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Redeemed Day 7 Favored Not Forsaken: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Favored Not Forsaken!

The Questions

1) What does the exchange between Boaz and his workers reveal in verse 4?

2) In this passage, why was Boaz able to demonstrate God’s characteristics?

3) How does hospitality connect with the gospel?

Ruth 2:1-17

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side. He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz.
2 Ruth the Moabitess asked Naomi, “Will you let me go into the fields and gather fallen grain behind someone with whom I find favor?”
Naomi answered her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family.

4 Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, “The Lord be with you.”
“The Lord bless you,” they replied.
5 Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”

6 The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab. 7 She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?’ She came and has been on her feet since early morning, except that she rested a little in the shelter.”

8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants. 9 See which field they are harvesting, and follow them. Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
10 She fell facedown, bowed to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, although I am a foreigner?”

11 Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. 12 May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

13 “My lord,” she said, “I have found favor with you, for you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz told her, “Come over here and have some bread and dip it in the vinegar sauce.” So she sat beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted grain. She ate and was satisfied and had some left over.

15 When she got up to gather grain, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her even gather grain among the bundles, and don’t humiliate her. 16 Pull out some stalks from the bundles for her and leave them for her to gather. Don’t rebuke her.” 17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. She beat out what she had gathered, and it was about twenty-six quarts of barley.

Original Intent

1) What does the exchange between Boaz and his workers reveal in verse 4?
Boaz was quite a wealthy man with many fields, many workers, and many overseers over those fields and workers. He certainly didn’t “need” to visit his fields as he had trusted overseers to keep a keen business eye on all things related to his harvest. The simple fact that Boaz even came to the field in person speaks highly of his character. As further evidence of his kind character, he did not come only to privately engage his overseers to ensure everything was going as planned. He was not visiting to be controlling. The first exchange recorded as Boaz approaches the worksite is a kind greeting that honors both the Lord and the people working for him. Neither did Boaz view his workers as objects to do his bidding, nor did he view himself as above the authority of God. Ancient preserved documents, called Targums, were written in Aramaic as a sort of explanatory commentary of Scripture for Jews who had, over time, forgotten how to speak or understand the Hebrew language. Today, the Targum can provide insight for us into cultural understanding when it comes to studying Scripture. For this specific exchange between Boaz and his workers, the Targum expands our understanding to include the idea that Boaz was pronouncing a genuine blessing from the Lord to the people, which included a prayer for their health, well-being, and safety as they labored. In reciprocity, the harvesters responded in like blessing by also praying prosperity over Boaz.

2) In this passage, why was Boaz able to demonstrate God’s characteristics?
Boaz’ life mirrored the character of God because He had grown up knowing and loving the God of the Bible, Yahweh. Boaz himself was a foreigner being the son of the Gentile prostitute, Rahab, and her Jewish husband, Salmon. (Matthew 1:5) While he could have been excluded because he wasn’t a full-blooded Jew, he experienced the inclusion of a God who lovingly draws in all people. This God so kindly grafted Boaz in that he became a key player in the family lineage of Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph! Because Boaz was so radically loved, his life naturally reflected the attributes of love as first portrayed by God. The Lord God was a refuge and protector to His people Israel (Psalm 3:3-4), and we find Boaz specifically speaking to his workers to not bother Ruth. (Ruth 2:9) The Lord God provided food and drink, exactly the amount needed for Israel as they wandered in the desert. (Exodus 16:11-12) Likewise, Boaz went out of his way to provide food and drink to completely satisfy Ruth and Naomi. (Ruth 2:14-17) Pointing forward to Jesus, only in Him can a soul find protection from the consequence of sin, which is death. (Romans 10:13) Only in Jesus, can we be sheltered from the chaos of everyday life by finding peace with God. (Romans 5:1) Jesus calls Himself the “bread of life” (John 6:35) and the source of “living water” (John 7:38-39) because only in Christ can anyone find true satisfaction that will never leave us empty or dissatisfied. (John 10:10)

