Daily Manna

Key Verse

“And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law” (Ruth 3:17).

TEXT — Ruth 3:14-18

Message

John Wesley once said, “When a man becomes a Christian, he becomes industrious, trustworthy and prosperous. Now, if that man when he gets all he can and saves all he can, does not give all he can, I have more hope for Judas Iscariot than for that man!” Generosity is the hallmark of people like Boaz who are always willing to use every opportunity to help less privileged people around them.

Ruth was a poor widow living with her mother-in-law, also a widow. They had very little resources and Ruth had to take every available opportunity to work on the field. In the passage we are reading today, her mother-in-law advised her to take advantage of the festive occasion to remind Boaz, their kinsman, of his family responsibility. Apart from promising to take action on her request, Boaz took immediate steps to assist the poor family with food.

The Bible has a lot to say about generosity. God gave us His Son Jesus Christ who also gave His life a ransom to free mankind from the shackles of sin. Giving is foundational to true fellowship among believers who do not take advantage of the weak. Boaz did not abuse his status as a wealthy lord to lure Ruth into any form of ungodliness. Generosity among saints must be genuine and pure.

True generosity affects not only our material resources but our time and talents as well. We must be generous in making time available for the work of God and do all we can to make sure that the gospel is preached to the lost world. That is one good way we must be generous in our labour. It is also the way to truly give for the cause of Christ.

Thought for the day

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

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