A Restorer and A Nourisher

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!
And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”
Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.
Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
[Ruth 4:13-17 NKJV]

All the best stories end with ‘and they all lived happily ever after’. There is a sense in which the story of Ruth and Boaz is such a tale. Here is true love, a wedding and a birth ... and more than that, we can see that the story continues onwards into an inheritance. This is, without doubt, the best of stories - and all the more inspiring because it reveals the truth of our Lord.

We are not without ‘a close relative’ in this trying hour. We have a loving and caring ‘close relative’ who wants to be in a marriage relationship with His people, His bride. And the outcome of that relationship is that a son is born. When we ‘marry’ ourselves to Christ, there is a new birth within us - the son of God is manifested in His people.

A child assures our inheritance. This is not referring to the natural, but to the spiritual, for when the Son of God is born afresh within you, your inheritance becomes His life - life everlasting. There aren’t enough hallelujah’s to express the joy of such a thing.

When we are ‘married’ to our husband, Jesus Christ, a son is born and His name is Obed (a servant). We are restored and nourished in and by this relationship. The song that comes to mind is ‘Praise my soul the king of heaven’, which contains the truth that we are ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven.

PRAYER: Lord we thank you for Your healing presence. Help us to be in that presence; to soak in the joy of our close kinship with You. Make us to be a faithful companion like Ruth and with a servant’s heart, like Obed, that we may continue the line of Your Spirit through the generations.

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“Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven”

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OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Saturday 6th June 2020
Whenever there is the tiniest element of doubt, quit.
Never say, “Why shouldn’t I? There’s no harm in it.”