Taking Notice

You ever feel like God is against you? You know, when everything seems to be going the wrong way and nothing you do seems to work out right. It becomes easy to think that God doesn’t want us to be happy and must have forgotten about us.

This is easily how Ruth might have felt in chapter 2. Her husband died, her father-in-law died, her sister-in-law left, and her mother-in-law is struggling with her own depression and doubt, and she is moving to a foreign land. No job, no husband, no money, only faith that God will get them through. Yet Ruth, is holding fast to her new faith in the God of the Bible, the God of Naomi.

Ruth did not allow her present circumstances to shape her character, instead she allowed her faith in God to mold her into a woman of God.

She sticks with Naomi and sets about seeking a way to provide for her and Naomi. Now the Law of Moses had provision for the poor and widows by commanding the land owners to leave behind the harvest some grain for the poor to gather. It “just so happened” that she gathered in Boaz’s field.

Taking Notice

Unbeknownst to Ruth, Boaz is a relative of Naomi, a Kinsman Redeemer, and he takes notice of Ruth. Now, Boaz takes “notice” of Ruth. You know, wink wink, he noticed her. The type of notice when you walk into the room and you see him or her for the first time and your like, “wow!”

Boaz, asked his helpers who Ruth was and then went over immediately and began to talk with her. Boaz told her that she should only glean in his fields and he will protect her and provide for her.

Now this doesn’t make any sense culturally. The land owner shows grace and mercy to a foreign widow. But romance doesn’t always make sense. His attraction provoked him to action.

“Why have you shown me such kindness?” Ruth asks. Boaz’ reply shows us so much about his attraction for her. “The way you have cared for your mother-in-law and moved away from your family, may the Lord repay you for what you have done, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Physical Attraction

When it comes to dating and romance, physical attraction is important, but it is not everything. In this story, Boaz noticed Ruth’s beauty which provoked him to ask questions about her and observer her character, but her physical beauty was not the main reason he pursued her. Physical beauty if fleeting and deceiving. Don’t get caught up in what society, media and Hollywood tells you is beautiful. The magazine images that are portrayed are unrealistic and photo shopped. It may be an initial spark, but make sure you follow Boaz’s example and begin to ask questions to see if your attraction is tied to someone of character.

Character Attraction

Boaz response tells Ruth that he has heard and seen what she is willing to do for her mother-in-law. Most people would have gone back to their families: Ruth did not. Not only did Ruth come with Naomi, but she is providing and caring for her. This showed her character as a woman with a servant’s heart. She wasn’t entitled or snobbish, but loving and caring.

Spiritual Attraction

But beyond that, Boaz took notice of her faith. “Under whose wings you have sought refuge,” is what he pointed out. He saw a woman who turned away from her past life, from the gods of her family and her land, and has embraced the one true God. Her faith was attractive!

For a believer in Jesus Christ, there should be nothing more attractive then the evidence of faith in Jesus in another person. You should not allow yourself to get attached or pursue someone who is not pursuing Jesus.

Waiting On God

We began with Ruth and Naomi in a pretty bad place and everything seemingly against them. It could have been easy for them to give up and think that God was against them. Yet Ruth was faithful and continued to develop her faith and character by trusting God for her future.

When Ruth came back from the field and told Naomi that she was gleaning in Boaz’s field, Naomi rejoiced! This was more then a coincidence, but God’s providence. For the first time in a long time, Naomi experienced a glimmer of hope. Naomi new Boaz was family and a potential Kinsman Redeemer and encourages Ruth to go back to his fields.

The chapter ends without developing anything more then an attraction between Ruth and Boaz. We see Boaz observed Ruth’s character and he made provision for her, but months have gone by and nothing else is happening.

Girls, guys can be dumb sometimes. But be patient. We aren’t at the end of the story yet and there is some great things coming, but there is a lot of good to learn from this.

Being attracted to someone does not mean you should jump into a relationship. Getting good answers to your questions does not mean you should jump into a relationship. Even when everything seems right on paper doesn’t mean you should begin a relationship. Wait on God on His time. Be obedient in the small things and do not allow your present circumstance to cause you to give up on your faith. Know that God is working.

I like learning from Boaz. He found a girl he was attracted to, found out she was a godly woman of good character, and he gave space to observe her life to see if she was sincere. In a day and age where we have so much of us on the internet, it’s hard to determine what is real or not. We live in a “your way right away” “microwave” culture. We want everything right now. Relationships are not something to just jump into, but something that needs time to develop properly.

