Believers Church
WHAT FIELD ARE YOU IN? PART 1 01/31/2010
What Field Are You In? Part 1 Ruth 1:1-2 Elimelech’s decision was based on his sight and on his fear. He alone made the decision to mortgage his inheritance and risk his eternal soul to save his life and the life of his family. Luke 17:33 Tells us that whosoever seeks to save his life will lose it. Hebrews 12:15-16 Our inheritance is priceless. Turning from it will death to us as well. We can’t stay away long or our hearts will harden against God. Ruth 1:3-5 The famine that was in Judah was because of disobedience. Wouldn’t God have him and his family to endure this hardship just like the others? Yes, He would. He is a believer disobeying God, by doing things his way. We cannot escape judgment. 1 Peter 4:17 Judgment begins at the house of God. We are like Elimelech, we want to blame God for the consequences that we brought on ourselves. Suppose that we today can relate to this story. What if we did go the wrong way trying to fix things? Have you noticed when we do this that it is only a temporary fix. Now your troubles have increased. We will change jobs, take out new loans, and open new credit cards that we don’t need. We want to change our spouses like we do our new cars and new homes. We’re never satisfied with our grass on this side of Jordan. So at the first sign of trouble we attempt to run away from our chastisement. Proverbs 3:5-13 God is on your side, it doesn’t matter what you have done, it doesn’t matter where you have gone. Trust in Him, endure the chastening of the Lord. If you are His child all He wants is for you to turn around completely and come home. He is waiting to restore you. Ruth 1:6-18 Naomi had suffered great loss. She knew that the only thing that she could do was to return to her native land. She probably knew that her daughters-in-law would not be welcomed. No offspring of a marriage with a Moabite would be admitted to the congregation until the tenth generation. What a mess, what should she do? She offers them their freedom to return unto their land. What are we offering God? Maybe what we’re offering isn’t what He wants. Here we’re trying to fix things like Naomi was. Naomi felt that God was against her. She felt afflicted to the point of a name change. Naomi means “pleasant” and Mara means “bitter”. She was blessed and now she is cursed. Naomi could not see because of her pain, but Ruth learned and watched her in her trial and she could see the love Naomi hade for her God. So Ruth decides to follow the Lord by following Naomi back to her home. All of this is part of God’s plan. He is always working things out. We disobey and He creates a new path. All we have to do is trust Him that He knows what is best for us. This is all that Naomi had, she didn’t know what lied ahead for Ruth and herself. All she knew was that she had to come home. Psalms 116:6-10 We have all walked in the place where Naomi was. Maybe you’re there right now. The Lord will keep you from falling. The first step was to turn around and come back to the Lord. Watch and see what He will do! Ruth 2: 1-13 When Naomi came home she told Ruth of a family member who could act on her behalf to recover her husband’s inheritance. Who acted on our behalf to recover all that was stolen from us? Naomi and Boaz were related, they were family. Who are we family to? As Boaz had the right of redemption he was not under any obligation to intervene on Ruth’s behalf. Ruth was considered a gentile. There is no way that Ruth happened up in the right field. She was lead by God to the right place. We are being positioned into the right place. In the right field Ruth had protection and provision. She was able to care for her mother-in-law as she had promised. As we turn and step back into the Lord’s will for our lives, He will enable us to keep our commitment to Him. Boaz was watching her personal humility and godliness as one who had come to trust in the God of Israel. She didn’t understand why she had found favor in her master’s eyes. He told her that the Lord would repay her in a full reward. Our Father has placed us in the right field to receive a full reward. When we endure suffering with an attitude of gratefulness that He is willing to deal with us. Then and only then will we know, and also God knows, the true intent of our hearts. Hebrews 12:11-13 The field represents a time of testing, a time of chastening. It will yield the fruit needed to come out of the field . Church we are coming out! Ruth 2:14-23 Ruth is experiencing relationship, she is experiencing abundance that others are not entitled to. Naomi is excited and is having hope of her own restoration. In the right field everything becomes clear. Naomi’s advice to her was to stay close to the handmaidens of Boaz and not to be found in the wrong field. Naomi knew firsthand what that meant. Learn, Listen, and Obey. Don’t do anything else to help the situation. Elimelech went to the wrong field and it cost him everything. Naomi wasn’t about to let that happen again. Have we had enough of being in the wrong field? Boaz is a form of Jesus, this kindness shown to Ruth is the only account in the old testament where He had extended His kindness to the living and to the dead. Only God has the power to give life to that which is dead. He will revive us again. CommentsLeave a Reply |
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