Choices and Providence

Verse of the day: Ruth 2:3, Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

We live in an age where it seems that a majority of people want to have things handed to them, rather than going out to work and earn them. We as Christians can learn much about being diligent, as demonstrated by Ruth in these verses. She has returned to Bethlehem with Naomi her mother-in-law, both women widowed. Yet, we do not read that Ruth sits at home bemoaning her loss and using that as an excuse to expect someone to feel sorry for her and hand her what she can go out and work for. Her diligence pays off in a great way, as she puts herself in a position to receive a great blessing from the Lord; a blessing that is even greater than she could ever imagine or even know. Little did she know or anticipate that her diligence would put her in place to be in the lineage of Israel’s Messiah, and this world’s Savior (Matthew 1:1-17). Far too often we complain about the spiritual blessings we lack, but do little to work for those blessings. We expect the sky to open up, and for the Lord to just pour down the blessing, while we sit back and receive them with little to no effort. Proverbs 13:4 clearly tells us, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” We do not understand why we cannot find out what God’s plan is for our lives, yet we do nothing to take the steps necessary to live out His will. How can we find His will you ask? Simply put, His will is found in His Word. All those verses that are commands, and not suggestions, and the verses that clearly state “this is the will of God”, those would be the will of God. Like Ruth, we need to be diligent in serving the Lord by serving others. She did not go out to the fields for herself, but for both her and Naomi. The things we do for others that may seem insignificant may produce greater blessings than we anticipate. The testimony we develop as a diligent and hard worker may open up opportunities to share Christ with others. As we diligently carry out our daily duties, and in some cases “go the extra mile”, we may find that God might just rain down showers of blessings as we bless others with the kindness we show. Life can certainly wear us down. Being busy day in and day out, especially as God leads us to serve others, can be quite the challenge. However, know that all the effort we put forth, by the Spirit’s leading, can lead to bringing forth of much fruit, even though we may not see it right away. As a matter of fact, we may not even see it in our lifetime here on earth. Nonetheless, 1 Corinthians 15:58 reminds us, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” What appears to be a “chance” meeting is actually God’s providence at work. God had a plan for Ruth that would lead her to Boaz, a kinsman redeemer. Her diligence, and her obvious faith in the God of Israel, led her down the path that was mapped out by God’s providence. Daniel 4:35 says, “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” We can choose one of two paths in this lifetime. We can choose to seek God each day and diligently carry out our responsibilities, at home, at work, in the local church and trust God to reward our diligence and obedience. The other choice is to sit around and wait for something to happen, be lazy, and expect things to fall in our laps, and miss out on the blessings God wants to give us here and the ones He has in store for us when we give our account before Him (Romans 14:12). Ruth’s choice landed her in the lineage of Christ. What will we choose?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).