Rut 1

To read this in Vietnamese, please click here.

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Far-off bloodline v. Close-by neighbor... 

I. Click here to READ Ruth 1 first.

II. One thing the Bible teaches (After much consideration, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, both widowed, traveled back to Naomi's homeland from which she and her family had left years ago to seek a living...)

19 So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. And when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was stirred because of them, and the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

III. Reflection

* Questions: How bitter was Naomi's complaint about the treatment she thought she received from the Lord?

IV. Application

Dear Lord God, I thank You for showing me that Naomi was so consumed by bitterness about Your treatment of her that she overlooked what You had already given her — the hidden treasure in the person of Ruth. Naomi did not count the value of faithfulness, companionship, love, and respect that Ruth dedicated to her as a daughter-in-law. Additionally, Naomi did not even know, because she could not see into the future, that her Ruth was the start of the lineage leading to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of humanity. I thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking me to this point to remind me that You cause all things to work together for the good of those who love You... (Romans 8:28). O Lord! Today, please help me not to overlook the close-by goodness that You have already given me all along. Please help me to discover them, rediscover them, and be grateful for them, starting with my family life. Amen

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Note: If you want to reflect on other books and chapters of the Bible, click here.

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