“Find Grace” (Ruth 2:1-2)

"And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field and clean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter" (vs1-2)

We shall find SURPRISING mercy, if we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall see God MORE gracious to us than we imagined, and He brings us down to see the hope.

I think, “God”, but in small letters, I say, “and me, too, somehow, at least”. And then, God makes you see yourself as someone who would be in hell, unless He stopped you, someone that would sin that grace might abound, or just depart from Christ COMPLETELY, and He brings you back by grace, shutting down your attempts to depart and compromise, and making Christ your eternal joy. He shows you the beauty of Christ saving SINNERS, and you glorify Him (Ps 50:15).  But, the grace that God gives doesn’t leave us in the outskirts, as we’d expect; it brings us to God, so that we can be saved by Him and ENJOY Him forever. There is a thrill in Christ Jesus, and it is the music and dancing that He gives to returning sinners (Luke 15:23).  He said, “They return, but not to the most High”, but when we do come to God in Christ, we find a God able to save, able to subdue sinful habits, and ABLE to give pleasure that we COULD NOT experience in the world [Hosea 7:16]. Yes, He gives JOY unspeakable and full of glory. He gives PEACE that passes understanding, as God fills us, instead of things (John 14:21).  A wife, a job, a car, etc, can only make you and I thankful, if we see Christ. But, seeing Christ is fullness without these other things, so that I don’t need anything else. And, when God is revealing Himself in saving love, the love that DESTROYED your attempts to destroy yourself and others, then we see God’s beauty, and it is BETTER than the best woman, the best house, and the best of everything. Give me God in His glory, and my heart is full of joy that I cannot describe, but it is real, and it must be felt.

You see people laughing, dancing, and PRAISING God, but this is the fruit of God being seen by us.  Now, seek after this beauty in Christ Jesus.

First, you and I must believe in grace, that it is ours, that it is free, that God has DONE and does EVERYTHING to save us because He loves us, even telling us “no” for our good, only (Heb 12:6).

Then, you must believe this God, in love, is yours. He is pardoning and loving towards you and means you only good. He has NO WRATH against you (Ps 103:13). He only seeks your joy, which is the joy of Christ, so He won’t let you eat poison things that look good and taste sweet for a season, but He leads us to green pastures and still waters: what is best for us.

People squander their lives and souls living for what doesn’t satisfy as much as God, so God SHAKES our foundation, destroys our sinful ambitions, and gives us, like a Father, what is best (Hos 2:13).

Submit yourself to God: He is doing you good. Believe and receive it. Know that God’s will (obedience) is BEST for you and me, and He has FAR MORE here than we thought.

Ruth thought that she’d get “some mercy”, because it was promised to her that the fields must be properly un-reaped, for the poor [Lev 19]. But, she didn’t know that she’d marry Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, even as you and I get Christ Himself, when we thought that we’d only get the outskirts of Christian service. You and I, after our sins, may still have Christ fully.  Your finances and family may have been ruined, but you and I may have God now, and that covers everything. He may not give you what you could have had in this world, but He WILL give you Christ, which makes life worth living.  He is the great and forgiving God, and He meets us in obedience, causing us to obey by His chastening hand, and then rewarding obedience with Christ and Himself, fellowshipping with us (John 14:23). Take the promise as for you, and see God FAR more loving than you could have dreamed.