A Pillar

You all know Boaz, the kinsman-redeemer. How he is a picture for us of Christ as our kinsman-redeemer paying off our debts and setting us free. But did you know that Boaz was also the name of one of the two pillars standing guard at the entrance of Solomon's temple (1 Kings 7:21)
What pillars do you live your life by? Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, love?
Are you a pillar standing guard and showing people the entrance to God's presence?
Revelation 3;12 says "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my god. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God ... and I will also write on him my new name."

Ruth the refresher

Most of the time famine and drought come together and it is when the drought ends that the famine also come to an end. Ruth left behind all that was familiar and gave herself over to a new life in Judah. She was the end of Naomi's drought. The name Ruth means "refresh as to soak."
Ruth refreshed Naomi's spirit and gave her a reason to keep going. The two women returned just in time for the barley harvest. And the new beginning God had planned for them.
Today ask God to give you a refreshing, ask him to give yo a teachable spirit and listening ears. And ask yourself 'would those around you describe you as refreshing to their spirit or as a spiritual famine?'

Orpah, the stiff-neck

Naomi's daughter in law that returned home was named Orpah which means "stiff-necked" or "stubborn."
Often when God calls us to enter theunknown it is scary, very scary. Open your Bibles and read Numbers 13. I'll wait.
The children had just been rescued by God from Egypt and were at the edge of God's promise. Re-read verses 23 & 27. The land was all God promised, yet the people were afraid of the current residents so they refused to take hold of the land.
they like Orpah choose to turn back to what was familiar - even if it was slavery.
Now look to the right side of this blog page. Do you see the commitments to Christ listed? Are you ready to go forward in your commitments to God?
Today begin by setting aside 15 - 20 minutes in your schedule each day this week for time spent with God. I will begin posting each evening the next days reading assignment (for those who need to know where to start.)

Famine

Ruth 1:1-5

Bethlehem, the town where Elimelech and Naomi called home was experiencing a famine. Bethlehem was in the area of Judah in the land God promised his people. God had promised that as long as the people continuted to worship him faithfully he would continue to bless them. Unfortunately, the people had stopped being faithful.
Oh, they were going through the motions. But thier hearts were not in it. They had begun looking to the gods of the people who had lived in the land before them. So God sent a famine into the land.
One interesting tidbit: the name Bethlehem means 'house of bread.' So Elimelech moved his family out of God's breadbasket to live in a pagan world. There he and his sons would die.
Physical famine dries up the land. It leaves behind hungry desperate people.
Spiritual famine dries up the soul. It leaves behind hungry desperate people, only these people are hungry for something they usually can't define. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 what it is we are to hunger and thirst for - God's righteousness. We are to hunger and thirsty after being right in the eyes of the Lord.
God sent a physical famine to Judah because the people were living in spiritual famine. He was trying to get them to turn their hearts back to him.
Signs of spiritual drought are not always easy for others to see but they can be identified. You experience no desire to pray, you are not reading God's Word, you have no heart for worship, and you isolate yourself away from Chrisitan fellowship.
Why did I mention famine today? Stop and evaluate your hunger level. What have you spiritually eaten today? Have you exercised worship yet? Are you living in a spiritual famine?