Monday, October 8, 2018
Follow Wise Advice
Verse of the day: Ruth 3:6, So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
There is much to be said about someone who is willing to seek advice from the right person(s). I do not believe that I have to remind any of us today that the first place, and Person, we need to turn to when we need advice is God and His Word. At least I would hope that to be the case. Nonetheless, when we go to the Lord in prayer and seek for answers in His Word, it is also fine to seek the advice of others. However, this is where we sometimes go sideways. Where, and from whom, do we seek advice? Do we seek it from those who are wiser than us in the things of God? Do we go to our peers? Do we turn to the world? One of the saddest things I hear, as a Christian, is when another Christians tells me that they have gone to a palm reader, tarot card reader or fortune teller to receive guidance or advice on a life matter. I will be straightforward and blunt. No born again child of God has any business whatsoever involving themselves with such demonic activity. Period. The command to not be unequally yoked applies to instances of advice seeking as well. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 clearly says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” By the same token, stay away from false teachers. They will tell you what they know you want to hear, for their own profit and self-exaltation. 2 Peter 2:1-3 warns, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” As God’s people, we also have no business going to the world for advice, as it offers no godly solutions. Psalm 1:1-3 tells us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Ruth was wise in obeying the counsel of her mother-in-law who was knowledgeable in the ways of the Israelites and the laws concerning the kinsman redeemer. Ruth could have easily sought the advice of someone her own age, as she interacted with the other servant women, or could have approached it in the manner she thought best, even though she knew little about the culture, compared to her mother-in-law. In 1 Kings 12, after the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam made a grave mistake when the people approached him about easing up on the burdensome service Solomon had put on them. Rehoboam initially took the proper steps to seek advice from the elders, who gave him wise advice. However, in his determination to do and hear what he wanted, he then went to his peers for advice. He unwisely chose the advice of his peers and the result was that the kingdom was split in two (the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah). We must be careful about how we go about making life decisions. The priority is always to choose that which will bring God the greatest glory and that which will not bring a blemish to our testimony as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. We may not always like the answers we get from God and godly advisers, but in the end following God’s way will yield the best results. The path God chooses for us when we seek proper advice may not be easy, but it is simple…trust Him and obey.
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).
Sunday, October 7, 2018
At His Feet
Verse of the day: Ruth 3:4, Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
At first reading, this might seem like inappropriate behavior. However, we must go back to that time and remember that there are cultural norms that were understood in those days that we do not practice or understand today. In some cultures, even today, the touching of the feet is done as a sign of respect and to receive a blessing from the person whose feet we touch. It was commonly understood stood that this act of lying at someone’s feet was an act of humility and submission. A servant would lie at the master’s feet to receive further instruction. Does this remind us of another instance in God’s Word of such submission? Luke 10:38-40 tells us, “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’” Naomi, knowing that it would be Boaz’s responsibility to marry the widow of Elimelech, wisely advised her daughter-in-law Ruth to approach Boaz with humility, a man who was kind and respectable, trusting that Boaz would understand her actions toward him. We, as sinners, do not have the right to approach Jesus as if salvation is our right. It is an undeserved privilege, and one that cost Jesus His life. He willingly laid it down for us, and desires that we approach Him with humility, acknowledging and confessing that we are sinners and deserve condemnation, and with repentance humbly asking Him to save us. Naomi instructs Ruth to lie at Boaz’s feet and wait for further instruction from him. Like Ruth, and like Mary who sat at Jesus’ feet, the best place for us to be is at the feet of our Savior receiving further instruction on how to live a life that will bring Him the greatest honor. In the case of Mary, her sister Martha complained because Mary chose to be at Jesus’ feet, rather than be busy with her serving in the house. Jesus’ response to Martha is priceless. Luke 10:41-42 tells us, “And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” Where do we go when we need instruction and direction for life? Do we run to self-help books? Do we run to our friends and acquaintances who will tell us what we want to hear? Do we go to the world who knows nothing about the things of God, or do we go and sit at the feet of our Savior? Is time spent in prayer, the reading and studying of God’s Word, a priority for us, or are we distracted by the many things that the devils use to keep us from sweet fellowship with Jesus? Is spending time with the Lord and receiving His guidance a priority or does God get our leftovers? There is nothing that compares to spending the kind of time with the Lord that enables us, through the Holy Spirit, to hear His voice as we read and meditate on His Word. When in prayer He pricks our heart and reminds us of who He is and what He has done for us, nothing else will satisfy our need for intimacy with Him. When He lights the path and gives us strength to endure, as He strengthens our faith and teaches us how to trust Him more and more, what can we compare to such a privilege? There is no better place, or better way, to spend time than at our Savior’s feet. What value does wasting time in front of a computer, on our phone, or in front of the television, have when we consider all that God has for us to do for His glory? How many hours have we wasted when we could have been growing closer to the One who gave it all for us? How much time have we wasted, and consequently missed out on opportunities for Him to lead us to someone who desperately needed Him? Maybe someone who has already perished without hearing from Him one more time? One hour spent at Jesus feet will produce more for the Kingdom of God than if we spent 23 hours doing what we thought was the best thing to do. We must slow down, be still, sit at the feet of our Lord, and receive the richness of the what He wants to share with us that will draw us even closer to Him and ultimately glorify Him as we strive to become doers of His Word (James 1:22-25).
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).
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Is It for Me or Someone Else?
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).
Friday, October 5, 2018
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