Ruth's life shows many admirable qualities. She was kind, loving, hardworking, brave and faithful. All these great qualities gave her a good reputation as she was consistent in all areas of her life, her character remained the same. This brings me to think, what are my qualities? Are they consistent with my character? Do we treat a friend or foe with the same qualities?
A good reputation comes by consistently living out the qualities you believe in no matter what group of people or surroundings you are in. We can also look at it as if you were a foreigner or if you are new to a place, do we feel like we need to change in order to fit in or gain a friend. Do others regard you as one who will do what you say? Keeping your word and following through on assignments should be high on anyone's priority list. Building a reputation for integrity must be done one step, one act at a time.
Ruth may not have always recognized God's guidance, he was with her every step of the way. She went to gather grain and "just happened" to end up in the field owned by Boaz who "just happened" to be a close relative. This was more than just a coincidence. As we go about our daily tasks, God is working in our life's in ways we may not notice. We must not close the door on what God can do. We should have faith God is directing our lives for his purpose.
Do you ever find yourself behaving one way with one group of friends and then another way with a different group of people? I had to check myself on this as I have recently moved to a new environment where not many of the people believe in Jesus. The new friends that I have made only knew half of me, I found myself starting to behave like them. The Holy spirit was telling me to be honest. I had to be real and consistent with my qualities and not trend on the line of a lukewarm Christian.
Ruth's story may be a story about a girl who was fortunate but in reality the events recorded in Ruth life were part of God's preparations for the births of David and Jesus. Ruth was unaware of this larger purpose in her life, we will not know the full purpose and importance of our lives until we are able to look back from the perspective of eternity. We must make our choice with God's eternal values in mind. Taking moral shortcuts and living for short-range pleasures are not good ways to move ahead.
I pray we live in faithfulness to God and be consistent in how we treat friends and foe. May we remember the miracles God has done, may we humble ourselves and may we have a healthy fear of the Lord. When we are feeling lost and alone I pray that if there is no one that we are able to talk to Jesus, he has all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus is holy and always present, he is waiting and listening for us to have a relationship with him,
Amen
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