Wednesday 14 August 2024
Acts 7:1-16
English Standard Version
Stephen's Speech
1 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.
Ruth 2
English Standard Version
Ruth Meets Boaz
1 Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” 3 So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”[a]
8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” 10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
14 And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. 15 When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”
17 So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah[b] of barley. 18 And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. 19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” 21 And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” 22 And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” 23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
ObservationGOD is still speaking to me about Stephen being GOD's chosen man for me to marry since yesterday. It was a significant event yesterday where it was the 9th of Av or what Jews call Tisha B' Av and today GOD continues to speak to me about it and if I look on, it will run for 4 days leading up to the Tu B' Av or the 15th of Av known as the Jewish day of Love. Boaz meets Ruth and instantly loves her at first sight because of the kindness she has done to her mother in law.
ApplicationI will wait on GOD, see if what HE wants to happen will indeed happen, with or without my feelings involved or my agreement. Of course I agree, I will marry Stephen when HE moves in HIS heart and is decided to obey KING JESUS. But until then, I will laugh like Sarah and not be bound by the desire for it to happen so badly. Promises are meant to give me hope, not to imprison me or make me feel depressed and so the devil has a way of twisting GOD's promises to make me feel sad about it because the devil is a liar! I'm not forcing the issue anymore, I don't want it to happen anymore because Stephen is complicated and difficult, but I can handle him because love covers a multitude of weaknesses. Love binds us all and I already have the love with or without him loving me back. But I am giving GOD time limit, a deadline - yes! because I am not getting any younger, the Age I want to give birth is ASAP. May the LORD bless me with 2 children.
PrayersDear AVI,O GREAT and Awesome GOD!!! Thank YOU so much for caring for my love life more than me! I need YOU to do that O GOD because YOU are my Father and I feel so secure when YOU look after me even in the small details and matters. Thank YOU so much for caring for me and loving me so much that YOU are speaking YOUR word of assurance to me without even me asking for it again. Yesterday I did ask and YOU spoke clearly without a doubt that I did not even ask for confirmation about it today but YOU still confirmed it today because YOU are faithful. Ah LORD GOD, just when my feelings have subsided, YOUR word has become stronger and I do believe it is possible O GOD but he has to follow YOU first and love YOU, for it to happen because only then will he be able to love another and be a fitting husband. O LORD, please do not let me wait for so long because I don't have time. Please GOD, I still want to bear at least 2 children, please let me bear 2. I honestly have been starting to imagine life with a new person (chinese chubby manila businessman 40+) but YOU don't want to set up false images of things that are not coming from YOU and how easy it is for my heart to go astray when it is hurting and could not see past the pain and the reality of the matter. Forgive me FATHER and help me to keep hoping in YOU. I pray for YOU to deal with my mother, I pray that YOU deal with her greed to claim more territories that YOU did not plan for her to claim. I pray she will focus on improving her blessings. I pray that she will love YOU more than her desire to be successful and have more. I pray O GOD that YOU deal with Cherry and her jealousy of being taken over by other workers. I pray that she will not be insecure but that she will understand team work. I pray for YOUR grace to always follow me all the days of my life and for me to keep loving YOU and obeying YOU and I pray that YOU will make clear what we are to do with SRG as we will be having a meeting today with Dr Glenda the founder and Sir Boy. LORD let YOUR good and perfect will be done in our lives. Be glorified O GOD in everything I do and say, be glorified. Thank YOU for everything O GOD, YOU working out all things for our good!
In JESUS Name AMEN!
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