The Devotional

Psalm 32:6

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near to Him.

If you are godly and alert there will always be a right time and method of escaping the grip of controlling sin (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). But in the overwhelming flood of crippling temptation it is usually to late to escape since there is this strong sweeping current that carries us away. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Ruth

Ruth 1:18-22 Spiritual prosperity for Naomi and Ruth are on two paths. For Naomi, she has been longing for the joy of the LORD, her depression over the loss of her husband and sons is not resolved, but she is counting on change as she returns home. Ruth on the other hand is experiencing the fresh new life she has in the LORD and we will see how these two conditions of the heart work to restore Naomi's heart and encourage the new life growing in Ruth's.

There are a few stumbling blocks to overcome for Naomi and Ruth as they arrive in Bethlehem. Naomi hears the excitement in the voices of the women who know her. Maybe some the of talk is gossip, some are concerned about her loss and others are concerned about who Naomi brings with her. All of this is overwhelming for Naomi and she makes a serious mistake. She blames God for all that has happened to her. Like her, our bad decision making is not the fault of God. It is a character fault of transgressing the will of God in the human heart called “self will”. It is sin, a word we seldom hear.

What is Ruth up against? Read Deuteronomy 23:3-4. I remember when I got saved, my reputation was ahead of me. When the LORD led me to my first church, there was a couple of sailors who were members there. One of them came up to me and very sternly warned me that the women of the church were not like those that I were accustomed to. At first, I was not sure what he meant. Did they come from Mars or some other planet? No, but they did know Jesus and that was the difference.