Uncategorized

Nathan is now ready for his toughest challenge. God sent this prophet to King David on a much more serious issue. Nathan first shared a story speaking of an injustice of a rich man who took a little ewe lamb of a poor man. David reasoned as a King and protector of his people, so he rightly responded with anger by saying that the rich man should get killed for the injustice. He didn’t expect that the table will be turned around, and he was placing himself in the hot seat of the one worthy to die!

It’s interesting how we can so easily justify our own sin or shortcomings and ignore the plank in our own eye. On the other hand, we can be quick to judge someone else’s sin or shortcomings and draw a verdict on the speck in their eye! Lord, please help us.

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’2 Samuel 12:7-10

Finally Nathan confronted King David about his sin with Bathsheba and how he took the only wife of Uriah his loyal military person. I wonder how long Nathan knew about this prior to God permitting him to speak about it.

Nathan took a major risk by telling King David about this. David could have killed Nathan out of fear or anger. He could have felt threatened that others may find out about it and could have tried to get rid of Nathan. He could have denied the whole thing and accused Nathan of having ulterior motives. Most likely, Nathan counted the cost before going to King David. Despite all the possible fears or concerns, Nathan didn’t stop from doing God’s will.

Will you be able to deliver an unpopular/tough message led by the Lord to your leader?  These kinds of situations are sensitive. It is important to be led by the Lord and his timing. Nathan didn’t come before the king till almost a year later when Bathsheba’s baby was already born. It requires great wisdom and discernment to handle tough situations.

Nathan loved David and was a loyal man to the King, but most importantly he loved God and was loyal to the Lord and God’s assignment to him! What I love about Nathan is that he didn’t have  to confer with his friends or colleagues to see if it was a good idea or a safe time to approach the King. He did His work quietly with Lord before he was ready to come before the King. He was a true prophet!!

God placed Nathan in a strategic place for His purpose. His position wasn’t there so Nathan could feel good about himself and gain identity and security from it. He wasn’t there to be impressed by the King or become his cheerleader. Nathan was there by an assignment from God. Nathan had to have his identity and security established already in his relationship to God. Then and only then, Nathan could hear and complete all of God’s assignments to him.

Thankfully David responded with humility and received the word of the Lord from the prophet of God which led him to repentance. What if Nathan wasn’t obedient to the Lord and didn’t confront David and his sin!? Nathan’s obedience to the word of the Lord led David to obeying the word of the Lord! Our actions have a ripple  effect on those around us.

Lord help us to be strong and courageous to fulfill your assignments. We choose to put you first in every one of our relationships. Guide our relationships. Purify them. Break ungodly ties even with Godly people. Help us to be free to serve you first. We want our obedience to have a ripple effect of obedience on those around us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There are many brave men and women of God in the pages of the Bible, but we usually associate bravery with being a strong warrior not a bold prophet! Nathan was a brave prophet who had to deliver a tough word to the King of Israel. It takes courage, risk, and a resolve to deliver a word that others may not want to hear. As we see with most prophets in the Bible, God prepared Nathan before he was ready for his most difficult task.

The scripture tells us that:

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1Corinthians 14:3

Exhort (According to Webster’s dictionary):  urge strongly, to give warnings or advice, make urgent appeals

Any prophet, including Nathan, has to learn to hear God well, and deliver the word of the Lord accurately and in the proper time. This takes years of training and practice. Giving exhortations or warnings are not an easy task. God is gracious enough that He starts prophets with smaller/less serious messages. When the prophet of God has obeyed God, taken the risk, and done what God has called him/her to do, God increases the territory and the intensity of the assignment.

While the Bible doesn’t give us much detail about God’s training and preparation of Nathan, we see an incident where Nathan had to stand before King David and deliver a challenging word before delivering his most difficult message to King David.

Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around,  that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”

 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,  “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. 2Samuel 7:1-6

King David desired to build a house for God. At first, Nathan spoke from his own emotions and confirmed what King David planned to do. However, God spoke to Nathan and told him to tell David that He hasn’t asked him to build a house for Him. Nathan as a prophet of God was an advisor to King David. The King was wise enough to put himself in a position to receive counsel from Nathan, recognizing that he has the word of the Lord for him. Nathan had the courage to deliver a word that the King may not have wanted to hear, but Nathan did it anyway.

