Daily Reading: 14 November

(from www.christianaid.org.uk)

We care with no strings attached

Something to read

Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son.

- Ruth 4:13 from full reading Ruth 4:13-17.

Something to think about

We all like a story with a happy ending!

Ruth marries Boaz and thus Naomi gets cared for. Ruth is an outsider, not of the people of Israel.

Yet by grace, she not only shows care to her mother-in-law, but she receives love and acceptance. She is now in the family line that leads to King David, and thus to the greatest king of all – Jesus.

No one in the story knew this latter outcome. As we share the love of God, we don’t know the outcome; we care with no strings attached.

Yet God, by his grace, does ensure that there are amazing outcomes to our attempts to show love in the world.

Something to do

Keep showing, however small they seem, acts of loving kindness to others with no strings attached. Leave the outcome to God.

Sign the Loss and Damage petition and tell the polluters it's time to pay up and repair what's damaged!

Something to pray

Loving God, help us to care for others and trust you to bear fruit. Forgive us when we help others to make ourselves feel better or get upset when we do not see gratitude expressed to us for our endeavours.

Today’s contributor is the Rev Stuart Davison, who at the time of writing, is the regional minister and team leader for the South Eastern Baptist Association