Mr. Ed's Great- Great- Great..... Cousin

Here is a curious tale: a talking donkey and a man who simply couldn't hear. Balaam was a prophet hired to curse the tribes of Israel. The story's setting begins as he is on his way to do just that when he encounters the supernatural.  First Numbers 22:24,describes the scene as a"Narrow path between two vineyards between with walls on both sides." Then, in verse 26, we find that there is no room to turn, either to the right or left" on the path that Balaam is taking.

 Clearly, God is hemming him in, but Balaam does not sense or see it.  The donkey, a female donkey at that, first takes Balaam out of danger's path by moving off the road. It's her actions that save his life. Yet, three times Balaam beats the donkey.

Despite the fact tht donkey had saved his life and served him faithfully, he is too stubborn to recognize that God has opened the donkey's mouth to help him realize his folly. But even more amazing is that he does not recgonize how self-centetered and how blind he really is, so engrossed in his anger, the supernatural escapes his appreciation. How like me at times- so engrossed in only what interests me at the moment that I fail to recognize God's supernatural hand in the midst of my daily realities. The female donkey says, haven't I served  you all these many years, why would you think I would go off the road and disobey you? The third time she justs sits down in the road; the action seems to express this thought: if you, Balaam are intent on being destroyed, you are going to have to be destroyed by yourself. If you want to be destroyed, you will do it by yourself."
In fact, God's angel said, "I would rather have killed you and spared the donkey."
How could Balaam not recognize the hand of God? Balaam is stuck, mentally and spiritually. God opened his spiritual eyes and ears. Many people have carried burden and have become embittered  because they don't believe that God has seen their suffering. If God cares about a donkey, He cares about us. He will not leave us alone, and it may take awhile, but He will vindicate us like He did the donkey. Mulling these thoughts over, MJ

Judas: A Betrayer in Our Midst

When did Judas' heart turn toward hatred? Was it hatred? Was it a love grown cold? How does one become apostate?  Psalm 41:19  foreshadows Judas' betrayal in the Psalmist David's words, "Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me." What does betrayal mean? Does it mean to abandon, to turn my back on someone when he needs me most?

Matthew 6:61, Jesus asks the penetrating question: "So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”  “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him."     Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, but He loved him anyway. Can I love my Judas?  

  

Even while sharing the Passover meal with His Messiah, breaking bread which signifies covenant and solidarity, "During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him" (John 12:32). He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:14-16). How many times does money separate friends?  "He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it" (John 12:6).

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, a sign of  affection. How many times do I betray with a kiss, with a seeming sign of affection, but my heart is full of anger and murder: "And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him." (Mark 14:43-45).

After his betrayal, he wanted to redeem his choice. He tried to return the money to the priests:

“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers " (Matt. 27:3-10).

Unfortunately, Judas had ungodly, rather than godly sorrow, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 12:7).In the death of that betrayal friendship, God has a new one:  "May his days be few; may another take his office!" (Psalm 109:8).

When we betray God, no place is found for us in the kingdom. If we are ashamed of Christ, He declares that He will not acknowledge before His father. Ouch.

Betrayal Stinks,
MJ

Rejection and Fools Gold!

What do you want in a spouse? What do you want in a friend? These questions are not merely rhetorical. I’m sure I sound like a short-order cook, but I am feeling more like an old-time miner. Rejection is like that pan that those old-timers used to sift through the dirty water and debris in order to find the gold nuggets hidden in the river’s bottom.

As I have been dealt some blows, the worth in my relationships have become brilliantly clear to me like gold ore shining in the light of the sun as it beats on the shallow water depths in that miner’s pan. The fool's gold proves to be true to its name. It looks like the real-thing until adversity takes a bite out of the relationship. I hope you can learn from my experiences. So, go back and answer those questions, will you? Now, ask yourself what kind of friend and spouse do you want to become. Interestingly, rejection will get you closer to the person you want to see in the mirror.

I know rejection can be a good teacher. In fact, I have written in my blog about rejection before. Recent events had led me to a deeper revelation: the longer the rejection, the greater the impunity of its effects, the greater the call God has on one’s life. Think about it. Moses spent forty years in the desert after trying to rescue a couple Israelites from destroying each other. He ended up shepherding some gnarly sheep for forty years. All those years were a mere set-up for forty years with the true gnarly sheep, the nation of Israel. He obviously learned his lesson because he often found himself face down before G-d Himself. 

