Sometimes when we complain and grumble over a situation or a circumstance in our life, we indirectly grumble over God Himself. When we grumble and complain about people whom God has placed under our care or within our reach, we are frustrated with God. But having such an attitude is basically a sin we commit against God. In this passage, we learn about how we can overcome this sin of being frustrated with God our lives.
Christian life is always about believers strengthening each other in the Lord. Sometimes a Christian need to initiate or be the source of encouragement in another’s life. In this passage, we see how Ruth’s godliness and her devotion revives Naomi’s Spiritual health, which in turn enables Naomi to take initiative in progressing Ruth’s life.
What do you do when there ‘seems’ to be no answer from the Lord in your current situation? Would you still remain committed to God? Would you still have a level of trust in the Lord without any bitterness against Him? In this passage, we see three characters from the book of Ruth, who respond very differently to God’s providence in their lives. Their responses teach us what genuine commitment to God looks like.
In the Bible, to be Holy means always to be set apart. Children of God are regarded as holy because they were set apart for God to live for His glory and also to become more like Jesus Christ. Christian life in that sense, is all about pursing holiness. In this passage, we learn what it means to pursue holiness so that we become like our Heavenly Father and also like our Lord Jesus Christ.
In our first sermon on Deacons, we learnt that they take care of material needs or administrative work in the church. There has been sufficient focus on men leaders and their character qualities. In this passage, we learn about female deacons serving in the church, and the kind of character qualities they need to exhibit.
When the Apostle Paul writes down the character qualities of an elder in 1 Timothy, he lists out many virtues that display Christ-like character. And for the leaders in the church, there are some mandatory character qualities that Paul suggests cannot be compromised. In this 2nd part of learning about elder qualities, we learn how ability to teach, being hospitable and not being consumed by alcohol marks out a faithful, stable and a mature leader in the church.
We live in a culture that despises singleness once a person crosses a certain age. Person’s worth is measured by marriage, and marriage is often seen as the only remedy for singleness. But in Christianity, God never bestows value or declares a person’s worth based on their marital status. God bestows his value and worth on people simply because of His undying love for them. In this passage, we learn how God bestows his value on singles in the church and what he expects of them.
What does the Bible say about divorce? What does it say about remarriage? Before we seek answers to these reasonable questions, we need to ask – “what does the bible say about marriage?”. When we know what marriage is meant for, can we really understand how to deal with divorce. Not only does this passage help us understand about marriage and divorce, but it also helps us understand about singleness (widows and widowers).