Are you able to separate your own emotions and ideas and be willing to hear God for someone else? This is not an easy task. When we love and respect someone, we like to see them succeed in whatever they put their hands to. However, there are times that God may not want them to do the thing they have set out to do, even if it is for His kingdom. It is important to cultivate such a relationship with God, that we can hear Him beyond our own affections for someone, otherwise we may not be qualified to deliver the word of the Lord to them.

If you are on the receiving end of a prophetic word, are you willing to listen humbly to the message, and take it to the Lord (not your friend) for His confirmation? If the Lord has a word of correction/warning to us through someone, most likely He has tried to get our attention in other ways, and we weren’t listening. It is important to not miss the word of the Lord even if it hurts a bit.

We have much to learn from Nathan and other Godly prophets who risked so much to be God’s mouthpiece on the earth. I will continue with Nathan’s toughest challenge in the next devotional.

Lord, open our eyes and ears to see and hear what you are revealing. Give us  also the courage and the wisdom to know what to do with your word. Amen.

The Lord desires for us to receive and enjoy the joy He has made available to us through His spirit.

God’s joy fills our hearts with joy and strength

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Ezra and the scribes read the law and the Israelites were convicted, so they started mourning because they saw their shortcomings,  as opposed to what God desired. Basically, Nehemiah told them that God was joyful, and that His joy will give them strength; there is no reason to mourn, but that day was a day of celebration.

Our view of God is so important. When you think of God, do you see him with an angry face, a somber face, an indifferent face, or a joyful face?

As parents we set the tone for our homes. If we are peaceful and joyful, then when the kids walk in the house, they can relax and take on the same attitude. If they walk in and see us stressed out or angry, then that makes them upset and insecure. It is important to see God with the right perspective, because that will give us the security and confidence to be joyful.

Doing God’s work blesses us with joy

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”Luke 10:17

The disciples were joyful because they had the opportunity to minister, and their ministry produced fruit by people being freed up from demons. They saw God’s power at work through them. The Lord has created us to do good works. When we do works that produce good results,  it gives us great joy because we were designed for this purpose.

As  we walk in the spirit, God gives us opportunities to be joyful because we are in tune with Him. Do you know that God wants to see you joyful?  He’s given us His spirit, and one of the manifestations of the fruit of spirit is joy. This is gladness of heart. It is a sense of well being. It is His desire for us to have an abiding joy that comes from a close intimacy with Him.

Joy is the currency of the Kingdom of God

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18

As the people of the kingdom, joy is Jesus’ inheritance to us. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, he prayed, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 When we live, move, and walk in the spirit of the living God, righteousness, peace, and joy flow in us and through us.  We are bringing the kingdom of God from heaven to earth making who He is a reality to all those around us. Righteousness, peace, joy are attractive qualities that draw others to us because the currency of the earth is fear, stress, & anxiety.

Lord take us to deeper wells of your joy. Let us be filled to overflowing so that we can’t contain it. We desire joy to spill over everyone around us starting with those closest to us. Amen.

Most of us have heard that happiness is dependent upon our circumstances, but Joy is not. This is true. While Joy is not dependent upon the circumstances, it does not happen on its own. Our actions lead us to joy.

Repentance brings joy

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:12

There is joy in salvation and coming to the knowledge of the love of God and what He did for us. This is something that we cannot ever take for granted. It is important to remind ourselves of where we could have been without Jesus in our lives.

In the above scripture, David is repenting from his sin with Bathsheba. He had lost his joy because of his sin, but He was asking God to restore the joy of his salvation to him. When we sin, we lose our joy because joy comes from the place of being right with God.