 That’s what people’s rejection can do for you- it can drive you to your knees making you the most-humble man or woman, an awesome intercessor, a friend of God, one who abides in His presence, and sees and carries His glory. YAHOO! Don’t let people drive you away from you’re Abba. Instead, run like crazy to Him and hide the tabernacle of His praise when you find yourself holding onto a piece of fool's gold.

Let’s look at Caleb, whose unceremonious name means dog. That’s got to bite. Pun intended. But he had the last laugh. He was one of two who made it into the Promise Land of the original people who left Egypt (Numbers 14:29-30; 26:64-65; 32:11-12).  Moreover, when God spoke of him, he said that His servant Caleb had a different kind of spirit. It takes a different kind of spirit to believe God when everyone else doubts.

Caleb was a warrior; despite the fact that he was a descendant of Esau, he grabbed a possession with the rest of Israel. He fought bravely claiming, "I am eighty and I am strong as when we first left Egypt." Wow! He took the name dog and rose up with a legacy that few have ever matched. So much for rejection:

"Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD"  (Deuteronomy 1:35-36).

The truth was that Caleb was an intercessor and a buffer for the people; he “quieted the people before Moses," and said, “Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). He resolutely proclaimed “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us” (Numbers 14:8). In his attempt to motivate the people to go up and possess the land which God had promised (Genesis 17:8), he insisted stirred up the people's wrath to the point that they wanted to kill him (Numbers 14:10). Imagine that! Believing God and exhorting people to believe was worthy of the death penalty. Truly, going back to Egypt was fool's gold, but trusting in God was where they real value lie, and Caleb knew it.  God declared, " But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it" (Numbers 14:24).

Listen friend, when God accepts you, the whole world must shut its mouth like it did before Caleb. What does rejection offer you: resiliency, courage, and undivided devotion to whom and what matters most- you remember those gold nuggets the next time you hear a door shut in your face. I must tell you that I believe that the greatest gift that rejection provides is the ability to love people who have wounded and hurt you and the ability to extend grace because you have received grace and mercy straight from the throne room.

A Fellow-Miner,

MJ
I would like to acknowledge Francine Rivers for her insightful work on the life Caleb and Ginger Garrett for her exhortation on the purpose of rejection.

Paper or Plastic?

We’ve all heard the expressions to get "sacked."  You know it’s the football term that descriptively portrays the brutal force of someone hitting another on the field of play, or it can signify a job loss. But we can be 'sacked' emotionally as well. I have been doing quite a bit of sacking lately- emotionally packing up people and relationships that don’t quite suit anymore. Disappoint me- in the sack, you go to be discarded like last month’s left over lasagna. Plastic for that; it's wet and messy- not to mention,  less smelly that way.
 
Paper; now, it’s recyclable. Hard break for the first time. There is paper for that. After things have hardened a bit, it won’t run and make a mess. Paper holds hard and crusty things well, things like an embittered heart.   Paper will stain and leave an odor. But who cares?

Only God throws away best. He throws our sins into the sea of forgetfulness to remember them no more:   "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea"  (Micah 7:19). He does not give us what we deserve.

Now,  I could be like my Daddy, the Great Garbage Collector, throw away my offenders' sins, my pettiness, etc… But what would be the fun in that?

When we keep things in bags, we are tempted to take them out and peek at them. We don’t deserve mercy, but we receive it.  Jesus tells the story of a miserly man who owed the king an exorbitant sum of money. The king forgave the debt and released the man.  When he was released from debtor's prison, he went out and right away found another servant of the king to put the 'squeeze' on. He was ready to 'sack' his fellow-worker:

Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.  When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’  The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’  "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’  He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.  Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.  Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’   His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.  So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds (Matt. 18:23-35).
 
When we shrink-wrap our hearts, we keep out more than we keep in our plastic bags. The miserly servant lost more than he gained by demanding that his fellow servant pay him what was due. This story reminds me that  what needs to make its way into the trashcan are our bitter feelings. We might say, "well, they sinned too." True, their sin is not correct, but neither is our attitude. I want forgiveness more than I want to be right. I hope you feel the same way.
 
