Building Lasting Relationships: Virtuous Realities Part 2
“Virtual Reality #1: “Your obedience to God’s plan opens His provision for you.”
Virtuous Reality #2: Be what you desire, and you tend to attract what you desire.
A. She was considerate of others – 2:2, 10, 13.
B. She demonstrated honest goodness.
1. Industrious: “Please let me go” [2:2]
2. Strong work ethic: “She continued all day” [2:7]
3. Humility: “She bowed with her face to the ground” [2:10]
4. Gratitude: “You have been so kind to me” [2:13]
5. Contentment: “She kept some back” [2:14]
C. She expressed sincere devotion to God - 1:16 [2:12].
Be what you desire and you tend to attract what you desire
Virtuous Reality #3: Mutual respect is the seedbed from which love blossoms.
And, how do we demonstrate respect?
By noticing one’s strengths rather than highlighting their weakness—2:10.
By complimenting character —2:11-12.
By appreciating what they do for you —2:13.
By showing courtesy—2:14.
By doing kind things –2:15-16.
Virtuous Realities #4: Genuine love patiently brings out the best in others –2:17-23.
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Building Lasting Relationships: Virtuous Realities Ruth
“virtuous realities” i.e. Realities that are based on virtue – not luck, fate or even wishful thinking.
Your obedience to God’s plan opens his provision for your life.
I. God faithfully orchestrates His plan for our lives. (1:22)
He moved at the right time.
“They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest” [1: 22]
“Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side named Boaz.” [2:1]
He moved in the right place.
“She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz” [2:3]
Someone has wisely observed that nothing “just happens” with God. Or there is no wasted motion in the Kingdom.
He moved in the right ways.
“Boaz asked…whose young woman is this?” [2:5]
II. God prepares and guards His provision in advance – 2:1.
“He was a prominent man of noble character from Elimelech’s family”
He was wealthy.
He was strong.
Boaz means “strength.”
He was a considerate employer [2:4].
“The Lord be with you” “The Lord bless you”
He was a virtuous man [2:1]. The phrase, “of noble character” literally means “good virtue.”
He was a man of faith [2:4, 12].
“Your obedience to God’s plan opens His provision for your life.”
III. God directs the paths of the righteous 2:2-3.
She believed in the Lord God [1:16]
She waited patiently [1:22].
She lived virtuously [2:2].
She was sensitive to God’s leading [2:3].
God blessed with:
An unexpected provision.
An unseen Presence.
An unlimited power.
barley harvest” [1: 22]
If you do what you love to do long enough, success will come.
It comes out of love.
Why is it that so many marriages start out sizzling, and before you know it they are fizzling.
Rev. 2:4,5 " . . .You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first."
Love is a choice, love is an action.
You spent time with Him, you were so excited about the Bible, about what it means to love God.
You were telling all your friends how your life is changing and what God is doing in your life.
You have to get back to doing those things if you want to fall in love with God all over again.
The verse says repent, which just means change your mind.
2. Integrity.
Integrity is simply integrating what I say I believe into my daily actions.
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”
Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do”
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30
3. Forgiveness.
"Surely resentment destroys the fool, and jealousy kills the simple." Job 5:2
Forgiveness is not letting someone off the hook but rather keeping yourself off the hook of bitterness that will cripple you from moving on.
Possible video of single mother who forgave ex-husband
It's okay to be passionate about sports. (Picture of painted face fans)You can scream, you can yell, you can paint your face and do all kinds of crazy things.
4. Enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm comes from two Greek words, en and theos.
Theos is the Greek work for God.
En simply means in.
En Theos. God within.
Col. 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord . . . “
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1 Cor. 3:12-14
“There is no wasted motion in the Kingdom of God.”
Matthew 6:20 - 21
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
1 Corinthians 3:12-14
"If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward."
1. CONVICTIONS.
Isaiah 40:8
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever."
Matthew 7:26. MSG.
"But if you just use My words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach."
James 1:22-26
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Now, let's just say that you came up to me and you gave me this book called Arnold Swarzenegger's Encyclopedia of Modern Body Building and you said, Joe, I know you're exercising
A belief is something you hold on to, but a conviction is something that holds you.
You see, a conviction is an anchor from Gods word
2. CHARACTER.
Romans 8:29.
"God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son . . ."
Romans 5:3-4
3 …we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
His plan is to build my character and there area couple of tools that He uses.
First is Problems.
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
The second tool, God uses is People
3. COMMUNITY.
Luke 10:40-42
'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things: but there is need of only one thing and Mary has chosen the better part . . . '"
Sand sculpting experts said the number one question people ask them,
"Don't you get discouraged that you're building something and you are working so hard on something that's just going to be torn down?
And they said, it's not the finished product that's so satisfying, it's the process. It's doing all the creative work and feeling so satisfied and using our gifts. And it's the relationships and the fellowship - we have so much fun together on our team." They said that's what gives us the most joy. So we could care less that it's going to get knocked down.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. 'So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.'"
1. Learn From My Losses.
Luke 22, "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: 'Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly.'"
But he does say something to you. He says because of the power of the cross, failure is never final.
Because of the power of the cross, failure is never fatal.
To learn humbly means I've got to take responsibility for my failures.
Proverbs 28:13. "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance."
To learn humbly I also have to let go of my guilt.
Mark 16:7, "But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
2. Surrender to God's Strength.
Luke 9:23. "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"
3. Pursue God's Path.
A lot of people say you need to love God more. But really you need to know how much God loves you.
Psalms 119:32. "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
“then you will call upon me and pray… You will seek me and find me when you seek with all your heart.
The call: I have a call upon my life to greatness.
After the call comes the wall.
But then comes the third step, the fall.
You can either fall on your face or fall on your knees.
Psalms 20:7
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."
I use computers with Windows 8.1, 7, & XP, OSX 10.7, OSX 10.5. My favorite way to run a Mac is in Bootcamp with Windows 7. I use an iPad, iPhone, Windows 8.1 tablet, Acer C720 Chromebook and any other gadgets I can get my hands on.
