The Whole Field Series

Ruth was gleaning from the leftovers in the fields of Boaz, but the interesting thing was she was gleaning in a field that was full of abundance. Was it providence or coincidence that she gleaned in the field of a close relative of Naomi’s? Had God led her to Boaz’s fields because he had something more in mind for her, or was this all just happenstance brought on by sheer dumb luck?

I believe that God had his hand in the matter. I believe that He saw her plight. I believe that he blessed her faithfulness to her mother-in-law Naomi. I believe that – without a doubt – she had been faithful in the little things (even though sometimes risky), and God wanted to bless her with more than she could ever hope for or imagine.

Ruth started out gleaning from the leftovers, but ended up eating from a full table.

I think too many of us are waning a bit in our spiritual lives. Like Ruth, we’re living life taking the scraps of food that fall from the table of others, when God wants us to pull up a chair and join in the feast. And all the while God is saying to us, “Why are you living like a second rate citizen? You are a child of the King! You have been given salvation full and free! Your sins are no longer held against you because my sacrifice is sufficient for you! And since the Son has set you free, you are free indeed!! Take what I have to give and live in the abundance and fullness of life!”

• Acquiring the whole field:

[12] May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully."

When we live in the grace and the mercy of God we live with the freedom that surpasses anything we’ve ever known. It’s a freedom that liberates us though iron bars may imprison. It’s a freedom that releases us even when sorrow and pain are ever-present. It’s a freedom that wipes away the tears of hopelessness. When we live in the grace and mercy of God we live a life that’s overflowing with joy, peace, and hope. We live a life of sheer determination and bold humility when we live in the grace and the mercy of God. And the awesome thing is, when we live this way we also radiate God’s glory to the rest of the world around us. We become contagious Christians rather than repulsive Christians.

When we stop gleaning from the leftovers, and start feasting at the table of God, then we grow in maturity and integrity. We no longer feed off the mild like little babies do, but rather we eat at the banquet feast of the Father.

“There’s a story from the late 1800s of English evangelist Henry Moorhouse who made several trips to America to preach. On one of these occasions, he was taking a walk through a poor section of the city when he noticed a small boy coming out of a store with a pitcher of milk. Just then, the boy slipped and fell, breaking the pitcher and spilling the milk all over the sidewalk. Moorhouse rushed to the youngster’s side and found him unhurt but terrified. ‘My mamma’ll whip me!’ he cried. The preacher suggested that they try to put the pitcher back together, but the pieces of glass would not stay together. The boy kept crying. Finally Moorhouse picked up the youngster and carried him to a nearby store where the preacher purchased a new pitcher. Then he returned to the dairy store and had the pitcher washed and filled with milk. With that done, he carried both the boy and the pitcher home. Putting the youngster down on his front porch, Moorhouse handed him the pitcher and asked, ‘Now will your mama whip you?’