According to God’s Plan

“You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:49b-50 ESV1

Read Matthew 26:1-5; Mark 14:1-2; Luke 22:1-2 & John 11:45-53

In elementary school gym class, we sometimes got to use scooters to aid us in our physical exercise. Whenever the gym teacher brought the scooters out of the supply closet, cheers of excitement filled the gymnasium. For us children, it was exhilarating to roll all over the smooth floor playing games while either sitting or lying on these 12” x 12” x 1” pieces of wood supported by four caster wheels, one in each corner.

I absolutely loved the gym class scooters. So, one day I decided to make one for myself. In my dad’s workshop, I found a beautiful piece of wood, just the right size, and one caster wheel. I worked hard sanding the wood and screwing the wheel to the center of the board. This was a sizable accomplishment for a child but it was the joy I expected to receive from my very own scooter that kept me diligently working.

When my scooter was finished, the wood was smooth and the wheel was secure and turned easily. But when I tried out my scooter, my joy disappeared into frustration. Every time I tried to sit or lie on my scooter, it would tip to one side, strike the ground, and become completely unmovable.

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The Color Past of Jesus’ Female Ancestor, Ruth

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ … and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth … and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary of whom Jesus was born…  Matthew 1:1a, 5b & 16 ESV1

Read Ruth 1:1-18, 2:1-23, 3:1-18, 4:1-13

Ruth, Jesus’ 28th Great Grandmother, was a foreigner, a Moabite maiden, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, an Israelite woman. The book of Ruth tells us that Naomi moved with her husband, Elimelech, and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion to Moab to flee famine in Israel. During their time in Moab, Elimelech died. Then both of the young men married Moabite women. Shortly afterward becoming husbands, Mahlon and Chilion also died. This left Naomi alone in a foreign land, with her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, and with no man to provide for and protect them. Imagine the mourning in that household!

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