Week 5 Day 2; Willing To Be Willing

I love this picture of our pastor, Don Yarger, and our son, JD. (Photo taken by Joanne Knapp) It is a real picture of willingness. Our pastor moved from a life remote from the Savior to a life of walking in obedience through leading our church. JD, choose to take the step into baptism and went to talk with Don about his desire to follow Jesus in baptism. Willingness is new word in my vocabulary.

In this part of our story on Ruth, we find the need for a kinsman-redeemer. To meet the qualifications, one must be 1) near of kin, a close relative 2) able to redeem and 3) willing to redeem Both these men meet the requirements, yet one happens to be a closer kin than the other. Yet, the one with the most qualifications is not willing to redeem the Moabitess. That qualification so easily become a hindrance to God's blessings. When faced with a cross - road, wouldn't it be a tragic mistake to find you had all the right resources but chose NOT to walk in obedience to The Master's plan?

Obviously, in Ruth's case, it was God's plan for Boaz to marry Ruth. Yet, I wonder if this near kinsman even considered the blessings rather than just considering the cost. The real question might be, "Am I willing to be willing?"

What nuggets of truth did this lesson reveal to you? What was your title for today?