"What's the Scoop on........Lot's Wife"

In today’s bible study Annie taught on Lot’s wife. For those of you who are familiar with the story, it is a tragic tale.  As I sat down to write this post, 2 Tim. 3:16-17 (NLT) came to mind “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work”.  As we study this passage we want to keep in mind that God wants to show us what is wrong so we can learn to do right because it is what is best for us.  He does this out of his unfailing love.

The story of Lot’s wife cannot be told apart from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.   We meet Lot’s wife in Genesis 19 but as far back as Genesis 13 the bible speaks of the wickedness of those places, going back to the time that Lot actually settled in Sodom after he and Abraham went their separate ways.

Genesis 19 recounts the events that led up to the the destruction of these cities by the Lord and then their actual annihilation.  The chapter opens as Lot is sitting at the city gates of Sodom and two angels, in the form of men, enter the city. As was the custom of the times, Lot opened his home to the travelers. Because of the wickedness of the people of the city these ‘men’ would need safe shelter for the night.  In the late evening the men of the city besiege Lot’s home, demanding that Lot turn out the angels so that the men of Sodom could have sexual relations with them. Immediately following this the angels tell Lot “Get them (Lot’s family) out of here,  because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it" (Genesis 19:12b-13, emphasis mine). “When he (Lot) hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them” (Genesis 19:16, emphasis mine).

Even though Lot hesitated, God was merciful.  Jumping ahead to 2 Peter, God gives us insight into Lot’s spiritual standing…“if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:6-8, emphasis mine).

Things turned out very differently for Lot’s wife.  Going back to the account in Genesis 19,  God rained sulfur down on Sodom and Gomorrah, annihilating all that was there.  “But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).   In verse 17 the angels had told the family ‘don’t look back’.  The Hebrew word for ‘look’ in this passage means to gaze at or consider.  Based on what we know of God’s mercy and  character, it seems that Lot’s wife did not simply glance back at the destruction of the cities but she looked at them longingly…something God clearly told her not to do. 

This brings me back to 2 Tim. 3:16-17. God wants to teach us to live right. Looking at the example of Lot’s wife, we can learn to live as God wants us to. Annie gave us Luke 17:32-33 “Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it”. Annie encouraged us to put our trust fully in the Lord. Our identity and security need to be in Him, not in the things of this world.

We can speculate on some of the things Lot’s wife may have looked back upon…..a time of affluence, a position of prestige in her community, or even the family she had lost because they had mocked the warning of the Lord.  This is something we can apply to our lives now.  Some of the things that we may look back upon longingly  in our own lives…when our children were young, when we were unencumbered by the responsibilities of life,  our lives before we really knew Jesus, when we were single (if we are married),  when we were married  or in a relationship (if we are now single),  or even a closed door in ministry.

Whatever our personal ‘Sodom and Gomorrahs’  are, God does not want us to look back.  Not that what we are looking back upon is necessarily evil, but it is not what is best for us at this season of our lives. Annie reminded us of a point that Kelly Minter had made in our summer bible study, “No Other Gods”.  Kelly taught that if God is asking us to give up something dear to us it is because He wants to replace it with something so much better.  Tragically, Lot’s wife never found out what the ‘so much better’ the Lord had meant for her was.   My prayer is that we would all learn from her example.

“I know there are times
your dreams turn to dust
you wonder as you cry
why it has to hurt so much
give Me all your sadness
someday you will know the reason why
with a child-like heart
simply put your hope in Me

Take My hand and walk where I lead
keep your eyes on Me alone
don't you say why were the old days' better
just because you're scared of the unknown
take My hand and walk”

From “Take My Hand” by the Kry

Operation Christmas Child

Good Morning Everyone

Two Tuesdays ago, I taught on Deborah and we learned about the powerful anointing women have through influence. During that time this scripture resonated in my spirit;

“When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves. Bless the Lord!” Judges 5:2

I knew immediately that the Lord was preparing me to join with another ministry to serve Him in some venue. Several days later, that very opportunity came to light. Eva Jester from MOPS asked if Women’s Bible Study would like to partner with them to take part in an outreach called “Operation Christmas Child”. I knew that this was the very thing that God was nudging me in the spirit to do. Needless to say I responded with a resounding “YES!” Not only did I know that it was God’s will for this ministry but I knew that you ladies would be all over it. Your hearts are so tender and open to the needs of others and you are just looking for ways to show it.