Giving gives joy

Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly. 1Chronicles 29:9

People were joyful because they gave willingly and with a loyal heart. When we do what God has asked us to do, it gives us great joy. Giving is one of God’s desires and mandates.  The mind of the flesh is set on scarcity. If we walk in the flesh, we can find plenty of reasons as to why we shouldn’t give. However, when we are led by the spirit, we can give generously and with an open heart. Giving gives us joy in return.

Overcoming the enemy leads to joyfulness

Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.2 Chronicles 20:27

The people were joyful because they had conquered their enemies. God had backed them up. It’s a great blessing when God defends us and stands with us. We feel affirmed and encouraged that we are doing the right thing and God is with us. This is also true when we conquer a bad habit, an addiction, or a bondage. We become freed up from the enemy’s hands. There is feeling of freedom and joy because we are not enslaved to the lie that had held us in its grip for so long.

Lord we want to experience your joy in a greater measure today!

We must take on Jesus’ disposition in order to abide in Him Successfully!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28

I shared in the last two devotionals that abiding in Christ has different elements which are all important for us in staying close and intimate to Jesus.  We can do all of things mentioned in the last two devotionals, growing in our relationship with Christ, abiding in our position in Christ, & faithfully walking with God for years, but not have the right disposition.  Jesus’ disposition was gentleness and lowliness of heart. If we are going to abide closely with Jesus, we must become gentle and lowly in heart!

Gentleness and lowliness of heart are a sign of a surrendered life. When we are lowly, we put down our own expectations, and we take up what Jesus has for us. When the expectations of life or others are not a concern to us, we discover that we don’t strive like we used to. We don’t have to wrestle internally about things. We find rest for our souls because we are in step with Christ, and we are walking together  as we are yoked with Him.

Jesus stated, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Becoming gentle and lowly in heart is a learning process. It doesn’t all happen at Salvation, neither does it happen by gaining Bible knowledge. It happens by us paying attention to Jesus’ disposition towards the Father and others.

As we look at Jesus’ life, we notice that He never fought for His rights. He didn’t try to steal the attention from the Pharisees. He wasn’t insecure about people challenging Him. He stayed constant through it all because He knew who He was. He also knew that His success wasn’t tied to arguing, competing, striving, or fighting.  It had to do with obeying God and doing only what He asked Him to do.

Jesus did not have His own agenda! He wasn’t impatient. He didn’t try to impress anyone. As a matter of fact, there were a few times that He asked the people not to tell anyone about the miracle they received. While He knew all about Judas and His plan, He wasn’t feeling intimidated or threatened. He saw everything as part of God’s plan and purpose. He trusted God completely regardless of the outcome.  He had a resolve that He was going to do what God was asking Him to do even to the point of the cross.

Are we growing in humility and gentleness?  Are we dealing with threatening or unfair situations better than we did a year ago? Some of us just get more skilled in controlling our emotions. It’s important to control our emotions, but it is more important for us to have a change of emotions internally. Those things that used to push our buttons, don’t affect us like they used to. If the answer to any of the above questions is “No”, then we’re not abiding as well as we think we are.

Sometimes we fear the judgment of people, or we may fear lose of a relationship or a position. There are times that one’s own insecurities cause Him to become proud in fear of being perceived as insignificant. What are the issues that cause you not to be gentle and lowly in heart? Is there something/someone between you and Jesus that you have not surrendered yet? Ask Him to show you and  make a decision to be more fully surrendered to Him.

Abiding in Chirst is such a precious place to be. Thankfully, the word “abide” has a lot of depth to it. As I stated in the last devotional, the word “abide” has vast meanings based on Strong’s Concordance. Below are a couple of more meanings that are important for us to consider as we read John 15 and meditate on “abiding” in Him.

In reference to a state or condition

We are to abide positionally in Christ. There are times that the adversities of life throw such a blow that we can’t think straight. Everything that seemed settled a day ago now is questionable. It is in those times that we have to abide in God’s truth, and remind ourselves of what God has said. We don’t want to damage our relationship with Jesus because of confusion, offense, hurt, or disappointment. We can’t afford to entertain thoughts that God doesn’t love us or doesn’t care about us. We must remain in Him regardless of how much it hurts and how confused we may be. His word reminds us of the truth. We need to have a resolve to believe what God says even when we don’t feel it is true at the moment.

