God Centered Life

In the story of Judges, there are many heroic figures, and here we study one family made up of basically ordinary people. Yet they were used by God in extraordinary ways for the progress of His Kingdom, the line of David, and eventually Christ himself.

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Righteous anger is an expression of love. Unrighteous anger is not. If there's any doubt as to which you are feeling, it's more likely your anger is unrighteous, especially if you stand to gain by its expression and the other person will lose.

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Contemporary society says that marriage is simply a deal. You look for someone who can offer you what you want and who desires what you can give them in return, and then you get married. What that means, though, is that if eventually the other person can no longer provide what you desire, then the deal is off. But contemporary society is wrong.

The story of Ruth falls in the time of the Judges, showing us one family and within that, one woman, Ruth. God, in the midst of the chaos of Judges, has His people, has His purposeand here's Ruth. And God uses her in amazing ways.

Boaz is a hero in this story as the redeemer, using the resources that God has given him. Boaz takes responsibility, and there's a call here for men not to be passive but to be redeemer figures over the areas of life that God has given them to take care of.

One of the most important steps in spiritual growth is to bring the stories we tell ourselves into line with the gospel story. The whole purpose of this story in Ruth is to weave into our minds the right stories to tell ourselves: that you are loved, that God is the Creator, He's out to win you, and His plan will be fulfilled in your life if you turn to Him.

As we head into the book of Ruth, we find a cinematic story that you can almost see and feel. For this Israelite family to go to Moab was to head into enemy territory, almost as if we we were to leave church for a mosque to escape economic hardship or a political disturbance.

There can be chaos in the state of higher biblical learning today with many opinions and people taking sides. But it is wonderful to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to his teaching, which is very clear in the Sermon on the Mount.

The greatest Christians have always been those with the greatest sense of their sin and an even greater sense of grace. That's what causes thanksgiving and joy. Pastor Josh talks about finding biblical joy only when you have run from the pit of hell.

Finding peace with God is not about how we feel or what sort of emotional state we are in right now. It's about an actual, definite, real reconcilliation with God that is certain, unshakeable, and unchangeable.