The fundamental problem with hacked Christianity is that it displaces God as the sovereign of my life. I become the center of my “spirituality.” What makes me happy? What makes me feel good? Rather than me serving him, God serves me. The ultimate expression of MTD is the get-out-of-hell card I receive when I die. MTD is attractive because the sovereign / subject relationship is so offensive to our individualistic culture: We deny God the right as our creator to do with his creation as he pleases. Despite that, what does God choose? He chooses love.

God is more concerned about your maturity than he is your happiness. There is a lot of unhappy stuff in the New Testament: persecution, martyrdom, military occupation and marshal law, refugees fleeing religious oppression. If Christianity is about feeling good, then the early church must have been disappointed. It must be about something more – and it is. It is about becoming like Jesus.

The goal of many people’s hacked Christianity is to be nice because nice people get to go to Heaven. But the only way to be with God is to be holy before God. Sin resulted in expulsion from Eden. Ever since, God has been at work reconciling all creation to himself – including humanity. Heaven is the ultimate expression of that reconciliation, as Jesus’ followers are healed and made holy spiritually, enabling them to see God face-to-face. Our time here is to prepare us for Heaven, to pursue the holiness which makes eternity in the Father’s presence possible.

Many people see God as nothing more than a divine butler or cosmic therapist who stays in the background until summoned to take care of any problem that arises or help people feel better about themselves – so long as he is sufficiently not too demanding. The real God who created us desires for us to be in relationship with Him. He doesn’t just watch over his creation, He engages with it.

Ruth and Boaz’ marriage is celebrated by their people and blessed by God. Ruth, a foreigner, becomes the great grandmother of King David and is grafted into Jesus’ family tree. This episode shows that no matter who you are related to, or where you come from, God will still welcome you into his family. Your only responsibility is to live according to Kingdom ideals, in the same way that Ruth and Boaz lived lives of exemplary obedience to Torah covenantal principles.

When we find ourselves in a moment or season of suspense in life, we find ourselves thinking, asking or discussing “What happens next?” Not having the answer can make us feel powerless, hopeless or lost. What we find in Ruth chapter 3 is several people wondering “What happens next?” while simultaneously taking steps in faith. Although none of the characters knew what lasting impact their decisions would have, they chose to act with both courage and integrity as their stories unfolded.

Naomi came back to her hometown because she heard that God ended the famine there. With little hope, she came back with what was left of her family. From there, God does amazing things. Ruth heads out to collect food, not knowing how the lives of her and Naomi would change from a chance encounter. Are we expecting the unexpected?

God seems to have turned his back on his people. There is famine in the land. And he has turned his back on Naomi. She has lost her husband; she has lost her sons; she has lost her security. She is not alone in her grief. Her two daughters-in-law experienced losses, too. But while Orpah was sympathetic toward Naomi, Ruth exhibited empathy, choosing to remain loyal even when it means leaving her life behind.

“I don’t believe God wants me (or any of His children) to live in a way that makes sense from the world’s perspective, a way I know I can ‘manage.’ I believe He is calling me – and all of us – to depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than depend solely on the raw talent and knowledge He’s given us.” – 142-143.

“… a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life. God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s decisions.” - 120