An Idiot's Guide to Life

I recently received an advanced copy of a book titled Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick.  It seems like every pastor of a mega church these days is writing a book and I have become a little put off by that fact, as it seems to have become somewhat cliche.  Truth is…I’m probably just a little jealous (but I’m working that out).  However, I really enjoy listening to Steven teach via podcast and I love reading his blog, so I dove right into his book.

‘Sun Stand Still’ is a challenge for us to have a big audacious faith, to pray and believe God for the impossible.  The challenge is formed from the story of Joshua (Joshua 10), who boldly asks God to make the sun stand still in the sky, so that the army of Israelites will have time to finish defeating the mass of enemy ranks that it faced.  In Joshua 10:13, we see God respond as “the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar.  The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”

Joshua had the audacity to ask…and God made the impossible happen.

As I read this, I became convicted over the calculated and trite nature of my own prayers.  My eyes were suddenly opened to the fact that my petitions before God were only for things that had a good shot of panning out for me.  I know…that’s a somewhat scary confession for a pastor to make.  That somehow I had limited my faith to things that were only in the realm of human possibility.  Things that I could make happen on my own with a little determination and hard work.  Perhaps in my mind, I was worried that my faith would be weakened if God didn’t come through (which by the way was a demonstration of, at the very least, a weak faith to begin with).  This absolutely floored me.  Do I really lack faith?  Do I really believe that God can do the impossible?  Do you?

This past week, I have spent a considerable amount of time on my face before God.  Not only have I repented of my lack of faith, but my prayers have been focused on the very nature and character of God.  Our God IS bigger, stronger, and more able than any of us can ever imagine.  The same God that made the sun stand still in the sky is in our corner and we CAN believe Him for the impossible.  As I have prayed this week, my prayers have been focused and inspired, extremely bold and energized by the fact that I serve an all-powerful God, who is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

What is it that you are asking God to do in your life and in your midst?  Are you believing Him for it?  It’s time for the people of God to once again have bold confidence in the ability of God.  To have an unrelenting, audacious faith in Him.  To walk in His promises and dare to believe that He will come through.

In Ruth 2, we find the young Moabite woman, Ruth, taking great risks in following her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem. Ruth is a foreigner in a hostile land, she is a widow without protection, and she is facing a life of poverty.  Upon her arrival in Bethlehem, Ruth goes to glean in the fields, or gather grain leftover by the harvesters.  Gleaning was God’s providential welfare system.  Ruth gleans in the fields of a man named Boaz, who just so happens to be a relative of her late father-in-law.  Boaz, out of compassion and obedience to God’s laws, provides food for Ruth and also promises his protection.  Through Boaz, we see God’s faithfulness to Ruth and his providential hand of blessing upon her.

In v.7, Boaz takes notice of Ruth’s diligence
“She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

• God rewards those who are diligent/work hard

  The act of gleaning was God’s way of providing for the poor.  However, gleaning wasn’t simply a handout.  People had to come and work hard and collect the grain for themselves.  We live in a society that has somehow gotten the idea that the world owes them something…the church owes them…or even God owes them.  We live in a world of get rich quick schemes, people looking for the fast track to success.  They want the reward without putting in the effort.  However, God rewards those who are diligent and work hard.  Boaz first recognizes Ruth for her hard work.  The blessing followed.
  
  2 Thessalonians 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

In v.11, Boaz recognizes Ruth’s selflessness/generosity in her relationship with Naomi
“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.”

• God rewards those who are generous/selfless

  We are by nature selfish people.  We rarely give unless we can be sure to get a return on our investment.  Ruth left everything.  She left her home, her family, a life of comfort.  She risked poverty and her physical well-being.  She did it all to care for Naomi.  Boaz recognized her loyalty, selflessness, and sacrifice.  He informed her that God was sheltering her and rewarding her for her acts of generosity.
  
  Proverbs 11:25 – “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

In v.10, Boaz takes note of Ruth’s humility
“she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

• God rewards those who are humble.

  Ruth felt undeserving of such a blessing.  She took on the posture of humility…the posture of a beggar.  We need to recognize that everything that we have is a gift from God.  The home in which we live, the clothes on our back, the food on our plate all comes from Him.  He doesn’t have to give us anything.  We deserve nothing.  In her humility, Ruth found God’s favor.
  
  Psalm 147:6 – “The Lord sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.”
  

**Do you recognize God’s blessings in your life?  Take some time today and humble yourself before God and thank Him for all that he has blessed you with.  Don’t ask for anything.  We spend enough time doing that.  Instead, offer up a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving to Him.**

**Understanding that all you have is a gift, God desires for you to live a life of generosity.  This week, be intentional in the way you go about your days.  Look for opportunities to extend blessings to those around you, expecting nothing in return.**