A Devotional Life

Ruth 3:1-18. NIV. We recall from chapter 1 that Naomi prayed that her bereaved daughters-in-law “will find rest in the home of another husband” in Moab (1:9). Still, Ruth followed Naomi to Bethlehem where she was favoured to glean from the field of a kind guardian-redeemer, Boaz (2:3). But there is another guardian-redeemer (3:12) who is closer to Ruth and Naomi’s family than Boaz. Imagine the sense of uncertainty! So, amid such uncertainty, how would Ruth be assured of finding that rest? And like Ruth, how are we assured of rest, whatever our life’s journey? In today’s passage, Ruth is assured by Naomi’s counsel and Boaz’s promise. Naomi counseled Ruth… Bethlehem is a tiny town where everyone knows everyone (1:19), so Naomi must have known the other guardian-redeemer, especially as he was the more closely related one (3:12). Let’s call him Bob. De...

Ruth 2:1-23. NIV. In Chapter 1, Ruth shows kindness to Naomi, demonstrating God’s love for her in her time of suffering. Chapter 2 shows how God used the kindness of a close relative, Boaz (v20), to reward and favour Ruth for her faith—“taking refuge in God.” Ruth took refuge in God… Earlier in Chapter 1, we saw that Ruth, a Moabite widow, insisted on returning to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law (1:4-5, 1:16-18, 1:22), although Moabites were enemies of Israel (Judges 3:12). So why this decision? Aside from her love for her mother-in-law, Chapter 2 shows that Ruth had “come to take refuge” in God (v12). She found faith in God and declared to Naomi, “…your God my God” (1:16). This declaration meant a different way of living, so rather than stay in Moab—where God is rejected, she returned with Naomi to live in Bethlehem—the house o...

Ruth 1:1-22 NIV. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas break. Happy New Year! The Book of Ruth has been called the most beautiful short story ever written because of its simple narrative. A narrative that shows how God’s provision for our needs or challenges is often woven into the simple acts of human kindness. Chapter 1 shows the kindness of a daughter-in-law, Ruth, to her mother-in-law, Naomi (v8, 16, 22), and we’ll see God at work through that. But first, the passage sets the context by introducing us to Naomi’s loss… Naomi lost her family… When Naomi (which means pleasant) is first introduced, we are told of her loss. A woman in a foreign land who lost her family (v1-5). She feels bitter, empty and afflicted by the Lord (v21). Why so? …Because Naomi knows Israel’s God to be the Almighty—Sovereign. He can bring famine to a disobedient Israel (v1) a...

Revelation 5:13, 22:1-5. [Series on: The Blessed] Scriptures associate "blessed" with disciples, creation, the church, and God. But often, when associated with God, we see the phrase "blessed forever". The passage in Revelation uses eternal worship and reward to show us God's eternal blessedness. Eternal worship The passage (in Rev 5:13) records the very words of every creature in heaven and on earth at the sight of God—at the throne of the Father and the Lamb (Jesus); "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!" This truth about God being blessed forever is echoed throughout Scripture (Psalms 89:52, 113:2, Romans 9:5, 2 Corinthians 11:31). This conveys the eternal worship due to God. It also speaks of God as the source of eternal reward/blessings. Eternal reward ...

Psalm 133:1-3. [Series on: The Blessed] Have you ever gone to a place before and thought, gush, that place or people is so full of life–in a good way? That’s how David, the writer of the passage, describes God’s people living in unity—the Church. Verse 1 says it is good and pleasant, and verse 3b says God blesses it. We see this pattern in the first creation story, where God says that creation is good and then blesses it (Genesis 1:21–22). So, God’s people living in unity here is a creation story—a new creation. Verses 2–3a show that this new creation is good because of a relationship involving one head—symbolised by Aaron’s head (v2) and a high mountain, Mount Hermon (v3b). This new creation is blessed because of the head above it. The New Testament tells us that this new creation of God’s people with one head is called the Church (1 Peter 2:10, Ephesians 5:23, 1 Corinthians 12:27). The head is Christ, fr...

Genesis 1:20-28. [Series on: The Blessed] Usually, when you go to the zoo, there are sections of the zoo that people don’t stand too long to watch as they give an icky feeling. But then there is the section that everyone likes, like the penguin section. I like the penguin section, too! Scriptures refer to God’s creation as blessed. The passage tells the creation story. We see God’s goodness in creation, even with its variety and contrasting elements. All God made was good, yes, the icky ones, too (v24). And He blessed His creation (v22, 28). Although we live in a fallen world due to sin, we also live in a blessed world—blessed from the very beginning and sustained by the God of covenant and faithfulness (Genesis 1:22,28; Genesis 8:21-9:1). In the Psalms, David repeatedly refers to God’s blessed creation in wonder. He expresses that we are so blessed and… Undeserving of it. “What is man that yo...