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The Love Story – Part 3

Love Finds A Home
This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series The Love Story by Jesca Makena
In continuation to the Ruth and Boaz love story series, let’s unfold chapter 3 of the book of Ruth, and see what the scripture has in store for us.

In verse 1, we see Naomi getting into Ruth’s business. And Naomi says to Ruth, “My daughter, I must find a home for you”. That’s very interesting and important to note. Why must Naomi find a home for Ruth? And what does Naomi mean by a home?

A home signifies a place of settlement. A place of rest. A place of establishment. A place of contentment and fulfillment. A place of satisfaction and a place of peace, joy and blessing.

When you are in a godly relationship that’s been ordained of God, there ought to be a of feeling of ‘being at home’ with the person you are in relationship with.

What does it mean to be at home with someone? When you feel at home with someone, there’s a sense of freedom. Freedom to be yourself and to speak your heart and your mind. Freedom to be yourself, without the fear of being judged. There’s also a sense of security and safety that you have or feel around the person. There’s also no fear and there’s no shame whenever you are around that person.

Being at home is also a feeling of peace and rest. If you are in the right relationship, you should have a sense of peace and rest in your spirit. You are no longer searching. You are settled in your heart and in your spirit that this is it! This is the one!

Don’t Settle!

If you don’t have peace and there’s restlessness in your spirit concerning your relationship, then it might be time to reconsider. If you find yourself having doubts in your mind and questions in your heart that you can’t seem to shake off, it might be time to reconsider your decision.

It’s not fair for the other party involved, for you to enter into marriage with doubts and questions in your heart. Before you enter into marriage, settle your doubts first. If possible, talk to the person you are in relationship with about your doubts and questions. But more importantly, talk to the Lord! He will guide you correctly and He will never mislead you.

Many times we ignore the doubts and questions in our hearts. Maybe because of the pressure you get either from friends, family members or even pressure that you have put on yourself. And we often choose to settle. And this is not the kind of settling where you feel satisfied and content. But this is the kind of settling where, you are afraid to confront your doubts and questions, and you choose to continue with the relationship even though you know you don’t feel at home with the person you are in relationship with.

Nevertheless, you need to seek to know where your doubts are coming from. They might be coming from your own fears, the enemy, the things that people have told you pertaining to your relationship or the person you are with. Or they might be warnings from the Holy Spirit. Talk to the Lord concerning your doubts! Don’t ignore them!

Spiritual Warfare

I also can’t ignore the issue of spiritual warfare. If the Lord has confirmed to you that this is the one and there’s a peace and a resting in your spirit but you keep dealing with doubts and questions in your mind, then you might need to cast down these thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God concerning your life. Engage the blood of Jesus to pull down all these negative strongholds and rebuke those negative thoughts in the name of Jesus.

If you are in a relationship, the question is, do you feel at home with the person? Or better yet, are you at home, whenever you are with the person you are in relationship with?

In continuation, Naomi tells Ruth that she must find a home for Ruth, and also a home where she will be well provided forSo Naomi tells Ruth that, “I must not only find a home for you, but I must find a home where you will be well provided for, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually too” (Emphasis Added).

What does it mean to be well provided for? It means that Naomi is looking for a home where Ruth will be well taken care of. A place where she will not be abused, mishandled or mistreated. A place where her input is valued and considered. A place where she will be loved. A place where she will be provided for.

To be provided for, also means to be supplied with sufficient – lacking nothing!

Naomi was looking out for Ruth’s future and she wanted to make sure that Ruth’s future was secured.

Naomi in this chapter reflects the nature, character and the heart of God towards you. The manner in which we see Naomi looking out for Ruth, is the same way that the Lord is looking out for us. God desires for you to be settled, and not just anywhere but in a place you will call home and a place you will be well provided for. Jesus is looking out for your future. Trust His plan. He still has you in His mind. Just like Naomi, the Lord is looking for a home for you, and a place you will be well taken care of. Cheer up! God’s got you!

Psalm 68:6a, “God places the lonely in families…” NLT-

Naomi goes ahead and let’s Ruth know that, Boaz is a relative. Why is this important to note? Because in the Old Testament, when time came for Abraham to get Isaac a wife, he sent his servant to get Isaac a wife from among his relatives (Genesis 24:2-4). Abraham refused his son Isaac to marry the Canaanites and the Hittites. Why? Because everyone who married foreigners in the scriptures, ended up worshipping and serving other gods. This is the reason the Lord gave a commandment for the Israelites not to intermarry with other nations.

God’s will for us is that we will not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. As a born again Christian, every decision I make, is founded on and directed by the word of God. Can you imagine being married to someone who is not born again? Someone who doesn’t agree with you pertaining to the foundational truths that define your life? Well, all I see is a marriage that will be full of conflict. At the end of the day, what happens is that, to avoid much conflict, one of you will have to bow to the other. Selah!

Our born again brothers and sisters are our kindred and relatives in the Spirit. Choose a partner who shares your faith!

Photo Credit: CreateHERstock.com

After informing Ruth that Boaz was a relative, Naomi goes ahead and gives Ruth a strategy on how to divinely position herself for the blessing she was believing God for.

The first thing that Naomi tells Ruth to do, is to wash herself, put on perfume, and get dressed in her best clothes! Naomi gives Ruth this strategy in preparation for what she was believing God for.

What does it mean to wash yourself? It means to cleanse your spirit, your mind, and your heart from all the clutter, negativity, resentment, bitterness, anger, low self-esteem issues, doubt, that which is not of God, and everything that keeps you from receiving all that the Lord has for you. Cleanse yourself. Detox your heart and mind. Let your mind, soul and spirit be renewed and washed by the water of the word of God.

Wash your heart until it’s ready to love and trust again. Cleanse it from all past relationships until you are open to receive what God has in store for you.

