On Being Generous
"And let fall some of the handfuls on purpose for her" (Ruth 2:16 KJV).
Read: Ruth 2:14-16; Ex. 36:2-5; Eccl. 11:1; Isa. 58:7; Acts 4:34-35; 20:35.
What Is God Saying?
The time of the Judges was one of the darkest periods in the history of Israel. The pages are stained with blood. Disorder and chaos were perpetual. Fear gripped the hearts of all. The present was hard and the future was bleak. Into all this turmoil God drops one of the loveliest stones of all time. It glows with the warmth of human kindness and love. One can recall paintings by Constable from another century in England that portray peaceful rural scenes. "The ploughman homeward plods his weary way." A simple meal is ready as smoke curls lazily from the chimney. Children are playing. Cattle are grazing. The warm rays of the sun 1llummate the scene with pervasive peace. Over against it all, an angry, threatening sky. Soon a storm will break, but for now a moment of calm, the blessing of peace. Such is the story of Ruth.
Boaz has instructed the workers who are gleaning in the fields to "leave a few handfuls on purpose" for Ruth. Generosity and kindness were not the moods of the times, nor through the centuries has it often been so, but God is above the "moods of the times" and, as in this story, kindness and generosity break through to have their moment.
How Does This Apply To Us?
God shows His generous love through the self-forgetfulness and sacrifice of people whose lives He has touched. It was Boaz then. Who will it be today? The world has need for a respite from war and the selfishness that causes it Our world, our communities, and our families could use large doses of generosity and peace—they go together' We have grown weary of distrust and suspicion and strife. We have freely received the blessings of God's peace. Having received tons of God's goodness, we can spare a few handfuls to make life richer for others. "It really is more blessed to give than to receive."
Pray With Me
Gracious Father, Your hand is open to satisfy the desire of every living creature. Forgive me that my hand is so often closed. Those young men in the past were told by their master to be kind and thoughtful. By His words and deeds, my Master has given me the same instruction. You have been purposeful and generous in Your giving. iny life is filled with undeserved blessings like a cup that overflows. How, therefore, can I be anything but purposeful and generous in my sharing?
You have given me many hours to meditate, to dream, to work, to play. Forgive me for begrudging a few moments to the friend or stranger who presumes upon my time. You have given me health and family and friends. Forgive me for failing to bring some evidence of Your love to the least of Your brethren. Forgive me for forgetting those who are forgotten. Forgive me for losing touch with the lost. Forgive me for being impatient with the disagreeable. I would share all blessings that I have so freely received ... not with a pinch of kindness here and a few grains of mercy there, but with whole handfuls. Guide me into the kind of life that is known for its purposeful and habitual kindness. Let there be a growing discontent with kindness that is only occasional and accidental.
Let me reach purposefully into the storehouse of Your blessings to give out "handfuls of purpose" for others. I cannot be a disciple of my Master in any other way. Has He not given me many "handfuls" of heavenly bounty by the "purpose" of His patience and self-giving?
Moving On In The Life Of Prayer
The best way to make room for more blessings from God is to share the ones we have. We thank God for what we have. More is coming if we make room in our hearts for it. Our lives should not be storage units where goodies are kept under lock and key. They should be a transfer point where good things of God are freely passed along. If we pray along that line, God will have some surprising handfuls (heartfuls!) of blessings for us to enJoy---enJoy all the more because they are shared.
