I have not been able to get my mind off the reality of my life and the lives of others in the faith, now observed for soon approaching 50 years. We all seem to struggle with the concept of righteousness.
That scripture that references "all things made new" seems now most certainly from God's point of view. I daily have things I pray over, as I "step into" stuff I thought had long left me! We Churchmen and women have placed undo burden on ourselves and the many new in the faith who expected all their warts to fall off upon coming to Christ. For sure, the contrast in my present and former life prior to January 3,1973 was quite stark, and truly epiphany like.
Yet, having giving it my best since that date, I still have a lot of the old me in me!
This morning, as I read from the Book of Ruth, my wink from the Spirit was one of those lighten up on yourself, and others moment from my Near-kinsman Redeemer. Don't think I had really grasped the fact that God takes us warts and all, even the risk that some warts for whatever reason, are slow to heal, if at all. You know, those sins that "so easily beset us" as humans!
The scripture passage I read this a.m. was from the Book of Ruth 4:2-6 NIV :
"Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek.
I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.
'I will redeem it,' he said.
Then Boaz said, 'On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.
At this, the guardian-redeemer said, 'Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.'”
In this case, the primary guardian-redeemer refused to step back into Naomi and Ruth's life in order to protect his immediate estate, thus transferring the right to Boaz.
Aren't you glad God in Christ our Redeemer, saw fit to buy back our souls, rather than to reject us knowing the baggage that came with us, both before and afterwards? Some of my stuff given roles played, likely has had short term negative Kingdom impact; even long term were it not for the grace of God and those around me, who daily look over or clean up my mess!
Just a thought that I needed to get our there.
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