The Bride of Christ: Unveiled Before the King (1)

Below is an excerpt from my upcoming Bible study on the Bride of Christ:

      Imagine being a young girl growing up in Israel. For every Jewish girl, her life’s wish was to marry a godly man, with the highest of integrity, and one day become a mom. As is true in every town, I envision that some young bachelors were considered great catches. Some of these young suitors probably stood out among others. Most likely, these impressionable girls were attracted to a man’s inner qualities and their love for their God, not just their outward appearance.
      Picture this scenario: a young girl comes home from drawing water on a hot, sunny day to be met by her parents. Upon entering her home, they say, “Sit down! We have something to tell you.” They then proceed to inform their daughter that the father of a young man in town has requested marriage for his son. Now imagine the smile on her face when she realizes that the one requesting marriage is the one she has had her eye on all along. To her satisfaction, this bachelor is well respected all around town. She knows that he will not only take care of her needs, but he will love her above all else.
      Beloved One, this is a picture of you and me. Our Bridegroom has searched high and low for His perfect Bride. And He picked us. What a blessing to be a chosen member of His forever family. And the privileges far exceed anything we could ever accumulate here on this earth. He has promised to take care of us, love us unconditionally, and bring us home to be with Him some day. He has given us incredible treasures along our journey too.

The Book of Ruth - Powerful Study...

Below is the Introduction to my Bible study, "Ruth-From Tragedy to Triumph." We will be teaching this Bible study beginning April 2, 2012 as an ONLINE study as well as a local study (you can sign up on our website: www.solidtruthministries.com). We will be videotaping the teachings so that all participants can get the most out of the study...
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Introduction

RUTH 

 FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH

      Unbelievable! Phenomenal! Unparalleled! Marvelous! Remarkable! These are just a few words describing what I found to be true through this study on Ruth. How glad I am that I waited to write the introduction to Ruth until after all five weeks were completed. Over the past few months of researching Ruth, something extraordinary happened in my heart as God brought to life many nuggets of truth and as He opened my eyes to understand His greater purposes revealed throughout the Old Testament. Consequently, I am thrilled that you have agreed to join me on this journey as we travel all the way back to the time when the judges ruled Israel and the people were walking in rebellion to their God. Our amazing Lord is sure to touch our hearts with this powerful story as we watch Him move mightily to intersect three unlikely subjects: Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. All for His glory!

      Today, my mind traveled back over these last weeks, reminding me of the insightful revelations that surfaced through this book. Ruth is about relationships, God’s intervention on behalf of His loved ones, His abundant blessings when His people are led by obedience, and His eternal purposes. The book of Ruth also gives us a peek into the future. Two things that profoundly caught my attention were: 1) God’s plan will go forward no matter what; and 2) God’s promises will always come to pass. I have been especially reflecting upon those generational promises spoken throughout the Old Testament. I found myself repeating again and again, “God said it, so it will happen!” No doubt, God honors faithfulness. Certainly, this truth will burst forth through our study in the book of Ruth.

      The book of Ruth is not just a minor little narrative tucked in the middle of the Old Testament surrounded by much larger-than-life books. No! This ancient manuscript is an absolute significant part of God’s holy book that also plays a vital role in God’s eternal redemptive purposes for all of us who choose Him as our Lord and our God. There may only be five weeks of Bible study, but each day’s lessons will undoubtedly reveal the very heart of our God, encourage us to walk anew with Jesus, open our eyes to deeper things within the Word of God, and offer us great hope in the midst of our circumstances, good and bad. Of course, these introduction words do not even scratch the surface for what lies ahead of us these next five weeks.

      My prayer is that God would honor your faithfulness in studying His Word by igniting your spirit on fire, and offering you cherished treasures along your journey.