Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): The Measure of Love, that's the name of our current series here on Power Walk, taught by Reverend Paul Cannings. Through the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, Pastor Cannings has highlighted God's love and the love within the family. While they lost both their husbands, these ladies had every reason to feel dejected, but God was about to replenish them in every way. Here's Pastor Cannings with today's message, "Being Hopeful." Let's listen.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Years ago, my brother and I would love to go out and fly kites on a place in Guyana called the Sea Wall. It's actually the beach where the beach is. There's a wall to stop the water from coming in since the country is below sea level. It was a big thing in Guyana to make a kite. We would put this kite together; we were all excited about this kite. Then we would take it to the Sea Wall, and we couldn't wait to get there.

Thank God for a patient mom who didn't fly kites, but she would sit there on the Sea Wall to watch her sons run up and down the beach flying this kite. We would just enjoy seeing the wind take the kite and just soar it into the skies. We would keep loosing it out and hopefully, we had the right kind of string because we didn't want it to break and fall into the water because then it's over.

We would play with this kite sometimes just because we were too scared to let it go high and probably go to the water or catch a wire going the wrong direction. We just pull it up high enough to where we could run with it in our hands and he and I would take turns because we only were able to build one kite. Those days were fun. It brings back memories even as I talk about it. In the nose of the kite, we would put some paper there so it makes a noise. We would pull it up and sometimes we would break it back and forth so that it makes the noise we want it to make. It was fun.

It brings home when we come to the book of Ruth, chapter 2, verse 20 through verse 23 today as we complete this short series in the book of Ruth as we talk through the nature of love, the measure of love. We so desperately need that today. There's so much hate, so much division, so much polarization, resentment, and bitterness, even watching people interact with each other in families and church families. We really need to come back to take a look at how God views love, just for a minute.

I pray that you would reconsider what this is all about. Today, when we look at Ruth, chapter 2, we see the kite take off because of the wind that hits the kite because it's properly made. It gives hope again, and that's what you find in verse 20 of Ruth, chapter 2. She says unto them, "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me." Naomi looks at this as God is just angry at her because she left. The book of Ruth comes basically in the midst of the book of Judges. The book of Judges says that they were doing what was right in their own eyes.

So, they left to go to the Moabite land, knowing the people of Moab and the history they have. Her husband still allowed her sons to marry Moabites, and there's a history there. She's now looking at this saying, "God is just bitter with me. He's angry with me. I'm here to die." All her friends are coming around here mourning with her because they could identify with her. Boaz has widows in his fields, maidens in his fields, all these different things as they are reaping this barley.

These women could identify and feel for her because they were probably in the same scenario and going through different things because this was a time of disobedience before God. In the book of Judges, they went through cycles of obedience and cycles of disobedience. The disobedience brought a lot of different things that were painful to the nation. They could identify, so they're all around her feeling how she is done. He's withdrawn his kindness. God no longer is loving on me the way he once did. I don't deserve it even if I did the right thing.

She comes in verse 21 because the kite is on the ground. There's no wind blowing in her sails right now. Wind resistance would mean you have to go at a very high pace to get the kite up in the air. As far as she's concerned, the kite is on the ground and it is useless. My life is useless. As she comes here in verse 21, "I went out full and the Lord had brought me home again empty. Why then call me Naomi, seeing the Lord testifieth against me and the Almighty had afflicted me?"

Naomi returned to the country, but in chapter 2, things change. In chapter 2, because of the obedience that took place based on Ruth holding to the Lord God—I will die with you, your people will be my people—which is a strong sentence because she's a Moabite among Jews. "I will dwell with you. Your Lord will become my Lord. Where you go to the temple, I'm going to the temple. You bring sacrifices, I'll bring sacrifices."

"I see even though the Lord has been against you, I've seen the kind of woman you are. I've seen the Lord in your life, Naomi, as a woman of God. I've seen it, so I want your Lord to be my Lord, and I'm not going to leave you to die because I love you too much." That tells you how much love Naomi had for her daughter-in-law, who was a Moabite. I hate racism to the bone. I think it's destroyed too many lives. It has hurt too many people. When we get to heaven in Revelation, he's going to gather the nations unto him. He didn't say, "I'm going to gather this group and that group." For God so loved the world; that's a whole lot of different colors of people.

He died for them on one cross, not different crosses for different races. Jesus Christ would go to a Samaritan woman. We can see that Jesus Christ is not like that. If we're going to talk about love, who is love? God is love, Christ is love. The Holy Spirit drives us to have who he is as a fruit of the Spirit: love. The nature of this conversation, based on how God defines Moabites, obviously, that's all changed when it came to Christ because there's no difference. Galatians 3:26 says there's no difference between Jew, Gentile, bond, or free. So, that's all erased.

