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Read: Ruth 4:13-22
Listen: Ruth 4

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! Ruth 4:14

Ruth was a Moabite widow following the death of her husband, Mahlon. In an act of faith, Ruth journeys with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to the land of Israel, where she eventually meets and marries Boaz. Through the working of God and an unlikely set of circumstances, Ruth, a Moabite woman, would eventually become the great-grandmother to King David, the ancestor to Jesus the Messiah. When Matthew includes Ruth in his genealogy of the Messiah, it draws attention to this story and the unexpected working of God behind the scenes. God has been working throughout all of human history through women and elevating them in the process. Women throughout the Bible, including the New Testament, such as Lydia (Acts 16:14), Phoebe (Romans 16:1), and Priscilla (Acts 18:18-19), have been used mightily by God.

God has a heart for women, and we should, too. Women have been devalued in myriad ways throughout human history. But this is not God’s design. God values and honors women. As Jesus ministered with and to women, so we, too, should value and appreciate the women in our lives. In the kingdom of God, women are not forgotten, marginalized or neglected. They are nurtured, appreciated and honored.

TODAY: Think about the women in your life who follow Jesus faithfully. They could be a friend, mother, grandmother or spouse. Thank God for their faithful influence in your life, and consider sending them a text or note thanking them for modeling how to love Jesus.

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Read Micah 7. Highlight anything that points to Jesus.