1 Thessalonians Day 3

1:6-7

6: And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the Word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit

It can help us if we find other more mature Christians who follow God and learn from them. They can often teach us things that we need to know and help us learn how to go through our trials. Ultimately we imitate Christ and imitating Him precedes how we imitate others. Paul was driven out from Thessolonica due to persecution so his mention of them receiving the Word in affliction makes sense. However, they had the joy of the Holy Spirit which aided both in imitation and during their afflictions.

7: so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia

We are always influencing the people around us. Just as the Thessalonians were influenced by Paul, Silas, and Timothy, they are now influencing other believers not only in Thessalonica, but also in the surrounding areas.

As Christians, we need to realize the influence that we have on those around us. If we are Christians, yet have a spiteful and vengeful attitude towards others, that is not showing the Gospel and will negatively reflect on Christ and fellow believers. I’m sure we all can think of at least one person who claims to be a Christian yet affects others negatively. Instead, we need to seek others who can be good examples to us and imitate them. Ultimately our goal is to imitate Jesus and He gives us people who can help us with that (as well as His Word and prayer.) We should seek to be good examples to others and point them to our glorious savior Jesus Christ! I know none of us are perfect, but if our focus remains on Christ, people will be able to see Him, even when we stumble.

1 Thessalonians Day 2

1:3-5

3: remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ

Paul continues his introduction by specifying what he is praying about. In his prayers Paul remembers the Thessalonians’:

work of faith (example: obedience to God’s word)
labor of love (example: hospitality)
steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (example: remaining faithful with focus on Christ)

4: For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they are loved by God and are brothers with Paul in the faith. He also reminds them that God has chosen them.

5: because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

The Gospel changes people. It is not just mere words that tickle your ears, but it is something that transforms the dead into life. The Holy Spirit enters a person when they believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. Paul also mentions his, as well as Silas’s and Timothy’s, testimonies among them.

We see in these three verses what we should seek to pray for in others (as well as in ourselves). We should pray to be known, and for others to be known, as workers of faith, laborers of love, and those who are steadfast of hope in Jesus. It is good for us to remember the power of the Gospel. I’ve heard it said before that we should preach the Gospel to ourselves every day. I know that I am encouraged when I am reminded of what God has done for me. I will admit that sometimes I have a hardened heart and think to myself that I’ve heard this a million times, but it is always encouraging and convicting to hear. The Gospel reminds us of what we’ve been saved from, how we’ve been saved, and Who we’ve been saved for. Sin. Jesus’ death on the cross. God. It is humbling to know what God has done in order to bring us to Him. Praise God for His mercy and love!

1 Thessalonians Day 1

Intro and 1:1-2

As I mentioned yesterday, I am hoping to brush up on my Greek during this study. When I went through the first verse, I felt somewhat confident and then the second verse had me questioning myself. Anyway, this is going to be fun!

Author: Paul

Date Written: around 50 AD

Audience: The church at Thessalonica

Setting: Paul had to leave Thessalonica after planting a church sooner than he would’ve liked due to persecution.

1: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

Excellent letter introduction. Paul gives his name as well as those who are with him, who he is writing to, and a greeting. Timothy was like an adopted son to Paul and Silvanus, better known as Silas, was on one of Pauls’ traveling companions on his missionary journeys.

2: We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers

Although Paul had to leave early, he had heartily prayed for the Thessalonians. He lets them know that he thanks God for them and is praying for them.

Reading verse two always reminds me of how I should be praying for others and letting them know that I am praying for them. It is not to sound conceited, but so that they may be encouraged knowing that there are people praying for them. I know that I am always encouraged when someone tells me that they are praying for me. As a matter of fact, someone today told me that they had been praying for me during my pregnancy (this was the first time we had met, but he worked the same place as my husband) and was happy to see that I, and my daughter, are doing well. It was neat to know that someone I had never even met before had been praying for me.

God calls us to pray for those around us. We are to pray for family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and leaders. We are told to pray without ceasing. There are different kinds of prayer that range from prayers of thanksgiving to prayers of mourning. A study on different prayers would be fun to do in the future as well as quite edifying. I’m not sure about you, but I can always grow more in the area of prayer.

As for where we see Christ in this, His name is mentioned. (I try to see an application as well as point to where we see Christ, although it may be a little more difficult since I am working through two verses at a time.) The Thessalonians are in God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ meaning that they are saved by and have given their lives to Him.

{At the current rate of two verses a day, we can expect this study to last 44-45 days. I may add more verses here and there or shorten it to one if there is a lot to go over, but we will see. As mentioned yesterday, my schedule is getting busier so that is why the pace has slowed down. Thank you and God bless!}

Ruth Day 28: Chapter 4 Review

This is the last day of our study on Ruth. I’ve enjoyed going through it and I hope that you have as well! For our review questions, instead of focusing on what we’ve learned in chapter four, we’ll focus on what we’ve learned throughout the whole book.

Give a summary of events in the book of Ruth.
What did we learn about Naomi?
What did we learn about Ruth?
What did we learn about Boaz?
What did we learn about God?
How can we apply what we’ve learned?

