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Morning Devotional...


Ruth's Righteous Husband

"Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers" (Ruth 4:10a).

Ruth 4


Marriage is an important theme that arises again and again in Scripture, and there are many models of what a good marriage looks like in the Bible. The Song of Solomon, for example, is a beautiful picture of a husband and wife and their love for one another. In the New Testament, Priscilla and Aquila stand out as a couple who served the kingdom of God together, complementing each other in their life and witness (Acts 18:24–28; Rom. 16:3–5a).

We also find in the Old Testament the history of Boaz and Ruth, who marvelously display what God intends for husbands and wives to be in the marriage relationship. Clinging to her widowed mother-in-law Naomi after her first husband died, Ruth journeyed to Bethlehem, Naomi's home. While there, she gleaned wheat from the fields of Boaz (Ruth 1–2). In desperation, with all the men in the family dead, Naomi and Ruth were in danger of losing their inheritance and their family's land if an heir could not be produced. In keeping with the Levirate marriage law, Ruth was able to marry a close relative and bear a son who would legally belong to Naomi's family, thereby ensuring that the property would not pass from them (Deut. 25:5–10).

As a close relative, Boaz could redeem Ruth and Naomi, and so Ruth approached Boaz one evening, inviting him to redeem her from this plight (Ruth 3). Ruth was calling on him to take the lead in the relationship to provide for her materially and, ultimately, spiritually, for in marrying her, Boaz would be obeying the law of God. Her example shows us what it means for a wife to submit to her own husband (Eph. 5:22–24). Good wives look for their husbands to lead them and encourage them in their difficult calling. May the wives among us follow Ruth's lead.

Boaz also shows us what it means to be an ideal godly husband — one who is willing to give up his life for his own wife and family (vv. 25–27). Another of Naomi's relatives was unwilling to take Ruth for his wife, fearing that he would lose any compensation for meeting Ruth's needs once they bore a son and the inheritance passed into the son's hands. Boaz, on the other hand, was willing to sacrifice much to bless Ruth and her family, showing us what godly husbands do for the sake of their wives (Ruth 4). May those of us who are husbands imitate his self-sacrifice.

Coram Deo

Boaz was ultimately rewarded for his selfless deed when he was included in the line of David and thus the line of Christ (Matt. 1:1–17). He did not know that this would be his reward when he cared for Ruth, however. Likewise, we do not always know how God is going to reward us for doing what is right, but we can rest assured that we will be repaid for any sacrifice we make to obey His law, whether now, in the age to come, or both.

Passages for Further Study

Proverbs 12:4; 18:22;
31:10–31
Matthew 1:18–25
Titus 2:3–5


From Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul.http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/ruths-righteous-husband/

An excellent study of the story of Ruth.  Thanks, Buddy.

Thanks Buddy!  So good to read this on this Sunday afternoon in Guelph!

I hope everyone has a wonderful time today praising the Lord!

This has been a quiet day, I have a bad neck that has held me back since Thursday.  Today I have just rested.

Thank you for the devotional Buddy.

Had a wonderful time with family over the weekend, it was good to see Heather again, it has been quite a while!  We had a great time with JC and Kim as well.  I took my finches down to Heather, and find our house quite quiet, I miss the chirping......

We had Kassie's boyfriend here when we came home, he arrived just a few hours before we got home and they went by the house rules the whole time.  He slept in the opposite side of the house and said he was comfortable... He was respectful and pleasant to have here.

Hi everyone on a morning where we actually see some sunshine and it looks so good.  We had a lot of heavy rain late yesterday afternoon and our area was under a tornado watch for a couple of hours.  Fortunately, our area fared well and other than a lot of rain we had very little rain and no hail.  We had a very nice church service yesterday following Sunday School and then we stopped at Pizza Hut for a quick lunch.  Today Pat is planning on attending a Women's Circle meeting at the church and I am going to make a run over to Walmart in Augusta as trying to find some insulated mugs with handles that apparently only that store in the area stocks.  This evening is the men's dinner and meeting at the church and I plan on attending that as well.  So it will be a fairly busy day.

Don, thanks for that lesson a marriage for our weekly devotional thought.  It is a good one.

Judy, hope your neck is feeling better today. 

Hi everyone on a sunny, blue sky type of day.  The sun sure looks good after several days of cloudy, rainy weather.  The lawn people are here already this morning and just finishing up our yard.  I did go to Walmart yesterday and with the help of one of the employee's there found the insulated mugs I was looking for.  They only had two of the size I wanted but got three other that were bigger.  The nice things they all were a dollar off their regular price.  Last evening I really enjoyed the men's meeting at church with the delicious steak dinner.  It was a big steak.  Then we had an interesting speaker who gave a very inspirational short talk.  This morning I plan on going to the Men's coffee downtown and on the way home will stop off at the church to leave the paperwork needed to request our letters from our church in Georgia.  This afternoon the minister is scheduled to come by about 3 pm for a visit and we are looking forward to that.

