Naomi – a
heart that seeks the good of those that serve under her.
"My daughter, should
I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well
provided for?” Ruth 3:1-2 NIV.
As a recap from the
lessons from the book of Ruth, we learned never to allow ourselves to be caught
by any of the immoral traps the devil lays on our way. In the first,
second
and third
lessons, we shared about the integrity and moral strength of the man, Boaz.
Boaz is an encouragement to us who live in an age where it is as if sex is for
sale. The truth is that we can overcome the moral challenges of our time.
We also learnt that as elders
we should be straight-forward and truthful. Most elders in our churches are
intimidated in the presence of issues, hence so many crises concerning
doctrine, leadership positions, lifestyle
and behaviour of younger leaders and discipline generally. The kinsman-redeemer’s
truthfulness helped the elders’ meeting not to prolong and drag unnecessarily. The issues were resolved amicably.
This is the last lesson in
this series from the book of Ruth as we look at ourselves as pastors, leaders
and God’s men who have submitted ourselves as instruments in His hands. Our attention
is on the woman, Naomi who asked Ruth, “My daughter, shall I not seek rest for
thee. That it may be well with thee?” (KJV). Having served and followed her committedly
through the years, Naomi decided to help her to be established. She elected not
to allow Ruth to serve her perpetually till she is “wasted”. She began to think
about Ruth’s future.
Now there are many questions
we need to ask ourselves as men and woman that other people serve under. The
junior pastor under you, have you asked yourself, how can I seek rest for him?
He has worked under you for ten years but has not made significant progress in
his life. Are you comfortable for him to continue that way? A lot of senior
pastors do not intentionally seek the growth of those under them. In fact because
of the current celebrity mentality, most leaders make every effort to ensure
that those under them do not rise so that they will remain the only “light in
the midst of darkness”. This competitive spirit is not the spirit of Christ.
Again, your gate man or
driver who has served you all these years faithfully, have you asked yourself,
how can I seek rest or ‘a permanent house’ for him? It is not only that he is
serving you, but even his family has joined him in serving you and your
children. Is that the way you want them to continue till probably you die and
your family will push them away?
Do you think of the future
of those who serve under you? Naomi would have continued to enjoy the services
of Ruth without thinking of the future of the young lady.
For some of us, every maid
and house help is a devil. She has served you for years, dressing and taking
your children to and from school. You entrust the lives of your children into her
hands and she has been making progress and yet you do not think about the
future of the girl who is taking care of your ‘kings and queens’. All you see
in her are demons and Satan. Oftentimes, these ones living with us are either
our relatives or the relatives of our spouses. Are you thinking like Naomi or do
you want them to serve you perpetually, bringing ‘roasted grain’ home every day
for you?
We have used these illustrations to bring home the points we want to make. The question is, "what are you thinking concerning those who serve under you?" Naomi enjoyed the ‘roasted
grain’ Ruth was bringing home for her, but she thoughtfully found a way to help
her establish. In this our short life, let us resolve to build lives and not
destroy them; to establish lives and not to use and dump; to lift people and not bring them down; to offer a helping hand
to those who are not as privileged as we are and not to exploit them. God will
bless you. Amen.