3) How does hospitality connect with the gospel?
It’s simply not possible to read this account of Boaz and not be impressed by his humility, generosity, and hospitality, especially when we keep in mind that Ruth was a non-Jew Gentile living, and working, in a very Jewish town. She should have most-definitely been the city’s outcast. She was the proverbial black sheep. Her clothes were different. Her speech and tonal inflections were different. Her growing up experiences were different. Her religious background was different. Surely, these factors created too great of a divide to bridge for one community! Boaz proved otherwise with his lavish hospitality. He noticed her, as she obviously stuck out to everyone, but he responded to her apparent differences with humility and kind graciousness. In the face of her extreme minority, Boaz did not use his majority power and influence either to ignore or mock her, instead he elevated her. He sat with her during meal time, giving her the best of the noon meal. (verse 14) He spoke with her face to face when he could have easily sent a male overseer with a message, (verses 8-9) and he went above and beyond by encouraging her heart with a good report he’d heard of her and prayed a blessing over her. (verses 11-12) Then, Boaz blessed her house with more meals to share between her and Naomi. (verse 17) Boaz demonstrated true hospitality, not because he was wealthy, but because he was humble and loved the outcast.

Everyday Application

1) What does the exchange between Boaz and his workers reveal in verse 4?
Not only do we see God’s character so sweetly reflected in Boaz in this exchange, but we also have a wonderful model for engaging others around us! Just as Boaz didn’t see himself as too lofty to associate with the common workers in his hot, dusty fields, so the Lord Jesus humbled Himself to come and dwell with us in order to sacrifice Himself for us. Boaz specifically spoke to his workers and offered prayers over them with genuine sincerity, how much more does Jesus do for us! Constantly He is interceding for us in prayer to the Father through the Spirit, and never once are we abandoned and removed from His presence, though we are so unworthy of such a lavish gift! What a refreshing gift to see such a good example of Jesus in someone else! Doesn’t it encourage you to live more boldly and loving as an example to others as well?! In our culture, the common exchange is, “How are you?” to be responded with a hearty, “Good! And you?”. Even among believers, sometimes we throw around words like “blessings” or “Lord bless you”, but how much more meaningful would these exchanges become if we accompanied a genuine prayer for the other person along with our words? Take the challenge and pray specifically for the next person you share a common greeting! For a little deeper dive, take a look at the short letters towards the end of the New Testament to catch a glimpse of Paul’s prayers of blessings over those who read his letters!

2) In this passage, why was Boaz able to demonstrate God’s characteristics?
Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth, “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ”. (1 Corinthians 11:1) He had just finished explaining to the Corinthians how he quite intentionally lived his life for the purpose of sharing the hope and love of Jesus to all people, regardless of what he was doing. Even down to what he ate and drank, Paul wanted those around him to know he loved them and was putting them above himself because that is exactly how Jesus loves us. (1 Corinthians 10:23-33) Boaz clearly demonstrates this same principle. Loving others with generosity and genuine kindness wasn’t something he did for show or in attempt to somehow “win favor” either from God (pride because it’s impossible) or people (pride because it’s self-focused). Boaz loved others like God had loved him. Jesus said of the woman who sacrificially anointed Him in Bethany, “her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much.” (Luke 7:47) When we realize how far away our sin removes us from the loving presence of God, we understand how deeply we need to be forgiven. The chasm between us as sinful human beings and the perfectly holy God is impossibly wide. Only through Jesus can it be crossed. Then, when we are awash with the realization that God, in Christ Jesus, removes our sin as far as the east is from the west, we are radically made new and repurposed to love others as deeply as we have been loved. Be encouraged by Boaz’ example of redemption and live lives that love others and imitate Christ in everything we do!

3) How does hospitality connect with the gospel?
A shared meal between close friends or relatives is one thing, but it’s quite another to extend lavish hospitality to those outside your circle of comfort and familiarity. Whether it’s another race, another culture, income level, or lifestyle choice, actually living out humble, loving generosity in the form of hospitality puts the gospel on brilliant display like little else! It’s easy to love those who love us and make us feel comfortable, but that is not the gospel. (Luke 6:32-36) Christ did not come to save those who claimed self-righteousness, but to rescue those who realized they were destitute and entirely excluded from right standing with God on their own merit. (Luke 5:32) When we live our everyday lives intentionally on the lookout for those who are different from us, for the purpose of loving them like Jesus, we will find ourselves reaching for the house key of hospitality by which we open the door to share the gospel with our new friends. Reach across the line, love someone different than you, and enjoy the sweet reward of fellowship brought about by the love of Christ!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Favored Not Forsaken!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Redeemed Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

He Day 7 Yahweh Jireh: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Yahweh Jireh!

