A Man of Standing (post on Ruth)

Oh my goodness! We just started our first week of Bible Study, A Woman's Heart by Beth Moore and man, is it good! So, I have been busy busy this week! I hope you all have had a great week. I was wondering if there were any of you out there who are starting a fall Bible Study and if so, which one? I'd love to hear which ones we are all currently taking! Well, the last post I did on the book of Ruth, (which was Aug. 26th), we met a man named Boaz. We also learned the purpose of gleaning and the reason why God commands it. Our scripture reading for today will be Chapter 2:1-13. As you read the passage of scripture, look for the term that is used to describe both Boaz and Ruth. (I'll give you a few minutes....!)

In verse one, as it introduces Boaz, it says that he was a man of "Standing". As you read the story about Ruth gleaning in the fields, you get to verse 13, and then again, the same term is used to describe Ruth except in the opposite way. Boaz was a man of "Standing"; however, Ruth describes herself as not even having the "Standing" of one of his servant girls.

Okay, so, what does it mean when they are using the term standing. They are talking about their social and financial status. Boaz was man of wealth and was well known amoung the people. Ruth was very poor, less that one of his servant girls, and she also was a foreigner, so her social status was very low as well. But look at what Boaz says to the people in verse 4.

Boaz, a man of standing, comes to the fields that he owns, and calls out to the people who are there working for him, in his fields, and that is how he greets them by calling out, "The Lord be with you"! Then they respond back to him, "The Lord bless you!"

It seems to me that Boaz was not only a man of standing but he was a man of compassion. He cared about the people who worked for him. Fortunately, I work for a Christain owned company and the managers and supervisors that I am "under" are very compassionate people and care about their employees. How about you? If you are the employer or if you are in a position of management where you work, how are you at managing your employees? Do you show compassion and manage your employees the way God would want you to?

Now, employees, it's your turn! In verse 5, Boaz notices a young woman in the field gleaning, and he asks his foreman, who is that? He notices her right away? Why? Could it be that she was a foreigner? She was new on the job? She was a hard worker? In verse 7, the foreman says these words about her, "she went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter." Boaz had already heard what Ruth had done for Naomi and now here she is working hard, steadily, to provide. Not asking for a hand out. Not complaining about having to glean the fields after everyone else. She was humble, grateful, hard-working, and committed. What kind of employee are you? Do you work for your employer as if you were working for God?

As you read through to verse 14, you see that because of her hard work and committment, she found favor in the eyes of Boaz, even though she didn't even have the standing of one of his servant girls.

Boaz and Ruth both show strong character traits about how to handle people and relationships.

How we treat people and handle people mean alot. Whether employer, employee or coworker, we have to remember to have compassion and show concern for the people around us, whether we consider them to be "standing" or not.

Commission prayer from the Beth Moore Conference

My Dear Sister

God has not overlooked you

He has not ignored you

He hears every petition

And intimately knows

The heart beneath it.

Give Him full accessTo all your longings

Pray every single day

To become a person who delights in Him.

When it seems to disappear

Remember to check your JAW

Are you jealous?

Are you angry?

Are you worried?

Roll it all on Jesus

He's strong enough to carry it

Big enough to handle it.

Trust God with all your heart

Now leave this place

And go into the world

And do some GOOD.

Okay, I went to the Simulcast this weekend and heard Beth Moore! Yeah! I am so glad that I was able to go. I really needed a fresh WORD! I just want to take a few minutes to tell you about some of what she ended with because it made me think of the last post I did earlier this week. One of the points she made was that we need to do good. She asked us these two questions: Who can we help? What good can we do? Here's the part that really got me. She was not talking about doing what is right. She was talking about doing some good! She brought up an interesting point. She said we get so caught up in doing what is right, and we think as long as we are doing what is right we are ok. (i am paraphrasing here!) We hear stories, see people, watch the news, and we think, "well, we are doing what is right". Just because we are doing what is right- if we do not do good- what good did it do? She brought up the fact that this is the reason so many people don't like us! They see us doing what is right but not doing anything good! There are people out there who are hurting, who are facing loss, who need our help. What good are we doing? We were studying Psalm 37:4 but the verse we were referring to here was verse 3. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. some translations say feed off of his faithfulness! Nursing Homes, Children's Homes, children in our church and schools who need mentoring, pregnancy crisis centers, hospitals, jail, neighborhood... these are just some suggestions... Here is the last statement I wrote down. God will deal with evil... we need to worry about doing some good. Feed off of His faithfulness...dwell in the land He has you in...enjoy safe pastures... and DO SOME GOOD! I want to thank the ladies at my church. You all mean so much to me and I love Bible Study and I love hanging out with you! You are all such an encouragement to me and I love each one of you. Can't wait till Tuesday! (BTW-we are meeting Tuesday night for a special time! you won't want to miss it!) LOVE YA!~

