Living With (messy) Blessings | Ruth 4

This semester we’re going through a sermon series entitled,  “Living In God’s Story As We Live In This World.”  As you go through life, it’s easy to forget who you are and what story you’re a part of. Alasdyre McIntyre reminds us that before we ask, “What do I have to do today?” we must first ask ourselves, “What story am I a part of?” The story you’re living in informs the choices you make in the world. 

The claim of the semester is this: if the story of Jesus is true, then His story completely changes how we live in this world. For we are not only a character in God’s story (because God’s story of redemption is still happening right now!), we are also a carrier of God’s story. We are called to carry God’s story of love and redemption into the world because we are also a character in the story who needed to be loved and redeemed too.

So every week we ask ourselves, “How does this biblical passage teach us how to live in God’s Story as we live in the world?”

This week we look at what it means to live with blessings in God’s story, even when life in this world becomes messy. Being blessed by God doesn’t guarantee outward success or that you’ll never experience pain or sadness, but it does mean that God is for you, wants to give you good things, and will bring fruitfulness to you and through you. 

Our time in Ruth ends with tons of blessings, but how did we get there? It was a tough road. This week we’ll be reminded that blessings come through suffering, sacrifice, messy stories, and the providential care of love of God over it all.

TEXT: Ruth 4