Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 81, Ruth 1-4
Though the book of Ruth is named for Naomi’s Moabite daughter-in-law Ruth, I think we can learn so much by looking at the life of Naomi who was widowed as well as bereaved of both her two sons. Naomi had been afflicted by the Lord, but her life wasn’t over! Joy was coming! A new life, a redeemed life, was coming! If you feel like you’ve been dealt a hard hand, don’t lose hope.
Have any of you been following the life and music of Forrest Frank in 2025? I have. Here are a few videos … Pray! And keep praying!
Heavenly Father, You are good. Always good. You are always working for good. Increase my faith, Lord. Help me to trust You, to pray without ceasing, to be ever ready for Your return. We lift up Forrest Frank and other popular Christian singers and ask You to conform them into the image of Christ and to work through them for Your glory, that millions of people will hear the good news of saving, life- changing, redeeming, hope-filled faith in JESUS! In whose name we pray. Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 80, Ruth 3-4
My husband sent me this picture from his John MacArthur study Bible, saying that John MacArthur compares Ruth to the virtuous wife in Proverbs 31.
Ruth Baker, in her January 2, 2019 blog post at GoThereFor.com digs further into this idea. Read it here.
Heavenly Father, help me to be a virtuous woman, to take good care of my husband and children, and to work diligently day after day. May I do my husband good and not harm all the days of my life. May the teaching of kindness be on my tongue. May I open my mouth with wisdom. May I remember that charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting, but that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and redeemer, I pray. Amen.
Proverbs 31:30 song
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 79, Ruth 2
“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.”
Proverbs 14:1 (ESV)
Matthew Henry’s writes in his commentary on Proverbs 14:1,
“A good wife is a great blessing to a family. By a fruitful wife a family is multiplied and replenished with children, and so built up. But by a prudent wife, one that is pious, industrious, and considerate, the affairs of the family are made to prosper, debts are paid, portions raised.
Many a family is brought to ruin by ill housewifery, as well as by ill husbandry. A foolish woman, that has no fear of God nor regard to her business, that is wilful, and wasteful, and humoursome, that indulges her ease and appetite, and is all for jaunting and feasting, cards and the play-house, though she come to a plentiful estate, and to a family beforehand, she will impoverish and waste it, and will as certainly be the ruin of her house as if she plucked it down with her hands; and the husband himself, with all his care, can scarcely prevent it.”
This reminded me of the passage in Matthew 7:24-27 about the wise man who built his house on the rock, versus the foolish man who built it on the sand. In looking up Matthew 7, I came across the similar, though less well-known, passage in Luke.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Luke 6:46-49
The wise woman builds her house on the firm foundation of the rock, obeying God’s Word, so when the storms of life come, her house stands. The foolish woman builds her house on the sand. She does not trouble herself to dig down to the solid foundation. She cannot be troubled to obey God’s words. When the storms of life come, her house falls.
Yet, consider this, the foolish woman of Proverbs 14:1 is tearing down her OWN house with her OWN hands. She doesn’t need any storms to tear it down for she is tearing it down herself, knowing God’s Word, but not obeying it.
My prayer is that I will spend my days building my house, not tearing it down.
Heavenly Father, help us to know Your Word and abide in it, to trust and obey Your every command. Help us to build our house on the Lord Jesus Christ that when the storms come, we can stand firm. Help us to build our families with encouraging words and faithful lives of service for Your glory and our good. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
I Set My Hope
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 78, Ruth 1
[Naomi] said to [the women in Bethlehem], “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
Ruth 1:20-21 ESV
I wish I could tell Naomi not to lose hope, to trust that joy was just around the next bend.
I once heard God’s sovereignty compared to a stoplight which controls traffic in a construction zone. This light is provided to stop people from a head-on collision with oncoming traffic hidden by the bend in the road. Sometimes a person might be tempted to ignore this light, to just assume that no one is coming and give up waiting for the light to turn. As a loving God who knows the future, He asks us to wait on Him rather than barreling forward because of His great care for us.