The Questions

1) Why would God ask Abraham to gruesomely slaughter his son? (verse 10)

2) How does the Lord provide for Abraham? (verse 14)

3) What was required from Abraham before God blessed him? (verses 17-18)

Genesis 22:10-18

Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
He replied, “Here I am.”

12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. 18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

Original Intent

1) Why would God ask Abraham to gruesomely slaughter his son? (verse 10)
To be abundantly clear, God had zero interest in ever killing Abraham’s son. The Lord God has always been adamantly opposed to child sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2-5, Jeremiah 32:35) and protects life against all odds all throughout Scripture. (Genesis 21:15-18, Matthew 19:14-15) Even in this passage, an angel of the Lord was sent by God to ensure no harm came to Isaac. (verses 11-12) This recorded incident wasn’t really about Isaac at all, it was about Abraham. God knew Abraham cherished nothing more highly than his beloved only son, Isaac. God Himself had given Isaac to Abraham when both he and his wife, Sarah, were far too old to bear children. Sarah was around 90 and Abraham was 100 years old! (Genesis 21:5) Isaac was the son of God’s promise, the visible, tangible sign of God’s faithful promise to make Abraham into a great nation. God had given this promise when Abraham was only 75 years old (Genesis 12:1-4). For 15 long years, God taught Abraham to keep trusting Him, and Him alone to fulfill His promise that Abraham couldn’t see with his eyes and could only believe by faith. Abraham followed in obedience and humility, albeit not perfectly, but he did consistently choose to trust God over himself. Now that Isaac was here, and several years had passed, Abraham’s love priorities had begun shifting off the Almighty and onto his son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:2) As Abraham’s heart shifted, he became in danger of worshipping an idol, his son, instead of the Lord God who had given Isaac. For Abraham’s good, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering to the Lord. Again, this wasn’t about Isaac, God would preserve Isaac’s life, this was about cutting out idol worship from Abraham’s heart.

 2) How does the Lord provide for Abraham? (verse 14)
Abraham, with knife raised, was face to face with death, but it wasn’t death of his son, even though it obviously appeared that way. Abraham, by physically offering up his son, whom he dearly loved, to the Lord God, was slaying his pride on the altar that day. As the angel of God called aloud for Abraham to stay his knife, and both Abraham and Isaac gulped in oxygen in astonished gratefulness, Yahweh Jirah provided a ram for the physical sacrifice to take the place of Isaac. But even before Abraham caught sight of the ram’s horns caught in a thicket, the Lord God revealed the greater way He had provided for Abraham in that moment where life and death had hung in the balance. “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” (verse 12) For clarity, God already knew Abraham would choose to follow through in obedience to God’s command of sacrificing Isaac because He is the all-knowing God. This journey up the side of Mt. Moriah wasn’t commanded for God’s benefit, but for Abraham’s. Abraham’s love for Isaac was deep and all-consuming, threatening to overtake his love and devotion for God. As Abraham wrestled with his faith, as he took one more step up the mountain, as he prepared the alter, as he bound his beloved son and laid him on it, as he picked up his knife, each decision led him more firmly to worship the Lord God and release Isaac from the pedestal he had placed him on. God provided the ram for the physical sacrifice, but God provided humility in place of pride in Abraham’s heart.

3) What was required from Abraham before God blessed him? (verses 17-18)
Abraham decided to go all in for obeying God with absolutely no turning back, because, of course, once the knife pierced Isaac’s heart, there was no other choice Abraham could make. This was the point when God stopped Abraham. Total obedience. The Lord instantly spoke truth over Abraham, reassuring him that God saw his heart, and more so Abraham could know his own heart, that he really did fear and honor and love God more than anyone or anything else. But Abraham had to walk through all the wrestling before he could know for himself that yes, he did worship God more than his own pride. It was later, after the ram had been provided, after Isaac had been loosed, after the ram had gladly been slain instead of Isaac, perhaps it was after tears were shed and words of praise flowed freely from aged lips that God spoke again. “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore.” (verses 16-17) Obedience. Total surrender. Faith. Then blessing. Suppose Abraham had never made the trek up the mountain, never wrestled through whether he trusted God more than his own heart, and had never crossed over into total surrender. How miserable would he have been? How distant God would been from him relationally!