In reference to time

Time is another factor that can challenge us in abiding in Christ. This is especially true when it comes to fruitfulness but it can be true in other areas as well.  The teenage years are a good example of this. We think we’ve had enough of our parents’ protection and advice and now it’s time to chart our own path. The reality is that without our parents we wouldn’t have most of the things we owned in our teenage years, but we don’t see that part of it. We’re just focused on, “it’s time to move on”.

In this season in my family, we are going through the transition of my firstborn becoming an adult. While he was home during the summer there was a pushing away as if the time had come for him to move and not look back. Well, in the last couple of weeks that he has come home from college for a short visit, I have seen a big shift in his attitude. He is more rested and appreciative in being at home. He is not in a hurry to leave the house or find some friends to hang out with.

Spiritually, we do the same thing. We can get restless in our relationship with Christ. There isn’t anything going on out there that can match, or be better than abiding in Christ. Sometimes other people and things have taken the place of Jesus, so our restlessness is not because of Christ but it is due to misplaced abiding.

As the branches in the vine of Christ, we cannot afford to say.” I’ve had enough; I don’t see fruitfulness, so I have to move on”. We have to continually remind ourselves that without him we can do nothing. We cannot produce good fruit apart from Christ. So even when it seems like it’s taking too long and nothing seems to be happening we truly don’t have a viable alternative except to stay in the vine and allow Him to do what He desires to do. It is no surprise that Jesus used the analogy of grapevines to speak about abiding in Him. Generally grapevines don’t produce fruit the first year. The fruitfulness comes in the second and sometimes the third year.  Just as it takes time for a vine to be fruitful, so it is with our spiritual life.

Are there areas that you struggle abiding in Christ? Ak Him to show you the hindrance. Those hindrances will take away the life and supply of Christ in our lives. We want complete flow of the life of God in us.

Lord, take away any hindrances in abiding in you. We want to abide in you completely and be lost in you! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Abiding is an important concept in our relationship with the Lord. Jesus’ heart was for us to understand “abiding”, so he focused on this in John 15.

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:4-8

The word “abide” according to Strong’s Concordance is  (G3306), and it has several meaning: to remain, abide

in reference to place: to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually

in reference to state or condition: to remain as one, not to become another or different

in reference to time: to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure, of persons, to survive, live

in to wait for, await one

The word, “abide” has vast meanings in the context of what Jesus spoke to us. I’ll break down the word “abide” based on its definition above.

In reference to a place/person

If we think about a tree and its branches, we know intuitively that in order for a branch to survive, it must remain connected to the vine or the tree. Life is not going to be possible without it, neither would fruitfulness be possible.

As believers, when we come to Christ, we get grafted into the vine who is Jesus. As Jesus states in the above Verse 5, “without me you can do nothing.” It means if we are looking to be changed we need to remain in Him. Our growth is only possible by abiding in Him, otherwise we will become weak.  Our fruitfulness is completely dependent on our close relationship with Christ and abiding in His will.

We are utterly dependent on His work in us. We can never become so mature, or so knowledgeable that we start doing things independent of God. He may allow that to go on for a while, but sooner or later, it will derail us in our relationship with him. We will start living and ministering from a place of memory, familiarity, or rote, not fresh wisdom or revelation.

When we abide in Jesus, there are times that we are just walking with Him, listening to what He has to say. However, there are other times that “abiding” is pressing against Him in a more desperate and dependent way. This is not a casual abiding but a more serious, intense place.

As my children were growing up, there were times that they would just sit next to me. I could just caress their hair or hold their hand as a way of love and intimacy with them. There were other times that they had their head on my lap or they would lean on me to rest or nap. I particularly liked and cherished those moments because it showed their level of comfort, dependence, & trust with me. Those times of leaning into the Lord and abiding in Him more closely are pleasurable to the Lord as well as us.

It’s interesting how we fight our flesh to get to that kind of dependent place with God. However, once God leads us and we surrender our will to abide in Him, it is such a powerful and freeing place. It’s a place of peace and rest!

