subject: The Humble Act Of Gleaning Leads To Promotion [print this page] The Humble Act Of Gleaning Leads To Promotion
Gleaning is the act of collecting grain left by reapers in the field. It is the "leftover" grain that the gleaner is collecting, with gratitude. Gleaning is also the gathering of facts, laboriously, from various sources.
When you attach yourself to your God-given helpers and you glean from them, you gain spiritually from that source. You will have added knowledge in certain areas of your life. The bible tells us about Joshua, son of Nun, who attached himself to God's great Prophet, Moses. Joshua gleaned a lot from Moses and he succeeded him; he led the Israelites to cross the Jordan River. The Lord told Joshua, " I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses". Joshua 1:3
There was a woman, called Ruth, a Moabitess, and she was a widow. She was totally committed to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and she was ready to go wherever Naomi went. In spite of Ruth's grief and loneliness, she was determined to get back to work. She found herself gleaning in a field, which belonged to Boaz, a relative of her late father-in-law.
Ruth was very grateful for given the chance to glean and collect the leftover grain after the reapers. She was very appreciative and gleaned without grumbling. While gleaning, Ruth found favour in the eyes of Boaz.
He told her, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay with my servant girls. Watch the field where the men are harvesting and follow along after the girls. I have told the men not to touch you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled." Ruth 2:8-9
Wow! What a great favour! This is God's divine favour bestowed on Ruth, and she accepted it with gratitude. Even though she was a foreigner, Boaz was led to show her favour and God was glorified. ALLELUIA! When Ruth started working in the field, she did not ask for a posh position. She settled for the position of a gleaner and was very happy about this. Also she appreciated Boaz's favour towards her. This is great humility and unpretentious act.
Boaz even gave orders to the harvesters not to embarrass her but to leave some stalks for her to pick up. Ruth continued to glean until she was promoted to eating with the harvesters and she even had leftover. At the end of each day, she was able to take some food home to Naomi, her mother-in-law.
The favour Boaz showed to Ruth escalated when he married her. In all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed, who became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David, through whom Jesus came.
You can see that Ruth was promoted from the humble act of gleaning to being the great, great, great grandmother of our Lord Jesus Christ. What an honour and a great promotion!
Child of God, I encourage you to glean from those who have been put ahead of you, by God. It is a humbling act and you will experience divine favour and promotion in all that you do for the Lord. You are God's choicest instrument in the worst of times and you do not want to miss that opportunity.
Let the Holy Spirit direct you into whose "field" you can glean from. I encourage you to continue to walk with God and He will never mislead you. Instead, He will promote you beyond your expectations and you will be truly amazed. PEACE
PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you have not already committed your life to Jesus and you would like to do so now, please pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I am sorry for all the things I have done wrong. Thank you for dying for me on the cross, to set me free from my sins. I ask you to come into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour, and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen."
Congratulations, if you have prayed this prayer. Please look for a Bible-believing church, to fellowship with the brethren. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of any assistance to you. Remain blessed and enjoy the presence of the Lord.
