S – Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn’t previously know. ¹² May the Lord reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Ruth 2:11–12 CSB

O – Ruth’s choice to honor her mother-in-law was done in private.  Yet, word gets to Boaz opening the door of provision and blessing.

A – God sees obedience, faith and honor in private.  He rewards our lives in many ways.  For Ruth, it started as a provision for her and Naomi. It developed into a relationship, marriage and son in the lineage of Jesus. Simple steps of obedience and honor are the catalysts of blessings.

R – Father, thank you for your blessings.  When we submit to you in reverence, honoring you in obedience, it opens the door for blessings we can not imagine.  We love you today.

S – But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. ²⁴ God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth

John 4:23–24 CSB

O – Commentary: 

With the advent of the Messiah the time came for a new order of worship. True worshipers are those who realize that Jesus is the Truth of God (3:21; 14:6) and the one and only Way to the Father (Acts 4:12). To worship in truth is to worship God through Jesus. To worship in Spirit is to worship in the new realm which God has revealed to people. The Father is seeking true worshipers because He wants people to live in reality, not in falsehood. Everybody is a worshiper (Rom. 1:25) but because of sin many are blind and constantly put their trust in worthless objects.

4:24. God is Spirit is a better translation than the KJV‘s “God is a Spirit.” God is not one Spirit among many. This is a declaration of His invisible nature. He is not confined to one location. Worship of God can be done only through the One (Jesus) who expresses God’s invisible nature (1:18) and by virtue of the Holy Spirit who opens to a believer the new realm of the kingdom

“John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – The intersection of the spiritual and human realm brings true worship.  When we in our human state gain access to God through Jesus, it realigns us back to God.  That has been his heart all along.  He wants a relationship with man and is worthy of man’s worship.  

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship to you today.  You are the one, true God and no other worthy of our worship and adoration.  We know this because of Jesus.  In our fallibility, we are grateful that we can have a relationship with our Creator.

S – For the one whom God sent speaks God’s words, since he gives the Spirit without measure. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hands

John 3:34–35 CSB

O – Commentary: 

Jesus gives the perfect truth of God as He speaks the words of God, because He has the full endowment of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit without limit. The Old Testament prophets had the Spirit only for limited times and for limited purposes.

The Apostle John referred to Jesus as the One whom God has sent. Thirty-nine times the Gospel of John refers to Jesus being sent from God. This affirms Jesus’ deity and heavenly origin, as well as God’s sovereignty and love in initiating the Son’s Incarnation (cf. Gal. 4:4; 1 John 4:9–10, 14).

3:35. The relationship between the Son and the Father is one of loving intimacy and complete confidence. The Son is endowed with all authority to accomplish the Father’s purposes (5:22; Matt. 28:18).

“John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – We too have the Holy Spirit without limits because He is one with God (who has no limits).  We need to maximize how we interact and use the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It allows us to accomplish God’s purposes and grow in intimacy with Him.

R – Heavenly Father, thank you for our relationship that draws us to grow in intimacy and understanding of who You are.  Thank you for the Holy Spirit that helps us in these.  You have no limits – don’t let us constrain our faith in what you can do.  Let us walk in courage and humility today.

S – Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit

John 3:5–6 CSB

O – Commentary:  

Various views are given to explain Jesus’ words about being born of water and the Spirit:

(1) The “water” refers to the natural birth, and the “Spirit” to the birth from above.

(2) The “water” refers to the Word of God (Eph. 5:26).

(3) The “water” refers to baptism as an essential part of regeneration. (This view contradicts other Bible verses that make it clear that salvation is by faith alone; e.g., John 3:16, 36; Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 3:5.)

(4) The “water” is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39).

(5) The “water” refers to the repentance ministry of John the Baptist, and the “Spirit” refers to the application by the Holy Spirit of Christ to an individual.

The fifth view has the merit of historical propriety as well as theological acceptability. John the Baptist had stirred the nation by his ministry and stress on repentance (Matt. 3:1–6). “Water” would remind Nicodemus of the Baptist’s emphasis. So Jesus was saying that Nicodemus, in order to enter the kingdom, needed to turn to Him (repent) in order to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit

“John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – There is a physical and spiritual birth needed for salvation.   When someone decides that God is rightfully the One and only God, it causes us to recognize our own sinful nature.  It establishes the relationship of God to his creation and we repent of those sins.  We physically do this. This allows for the spiritual birth to happen as we are awakened to the spiritual realm and the Holy Spirit.

R – Father, we surrender and worship You as  the one, true God.  You are Holy and there is no other god.  We surrender and worship you today.  We offer our physical bodies today to be used by you to accomplish your will.  We invite the Holy Spirit to align us with your character as we love You and others today.

S – The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison. ²² But his hair began to grow back after it had been shaved. 

