How can Ruth's example in Ruth 2:7 inspire us to serve others? Setting the scene “She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” (Ruth 2:7) What we see in Ruth’s actions • Respectful initiative – Ruth politely asks for permission before serving. • Humble posture – She chooses the lowliest role: gleaning behind paid workers. • Diligent effort – “From morning until now,” she labors steadily. • Self-restraint – She pauses only briefly for refreshment, then returns to work. • Others-focused aim – Her gleaning supplies food for her widowed mother-in-law Naomi (Ruth 2:2). Serving principles we can adopt • Start with a request, not a demand – “Please let me glean…” models Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another humbly in love.” • Embrace unnoticed tasks – Ruth works behind the harvesters; compare Philippians 2:5-7. • Work wholeheartedly – Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” • Persevere when service is tiring – 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” • Aim to meet real needs – Ruth gathers grain to feed Naomi, echoing James 2:15-16. Putting Ruth’s example into practice • Look for ordinary places—homes, churches, neighborhoods—where humble help is needed. • Ask leaders or friends, “How can I lighten your load?” rather than waiting to be assigned. • Set a schedule for service and stick to it; faithfulness builds trust. • Take necessary breaks, but view rest as refueling for continued ministry. • Measure success by the good done for others, not by personal recognition. As we follow Ruth’s footsteps—polite, humble, diligent, persevering, and others-centered—we mirror the heart of the One who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). |
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