Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E91 | Everyday Eurasia | Linda Louw

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S1-E91 | Everyday Eurasia | Linda Louw · Eurasia Region Podcast

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  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
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  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
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  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
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  many different places around the world.
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  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
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  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
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  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
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  day. Through this podcast, you'll
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  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
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  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments this week.
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  We're joined by Linda Law. She has been a missionary for 26
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  years, a mother of four precious daughters for 37 years, and wife
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  to a strategic and wonderful man for 40 years.
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  She has lived in seven different countries on four different
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  continents. She is.
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  A graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University and has at
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  varying times been a full time elementary teacher, mom and
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  pastors wife, Linda is now pursuing ordination as an elder
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  in the Church of the Nazarene. Her current assignment is
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  Coordinator for Advocacy for Women in Leadership on the
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  Eurasia Region. She's passionately desires that
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  all people, especially women, are provided with opportunities
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  to lead with in the church. As laypeople.
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  And as ministers. Ruth's hard work in the fields
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  of Boaz provided them with more than enough to live on.
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  Had Ruth's pledge of loyalty and faithfulness been mere words,
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  this story would never have been.
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  If Boaz had carried more about other people's opinions, Ruth
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  would not be a chapter in our Bible.
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  Sometimes the kindness, devotion, faithfulness and
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  loyalty of God's khasad are uncomfortable, sweaty, even a
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  lot of hard work. Naomi needed food, not words.
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  Ruth needed someone to champion the despised Moabite khasad.
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  God's call to kindness to others must take risks.
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  Be willing to look foolish and work hard.
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  In Chapter 3 of Ruth, Naomi sets aside her bitterness and grief
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  to see the need of her precious daughter.
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  As long as Naomi lives, the two of them can live off the
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  gleaming that Boaz so generously allows.
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  However, if something should happen to Naomi, Ruth, as a
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  foreign widow, would have no place in society.
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  In this day and time, marriage was the only way to secure her
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  beloved Ruth's future. Boaz was Naomi's relative and
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  had proven his in his protection of Ruth and his own female
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  workers that he was a trustworthy man.
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  Naomi begins to hatch a plan. The plan could save Ruth.
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  Potentially, it could also leave her Naomi with nothing.
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  The first difficult journey from Moab to Bethlehem they had taken
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  together. Ruth, by her own instigation,
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  made the journey to the field and home each day alone.
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  This time Naomi was sending Ruth on a journey and this was the
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  riskiest of them all. Naomi instructed Ruth to wash
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  anoint, put on, go down, do not do not make known, take note, go
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  uncover, lie down and then let Boaz tell her what was to come
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  next. Naomi was pushing Boaz to take
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  Ruth seriously, not just as a charity case.
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  Ruth was to present herself, hopefully perceived, as a
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  prospective bride to Boaz while he slept on the flesh threshing
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  floor. So much could have gone wrong.
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  Ruth could have been discovered and humiliated before Boaz
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  showed up. Boaz could have been shocked and
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  indignant, perhaps ending their gleaning benefits.
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  Ruth's very reputation was at stake.
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  If ruined, it could leave the woman with no resources
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  whatsoever. But Naomi looked to the future,
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  and Ruth looked to her mother-in-law, and they took
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  their chances, each one concerned only for the other.
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  Boaz recognizes Ruth's intent. He sees her heart and he is
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  honoured by her trust in him. Ruth daringly goes one step
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  further in reminding him that he is a Redeemer.
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  She is including Naomi in her bargain.
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  Boaz was not Ruth's relative. She had no need of redemption
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  from him, but Naomi did. She owned a field, and a kinsman
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  Redeemer could buy the field from her, thus redeeming her
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  from poverty. Ruth was offering herself as his
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  bride, but Naomi must be included.
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  She had said only death could part them, and she intended to
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  keep that vow whatever it cost her, even if once again she lost
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  all hope of marriage and family. Once again Boaz blesses Ruth for
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  her kindness, her Cassade, both to Naomi and to himself.
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  She is young, she could have sought a young man.
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  Instead she chose him. He calls her a worthy woman, a
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  woman of excellence and noble character.
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  And as a nod to Naomi, he sends Ruth home with Barley.
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  Ruth worked within the context of her culture and law, but she
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  pushed the boundaries to secure future for herself and her
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  mother-in-law. She showed initiative when Naomi
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  was without hope. She showed loyalty when it could
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  cost her her reputation. She dared to put the needs of
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  someone else above her own, risking all.
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  We would do well to emulate Ruth in Philippian 2, Paul writes.
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  So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from my
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  love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection in
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  sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having
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  the same love. Do nothing from selfish, selfish
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  ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more
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  significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to
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  his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
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  Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus,
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  who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality
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  with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking
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  the form of a servant. Being born in the likeness of
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  men and being found in human form, he humbled himself by
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  becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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  Love knows no bounds. Love will, for the sake of the
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  beloved, risk all, not considering the uncertainties or
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  negative consequences to oneself.
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  Dear Father, we pray that we will have the same attitude as
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  Christ who humbled Himself for our sake.
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  Soften our hearts so we will look to the needs of others
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  before we consider our own nudges out of our comfort zones
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  that we may take risks to secure the well-being of another.
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  Open our eyes that we may see the needs of the vulnerable.
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  Burden our hearts to desire to act with compassion for those
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  who are marginalized. Fill our hearts with Your
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  facade. Amen.
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  Thank you for listening to the Everyday Eurasia podcast
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  Inspiring Faith for Everyday. For more Everyday stories,
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  subscribe on this podcast channel, follow our socials,
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  For our newsletter and further information about the Eurasia
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  region, visit our. Website Eurasia.
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  Regionorg.