Give God a Chance

Responding To God's Grace

God is Faithful

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Spared

John 21:18 New International Version

18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted, but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.

For Reflection

When we were young, we spent much of our time and energy in trying to make our lives productive and secure. We invested ourselves in our spouses, jobs, social obligations, and constructing comfortable experiences for our children. We became so engrossed in our endeavors; it was as though we hardly took time to breathe. We worked hard and played hard and experienced pain and pleasure.

It is precisely how we needed to be in the early stages of our lives. This preoccupation hardly left time for merely living. We feared to venture into unfamiliar ways of resolving the growing dissatisfaction which resulted from the grinding progression of our lives. Sadly, some of us never left this self-absorbed state.

Because of the stresses and sufferings of our earlier lives, we began to understand the limitations of that life. At that point, when you realize there must be something else that makes life worth living, God nudges you forward. The root of your divine creation finds fertile soil in your discontent. In this confluence of dissatisfaction in your status quo and your soul's drive to trust the reality of your participation in God's creation, you will find your calling to become the human God has intended for you.

When you realize that you cannot control, explain, or fix this uneasiness, God will draw you into a radical union with God's creation.

Pray

Pray, read scripture, and contemplate the paths that will lead you into the peace that passes all understanding -- the rest you have been seeking. Listen for God's call in all of God's creation. Pray and take a chance on God.


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Why Spared From Destruction?

Responding To God's Grace

God is Faithful

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Spared

Genesis 19:24-26 New International Version

24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

For Reflection

To those who feared the Lord, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not a capricious act.  So grave was the wickedness that God not only annihilated the city and its inhabitants but also destroyed all life surrounding the town. Lot's wife in disobedience to God's instruction, looked back and she too, chose death.

What might have caused God to be so angered? God created humans in such a way that they could share a part of God's divinity.  So to reject that spark of divinity in their souls was an insult to God and a rejection of the fullness of their human potential for righteousness and the stewardship of each other in divine harmony as God had intended.

God spared those who would choose to maintain their commitment to serve God and each other. Those who ignored a covenantal relationship chose death instead of life in a divine collaboration with their maker.

Pray

Give thanks to God, who listens to the righteous in divine dialogue.  Pray so that you respond to the divine spark which resides within you.


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False Teachers

Responding To God's Grace

God is Faithful

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Spared

2 Peter 2:1-10 New International Version

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

For Reflection

To become absent of sin, while attractive, cannot be fully achieved except through the right relationship with the Creator. Many will tell you that this or that action is sinful without mentioning the root cause of that sin. Some who speak in God's name will commit atrocities to rid the world of sin. They miss the point. They conflate love with hate.

They confuse justice with punishment. They and those who follow these self-appointed spokespeople will self destruct.

A Christian's role is not to rid the world of sin but to heal those who suffer from the absence of a relationship with their maker.

Pray

Pray so that you will abide in the way of Jesus Christ. Pray so that you can honor the divinity of your creation. Pray so that you can keep your eye on the will of God.


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Noah and Lot

Responding To God's Grace

God is Faithful

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Spared

Luke 17:26-30 New International Version

26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting, and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

For Reflection

Wars surround us. We are drawn into bitter conflict. Children are maliciously separated from their parents. The poor are underserved. We engage in sex trafficking. Governments are corrupt. In this twenty-second century, we are as unable to exercise global justice as we were at the time of Noah and Lot. From the lowest social-economic group to the privileged, all are guilty of wickedness. By standing idly by, we are complicit. We complain about the rats and the lizards only to become them.

We are surprised and flummoxed by the stories of God's course corrections. In our sense of false security and sensuousness, we fail to change our ways. We sing and dance in celebration of our human triumphs and never give a thought that lauding our victories is nothing but empty braying. We die at our own hands and God weeps.

These stories and others reveal God's grace. The day Lot left Sodom, righteousness left with him. But the eternal will of God remained.

Pray

Pray so that will respond to the Grace that God has given you. Be quiet. Listen for the wisdom ancient scriptures have to offer. Examine your life and let Christ guide you into righteousness.


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Spared!

