Over three thousand years ago a woman named Hannah knew the pain of being unable to bear a child. Not only did she suffer personally but she was ridiculed for her barrenness. Then God chose to give her a child. She dedicated the child Samuel to the priesthood. He would be the one to anoint Saul and David as the first Kings of her people. She lifted up her voice in a song of thanksgiving that Mary, the mother of Jesus would later echo, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; the Lord has made me strong.” 1 Samuel 2:1

Would Hannah have given thanks if she never had a child? Let us seek to give thanks no matter what occurs in our lives.

Pastor Andy

I recently had the privilege to participate in a Freedom Challenge Event in Spain. We walked the medieval pilgrim path called the Camino de Santiago. The 40 women and 2 men in our group raised over $400,000 to fight human trafficking. We are so thankful to all who supported this effort to “set people free!”

Miriam was so grateful to the God who had “set her free.” She had lived her whole life as a slave in Egypt but was now free of her chains and heading toward God’s promised land. Standing on the other side of the Red Sea God had parted to let them through, she began a song of thanksgiving ““Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:21). 

“I can’t do this!” I shouted back at my instructor. He simply smiled and said, “You have all you need. You need to trust me and trust yourself. Take one step back and believe this rope has you.” I was standing seventy-five feet off the ground on a ledge of a rock with a harness around my waist and my rope tied into my instructor. It was up to me to take the step off the ledge and believe that I could rappel down the side of this mountain. I had all I needed but I had to take that scary step of faith.

Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Faith is believing God is powerful and good. He is like a rope tied around you as you dangle above whatever fears and uncertainties that are in your life. Yet you will not know if that rope really has you until you take the step of faith and put your weight into it. The first step is the hardest because it has the most uncertainty. When I am not willing to take the first step and trust God, it is usually because I either question HIs power or His goodness. 

Peter reminds us that we have all we need to live this life and escape its corruption. God is powerful and He is good. Though we tend to break promises, God is a promise keeper. Remember, a rope does not work until it is under tension. Faith does not work until it is under tension. The first step is the hardest. God has you and His promises are always true. 

Pastor Aaron

Going back to our story of Ruth, we learn that Naomi’s daughter-in-law is from Moab. A nation just east of the Dead Sea which is now the country called Jordan. A Moabite at that time had received their name from the story of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughters from the Moab area “Mo`abi” which was similar to the Hebrew word “me`abi” which means “from my father”. So the Hebrews gave them a disgusting name calling them people who came from an incestuous relationship. In the book of Ruth we learn that the daughter-in-laws of Ruth were unfavorable to Isreaelites and not deserving of recognition. Yet, at the end of the story we see they are redeemed into the line of royalty of the line of King David.

Ruth 1:3–8 (NIV): 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. 

Ruth 4:13 (ESV): 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went into her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.

Ruth 4:17 (ESV): 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Names matter. The bearer of the name must believe from whom the name was given. Many receive names that are despised and bring negative connotations to them. Yet when one is adopted their name can be changed or given new meaning. Even when this happens, the one bearing the name must believe in the new calling on their life. 

So you who have been redeemed by Christ are given a new name. You are now the son or daughter of the most high. Yet most of us still see ourselves by our old name, son or daughter of perdition or dead man walking from sin. To live in the new glory of a son or daughter of the king is to first believe that you are now the son or daughter of a king. Names have meaning and can change your life if you are willing to step into the calling of your new life.

Pastor Aaron

In many ways redemption is about being found. In Ruth chapter three, Naomi tells her daughter-in-law, Ruth, to go and lay at the feet of Boaz who is known as a redeemer to see if he would throw his cloak over her to signify that he was willing to redeem her and the land that was under Naomi’s name. By doing so he would offer her protection, provision, and a name. 

Ruth 3:6–11 (ESV): 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! 9 He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” 10 And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

I am reminded through this story that once I was lost and now I am found. Once I had no purpose and then God said, “You are mine” and He gave purpose to my life. The great story of Christ dying on the cross is a story of being lost and now found. Jesus knew my name and your name. We now have a home and a new name. We have a purpose and a direction. The story of redemption is one we should apply in our own lives too. That which is forgotten and lost we have the ability to redeem and make new. As Jesus has redeemed us to a new life, who is He calling you to help redeem? Who is lost in life that with your involvement you can help give direction and purpose to their lives? Who can you speak their name and provide a new story to their life? Redemption is not just a story from the Bible but a story that we can practice in our own lives with the people we meet.