Below are the details on how to participate in that project but I want to encourage as many of you who can to be part of what the Lord is doing. God could easily deposit a huge amount of money from one benefactor to fulfill this outreach but instead He chooses to work through individuals. I believe He gives us the privilege to partner with His heart as we step outside of ourselves to help others in need. There are many ways that the Lord chooses to bless our lives as we give of ourselves but nothing can compare with feeling and acting the way Jesus would and walking in his shoes.

Let’s bless the Lord with an outpouring of the love that we have in him by blessing a child who might never receive this kind of thing. We take so many things for granted in this part of world. If you can’t afford a box on your own perhaps you could split a box with one or two other women or donate some items separately.  Maybe right now you aren't able to help financially so how about offering your time to pack the boxes or to help deliver them to the collection sight (details below).  Whatever you can contribute is a blessing of love.  This is a great opportunity to bring hope to those without hope and point them to the savior and I can guarantee that you will be blessed by it.

Deborah used her influence to rally the Israelite armies to fight on behalf of the oppressed. Let’s be like Deborah and use our influence to bring hope to as many children as we can. Amen?

Here are the details….

The outreach will be “Pack a Shoe Box” for Operation Christmas Child or OCC. Last year the MOPS group intended to pack 10 boxes and had enough stuff to pack 15 to 16 boxes. We have 100 boxes all ready to be filled (please let Eva know how many boxes you would need). To find out more info about Operation Christmas Child, please go to www.samaritanspurse.org/occ. There are several ways that you can get involved in this outreach and they are as follows:

1. Donate items to pack in the shoe boxes – find instructions and suggested gift items @ http://www.samaritanspurse.org/pdf/PackABoxwithLabels.pdf. Please note that the items do not have to be expensive and can even be purchased from the dollar store.

2. Join MOPS group for packing party on Friday, Nov. 18th at 11 am

3. Pack your own shoe boxes and deliver to church between Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 (boxes will be delivered to local church first thing on Monday, Nov. 21)

4. Donate $7 per box to cover shipping costs

5. Donate additional $6 per box to equip each child to become involved in “The Greatest Journey” 12 lesson Discipleship Program or equip a whole class for $90 (provides materials for 15 participants and teacher). To find out more info, click http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/GreatestJourney/index/

6. Help load up and deliver shoe boxes to local church in Colts Neck on Monday, Nov. 21. We would meet at MWC at 10 am. Please let Eva know if you will be able to help with this.

If you have any questions about this outreach, please contact Eva Jester at ejester@optonline.net or feel free to give her a call at home. Please note that all monetary donations would need to be made to the church. If you are writing a check to cover the costs of shipping or the additional $6, please make the check payable to Monmouth Worship Center and put “MOPS – OCC” in the memo field.

Hope you can participate in this great outreach!

"Its All Good!"

By Arlene Solomon

Today turned out to be such a disappointment. The plan was to swing by a friend’s house then cruise on down to the beach for a day of relaxation. It was what my heart was set on. I knew that there wouldn’t be many more days left as the summer drew to its close and wanted to take advantage of the opening on my calendar.

I should have known that it would turn out like this. A total washout. I was sensing it even last night as my body responded to the change in atmospheric pressure. It started on the soles of my feet. It hurt to put pressure on them. Then both ankles started to ache, then my knees and before I knew it my whole body was a throbbing mass of annoyance.

My husband says that I am better then a barometer, much more accurate. But sometimes you want something so much that you will put your faith in anything or anyone that will support that view point. I listened to the weatherman. I always do that, why do I do that? My husband often suggests that I apply for consulting work at the weather bureau. They could use a little help.

The disappointment doesn’t really rest in the loss of my beach day but the loss of a day. Today promises to be a slow one marked by my hobbling from room to room trying to actually not step on my feet. Since these kinds of flares are often accompanied by increased brain fog and confusion, I imagine I will be forgetting why I even entered a room in the first place and will most likely remember after I left only to repeat the process again. More hobbling.

Sometimes I accept these disruptions as just part of life but other times I find myself asking God, “Why God?” It was just a day at the beach. It isn’t like I wanted an around the world cruise or to join a rocket launch to the moon. “And why the loss of today to boot?” Sometimes I don’t get it. Going to the beach would have brought me such fulfillment. Or would it?

