(This is a verse we can think about all week long. Let it be something that you use as a focal point throughout your week. Maybe post it somewhere where you see it daily).
Ruth 1:13
"...for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me."
Worship for your Week
(This is a short list of a few songs that will hopefully help you as you have your own personal worship time no matter where you are. Even though it is Youtube, you can stream it in your car or while you travel and just listen).
I Will Follow | Chris Tomlin | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx_04LdPV_Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Our GOD is Greater | Chris Tomlin | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Calling for a Flood | John Waller | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkTeKbh3Ys&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Thought of the Week
(One of my positive thoughts for the week. My hope is to always lift, equip, inspire and encourage!)
TOPIC TITLE | Is It GOD Against Us or GOD's Positioning Movement? That's the Question...
This verse screams at me today. I have had the most interesting week and I have had so many obstacles to deal with that in my immediate reaction to them, I have thought to myself, "Why is GOD against me?????"
Now, at face value, we have probably all felt this way and to some degree, we have been a little miffed at GOD. Yet, what if the verse in Hebrews is right (Hebrews 12) and GOD does chasten those whom HE loves. What if this chastening is not just punishment as I perceive it, but HIM positioning us to be better able to receive what HE has in store for us. What if HIS positioning has more to do with HIS larger plan than just our immediate experience? What if we lived with the bigger picture instead of just the immediate need firmly in front of our eyes.
Naomi could not see the larger plan. As a matter of fact, if you look at the return in life for her immediate issue, it would seem that her life in essence was a waste. I mean, her DNA did not go any further. Her lineage stopped at the death of her sons. Her name ended. Her inheritance ended... It just seemed that she may have been a hiccup in GOD's plans.
Yet, the real question is... Where would Ruth have been without Naomi?
1 - Would she have gone back to her idols and left Naomi's GOD?
2 - Would she have ever learned the lifestyle and culture of the Jews?
3 - Would she have struggled and become a success working in the fields of Boaz?
4 - Would she have married or even met Boaz?
5 - Would Boaz have had a son named Obed?
6 - Would Obed have had a son named Jesse?
8 -Would David have been born? The King with the never ending lineage?
9 - And what of Jesus? No Ruth... No Mary & Joseph...
10 - Did this story that was told through the years affect each generation that heard it when they thought about GOD and in how they approached HIM? GOD brought beauty from "Great Great Grandma Ruth's Adopted Momma Naomi..."
The DNA may have died, BUT BOY DID THE STORY LIVE ON! Naomi could not see that without her husband and sons dying, she would have never led Ruth back to her homeland where she would meet destiny! Naomi, her husband and sons, stand in front of GOD, thanked for their part they played in redemptions story!!!!! And yet, their young deaths were perceived as GOD's hand against the family. Instead... GOD WAS FOR THIS FAMILY! It was all in the perspective!
Wow!
What about that?
Could it be that our struggles placed in full view of heaven are not at all dismal nor ugly to GOD, but these present discomforts are much more about creating a woven picture or a piece of art that united and completed, there might be something altogether redemptive? Could it be that chastening at the moment should be cherished because we can trust that our Beloved Heavenly Poppa has a plan we cannot see at the moment? And that chastening is not always because we did something wrong, but it ALWAYS CAN BE TRUSTED that it is for our best? Could it be that just because it looks bad right now, we should not fear. There is a larger story that will be told in the end?
Could it be?
Now...
Do you feel like you've lost it all and all there is left is to die? Don't give up. Look around you. Maybe there is a Ruth GOD has called you to invest in right now. In the middle of your trial, take them to your people and your faith. Show them the way to GOD. Be the bridge to their destiny.
I have always found that giving my life, time, resources and even my heart to invest in developing someone else through relationship always helps me see GOD's plan better even while still in discomfort.
It's just a thought...
Blessings!
pd
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