A tidbit of information that I realized I never expanded upon was who the Moabite people were. Remember Abraham? He is the one who left his homeland because God promised to give him a land (which we find out to be Israel) There’s a whole lot about Abraham that we could talk about, but we’ll focus on the beginning of his journey. He took his nephew, Lot, along with him. We later find out that Lot had a wife and two daughters and they split from Abraham’s group due to lack of room for both groups (they both had large herds of animals and many servants and workers because God blessed them greatly). Lot and his family eventually moved to Sodom which was later destroyed by God for its evil and wicked ways. Lot and his family were saved by angels, but Lot’s wife looked back on the destruction of Sodom after they had been warned not to and was turned into the pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters ended up living in a cave and his daughters came up with a plan to have children to carry on their family line: they would get their father drunk and sleep with him. They both became pregnant and the older daughter bore a son named Moab who is the father of the Moabites. The younger daughter bore a son named Ben-Ammi who is the father of the Ammonites. That is where the Moabites originated. The story of Ruth occurs hundreds of years after this. The Bible does not condone the actions of the daughters, but gives an account for what has occurred.

Your answers don’t have to be the same, this is just a general list.

Give a summary of events in Ruth.
Naomi and her family leave Israel
Naomi’s sons get married to Moabites
Naomi’s husband and sons die
Naomi travels back to Israel with Ruth
Ruth works in Boaz’s field
Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is a redeemer
Naomi tells Ruth what to do so that Boaz will redeem her
Boaz accepts her request
Boaz speaks with other redeemer who could redeem
Other redeemer gives up his right to redeem
Boaz redeems Ruth by marrying her
Ruth bears a son named Obed
The people praise God
Obed is the grandfather of king David
What did we learn about Naomi?
Naomi was upset with God for taking away her sons and husband
Naomi saw herself as bitter and though that God was against her
Naomi saw a glimpse of hope when Ruth found Boaz’s field
Naomi was a bit of a schemer
Naomi learns that God had never truly left her and had another plan in mind
What did we learn about Ruth?
Ruth was willing to give up everything to follow Naomi
Ruth was a foreigner
Ruth worked hard to care for Naomi and herself
Ruth was worthy
Ruth was respectful
What did we learn about Boaz?
Boaz was worthy
Boaz was a man of God
Boaz was kind and generous
Boaz was a kinsman redeemer
Boaz often praised God
Boaz didn’t let important things sit
What did we learn about God?
God is always working, even when we can’t see Him
God never left Naomi or Ruth
God provided a kinsman redeemer for Ruth
God ultimately provides a kinsman redeemer for us (Jesus!)
How can we apply what we’ve learned?
Know that our salvation is only found in Jesus
Seek to be known as worthy (by our words and actions that honor God)
Be willing to work hard
Be willing to leave everything behind (sometimes God may ask us to)
Know that even when we can’t see Him, God is with us and working out His plan

Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I am currently working out what book to study through next and will have it figured out within the next few days. I had hoped to figure it out by now, but it has been a busy past few weeks. God bless!

Ruth Day 26: Ch 4:13-17

13: So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.

They are married!! And as I mentioned last chapter, the Bible tells us when intimacy happens. This time it did. We are also reminded that the Lord gave her conception. We might also note that it was the Lord who kept her from conceiving in her previous marriage for His better purpose.

14: Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”

When Naomi thought all was lost and changed her name to Mara, God was working and never left her. We are reminded of that in this verse.

15: “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

It is interesting to note that this child is not related to Naomi by blood (or at least not closely related.) Boaz is a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, not Naomi herself. That doesn’t matter to Naomi or the townspeople because this child is seen as an heir for Naomi. Ruth is also praised as being better than seven sons. This is a great praise because sons are seen as better than daughters only because they are the ones who take care of the parents in their old age. Seven is often called the number of completion and is a common number throughout Scripture. Ruth is better than seven sons.

16: Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse.

Naomi cared for the child.

17: And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Although Ruth gave birth to Obed, he is attributed as a son to Naomi. We are also told in this verse that he is the grandfather of king David. The name Obed means “serving.”

We learn in these verses that Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons and that she bore a son. Naomi was greatly blessed. Something she never would have guessed, especially at the end of chapter one. We all will go through challenges. We are not guaranteed freedom from struggle, but we are guaranteed One who will be with us through those struggles. Even when we don’t see God, He is with us!

Ruth Day 23: Ch 4:1-4

1: Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of who Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down.

Boaz knew exactly where to find the other redeemer and the other redeemer obliged his request to sit down.

2: And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.

Now there’s a party; just kidding! It seems that everyone respects Boaz enough to listen to his request and to wait for him to make his full request known.

3: Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country ofMoab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative, Elimelech.”

The Israelites had a law that family land could not be sold to anyone other than another relatiave. Boaz begins his statement by pointing to the land.

4: “So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

Uh oh. The other redeemer is interested in the land. Boaz has elders watching their interaction so that they would have witnesses.