Chapter 1 ends with Naomi and Ruth arriving in Bethlehem at the Beginning of the Barley Harvest. Chapter 2 introduces a man named Boaz. In verses 1 and 2, what two things does it tell you about Boaz? (Add him to your family tree!) verse 3- Ruth begins to glean the fields. Look up Deut. 24-19-22. What is the purpose of gleaning? Why does God command it? (v.22) Now even if you know this verse, look it up and read it. John 15:22 What does it say? Now... What is the first and greatest commandment? What is the second? (HINT: Matthew 22: 37-39) God commands for us to love others and to help people in need! We must always remember that we were once slaves, held captive in our own Egypt, and he set us free! We must share God's love and grace to those around us. What are some ways that you can help others and love others this week? Read Isaiah 61:1-2 and compare it to Luke 4:14-21. WOW! The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him and then he says to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Thank Him today for what he has done for you. Then get out there show some love!

Ruth Post 3

They arrive in Bethlehem. The people have gathered around and can not believe it! Naomi is back! Can this really be her! Yes it is. But look at Naomi's response in verses 20-21. Naomi changes her name to Mara, which means bitter. Naomi went away full but returned home empty. I'm sure we have all experienced a time of disappointment in our lives when we had expectations for something or someone, only to come home empty-handed. What about changing your name! Have you ever just wanted to change you name? I know I have told my kids before that if they called my name one more time, I was changing it! Sometimes, you just wish you start life over. Are you experiencing that time right now? Pray and ask God to help you through it. Allow Him to give you His strength and His comfort. Ask Him to send you some encouragement through a friend such as Ruth. Be willing to accept His love and His friendship. Ruth gave up her land, her people, her gods, and her life for her Friend. Christ gave his life for us and He calls us His Friends! Isn't that amazing! And you know what? When we give up our gods and give our life to Christ, he guides us, provides for us and he blesses us! As we continue to study the story of Ruth, we will see God's promises fulfilled in her life and in the lives around her. He is awesome, and I love Him! Have a great day!

Ruth Post 2

So, Naomi, Ruth and Orpah leave to head to Bethlehem, Naomi's home. How do you think Naomi felt as she was leaving to go back home?' Read verses 8-13 Naomi blesses her daughters-n-law and sends them back to their people. However, they plead to stay with her. Read Deut. 25:5-10 What is the responsibility of the brother-n-law when his brother dies? Naomi did not have any more sons for them to marry. She was older and pass the age of marriage herself. They were young enough to remarry and start over. Naomi's sons had married women from Moab. Read Gen. 19:30-38 Who were the ancestors of the Moabites? If you read Numbers chapters 22-25, you will learn that there was a deep hatred between the Israelites and the Moabites because the Moabites attacked and oppressed them after they settled in Canaan. It was against the Jewish law for them to marry women from foreign lands and of foreign gods. Naomi had good reasons for telling her daughters to go back to their people. *to find someone they could marry *the hatred between the Israelites/Moabites (they could have refused her in Bethlehem) *her own uncertainty for the future Verse 13, Naomi states that the Lord's hand had gone out against her. Imagine Naomi in a distant land, all alone, not knowing what her future holds. Women were not like they are today. They didn't have the same rights as we do. They did not even own property. She was much older now and there was no one to take her in and no one to marry her daughters-n-law and keep the family inheritance. Sometimes we feel alone and feel hopeless, just like Naomi. Then we get depressed, turn bitter and start trying to blame others. We might have friends and family trying to help us but we refuse because we think we deserve it or because we are afraid of getting hurt again and we don't want to step out on faith. Have you ever had an experience where you felt like you were having a hard time accepting help, or better yet, even their love. You turn away the people who care about you because you are afraid. Ruth and Orpah told Naomi they wanted to stay with her. But she told them no and urged them to go back. After much weeping and crying out, Orpah makes the decision to return to her home and to her people. She kissed her Mother-n-law farewell and was on her way. Ruth on the other hand, refuses to leave Naomi. Read verse 16 and 17. She gave up everything she had and everything she was. She gave up her people, her gods, and even her life. Ruth did not care that Naomi was bitter and was pushing her away. Ruth did not care if the people would accept her or not. She was committed to Naomi and vowed to stay with her till death. Ruth didn't give Naomi much of a choice did she! You'll read in verse 19, that the two went on to Bethlehem.