The point was then made that God is good to not reveal the future to us for if we knew about the tragedy that lies just around the bend we would spend our lives fretting, rather than living each day in itself.
While I do wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment, I can’t help but recognize our human propensity to dwell on the negative, on the coming trial, rather than the coming joy. Several years ago, the Holy Spirit convicted me that when I spend my time fretting about what the future might hold, I end up missing out on having HOPE, trusting in God’s sovereign goodness, waiting expectantly for what hidden joy might lie just around the bend.
Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:24-25) Remember, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) If we could see what was just around the bend, whether tomorrow or a hundred years from now, then we would have no need for HOPE, no need for FAITH. God grows our faith, our trust in Him, by having us wait upon Him.
So, the next time when things look bleak and hopeless and we’re tempted to despair that all hope is lost, let’s remember that God holds the future and that He is worthy of our trust. May we be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.” Psalm 130:5-7
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 77, Ruth 3-4
In April 1994, I was having another discussion about religion with a young man I was interested in. For the dozenth time, I was arguing with him about my inability to believe in a God that I couldn’t see with my eyes or touch with my hands. Suddenly, in a brief moment of humility, I asked a simple question, “What do you mean when you say, ‘saved’?” To me, “save” was a word associated with money and stray puppies, not college valedictorians. And for the first time I heard clearly explained the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Reading through the book of Ruth, I noticed the words redeem and redeemer over and over again. Do we as 21st-century adults understand what ‘redeemed’ means?
Do we see our own lostness and wretchedness, our need for a counselor and guide to show us where to go and lead us by the hand to get there? Or do we think we already know all the answers, have already arrived, and don’t need anything beyond what hard work, Google, and the government can provide?
Do we see ourselves as hopeless, helpless beggars, searching for a morsel of bread? Or do we see ourselves as wealthy, capable, able-bodied men and women in need of nothing and noone?
Do we see our sinful nature and recognize our need for forgiveness and rebirth? Or do we think we’re good, decent people who’ve never killed anybody or done anything all that bad, especially compared to all the good things we’ve done?
Naomi, a Jew, and Ruth, a Moabite, both needed to be redeemed, and so do you and I.
Naomi and Ruth’s earthly lives were redeemed by their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, but their eternal souls were redeemed by looking forward in faith to that sinless Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for their sins with His own sinless blood, something much more precious than all the gold and silver all the world over.
Have you been redeemed? Have you been washed in the blood of that Lamb?
Have your sins been fully paid for by Jesus, that spotless Lamb, when He was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago?
Forgive me, God. I have sinned against You. I have broken Your commands more times than I can count. I knew I was wrong and I did it anyway. Wash me clean in the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please, I want to be made new. I need You, Heavenly Father, to make me new. Give me a new heart and new desires and new strength. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might live for You all the days of my life for Your glory and for my good. Amen.
Are you Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? – Antrim Mennonite Choir, video by S.E. Samonte
Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb – The Worship Initiative
I Know that My Redeemer Lives – Keith + Kristyn Getty, Laura Story
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 76, Ruth 2
Ruth, a widowed Moabite woman, found safety in the providence of God and in the fields of Boaz, her Israelite kinsman redeemer.
Have you ever considered the fact that God called a man named Abram, who was living in Ur, to come to Canaan to be the great father of the Israelite nation? God could’ve chosen someone already living in the Promised Land, but He didn’t. God chose a foreigner named Abram to leave his people and his land, and go to a land that He would show him.
Likewise, God chose a foreign-born woman, Ruth, to be the great-grandmother of King David, the forefather of Jesus Christ Himself. God could’ve chosen Naomi, a Jew, but He didn’t. God chose a foreigner named Ruth to leave her people and her land, and accompany her mother-in-law to her land.
