life which seems dead? Is there a vision you once had of a great marriage or a great family or a great ministry? Do you sometimes feel that the vision is dead? Have you fought and fought for the dream and feel like giving up?
I say to you today, “Don’t ever give up!” Let the resurrection power of Jesus flow into your heart and your life. He will restore the lost hopes and dreams. He will give you renewed faith and courage to pursue His best for you.
Spend quality time with your Savior. Pour out your heart to Him and expect Him to answer you. His touch today is as life-giving as it was in this story.
Jesus brings back life wherever He goes.