Ruth Day 1

This week in our Coffee, Chocolate and Conversation gathering at church, we discussed friends and what they mean to us. I gave them an assignment to read the story of Ruth. I will be posting "homework" to go along with the reading this week. As you study this, think about your friendships in the past, present and the ones that are developing. Also, what kind of friend are you? Do you consider God to be your friend? Read Ruth 1:1-7 Draw a family tree showing Naomi's family. (it's not that long! :) They left their home and family in Bethlehem, where did they go and why? Naomi's sons marry women from _____________, what were there names? Now add them to the family tree that you made earlier! Verse seven: "With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah." What happened to make her return to her home? Keep your homework in a safe place! I will post more tomorrow! Hope you have a great day! Love ya!

Facing the Rainy Seasons in Life Part 2

Practice- Matthew 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…

Whose words? If you hang out here regularly at New Vision, you are probably aware that we just finished up several months of studying the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached to the people. The last part of this chapter is the ending of that sermon. The words that are being referred to here are the words of Jesus, telling us how to live and how to treat others. Now he is telling us to put His teachings into practice.

The wise man heard his teachings and put them into practice.

He built his house on the rock and when the rains came, it did not fall. The foolish man who heard the teachings of Jesus and did not put them into practice, built his house on sand, and when the rains come, it fell with a big crash. In James 1:5- If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

We must love the Lord our God with all heart, all our mind, all our soul and with all our strength. We must love others. We must believe in Him and believe He can do what he says he can do. We must trust God. We must ask God for His wisdom and understanding. We must practice what He says and follow His teachings.

Facing the Rainy Seasons in Life Part 1

Zechariah 10:1 Ask the Lord for rain in the Spring time It is the Lord who makes the storm clouds He gives showers of rain to men and Plants of the field to everyone Last year we were in a severe drought. Trees, grass and flowers were not growing as well and some even died due to the lack of rain. We were in danger of running out of water because the lakes were dry. Lake Lanier, which is our main water source, was almost dry. We were on extreme water restrictions and had to be very conservative in using our water. People everywhere we praying for rain. Churches held candlelight services and gathered together corporately to pray for rain in this area. God answered our prayers and sent the rain! We are now being told that our area is out of the drought and only the northern part of Ga remains under a drought warning. This month alone we have had 5 in. of rain. Rain is an important part of growth. Rain supplies us with our water source that we need to live. As we look around this year, you see flowers blooming everywhere, trees are growing, and the grass is growing so fast, we can hardly keep it cut! Now, we hear everyone praying for the rain to stop! I’ve heard people, myself included, say, “I am tired of all this rain!” But we still need the rain! We have been cleared of the drought; however, Lake Lanier is still down by 12 in. We are still under outside water restrictions. Every weekend, as we make our plans, we are praying that it won’t rain. Why? It’s hard to plan events and social gatherings It’s hard to keep up with the yard work! It’s hard to get motivated. Rainy seasons are hard to endure even when we need them. We need rain in order to grow, not just physically but spiritually as well. James 1:2 says, Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, I’m sure we have all faced rainy seasons in our lives; however, I’m not so sure that we were jumping up and down for joy when we faced them! WHENEVER you face trials, of many kinds... So we know we are going to face all kinds of trials, or rainy seasons, in our life. Rainy seasons are hard enough, but to consider it pure joy? We are going to learn why and how we can consider these times pure joy. (over the next few days I will be posting these as separate blogs. Please keep in mind, that I was speaking on this in April, so my facts have changed for the actual rainfall percentages! I hope you enjoy the lessons! )

I Have a Job Now!