Romans 8:28 is one of the verses that we hear quoted a lot, mostly when something really bad has happened. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” We most often use it to encourage our friends and family who have gone through hard things when we can’t figure out why. Sometimes it brings healing, other times it sounds trite. Counseling 101 classes generally tell you not to use this verse all that often unless you enjoy caustic rebuttals that come from a heart ravaged by pain.

While this verse can bring great comfort to those who have lived through this very process and are reminded of His faithfulness, there are some caveats to this promise. Firstly, God doesn’t say that He will work out everything for everyone just those who love Him. This promise is made specifically to God lovers.

But there is another point. Did you notice that I left out a part of that verse? The scripture continues “who have been called according to his purpose.” God has called us to purpose. We are not meant to live life on planet earth without it. It has been deposited in our spirit since the day we were born by God Himself. It is why we are always looking for something to give us that sense of fulfillment and significance. But here’s the clincher, God has not only given you the desire for it, He has determined what it will be.

So what if your purpose is wrapped up in the very thing that God is still working out for good in your life. What if that experience that you are asking God to turn to good is the very event that He intends to use for this goal? What if He is using these things even if they were painful things to fashion you into the purpose that He has specifically tailored for you? While I don’t believe that He caused them, He can turn them around and use them if we let Him. I don’t believe that He would allow it otherwise.

What if the painful experiences in your past are part of the intended end and He is working that out for good? What if the difficult relationships that you have are cultivating your purpose and God is in the process of making it good? What if the pain and limitations of this disease I live with, God is using to nurture the aim He has for me? Could He be using these things to make me more compassionate and merciful? Maybe He is developing some much needed patience with or kindness to those who are less fortunate? Could it be that there are things I could only learn spiritually by going through this season? Would He really do that?

God entrusts us with trials and situations and the key to surviving them spiritually intact is to trust Him with them. He is promising to work things out towards His expected end and I believe that ultimately that is where I will find my fulfillment. I believe that we were all created to have purpose and there isn’t anything worse then feeling like you are living your life without it. While we desperately seek for it, God is working it. He has called us with an intention but it is His intention. We won’t find fulfillment apart from Him.

Yes I thought that today going to the beach would fill my heart with much needed refreshment and yes I didn’t plan on spending the day hobbling around my house struggling with the pain and confusion this disease brings. But for what ever reason God is working it out for good because I love Him and He has a purpose for me. This is the process that is part of that objective and I need to trust Him in it. God is faithful and He will do it!

I pray God may open Your eyes and let you see what hidden treasure he bestows on us in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee.
                                                                        John of Avila

“What’s the Scoop on…….Eve”

Today in Ladies Bible Study we learned about Eve. For those of you who don’t attend (we would love it if you did!!!), we open with a time of worship followed by 30-45 minutes of teaching. We then break into small groups to discuss the lesson and what we have covered in our time of personal bible study while doing our homework from the preceding week. 

Today when Denise covered Eve she pointed out that Eve was a trailblazer in many ways.  Eve was the first woman, the first wife, the first mother..and, alas, the first to fall into sin as a result of temptation.  There are so many things about Eve to focus on, but what really grabbed my mind was temptation.  It is something we all deal with in our lives. It was also the subject of much of the discussion in our small group.

In Genesis 2:16-17 we read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Then in Genesis 3:1-6 the serpent confronts Eve, twisting God’s words. Not only does the serpent plant seeds of doubt in her mind regarding the Lord, he also appeals to the weaknesses in her human nature.  Satan still works the same way in our own lives.

We know that encountering  temptation is not a sin.  The account of Satan tempting Jesus in Mark 4 is very familiar to us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15).  We do have a choice when we are faced with temptation, just as Eve did.  In 1 Cor. 10:13 Paul writes “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it”.

It seems the key to overcoming temptation is to follow the instructions the Lord has given us in the bible. Following are four different ways we can combat temptation when it comes our way.

Know God’s Word: In Mark 4 when Satan confronts Jesus, he uses God’s own words to plant seeds of doubt in Jesus. Yet Jesus knew the Word of the Lord and could apply it in its intended context.  That’s why it is so important for us to know and understand God’s word.  I have heard the analogy many times that those trained in recognizing counterfeit money do so with studying the real thing.  We need to do the same.

