The 5th characteristic of lasting love is Unconditional Blessing. It’s about setting our internal GPS toward blessing our spouse, kids, family and then living to impact people beyond that circle. I read recently about a truck driver who put in the wrong GPS address and got lost and then stuck in the snow. It took him 4 days to walk out to safety and he almost died in the wilderness. Many families and relationships die today because they put in the wrong GPS coordinates. They are more about blessings self than blessing others. Unconditional Blessing means we live life focused on blessing others regardless of whether or not they bless us in return. It’s the example of Jesus and He has called us to do the same.
Ruth: The Story of Redemption
- Ruth 4: “11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lordmake the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
- The story of Ruth and Boaz is really a small chapter in the bigger story of King David and the even bigger story of Jesus. Remember, it was through King David’s line that Jesus came:
- Matthew 1:1-17
- 1—This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
- 5,6—5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon…
- 16-17—16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
- The story of Ruth is the story of redemption. If you look closely, you see the role she played, the role David played, and most importantly the role Jesus played in the redemption story. Each had a role they played in the ongoing narrative of God’s redemption and blessing of the world.
- Ruth rescued Naomi.
- Boaz redeemed Ruth.
- Ruth’s line produced David.
- David rescued God’s people, Israel.
- Through David’s line (Ruth’s line) came Jesus.
- Jesus redeemed the world.
- They all had a role they played in blessing others. Let’s talk about your role.
- Matthew 1:1-17
You Are Blessed To Be a Blessing
God wants you to set your GPS on living your life to bless others unconditionally. Living to bless others is what God has called us to do. It is how we fulfill His purpose for our life. But how do you do that? One specific way is to pass on the baton of faith. Naomi passed the baton to Ruth… Ruth and Boaz passed it on to David. David then passed it on to Mary and Joseph who in turn passed it on to Jesus. So how do you pass on the baton of faith? Here are 4 GPS coordinates that we need to set in order for this to happen well.
- Devote your life to Jesus.
- Philippians 3:10 “10I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
- Study, learn, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
- Teach your kids to serve Jesus.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
- Be intentional about teaching them to serve Jesus. Make it a focus in your household.
- Pray for your family specifically
- Daniel 2:20-23 “–“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever, wisdom and power are his. 21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.22 He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”
- Pray for them in these key areas: Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Emotional, Relational, Sexual, Financial
- Follow His teachings and live your life to be like Jesus.
- Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Be real with your family: Ask for forgiveness, turn the other cheek, overcome adversity, resist temptation, and persevere through the grind of life.
Live purposefully and with intentionality. Live to bless others. Watch and learn how to do that more and more, especially to those in your inner circle but then also beyond. You have been blessed by God to be a channel of His blessing. Now is the time to impact and bless others.