Okay, so lot's of things have changed in my life recently. I have a job now! That's my new phrase lately! I'm still in shock. I work at Chick Fil A as a grill cook. I love it. The people I work for and work with are great! I'm starting to feel like I'm getting into a routine now and so is my family. It has been a big adjustment for us! The other big thing that has happened in my life, is that my son, Randy, turned 16. WOW! I can remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. He is a great kid and I'm so proud of him! We threw him a surprise party and our family and friends were all there. It was really nice. He also got a truck. Not a new one, a really old one, but a truck, none the less! We, (the ladies Bible study group) are starting our 4th week on The Frazzled Female by Cindi Wood. This has been a perfect Bible study for me and the ladies are enjoying it as well. It teaches you about time management, organization, and dealing with people and issues! All the things that get us frazzled! If you're busy and on the go, this is a great Bible study for you to do with a group or on your own. One of the scriptures that we read last week was Psalm 27. If you have time, read it. It is awesome and it really spoke to me. I shared it with some of the people at my work and we talked about it all day! We had our fourth ladies event at my church. The theme was April Showers bring May Flowers. We talked about facing the rainy times in our lives. It was a fun event and we had a pretty good turn out. I will begin posting notes from that on Monday. Have a great day!

Risk Takers

This past week, I was able to attend the Youth Ski Trip with my church. I was so happy to be able to go, even though I've never skied and would not consider myself a very coordinated or athletic type person! I wasn't real sure how I would do, but I wanted to try it. The first day, I didn't have much luck. I went as the cook for the trip and even though we had cereal for breakfast, the morning was a little hectic trying to get everything ready and put on all those clothes! I was one of the last ones out, so there was really no one to show me how to ski! A friend of ours was with me and had never been skiing either, so we just went for it. How hard can it be? VERY HARD! I crashed within the first second! I was so afraid of running into people. We didn't make it very far. By the time I got to the bottom of the little bunny slope, (which probably took me 30 minutes!), it was time for me to go back inside and start lunch! SO... I had to take the ski lift back up. Well, of course, I FELL when getting off the lift! I did go back out, but again, by the time I got back out there, made it down the little bunny hill, it was time for me to go back in and cook supper! Now, to my husband's defense, he did try to help me that afternoon. But, I just was not getting it! It was taking me forever. Then, some of the men folks came by, and I send him on his way to ski. He didn't want to leave, but there was no way that I was going to let him miss the opportunity to do some male bonding and have a good time, while I tried to figure out how in the world to make my skis stop! So, I walked back up the hill, because I was not getting back on that dreadful ski lift! For the next 20 mins I was at the top of the hill, looking at those skis and watching people and trying to figure out, "How do make them stop!" Then it was time to cook supper! So, the first day, I really didn't get to ski much and I was really thinking that maybe I just wouldn't do it again. Well, that was before we went to worship service on Thursday morning! Our pastor brought a great message to the students. He talked to them about being risk takers. He compared it to skiing and how some of us had never been on a pair of skis but that we had taken a risk and skied for the first time. He talked to them about how people settle for average, when God is wanting to give us the BEST. How we are afraid to ask God for the best because we really don't believe that he can do it. He told them to always, always, give their best in everything they did. Never never give up. To always try things and to not let fear keep them from missing the best things that God has planned for their life. He talked with them about following their dreams and desires and how when a desire is put in your heart, it is put there by God and then we have to be willing to take the risk and let God give us the knowledge and power to do what he is leading us to do. He used several different examples like, the person who invented the remote control, the person who invented the microwave, etc. Then, he showed us something in the Bible that I thought was so neat! In Genesis 4:20, he showed us the person who first invented the tent and raised livestock. Then in verse 21, he showed us the first person who invented the harp and the flute. Now, all these years later, we live in houses and camp in tents, but before that people lived out in the open. Look at the musical instruments we have today and all the different types of music that we are able to listen too. That was just the coolest thing to me. I prayed for myself that morning, that I would believe God and not live afraid to try new things, even skiing! Then I prayed for each of those students in that room, that they would grab hold of God now in their youth and never ever give up. Students today face so many pressures and have so many insecurities, it is a hard thing being a teenager. I know if we really think back, we can remember just how hard it is. Kids don't grow up and wish to be "trouble". They have dreams and goals, and somewhere along the way, they settle for average, they lose hope, they give up. I learned alot on this ski trip myself. I had one of the best times of my life and I truly love serving them. They seemed to all have a great time and everyone was so good and well mannered. Thursday night, as I skied down a green slope, there wasn't a soul in sight. I was gliding down that hill, just me and God, thankful that I had taken the risk and tried again. Thankful that I was given the opportunity to serve these young men and women. Thankful that I am able to serve a God who wants the best for me and for all of us. Take a risk, Let go and Let God do great things in your life! He doesn't want us to settle for average, He wants to give us the very best! Oh, by the way, I finally figured out how to get off the lift without falling! Have a good week!