Picture:  https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/03/world/gallery/europes-refugee-crisis/index.htm,l Christian Buttner

Responding To God's Grace

God is Faithful

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Spared

Genesis 19:15-25 The Message

15 At break of day, the angels pushed Lot to get going, “Hurry. Get your wife and two daughters out of here before it’s too late and you’re caught in the punishment of the city.”
16-17 Lot was dragging his feet. The men grabbed Lot’s arm, and the arms of his wife and daughters—God was so merciful to them!—and dragged them to safety outside the city. When they had them outside, Lot was told, “Now run for your life! Don’t look back! Don’t stop anywhere on the plain—run for the hills or you’ll be swept away.”
18-20 But Lot protested, “No, masters, you can’t mean it! I know that you’ve taken a liking to me and have done me an immense favor in saving my life, but I can’t run for the mountains—who knows what terrible thing might happen to me in the mountains and leave me for dead. Look over there—that town is close enough to get to. It’s a small town, hardly anything to it. Let me escape there and save my life—it’s a mere wide place in the road.”
21-22 “All right, Lot. If you insist. I’ll let you have your way. And I won’t stamp out the town you’ve spotted. But hurry up. Run for it! I can’t do anything until you get there.” That’s why the town was called Zoar, that is, Smalltown.
23 The sun was high in the sky when Lot arrived at Zoar.
24-25 Then God rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah—a river of lava from God out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground.

For Reflection

How many times when you survived a near-death experience or got a lucky break, did you remark, "Thank God we survived." We hardly ever have a second thought about those who may have been less fortunate. But, many survivors of tragedy are haunted by the question, Why did I survive?"

The people at the time of this scripture justified the death and destruction of Sodom as divine punishment. As a descendant of Abraham and Sarah, Lot and his family were protected by the covenant God made with Abraham.

Pray

Thank God, for the gift of Grace that was confirmed by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Pray and contemplate your God's saving grace and renew your trust in your covenantal relationship with God through Christ.


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Masters and Slaves

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Marriage a Covenant of Mutual Love

Ephesians 6:5-9 The Message

5-8 Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.
9 Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.

For Reflection

Whatever your vocation or for whomever you work, do your best to serve your employer and your God. Employers\managers\supervisors, your position power does not warrant the abuse of your employees.

Pray
Thank God, for the work with which you have been entrusted. Pray and know that God makes no distinction among workers and managers.


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Children of Light

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Marriage a Covenant of Mutual Love

Ephesians 5:6-20 Amplified Bible

6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin]. 7 So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]. 8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [live as those who are native-born to the Light] 9 (for the fruit [the effect, the result] of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation]. 11 Do not participate in the worthless and unproductive deeds of darkness, but instead expose them [by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character]; 12 for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts], for [a]it is light that makes everything visible. 14 For this reason, He says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.”
15 Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 [b]making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him. 19 [c]Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, [offering praise by] singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

For Reflection

Accepting a covenantal relationship to God admits that your soul will be ignited with the light of the Spirit.  Your soul will yearn for justice. You will be freed to heed the guidance of Christ that lives within you. You will know that the will of God is that all things will be made right. You will find yourself resting, at peace in times of turmoil.

Pray

Thank God for all things God makes right.


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Serve the Lord

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Marriage a Covenant of Mutual Love

Joshua 24:19-28 Amplified Bible

19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord[if you serve any other gods], for He is a holy God; He is a [a]jealous God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]. He will not forgive your transgression [of His law] or your sins. 20 If you do abandon (reject) the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume and destroy you after He has done you good.” 21 The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve [only] the Lord.” 22 Joshua then said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now then, remove the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your hearts toward the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will listen to and obey His voice.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance at Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was in [the courtyard of] the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Joshua then said to all the people, “Look, this stone shall serve as a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that [afterward] you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to [the territory of] his inheritance.

For Reflection

A covenant among people of God is like a marriage. Accepting one's place in the family of God means that one commits oneself to the rule of love and abstains from any form of idolatry. In this capacity, one resists the laws and conventions of societal and cultural wisdom and accepts the wisdom that derives from the God of love, compassion, and forgiveness.