A Forgiven Servant,
M.J.

　

So, the next time you or I feel the need to sack someone- let’s not take it to them physically or emotionally. Let’s take those bitter feelings alone to the trashcan.  Remember, he who has been forgiven much must forgive much (Luke 7:47).

EYE Candy

When we think about the person we want to marry, is it the outer appearance or their inner beauty we crave? I have a friend who is newly married; the troubles he had with his wife before marriage have recently resurfaced. Both are believers, although one wonders, given the conduct they  have recently exhibited.

You see before marriage, his wife had a problem with fidelity; marriage does not stop that problem, sanctification does. Or take another person whose husband struggles with anger; the roots of his anger weren't dealt with before marriage, and so they are coming up again, but this time focused on his children.

I call it the Eye Candy syndrome. The person looks good on the outside, but the inside is really not 'put together at all.' Oh, that amber-eyed long-lashed doll looks good on your arm, but her propensity to overspend and inability to take correction, well, those are matters of the heart.

When God was looking to replace the tall impressive Saul as king, he told Samuel these words: "But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). Thus, God chose a stinky, ruddy shepherd-boy whose heart was wholly His to be king over His people. Hmm, matters of the heart are close to God's heart and appear to be His only agenda.

See Eye Candy looks good, but there is no substance. So when I need stability, maturity, and integrity,  I won't find it there. When I need someone to move in the opposite spirit and forgive, take the first step in reconciliation, Eye Candy simply can't.

These notions have made me stop and ponder if I really want to marry. Because I simply can not imagine giving up the freedom of serving God without the nuisance of  Eye Candy on my arm. Sure, Eye Candy is good to look at, but what about, when I need something real and satisfying such as a piece of good fruit. You know like, "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Some of us can not say like Paul, ^"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me" (I Cor. 13:11) Actually, we still, "see only a reflection as in a mirror, and we know only in part" (v.12). See, we can have faith that God is going to change the person, and we can hope all we want, but only love remains  (v.13).  Love is sacrificial, is able to admit when wrong, and is forgiving. Eye Candy simply can't do that. Eye Candy is unwilling to die to her/his flesh. Eye Candy is unwilling to submit to Holy Ghost's teaching and redirection. In fact, s/he can't: "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law" (Galatians 5:16-18).


As I look in the mirror of self-reflection, I take out a mental pen and go down this checklist to make sure  I am not simply tasty Eye Candy: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres Love never fails." (1 Cor. 13:4-8).

 

 
We know what true love looks like: His name is Y'Shua.  Just like you, I am still learning how to daily reflect Him to others.
 
Yours truly,
M.J.

Friend

How did I not know the meaning of Ruth's name? It is so obvious. Her name means 'friend.' Dah! I only learned her name two weeks when I sat across from a "Ruth." She truly was a friend to all whom she met. Was I too distracted by all the diva drama of Naomi? You know that don't call me Naomi or pleasant drama; call me bitter or Marah. All of that drama kind of detracts from Ruth because of her pain. I bless God for friends; during a recent heated time of spiritual warfare and personal attack on my very being, some very special friends stood (you know who you are) and my sister stood with me back to back as I fought Satan.

Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:21). So what does a friend look like? A friend must be faithful. I love this statement that says a friend is who who sticks around when he would rather be somewhere else. Ruth certainly fits that description. I am sure she would rather  have been anywhere than where she was at the time sharing Naomi's pain. Ruth literally resurrects Naomi's faith. She helps her shift from hopelessness, which is so much like a tomb or grave, to the resurrection of hope in Adonai. Adonai is truly God; He is Jehovah-Jireh- the Lord our Provider.

I am in such position right now; I am being asked to stay in place that I would rather not be. I have not been told how long I have to stay. Ruth had no promises from Naomi, but only obligations. How can I be a friend? I must be transparent and vulnerable to do so. Most of us think of others as spiritual Pez dispenser. We come to people to get what we want. We do not relationship. We want service, but not mutual responsibility. Most Christians have no sense of loyalty. They have no sense of loyalty to the church, to God, and others. If the preacher does not do what the congregation wants, they are ready to cut him out.