Pastor Aaron

Our text today is from Ruth chapter 1. Ruth has lost her husband and her two sons. She is now a widow with two daughter-in-laws who are her dependents. There is nothing left. The losses keep coming and there is no future for a lady in this culture who is not married. All three of them need providers and protectors from the culture itself. So Ruth tells both of them to move back home and find a new man and get married. Break up the team and each person for themselves to now make it forward in life. Her daughter-in-law said no way! I am with you to the end.

Ruth 1:15–18 (ESV): 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

The difference between those who win and those who lose are those who have faith to believe. Sometimes we think winners are the ones who have it easy. The truth is that winners are the ones who do not give up. Perseverance is a trait that is in short supply in this culture. Everyone experiences obstacles, trials, and setbacks. Those who win are those who do not give up. Keep believing. Every day, take it head on. A miracle is just around the corner but you will not see it if you give up and stop believing.

Pastor Aaron 

I’ll never forget having to sit down with someone named Johan once a week for at least two hours. Johan was disciplining me and walking me through My Utmost for His Highest, a devotional written in the 1910s by theologian Oswald Chambers. Johan was an amazing man who was great at asking probing questions, guiding me through scriptures, cross-references, and applying God’s word to my life.

Every week, he would give me a memory verse; this was the first one he ever gave me, and it is the first one I give to our eighth-grade students during bible time. 

This verse is self-explanatory; how can we remain pure in a dirty culture? How can we externalize the cleanliness that God has instilled in our souls? It is simple: read and obey God’s word.

The word of God carries divine power because it is the Holy Spirit within you who “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God develops spiritual strength, knowledge, wisdom, and renews your mind (Romans 12:2). How did Jesus respond when Satan tried to tempt him? Jesus wielded the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

In your life, you are in a spiritual battle with the kingdom of darkness and your flesh. You cannot live a defensive life all of the time; God has given you his word, as well as the power and authority to cut through the enemy’s schemes.

Let me encourage you: you cannot be spiritually healthy while starving for the bread of life (Matthew 4:4). Sometimes in life, you may feel like you need more faith or to work harder, but what you might need more of is knowledge of God’s character, wisdom, and equipping through His word (1 Cor 13:2).

Please do not live the Christian life without hearing God’s voice, experiencing his grace, and power in your life through quiet time in his word. God has given me so much encouragement at a time when I most needed his truth applied to my situation, and it has helped me tremendously.

Many of you are familiar with my experience (P. Chance) and the time when I felt called to ministry. However, as I reflect on my life, I believe God was preparing my heart for that moment. I’ll never forget my grandfather telling me Bible stories about Noah, Moses, and Jesus. This piqued my interest in learning more about God, and I’ll never get bored with it.

Above, in Psalm 78, we see the importance of taking responsibility for training the next generation and not hiding the truth from them, even if it hurts their feelings. Our children can handle it, but it begins sooner than we realize. Have you kept these realities from your children and grandchildren? Are you sitting down with them to teach them God’s message through the Bible or telling them an old Bible story? Are you taking them to church and making it part of their routine and telling them why it’s important? Are you praying alongside them, allowing them to lead the prayer? Are you loving them, demonstrating patience and compassion, and showing genuine signs of grace and encouragement?

In ancient Israel, there was a clear distinction between generations that did an excellent job of teaching the next generation and those who believed it was someone else’s responsibility. The best gift you can ever give your family is Jesus Christ. You do not need to know everything; simply use what God has given you, grow in your knowledge, love deeply, and trust him.

Our love for Jesus should be evident in how we care for others. When Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love me?’ and then said, ‘Feed my sheep’ (John 21:17), He was telling us to align ourselves with His concern for people, not to make Him fit into our own agendas. This kind of love is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8: ‘Love is patient, love is kind…’ It’s the love of God in action, not just a sentimental feeling.

When we serve others for the sake of Jesus’ name, the Holy Spirit fills us with God’s love, allowing us to share it with everyone we meet. This love keeps us faithful to Jesus, even when it seems irrational to the world. This faithfulness is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work within us.