Everyday Application

1) Why would God ask Abraham to gruesomely slaughter his son? (verse 10)
The Lord God was willing to make a big ask of Abraham because He knew Abraham could not experience the fullness of God’s blessing and love on his life if his heart was given over to an idol. God gave this strange command to Abraham because He loved Abraham too dearly to allow him to wreck his life without an alternate course of action provided. Yahweh Jirah is translated “The Lord Will Provide”, and of course, He provided the ram to be killed as an offering of worship instead of Isaac. But what a gift that the Lord provided the opportunity for Abraham to recognize the sin growing in his heart and surrender anew to the One True God, Yahweh! How kind of the Lord to offer renewal and repentance as He saw Abraham beginning to walk away from worshipping God alone; such good-hearted love! How tenderly and sweetly the Lord does the same for us! The Lord jealously guards the hearts of those who have trusted Him for life and salvation because of His great love for us. He wants all other idols violently torn down, not because He is ego-centric, but because He knows that only when our eyes are fixed solely on Him are we in a position to accept His gracious love and abundance in our lives and we are free to walk away from the entanglements of sin. Where is Yahweh Jirah providing opportunity for you to repent from your own idol worship?

2) How does the Lord provide for Abraham? (verse 14)
The dramatic scene that unfolded that day on Mt. Moriah deeply impacted Abraham. God had personally come to set his heart free from worship of any other, but the Lord God. I have no doubt Abraham came down that mountainside a changed man, forever looking at his son a little differently, a little more clearly, because he could see through Isaac to the God who lovingly made Isaac and provided for Abraham. Today, Mt. Moriah is covered by the Temple Dome and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Why should we care? Because this is the location King David chose for the temple to be built where sacrifices would be offered to God for the forgiveness of sin. Again, why do we care? Because it was in this city of Jerusalem, built on the mountain where God had called out Abraham’s sin and provided a ram in place of killing Isaac, that God provided for all humanity by giving up His own dearly loved Son, Jesus. God would not lay a hand on Isaac, but He turned His back on Jesus as He took the punishment for the world’s sin on the cross. When Yahweh Jirah provided for Abraham on a hot, sticky day thousands of years ago, He knew He would one day pour out the lifeblood of His Son as means of providing you and me the pathway to return to right relationship with God. Sin marred Abraham’s worship of God, just as it does ours today. The same God who jealously loved Abraham’s heart also loves ours! How will we respond to such love?!

3) What was required from Abraham before God blessed him? (verses 17-18)
Disobedience always brings distance. Obedience, however, always brings blessing. We won’t all receive Abraham’s blessing for our obedience, because that was given specifically to him, but that doesn’t negate the surety of the blessing. If I could sit across from you, and you gave me permission to yammer on about how God has abundantly provided for me as I followed Him small step by small step in obedience, you’d be stuck at that coffee shop for hours and hours! In simple ways and in significant ones, Yahweh Jirah has oh so faithfully provided His blessing as I chose total surrender. In transparency, scattered all along the way, are plenty of examples of me choosing pride and self or fear and doubt over total trust. The results are always the same. When I push back against the Lord, it’s never a comfortable place of delight and satisfaction. Where does the Lord ask for total surrender in our lives? Here’s the whole truth, every part of it. He doesn’t want to bargain for a section of our lives, or ask for appearances on Sunday while we trash our relationships during the week. He wants the entirety of our selves. The more we surrender, the richer our delight in Him becomes!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Yahweh Jireh!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is He Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Open Day 15 The Land Of Offense

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Open, Day 15

Genesis 45:4-16
Psalm 112:5-9
Luke 12:31-34
2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Are you familiar with the Land of Offense, friend?
Allow me to paint a picture….

The trees in the woods are dark; the forest shrouded in hurt. Every branch juts furiously into the air, each one a reminder of the unforgivable thing done to us. The sky is aflame with ugly orange and red streaks of anger, while the clouds are vicious and circular…not unlike the thought patterns which turn the offense over and over in our minds.