Lord, we desire to abide in you in a more intimate way today! We want to go there with you.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Hannah’s desire to have a child wasn’t selfish ambition. It was God’s plan all along despite all the pain and agony that it caused her. 

Hannah was a wife to Elkanah who has a second wife Peninnah. Having children in those days would have been part of the identity and the purpose of a married woman. While most women still choose to have children, nowadays there are others who opt not to have any. Women have other interests that they can build their identity around, rather than just having children. Some choose to delay the process because they have other goals that they would like to achieve before having children.

What do you do as a married, stay at home woman with no children in ancient Israel? Poor Hannah had insult added to her injury since her husband’s second wife Peninnah had many children. While Peninnah was a busy mom with purpose and honor from those around her, Hannah was humiliated and in pain for being barren. The fact that Peninnah provoked her severely certainly didn’t help the situation either.

We don’t know exactly how long Hannah was barren, but we do know that the scripture tells us that the Lord had closed her womb. When God closes doors, there isn’t much anyone can do. You can’t cast out any devils. You can’t get mad at someone else.  One is even depleted of the idea in knowing how to get out of this tough and frustrating situation. There is nothing you can do.

Hannah’s husband tried to console her by giving her double portion of offering because he loved her so much. When you think about it, her husband really loved her for her. In those days, marriages were just functional agreements, for the purpose of forming a family and raising children. The fact that he didn’t look down on her, but he loved her for who she was made a great statement on her husband’s part. Elkanah even asked’ “Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (1Samuel 1:8b)

Elkanah was happy to be married to her, but Hannah had more in her heart. She deeply desired to have a child. The scripture tells us that she remained in faith and continued to go up to Shiloh to make the sacrifices and bring the offering. However, she was not in celebration mood. On one of the these trips, Hannah found herself at the entrance of the tabernacle. She was in bitterness of her soul and prayed and wept in anguish.

When Eli saw her weeping and her mouth moving with no words, he thought she was drunk. So he accused her falsely of being drunk and told her that she should put her drink away. Hannah, with great humility, told him that she wasn’t drunk, just sorrowful. Once Eli understood this, he blessed her and spoke prophetically that the God of peace would grant her petition. (1Samuel 1:9-18)

Hannah was in desperation for what only God could do. Her husband couldn’t help her. He loved her very much and if there was anything he could do to make the situation better, he would have done it. Her priest misunderstood  her at first thinking she was drunk. He made his judgment based on only outward appearance.

There are times in life that the Lord orchestrates the events, so no one can help us. It is in those times that he is cutting off confidence in our abilities, and weaning us away from man and his solutions. The only place we can go is to the Lord. All other roads have come to their logical, dead-end conclusions. Unless the Lord shows mercy and opens a door, we cannot move. We are hemmed in behind and before.

Thank God for His divine provisions and divine frustration because they lead us into a deeper commitment to the purpose of God. Hannah dedicated her baby before he was born. If she just had a baby like any other woman, he would have been her son. However, after all the waiting, agony, & pain the baby was the Lord’s and he was dedicated for his purpose.

Hannah’s son Samuel was a prophet in Israel. He learned by hearing the Lord clearly in Eli’s house having been brought and dedicated by His mother for the work of the Lord. He had a pioneering ministry. He was the one who anointed the first two kings of Israel to the office and made the transition from period of judges to the kings in Israel’s history.

Thank you Lord for all your wonderful works which surpass our understanding! Fulfill those desires of our hearts which have been in your plan all along.

Boaz acted as a kinsman redeemer by marrying Ruth after ensuring that one closer to kin did not want to marry her (Ruth 4). He did it in decency and in God ordained order.  Ruth and Boaz were blessed with a son named Obed who was the grandfather of King David. Ruth is also mentioned in the lineage of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). God honored Ruth and exalted her name!

