Restoration and Redemption

Are you struggling to move on in the face of adversity? Trials? A negative report? 

Let's explore what God's Word says about sorrow, loss, adversity, and overcoming despite our circumstances. 

We will dive into Ruth and explore her story of restoration and redemption, for with God, all things are possible. 

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Book of Ruth:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ruth+2&version=KJV
Joel and Victoria Osteen book: Wake up to Hope Devotional
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Transcript

 Good morning.  Welcome to today's episode of Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler.

 It's been a few days since I've come to you,  to bring you His message. 

We all know who the host of this show  and that's Christ. 

Oh, Holy Spirit come 

fill us with Your presence in this time that we have together today,  may they see You and not me,  because this is only about You.

Today's episode  speaks of freedom and truth, 

speaks of courage. 

It speaks of lack of fear, 

speaks of honor, 

mercy,

grace,

speaks of a truth that we should all live by,

giving up ourselves  and surrendering

to the will of Abba Father,  and our precious Lord Jesus. 

Not our will,  but His be done. 

Today's episode speaks of that.

It speaks of following  someone. 

Holding steadfast  in abundant love.  Never leaving nor forsaking another.

Portrays a  true heart. 

Christ our Savior.  Our Lord. 

It Speaks of His goodness and His mercy. 

Deliverance and Freedom.

Today's Juneteenth.  We know that signifies and speaks of freedom.

Holy Spirit just come and fill them up,  fill them in their time of need.

Let them drink from the Wellspring of Living Water  so that they never thirst again. 

Let them eat  of the Bread of Life so they never hunger again.

Have Your way  this hour in  the mighty name of Jesus. 

Amen

My intro, that's my wish,  that His will be done. 

We're going to dive in now.

Today.  He has placed Ruth on my heart.  Ruth  chapter two, and I'll be reading out of the New International Version.

Ruth 2
New International Version
Ruth Meets Boaz in the Grain Field

2 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

[Forgive me if I mispronounce some of these names]. 

2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

[Now, does that not speak of God's perfect timing? That's not a coincidence. There are no coincidences  in the Kingdom of God. There's no luck.  It's God. He's working, and He's working in your life right now,  even if you can't see it. 

That speaks of God's perfect timing.  Obeying Him,  trusting Him, and  following Him.] 

“The Lord bless you!” they answered.

5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

[That speaks of hard work,  obedience, digging in.How many of you are digging in, fighting, working towards that goal to achieve something, not even sure of what it is.  But knowing that you have to keep going].

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

[It speaks of favor,  God's favor.  He put that on Boaz's heart,  to watch over her, to protect her, to keep her.  When you follow Him,  you don't have to fight your way to the top. He gets you to the top.  You just put God first and everything else comes, His  goodness and His mercy.]

10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain.

 [That speaks of protection,  restitution.  All the years a locust stole are coming back to her.  Everything she lost is coming back a hundredfold].

 She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

[See that? The God of abundance and plenty. Like feeding the 5, 000,  all the loaves and fishes,  see how much was left over?  It's our God. The God of abundance].

15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

[Boy, doesn't that speak of it.  Leftovers, abundance. Mmm, such good Word]. 

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

20 “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”

21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

[That speaks again of protection].

22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

That speaks of us staying under God's protection,  not sinning,  doing what's right.  And when Christ comes into your heart and you have that spiritual rebirth,  you're a new creature transformed  in your mind, in your body, your soul, all transformed. For we  are spirit being,  living in a body, and we have a soul and the soul is where the mind will and emotions are.

We don't go by feelings.  We go by the infallible Word of God,  trust in the protection that His Word  brings us. Jesus was the Living Word,  our road map. 

When you stay under that protection, when you follow God and put God first, everything else comes. As it says in Psalm 91, you won't even dash your foot against a stone.

He goes before and prepares the way. No weapon formed against us shall ever prosper.

That's what He says in His Word. 

Let's look a little bit more  at This, I've finished reading in two,  and it says, 

I just want to look at the commentary a little bit.

Again, I'm reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Version.

