-- Saturday, 9/11/10 -- TAKING THE INITIATIVE -- Ruth 2:2-3
J.R. & Bonnie Ricks
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TAKING THE INITIATIVE -- Ruth 2:2-3 NIV
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Ruth didn't sit back and wait for Naomi to come up with a solution to their mutual problem. She didn't sit back and wait for the Lord to drop manna from heaven, either. She took the initiative. She saw the problem, saw what needed to be done, and she did it. Never mind that the solution was demeaning to her. Never mind that it was hard work. Never mind that this had nothing to do with her hopes and dreams. She was willing to take the initiative and get on with the problem at hand. She didn't say, "Okay, I did the right thing. I came with Naomi to this strange land. This God I've sworn to follow is supposed to do miracles. I'm going to sit back and wait for Him to drop a major miracle in my lap!"
Sound familiar? How about, "I wish the Lord would hurry up and bless me. I'm trying to be good and follow His laws. But I hate my job. I hate my life. I'm so bored. I'm so lonely. I'm so depressed. I'm so tired of the rat race. How long do I have to wait before He does something?" Every one of us has said some of the above at one time or another. But where you are right now is where God wants you to be right now... for His eternal purpose. The lowly task you are being asked to perform might be preparation for a greater task He has for you down the road. And perhaps... just perhaps... He's just waiting for you to get up and do something about the situation... to take the initiative to illustrate how badly you want something. Perhaps He is waiting for you to take a step of faith.
Jesus set the example for us. He called you and me; we didn't call Him. He sought us out first, or we would never have known who He was. By doing it first, He illustrated what it means to take the initiative.
If you're in a miserable situation right now, take a close look at it. Look for ways you can serve God and glorify Him through your situation. And look for ways you can take the initiative to solve the problem at hand. God will bless your efforts... perhaps not in the way you expect, but He will bless you. And His blessings are always so much better than what we thought we wanted. Ruth wasn't looking for a husband. She was looking for food... and by taking the initiative, she became one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ.
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