Stop Gleaning

"When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his men, 'Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not scold her. And pull some stalks from the bundles; leave them scattered for her to glean.'" - Ruth 2:15-16

A gleaner was a peasant who waited until farmers collected their harvests to go into the fields and collect whatever small scraps of wheat were left behind or had fallen out of baskets. I know that many of us feel like gleaners. Sometimes money is so tight that people are living from pay check to pay check trying to make ends meet. They try to save money as much as they can but get hit with bills that need to be paid at every corner. If it's not with money, there are people who are emotional gleaners because they are not given enough love or affection in their lives. They hold on to things that are not good for them or do the wrong things to get the attention they crave. If you are a gleaner, know that gleaning is not enough. The Lord doesn't intend for you to only live off of scraps that are left behind. The Lord intends for you to live a life full of joy and abundance where in all things, He takes care of you.

Ruth was a poor widow who had to resort to gleaning. Boaz owned the field in which she was gleaning, and without knowing who she was, the Lord allowed for Boaz to look favorably upon Ruth and commanded his workers to leave extra pieces of barley for Ruth where she would glean. This is what the Lord wants to do for you if you only put your faith in Him. We glean for money or for solutions to our problems because we think it's only up to us to make it work; we only depend on ourselves. But with Ruth, God made sure a stranger took notice of her to help her have much more than she needed. The bible says that Ruth left that field with a surplus of barley! So the Lord isn't only going to give you what you need, but more. He will bless you and put people in your way, even strangers, to help you, provide for you, and help you grow.

So don't be a gleaner. Stop settling for less when the Lord wants to give you so much more than the scraps you're trying so hard to fill yourself up with! Put your faith in Him! Only worry about pleasing Him because He will then concern Himself with putting the right people, places and things in your path to bless you. It is not in your hands, but everything, EVERYTHING is in the Lord's hands.

Today's Prayer:
Thank You Lord Jesus for being so good to me. Thank You for wanting to give me abundance when I struggle to gather scraps. Lord, help me put You first and always walk according to Your light. In Your Name we pray, amen.