God's Kindness
Henry Omotayo
God’s Kindness (Ruth 2:5-17)
Message No. 0507 | Twitter @GodandUs |
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When someone does something for another person who is in need, either without asking or by going over and above what was asked, an act of kindness has occurred. When Joseph’s brothers first came to Egypt in search of food, Joseph, though remembering all of the evil that they had done to him in the past, ignored the pain and instructed his servants to fill their sacks with food and to return each person’s money to his sack and give them additional provisions for their journey back home. Joseph showed God’s kindness to his brothers, in place of the evil that they did to him.
Kindness is meeting someone’s pressing needs, at the right time. In Ruth chapter 1, the Bible records how Ruth cleaved to her mother-in-law, Naomi, when she (Naomi) decided to return home after the death of her husband and two sons. Ruth had every opportunity to remain in Moab and possible remarry and continue her life, but she, instead, decided to follow Naomi home. Back in Israel, and not having a reliable means of survival, Ruth decided to go to some random field to gather leftover grains behind harvesters, so she may bring some food back home to Naomi.
In chapter 2 verses 5 to 17, it happened that Boaz, a relation of Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, took notice of Ruth and decided to treat her with unprecedented kindness. He not only gave her preferential treatment at mealtime, in verses 15 and 16, the Bible says:
And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”
Even the reapers would be quite surprised about how much kindness Boaz was showing to, what some people would refer to as a “common stranger.” Ruth not only had enough to eat, she took food home for Naomi, who was also quite surprised to see the amount of food brought home by her daughter-in-law on her very first trip to the farm.
The act of kindness shown to Ruth might seem all so random, but God was not about to let Ruth’s dedication to her mother-in-law and to her God go unrewarded. The liberal world might say, oh, she was just lucky, but there’s no single appearance of the word ‘Luck’ in the Bible. With God, nothing happens by chance. God ensured that, even on Ruth’s first visit to the farm, it was Boaz’s farm that she went to, and God planned for Boaz to notice her and to show her kindness.
With this, I declare to you in Christ’s name, that your own God-ordained act of kindness is on its way. You might, perhaps, be in a foreign land, have finished all of your resources and are almost stranded, not knowing where the next meal will come from, but God always has something up His Sleeve. With God in the loop, help is coming your way. You might be out of work or your business not doing well enough to put food on the table for your family. You may have been affected by previous or current circumstances but with God on your side, help is coming your way.
I saw the recent coverage of a mother in Africa who was so poor that she had no food to cook for her young children. Each time the children complained of hunger, she would put stones in the pot and start cooking, not expecting food to come out, of course, but with the hope that the children would fall asleep while expecting the ‘food’ to finish cooking. The story moved many to tears and food supplies came from different directions, until the woman had abundance.
God is not about to abandon His children, so, in whichever way you are in need of kindness today, I agree with you that kindness will locate you this week. In Psalm 37 verse 25, the Bible says:
I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.
As a child of God, and as God remains on the Thrown, I declare that you will not go hungry and your descendants will not live in poverty. The unlimited resources of our Savior will be deployed for you and you will be overwhelmed with abundance, in Jesus’ name. Amen. Stay safe and remain blessed!
PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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