So far, Ruth’s story shows us that life doesn’t always go the way we think it will. Life can be hard, relationships can be disappointing, but we should never give up. Ruth is a woman of character and faith. She abandon’s her former life, not allowing the sins of the past to define her future, and she trusts in God. Her faith in God causes her to live a life of faith that is evident to those around her. God is working through the pain and the difficulties to bring her to a place to meet Boaz, God’s provision for her.

God’s call on your life is to be faithful. Trust Him in all things and especially in relationships. He is a relational God who loves you and desires your best. Don’t rush into things, but prayerfully wait on Him and observe those around you. He will provide for all your needs according to His riches in glory!

Serve Like This

Sometimes a Scripture or lesson grips our hearts and sticks with us for years or even the rest of our lives. Do you have one of those?

I’ve often told others of how John 17:3, “and this is eternal life, to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent,” is my life verse. I chose this verse because of the deep impact it had on me as I read it one day in seminary.

I was reading through John and as I came across verse 3 I remember asking God, “is that it?!” Knowing God is the way to eternal life. Not academic pursuits or missions trips, but developing and intimate relationship of love with Jesus. I was astounded at the simplicity and the accessibility of that truth. It was so simple that anyone could do it.

To be clear, I had been taught proper theology and I had an understanding of the Gospel, but this encounter with the Scripture was like an “ah ha” moment.

Having had an experience like that myself, I pay particular attention to students when they tell me about their own encounter with biblical teachings.

This week in Youth Group, Sam Preston will be teaching a lesson that resonated with a few years ago. I know it has stuck with her because of how she seeks to live it out in her own life. So much to the point that she wants to pass it on to others. And so I am excited to watch her teach others a favorite lesson and topic of hers from John 13.

It was a lesson that will always stick out to me, because it was the first time I ever taught it the way we did. I remember two first time visitors that night. As I was demonstrating how Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, one young man asked, “is this the weirdest thing you guys do here?” I said, “yes it is.” He was like, “Ok” and stuck his feet in the bowl to be washed.

Some church traditions do incorporate foot washings into their calendar and become used to the idea. It is not a normal part of our experience and really stood out to me and our group as something unique and humbling.

I think that was what Jesus was trying to get us to see. The uniqueness and value in humbling ourselves and serving others. It goes against our nature. We want to be served by others, not be the one serving. But Jesus came to serve us and show us what abundant life is all about.

Tonight Sam will revisit this wonderful passage and challenge us to live and act like Jesus. She will show us the humility of Jesus and dare us to imitate Christ in our lives. Pray with me for Sam as she teaches tonight and continues to teach us as she serves Christ in China this summer!

Darkness Cannot Drive Out Darkness

Have you ever been in the dark, like pitch black dark? It’s so dark, blindingly dark that you can almost feel the darkness? It is unnerving, and unnatural. It’s easy to lose our way or trip over something. In the dark, we can become disoriented and not perceive things as they actually are. Our fears are magnified, our superstitions are awakened and our decisions become somewhat chaotic. Even the bravest of people at times freak out a little in the dark.

Darkness has a tendency to affect our decisions and rob us of hope. We scramble looking for the light switch to dispel our fears. In our finitude we are bound to perceive our current situation as desperate and we lose sight of the big picture. Yet in the darkest places, a single source of light shines the brightest. The relief we sense once the light is on dispels the despairing thoughts and refocus our eyes to the true reality we are in.

So why this discussion on darkness when we are beginning a new series on dating and relationships? The answer is in the perception of the cultural context we live in. The morality of today and the cultural perception on dating, romance and sex is pretty dark, almost overwhelmingly dark. More people are concerned about the evil of not recycling today then pornography. Every TV show and movie produced is pumping sexual images and distorted romance into the mainstream. Biblical views of sex and marriage are called bigotry and anti gay.

The darkness of our day can be disheartening and even cause some to wonder “why not just give in?” Darkness perpetuates darkness, it will never produce light. But true reality can never be seen in darkness, only the Light will reveal the truth.

In reality people are looking for meaning, purpose, value, love and hope. They look for it in all the wrong places and don’t realize that pursuing the answer in darkness will only lead to more despair. Giving into the darkness around you will only cause darkness in your heart, it will not fulfill you but will leave you empty.

Don’t allow this momentary affliction to determine your life choices, but look to the light for your answers. It is true, we live in the moment and must endure the real feelings and struggles we face moment by moment and day by day. The choice is do we give in to our fears or do we hold fast to hope. Do you believe that God is the Author and Giver of life? He is working even when we can’t see it.

Dark Days

Over the next several weeks we will be looking at one of the most amazing love stories in the Bible found in the book of Ruth. It is a story designed to be read in one sitting, but we will let the tension of the story build over the next five lessons.