Flowers are unable to bloom for the infestation of irritation, and the borders of the Land of Offense are closed to visitors, because we refuse to allow anyone close enough to see our brokenness. The most interesting feature?
In many cases, the Land is virtually invisible to whomever we might consider “the offender.”

That’s right. This thing we’ve chosen to pick up and carry affects us and everyone around us…..while the person(s) we blame for our misery remain blissfully unaware.

It’s no mistake that when Jesus taught on anger, He instructed that if we are presenting our offering to Him and remember our brother is carrying an offense against us, we are to stop and leave at once to make amends with that person.

Isn’t His wording interesting there?
Rather than instructing us to go and make amends with the person we have offended, He specifically instructs us to first recognize if our brother has picked up an offense against us, and to make that right before we continue with our own offering.

Do you catch the nuances there?
It has little to do with whether or not we feel like we have done something wrong, and everything to do with accepting our responsibility to go to the person who is offended and restore that relationship.

Talk about high challenge.

The truth here, Love?
We have all undoubtedly been hurt.
We live in a world full of broken people. In fact, I can guarantee that 100% of the people in your circle are broken. In the same way, I can guarantee that 100% of us have hurt someone else, intentionally or not.

Do you know who had every right to be offended?
Joseph.
He was betrayed by those who should have loved him best: his older brothers. Worse, they planned to kill him! At the last minute, they sold him into slavery, then convinced his father he’d been killed by a wild animal.

I wonder what we would have done in that situation. 

If you or I had been on the receiving end of murderous intent, then trafficked by our own brothers, would we have resisted the temptation to harbor un-forgiveness and anger toward those who hurt us?
Would we have extended forgiveness?
Would we have offered praise to the Lord, even then?

I don’t know, Sister. I’d like to think so, but if I’m being honest, the truth is that I’ve picked up an offense over far (and I do mean far) less than Joseph’s offenses.

Yet, that’s exactly what Joseph did.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity, or fueling himself with anger and hatred for the rest of his days, he chose to view everything through Kingdom vision and rest in the knowledge that his God was in control.

Even when he was betrayed by those closest to him.
Even when he was stripped of honor and dignity and thrown into a pit like an animal.
Even when he was sold into slavery for a few coins.
Even when he was falsely accused and his reputation destroyed.
Even when he was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Lord blessed Joseph, not because of who Joseph was or what he did, but because the Lord is God, and He chose to be with Joseph. He made Joseph successful in every endeavor.

When the time came, and Joseph was given the opportunity to exact vengeance on his guilty brothers, the Lord moved his heart to act in forgiveness instead.
Because Joseph had chosen to trust God even when he had a right to be offended, he wasn’t hung up on what had happened all those years ago.
Because Joseph chose forgiveness rather than offense, the Lord was able to move through Joseph and extend hospitality to the very brothers who once longed to murder him. Through Joseph’s obedience and faith, his entire family was spared from the famine which ravaged the land. They, and everyone in their households, including their livestock, were well cared for and had all they needed.

Sister, what would this place look like if each one of us committed to forgiveness and obedience, in our even when?

Would we begin to see the Lord move powerfully in our families and schools and churches and cities because we would be unwilling to choose citizenship in the Land of Offense?

Would He begin to fill us with a fresh spirit of hospitality,
because there would be so much room to fill in a life lived free from offense?

Would we begin to see a move of God that doesn’t make sense to the world, because rather than handing out condemnation, we would allow Holy Spirit to do His work while we do ours by inviting the broken into our homes, our lives, and our church pews?

Father, You are just and holy.
Forgive me for the times I have been quick to pick up an offense against others.
Show me what a life lived free from offense looks like, so I can be Your vessel, capable of extending hospitality from a heart that is open and ready to give.
I want to be a good ambassador of your Name.
Shape me to look like You!
Amen.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Open Day 5 Hospitality That Loves

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Hebrews 13:1-2
Genesis 18
Matthew 10:40-42
Matthew 25:31-46

Open, Day 5

“Let brotherly love continue.
Don’t neglect to show hospitality,
for by doing this some have welcomed
angels as guests without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:1-2, reminds us of an event that took place many centuries prior in the life of Abraham. The central truth being that generosity, more specifically hospitality,
is an expression of radical, sacrificial love.