Be Watchful:  God also tells us that we need to  be watchful. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Matt. 26:41).”   A question in the ‘Woman of the Bible’ study  asked us to consider Satan’s plan of attack on Eve.  My own opinion is that Satan caught Eve by surprise.  Sometimes Satan can blindside us – we just didn’t see it coming.  We need to be on watch.  “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  

Prayer:   We all know that prayer is foundational in our relationship with God. As you just read above in Matthew 26:41 we need to pray specifically in regard to the temptations we face.  In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching the apostles how to pray. He says is Mathew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”.  This is a very specific guideline we are given in prayer… we need to do it.

Flee:  I looked up ‘flee’ in my concordance as I was writing this post .  In the New Testament God commands us time and time again to flee temptation.  According to Webster’s dictionary ‘flee’ is defined as: “ to run with rapidity, as from danger; to attempt to escape; to hasten from danger or expected evil”.  I think that the situation between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39 gives us a very clear picture of what ‘flee’ looks like.  God tells us “Flee from sexual immorality” (I Cor 6:18a). In 2 Tim 2:22 God says “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”   

These four strategies of combating temptation  take deliberate action on our part.  Ladies, this is not an area of our lives where God calls us to passivity!   As it says in 2 Peter 1:3,  “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”.  God HAS given us everything we need to walk in victory.  The choice is ours.

The 4 Choices of Difficult Days

By Cinda Adams Gaskin

I was surprised at what God revealed to me during this particular reading of the book of Ruth. For the first time I saw that this book offers four different attitudes we can choose from when life’s difficult circumstances arise.

Naomi – The Pleasant One

Like me, Naomi had a pleasant character as long as everything was going well. But, also like me, she became bitter and pushed people away when it looked like she had lost everything. As we know, Naomi’s husband, Elimelek, died. And, after her sons married, they too died. Then, to add insult to injury, there was a famine in the land of Moab, where she and her husband had moved from Bethlehem in Judah. Naomi had heard that there was food back home, so she and her two widowed daughters-in-law started off with her on the return trip home.

Similarly I lost my “everything” about 10 years ago. I was married, had a beautiful home with what was then my prize—an in-ground swimming pool. We had an attractive finished basement, tons of storage space, and something that even topped the pool—private Christian schooling for our two daughters. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had chosen to be “circumstantially pleasant.”

In 1995, I had the first in a series of five annual miscarriages that lasted until year 2000. That’s right. I had five miscarriages in as many years. During that period, I used a series of costly fertility treatments—ranging from giving myself fertility shots to invitro-fertilization, all to bring about what I believed was God’s will—a son to add to our family.

Later, when things began to go wrong in my marriage, I thought that by intensifying my prayers, adding fasting to the mix, and seeking godly counsel, things would surely shift back into the right direction. That didn’t happen. We were divorced in 2002. And, sadly, my ex-husband died very shortly after our marriage was officially over.

Mara – The Bitter One

After close to ten years of one tragedy after another, I responded to my life the way Naomi did in Ruth 1:18-22 when she exclaimed, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

The pleasant demeanor of Naomi had turned into such abject bitterness that she began referring to herself as bitter. Similarly, I underwent a 180-degree transformation from my formerly pleasant attitude to such profound bitterness that my only focus was on looking sadly back at how great my life had previously been.

I believe I chose bitterness because it was within my control. I could choose to “wear” my grief and victimization. I couldn’t choose miscarriage or divorce. Those things simply happened to me, but I could choose to look only backward for the good things my life had to offer. This gave me something else to do besides picking up the pieces and moving forward. Like Mara, I was blind to seeing any hope in my tomorrows that came close to being as good as my yesterdays had been.

Orpha – The Retreating One

During that perplexing season in my life, one of the thoughts that plagued my mind was going home—that is, returning to New York where I felt that life would suddenly make sense to me. I believed that I had mistakenly bought into the myth of an idyllic suburbanite world, and had found out the hard way that that world was simply a crumbling, un-count-on-able façade. I grew up in New York. I understood the straight-talking, no nonsense way of life there. My life in New Jersey, with a manicured lawn and all the bells and whistles of a life I thought I’d never live—marriage, a home, and private schooling for my kids—had become one huge disappointment.

