Sermon Video: Naomi's bitterness and Ruth's hard work - Ruth 1:19-2:7

In this second message from Ruth, of five, we see the full impact of the sorrow from Naomi's loss of her husband and two sons reflected in her statements of bitterness directed at "the Almighty" whom she holds responsible for her losses.  Naomi does not hide her true feelings, or pretend that she's fine with what the will of God has done in her life, no, Naomi is honest, and that honesty at this point in her life equals disappointment with God.
Ruth, meanwhile, sets about looking for a solution to the desperate circumstances facing herself and her mother-in-law as widows by participating in the process that the Law of Moses sets forth to help the poor: gleaning.  Ruth follows behind the harvesters in the fields, working hard, hoping to gather enough grain to feed herself and Naomi.  The hard work of Ruth draws the attention of the owner of the field, Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law Elimelech, whose field, "as it turned out" she ended up working in.
While Naomi struggles with her bitterness, and Ruth begins working to try to survive, the hand of God is already at work, molding plans for Ruth and Naomi that include far more than just surviving.

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Sermon Video: Joseph: Revenge? - Genesis 42 thru 44

After everything his brothers put him through, Joseph looks across the room to see those same ten men standing before him.  The table have entirely turned as they are entirely within his power.  How will Joseph respond to the chance to take revenge?  The answer will come from what Joseph did with all of the sorrow, anger, bitterness and regret that 13 years of slavery and prison gave him.  Did he nurture it, and allow it to grow, or did he deal with it and put it aside?  Before he decides what to do, Joseph tests his brothers to see if they have changed.  Are they still selfish and self-centered, or has the guilt of their past actions moved them to repentance?  In the end, Joseph's brothers prove themselves worthy of forgiveness, but will Joseph embrace them or take his revenge?
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Sermon Video

"In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD." I Samuel 1:10

If you're like me, you love verses like this.  That the Bible contains such revealing texts makes it all the more of a blessing.  It is obvious that the Bible wasn't written by people who were trying to put God in a positive light because it contains so many hard truths and candid moments.
What was the reason for Hannah's bitter weeping?  The LORD had closed her womb and prevented her from having children (a serious shame in her society).  Our Bible study group was studying James this past week and talking about the difference between a test that comes from the Lord and a temptation that does not (it comes from ourselves; see James 1:2 and 1:13-14).  This is clearly an instance where God put Hannah to the test and she passes with flying colors.
Wait a minute, Hannah was bitter when she prayed to God, doesn't that show that she failed to trust in him??  Not at all, Hannah is a great example to us all because she earnestly prayed to the LORD despite her prior disappointments and bitterness.  Even though her prayers had gone seemingly unanswered for "year after year" (1:3), she simply continued to pray to the Lord.
Does that mean that our prayers will always be answered the way we want them to be if we keep on nagging God with prayer?  Of course not, but our willingness to continue to pray even when things are not going our way is how our faith develops and becomes perseverance and wisdom.  We may never receive the answer to prayer that we want, but God will certainly hear us when our hearts honestly pour out to him, as Hannah told Eli, "I was pouring out my soul to the LORD." (1:15).
Why did God put Hannah to the test?  Not to try to uncover the mind of God, but two reasons seem be clear enough.  #1, God knew that Hannah was capable of passing the test and #2 God knew how important the child she would dedicate to serve the LORD, Samuel, would later become.  By the way, God blessed Hannah over and above the maturity that she received through her patience and persistence (2:21); that's just the way God is, he loves giving gifts to those who serve him.