Goal: Fully present in God s story. {ONE SLIDE} Shrink the Story Distracted from the Story Confused about the Story
Deceived away from the Story Faithfulness in my current scene shapes the future of the story. Ruth 1:20-2:1 Don t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, she answered, for the Almighty has made me very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has opposed me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? So Naomi came back from the territory of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. Now Naomi had a relative on her husband s side. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech s family. His name was Boaz. God is authoring a story. Ruth 2:2-3 Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor? Naomi answered her, Go ahead, my daughter. So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz Doctrine: Sovereignty & Providence 1) Nothing just happens. Elizabeth Eliot If you believe in a God who controls the big things, you have to believe in a God who controls the little things. Proverbs 16:33 (NLT) We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. Matthew 10:28-31 Don t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
2) Ordinary is always opportunity. Paul David Tripp You and I don t live in a series of big, dramatic moments. We don t careen from big decision to big decision. We all live in an endless series of little moments. The character of a life isn t set in ten big moments. The character of a life is set in ten thousand little moments of everyday life. 3) Today is the most important day. I Corinthians 7:17 Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches. WHO we are, WHAT we are, WHERE we are, & WHEN we are = divine assignment Life is bigger than my plans and more than my expectations. Ruth 2:4 Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, The Lord be with you. The Lord bless you, they replied. A) Show up in a Be a Blessing posture. Robert Murray M Cheyne "I cannot begin my work for I have not seen the face of God."
Ruth 2:5-7 Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, Whose young woman is this? The servant answered, She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. She asked, Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters? She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter. B) Practice holy alertness. Zoom in on interruptions {ONE SLIDE} Creation Fall Redemption/Restoration Mission Completion/Consummation Someone is looking for restoration that could look like an interruption to you. Ruth 2:8-14 Then Boaz said to Ruth, Listen, my daughter. Don t go and gather grain in another field, and don t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. See which field they are harvesting, and follow them When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled. She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner? Boaz answered her, Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn t previously know. May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. My lord, she said, I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants. At mealtime Boaz told her, Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce. So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over. C) Go beyond what is expected b/c of high (and holy) expectations. Matthew 5:15-16 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Ruth 2:20
And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, May he {Boaz} be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness {God s} has not forsaken the living or the dead! Ruth 4:17b they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Matthew 1:5-6 Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David.