If we look back at the beginning of Ruth’s story, we find a broken, poor, & a young widow. This young woman acted selflessly and followed her mother-in-law to her Jewish homeland. She was sincere in her devotion to her mother-in-law and her God. The scripture tells us, ” Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!  And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Ruth 4:14-15

What a huge statement by these women to Naomi! I grew up in this kind of culture where sons were the only ones valued. Families looked to sons to be their provider and protector in old age. For these women to recognize that Ruth not only took the place of a son for Naomi, but that she was better than seven sons clashed against all the stereotypes and wrong mindsets about women! They considered Ruth’s son, to be Naomi’s son as well. Naomi gained heritage because of Ruth’s faithfulness to her.

Ruth fought every battle with love and sacrifice. The bible doesn’t mention Ruth having dreams of success or calling.  She just loved and she gave. In the midst of a hopeless situation she did what she could. She didn’t feel sorry for herself. She didn’t seem to have been in depression. She didn’t have high expectations in life, but she knew even in the midst of her bad situation, her mother-in-law was in a worse situation than her. This allowed her to stand and be a hand and a voice for the one who was in greater need than herself.

The disappointments of life have a way of sifting us like nothing else can. It is in those times that we find who we are and where we’ve placed our trust. The more we trust man instead of God the more disappointments we will face in life. If we use the disappointments as opportunities to reaffrim our trust in God above all else, we have just made a major progress in our spiritual walk with God. Our identity becomes stronger and more deeply rooted in Him. He is patiently waiting for us to come to Him.

Today, as we look around us, we have a choice: to concentrate on those who seem to have it all in life, or to focus on those who have greater needs than us. If our eyes turn to the right place, our compassion will move us beyond our situation to places where not only we can bless others, but at the end we can be richly blessed as well!

Is it possible for a poor widow to flourish in the ancient rural Israel?

Well, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”. Praise God for his orchestration of our life events that even the most disappointing and hurtful situations don’t derail His plans for our lives but continue to move us in the right direction if we respond well.

Boaz generously allowed Ruth to glean in his field to provide for herself and her mother-in-law. Now that Ruth and Naomi’s basic needs were met, Naomi told Ruth, “Shall I not seek security for you,  that it may be well with you? Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.” (Ruth 3:1-4)

The idea of Ruth washing herself, anointing herself, and putting on her best garment reminds me of us preparing ourselves as Jesus’ bride. He is coming back for His bride, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle, or any such a thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27) Ruth, as a widow, had stayed pure and clean before her God, and had selflessly given of herself to her mother-in-law even at the risk of staying single for the rest of her life!

Ruth did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.  By going to the threshing floor and sleeping by his feet, she was asking Boaz to marry her. What a mixture of humility and boldness. Culturally, a man proposed to a woman; for a woman to humble herself that way took a great risk and courage. I am reminded of two other women who approached Jesus with humility and courage.

One was the woman who had the flow of blood for twelve years. She desperately needed a touch from Jesus, and if she had to get down to the ground to touch the hem of His garment, she was willing to do it to get her healing. (Luke 8: 43-48)

The other woman was a woman who was considered a sinner. She brought an Alabaster flask of fragrant oil and anointed Jesus feet with the oil and washed them with her tears at a Pharisee’s house!(Luke 7:36-39) This woman had such humility and boldness that she didn’t care about those who could kill her with their condemning looks, for she had found refuge in the one who had given her true life! Their judgment didn’t matter anymore because she was before the one who was going to judge the living and the dead.

I hope we all desire to live a life that is potent with a mixture of humility and boldness. Jesus himself set the example for us. He never looked for attention from man, nor tried to brag about his miracles and healings. However, when he saw a man bound by physical or spiritual blindness, he didn’t shy away from speaking life into that person and setting him free.

The Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6b). Today, if you have a need the Lord is ready/available to hear your prayer and supplication. He is near, and He will give you grace and revelation concerning what is on your heart. At the same time, we need to stand boldly on those things that are already settled in our lives. We don’t need to rehash the past and wonder about our identity. Sometime we need God’s reaffirmation on certain issues He has spoken to us in the past but not ever allowing doubt to take ground in our hearts. We have fought too many battles to get to where are at, we will not lose ground in Jesus’ name!