Under His Wings
As I read the first two chapters of Ruth this morning, I noticed a word picture that is very beautiful and meaningful. It is in Ruth 2:12, where Boaz says to Ruth "The Lord repay your work and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." Isn't that a beautiful picture of what all of us need to do?
Of course, we are not around birds in the wild very much, but when a baby bird is in danger, he runs to his mother, and the mother quickly spreads out her wings enough to engulf the tiny, defenseless bird. Can you feel the soft feathers up against your face? Can you see the determination of the mother bird to defend her young? Do you feel the safety and security? God wants to give us all of these things all of the time.
The Bible tells us that it is His will for us to abide under His wings. We are to stay in the shadow of the Almighty. However, when Jesus was approaching Jerusalem on the final week of His earthly life, He had to say, " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."(Matthew 23:37)The people had rejected His offer of security for their own way. Many people do the same thing every day. I pray that we would all be like Ruth, instead of the people of Jerusalem.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ruth 3-4 and I Samuel 1.
March 12 – John 15:1-5
Ask God to show you how to bear much fruit for Him. It takes being cleansed from sin, pruned of self, and abiding in Him fully. Ask Him to show you more sins to confess, so you can bear fruit. Ask Him to prune away your selfish desires, so you can bear more fruit. Ask Him to show you how to abide in Him, so you can bear much fruit.
Of course, we are not around birds in the wild very much, but when a baby bird is in danger, he runs to his mother, and the mother quickly spreads out her wings enough to engulf the tiny, defenseless bird. Can you feel the soft feathers up against your face? Can you see the determination of the mother bird to defend her young? Do you feel the safety and security? God wants to give us all of these things all of the time.
The Bible tells us that it is His will for us to abide under His wings. We are to stay in the shadow of the Almighty. However, when Jesus was approaching Jerusalem on the final week of His earthly life, He had to say, " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."(Matthew 23:37)The people had rejected His offer of security for their own way. Many people do the same thing every day. I pray that we would all be like Ruth, instead of the people of Jerusalem.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ruth 3-4 and I Samuel 1.
March 12 – John 15:1-5
Ask God to show you how to bear much fruit for Him. It takes being cleansed from sin, pruned of self, and abiding in Him fully. Ask Him to show you more sins to confess, so you can bear fruit. Ask Him to prune away your selfish desires, so you can bear more fruit. Ask Him to show you how to abide in Him, so you can bear much fruit.