Jesus came not to make us feel better, but to save us from the death. He came to redeem, to restore, to heal and to renew lives.

Today’s we start week 3 studying the book of Ruth with HelloMornings group. We read from Ruth 2:1-7. Ruth and Naomi settled in and started a new life in Bethlehem. Both of them are widows. They did not have any men in their lives to provide food on the table, they had to work to survive. As we all know, when we move to a new place, new city, new home, it takes a while to settle in and get used to the new place. But God was there with Naomi and Ruth.

God used Boaz – a wealthy, respected and God-loving single man – to bless Ruth and Naomi and to restore their lives. In God’s storyline, there is no such things as coincidence.

When I read this verse 4, God spoke to me personally to remind me to always greet others with His blessings. In this world already have too many sadness, discouragements and disappointments. Words we speak can be a blessing and encouragement to others, or can be a curse and discouragement to them.

Boaz knew Naomi becuase they were related because he was her husband’s relative. But Ruth, Boaz never met of her nor heard because she was married to Naomi’s son when they were in Moab. When Boaz heard about Ruth that she as a Moabite, he did not care that she was not from their tribe. He let her kept gathering the grain dropped by his workers, he even told them to “accidently” drop more so she could get more for their food.

We often meet strangers in need wherever we go. But we hold back to help them becuase we can come up with lots of reasons to not open our car window to talk to them, or to stop a while at store. We are afraid to help strangers because there are many bad cases we heard. We are afraid to help them because we just not know them.

But our God has blessed us with more for a purpose: to be a blessing to others. And I believe that the Holy Spirit will give us impression in our hearts which stangers who need helps and which ones not. I believe our God will use us to let others know that He cares for them and not to harm us.

You and I always hear people say or write “God bless you” in every end of conversation we have with other Christians. We say or write it not because we are Christians, or to let them know that we are Christians, but there is powerful message in that phrase. When we say, “God bless you” to others, we let them know that God is with them and He blesses them with His blessings! We release God’s blessings into their lives. This not just some empty words that we say out loud.

What would you feel in your spirit and heart when someone say it back to you? Would you believe that God will bless you? Or is it just a closing phrase?

This truth I read from the passage of the Bible totally change my motive and intention of saying, “God bless you” to others. Let’s we say it with faith that God truly is with them and will bless them abundantly! Not only with words, but let us bless them with our deeds, so that they may see the goodness of God and experience the presence of the LORD All Might to meet their needs.

And I pray that God will bless you all today!