And it just goes on to talk about this, a little bit more about Ruth and, and Boaz and, and what we find in this scripture. And I really like the way it, it says it, it says, when the wheat and barley were ready to be harvested, reapers were hired to cut down the stalks and tie them into bundles.

Israelite law demanded that the corners of the fields not be harvested.  In addition, any grain that was dropped was to be left for poor  people who picked it up.  This was called gleaning and used it for food.  The purpose of the law was to feed the poor and to prevent the owners from hoarding.  The law served as a type of welfare program in Israel because she was a widow with no means of providing for herself.

Ruth went into the fields to glean the grain (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan).

Ruth made her home in a foreign land instead of depending on Naomi or waiting for good fortune to happen. She took the initiative. 

She fought. She took the initiative.  Many of you are taking the initiative.

God is with you  when you're following Him and He wants you to act and you're in obedience.

His hand is all  upon, His hand of favor, of love, of protection,  freedom, deliverance.  She went to work.

She was not afraid of admitting her need of working hard to supply it.  She was not, I'm sorry. She was not afraid of admitting her need or working hard to supply it. When Ruth went out to the fields, God provided for her.

You, if you are waiting for God to provide, consider this. He may be waiting for you to take the first step to demonstrate just how important you need it  or your need is (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan).

Ruth's tasks, though menial, tiring, and perhaps degrading, was done faithfully. 

Whatever he calls you to do, be faithful when he calls you to serve.

Have that smile on your face and be joy, have joy in your heart. Even if you're in the pasture, mucking out the stalls,  you know, you're cutting the grass, whatever you're doing, you're doing it, serving the Lord and loving Him and having just His grace and mercy and His joy, despite your circumstances. 

What is your attitude when the task you have has been given is not up to your true potential?  The task at hand may be all you can do, or it may be the work God wants you to do. Or as in Ruth's case, it may be a test of your character that can open up new doors of opportunity (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan).

We will be tested to see how we respond.

When we do well in little things, God increases us. When He knows that He can trust us to obey  Him and His Word,  because remember we're soldiers in a war,  a spiritual battle, and we are to follow our Father because it's His will. Just like if a general was giving you orders, you follow their will.  He is our general.

We have to follow Him and obey so that the Kingdom can come to earth  as it says.  on earth as it is in heaven. It's the Lord's prayer.  That's what we're called to do.

Create that environment for those seeds to be planted so that we can glean that bountiful harvest and usher in that end time revival in the hearts of God's people  where freedom reigns,  truth prevails, and love wins.

That's good stuff. 

Ruth's life exhibited admirable qualities. She was hardworking, loving, kind, faithful, and brave. These qualities gained for her a good reputation, but only because she displayed them consistently in all areas of her life. Whether Ruth went  or whatever she did,  her character remained the same (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan)

Your reputation is formed  by the people who watch you at work, in town, at home, and in church. A good reputation comes by consistently living out the qualities you believe in, no matter what group of people or surroundings you are in  (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan).

That speaks of never compromising your faith, always being the same, never changing, no matter what's going on around you, consistently being the same. 

And when you have Christ in your heart and you've been reborn,  you just want to do everything to follow Him.  You lay down everything you have just to serve Him.  You're hungry and thirsty. 

The characters in the book of Ruth are classic examples of good people in action. Boaz went far beyond the intent of the Gleaner's Law in demonstrating his kindness and generosity. Not only did he let Ruth glean his fill. He also told his workers to let some of the grain fall in her path.  Out of his abundance, he provided for the needy. How often do you go beyond the accepted patterns of providing for those less fortunate?  Do more than the minimum for others.  Naomi had felt bitter,  but her faith in God was still alive, and she praised God for Boaz's kindness to Ruth (Life Application Study Bible, NIV, Zondervan).

In her sorrows, she still trusted God and acknowledged His goodness. 

We may feel bitter about a situation, but we must never despair. 

Today is always a new opportunity for expecting for experiencing God's care. 

Though Ruth may not have always recognized God's guidance, He had been with her every step of the way.

He had been with her every step of the way. Let me read that one more time.  Though Ruth may not have always recognized  God's guidance, He had been with her every step of the way. 