A friend does not look at another as merely a resource. If we are just using people, that does not honor God. Jesus was in relationship with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Therefore, Mary and Martha  had expectations that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1--12:11). Jesus resurrects Mary's and Martha's faith by resolutely declaring, "I am the Resurrection and the Life" (John 11:25). Jesus met their inquiries with true emotion; he wept; he was vulnerable and transparent. He met their needs, but addressed their emotional distress with His power.


Let me ask myself: I am a true friend like Ruth or am I more like Naomi encouraging others to go back to their gods, instead of pressing my friends to find God's face

Your Transparent Friend,
MJ

The Ruth Saga Continues- Can you Imagine?

Well, I promised five days with Ruth. Well, forget that. The saga continues- that little book keeps yielding powerful lessons. Two weekends ago, I went to what I assumed would be a simple party to celebrate a friend's daughter's 16th birthday. Instead, it was a four-hour celebration of God's provision in the family's life. You see my friend and her daughter almost died during labor. The doctor who saved both of their lives flew in from Miami to see the living miracle in which he had participated so many years ago. In the interim time, pain had come into his own life. He had lost his own daughter. At the end of the service, my friend's daughter made this declaration: "Dr. C., you have not lost a daughter. You have gained me."

I felt that these words were remarkably mature for a 16 year-old girl.  She laid down her own wants. She was saying to the doctor, "in your old age, I commit to care for you and stand beside you and your wife."  Remarkable! She was ostensibly saying what Ruth had said when she handed Obed into Naomi's arms to care for as her own. This unconditional love struck a chord of Ruth in me, and I told her how impressed I was with her maturity and true devotion. She then told me something that almost brought me to my knees. My knees buckled as she related the deceased daughter's name: Ruth. Would this book  ever stop teaching me? Its impact far greater than its small dimensions.

When most people read Ruth, they look at  Boaz as the Christ-figure. But, God showed me that Ruth is the true Christ-figure because she laid down her life. Ruth walked Naomi through her transition from pleasant to bitter back to pleasant; I am in such a season now. I assure you that it is not easy. Ruth, as I have said, had her own reasons to be bitter: she was a widow and had no children from her marriage.  But she put down her own grief and walked with Naomi through her pain. Yet, she did not absorb the arrows and barbs that Naomi through her away.  Ruth did not absorb Naomi's toxicity. Can you imagine being hurt and bruised and living with a disgruntled and selfish person? Waiting and worrying; waiting, but disengaged; waiting and hopeful :those are our choices. In order to stay encouraged, we must stay engaged. Wow! Not only, thriving, but growing in your faith, and walking with God, gaining favor with man. Ruth, did it. So can  you and I.

Ruth's sacrificial love looks so like Christ's. She walked a foreign land. In the same way, Christ walked this earth- an alien world. She became a servant, doing the humble task like Christ. She loved Naomi back to her original purpose. In the same way, Christ loves us back to our original position as children of the Most High. She became the least so that Naomi could receive her covenant rights. She lies at Boaz's feet so that Naomi's rights are restored with her husband's portion. She helps reconnect Naomi to the God of her Father's. She brings hope not only to Naomi but to the community and joy to her husband who must have felt like a dried up plant. She had so many reasons to be disappointed, but she moved past that to embrace her future. Fear and faith; fear and love; fear and hope- are hard to do. But, sometimes, we must cry out like the man who wanted to be healed so badly: "Lord, I believe; help thou, my unbelief" (Mark 9: 24).

A friend of mine told me it's time to put my Ruth shoes back on again. The truth is that I don't think I have ever taken them off. Today, I celebrate the beginning of another year, not just numerical, but spiritual.



Signing off,
M.J.

The Big Empty Chair

The big chair is comfy, but empty
waiting for me to sit there
beside You

You have being waiting

for me

for hours, days, weeks,

and even years

Waiting for me to see
how much You love me
Collecting all
my tears in Your bottle
Are they all not in
Your book?
(Psalm 56:8)

We cuddle together
in the comfy chair
I rest between
Your shoulders (Deut. 33:12)

How can I know someone?  The answer is simple: by spending time with him or her; by involving this friend in all aspects of my life. I know God in the same way.   I can hear of someone's adventures with this special person, but it is all second-hand-  all the information I have about a special friend comes from sources outside of me. In the same way, another believer's testimony of Jesus working in her life, her Bible study, or worship, can never take the place of my own. I would never try to live vicariously through another's relationship in the natural. So why do I do that in the spiritual? Why do I think hearing the preacher, letting the worship team sing, or reading someone's else inductive Bible study will take the place of my own intimate seeking of Christ?

Would we marry someone we did not know intimately, first-hand? Would seeing a picture, hearing the beloved's voice on CD or DVD, or only experiencing him/her through a social-network suffice? Really?   Having just a social-network relationship can only be superficial at best: how many intimate and personal things do we place on such sites? In the same way, coming to church and experiencing Christ only in the context of a crowd can be shallow.  I need one-on-one time with my Beloved. I need to look in His eyes to really know Him and see myself reflected back in truth.

We all know those folks who feel love is limited to one's birthday and Valentines- showy and somehow just a bit fake because it lacks real substance. Yet, am I like the lover who pours out affection on my Beloved only on Easter and Christmas?   Real love is first sacrificial, patient, kind, gentle, full of good fruit, does not boast, keeps no record of wrongs, not easily offended- that stuff  (I Corinthians 13).

My step-father has a saying, "Let your walk catch up with your talk."   There is a place for prophecy, but let's not forget the present reality. Yes, "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on the completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil.1:6). Yet, I must address the reality of my present relationship with Christ and move toward where Jesus wants me to be. Sometimes, we go stuck on a prophecy and forget the in-between- the literal working out of our salvation (Philippians 2:12-16).

How serious am I?  Have I left my first love? I am lukewarm only fit to be spit out of  Jesus' mouth (Revelations 3:15-16). I need to focus on adoration and not only service. That's the rub. The Martha syndrome- balancing Mary and Martha takes work. So before I get up to wipe noses or clean feet, to feed the hungry, I find the empty chair and sit with my Beloved.


Signing off,
M.J.

Day 5- The White House

Is this white house a metaphor for my love, stained and empty? There are no occupants- just a futile testimony of what could have been.  When I first walked this hill, I thought nothing of what God could do, but what I would lose. When God brought two friends to visit me, they talked about accountability: accountability for my emotions and my promise to be faithful.  Negative emotions assailed me; how could I be free of frustration, disappointment, and sadness?  How can I sit in this empty house filled with just me? If I can't keep covenant with friends, family, how can God trust me with even a greater gift? If I can't be trustworthy, I may just sit alone for quite some time until I learn the lesson.

Like the abandoned building, empty without residents, is any relationship without love. People often love to quote Ruth's words to Naomi, but covenant-loyalty is hard. For better or worse, in sickness and health, till death do us part. What is covenant loyalty? When people get married, they expect sunrises and blue skies, not the sun beating down on their heads. The dusty roads dirty our feet- our sweat-stained garments testament to our suffering. Ruth, gathered all her courage, and headed down the hilly road to Bethlehem. Even when Naomi threw her faith aside,  Ruth remained faithful.

Covenant can only be made through sacrifice.  In the Old Testament, the breaking of a covenant was death. When people 'cut covenant,' they literally walked between the slain bodies of the sacrifice, symbolically declaring may my life be as these, if I break my covenant. In Genesis 15:9, God instructs Abraham to, "Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."When he brought the animals, God instructed him to cut them in two in the middle except the birds." Because the promise was so great for Abraham and his descendants, God walked between the sacrifice and 'cut covenant' by Himself. In Jeremiah 34:17, the Lord declares that, "Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, everyone to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD[;] I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof, and walked out that covenant." God takes covenant seriously; even the New Testament (Matt. 5:37; James 5:12) deals with vows; we are instructed to let our 'yes' by 'yes' and our 'no' be 'no'- that anything else is sin. We are instructed not make vows rashly.  Something to chew on.

Ruth's covenant was not spoken lightly, with little regard for her promise. I wonder when we promise to love, honor, and obey God just how serious we actually are? Do we consider our vows life-long covenants to our families? Thankfully, Ruth did.  As a result of her covenant obedience, from her womb came the ancestors of Y'shua.

Signing off,
M.J.

