RUTH — A DREAM FULFILLED

• What you despise cannot confer benefits on you in the long run. If you do not value or appreciate something, you cannot draw its full benefit. The same applies to the word of God. Until we acknowledge and honour the Word for who He is, we will miss its entire benefit.

• The Word is Jesus, and Jesus is the Word. He does not fail or lie—therefore the Word cannot fail or lie (John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13). Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them” (Jeremiah 15:16). We must feed on the Word until we receive a specific word for our situation.

• The solution to every problem is contained in Scripture. Faith grows when you hear God; faith works when you do what He says. To be wise—study the Word. To be strong in faith—believe the Word. To be successful—put the Word into practice.

• Look at Jesus, not the problem. In Ezekiel 37:1–6, the bones went from many to very dry—yet they responded to the word of God. Even if a situation becomes powder, the Word can restore it. God’s power over the impossible. The Lord kills and makes alive, brings down to the grave and brings up, makes poor and makes rich, lifts the beggar from the ash heap and sets them among princes (1 Samuel 2:6–10). No situation is beyond His power.

• A warning from Deuteronomy. God gives blessings we did not work for—cities we did not build, wells we did not dig, vineyards we did not plant (Deuteronomy 6:10–12; 8:1–10). Trials humble us so we learn that man lives by every word from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3). Do not wait until pain forces you to value the Word.

• Three Key Reminders from the New Year’s Messages

1. It is our year of fulfilled dreams. Our dreams are not about to be fulfilled; they are already fulfilled.
   • Hold on to the attributes of the Dream-Giver:
   • Unmistakable Presence when He shows up.
   • Unquestionable Faithfulness to His children.
2. The essential call of the Church is evangelism—God’s top priority is that He wants all men saved.
3. Inherited blessings because of Abraham’s obedience—overflow from wells, vineyards, and cities we did not labour for are all ours.

• The Book of Ruth — A Cameo of Love, Devotion, and Redemption:
  • The pathway to redemption begins with love. Ruth, a Moabite woman, forsook her pagan heritage to cling to Israel and Israel’s God.
• God’s love is for all—every soul is a choice soul. The Moabites had been excluded from God’s assembly (Deuteronomy 23:3–4) and had even caused Israel to sin (Numbers 25:1–3, 9), yet God redeemed Ruth and placed her in the lineage of Christ.
• We must extend the same love, even to those who have offended us. Love is an action word, not a noun. Christ laid down His life for us (Romans 5:8; 1 John 3:16, 18), and He calls us to feed His sheep (John 21:15–17) and become all things to all people so that some may be saved (1 Corinthians 9:20–22).

God has already poured His love into our hearts—now we must act on it with intentionality. Do not just be hearers of the Word; be doers.

• Stay in His word no matter the circumstance—whether in pain, debt, or disappointment. Keep eating the Word until the specific word for your situation comes.
• Forgive quickly. Whoever has offended you, no matter how deep the hurt, release them and minister grace to them as God has done for you.

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