MARCH 10, 2015
Unexpected
Encounter
The
Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel.
—Ruth 2:12
Read:
Ruth 2:11-20
Drew, young and
enthusiastic, was leading the singing for the first time in a large church.
Lois, a long-time attender, wanted to encourage him, but she thought it would
be too difficult to get to the front of the church before he left. But then she
saw a way to snake through the crowd. Lois told Drew, “I appreciate your
enthusiasm in worship. Keep serving Him!”
As Lois walked away, she ran into Sharon, who she hadn’t seen in
months. After a short conversation, Sharon said, “Thank you for what you do for
the Lord. Keep serving Him!” Because Lois had gone out of her way to give
encouragement, she was now in the right place to receive unexpected
encouragement.
After Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, left Moab and returned
to Israel, they received an unexpected blessing. They were both widows with no
one to provide for them, so Ruth went to glean grain from a field (Ruth 2:2-3).
The field happened to be owned by Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s. He
noticed Ruth, provided for her needs, and later became her husband (2:20;
4:13). Ruth received a blessing because she was in the right place at the right
time (2:11-23).
Sometimes God uses unexpected encounters to bring unexpected
blessings.
Dear Lord, help me to go out of my way to encourage
others—whether or not I receive anything in return. My heart’s desire is to
help others along the way to know You. May I be Your hands and feet.
When it comes to helping others, don’t stop at
nothing.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