Day 3 No Place to Stand

Ruth had no standing as Moabitess; in fact, Moabites were excluded from the assembly of Jews by law. Her position as a foreigner made her situation even more precarious. Still, Ruth exhibited humility, working and providing for Naomi. She was not too proud to do a difficult day’s work gleaning the barley fields of the fallen grain from the ground.  She then took this hard-earned provision home to Naomi.

Exacerbating her financial and emotional problems was the fact that Ruth was vulnerable and unprotected as a foreigner. She appeared helpless, but God protected and defended her through Boaz..... Ruth was brave beyond measure, moving past her pain and loss to build relationships in her enemies’ land. She sacrificed and remained faithful. God caused her obedience to multiply ,and God gave her a greater harvest and redemption. While Ruth worked, the fieldhands dropped grain on purpose. God made the provision for her thorugh someone else.  Difficult step after difficult step, God leads us. “How precious is your unfailing love?  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of you wings” (Psalm 36:7) - that includes the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner- all the classes that Ruth represented.

Many people imagine themselves leading, but not serving. Jesus said he who would be a leader must be the servant of all (Matthew 23:11-12). Before returning to Texas, I taught at the top rank private college in the country. I needed to lower my self-estimation.  God promises to give grace to the humble (James 4:6, 10); yet, He opposes the proud but favors the humble (1 Peter 5: 5-6). By teaching at a public school, I learned humility. I can know see my service as a gift, not a burden.

Jesus humbled himself looking  past the shame of the cross to the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).  As I examine how God changed me, I realize that He lifted me from the morass of pride. God works his character in us through trials.  Before teaching public high school, I was seeking my own kingdom. I was set up to publish both my dissertation and my poetry. Eventually, I counted like Paul, all  this as so much  rubbish for the surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ.

We feel if we obey, if we go past our walled cities, God must do this or that.   Being patient with the fulfillment  of a promise can be as hard as the labor itself. Ruth humbled herself by lying at Boaz’s feet. Humility and vulnerability are not the easiest things in the world.  Waiting on someone else’s response, especially if that person is in sin, is difficult. We can get stuck looking at the person, instead of God. We can become angry. Obedience to God feels like a risk. Surrender of our walls is scary, but freeing (Matthew 10:39). Jesus reminds us, ‘If you cling to your life, you will lose. If you lose it, you will gain it.” Lord, help me to rest under your wings even if it takes a long time to complete your purposes toward me.

Signing off,

M.J.

P.S.
Philippians 2: 3-1 encourages us, “Don’t be selfish. Don’t try to impress others. Be Humble. Thinking of others as better than youself. “

The Return (Teshuva or Repentance)

Day 2

Walking like Ruth

Eventually, they return to Bethlehem- the house of bread –  to provision . . . to Jehovah-Jireh who is always our provider. When repentance happens, like Naomi’s return, the city is stirred. This is always the mark of salvation coming to town- there is great joy in the city. Goodness produces stirrings in the spirit  (Ruth 1:19). While there, Ruth exhibits a covenant loyalty which God has called me to. In this season, I am standing with a family that requires that kind of loyalty which at times is hard to give. I am tempted to be like Orpah and return to my own family- with their list of dysfunctions and pains- their known problems and sins, but I am called to stand with this family. 

How do you persevere through difficulties and obstacles? “A long obedience in the same direction is hard,” according to Friedrich Nietzsche. Like the threesome,  Orpah, Ruth, and Naomi, I weep. I am often crushed by the pain of walking through trials with someone else.  Yet, the wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy. Naomi blames God for making her life bitter. She states, that, “I went away full and came back empty; God has afflicted me. He has brought me misfortune” (Ruth 1: 21). My question is, “If she were full, why did she leave?” Yet, Ruth states empathetically to Naomi, “Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you (It means to literally: do not make me repent of my affection for you). Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my god. Where you die I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me” (Ruth  1:16-17). This statement was given during a period of much loss, difficulty, and pain for Ruth. The Lord knows that He has asked a hard thing of us; knowing He knows makes it easier. At the proper time, we will reap. We go forth weeping and casting seed according Psalm 126:1 and return with the harvest, the sheaths, with joy “(v.5). God is purposeful, “He carves our paths, authors each stroke, and weaves our courses into other’s lives” (Minter 51). May we reap the fruitful harvest of being formed in the image of Christ!

Signing off,

M.J.