Daily Manna

Key Verse

“And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter” (Ruth 2:2).

TEXT — Ruth 2:1-5

Message

Humility is a virtue that every believer should not just possess but make a lifelong guiding principle. It opens the doors of iron and breaks the hardest of hearts. No wonder the Bible says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride brings shame and regret while humility brings elevation, exaltation and honour.

The passage under consideration reveals the humble nature of Ruth who took permission from her mother-in-law to go out and glean to get food for both of them. It takes humility for such a young lady to go and glean on another person’s farm. Ruth did not want to remain idle at home while expecting that somehow, someone will magnanimously deliver food to them. She was not just humble, but diligent. The job of gleaning in the field may not be dignifying, but it was lawful and honest, and Ruth was not ashamed to do it. No wonder God honoured her by directing her steps to the farm of Boaz, her late husband’s kinsman.

As Christians, we should not shy away from any lawful and honest employment. Little is much when God is in it. Ruth did not choose such demeaning practice as begging for alms or the shameful vocation of prostitution to earn a living. She engaged in a job that brought relief to herself and her mother-in-law.

Ruth was not selfish or rude. She did not go anywhere without first taking permission from her mother-in-law. Her life is a lesson for all Christians not to seek the easy way out when they are in need, but to be willing to work hard and earn a living legitimately, without depending solely on the beneficence of others, or engaging in decadent activities.

Thought for the day

As captured in a wise quip, the way up is down.

• Bible
• in one year
• NEHEMIAH 8 – 10