Read:
Boaz was a respected landowner in Bethlehem, and Ruth was a foreign widow with nothing. At Naomi’s urging, Ruth went to Boaz and asked him to be her family redeemer, the relative who could marry her and carry on her late husband’s family line.
Boaz didn’t have to say yes. Another relative had the first right, and when it came down to it, that man backed out because it would put his own estate at risk.
But he said yes anyway. “I’ll do what’s necessary,” he told Ruth. He chose her freely, even though it cost him something.
You might wonder whether anyone would choose you if they didn’t have to. But that’s, in essence, what the Christmas story is all about. God didn’t choose you out of obligation. He chose you because he wanted to.
Pray: God, thank you for choosing me because you wanted to, not because you had to. Help me believe it today. Amen.