5 HABITS BIBLE STUDY WEEK 3

Who has never got up and thought “ I don’t want to go to work today?”

Right! I knew it wasn’t just me. Life is, unfortunately, not 100% filled with moments of doing thing we love.

I remember a time when a dear classmate/childhood friend had Leukemia. Every Saturday, I drove to Emory in Atlanta to be with her most of the day. One Saturday I took my mother. After we had our visit and we got in the elevator to go, mother started to cry and asked how I could do that every week. By the Grace of God is my only answer cause when someone goes through a bone marrow transplant, the next few months is hard on one’s appearance and body. I didn’t have to do it, I would have rather not have gone through that with her, but I have cherish memories of that time.

And now, I am doing the same with my mother. Which brings us to our second habit:

THIS WEEK’S READING: RUTH 2:4-13

As you can see in our assigned reading we are going to reread some verse from last week and talk about the need to put our feelings aside.

QUIT QUITTING VERSES:

      PSALM 3:3

      ZECHARIAH 4:10

      1 PETER 5:6

      PROVERBS 25:8

      MATTHEW 11:28

Remember that when Naomi arrived back to Bethlehem, she was bitter. She had lost hope. When we don’t feel hope, we have to find hope.

Ruth did just that. Ruth made her home in a foreign land. Instead of depending on her mother-in-law, Naomi, she took the initiative to look for some work to help provide for them both. She wasn’t afraid admitting her need or working hard to supply it. When Ruth went out to the fields, God provided for her.

If you are waiting for God to provide, consider this; He may be waiting for you to take the first step to demonstrate just how important your need it.

As I mentioned last week, gleaning was generally for the poor; widows, orphans and foreigners. READ Leviticus 19:9-10.  The widows and poor would come behind the gatherers and pick up any leftover grains left on the edges of the fields.

This job was menial and tiring and even perhaps degrading, but Ruth did it faithfully. She put her feelings aside to do the task that was needed.

What is your attitude when the take you have been given is not up to your true potential? The task at hand may be all you can do, it may be the work God wants you to do or it may be a test of your character that can open up new doors of opportunity. And may I add, opportunities that we could NEVER imagine.

People say they don’t want anyone’s “left-overs”, but there are times when we just have to get behind people to pick up their leftovers.

Leftovers can be of many different things. Maybe someone is dropping some Joy by you today. Maybe some faith, some strength, some love, some peace, some hope. PICK IT UP!!! TAKE IT!!! RECEIVE IT!!! There are people everywhere dropping leftovers all around us. We just have to choose the right leftovers and “glean it”. STAY AWAY from those negative leftovers.

Now Ruth did this work the best she could. She caught the eye of Boaz. Maybe it was first by her looks, but then he noticed her working ethics. Then when he summons her, Ruth humbled herself to him.

 Favor follows those who follow through despite how they feel. Honor follows those who allow humility to shape them, and for those who do not give up, they will see the faithfulness of God.

Don’t let feelings dictate your days. Chose to follow through despite how you feel. The limitations of your assignments are within the strength of God. Hang on to that hope, the confidence that faith will give you the strength to push through every hard and trying circumstances

Q.U.I.T strategy.

Q – QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ASK AND ANSWER

When have your feelings convinced you to quit? What burden(s) do you feel like you truly cannot give to God?

U – UNDERSTANDING THE WORD

Write a summary of Ruth’s story so far. What part of her story have you enjoyed the most.

I – INTO THE PROMISE

. Which of the Quit Quitting Verse spoke to you the most this week and why?

T – TURN SOMETHING AROUND

Do you tend to pay attention more to the commands of your brain or the feelings of your heart? Finding a balance for both is important. Write down one practical step you can take in order to keep both in check.