When I first started backpacking I believed that I needed the biggest backpack that would fit on my back. The only problem is that it allowed me to carry a ton but I had to carry a ton. It was heavy and I was only able to travel a few miles. I wised up when I learned the principle of margins. I carried half the size and had to leave a number of things at home but in taking only what was necessary I had the margin to travel more miles or to not get frustrated when obstacles were in my path that slowed me down. Was I a little uncomfortable by what I left at home? Yes, but I was not exhausted at the end of the day.

Boaz understood the principle of margins in Ruth 2:4-9 and was able to provide protection and food for a foreigner who was trying to do the right thing.

Ruth 2:4–9 (ESV): 4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” 5 Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” 6 And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” 8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. 9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”

If Boaz was trying to maximize his earnings, he would have told his servants to leave nothing behind and gather as much as possible but in doing so it would have left Ruth empty handed and abandoned. I ask you, how can we live in a land of plenty and have nothing to give? The principle of maximization. I would encourage you to think more about the principle of margins than maximization. Do not gather to the ends of all that you bring in. Save some back in a jar or a separate fund. Call it the margin jar or the margin account. Maybe carry a one hundred dollar bill in your purse or wallet as the margin bill. It is not for you but for someone else. 

Boaz didn’t question Ruth if she was deserving of the one hundred dollars but simply said “Gather. I’ve got you.” In doing so, her mother-in-law was blessed and fed, a generation that was part of the line of David was saved, and Boaz displayed integrity, generosity, and a spirit of paying it forward. The principle of margins may seem lacking but it gives you the ability to maximize for others. 

Pastor Aaron