Love Deeply – Express Vividly
To love deeply is the desire of most humans. To be loved deeply is the other side of that equation. Brian describes a love expressed vividly.
A Sermon Needs a Hook
A sermon needs a Hook that make you want to open the Book to take a Look for what you can Took home with you. Sorry about the grammar there, but I need a rhyming word. Here is your Hook: In the story of Ruth, Boaz sends her home with such heaps of grain that it is a wonder she can carry it: perhaps 50-70 pounds.
If the Holy Spirit helps us Look into Ruth’s story in the Book, we can Took out of here such a gift for our hearts that we will need an ox cart and a yoke to manage it. With one tweak to the ox cart – we will need to be the one in the yoke to get all this home. But don’t worry, his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Ruth is a Love Story
Ruth is a love story. In one year, more than half of all paperback books sold were romance novels. Ruth is a romance story between her and Boaz. But the love lessons go wider and higher than that. It is also a story about family love relationships and obligations. It is a story of God’s love bringing blessing to people whose lives have been crushed. It is a story of God bringing complete outsiders into a love relationship with him. It is a story of how God prepared the royal line leading to Jesus so that love could reach … you.
Mission Statement
The mission statement of the Boys JIM Club of America is: “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.” That is the message we find in the book of Ruth. Ruth refuses to leave Naomi and go back to her old way of life. She says,
“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
She promises to love God deeply.
Express Vividly
Ruth expresses vividly the servant heart of God by going to a grain field and taking on the job of gleaning leftover grain. How can it be “vivid” to bend down and collect bits of grain? The dictionary says that “vivid” means brightly colored and powerful.
Jesus vividly expressed himself when he did miracles – calmed storms, raised the dead, banished demons, healed the sick. But did he ever express his character more vividly than when he knelt and washed His disciples’ feet, doing service even more humble than gleaning?
Love God Deeply
Love God deeply and express him vividly: The richness of that mission for our lives can be seen by comparing it to the two greatest commandments: “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matt 22:37-40)
”Love the LORD your God with all your heart” – Love God deeply. “Love your neighbor as yourself” – Spend your life for others in service as humble as gleaning, and by doing that you will be expressing God vividly. You will be showing Christ the Servant King to the world.
Has God always perfectly timed His interventions in your life? Share with us. Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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vw love – innokurnia
couple – Pexels
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