Big Idea: The decisions that you make today will determine the story that you tell tomorrow.
Scripture: Ruth 4:1-6 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”
Devotion: The scripture for today comes from the last chapter of the book of Ruth. At this point, we have seen some very significant moments in the life of Ruth. Her husband and father-in-law died. She decided to journey to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, which included leaving her homeland, her people, and her gods. She listened to the instructions of Naomi in Bethlehem and encountered one of their guardian-redeemers. As such, they had not gone hungry and had the opportunity before them to have redeemed what had been lost.
All of these decisions that Ruth made led her to this moment: the conversation between Boaz, the guardian-redeemer that Ruth had met and was invited to glean by, and the guardian-redeemer who is more closely related to her. But before this conversation even happened, Ruth listened to Naomi and had gone to the threshing floor when Boaz was there. She presented herself to him and asked that he would redeem her and Naomi. Here was his response to her in Ruth 3:10-13, “’The Lord bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.’”
Boaz recognized her as a woman of noble character. Each of the decisions that she had made in her life, from being determined to go to Bethlehem with Naomi, to being a hard worker when she gleaned from Boaz’s field, to listening to whatever Naomi instructed, impacted her story. And in the life of Ruth, we see that her decisions for the better. Boaz was so impressed with her character that he desired to be their guardian-redeemer. And then he goes on to provide Ruth with a son.
The decisions that we make today will determine the story that we tell tomorrow. Not all of our decisions will be perfect. Mistakes will be made. But we can consciously make decisions that help us go in the direction that we want for our lives. So, when it comes to the decisions that you are making today, we can pray for wisdom and guidance. Much like Ruth, we can walk in obedience to the Lord, seeking to glorify Him, and trust that He will write a beautiful life story for us.
Reflect:
- At the end of your life, what story do you want your life to tell? In light of that, how might I make the best decisions today?