Judges 16:21–22 CSB

O – Samson’s disclosure of his strength leads to his capture and punishment.  This strong warrior is reduced to pushing a grain press while imprisoned. I love verse twenty-two…”But his hair began to grow.”  Hope and redemption started…

A – We all sin.  We are all broken.  We all have our “kryptonite.”  When we face the results of our mistakes, we have to turn to hope and redemption.  The source of Samson’s strength was his vow to God displayed in his hair.  Our source is our relationship with Christ.  Even in our worst, going to God in confession and forgiveness begins the “growth” process.

R – Lord, forgive us for our sins.  Our pride and fear cause us to feel invincible until we think, say or do something that shows us we are not.  You are the source of life and redemption.  We confess our sins and ask your forgiveness.  We surrender our will to yours and worship you in your holiness.

S – A wise person is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless. 

Pr 14:16 CSB

O – “Cautious” – yârê˒, to fear; mor. to revere; caus. to frighten:— affright, be (make) afraid, dread (-ful), (put in) fear (-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence (-end), × see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words

• The wise person references and has a healthy fear (dread and terror) of God. A fool lacks both of these and is led by his own emotions and actions. Notice that his thoughts are not addressed.

A – Our culture maligns the “cautious” person. We love the bold and courageous. There is a time for that. There is wisdom in being cautious. In the spiritual realm, having a healthy reverence and understanding of God’s magnitude causes us to look for evil and run from it. A fool left to his own interpretations, is emotional and uncaring.

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship You today. You have no limits and are all-powerful and all-knowing. Give us the wisdom to fear you in reverence today. You are the one, true God and you have no equal. Please help us to walk in this wisdom.

S – ⁴ In him was life,^, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. 

John 1:4–5 CSB

 O – Commentary:

Life is man’s most important asset. To lose life is tragic. John affirmed that in the ultimate sense, life is in Christ. Man’s spiritual and physical life come from Him. (For John’s teaching on life, cf. 5:26; 6:57; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6; 17:3; 20:31.) Jesus, the Source of “life” (cf. 11:25), is also the light of men (cf. 8:12). Light is commonly used in the Bible as an emblem of God; darkness is commonly used to denote death, ignorance, sin, and separation from God

“John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A –  So much is said about Jesus in these verses.  The essence of it all is that He is the source of life, He is in the darkness and is victorious over the darkness. We are invited into a relationship with our Creator and source of life.  That is mind-blowing.  What we do with that is our choice.

R – Heavenly Father, thank you for our relationship with you through Jesus Christ.  We love that your light always wins no matter how dark it gets.  Please help us to walk in that courage and strength today. We love you today.

S – Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” ⁴⁰ Having said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

Luke 24:39–40 CSB

O – Jesus is giving the disciples tangible evidence that He is the one crucified and resurrected.  The fact that He stood before them should suffice.  Yet, they needed more.

A – Whether by accepting Christ as Lord or even walking that decision out daily, it takes faith.  We are often in situations like the disciples here.  We can see that God is working but we still need more “proof.”  God continues to extend his grace by showing His love in tangible ways.

R – Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus going to the cross for our sins.  That is enough for our salvation and relationship with you.  In times of doubt, please help us to grow our faith.  We can see your work in so many areas of our lives.

S – When Gideon died, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves by worshiping the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God who had rescued them from the hand of the enemies around them. ³⁵ They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel. 

Judges 8:33–35 CSB

O – Commentary:

Gideon’s ephod (8:27) quickly became part of a pagan shrine honoring images of the ever-present Canaanite deity Baal, here called Baal-berith (“Baal of the covenant”). Fundamental to this apostasy were the twin themes of forgetting the Lord and his works and disloyalty to godly leadership. Remembering is basic to biblical, covenantal worship, from the time of the Exodus (Exod 12:14, 24) to the ongoing Christian celebration of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:25).

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – Forgetting what God did for the Israelites is a common OT theme. Additionally, they did not honor the one who delivered them from oppression.  We need to remember God daily.  Such a great caveat to notice at the Lord’s Supper that Jesus reminds us to remember.  Honor is important as well.  We should recognize and appreciate those who have gone before us so we can enjoy the freedoms of today.

R – Heavenly Father, we love you today.  We will not forget all that you have done for us.  Most importantly, Jesus went to the cross, crucified and resurrected so we may be forgiven of sin.  Thank you for the things you do to show us your love.  Help us honor those who have gone before us for their sacrifice and actions that allow us to live a better life today.

S – The Lord has made his victory known; he has revealed his righteousness 

in the sight of the nations.

Psalms 98:2 CSB

O – “nations” – gôy,  a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (fig.) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts:— Gentile, heathen, nation, people

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

The Lord has made known his deliverance and salvation by His character and rightness in all people.

A – People need God.  Evangelism isn’t a church thing; it is the heartbeat of God to be in a relationship with all people.  If it is important to God, it should be important to us to share our faith so others can know Him too.  He has done his part by revealing himself, even when people refuse Him.  We need to do our part of allowing His love and character to flow through us.

R – Father, we love you today.  We are grateful for the relationship you have with us.  Help us to share it with others in our words and actions.  As you reveal yourself to others, we want to share our story as well.