 Pray

Pray about all things.  Pray and listen to the wisdom of God in scripture and counsel. Pray and act kindly with compassion and leave judgment to God.


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Marriage, A Covenant of Mutual Love

Living in Covenant

Marriage a Covenant of Mutual Love

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

Partners from Creation

Genesis 2:18-24 Amplified Bible 

18 Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [a "helpmeet"} [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] [a]suitable and complementary for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her andpresented her to the man. 23 Then Adam said,
“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

For Reflection

"Man is created a social animal. His full powers cannot be developed by physical and mental work alone; nor his moral being by self-discipline in solitude. His faculties and his character require to be expanded and beautified by the duties of domestic and social life, as a member of a family, as a friend, as a fellow-worker, as a citizen. To be alone is not “good”; it does not promote his fullest life, or his best service.
The word “meet” means “suitable,” or “adapted to.” The Lord God will make for man a “help” corresponding to his moral and intellectual nature, supplying what he needs, the counterpart of his being.

“Help meet,” which has become a recognized English word, fails to give the full sense of this passage from which it is derived. Man will find help from that which is in harmony with his own nature, and, therefore, able adequately to sympathize with him in thought and interests. It is not identity, but harmony, of character which is suggested"*

*Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/2-18.htm

Pray

Thank God, your maker, for the those who are your "helpmeets."


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Ruth and Boaz Marry

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ruth 4:13-17 The Message

13 Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. Boaz slept with her. By God’s gracious gift, she conceived and had a son.
14-15 The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without a family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!”
16 Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot.
17 The neighborhood women started calling him “Naomi’s baby boy!” But his real name was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse, the father of David.

For Reflection

The story of God working through his creation is one of an endless number of human and cosmic interwoven lines. The confluences of those lines at first glance seem coincidental. But God's will is driven by God's divine evolutionary design. God's will is that we embrace the elegance and beauty of his plan and live in harmony with the creation. 

Pray

Pray so that you are confident in the will of God. Pray so that you can realize the peace, joy, and beauty of life fulfilled in God.


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Naomi's Property, Ruth

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ruth 4:9-12 The Message

9-10 Boaz then addressed the elders and all the people in the town square that day: “You are witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion, and Mahlon, including responsibility for Ruth the foreigner, the widow of Mahlon—I’ll take her as my wife and keep the name of the deceased alive along with his inheritance. The memory and reputation of the deceased are not going to disappear out of this family or from his hometown. To all this, you are witnesses this very day.”
11-12 All the people in the town square that day, backing up the elders, said, “Yes, we are witnesses. May God make this woman who is coming into your household like Rachel and Leah, the two women who built the family of Israel. May God make you a pillar in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem! With the children God gives you from this young woman, may your family rival the family of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah.”

For Reflection

Boaz is a man of God; wise in his judgment, fair, and generous.  God was working wonders through him.

God will also work miracles through us. Remembering who you are, a child of God, will accelerate the realization of the will of God.

Pray

Pray often and long so that you remember your origins in God's realm. Pray so that you remain humble and appreciate God's gift of your life.


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Husbands and Wives

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

1 Peter 3:1-12 The Message (MSG)

Cultivate Inner Beauty

3 1-4 The same goes for you, wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
4-6 Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way,and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
7 The same goes for you, husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women, they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

Suffering for Doing Good

8-12 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
    listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
    on those who do evil things.

For Reflection

Marriage is a covenant between spouses that is sanctified by God. It is a life of mutual care, and suffering. It is a union where each sacrifices for the other and that when cultivated is an expression of love and beauty. Not all interactions will be smooth. However, when one encounters difficulties, one wise to follow the advice of Peter.

Pray

Pray together, often and long, so that you have the skill to reap the joy and blessings of a lifetime commitment to your partner.


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Status of Divorced Women

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 The Message (MSG)

24 1-4 If a man marries a woman and then it happens that he no longer likes her because he has found something wrong with her, he may give her divorce papers, put them in her hand, and send her off. After she leaves, if she becomes another man’s wife and he also comes to hate her and this second husband also gives her divorce papers, puts them in her hand, and sends her off, or if he should die, then the first husband who divorced her can’t marry her again. She has made herself ritually unclean, and her remarriage would be an abomination in the Presence of God and defile the land with sin, this land that God, your God, is giving you as an inheritance.