In Genesis 18, the Lord appeared to Abraham. (check out some of his story here)
Abraham looked up and three men were in his presence.
Maybe Abraham had the intuition to know they were angels, but we know he “bowed himself to the ground” as was fitting for his eastern culture. (verse 2) Abraham, a man of influence, great wealth, and many servants, tells the visitors to wait while he prepares a place for them. Then Abraham “hurries” off to find his wife, Sarah, to make dinner for their guests. As they gathered under the spreading branches of oak trees, the Lord once again speaks to Abraham. This time, he explains how Sarah will have a son within a year.
No ordinary son, not a typical newlywed surprise. No. Abraham and Sarah had waited long for the gift of offspring, but now Sarah’s was simply too old to carry children. The blessing of a son, finally, was both outrageous and gleeful. (read Sarah’s story here!)

It’s easy to hurry through the story and focus on the miracle of the baby boy to come, but what we casually gloss over is the invitation.
Abraham and Sarah were blessed by what these men shared, but it was an encounter they would have missed if they had passed up simply being open with their food and tent.

I am 18 years old.
Hospitality looks a little different for me than Abraham and Sarah. I grew up in a home that was quickly turned into a home for others. On any given night, we have extra guests for dinner to this day. This example has affected me and taught me much over the years about living with invitational openness.

This past year as I have been away from home, I’ve discovered this bond and love with other families as well. I’ve been deeply marked and richly blessed because of other’s open invitation to participate in their home life. It’s something I desire so deeply to recreate in the way I treat others and invite them into my “home.”

Sometimes, I think that I get a “pass” for a couple more years on being open like this. That I don’t need to be concerned about hospitality until I’m married with a house and family of my own. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Our homes are certainly a great place to show hospitality,
but it’s not a requirement.

Flash forward, and we see how Jesus fully embodies living with openness.
I think of my Savior bending down to wash the filthy feet of His disciples or stopping mid-stride to engage a hurting woman, calling her daughter.

Jesus shows us that hospitality has more to do with authentic love than a tidy house. Showing people you have time for them, inviting them to feel welcomed, accepted and heard when they are around you. And we can do that anywhere.

Jesus’ example challenges us to look beyond the traditional thought of extending hospitality within the walls of a home. As a traveling preacher with nowhere to lay His head (Luke 9:58), He modeled hospitality along the way as He moved from town to town, and even in the homes of others.

About those physical spaces and living in the mindset of open….
As a single woman and almost college student, there’s something deeply spiritual for me about being invited in by a family.
It’s a sort of safe haven.

A place to soak up as much wisdom as possible.
Space to share a meal and stories of life.
Room to talk about things that matter or even play an intense game of UNO.
An invitation that sweetly declares, “I value spending time with you. I have prepared a place for you.”

Jesus gives us this convicting statement about extending hospitality to those who are vulnerable in Matthew 25:45,
“I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.”

It can be so difficult to offer generous love to people we see as ‘least’ in any given situation. But we are called into it because it’s there where we love sacrificially like Jesus loves.

Something I’ve found really helpful when relating with people who are specifically challenging to love is asking this question to the Lord,
“Jesus, show me what you love about them.”

I use this question of the Lord to help shift my heart towards open when I engage with family, friends, or strangers when I sense my compassion lacking.
Every time, God shows me something in them that honors Him.
Then we can use those words to encourage their hearts, inviting them into an open space of love from the Savior.

Abraham and Sarah’s invitation unknowingly welcomed angels into their midst, not realizing what the conversation would reveal or how deeply they would be blessed.
We create spaces like this whether it’s a dorm room, community space, our home, or even in the words we choose to use with those we struggle to love.
We’re creating a place where people can gather, share real life, and experience Jesus’ love.

When we love through open hospitality,
we love like Christ!

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Sketched II Day 13 Gladys Aylward

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Psalm 27:1-14
Proverbs 3:5-6
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

There are moments distinctly marked because they shape and direct who you become. Then there are moments, hidden and minuscule, that they can almost be forgotten, but they create your path just as much as those grand moments.

When I was a young teenager reading about millions of Chinese people who didn’t know Christ, a marker went up in my heart and my mind. It shifted the direction of my heart.