She went to Glean and just happened to end up in the field owned by Boaz, who just happened to be a close relative. This was more than mere coincidence.

As you go about your daily tasks, God is working in your life in ways you may not  even notice. We must not close the door on what God can do.

Events do not occur by luck or coincidence. We should have faith that God is directing our lives for His purpose.

I encourage you to read more of the Book of Ruth (Zondervan, Life Application Study Bible, NIV).

It is powerful, and read the whole story of what she went through and endured. The loss of spouse and family and so many things. 

Now the Lord placed on my heart to read today's devotional, which is from the Wake Up to Hope Devotional  by Joel and Victoria Osteen, and I'm reading from pages 200 to
2 0 1.

So I wanna make sure I give them credit. 

Isaiah 61:3
New Living Translation
3 To all who mourn in Israel,
    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
    festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
    that the Lord has planted for his own glory.


That's Isaiah 61: 3 in the NLT. 

It's easy to have a good attitude and pursue our dreams as long as everything is going our way.  That doesn't take a lot of faith, but what about the difficult times when a relationship doesn't work out or you get a bad health report? Or a friend does you wrong. It's easy to lose your passion when you're hurt.

Too many people are sitting on the sidelines of life because they're injured. Now they're nursing their wounds, not moving forward because of what they've been through. 

You may have a reason to feel sorry for yourself, but you don't have a right.  God promised He will give you beauty for those ashes. He said He will pay you back double for the wrongs, but you have to do your part.

If you're going to see the beauty, you have to shake off the ashes of self pity. You have to shake off the discouragement and get back in the game. Every person has injuries. We all have wounds, but you can't let a loss, a health issue, a divorce, or a hurt be an excuse to sit on the sidelines (Wake Up to Hope Devotional  by Joel and Victoria Osteen, and I'm reading from pages 200 to 2 0 1).

Today, get back in the game.

Know that your best days are ahead. Know that He is working things together for your good and He has victory in store for your future.

Father, I praise you. For your love and compassion toward me today, I choose to obey you and shake off the past. I shake off self pity and discouragement. Help me to forgive those who have hurt me and begin to move forward into the good things you have in store for me.

Thank you for giving me beauty for ashes and turning my sorrow into joy.

I declare my best days are ahead

in Jesus's name.

Amen (Wake Up to Hope Devotional  by Joel and Victoria Osteen, and I'm reading from pages 200 to 2 0 1).

God wants to give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for despair. But here's the key. You have to let go of the ashes before you can give, He can give you the beauty.

Ashes represent what's left over after something has been burned up. Our broken dreams, our disappointments, our hurt, our failures. We all have our share of ashes, and God wants to give us beauty in exchange for them. 

We have to let go. Let go of the bitterness. Let go of the unforgiveness.

Any of those things that block us from what God has for us,  because that's how we find true freedom (Wake Up to Hope Devotional  by Joel and Victoria Osteen, and I'm reading from pages 200 to 2 0 1).

We may not  always  

know how to move forward,  

but know  that in His strength,  

we can and will  accomplish His will for our lives.  

We can and will be made whole and be transformed into a new creature.  

I'm living proof of that. 
 
I owe Him everything. 

He set me free. 

From the bondage of sin, of addiction, of trauma, of shame, of guilt, of fear, and regret, all in the aftermath of child sex trafficking, childhood trauma, the loss of my dad to suicide when I was a teenager and we buried him on Father's Day when I was 15. 

He set me free of everything. 
 
I have joy. I have peace. I sleep through the night. 
 
He's made me whole. 

Bask in His Glory. 
 
Bask in His goodness.  

His love and mercy,  which this scripture speaks  of, protection, love, truth,  favor, 
 
Oh,  enjoy that.  

Bask in that. 

Fill up your spiritual tank.  He'll guide you, and keep you.  

Rest in Him this day.  

Know He's with you.
 
In the middle of your mess, 

in the middle of your circumstances,  

stretch out for your hand for healing, 
 
like the man with a withered hand,  

because He's waiting.

He's waiting.  

God bless you. 

Thank you.  

And that's today's episode of Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler.