Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Thanks for joining us for today's Power Walk Ministries broadcast with Pastor Paul Cannings. Our current series is called The Measure of Love, and it's based on the book of Ruth chapter two. To understand where love begins and its true meaning, Pastor Cannings takes us to the cross of Jesus Christ. Based on Christ's sacrificial love for us and through Ruth's example of her love for her mother-in-law, Pastor Cannings brings us this lesson: selflessness.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Love has a trait that requires selflessness. Love has a certain characteristic that causes many people to end up divorced, causes many people to end up hating people, causes many people to become resentful, and many people to basically not want to deal with anybody because the nature of love takes you to a cross.

What we discussed yesterday is that the source, everything where love starts, is a commitment to obey God. If I choose to obey God and the Bible says season your words with salt and the person is talking to you crazy, and the Bible is saying do not use unwholesome words, let your words be edifying, and the person is being mean to you and you can't return insult for insult. The Bible is saying you could be angry, but you can't sin. You cannot return insult for insult. There's no malice that can come out of you.

So here this person is, Jesus Christ is on the cross showing us what it takes us to. Here he is, I've got to die in obedience to God. I must be about my Father's business. It's not my will but Thy will be done. He is telling us that. As a result of that, you're going to take a beating. He begs God to take this cup from him. No, not going to do it. So in obedience to God, presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice is automatic. So when we are doing this, that's why he says if you're going to follow me, deny yourself, pick up the cross, and follow me.

So you see this model that takes Christ to the cross. Christ is now on the cross. You would think, okay, go ahead and just give up the ghost because you want to prove to everybody that you are life and life abundantly, so nobody can take your life, you give it up. No, Jesus Christ has got to wait around for this guy on the cross to stop cursing and going on and to turn his life over to him. And then his heart says, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." Come on, Jesus. You don't have to do any of this. You've died on a cross. You're going to raise from the dead. You're done. No, Jesus Christ continues to do his Father's business.

So fundamental, when I choose to obey God, I automatically, that is the source, that is the focus, that is the plugging in to define how I love in any situation. How a man loves his wife is defined. How a single lady lives is defined. How a person lives with their child is defined. How the wife lives with her husband is defined, and how she lives with her children is defined. That's why we run the race that is set before us. There's no changing. The whole issue is: surrender your life to me, surrender your will to me.

I got you. I don't lie. I'm always good. I'm always righteous. I am the very nature of love. I'm always going to look out for what's best for you because I am who I am. I'm never evil. So therefore, when you surrender your life to me, you have given it to a person who could never ever turn his back on you because his nature, everything that he is, is love. The Bible is saying when a person now surrenders this, now what comes out of them, love is not always something you go, "Oh, this is so gooey and nice and let's hug and sing Kumbaya." It's not always like that because it's defined by God.

So when we come to that, it literally puts us in this place today of selflessness. And that is the problem that many times causes many people to shove people off because it makes them way too vulnerable. So how do we function with this? Because you can't come to this text in Ruth chapter 2 verse 17 through verse 18 we would look at today and say that there's nobody in this story that doesn't have any of those things. You can't say that. You have the Moabitess. How do they come to be a nation? An incestuous relationship started it.

You come to the Moabitess. She's coming to people who don't like her. That's why Boaz immediately tries to protect her in the field. Not only because she could stray into another field where the Jewish women can be abused, but also the people, the maidens, can be ugly towards her and nobody is going to stop them. She's exposed herself to abuse. It's not like Naomi is going to come out in the fields and keep protecting her. Naomi is a senior woman most likely. She's at the house. She came home to die.

So she knows that at the age that I'm at, and then hardly any food all the time, I'm coming back home to die. So what is Boaz? Boaz is an older guy and he's going to marry a Moabitess. Really? That's just not what you do. You marry a Jew; you marry somebody within your race. That's what you do. No, not Boaz. Boaz is going to marry a Moabitess because he is fulfilling the will of God as a kinsman redeemer.

So you can't come to this and say, "Hey, they all come from wonderful backgrounds singing Kumbaya and we just have this love story where everybody is from the same culture, everybody's had a perfect life, and God has just done such a wonderful job bringing us together." That is not in this story. And that's why when we find that in verse 17, he says, "So she gleaned in the field until evening." That sounds like nothing. But just for a minute, put yourself in her shoes for a second.

Number one, the word glean is attached to a widow who the law told them to leave the sheaves left over, drop it down for the widows to pick them up. She's a Moabitess. Do you think she is lined up with all the other women and that's just going along perfect? No. Most likely Ruth is not just welcome like the Samaritan woman at the well. She came at a time when no other woman was there. So you have Ruth in the field and she's gleaning. And watch this carefully. She does it in the field, keyword in the field, with everybody else.

Now this is not taking place in a beautiful time of spring. No, this is in the summer. This is a dry, hot climate. It's not like, "Oh, give me a minute. I'm going to the water fountain, get some water and I'll be right back." No, none of that stuff happening. It's a bucket with some water out there; you take a thing and you put it in your mouth. And if you're a Moabitess, chances are not everybody is going to want to share that bucket with you.

So you have to think of what Ruth is doing without Naomi ever asking her to. She just knows Naomi is coming back to die. She's not going to die. I've already committed; she's not going to die. This is not going to happen on my watch. So she is purposely going out to save Naomi's life. She's not working just to take care of kids. Many widows were young because most men died at around 45. That's why you see Jesus Christ, he's on the cross at 33 and his dad is already gone.

So there could be a lot of widows in this. That's why you have the Bible making a key focus on widows. And then in First Timothy 5 would teach us how to care for widows in the church. Very important. So she's out in the field, but it is hot. It's probably June and July and August. This is when this is taking place. Now she is gleaning in the field and it says she does it until evening. Now why are they going to make a point to say that? Just, she gleans in the field.

She's saying that until evening because that's unusual. It's unusual for a widow who's got kids at the house and responsibilities to get enough food for the day, storing up as much as they can, making sure they take care of kids and whatever. So that's why it's saying here she does it until evening. That's unusual because when you look at how much barley Ruth takes back home, it's three months' worth of barley. She took a 20 to 30 pound bag back home.

So what you're seeing here is a dedication because Ruth is probably not thinking she's going to be able to be welcomed back in this field every day. It's possible. So she's getting as much as she can. And then when she's finished, she goes and she beats out the barley. This is like an all-day job. Then she is walking back into the city after she's gotten something to eat because most likely she is not able to go ahead and get food, whatever is rationed out to the workers. So Ruth found from what she picked up food to eat.

That's how selfless Ruth was because of her commitment to Naomi. He says this in verse 16 of chapter 1: "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee." So Ruth is intense. She's saying, "For whither thou goest, I will go." It's a done deal. I've made up my mind. I'm a grown woman. "And where thou lodgest, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God. I will personally come to know your God."

Not just because you worship Yahweh, I'm going to be exposed to Yahweh and I just follow you wherever you're going to worship Yahweh. No, I'm going to develop a personal experience with the Lord God that you have. I see Naomi that you have a personal relationship with God. You walk with Him. I'm going to be that person that you are. So you have to see how Ruth is valuing somebody she holds in high esteem.

Now I know Naomi went with her husband to the Moabite land and she came back empty, which shows that she disobeyed God along with her husband. They went in there because there was a famine. Disobedient to God rather than live through the famine, learn why God is allowing a famine and grow through that process, they decided to escape, run off, and find a different way to do it. And God dried it up.

And the beautiful thing about the story is that even when God dried it up and they came back, the people who chose to stay are in the plenty. Many times we want to run away. When troubles get hard, we run to our comfort zones really fast. And what God teaches us is: no, when I put you in a trial, James chapter 1 verse 2 through verse 4, I have a goal with it. And I only discipline those whom I love, Hebrews chapter 12 verse 7 on.

As a result of that, you should count it joy that I'm working on you. And when you count it joy that I'm working on you, then I get you to maturity. So they're coming back to a land of plenty, finding people like Boaz who were in the plenty and who love God. But please understand in this story that what is driving this process is a true love that we discussed yesterday, and what that source is and how that is shaped by God.

And that now makes the person be able to love and continue to love because fundamental to all of it is the fact that it leads you to this part of love that many times causes us to fall apart because it makes us so vulnerable: selflessness. There's no person better to release myself to than the person named Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, because he released his life for me. And he promises to never leave me nor forsake me.

He could have gone to heaven and go back to doing his business, but no, he kept the glorified body and sits at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for me. And if I go through difficult times, he would pray the very groans of my heart. So this Jesus, who if I choose to walk the way he tells me, put angels encamped around me to protect me, so that when Paul defines how I live every day, I live in heavenly places. So folks, there's no loss; there's everything to gain when you trust Christ to the epitome and the very core of what makes love work: selflessness. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen, Pastor Cannings. What a powerful reminder. Our obedience to God defines how we love everyone else around us. This series as well as many other biblical resources are available online at powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. You can also call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. You're welcome to write us also at Power Walk Ministries, P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas 772092. And when you contact us, would you consider being a Power Walk partner? This ministry exists because of faithful prayers and faithful contributions by people just like you.

Dr. Paul Cannings: A few years ago, some friends of mine, pastor friends, came to me and challenged me to start Power Walk. And by faith, we stepped out. Yes, folks, God has grown it, he's developed it because of the sacrifices we are willing to make. But in the midst of it, we recognize it cost, and it would be good for us to develop partners who would share in this ministry so that it reaches the potential God has for it. We'd love for you to look at our website, www.powerwalkministries.org, to see all the things that we're seeking to do for the glory of God. Become our partner and be a part of what God is doing. I know God will bless you.

Guest (Male): And now remember, at the very center of love is selflessness. Just as Christ gave up everything to pay for our sins and grants us eternal life, may we also pass on such love.