And now, three thousand years later, God chose me, a young woman running from God, blaspheming His name, scoffing at His followers, to carry His Word across the world wide web to a foreign nation on the other side of the globe. He could’ve chosen someone who grew up in church, but He didn’t. God chose me to wake up before dawn, turn on my computer, and teach, and I’m trying my best to obey. 😁
Jesus said in Acts 1:8 ESV, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Is God calling you to GO?
Heavenly Father, have Your way with me. Help me to trust You and walk humbly with You, my God. You are the God of Redemption and Power, the God of Holiness and Second Chances. You are the Tapestry-Weaving God of Life and Purpose. We worship You, Lord, and thank You for Your mercy. Help us to reach out to the foreigner dwelling among us for Your glory, never forgetting that You desire the worship of people all over the globe. We want to be faithful to make disciples of all nations. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Are you looking for a family friendly devotional to use this Christmas season? A few years ago, I put down in print what had been in my heart, head, and mouth for a decade with my own kids. I hope it blesses you. It’s available in paperback or ebook versions. Download a PDF of all 25 ornaments free here.
“From Creation to Christ: A Family Advent Devotional Tracing the Story of the Savior Through Scripture, Stories, Songs, and Pictures” by Kim Endraske
Day 11 of the Devotional shares the story of Ruth and Boaz.
12
Emmanuel (God with Us Forever) Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Great Is Thy Faithfulness – Maranatha Music
FORMERATHEIST58
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 75, Ruth 1
Did you know that the famous words from Ruth 1:16, “For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God,” were spoken by Ruth to her mother-in-law, not her husband? Well, now you do. In fact, Ruth said this to her mother-in-law after her husband’s death.
My grandma made this for me as a wedding gift. Ruth 1:16.
Little did my Grandma know when she cross-stitched Ruth 1:16 for a wedding gift for me, what an enormous impact my mother-in-law would have on my life. To be honest, as a young bride, I struggled in my relationship with my mother-in-law, but God… God used my mother-in-law’s patience, kindness, and forgiveness to draw me to better understand God’s patience, kindness, and forgiveness.
How’s your relationship with your mother-in-law? Rather than dwelling on all the things she’s done wrong, try dwelling instead on all the things she’s done right. You married her son. She must’ve done something well. Next time you start thinking about all the ways you’d like her to change, try looking at what you could change to improve your relationship with her. Could you be more patient, kind, and forgiving toward her? Start there and see what God does. And if you need to make a call or have a face-to-face chat about something that happened days, months, or years ago, do it. Today. Don’t let bitterness take root and spoil the good fruit that God wants to bear through you.
Baby #1 – very tired parents, very happy grandparents At Baby #1’s wedding showerThe day I first became a Mother-in-law
Heavenly Father, Thank You, Lord, for the gift of a mother-in-law who loves You and who loves me. Help me to be grateful and to recognize that this truly is a gift. Thank you for blessing my son with a wife and my daughters with husbands. Give me the wisdom and strength I need to be a patient, kind, and forgiving mother-in-law myself. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
I Will Trust My Savior Jesus – City Alight
FORMERATHEIST58
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In April 1994, I was having another discussion about religion with a young man I was interested in. For the dozenth time I was arguing with him about my inability to believe in a God that I couldn’t see with my eyes or touch with my hands. Suddenly, in a brief moment of humility, I asked a simple question, “What do you mean when you say, ‘saved’?” To me, “save” was a word associated with money and stray puppies, not college valedictorians. And for the first time I heard clearly explained the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Reading through the book of Ruth, I noticed the words redeem and redeemer used over and over again, but do we as 21st-century adults understand what ‘redeemed’ means?
Do we see our own abject lostness and our need for a counselor and guide to show us where to go and lead us by the hand to get there?
Or do we think we’ve already arrived, already know all the answers, and we don’t need anything beyond what hard work, Google, and the government can provide.
Do we see ourselves as hopeless, helpless beggars all searching for a morsel of bread?
Or do we see ourselves as wealthy, capable, able-bodied people in need of no one and no thing to help us?
Do we see our sinful nature and recognize our need for forgiveness and rebirth?