For Reflection

How we understand divorce in the reading of the old testament presents us with a dilemma.  In modern society, how is one to understand God's will for divorced people?

"Here’s a quick thought for you: the lineage of Christ recorded in Matthew 1 lists a prostitute (Rahab, who eventually married Salmon), an adulterous couple (David, who married Bathsheba after having her husband murdered), and a widow (who married her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz). I find it very interesting that there are three women who were remarried in the direct lineage of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Can we say grace?"*

Jesus Christ has shown us the redeeming will of God.  Christ lives in all of us.  Given a chance, Christ will help us set all things right.

*https://www.crosswalk.com/family/marriage/3-beautiful-truths-every-divorced-christian-needs-to-know.html
Pray
Pray often. Give Christ the chance to set things right.  Ask for redemption and you will receive it.


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God's Chosen Bride

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ezekiel 16:8-14 The Message
8-14 “‘I came by again and saw you, saw that you were ready for love and a lover. I took care of you, dressed you, and protected you. I promised you my love and entered the covenant of marriage with you. I, God, the Master, gave my word. You became mine. I gave you a good bath, washing off all that old blood, and anointed you with aromatic oils. I dressed you in a colorful gown and put leather sandals on your feet. I gave you linen blouses and a fashionable wardrobe of expensive clothing. I adorned you with jewelry: I placed bracelets on your wrists, fitted you out with a necklace, emerald rings, sapphire earrings, and a diamond tiara. You were provided with everything precious and beautiful: with exquisite clothes and elegant food, garnished with honey and oil. You were absolutely stunning. You were a queen! You became world-famous, a legendary beauty brought to perfection by my adornments. Decree of God, the Master.

For Reflection

In spite of the disappointments that God may have experienced with God's chosen people, God loves his people.  In this p0etic passage, God's covenant with Israel is described as one would describe a wedding vow. It is an extravagant, lavish outpouring of adoration, devotion, and protection as a man might give a woman with whom he is deeply in love. 
God loves God's creation and God's people deeply.

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the love that knows no boundaries and no end. Pray so that you can honor the love of God for you.


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Boaz Welcome's Ruth

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ruth 2:5-13 The Message

5 Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farmhands, “Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?”
6-7 The foreman said, “Why, that’s the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. ‘Let me glean,’ she said, ‘and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.’ She’s been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break.”
8-9 Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: “Listen, my daughter. From now on don’t go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don’t worry about a thing; I’ve given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled.”
10 She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. “How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?”
11-12 Boaz answered her, “I’ve heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you’ve done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you’ve come seeking protection under his wings.”
13 She said, “Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don’t deserve it. You’ve touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don’t even belong here!”

For Reflection

The Holy Spirit resided in and animated Boaz.  His compassion and grace made his judgment just and fair.  Could it be that Ruth's loyalty and compassion was also a result of the resident Holy Spirit in her? God resides in each of us. It's the way God made us. Some listen to the Holy Spirit and some do not.

Pray

Pray often so that you will be animated by the Christ in you.  Pray so that you can see the Christ in all people.  Pray so that you can judge in grace and compassion.


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Return to Bethlehem

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ruth 1:19-22 The Message

18-19 When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.
When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was soon buzzing: “Is this really our Naomi? And after all this time!”
20-21 But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn’t. The Strong One ruined me.”
22 And so Naomi was back, and Ruth the foreigner with her, back from the country of Moab. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

For Reflection

Naomi's perception of her circumstance was damaged by the commonly accepted belief in a punitive God. She blames God for her predicament and is bitter.  But barley isn't the only thing God working through his people will harvest.

Pray

Pray prayers of thanksgiving for the God of love who restores us to a realization of who we are, children of God.


