Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
God expects you to be diligent. If you are diligent, HE will reward you. In 2 Peter 1:4-7, we are told about eight precious promises that you can obtain. The eight precious promises are […]

Proverbs 20:18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
What steps do you go through before you purpose to do something? If you were to purchase a house, you probably would talk to many people about the neighborhood, the house itself, whether you could afford the house, and appraisers to see […]

Proverbs 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
What you do will affect the lives of others. If you act as a fool, your children may be cursed. If you live your life in accordance with the will of God, then God will bless your children and your grandchildren.
Why […]

1 Corinthians 13:6 but rejoiceth in the truth;
Love does not rejoice in the injustices that occur in the life of others but it does rejoice when it sees the truth. Love looks for the good in others and when it finds it, it receives great joy. When Boaz meet Ruth, he went out of his […]

Proverbs 10:3 The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
In Psalm 37:25, David said that I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. It is important to note that […]

Proverbs 7:1 My son keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
How can you keep that which you have not obtained? You cannot keep a rare family heirloom if you have never received it. As such, you need to obtain the words of God. When you understand what God has to say to […]

1 Corinthians 13:5 seeketh not her own
Love seeketh not her own. This principle is best understood when we study Ephesians 5:28-29, when he wrote “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth […]

Acts 27:13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
The good favor of God today does not mean that you receive HIS favor tomorrow. Too often, we see Christians who simply guide their life by anything that appears to be the blessing […]

1 Corinthians 13:4 … and is kind;
Love is kind. The principle of love being kind is demonstrated in the story of Ruth and Boaz. At the direction of Naomi, Ruth went to the threshing floor of Boaz and let him know that she was willing to be his wife. Boaz replied by saying Blessed be […]

Colossians 2:3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
If you were looking to purchase a bike, you would not go to a tire store. If you were looking for oysters, you would not go to the mountains. If you were looking for knowledge of the ways of God, you do not […]

Psalms 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
The Psalmist is speaking about national pride. One naturally feels loyalty to their native country and their native tongue. However, while the inhabitants of Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, and Tyre could […]

Ruth 2:23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of the barley harvest and of the wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother in law.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did to demonstrate to those around her that she was a woman of virtue has to do with how she followed the direction of her mother-in-law Naomi. Ruth was a grown adult; she did not need Naomi telling her what to do and where to go. Ruth was smart enough to figure out that she could glean, why would she need the advise of Naomi.

Ruth 2:12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did which demonstrated to the community that she was virtuous was her trust in the Lord. Ruth not only made a decision to serve the God of Naomi, she also made a decision to trust HIM and to allow HIM to guide and support her life.

There is a difference between willing to follow God and being willing to trust HIM. Take a couple which has decided to take a long journey. As they get in the car, the passenger is agreeing to �follow� the driver by not taking their own car and going their own way. However, if the passenger is constantly second guessing the driver and saying things like �If I were driving I would have done this�, then the passenger is not demonstrating any trust in the driver�s ability to get them were they desire to go. The passenger may have agreed to go to the same place, but there is a lack of trust involved.

Ruth 2:10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did which demonstrated to the community that she was virtuous was her grateful heart. In this passage, we see that Boaz had just offered Ruth protection and provision if she continued to glean in his fields. Ruth did not respond in pride thinking that she deserved these good things from Boaz. Instead, Ruth humbled herself and thanked Boaz for his generosity.

Ruth 2:7b so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelt within her. One of the things that Ruth did in order to demonstrate to all who saw her the inward character of her heart was that she was diligent in her work. Ruth was gleaning in Boaz� field and when he showed up, he saw Ruth. He asked his servants who this woman was and his servants not only told Boaz who Ruth was, but also informed him on how diligent of a worker she was. Ruth had evidently been working for many hours in the hot sun, not taking any breaks and this really impressed Boaz� servants. They were probably not use to seeing gleaners who were diligent.

Ruth 2:7a And she said, I pray you let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves:

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelled within her. One of the things that Ruth did in order to demonstrate to the community that virtue dwelled within her was that she asked to glean in Boaz� field. According to the Law of Moses, it was her right to glean; yet Ruth did not assert her rights but instead, humbled herself by going to the individual in charge and requested that she be permitted to glean.

