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already rewarded

Ruth 2:8-13 (JDV)

Ruth 2:8 Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t go and gather grain in another field, and don’t leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants.

Ruth 2:9 See which field they are harvesting, and follow them. Haven’t I ordered the young men not to touch you? When you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

Ruth 2:10 She fell face down, bowed to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor with you, so that you notice me, even though I am a foreigner?”

Ruth 2:11 Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know.

Ruth 2:12 May Yahveh reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from Yahveh, God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Ruth 2:13 “My lord,” she said, “I have found favor with you, because you have comforted and encouraged your servant, although I am not like one of your female servants.”

God loves people like Ruth, who come under his wings for refuge, and in this case, God showed his love for Ruth by providing Boaz. He came along just at the right time to comfort and encourage her.

already rewarded

This has all the trappings of a sappy love story, but it also highlights some principles about how our choices matter to God. When Boaz prayed for God to reward Ruth, she responded by saying “I have found favor with you.” In other words, Ruth recognized that God had already rewarded her by Boaz’ acts of kindness.

Some of the people around us are how God is rewarding us for our choice to love and serve him. They are not our only reward. There will be a permanent inheritance. But we should take note of the ways God is blessing us today as well.

LORD, thank you for the acts of kindness you show us every day.