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Naomi's Husband and Sons

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant

Ruth 1:1-5 New International Version

Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons

1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah, and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

For Reflection

The Judges in those days were not particularly inclined toward God-centered judgment. "After the death of their father, the two sons married Moabite women. This [marriages between Jews and outsiders] was a violation of the Mosaic law (De 7:3; 23:3; Ezr 9:2; Ne 13:23); and Jewish writers say that the early deaths of both the young men were divine judgments inflicted on them for those unlawful connections."*

How many times have you read that the ancient people connected bad judgment and natural disasters with the wrath of God? Is our God the god of both good and evil? Or was seeing such events as punishment? Was this a way of enforcing the Law without compassion? Could it be that God sent his son to show us the folly of unjust legalistic enforcement of the Law is not the way of God? Didn't the life of Jesus show us that compassion could trump the law? 

Perhaps because we suffer, we are awakened to the error of our ways, and then God can correct our understanding of God's will and God's desire that even though we are imperfect humans, we can live joy-filled lives and accept our restoration in Christ.

Isn't the story of Ruth one of death to old life and resurrection into a new way of living?
*Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Pray
Pray often about all things and listen for the course corrections whispered from the Christ who resides in you.


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Ruth

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant Covenant

Deuteronomy 25:5-10 New International Version

5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

For Reflection

The Law is intended to bring order to chaos.  In this case, it also is designed to keep the bloodlines of the families intact and to protect the distribution of the family resources. "Spit in the face" could also be interpreted as "Spit on the ground." In any case, it was intended as an insult. The magistrate kept the sandal as a sign of the younger brother's defiance. The covenant between the family members protected the widow from having no family to support her.  

Pray

Pray for those whose families are not engaged in a covenant of love. Pray for those who lose civil protection and suffer greatly because of it. Pray for the socially aware who come to the aid of those who find themselves in devastating predicaments.


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Protecting Widows

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Mother-Daughter Covenant 

Deuteronomy 24:17-22 The Message
17-18 Make sure foreigners and orphans get their just rights. Don’t take the cloak of a widow as security for a loan. Don’t ever forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God, your God, got you out of there. I command you: Do what I’m telling you.
19-22 When you harvest your grain and forget a sheaf back in the field, don’t go back and get it; leave it for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow so that God, your God, will bless you in all your work. When you shake the olives off your trees, don’t go back over the branches and strip them bare—what’s left is for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. And when you cut the grapes in your vineyard, don’t take every last grape—leave a few for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. Don’t ever forget that you were a slave in Egypt. I command you: Do what I’m telling you.

For Reflection
When one is transformed by the Holy Spirit, one becomes sensitive to the needs of others. It is not a matter of understanding and obeying the rules.  Instead, a concern for the equitable distribution of one's resources and the well being of others is inherent in one's perception of one's authentic self; the self into which one was born.

Righteousness becomes as natural as breathing.  One acts not on the expectation of a reward or to avoid God's wrath.  One acts as a result of a face-to-face relationship with God.

Pray

Pray that you will be able to share a portion of your resources for meeting the basic human needs of others.  Pray for those who suffer and act on their behalf.

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David and Jonathan Separate

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Covenant betweenFriends

1 Samuel 20:35-42 New International Version
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36, and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

For Reflection

The love that bound Jonathan and David was a divine union of one to the other.  The covenant also extended to the families of each. Their covenant wiped away any potential hate or vengeance for Saul's action.

Are we faithful to our deepest loyalities? Are we open to what Christ is doing and saying, moving us a new sense of commitment to the will of God? 

Pray

Pray so that you will respond to the Christ that resides in you,  Pray and commit yourself anew to Jesus and the Word that animates you.


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David and Jonathan Rendezvous

Living in Covenant

A Personal Perspective

Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) 

A Covenant betweenFriends

1 Samuel 20:18-23 New International Version

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”

For Reflection

This story about trust.  Jonathan and David share no ordinary bond of trust. Their trust of each other is endorsed and witnessed by God.   The security of the chosen depends upon David's success.  David's life depends upon Jonathan's integrity.  The progress of humankind depends upon God's trust in the covenant between Jonathan and David. What covenants of trust are you a part of that has God as a witness?  The answer, "All of them!"

Pray

Pray for the wisdom to engage in life as a sacred Covenant among each other and remember that the realization of the Kingdom is dependent upon each of us not violating the divine trust God has in us.


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