My what a quiet day yesterday was.  No one other than Larry sharing. 

I have gone off Facebook for a while.  It was taking up too much of my time. Private message me if you want my phone number.

I have just finished reading a Ted Dekker book "The Sanctuary".  I really enjoy his writing, different than most, however I do enjoy his books.  His latest was AD 30, being followed by AD 33.  The content of AD 30 was very scripturally based even when most of the characters are fictional.  I am looking forward to AD 33.

Every one have a great day and share your days activities with us.

Hello everyone! I feel as if I need to introduce myself again. 

I returned home yesterday evening after two weeks away -- in California.  My daughter and granddaughter both graduated from MTI on the 10th, Dot's birthday was the 11th, she and all three of her girls, and their families, and I went out to dinner to celebrate.  I managed to get some repairs and maintenance done on the mobile home, and then Dot and I drove into the foothills  and spent some time with Joy, John and Bryan. 

Just Dot's and Joy's families were available, but I enjoyed seeing all of them.  I'm tired, and really glad to be back home on this cool, quiet corner of the world!  Nothing like the southern coast of Oregon!!

Good Tuesday to all.   The oven is set on self-cleaning so this is a test to see how well it does clean.  Meanwhile, the kitchen is too hot right now.  We can hear birds chirping outside most of the time - quail have their different sounds as well.  One couple visiting are "Birders" and they know the sound of most every bird.

Larry:  Poinsettia plants are from south of our border - they are not worshiped in any way so that was a very odd thing for a neighbor to mention.  Glad you found some coffee buddies.  Neighbors here are very nice and they have invited me to a coffee tomorrow with five in total - a nice size group. 

Janet:  Do hope Darrel is feeling better - maybe you can borrow my blow up mattress and bring that to the waiting room with a pillow and blanket?  They would get the message. 

Don is hungry and needs to be fed - even mild diabetes is life-changing.  Later,

Jane, that's good news that you had a pleasant time in California, celebrating graduations and a birthday and spending time with family.

Jane so glad you had a great time with family!

Hi everyone on another beautiful morning here in South Carolina.  It is a little cooler but suppose to go up to 80 degrees by late afternoon.  I got out early and got to the Credit Union and then stopped at COSTCO to fill the gas tank on the car.  Pat is headed to the church for a sewing group of ladies that meet on Wednesdays.  This evening we will go to the Wednesday night dinner and Bible Study afterward.  I sat out on my porch yesterday afternoon as it was only 73 degrees with low humidity and a sunny afternoon.  It was quite enjoyable.  I had a very nice time at coffee with the church men yesterday morning.  There were six of us there, which is a nice group. 

Judy, I never have taken to Facebook although have an account and will occasionally look at it but seldom post.  I don't believe I have ever read any of Ted Dekker's books. 

Jane, glad you are safely home and don't think I knew you had gone back to California although seem to remember you mentioning you were planning to do so for the graduations.  It sounds like you have a productive and enjoyable time.  What does MTI stand for?

Carol, I am like you in not understanding the concern about the poinsettia plants other than you see them on sale at Christmas. 

Good morning, all.  Yesterday was my appointment with the OB/GYN and the news was good.  Although there is still one more test result, he was almost sure there is nothing to worry about.  So - praises to our Heavenly Father, the Great Physician!   

QuoteJane, glad you are safely home and don't think I knew you had gone back to California although seem to remember you mentioning you were planning to do so for the graduations.  It sounds like you have a productive and enjoyable time.  What does MTI stand for?

Larry, I'm not entirely sure what the initials are for, but this is a 2 year college started by a family in California (I think it's local in Sacramento only) 50 years ago.  They train in medical, technical and legal professions.  Dottie in the medical, and Becky in the legal.  Dot has worked 20 years doing billing and coding for medical claims but can't get a job now because she doesn't/didn't have a certificate!!  Becky just got a job in a law firm, and has a diploma as a legal assistant/secretary.

This has been quite a day.  Rain, snow, combination of both, sun, cloud, wind, and ground fog. Is there anything that could be added to that? Kassie and I were in to North Bay today, for various reasons, and I really wished I could stay home.  However today or tomorrow we are expecting the same.

This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Hi All,
Be sure to vote in the Mini Challenge #92.  The topic "TEXTURE", as stated by shutterbugmom: "The texture in the image should be obvious; for instance, we should be able to tell by viewing the image, just how it would feel if we could reach out and touch it.  It can be smooth, rough, sharp, rounded, gnarled, wrinkled etc..."

Go to this link to look at the photos and vote.
http://www.christianphotographers.com/community/index.php?topic=13280.0

Thanks, Buddy, for that reminder and the link.  We really got some good entries and voting won't be easy.   