Perhaps that’s how Orpha felt when the idea came to her that she could simply “go home,” and run away from the life of faith in God that stood before her if she actually followed Naomi and Ruth back to Bethlehem.

Like Orpah, each of us has the choice of going “back” to the old familiar places in our lives—the things that we did and the places we frequented before we came to Christ. That’s the one thing I love about God, He gives us not only free will, but the ability to exercise the power of choice. The key is to make the right choice—the godly choice when facing life’s difficult days.

Thankfully, I didn’t return to my “Moab,” in the Bronx. I chose to stay in New Jersey and hold out for God to turn my life around by faith. This is in no way to boast or to criticize Orpha’s choice, but moving away from my life of godliness—my church, my Christian friends, and my hope in God—simply wasn’t the choice for me.

Ruth – The Faithful One

The fourth attitude we can adopt when life’s challenges come knocking at our door is to be faithful, like Ruth. She was faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She didn’t abandon the family she had adopted simply because life had dealt her an ugly hand.

Ruth also showed her faithfulness by seeking a way to bless the household she shared with Naomi in Bethlehem. She went out to glean in the fields of Boaz. She was faithful in listening to the counsel of Boaz about what to do while she worked. And, Ruth listened to Naomi when she told her to go down to the threshing floor and lie at the feet of Boaz.

God rewarded Ruth’s faithfulness by initially increasing her earnings, by eventually giving her a new husband in Boaz, and by ultimately blessing her with a son that would forever be part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

In my case, the blessings have not been as far-reaching, but they are profound just the same. My choice of an awkward and tentative faithfulness has been met by God with His own divinely perfect faithfulness. He has given me a lovely apartment where I have raised my two daughters and educated them in a great public school system, surrounded by great friends.

In God’s infinite wisdom, He led me to the Women’s Bible Study at Monmouth Worship Center where He began the healing process. He also led me to a very small church, where the congregation loved on me and tolerated my “Mara” until she yielded to the faithfulness of Ruth. God beautifully used a myriad of resources to restore me spiritually. And, the legacy that my daughters are now able to live into is to choose faithfulness and pleasant trust in God over bitterness and hopeless retreat.

"What's the Scoop on.....Deborah"

It is really exciting to see something in Scripture that you never saw before. This happened today. Arlene gave the lesson today on a woman of the bible that I was not very familiar with. Although I knew the basics about Deborah – that she was a judge of Israel prior to the reign of Saul – I didn’t know much else about her. One word could sum up what we learned today. Influence!!!! Deborah was a woman whose life was characterized by godly influence.

We might ask ourselves, ‘how can I be a woman of influence?’. Arlene showed us through scripture that we already are women of influence. It is the way God created us. The question is…what kind of influence are we going to be?? There are many women in the bible whose influence is apparent. We are all familiar with the influence that Eve, Solomon’s wives, Jezabel, and Job’s wife had. Not the best of role models. Then there are the following women: the woman at the well, Lydia, Naomi, and Abigail – all women whose influence we would admire.

Following is a brief overview of the story of Deborah that Arlene taught. This account can be found in Chapters 4 and 5 of Judges. Israel had been oppressed by their enemies for 20 years as a result of their evil behavior. During the time that Deborah was leading Israel the Israelites cried out to the Lord for deliverance. It should be noted that Deborah was the political leader of the land. She was also a prophet of the Lord. (In Judges 5:7 Deborah refers to herself as ‘a mother of Israel’. The Lord’s calling on her life as a political leader was not separate from her identity as a woman.)

The military leader of Israel at this time was a man named Barak. The Lord spoke to Deborah regarding the actions that Barak should take to overcome the Israelites' enemies (the king of Canaan, Jabin, and his military leader Sisera). Deborah relayed God’s message to Barak. “Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go." "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh” (Judges 4:8-9). The Lord acted in a mighty way while they were in Kedesh, destroying the enemy forces.

There are some important things that should be noted about this account. In the beginning of Judges 4 we see that the enemies were heavily fortified with iron chariots and weapons . By contrast, the Israelites had no weapons. As the military commander, Barak had reason to fear an encounter with Sisera and his forces. Barak had the responsibility of leading the 10,000 troops who followed him. He did not know what the Lord was going to do. What he did know was that Deborah was a woman who heard from God and had God’s wisdom. He had confidence in Deborah’s relationship with God. Deborah was not forcefully exerting her influence over Barak. Because of her godly character, Barak desired her presence with him.

