A RECIPIENT OF GRACE

Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, though I am a foreigner? Ruth 2:10b

In 1996 as our family was being evacuated from the Central African Republic, we found ourselves having to wait on the French military base of Bouar while flights were being arranged for our return to the USA. In order to pass time, our mom had my siblings and I run laps around the army barracks. On one lap, a French soldier called us over and gave each of us an apple. Since it had been several years since we had even seen an apple, this was a memorable gift!

That apple was an undeserved gift. We had done nothing to earn it. We had no prior rights to any claims to the apples. Another way of saying it is that it was grace – an undeserved gift.

When Ruth first meets Boaz, she begins to realize that she is a recipient of grace. From her perspective, she had no right to expect Boaz’ kindness. She was a foreigner. She didn’t own the land. She hadn’t planted the barley. She owned nothing. But still Boaz permitted her to glean in his fields and had even instructed the other reapers to not harm her and allow her to use their water jars. That’s grace.

Because of Christ, you too, are a recipient of grace. Paul wrote, “And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience… even when we were dead in our transgression, [God] made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:1-2, 5)

Philip Moeller