But the story of Ruth picks up in the middle of really dark days in Israel’s history, the time of the Judges (Ruth 1:1). During this time, the people of Israel were caught in a destructive cycle of sin and bondage, but when the cried out to the Lord, He delivered them. But they wouldn’t learn their lesson and would fall back into sin. Even the Judges appointed to deliver them were not always the greatest examples of godliness.

If the time of the Judges wasn’t bad enough, our story in Ruth opens up with Naomi losing her husband in a foreign land, Moab. Moab was a spiritually dark land, full of immorality and even child sacrifice. Naomi’s two boys married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, but her two sons died too. Which leads Naomi to despair, understandably.

When we are introduced to Ruth, it is in the context of really dark days for her. Her father-in-law and husband have died and her mother-in-law is in despair. This does not seem like the setting for an amazing love story, does it? But with God, all things are possible. He has a plan that pierces the darkness and begins to work in ways we cannot imagine.

Life is Hard

It’s ok to admit it, life is really hard. You cannot read Ruth 1 and dismiss the difficulty that Naomi and Ruth are struggling through. Hours, days, months and years of wondering “why?” Not seeing the big picture or even the light at the end of the tunnel. The darkness and despair around them is palpable. Yet, they hold on in faith.

Your life will be hard at times. You will not see the meaning in everything you are facing. You will experience loss that you don’t understand. Life is hard, but God is good and you can trust Him.

The reality we live in, for most of us, is far different then the reality we imagined for ourselves and therefore we perceive life as harder.

• The girl you are crushing on starts dating a different guy.
• You start dating this guy who you thought was so amazing, but he took advantage of you. Once he got what he wanted he was gone.
• Your parents got a divorce and now you feel trapped in the middle.
• You trusted your friend enough to seek dating advice from them, only to find them betray your confidences.
• You sent a “special” snap to him because he said he loves you and thinks you are beautiful, only to have him screen shot it and send it around the school.
• You are struggling with same sex attraction and are afraid to talk to anyone around you.

The situations go on and on. You didn’t ask for this, you just found yourself here in the darkness feeling all alone. Everyone else seems to skate through life with easy, but you feel the heaviness and difficulty of it. You need to know that everyone else is struggling too. We all put on fake smiles to cover our struggles.

The choice you have to make is will you allow the difficulty of life to keep you in the darkness or will you make the tough choice to pursue the light?

Choose the Light

Ruth lost her husband and her father-in-law. Naomi told her she had nothing left to offer her and that she should return home and remarry. Orpah skated as soon as she got the chance. But Ruth wouldn’t leave.

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. [17] Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17 ESV)

Remember Ruth was a Moabite, raised in a different religion with a different sent of moral values. But she has seen something different with this family. She has heard the truth about Yahweh, the one true God. In these dark days, she could have returned home to her family, her hometown, her religion, but she chose God first.

Naomi said she had nothing to offer Ruth, no advantage for going with her. Ruth didn’t choose God for selfish gain, she chose God because God is enough.

When you begin to see life through the Light, through Jesus Christ, you begin to see that the darkness of the world has nothing to offer you but emptiness and despair. But Jesus came to bring the truth and truth will set you free.

Godly Mentorship

When life is hard, it is important to identify a godly person, a mentor, whom can help you navigate the dark days ahead. Think about Naomi’s life, being in a foreign land and losing her husbands and sons, yet Ruth saw in her something beautiful. Yes Naomi mourned and struggled with the difficult losses, but her reaction was still different for Ruth. Ruth didn’t reject God and Naomi’s teachings because of Naomi’s response. No, she embraced God in the face of struggle.

The way we respond to suffering can bring glory to God. How do you deal with your struggles? Do you trust God to get you through?

It is so important that you learn to identify godly mentors in your life. You need to find your Naomi, your Paul, who can help you understand who God is and what He is doing in life. When it comes to dating and relationships, you need to find someone who will give you godly advice consistently. Someone who will point you to Jesus.

Is Jesus enough? Even if you have to break up with that guy? Is Jesus enough? Even though you have to wait until you are married? Is Jesus enough when you have to skip out on the party? Is Jesus enough when…

Ruth said to Naomi, “God is enough, I will follow.” And she did. And God worked a beautiful story in her life that has had an impact on all of us. But now we are getting ahead of the story.

Ruth 1 teaches us that life is hard and that we need to chose God in spite of the difficulty. God has provided godly mentors to help us navigate these shores. Are you looking for a godly mentor? Are you learning to trust God when life seems dark and overwhelming? Pursue the light of God’s Word and He will work through any circumstance for your good (Romans 8:28).

“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)