Become a Person of Blessing (Ruth 2:4, 11-12)

Ruth 2:4 – And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”

Ruth 4:11-12 – But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”
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Boaz was a man of blessing. When we meet this man of God, we know right away that he is a good man. One of the ways that we know this is that the first words out of his mouth are a blessing. Then, just a few moments later, he again pronounces a blessing on Ruth.

We live in a world in which people are far more apt to curse than bless. Even as Christians, we are more eager to gripe about what a person does than we are to pronounce a blessing on somebody. While the language of blessing, “The LORD bless you,” may sound strange to our ears, it does not sound strange to the ears of God. His people are supposed to be the kind of folks who bless others in the name of the LORD. So, let us learn to be such people. Let us replace sarcasm and cutting remarks with “God bless you.” Let us replace griping about what someone did wrong to, “May the LORD bless him.” Let us become people of blessing, just as the Godly man Boaz was.

Lord, you well know that it is far easier for me to be sarcastic and silly than for me to offer serious blessings. I ask that you will change this about me. Forgive me for failing to speak blessings in your name more regularly. I ask that you will help me to change this pattern in the future. Help me to put away wining and griping, and to replace it with words that befit a child of God.