By asking for permission to do what she had the right to do, Ruth gained favor with the head of Boaz� field. They knew who Ruth was and why she was there and as such, they did not build up any resentment towards the foreigner who was gleaning in the field. If Ruth had just showed up and started working, the head of the field would have seen her but not known who she was and naturally would have allowed some resentment of this foreign woman who chose to glean in the field he was responsible for.

Ruth 2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was a virtuous woman and that the entire community recognized the virtue that dwelled within her. One of the things that Ruth did to demonstrate to Boaz and the community that she was virtuous occurred when she arrived in Bethlehem. Ruth diligently sought for a way to support Naomi and herself. Ruth did not go out and beg, but instead, she must have taken the time to understand the law how she was entitled to follow the reapers in the field and pick up that which they dropped.

Ruth 1:15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

Scripture tells us that Ruth was known in the community as being a virtuous woman. The question then is; what did Ruth do that added virtue to her life that was evident to all that she was virtuous? The first thing Ruth did was she chose to follow God and forsake the false gods of her people. Ruth had a hard choice to make, she could either go home and be with her family and friends in her own comfort zone, or she could go to a new place to serve the God of her mother-in-law.

Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.

Ruth had just obeyed her mother-in-law by going to the threshing floor by night to let Boaz know that she was willing for him to do his duty as the next of kin. Boaz was willing to perform the duties of the next of kin even though Ruth was a foreigner because he had seen Ruth demonstrate the inward character of virtue. Boaz not only had seen Ruth�s virtue but he knew that the community also had recognized Ruth as a woman of virtue. Boaz knew that where Ruth was from was not the most important ingredient to a good marriage but the content of her heart is what he needed to examine.

Proverbs 31:30a Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain:

The virtuous woman understands that it is not the outward appearances that are the most important thing but rather the inward manifestations of the heart. A virtuous woman is more concerned about the condition of her heart knowing that the inward beauty will affect her outward appearance. If she concentrates her attention to that which man sees yet has an ugliness of heart, that inward ugliness will ruin any outward beauty.

Outward beauty can be deceitful because what one sees on the outside does not reveal the inward character. If all one did was look at the outside of an individual to determine if they had character, then they could easily be deceived. Imagine looking at a businessman and seeing that he is financially well off. You could say to yourself, that man is so successful; he must be a man of character. However, what you do not know is that the man often visits prostitutes. That man�s outward appearances may be desirable, but the condition of his heart is such that his life is in vain and you are the one who is deceived.

Proverbs 31:18a She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:

The eighth characteristic of virtue that Solomon was to look for in a woman he desired to marry was that the work of her hands be quality. You do not have to look far to find an individual who does the minimal amount of work in order to get by. However, when Solomon was looking for a spouse, he was to look for a woman who was diligent in her work, a woman who took pride in what she did and who did not cut corners.

Because you serve a living God, you understand that you are accountable to HIM for every thought, action and deed. When you add virtue to your life, you are now thinking upon the things of God which means that when you are working, you should have a desire to do the best that you can because you understand that God is being reflected to the world through you.

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Naomi had sojourned in the land of Moab with her husband and two sons during a famine in the land of Judah. While she was sojourning in the land of Moab, her son married Ruth. Upon the death of her husband and both of her sons, Naomi determined that she was going to return to her home. Naomi sent the wife of her other son back to her people, but Ruth refused to go. When Naomi tried a second time to send Ruth away, Ruth declared that she no longer considered herself a Moabite but that she was going to serve the God of Naomi and was going to leave her homeland to minister unto Naomi.

Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

Paul is in the city of Athens and he was grieved at how the city was given to idolatry. Paul preached the word and they gave him the opportunity to share his new doctrine with everyone. Paul at Mars� hill did open their eyes about the unknown God that they did ignorantly worship. At the conclusion of Paul�s preaching, some mocked, some desired to hear more, while a few believed. However, Paul did not stick around to preach again, instead he proceeded on to Corinth were he waited for Silas and Timothy.

Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

After completing their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch to give a report. The report was that God had opened the door for Gentiles to believe.

Paul and Barnabas had the blessing of seeing many Gentiles come to God during this missionary trip. However, it was not because of Paul and Barnabas� ministry that permitted Gentiles to have faith. God never prohibited Gentiles from having faith in HIM. Christ commended two Gentiels for having great faith. God healed Naaman through Elisha because of Naaman�s faith. God put Rahab in the chapter of faith.