Hey Buddy I think my day was full of texture don't you?

Hi everyone.  Another clear and beautiful day here.  Only two things on the schedule for today.  The first is to attend a meeting at noon and the other is that the minister plans to visit around 2 pm.  He had planned on being here yesterday but had doctor's appointment and was still at the doctor's office when he was due here.  He did have the church secretary give us a call to let us know.  We had a very nice pork chop dinner last night and an interesting Bible study in the book of Acts. 

Jeanne, so glad you got good news. 

Jane, it sounds like both Dot and Becky should now be prepared for jobs in their fields. 

Buddy, I also appreciate your posting the link as I don't visit the photo exhibits otherwise.  I will cast my vote. 

Quote from: Jeanne Lee on April 22, 2015, 10:05:30 AM
Good morning, all.  Yesterday was my appointment with the OB/GYN and the news was good.  Although there is still one more test result, he was almost sure there is nothing to worry about.  So - praises to our Heavenly Father, the Great Physician!   

   Thanks, Pat!

Hi, friends,

Well, it has been a really busy week for me. Today I took a gentleman to the pharmacy and also the bank. The bank is celebrating its customers by having a lunch party for them tomorrow, so he needs a ride once again.

The weather is so beautiful - in the 60s and sunny with a light breeze. I enjoyed being outside for a while.

Y'all have a great rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Hi everyone on another clear and crisp South Carolina morning.  It looks like we will max out today at 74 degrees around 5 pm. 

Yesterday was a very busy day as we went to a meeting at noon and then stopped at McDonald's for a quick bite to eat and when we got home around 2 pm the minister of our new church was waiting for us as we had set up a 2 pm meeting with him.  He stayed for an hour or so and we had a very pleasant conversation. 

Pat had made a stew yesterday morning and our son and DIL came over and had dinner with us last evening.  He also brought down Pat's sewing machine and put it in the car.  The foot feed suddenly stopped working so it has to go to the shop for repair.  He also changed the direction of the ceiling fans, which we have in all of our rooms so we are ready for the summer months.  Today we will take the machine for repair and perhaps have lunch out so Pat can have a night off from the kitchen.  We may also look for a new light kit for her sewing room as the one they put in doesn't put out enough light for a sewing room.  That will be it for today.

Ruth Ann, I see you continue with your kindness to others.  Glad you enjoyed the nice fresh air yesterday. 

 :yikes:Today my baby turns 55    When her brother, 5 years old at the time, was told the new baby was a girl, his reaction was - "Oh good!  Now we don't have to do the dishes any more."

Our weather is perfectly "normal"...   for the first week of March. 

Hi, friends,

That was a cute story, Jeanne. Once one of my sons was angry with his next older brother. He said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're adopted!" So the older brother winked at me and said, "Well, I AM adopted!" Then the younger one looked puzzled and asked me, "If you couldn't have my brother, why did you have me?" 

Y'all have a great day.

Ruth Ann

Larry, it sure sounds like Pat and you have been successful in meeting new friends and groups.   You will be so busy very soon.   

Jeanne 

Ruth Ann.  Another gem of a memory for you.   

Two afternoons have been spent deleting a massive number of phone and email contacts on my new to me iPhone 4    Tech stuff is so intrusive and you would not believe the high number of names we have never heard of on our lists. 

Here, a friendly neighbor had me over to meet several others and our wonderful 87 year young Dorie next door insisted on making a frame for a poster for our living room.   She is a very active gal.   

Looking forward to our home church and meeting with the gals.   

Hi everyone.  It is a rainy morning to start the day.  However, by the weather maps it looks like we will just get some rain.  The only thing on my schedule today is to make a quick trip to Walmart as have a prescription to pick up and Pat has a few items on the list.  We did get her sewing machine to the Bernina dealer in the area and I found that the Hyundai dealership was right across the road from the Bernina dealer. 

Jeanne, we have some wonderful memories of our young children.  That was certainly a cute story and sounds like the reasoning of a five year old. 

Ruth Ann, your young son  asked a reasonable question.

Carol, we are beginning to know several people and to learn our way around as well.  You may find some settings that will limit the contacts added to your phone.  I was having a lot of duplication and found it was due to the syncing with my contacts on my computer and I was able to turn that off. How nice of your neighbor to make the frame for you. 

It is wonderful having Pat and Heather here.  Last night Elizabeth and Ivy were here for a birthday dinner, Elizabeth is 22 on Monday.  We had a wonderful time together, and Ivy entertained us all!

Judy, you're so lucky!  I'd love to have Pat - or you - come to my house for a visit!   

Judy:  How far do you live from Pat?  I mean the CA address. 

Very sleepy this afternoon - it may be allergies or just plain tired.