Daily Devotion 09/03/18
Ruth 3:1-4 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. 2 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”
The harvest had been going on for a couple of weeks but was coming to an end. I wonder if over those couple of weeks Naomi made comments to Ruth like this, “Boaz is such a nice man.” “Boaz is such a godly man.” “Boaz sure is handsome, isn’t he?” Now that the harvest is over Naomi goes into full match-maker mode as she tries to set up Boaz and Ruth. Parents, there is no bigger decision your child is going to make than who they will marry. What decision has the potential to cause more devastation in their life than this? Not just physically speaking, but spiritually speaking. I’m not suggesting you that you should arrange marriages, but I am suggesting to have open and honest conversations with your children about marriage and their future spouse. Have a conversation about the importance of a marriage that is centered on Jesus’ love and forgiveness. No matter what age your child is, pray for their marriage. It is never too early to start praying for your child’s future spouse. It’s never too late to start praying for your son-in-law or daughter-in-law. Today, look and see how you can build your own marriage up in Jesus. Then look to see how you can influence others so that their marriage or future marriage will be built on Jesus as well.
Jesus, thank you for being part of my marriage. Thank you for forgiving me for all the times I’ve failed to speak up about the importance of you in a marriage. I know you forgive me because that’s your promise to me in your Word. Be with me today and help me to speak positively of you and marriage.