OBEDient

I cannot even tell you how many times I have read and heard about the book of Ruth. But never once did I ever allow the true message to actually sink in...until God told me to read it again and walked me through it like I was 2. (Which I need sometimes)

If you are very familiar with the book, then you probably know what I mean, but if you aren't, then please stop reading this and go read Ruth right now, then come back to this...go ahead...we'll wait for you.

Tragedy, pain, bitterness, being forsaken, losing favor with God, feeling alone. Yes, this is what Naomi felt as she made her way back home to her people and for whatever reason Ruth followed her.

Did Ruth know why she felt so loyal to Naomi? Did she have any idea who this God she was about to follow even was? Did she question her obedience at all, or did she just "know" she needed to be there?

Praise God for faithful servants as Naomi and Ruth and praise God for those providers He has placed on earth as Boaz. Do you realize how much had to take place in order for these 3 people to come together? If not for the tragedy she faced, Naomi would have stayed in Moab. If not for her loyal heart, Ruth would not have followed. If not for the generosity and Godliness of Boaz, he would have turned away.

If none of these things had happened, do you realize that the line of our savior Jesus Christ would have been broken???

Sure, God could have implanted the seed in anyone, but He always has a plan. He knew before Boaz was even born that he and Ruth would conceive Obed, who would in turn father Jesse, who fathered David, and we all know the story from there.

WOW!!! INTENSE WAKE UP CALL! This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful messages I have read.

If you are reading this right now and you are an avid student of the Word, then you are probably having a good chuckle over me JUST coming to this, but perhaps it has never sank in with you either and you as I did, need this wake up call.

Do you get the severity of this? Naomi thought her line was done. She lost her husband and her only two sons. She even told her daughters in law to GO HOME, she said that she would never have anything to offer them, but Ruth followed Naomi, not because she thought she could remarry and give birth to the future grandfather to the nth of Jesus!! They had NO CLUE! And Boaz? Sheesh, he was just going about his business, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord and BAM! Along comes this property with a woman who would be his wife and he even said, Noooowwwwww wait just a second, TECHNICALLY I am not who you should be offering this deal to, let me check with my OTHER kinsman. But that man was not who God had chosen to father Obed.

So, when will you "give birth" to your Obed? And is it any coincidence that Obedient starts with Obed? Where in your life are you not being obedient to God? We never know where and how He is using us, but if we live each day as if we are going to be used by God to give birth to an Obed, then how much better would not only we, but this place we are stuck in until our Savior comes back be?!?!

Do you have any idea how much of an impact you COULD be making? This morning, after praying for a little girl in my 8 year old's class who has been 'not so nice' I told Spenser that we must show the love of Christ to people like this. I said to him, " You may not see a difference in her today or next week, or even at all, but how cool would it be to know that someday, when she is a mommy, she will remember the kindness that this little boy in the 3rd grade showed her even when she was not being nice, and what if she shares THAT love with her own children and it makes them great disciples of Christ? How great is THAT return on his investment in one person?

We never may know the ripple we cause, but we must always remember that through God we can move mountains and through our words, we can strike down or build up.

Is God calling you to give birth to your Obed today? Are you listening to Him, or challenging him on reasons why you cannot? Think of the impact Ruth made simply by following Naomi home. God's hand was in that from the beginning. His hand is also in your life RIGHT NOW. Even when you are in pain, alone, facing tragedy, feeling foresaken...HE IS THERE, just waiting for you to be OBEDient.