And we’re going to stop here on this cliffhanger for today. This seems like a wrench in God’s plan, but when we see what happens next, we realize that it was only a little bump that had no effect whatsoever. Oops. I guess it’s not a cliffhanger anymore 🙂

Ruth Day 22: Chapter 4 Overview

Welcome to the last chapter of Ruth! Here we will see what Boaz does and what happens next. We’ll even dive into genealogies at the end of the chapter.

Here is the overview:

Boaz sets up a meeting (vs. 1-2)
Boaz speaks to the other possible redeemer (vs. 3-4)
Boaz mentions stipulation of marrying Ruth (vs. 5)
Other redeemer refuses (vs. 6)
Old custom (vs. 7-8)
Boaz redeems Ruth (vs. 9-10)
Witnesses praise Boaz (vs.11-12)
Ruth and Boaz have a son (vs. 13)
Praise the child redeemer (vs. 14-15)
As unto Naomi (vs. 16-17)
Genealogy of David (vs. 19-20)

As usual, think about what we learn about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz through this chapter. Also notice how God’s plan for our redemption is shown. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at rerouted.blog@gmail.com

Ruth Day 21: Chapter 3 Review

A lot has happened for Ruth in one day. Her mother-in-law puts her up to a scheme to catch the man called Boaz and have him redeem her (through marriage). He accepts and sets the necessary steps in motion.

As usual, it is time for questions and answers!

What happened during the chapter?
What did we learn about Naomi?
What did we learn about Ruth?
What did we learn about Boaz?
What did we learn about God?
How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives?

Tomorrow we’ll review chapter 4 and get an idea of what is to come regarding Boaz’s plans and the redemption of Ruth.

Answers! (They don’t have to be exactly the same)

What happened during the chapter?
Naomi tells Ruth of her plan
Ruth agrees to obey
Ruth obeys what Naomi said
Boaz is surprised
Boaz promises to put the plan of redemption in action
Ruth returns with barley to Naomi
Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz won’t rest until the matter is settled
What did we learn about Naomi?
Naomi is a bit of a schemer and match maker
She understands the rules of a kinsman redeemer
She is looking out for Ruth’s well-being
What did we learn about Ruth?
Ruth is obedient
Ruth is worthy
What did we learn about Boaz?
Boaz is a man of God
Boaz will seek to rectify the problem immediately
What did we learn about God?
God’s plan was in motion before anyone could see it
Boaz implementing the steps to redeem Ruth can remind us of how God set up the steps for our own redemption
How can we apply what we’ve learned to our lives? (Your answers may be different)
We can thank God for putting His plan in motion to redeem us
We can tell others of God’s redeeming love
We can know that God is working in our lives, even when we can’t see it

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Ruth Day 20: 16-18

16: And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her.

Spill the details! Ruth fills Naomi in on all that has happened.

17: saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

How could I forget? That’s what I get for not re-reading the chapter before writing yesterday’s post (insert face palm here). The reason that Boaz gave Ruth the barley was so that she would not go back to her mother-in-law empty-handed. It was a signal to Naomi. This answers my question from yesterday about Boaz’s knowledge of Naomi’s involvement. You can always learn something new even when you read something multiple times, especially in regard to the Bible.

18: She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

As we will see in the next chapter, Boaz wastes no time in setting this redemption thing in motion. He goes through the proper channels and redeems Ruth.

This reminds me a bit of the Gospel. For one, Jesus left His home in heaven to come live among men just as Ruth left her home in Moab to live with Naomi in Bethlehem. Jesus also didn’t take His sweet time to plan our redemption. Genesis 3:16 is referred to as the “protoevangelion,” which means “first Gospel.” The plan for our redemption was in motion from the beginning. God wasted no time in getting His plan in motion. When the time was right, Jesus came to earth as a man to take our sins upon Himself and die on the cross, bearing the punishment for our sins. Then He rose from the dead to show His power over death. Now all who believe will be set free and their sins wiped clean! I get excited every time I think about it!

Anyway, I apologize for the error on my part regarding the meaning of the barley. I can’t believe I missed it when it was right in front of my eyes! It’s good to know that our Savior does not make mistakes! God bless and see you tomorrow!

Ruth Day 15: Overview of Chapter 3

This is where the “fun” starts. We find Naomi to be a bit of a schemer, Ruth to be obedient to Naomi, and Boaz to be a man of God. We learn a little more about kinsman redeemers and see God’s plan in motion.

The chapter events are like this:

Naomi speaks of Ruth’s wellness (vs. 1)
Naomi mentions Boaz (vs. 2)
Naomi’s instructions (vs. 3)
Ruth’s obedience (vs. 5-7)
Boaz’s surprise (vs. 8-9)
Boaz’s response (vs. 10-13)
Boaz’s instructions (vs. 14-15)
Ruth speaks with Naomi (vs. 16-18)

The events of this chapter take place in about a 24 hour period. I say this because Naomi gives Ruth instructions during the day, Ruth completes them, and the next day Boaz sets off to redeem Ruth. No improper actions occur.

As you read, I’d like you to think about:

What do you learn about Ruth?
What do you learn about Naomi?
What do you learn about God?
What do you learn about Boaz?

I look forward to continuing this chapter with you!