After washing, Naomi tells Ruth to put on some perfume. What does it mean? Spend time in the presence of the Lord and allow the Lord to anoint you. Allow the presence of God to permeate every fibre of your being. Let the presence of the Lord be your perfume. If you have not accepted Christ into your heart, what better way than to have the Lord in your heart. Let Him perfume your life and turn your ashes to beauty. Guys, there’s no natural perfume that can supersede the perfume of the spirit.

Kindness and a good attitude are also likened to good perfume. When you are a good person, with a kind heart and a good attitude, then you become very attractive. The inner beauty will always supersede the outward beauty. Let your character be like sweet smelling fragrance.

Naomi also tells Ruth to get dressed in her best clothes. Mmmmhhh? That’s powerful. What does it mean? It means to dress yourself up for what you are believing God for. To dress means to put on the right mindsets, right attitudes and right mannerisms for where you want to go. Embrace the mindset and the mannerisms of a wife or a husband, even before you become a wife or a husband. You see my friend, you are made a wife or a husband way before you become a wife or a husband. That’s why the scripture states, ‘he who finds a wife, finds a good thing’. In other words, you are found as a wife before you become a wife! Selah.

To wash yourself, put on some perfume and get dressed in your best clothes, is a practical action as well. Often times, the only obstacle between you and your blessing, is just applying some perfume and looking good. That’s all. No mystery. As much as we are spiritual beings, we are also physical beings. We are moved with what we see. Don’t neglect your inner beauty as well as your outward appearance. They all matter, though one has more weight than the other.

Naomi gives Ruth strategies to divinely position herself for what she was believing God for. Are you positioned for what you are trusting God for? Have you prepared yourself for what you are believing God for?

Naomi gives Ruth another strategy and she tells her that, once she has gotten to the threshing floor where Boaz is, she shouldn’t let him know that she’s there until he’s finished eating and drinking. Naomi then gives Ruth more instructions, and tells her what to do after Boaz has laid down to sleep. I will explain all this in a short while.

I want you to note something. Ruth does everything her mother in law tells her to do. And at the end of the story, things turn out better than they all expected… This teaches us to depend on the Holy Spirit even pertaining to matters of love and how to approach someone you like. The Holy Spirit has got the best strategies in the world. The strategies might not make sense to the flesh, but they will most definitely work. Stop depending on your own wisdom. Rely on God. Let Jesus give you the strategy. Amen, somebody!?

Ruth did everything her mother in law advised her to do. So, in the middle of the night, the Bible says, something startled Boaz and he woke up only to find a woman lying at his feet. I love that description, something startled the man. We obviously know that, that something must have been the Holy Spirit.

Many of us need that kind of startling. You have been praying and believing God, and the Lord has brought your Ruth or Boaz into your life. But you are still asleep. You talk to your Boaz or Ruth everyday, or you greet them every Sunday, but you are asleep, unable to recognize them. You need to be startled!

While God was making Eve from Adam’s side, the Lord had to make Adam fall into a deep sleep. After He was through making Eve, the Lord awakened Adam. Adam was then able to see and recognize his wife, the bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.

The thing is, some of you need to be awakened and startled in order to recognize your own blessing.

Boaz is startled to see a woman lying at his feet! He immediately recognizes who it is. Ruth responds and says, ‘I am your servant Ruth,’ then tells Boaz what she desires from him. Boaz is impressed with Ruth and humbled by what she has done….

Boaz blesses Ruth and tells her that the kindness she has shown is greater than what she had done previously in chapter 2. Boaz is humbled to see that Ruth, though she could have chosen younger, richer men, even poor ones, had chosen him. Meaning, Boaz was a bit older than Ruth.

What also impressed Boaz more, is what Ruth did to make her request known. While Boaz was lying down, Ruth went and uncovered his feet and laid down at his feet… This is very symbolic friends. What Ruth was making known to Boaz was that, “I’m ready to not only submit in marriage but to submit to you as my covering, I submit to your leadership and authority, and I’m ready to be your wife…” This is very powerful!

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned by the spiritually mature. Boaz was spiritually mature to recognize what Ruth had done –  the power and the mystery of her actions! That’s why he marvelled at what Ruth had done.

Get married to someone who gets you, not just in the physical but in the spirit too. Someone who understands your language.

Boaz was touched Ruth’s actions and he determined to do what Ruth had asked of him – to be her guardian redeemer.

The Bible says that Boaz asked Ruth to lay at his feet until morning, since it was late in the night. They got up early before anyone could see where Ruth had spent the night. Boaz gave a charge that no one should know that there was a woman at the threshing floor. Boaz did this to protect Ruth’s reputation. Back then, women were greatly discriminated against, and not easily forgiven incase of any offence.

Boaz not only protects Ruth but he gives her more bundles of barley to carry home with her, so as to not go back to her mother in law empty handed. That’s really thoughtful of Boaz.

I pray, like Ruth and Boaz, that we will all find someone who we can love and care about so deeply as well as love us and care about us in the same measure or more.

Lastly, when Ruth gets home and recounts to her mother in law, all that had happened, Naomi makes a statement and says, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.’

Can you see that! Boaz was such a man of integrity that Naomi was certain that he would not rest until the matter had been settled. Listen child of God, the man or woman that God has for you, will not keep you guessing, wondering or waiting for no good cause. They will make their intentions known and be clear on what they want. Selah!

 

God Bless You,

Much Love, Jess?

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Written by
Jesca Makena

Jesca Makena is a minister of the gospel with a grace to write spiritual truths that deliver and bring healing. She flows in the prophetic grace. In her blogs you will find divine wisdom and revelation to help you overcome life's obstacles and live victorious!

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Written by Jesca Makena