Another defining moment was when I surrendered to the call to missions when I was 18. The revival was special, and I can still remember the sweet hymns of praise we sang that night, because the call is what defined me. The Lord’s tender voice told me that England wouldn’t be home forever. There was another marker, another shift of my heart.

But the minuscule moments come quietly and sometimes they are longer than a moment. Sometimes they are several months or several years. Working as a parlor maid for four years never felt grand or special, but I can see now that it shaped me and helped me learn how to serve with an understanding of hospitality. Attending missionary school was supposed to be a grand moment, but it turned into months of little lessons before something grand happened. I wasn’t allowed to become a missionary in China. I can hear his voice still, “Miss Aylward, we have no doubt the Lord has called you to serve, but it wasn’t to China, you’ll never be able to learn the language.” That moment gave me determination, fanning the fire in my belly. I knew I was called to China.

I am quite the sight right now, a young English woman traveling on a mule through Chinese mountains. If I had been told two years ago that this is where I would be, I would have guffawed.

Yet, here I am. I should arrive in Yangchen in just a few hours, where I will meet Mrs. Lawson, the missionary I will study under. Together we will share the gospel with all who will listen in this small Chinese village.

I’ve waited twelve years for this moment!

Many times I knew what it must have felt like to be an Israelite waiting in the desert those 40 years. Or even how Sarah and Abraham felt, waiting on the Lord’s promise of abundant generations when they had no children of their own.

I had the Lord’s promise. I had His calling. I had His great love and my small faith. That was all.

In waiting, the Lord grew my patience. He knew I’d need it for this journey to China, as it has taken many more weeks than I’d planned.

In waiting, the Lord grew my knowledge. While the China Inland Missionary Center told me I wasn’t good enough or a fast enough learner, God placed me as a parlor maid in a home with a marvelous library where I could read as many books as I wanted.

In waiting, the Lord grew my patience. It hasn’t been easy, and many days I wondered if this day would ever come, or if the Lord even spoke to me at all. But here I am.

I waited on the Lord.

Jesus Himself waited nearly 30 years before His work began. He may have felt ready, but God knew others weren’t. I supposed while God was working on my heart, He was also working in the souls of the Chinese people I will meet soon.

I think I see it! That must be the village up ahead! I wish I understood more of what that man was saying, but he must be showing me where Mrs. Lawson is. Just over that little hill?

This is it.

I am here!

And this – this is another marker. A defining moment. My first glimpse of my new home!
—-

Gladys Aylward lived from 1902 to 1970. At the age of 18, she was called to be a missionary to a place she had been drawn to for years…China. However, Gladys didn’t move to China until she was around 30. She heard of Jennie Lawson, a missionary in her 70’s, and found a way to get there. Gladys spent months saving money for a train ticket from England to China and eventually reached hundreds of people for Jesus! She opened an inn with Mrs. Lawson, and together they shared the gospel in story-like form every night. These travelers would share the stories with their friends, which spread the gospel all around!

One of Gladys’ most known legacies is walking across China with over one hundred orphans that she cared for while Japan invaded China and offered a reward for Gladys – dead or alive. After 27 days in treacherous conditions, Gladys and the children boarded one of the last trains to freedom. Upon arrival, she was incredibly ill and fell into a coma for several weeks. She eventually moved back to England for a few years, but knew that she was needed in China and served there for the last ten years of her life.

Gladys’ life was marked with incredible faith and heroism, but it didn’t come suddenly. Don’t miss the first part of her life.
The waiting part.

Gladys waited twelve years before she coming to China! I can only imagine the frustration, antsiness, anticipation, and longing that occurred while she waited on the Lord.

Waiting can be so difficult.

Waiting for test results, waiting on a heart to change, waiting for answered prayers, waiting for the next payday, waiting on the end of an incredibly difficult season… waiting on the Lord. But take heart, dear sister, and press on. The Lord fulfilled His calling to Gladys, and we know from her life, and countless examples in the Bible, that His timing was perfect. She needed to be in China exactly when she was. She was there “for such a time as this”. And you are waiting where you are, “for such a time as this.”

Let this season of waiting be a marker in your life by drawing closer to the Lord and letting Him grow you during this season.
Curious about Gladys Aylward? click here.

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched II Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Sketched II!