When things get difficult for us today we often struggle with two basic lines of thought. One is that, God is not in sovereign, and the second is that God is not Good. In the first chapter of the book of Ruth, Nomi takes her shot at the goodness of God, but saying that “the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me!” Notice that she does not say “against us” (remember both of her daughters-in-law have lost husbands and are currently barren also). It is through this statement that we can clearly see the flaws in Naomi’s core beliefs about the character of God. She believes that God is sovereign, but she does not believe in his goodness. God is not her king in any practical sense, because in her mind he is not qualified to be king. The climax of Naomi’s unbelief is on full display in Ruth 1:15, consider the words of Naomi after Ruth refuses to leave. “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after our sister-in-law). Naomi is saying believe what you want, because the God of Israel has nothing to offer you, because He is not … READ MORE

We often struggle with the Sovereignty of God because we do not appreciate the circumstances that come into our lives that we deem as evil or at least not in our best interest. In the book of Ruth, Naomi struggles with God’s sovereignty. On one hand she says in chapter 1verse 6 that, “The LORD has visited His people by giving them bread” but on the other hand, she says to her daughters-in-law to return to their mother’s houses with the prayer that “The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.” (1:8). She goes on to pray in chapter 1 verse 9 “The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” As we read those statements carefully, and begin to connect the dots that lead to a bitter heart, we see that there is a significant difference in speaking about God in a limited, skewed fashion and speaking about him in a robust, complete way. In Naomi’s heart, the LORD had let her down, and her daughters-in-law were just as well off worshipping a god of Moab as the god of Israel. The challenging reality here … READ MORE

Today social media is being used for many different purposes, some good and some evil. We need to be careful of the words that we post, that we consider their impact. The old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” is seriously flawed. James completes his admonition against bitter, sinful speech by explaining that the net effect of such words are “confusion and every evil thing are there. (James 3:16). Bitter words will ruin every relationship or organization they are brought upon. We can praise God for an alternative. God stands ready to help us tame our bitter tongue, whether that is in spoken or written words. The process is hard, but the fruit is more than worth it. Just as bitter words and their ruinous effects destroy and tear down. Godly words can build up relationships and organizations. That is what the Savior of the world desires because He loves righteousness that is sown in peace by those who make peace. As we prepare to open our mouth, whether that is in pen or process, may we realize that the words that we are about to make public will affect people around … READ MORE