Ruth 1:22 “So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.”
When Naomi and her family left Bethlehem ten years earlier, they were hoping to find life. Her husband had heard there was more food in Moab, so off they went. But instead of life, they found death. Again and again.
Now, as Naomi returns to Bethlehem, she returns to a full harvest. Life. Abundance. Renewal. Isn’t that a perfect picture of our spiritual lives? Whenever we leave God, expecting to find something more, something better, we always end up destitute. But when we journey toward God, we journey toward new life, toward the abundant life that is only available to those who choose to live as His blessed children.
I read an interesting article the other day, about marketing and packaging. Satan is a master at glitzy, sparkly, glamorous packaging. He beckoned Naomi’s family to Moab, where there was supposedly plenty to eat. In Moab, they thought they’d find the exciting, exotic, abundant lifestyle they longed for. But glitzy packaging often hides a sub-standard product, and Satan’s products are always lousy. Satan’s products may look good on the outside, but they bring heartache and disease and death.
God, on the other hand, has no need to glitz up His product. The product itself really works! Faith in God always, always brings us to life, to peace, to an abundance of spirit that needs no embellishment.
That is what God did for Naomi, and that is what He will do for us. If you have been fooled, my friend, by the glamorous, empty packaging this world offers, you are not alone. Satan has been in the business of drawing people away from God since the Garden of Eden. If you find yourself living in regret and spiritual poverty, just come home! Come back to Your Father. Come back to the harvest of peace and joy and wisdom that He has waiting for you, as soon as you set foot back in His territory.
Dear Father, Thank You for the bountiful harvest that waits for me each time I come to You.
Amen
Read “Lousy Packaging, God” at
Thanks for the plug, friend.
So glad we both subscribe to a product that really works!
Love,
Jlo