Session 3

Easily distracted

From Ruth: A 7-Day Devotional

The quickest way to finish a job is to stay focused on the task at hand. But what happens when the task at hand is a season of life, a long recovery process, or a prayer that seems to go unanswered?

Ruth knew the importance of focusing on the immediate opportunity for obedience to the Lord instead of jumping ahead. In Ruth 2, Ruth finds out the man she’s been working for is a distant relative, a kinsman redeemer. Boaz could change her and Naomi’s circumstances in an instant. But instead of trying to capitalize on that relationship, Ruth remained at work in the field, making ends meet with the job the Lord had already given her.

It’s easy to get distracted and turn our focus elsewhere when our circumstances leave us bored, frustrated, or tired. But sometimes obedience is not about doing; it’s about staying — staying where we are, doing what we’ve been given to do until God opens an opportunity for something new.

No matter how unlikely progress seems today, remember this: God’s ways are not our ways, and He always finishes what He starts (Isaiah 55:8-9, Philippians 1:6). He brought Ruth from her homeland to a new country with new people and into the fields of a distant relative. He rescued Ruth and He will rescue you.

Reflect:

• What is one opportunity for obedience that is right in front of you?
• How can you focus on the assignment God has given you right now?