Ruth 2:4-9 New International Version (NIV)
4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered. 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” 6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled. Wed. Nov. 4 We all live under the authority of a teacher, boss, coach, a parent or at least governmental authority… whether we like it or not! Boaz is like a “small-business owner” who cares for his employees and desires God’s blessing on them. He follows God’s laws and cares for the poor (see Deut. 24:19). He notices a poor, foreign widow and gives her special protection. Wouldn’t it be nice if every person in authority were as protective and righteous as Boaz? The reality is we have authority, too! Maybe you are a parent, coach, teacher, manager, small-business owner, executive, etc. Even if we are the lowest employee at our jobs we still have authority over the property of the company or owner. At the very least we have authority over our own God-given bodies and lives! We have the most righteous Lord guiding, blessing us, and defending us from the power of death and through our daily and righteous actions we can point others to His great love and grace. What areas of authority has God blessed you with? Ask your righteous Lord to guide you and help you to use the gift of authority to bless others in all you say and do today.
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