What stands out with Deborah is that she was seeking the Lord for God’s will for Barak. She came along side of him and encouraged him in what the Lord had called HIM to do. This is something we can apply to our lives as well. As I pointed out from Arlene’s teaching, we are women of influence. As women, there are many people in our sphere of influence: friends, co-workers, children, parents, husbands…to name a few. We can use our influence as Deborah did. We can encourage others to do what God has called them to, to be all that the Lord desires them to be. This reminded me of what we learned in our first class together regarding the pilgrimage we are on in this life. We need to have traveling companions that reflect the character of Deborah. Having these people in our lives are a gift from God. We also want to be the same kind of companion to others. It is what God calls us to. Paul says in Philippians 2:4, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”.

There is an awesome epilogue to Deborah and Barak’s story that Arlene pointed out. Judges 4:8-9 says that the women would be honored for the victory. The women were given the earthly credit for the victory over Sisera. Now we fast-forward to the book of Hebrews. Hebrew 11:32-34 reads “ And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies”. God commended Barak for his faith. He is listed among the saints whose stories we are so familiar with. Barak overcame his fear and walked in victory by faith.

God will commend us as well as we take steps of faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). Be encouraged!!! Go out there and walk in the influence God has given you!!!

"What's the Scoop......on Naomi"

This week in Bible Study we were treated to something very special. Jan presented a dramatic monologue with all the passion that you would expect from our gifted sister. Jan portrayed Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth, from the Old Testament book of Ruth. Although this book is named after the daughter-in-law, the mother-in-law seems to be very much in the center of the drama portrayed in these pages.

Jan, in the character of Naomi, told us her compelling story. She conveyed all the deep emotions that Naomi would have experienced over the years as her life unfolded. Her story became more than words on a page. We were able to glimpse the heart, the humanity behind the words. As women this is something we could truly embrace.

Naomi, probably as a young wife and mother, was faced with a famine in Bethlehem. Naomi’s husband Abimilech , herself, and her two sons went to Moab to live for a time. While in Moab, her husband died. Following this, her sons married women from Moab. After ten years the sons also die. Around this time Naomi had heard that the Lord had blessed Israel and the famine was no more. Naomi decided to return to her homeland. One of her daughters-in-law chooses to stay in Moab while the other, named Ruth, pledges her devotion to Naomi and returns with her. According to Naomi’s own words, she had left Bethlehem full but had returned empty. “Don't call me Naomi, she told them.”Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter”. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me” (Ruth 1:21). She was a woman beat down by the circumstances of life – filled with discouragement and bitterness. Naomi would not have believed “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

I read something on Facebook this morning that provoked my thinking about Naomi and Ruth’s relationship. Forgive my bluntness, but based on Naomi’s own words, she doesn’t seem like someone I would want to spend time with. She was bitter and angry at God. Despite this, Ruth voluntarily chooses to go with Naomi. Ruth would be leaving her home and all that she had ever known to go to a country where she would probably not be accepted. Financially, the prospects of these two women would have been bleak. There must have been something so compelling about Naomi that drew Ruth. "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). God became recognizable to Ruth through the Naomi. Ruth wanted the Lord God as her own.

In our small group we spent some time discussing the welcome Naomi expected to receive in Bethlehem. Leaving Israel and inter-marrying with women from Moab would not have been God’s best for them. We speculated that the events that befell them in the land of Moab were consequences of disobedience. Perhaps Naomi felt that others would think ‘they are getting what they deserve’. We took this and applied it to our own relationship with the Lord. When we blow it and then come back to the Lord, how do we think He will deal with us? This story has some parallels to the ‘Prodigal Son’. One of the women conveyed the character of God with passion. Here are some of the words that come to mind: merciful, abundantly loving, kind, compassionate. We sometimes expect God to relate to us the way people do. Oh…He is so much more. That is the God I want to know…not a god of my own making.

By the end of the story we see that the Lord had done something amazing. Through a series of events that could have only been orchestrated by the Lord, Ruth marries a close relative of Naomi’s family. Through this union comes King David to be followed by Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Redeemer.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).