Our culture is captive to selfism. We are told that the key to happiness is asserting our rights and expecting respect from others. Yet in real life that has created a climate of division. As a Gospel community, the church is called to embrace the ethic of the Kingdom of Christ, and we learn that the key to true unity is remarkably counterintuitive: The key to coming together is to drop our ego.

We live with the ever present reality of death. Yet the good news is that the resurrection of Jesus heralds the death of death. The victory of Jesus over the grave is proof that the Father accepts the work of Christ on our behalf, and that every impediment to our reconciliation with God has been overcome. In short, the resurrection attests to the triumph of God.

Jesus elicits a reaction from us. Many times, our response to Jesus is determined by our agenda. If we think He will advance our cause, we are for Him. However, if we believe He is a threat, or if He fails to live up to our expectations, we are against Him. In this passage, we are challenged to see that the path of disciplship means aligning our agenda with the agenda of Christ.

As we conclude our study of the book of Ruth, we consider 5 important lessons we gleaned from Ruth and how we can serve as the wings of the Almighty to those in our midst.

Many times we feel insiginifant and inconsequential. In this passage, we learn that God considers all our circumstances and demonstrates His love by remembering us. We learn the secret to being honored in the Kingdom of God is counterintuitive to those seeking prestige in the kingdom of man.

We often focus on how the death of Jesus paid for our sins, but we ought not forget how by His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and present reign, Jesus has conquered all the powers of the devil for you.

Have you ever wonedered how God's plan for your life comes about? Are you at the crossroads of a major decision and are you waiting for a "sign from above" as to what God wants you to do? In this passage we see how God's plan for our life sometimes - oftentimes - involves us taking the initiative to step out and do something.

God is the creator of community. In this passage we see how God works providentially to create "divine appointments" - opportunities for people to do community God's way. In this passage we see the encrouaging and healing effect of God-honoring relationships.

The book of Ruth can be described as a protracted illustration of what it means to show faithful, covenant-keeping, kind-hearted, gracious, self-sacrificing, love. No word is used more frequently to describe God's interactions with His people, and God is pleased when his own characteristic is modeled in and by His children.

Do you feel as if God's promises to you have run dry? That instead of being for you, God has pitted himself against you? In this passage we learn that it is often precisely when we think God's hand is heaviest against us that he has already set in motion the wheels that will turn to bring our deliverance.