Verse of the day: Ruth 2:14, Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back.
This is an area that I had to learn to stop and consider in my younger years as a Christian. The Lord would provide extra and I would immediately begin to plan what I would do with it. Sadly, most of the time it was self-gratifying. Over the years, through solid biblical advice and insight from other godly Christians, and by simply waiting before I rashly spend or use up the blessing(s), the Lord has taught me a few lessons. The first one being that He is faithful to provide for ALL our needs, if we are willing to wait on Him and trust Him to take care of whatever need we have. Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us that we are to be anxious for nothing and seek first the Kingdom of God, and He will be faithful to provide all our needs. Over the years, when it seemed like it was the very last moment, God always came through. He teaches us that even though He does not operate on our timetable, He is never late. Jesus did not rush to heal Lazarus in John 11, and even though he was already dead when Jesus arrived, He was still right on time to bring the greatest glory to His Name by bringing Lazarus back to life. This life is not about us, it is about Him. The second thing the Lord has taught me over the years is that He often provides blessings, not for my own consumption, but for the provision of others. There are times that an unexpected blessing is for the purpose of God using us to be a blessing in the life of others. Ruth received a great blessing in a time of need. Note that when she was satisfied, she did not just think about herself. She kept some back. What did she do with what she kept back? Verses 17-18 tell us, “So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. 18 Then she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. So she brought out and gave to her what she had kept back after she had been satisfied.” There was an instance when God had provided extra, materially, and as I was celebrating the “extra”, I received a call from my mom asking for help with a need. Amazingly, on this particular occasion, she needed the exact amount that I was holding in my hand (even though she had no idea I had just received it). You never know when God will want to use us as a channel to bless someone else. We may be the person God uses to answer someone’s prayers. The third lesson God has taught me over the years is that He will sometimes provide for a need we did not even know was coming. There were times, while I was going to school and supporting a family, that God provided extra right before something broke down. At first, and quite often, I would complain about how we had to spend what we just received, but the more He did that, the more the Spirit kept reminding me that the purpose for the blessing was to take care of a need, even before it came and before we even asked. Matthew 6:8 reminds us, “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Because we do not always know the exact reason for the outpouring of blessings in our lives, we must get into the practice of stopping, praying, and not being in such a rush to spend the extra God provides, especially when it is unexpected. Before we waste a blessing on self, let us ask God, “Lord, what would you have me do with this?” “Is this meant for me, or am I to use this to glorify you by blessing someone else with it?” If there is any time that our faith will be tested, it will be in the area of giving back to God (by giving to others) what He has so generously, and undeservedly, given to us.
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).
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