BRINGING SCRIPTURE ALIVE

In class we had the opportunity to study the book of Ruth in depth. The book is barely 5 pages, and is a story that's often overlooked. Unlike some of the other books, such as Genesis or Job, that are much longer, it's refreshing to go through an entire book, examining how all the parts interact. Much like the length of the book, the figure of Ruth is someone easily overlooked. Ruth, a Moabite, was a subject of derision and ridicule because of her heritage. Yet she becomes a great matriarch of the Jewish people and a symbol of righteousness because of her loyalty, charity, and trust.

Many books of the Bible offer valuable lessons for us to learn from, and they are lessons that are accessed simply by reading them from front to back. There's a value to brevity insofar as something brief can be more memorable. The weakness, however, is that it passes more quickly and we forget what we've read. The only difference is the intentionality we bring to that situation.

It causes me to reflect on situations of ministry: some of the greatest spiritual experiences we've had are experiences in passing. The person we met once in the hospital, the family we comforted when in sorrow, or a child whom we helped. Many times we take the moment seriously, but it passes and we forget about this or that encounter. But then there are also those times where the smallest gestures produce the largest effect on our ways of thinking and our spiritual life. In our own prayer and study, looking at these smaller books of Scripture can produce profound effects on how we look at Scripture and can, much like big events, change our perspective and deepen our appreciation for God's work in our lives.