Have you ever felt like everything was going wrong with those that you love and that Satan was coming against your family, trying to destroy it? This topic has been coming up alot lately. I'm sure we have all experienced this in one way or another, whether it was our marriage, our children, or even extended family members. I don't know about you, but when this is happening, I want to do something to stop it! I want to tell Satan to get back! I want to fight for my family. We want to do whatever it takes to keep Satan from destroying our family. The Bible tells us that Satan is like a lion, seeking to devour us. Have you ever tried to go to the person, with the best intentions and talk with them about what is happening, only to find yourself in an argument and leaving angry and frustrated?

How exactly do we fight for our family?

Well, first, let's look up the word fight.

1. To engage in a quarrel

2. To attempt to harm or gain power over an adversary by blows or with weapons.

3. To strive vigorously and resolutely

4. A discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed.

5. The power or will to fight.

Look at the synonyms for Fight: argue, bicker, contend, dispute, spat, war,debate,disagreement

I would say that the word "fight" might not be what we want for our family! We don't want to argue, dispute and be at war with the people we love. Look at the antonyms for the same word.

peace, retreat, agree, surrender, believe, support, yield

That's more like it! I think we all want peace in our homes and in our lives.

So, what do we do? Do we sit back and let Satan have his way with our family?

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

The weapons we fight with, have the divine power, to demolish strongholds, arguments, and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God!

One thing I believe will help us, is to remember what Ephesians 6 10-20 says, I'm not going to put all the of those scriptures in here. But here are some key statements:

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We do not fight with the people we love. We wage war against Satan himself. Love the person, hate the sin. What weapons do we fight with?

Well, the rest of those verses tell us exactly that.

belt of truth buckled around your waist

breastplate of righteousness in place

you feet fitted with he readiness that comes from the gospel of peace

shield of faith (extinguishes the arrows from the evil one)

helmet of salvation

sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God)

PRAY on all occasions

and again, Keep on praying

Remember this as well, the battle belongs to the Lord! He fights our battles for us!

Worldly fighting produces arguments, heated discussions, debates, war

Godly fighting produces belief in God and in the person, agreements, surrender, yielding, and peace.

May we all stand firm against the devil's schemes, with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace and allow God guide us to the path of peace.

New Beginnings

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is settling into the New Year! I love the New Year because it gives me the sense of new beginnings! Speaking of beginnings, we began the new Esther Bible study by Beth Moore yesterday! I love Bible Study! I went to bed last night, wore out, but HAPPY! I think I fell asleep smiling! If you have the opportunity to take this study, I think you will enjoy it. I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to facilitate and participate in this. Another new beginning for me is that I've had no coffee for a week and half. Those of you that know me, know that this is a GOD thing! When I do start drinking it again, I am going to switch to decaf. For spiritual and physical reasons, this has been something that I've worried and whined about for the last year. So... decaf it is. Again, I'm thankful that God has helped me through this decision. I'm sorry that I've been away for so long. We've had some computer problems but I'm up and running again. I do have a few things I've been working on that I will post very soon. I pray that your New Year will be blessed and that all is well!