Having enough. That may be the biggest single issue that leads to human conflict. Somebody is afraid of not having enough and so tries to make up the difference by taking from somebody else.
But Scripture tells us again and again that there is more than enough for everybody. In fact, we would do better to worry about how to best give stuff away than to concern ourselves with collecting more.
There's enough time right now for you to consider what you have as a follower of God, and what you might do to give away what you own.
So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Ruth 4:13-17
Some say it’s impossible to change the world. David LaMotte once said that there’s a difference between fixing the world and changing it. No one person can fix the whole world alone, but each of us changes something about it every day.
In today’s Scripture, Ruth puts her entire life on hold to take care of her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of her sons. It may be easy to say that while this is a big sacrifice for Ruth, it hardly “changes the world.” However, God is paying attention and chooses Ruth as the mother of a son whose family tree will one day bear the lineage that gives birth to Jesus Christ.
A humble act of love and compassion changes the course of the entire universe – and they never even realize it.
Everything we do changes something about the world around us. Who are we to decide how big or small those choices may be one day? What choices will you make today?
Marc van Bulck
God of the universe, you work in our world in surprising ways. Fill my heart and my decisions this day to glorify you in everything that I am. Amen.
Look around right now;
See all that you possess,
All that is yours.
Now remind yourself
That it all belongs to God;
It is in your hands
For just a moment.
Live your life today
Grateful
For the abundance
Of grace that is yours
To give away.