In this context of scripture, when Ruth sticks with her Lord, God's providence takes over. Please see his providence in this. Ruth comes back and Ruth does what Naomi needs to have happen. She's got to go find food. She picks a field on her own initiative, her own free will. She picks a field that is led by Boaz. She had no idea he's a kinsman redeemer. None. Naomi is not telling her to go to Boaz's field. When she comes back, we see here Naomi's going, "Whoa, he's a kinsman redeemer! Ruth, this is what you need to do." She didn't know. Ruth just left and did what she had to do.

Her loyalty and commitment to her mother-in-law meant that after she worked all day and got some refreshment with water and got something to eat, which they would sit around and just get at the end of the day, she brings back a 20 to 30-pound bag to her mother-in-law. This shocks the mother-in-law. Where in the world did you get this much? You're a gleaner. You are going behind everybody. Being a Moabite, you're probably behind all the maidens. By the time the people drop what they're supposed to drop based on the law, the maidens pick it up, and you don't have nothing left. How in the world could you end up with a bag that is 20 to 30 pounds worth of barley?

What in the world happened here? They start seeing the hand of God working because they did not dethrone God. They kept God high, so he's now lifting them. His providence will do it every time because God is love. Great is his faithfulness. A passage of scripture written in Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 21 through 26. It's written at a time when Jerusalem is devastated by the Babylonians after three devastating attacks. The writer, Jeremiah, still says, "Great is his faithfulness."

In verse 21, he says in Ruth, chapter 2, and Ruth of the Moabite said, "He said unto me, thou shalt keep fast by my young men until they have ended all my harvest." In other words, not just you're going to do this today; this is a set, done deal from this point on. Does this tell us that Ruth was most likely a beautiful woman that he paid attention to? Yes, but it's all factored in. God says everyone is wonderfully made. In sin I was conceived, I was put together. That's why no one's DNA matches because we are fearfully and wonderfully designed. We're clearly seeing that even today with all the DNA research.

God has obviously, even with Ruth most likely being a beautiful woman, set that up so that Jesus could be born out of this. Please see, first thing you see in here when you look at when the kite is now in the air is that the designer knew how the Spirit of God works and there's a match. Watch this carefully in verse 22. Naomi said unto Ruth, her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter. This is beneficial, this is productive, this is the best thing that can happen." "Good" here literally means those things. Our economy is going to be changed. This is going to be practically beneficial, not just for the food, but for you being in a structure that is going to bless all of us.

Think about it for a minute. Even though she's a Moabite, she married a Jew. The laws apply here where she's now inclusive because she was once married to a Jew. So now, this kinsman redeemer scenario goes to her. Again, even though things can be wrong, God can work it out for our good if we keep loving him. We could make some bad decisions in our lives, but when we come back and we serve God and love God and turn our lives over to God, God has a way of replenishing our fields. God has a way of taking that old stuff and making it new stuff.

Stop stressing out about your past and thank God for the present because if you hold on to the past, it will shape your present and it will determine your future. You've got to trust God that he's got the past. This is what they're doing because now the past that was bitter and messed up and all these different things, that God is saying right now, "I have erased that." The fact that you have this much barley, the fact that you are taken care of all day, the fact that nobody touched you on that field, the fact that you are now here healthy and strong, this is God.

So, we need to look at the present to see what God is saying for the future. That's exactly what they do. God has rescued us. This is a good thing. In Philippians, chapter 4, verse 8, he says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, think on these things." Why? When you think this way, you start seeing the hand of God like they did. Naomi is saying, "He's a kinsman redeemer." The laws kick in right here and those laws came from the word of God. This man is a good man. He's showing he's a good man. He is a person who sticks with the laws. Here goes the laws and the word of God is going to work in our favor. When I continue to do what God says, we will reap God's rewards because great is his faithfulness. It doesn't matter what you face. The issue in life is who you choose to face it with. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen. Thank you, Pastor Cannings. We will reap God's rewards when our hearts are set to trust and obey him. To obtain a copy of this series as well as any of our other ministry resources, log on to powerwalkministries.org. Two other series by Pastor Cannings will further help you develop the strength to walk in love and also overcome the evil around us. These are "Establishing Godly Relationships" and "Experiencing God." Be sure to ask for them when you contact us at powerwalkministries.org or call us at 281-260-7402.

Dr. Paul Cannings: One of the hardest things in ministry is not actually doing ministry when God has blessed you to be this equipped, but it's to get the resources to get it done. Folks, that's the hardest. We've stepped out in faith because we believe that, but we pray that God would touch your heart to partnership with us. You could do that simply by going to our website. It's a secure website. Press the donate button and on that button, you will be able to become a partner with us and we will seek to bless you for being a blessing to us. I pray that God will move on your heart to be our partner. God bless you.

Guest (Male): That's 281-260-7402. Pastor Cannings also serves as senior pastor of Living Word Fellowship Church in Houston. If you're in the area or you're planning a visit, you're always welcome to join us. Sunday worship services are at 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. The church is located at 7350 T.C. Jester Boulevard in Houston. As we leave you, remember not to continually think about all the regrets in your life, but rather live with hope as you commit everything to God and let him replenish you.