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find at least one thing a day that God did. Like Ruth who "happened" upon Boaz's field, we may be the recipients of some marvelous acts of providence from our Father.

As with redemption, the example of hesed calls us out of our comfort zones and requires us to act above and beyond that which is expected and satisfactory. As true hesed can only come from God, we have a very high standard to live up to. Since we are known to be Christians by our love, it is important that this love and kindness be part of our daily lives and treats others with a kindness that goes above and beyond.

The discussion of law and grace deserves far more discussion and description than can be afforded here. However, the example of God's graciousness overcoming the letter of the law in the book of Ruth guides us once again towards the principles of redemption and loving-kindness as displayed in our attitudes and actions towards others. God did not allow barriers to prohibit Ruth from experiencing his mercy and grace, and neither should we. While the Hebrew law no longer creates a barrier in our context, often we build our own. We prefer our churches to be orderly, proper, and comfortable and steer clear of the dirt and the roughness of the streets. We set our standards of morality so high that we are shocked and offended to discover the unsaved have sin in their lives. This is unfortunate when the church of all places ought to be reaching out. It is also to our own detriment as these people hold the greatest potential to be the greatest influences for the cause of Christ. Think, if Rahab had been rejected because of her sin, or Ruth for her association, would we still have Jesus?

Conclusion:
"It might be thought that migrations, death, poverty, harvesting, marriage, and birth are hardly the stuff of which theology is made, but this would be a misconception, for when the word theology is used we are considering the relationship of God to the lives of his people." -Murray Gow

The story of Ruth is rich with theology. Plus, it is theology applied, outworked in the every-day life of a young woman and her family. I pray that we will not overlook just how profound daily life can be when our God is in the midst of it.

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