Or do we think we’re really pretty good, decent people who’ve never killed anybody or done anything all that bad, especially compared to all the good things we’ve done?
Naomi, a Jew, and Ruth, a Moabite, both needed to be redeemed and so do you and I. Naomi and Ruth’s earthly lives were redeemed by their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, but their eternal souls were redeemed by looking forward to that sinless Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for their sins with His own sins blood, something much more precious than all the gold and silver all the world over.
Have you been redeemed? Have you been washed in the blood of that Lamb? Were your sins been fully paid for when Jesus, that spotless Lamb, was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago?
Ruth, a widowed Moabite woman, found safety in the providence of God and in the fields of Boaz, her Israelite kinsmen redeemer.
Have you ever considered the fact that God called Abram, a man living in Ur of the Chaldeans, to come to Canaan and be the great father of the Israelite nation? God could’ve chosen someone already living in the Promised Land, but He didn’t. God called Abram to leave his people and his land and to go to a land that he would show him, and he did.
God chose a foreign-born woman, Ruth, to be the great grandmother of King David, the forefather of Jesus Christ Himself. God could’ve chosen Naomi herself, a Jew, but He didn’t. God called Ruth to leave her people and her land and to follow her mother-in-law back to her land, and she did.
And now, three thousand years later, God chose me, a young woman running from God, blaspheming His name, scoffing at His followers, to carry His Word across the world wide web to foreign nations around the world. He could’ve chosen my sister-in-law who grew up in church, but He didn’t. God called me to wake up before dawn, to turn on my computer and teach, morning by morning, and I’m trying. 😁
Heavenly Father, have Your way with me. Help me to trust You and walk humbly with You, my God. You are the God of Redemption and Power, the God of Holiness and Second Chances. You are the Tapestry-Weaving God of Life and Purpose. We worship You, Lord, and thank You for Your mercy. Help us to reach out to the foreigner dwelling among us for Your glory, never forgetting that You desire the worship of people all over the globe. We want to be faithful to make disciples of all nations. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Are you looking for a family friendly advent devotional? Two years ago I got in print what had been in my heart, head, and mouth for the last decade with my own kids. I hope it blesses you. It’s available in paperback or ebook versions. Download a PDF of all 25 ornaments free here.
“From Creation to Christ: A Family Advent Devotional Tracing the Story of the Savior Through Scripture, Stories, Songs, and Pictures” by Kim Endraske
Day 11 of the Devotional is about Ruth and Boaz. Enjoy!
Did you know that the famous words from Ruth 1:16, “For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God,” were spoken by Ruth to her mother-in-law, not her husband? Well, now you do. In fact, Ruth said this to her mother-in-law after her husband’s death.
My grandma made this for me as a wedding gift. Ruth 1:16.Baby #1 – very tired parents, very happy grandparents
Little did my Grandma know when she cross-stitched Ruth 1:16 for a wedding gift for me what an enormous impact my mother-in-law would have on my life. To be honest, as a young bride I struggled in my relationship with my mother-in-law, but God…. God used my mother-in-law’s patience, kindness, and forgiveness to draw me to better understand God’s patience, kindness, and forgiveness.
How’s your relationship with your mother-in-law? Rather than looking at all the things she’s done wrong, try looking instead at all the things she’s done right. You married her son. She must’ve done something well. Next time you start thinking about all the ways you’d like her to change, try looking at what you could change to improve your relationship with her. Could you be more patient, kind, and forgiving toward her? Start there and see what God does. And if you need to make a call or have a face-to-face chat about some hard feelings from something that happened days, months, or years ago, do it. Today. Don’t let bitterness take root and spoil the good fruit that God wants to bear through you.
At Baby #1’s wedding shower
Heavenly Father, Thank You, Lord, for the gift of a mother-in-law who loves You and who loves me. Help me to be grateful and to recognize that this truly is a gift. Thank you for blessing my son with a wife and my daughter with a husband. Give me the wisdom and strength I need to be a patient, kind, and forgiving mother-in-law myself. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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