IN TOUCH DAILY DEVOTIONAL 10 MAY 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, FRIDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: Hope for the Stranger
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Ruth 1:6-14
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food.
7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
9 “May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.
10 And they said to her, “ No, but we will surely return with you to your people.”
11 But Naomi said, “Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 “Return, my daughters! Go, for I am too old to have a husband. If I said I have hope, if I should even have a husband tonight and also bear sons,
13 would you therefore wait until they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me.”
14 And they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
TODAY’S MESSAGE
When Naomi returned to Bethlehem after the death of her husband and sons, she brought along her widowed Moabite daughter-in-law. Ruth—the third woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy—was a stranger, but she chose to follow the customs of Naomi’s land. Because they were poor, Ruth gleaned barley from the edges of the fields, God’s provision in Israel “for the needy and for the stranger” (Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 23:22). Her faithfulness impressed the community and especially Boaz, the owner of the field.
Ruth lived on the margins, literally and figuratively. But settling in Bethlehem eventually led to a home and family of her own. Boaz, by marrying her, helped to restore the inheritance and prospects of a family devastated by loss. Ruth was welcomed and cared for by her adopted community, and she ultimately bore a child whom the neighborhood named Obed (Ruth 4:13-17).
People like Ruth live in our communities today. You can find them in the grocery store and dentist’s office as well as the dog park, senior center, and library. God calls us to welcome and provide for all the “strangers” among us, just as He welcomed us when we were outsiders. He made us members of His household and grafted us into the kingdom (Ephesians 2:19). How can we extend that same love and generosity to those around us?
Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 28-29
Thought for Today: God calls us to welcome and include those who are new or unknown in our communities.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
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