Hello everyone! I hope you’re all well. I’m very grateful to God to be able to gather with you again, by sharing a new piece of music entitled “Le Courage De Ruth” (Ruth’s Courage).
There are many women in the Bible who stand out and shine for their rich virtues and moral qualities. Ruth is one of them. From a painful and sinister past, to a victorious future, Ruth became a true symbol of victory in the midst of trials. At the same time, she became an important female moral archetype. Women seeking femininity, virtue and biblical development can identify with her, and grow by following in her footsteps. Men, too, can look to her as an example of virtue.
Ruth was a young Moabite. A people who no longer exist today. The country was located in modern Jordan. The story takes place over 1000 years before Christ. The young woman grew up naturally in the paganism of her country, and was not yet a believer in the God of the Bible. She meets her husband “Mahlon”, a Hebrew , and his family-in-law, in the plains of Moab (for there had been a great famine in Israel at the time, forcing exile to find work).
After a while, Ruth’s husband, Mahlon, her brother, and father-in-law die, except for her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth is suddenly stricken on multiple fronts with deep pain, and her life turns into a nightmare. Some time later, Naomi, her mother in-law, learns that God has blessed her homeland (Israel) again, delivering it from famine. She decided to return and live there. In the mean time, Naomi encourages Ruth to rebuild her life in Moab. Ruth, extremely attached to her — far from listening — decides to leave everything behind to follow her mother-in-law : her country, her family, her people and her gods, and moreover converts to God on the way.
Arriving in Israel, Ruth sets out to work in the field to support herself and Naomi. The field in which Ruth begins to work belongs to a member of Naomi’s family, “Boaz”, a wealthy businessman, deeply committed to God. Noticing the young woman and her high moral standards, he gives her a prime spot to work. Ruth is touched by the man’s kindness and continues to work.
Naomi, seeing Boaz’s goodness and piety, encourages Ruth to make the first move with him, soliciting a marriage proposal. Ruth agrees, goes and lies at Boaz’s feet during a nap. Boaz naturally understands the gesture, agrees to take her as his wife and to care for her and Naomi. Ruth went on to become the great-grandmother of King David, and even more so, an ancestor of Jesus-Christ Himself. By choosing God, in the midst of a nightmarish life, prioritizing the love of her mother-in-law, loyalty, she sees her life propelled to such a level of glory that she has her own book in the Bible — read and preached over three millennia later. Could she have imagined such a future? Perhaps you find yourself in a similar position as Ruth, with your own share of trials and suffering. God sees you. Just as He honored Ruth’s virtue, God will honor yours, without you even realizing it at first!
May this little text encourage you to give your heart to Christ and His Word. If you’re a woman, whatever your age, I encourage you to absorb Ruth’s virtues in all things, if you are a man, I encourage you the same. If you’re single woman, pray to meet a man of God like Boaz. Pray, and don’t be affraid to be initiative. Serve his vision, and he’ll serve yours. If you’re a single man, commit to God and His Word, lock-in with Him, and grow in virtue as well. Pray to find a woman like Ruth! We will always find more pleasure in virtue than in vice. Avoid worldly relationships, according to the fashions of this world! If you want to know more about finding the one for you, there are two articles I wrote, both for men and women.
Here’s a list of 9 virtues that we can learn from Ruth
- 1–) Her new faith placed in God: She could have held on to her pagan gods, or turned against the Lord because of the suffering she went through. Instead, she gave God her heart. Source
- 2-) Faithful in the storm: It’s one thing to be faithful when things are going well. It’s quite another when the storm comes. Ruth was faithful even in the midst of pain and suffering. Source
- 3-) Compassion: She understood perfectly the pain of her mother-in-law who had lost her husband and two sons. Source
- 4-) Sense of sacrifice: She abandoned everything to support her mother-in-law. She put Naomi before herself. Source
- 5-) Courage: She went into the unknown. A new faith in God from a new country, through a new people and a new culture. Source
- 6-) Hard-working: She takes the initiative to work for herself and her mother-in-law. Source
- 7-) Humble: She prostrates herself before Boaz, acknowledging that she is a foreigner. Source
- 8 -) Obedient: She listens to Naomi when she encourages her to ask Boaz to marry her. Source
- 9-) Bold: She takes the first step, showing her feelings for Boaz. Source
If you want to give your heart to Jesus Christ. I hope the little text will help you.
According to Jesus, God is Holy. It means that God cannot tolerate evil and will punish it someday. The problem is that, you and I already have accumulated our own deal of evil and wrong doings. (scan your past and your heart and try to remember your own mistakes as far as you can go, from a simple lie, to hating someone, through stealing something, you name it.) Even a small little lie or even a bad thought is enough for God to take action. In others terms, it means that One day, we will be judged by God, for our mistakes and wrong doings.
But, according to Jesus Christ, God is also Love. God does not want us to be judged and punished for the evil we did. He loved us so much, that He became a human, one of us, through Jesus-Christ and lived a morally perfect life. Instead of punishing you and me —He punished Himself while He was tortured and attached on the Cross. When Jesus died on the Cross, He absorbed all the sins and mistakes you and I did. When Jesus expired, our sins expired and died in His body too. When Jesus resurrected, He prove who He claimed to be : God. Not only Jesus-Christ paid the price of our sins, but He promised us that we will never face God’s Judgement. Furthemore, He promised us to offer Eternal Life. If you want to accept the Love of God for your life, If you want to personally accept His Salvation into your heart, and want to Live according to His own Standards, you can go into your room and say this short prayer:
"Dear Jesus, I have heard about you, but I don't know you and your love personally. I have heard that you came to earth to die for me. Please, reveal yourself to me in a way that I can know that those things are true. I ask you pardon for my own sins and mistakes, past and present, did consciously or unaware. I believe that you died and resurrected by Love for me. I ask this in your name, thank you. "
Amen.
Now, pay attention and be patient, because, if you have prayed sincerely, God will reveal Himself to you. I don’t know when, nor how, but He will do it! I encourage you to grab a Bible and start with the New Testament. You can start with Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. If you don’t have any Bible at home, feel free to look on Amazon. I would recommend you a very easy version to read, and a “King James Bible” whenever you can have it. It is by far the most accurate version in English. If you have been saved, feel free to message me!
Love you all a ton!
God bless you!
Efisio Cross 