RUTH DAY NINE

• PAUSE

  [start with a moment to step out of your thoughts and life and into the presence of God]

  Lord, as I enter your presence now I take a moment to pause and to be still…. 

  ….to breath slowly and to re-centre my scattered thoughts and senses upon You.

  …. Speak to me I pray, and fill me with your Holy Spirit afresh this day. 

• REFLECT

  Take time to read through and reflect on the passage. Don’t rush it but be open to God speaking to you as you read.

  What did God say to you through this passage? Why don’t you pop it in the chat to encourage others?

  Devotional reflection: This passage reveals to us that Boaz is a man who follows the Lord and treats his workers with kindness and respect. The way he greets his workers and the way they respond reveals a workplace that is shaped by faith. When Boaz learns about Ruth, he discovers her hard work and devotion to Naomi. 

  As followers of Jesus, we can shape the environments we find ourselves in and be noticers of others. The Holy Spirit gives us insight into others’ situations and the things they are facing. Boaz noticed diligence and loyalty in Ruth. And Ruth’s work ethic and loyalty to her family stood out in a time when many did only what was right in their own eyes. Both Boaz and Ruth’s example encourages us to be people that understand what it is to carry the Lord’s presence into the places we find ourselves in, that the way we conduct ourselves matters and to be people that recognise and call out the good we see in others.

• ASK

  Prayerfully reflect how this passages applies to your life. Ask God to speak to you now

  GROW people prayer: 

  Holy Spirit, I ask that You would give me the discernment to notice others around me, just as Boaz noticed Ruth. Help me to carry your presence into every environment I enter and to bravely call out the good I see in others. Amen.

  GO People prayer:

  Father, I bring my friends and family before you now. Help them to be people who shape their environments with Your presence and kindness. Give them eyes to see the good in others and be people of encouragement. Let this point others to you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

• YIELD

  Take a look at the passage again. Take time to see if there is a word or phrase that the Holy Spirit reveals to you as a focus for your day today. 

  What has the Lord revealed to you? What will you take into your day today? What action is He asking you to take? Take a moment to pray a yielding prayer along these lines to the Lord today.

  Prayer for today: Lord, thank you for speaking to me to day. Give me courage to obey your word and yield to your Holy Spirit. I take seriously your leading today and seek to put your word into practice in my life through action today. Amen.