Two year Bible reading program.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 16:33 Understanding to grow in In seeking to help Ruth and Naomi, Boaz is not prepared to side-step God's law. Although following it could threaten the marriage, he does what's right and trusts God for the outcome. It's never acceptable to do what's wrong on the grounds of greater good. But the bigger lesson here is about how God is at work in even the worst of times and the smallest of incidences. At face value this is a story or romance and  the reversal of fortunes. But there is more. Ruth and Boaz's son becomes king David's grandad and a direct ancestor of Jesus. Through this union of a faithful Israelite and pagan convert, Jesus is eventually born. And now too, through a...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 16:32 Understanding to grow in In times of ungodliness and spiritual disinterest it can be easy to assume that God is not at work. The book of Ruth proves otherwise. First, it shows that God has always been gathering those from outside Israel. Ruth is a Moabitess, one of the enemy nations (see Judges 3). Yet she displays Christ-like self-sacrifice in commiting to her mother-in-law and to God, shaming the Israelites of her day who were turning to the false gods of Moab (Jud 10v6). Second, the book shows God remembers his people. A few Israelites, like Boaz, remained faithful to God. And with some divine matchmaking, the Lord brings him to Ruth in order to provide for her and her destitute mother-in-l...