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Written by Michelle J. Goff, Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries
“I was always a sucker for foreign accents. But Mahlon’s accent was different. And his family was different. I had only met a few Israelites prior to his family’s arrival in my hometown and none had settled there. My unfamiliarity with Israelites, other than the fearful tales of their powerful God, became apparent the more I got to know the family.
I had met them in the village shortly after their arrival and began a friendship with Mahlon’s mother, Naomi, since we frequented the same market. They had come to Moab for a time while a famine ravaged Israel.
Elimelek and Naomi spoke often of the god of Israel. Jehovah, they called him. They recounted stories of him saving his people from slavery under the Egyptians and separating the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land. Every story I heard of their God’s provision and power fascinated me more and more about Jehovah God and drew me closer to this Israelite family.
As a result of our budding relationship, I was saddened with them when Elimelek died suddenly and unexpectedly. Naomi’s and my friendship grew even more with his passing. I had never lost anyone in my immediate family, but to see her pain, walk with her through that time of pain, so far from home… It was an honor to join with her in that time of grief…”
Have you ever inserted yourself into a Bible story in such a way that you imagine how someone might have felt? What they were thinking? It is a moment to “walk in their dusty sandals” and discover some of the depth of the relational truths behind the scenes of the stories of the Bible.
The teaser written above, from Ruth’s perspective, is the beginning of the ePetal study, Iron Rose Sisters: A deeper look at Ruth and Naomi. I take some creative license at the beginning of the study, presenting a plausible monologue from Ruth. Then, we dive into the four-chapter book of the Old Testament in order to reflect on the story of the relationships found there.
I invite you to read the ePetal study and invite a friend to read it with you! It is a single lesson from the book of Ruth, inviting Christian sisters to serve as Iron Rose Sisters—iron sharpening iron while encouraging each other to be as beautiful as a rose, in spite of a few thorns. Ruth and Naomi took turns being Iron Rose Sisters for each other, just as we go through seasons in which we need our Iron Rose Sisters to lean on. And after God rebuilds that strength in Him, through those women, we are able to be the hands, feet, ears, and shoulders of God for them.
Aside from the one-another relational elements in the book of Ruth, we hear the story of King David’s great-great grandparents. And when we connect this story to the big picture story of the Bible, we remember that God loves and recognizes foreigners and women, even mentioning them by name in the genealogy of His Son (Matt. 1:5).
It is a story of redemption with Boaz foreshadowing the way in which Christ buys us back as a kinsman redeemer, elevating us from a place of bitterness and loss to a place of joy and hope!
Yet this redemption would not have been possible if Ruth had not maintained her commitment to Naomi and to God.
The monologue in the ePetal study concludes the narrative of Ruth 1 in this way:
“A third attempt to convince me to return home was imminent; therefore I carefully prepared my words in response to Naomi’s forthcoming arguments. ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.’
She was finally convinced of my determination to stay with her, which allowed us to continue on our way. We had already been through so much together. I was fully committed to our relationship. And while the road we traversed carried us to Bethlehem, the journey we commenced when our friendship began left much to be seen and experienced.
Early on, I had no idea the ways in which Jehovah God, who I also now serve, would use me, His humble servant Ruth, as His instrument to bless Naomi and her family. I never imagined that I would be included in the lineage of Christ, and be abundantly blessed by a life dedicated to Him.”
Is there an Iron Rose Sister with whom you can make a commitment to walk with each other as you each walk with God? How have you seen God bless a relationship like that in the past? Or what hope do you hold for an Iron Rose Sister relationship in the future?
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Written by Kara Benson, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
When I read through the lists of themes for the Iron Rose Sister Ministries articles for the new year, my eyes landed on the topic of “welcoming.” I knew exactly what God story I wanted to share.
My husband and I moved from Searcy to Little Rock in the summer of 2019. When we arrived at our new apartment complex, we were welcomed by over twenty members of the Lord’s church who showed up on that Saturday morning to help us move in. In less than thirty minutes, the brethren had unloaded the truck and moved everything into our new apartment. Lance and I were astonished. Here were people who sacrificed their Saturday morning to help us move in when they hadn’t even met us yet. Here were people who truly believed we were united through the bond of Christ. Here were people who loved us and welcomed us before they knew us.
In Matthew 25, the Son of Man comes in His glory and separates the sheep from the goats. To the sheep on His right, He invites them to come receive their heavenly inheritance: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (verses 35 and 36). Currently, my chosen secular job is in the hospitality industry. But for Christians, hospitality is a calling and a command. Hospitality is a spiritual work as much as it is a physical work. This unpaid labor of love is so much more important – eternally so.
Oftentimes, it seems we have a picture of a perfect home in our head – everything put away, everything cleaned, and all of the kids’ toys picked up. We feel like we must present perfection to anyone who walks through our front door. However, that is not real life. Sisters, I’m not saying it is wrong to want to clean your house before company comes over. But a problem arises when the lack of perfection prevents us from opening our homes to others. In Galatians 1:10, Paul writes that if he were still trying to please men, he would not be a servant of Christ. Are we trying to please people or are we more concerned with pleasing God? Let’s not let the world’s standards (everything looking perfect) become more important than God’s standards (practicing hospitality).
When Paul and Luke were shipwrecked on the coast of Malta, Publius (the chief official of the island) welcomed them into his home. Publius entertained Paul and Luke for three days even while “his father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery” (Acts 28:8). Even though he was enduring a struggle, even though his family member was sick, he prioritized showing hospitality. At times we may find ourselves weighed down by a busy schedule or simply uninterested in the inconvenience of hospitality. Despite difficult life circumstances, do we invite others into our homes, our lives, and our hearts?
In 1 Timothy 5:9-10, Paul instructs Timothy in the qualifications for a widow to be placed on the list of those financially supported by the church. Such a widow “is well known for her good deeds, such as… showing hospitality.” Romans 12:13 says, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Are we practicing hospitality with our Christian family or only our friends and biological family?
Has someone ever done something nice for you and then ruined it by complaining about it? The apostle Peter writes, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). We can easily undo our good works by complaining about them. Sisters, I will share with you a time in which I failed. After returning from our honeymoon, we moved everything out of a storage unit and into our one-bedroom apartment. We were so blessed by the many wedding gifts and storage bins covering the floor that we couldn’t walk around the main room without stepping over packages and squeezing around stacks of boxes. Within our first week in our first apartment together, my husband invited over a family of five. Everything was shoved into the bedroom and the door was forced shut so we could have enough walking space and set up a folding table to make enough room for our guests. I was livid. How dare he inconvenience us so much in our new apartment? Wouldn’t there be time later for showing hospitality, when everything was cleaned and put away? Any good I did that day was negated by how much I complained before and after.
Hebrews 13:2 teaches, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Through these two personal stories I have shared and many others, God has taught me about the practice of filoxenía (“hospitality” in Greek). In Romans 16:23, Paul writes, “Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.” Among the Christians in Rome, Gaius was known for his hospitality. Let us be a people who are known for their hospitality.