Personal Pilgrimmage

Become a pilgrim and begin the journey of placing God at the center. As you pursue God you will find everything all your deepest desires satisfied by dwelling with Him. 

“And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor...As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz...Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite...She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.” So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me...Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.” At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes...Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband...May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge...she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly...Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said. “The Lord bless him!...That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.” Ruth 2:2-20

Ruth was a pilgrim. Our country was founded by pilgrims. People seeking a better life. Ruth chose step out in faith. She chose love over security and in doing so honored God. She left everything and came under God’s covering. She did not chase provision. She chose to love by living a life of purpose found through serving people. 

Can you see in the text how she lived by faith? She went by faith, worked not knowing the outcome, and she was richly rewarded by grace. Ruth was humble and grateful. The life of faith of one devoted to Jesus is always marked by humility and gratitude. The text never says that Ruth was an extraordinary person of physical strength or intellectual understanding. She simply did the next right thing she knew to do then she found God had moved ahead of her. She had no idea that God had already provided a guardian redeemer for her as part of His plan to redeem and restore her. 

He does the same thing for us. As we pursue him, we will find that he has already prepared away, has a purpose for us, provides all we need and more, And has already paid the price for us as our guardian redeemer. What could we learn from Ruth today? Hope that shape how we live.

One of the key questions in the text is asked by Boaz. He says who does she belong to? It's a question. We should all ask when we look around and see people in our community. Wants us to realize that each of us belong to each other and to see how through simple acts of kindness and kind words we can lift up others. With each other's burdens that we might help everyone know that they belong. Who could you lift up today like Boaz?

“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Psalms 84:1-12

The world around us can never give us what we need because we were made to need only what God can give. The psalmist says my soul longs for you my God. Better is one day with you than thousands elsewhere. The one who trusts in God will be blessed and go from strength to strength. God does not withhold any good thing from those who love Him. 

What are you desiring today? Is it intimacy with God? Are you excited to spend time in prayer or in a hurry to pursue other things? What does your calendar say about your commitment to being centered in Christ?

There are many things that you can do that are good, but the best thing, the pearl of great price is intimacy with God. Think of the story of Mary and Martha. This is the same heart that the psalmist has here.  He longs to dwell with God, abide with God, be with Him. 

Jesus said remain in me. Abide in me. Do we? Dwelling is not just visiting, but settling, remaining, abiding. The song says you'll be blessed. Blessed is deep flourishing, not surface level happiness. The song says it is best if we become a pilgrim. What does that mean to you? 

The heart of a pilgrim is a person internally oriented around and whose life is centered in God. Jesus said, make me the axis of your life and I will give you access to eternal life. The question is, what do you want? Do you want all that Jesus offers us?  A life centered in Christ becomes a life sustained by Christ. 

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’” Proverbs 30:5-16

A life centered in Christ finds balance and blessing. It neither gets on the hamster wheel of our current culture that always craves and envies and chases more and more.  Rather a life in Christ finds contentment, satisfaction, purpose, and that God is the provider of all things. Are you centered? 

How is your heart?  Do you find yourself empty and wanting? Or are you filled and grateful? Solomon says live in the truth and the truth is God gives us our daily bread. He always provides. We were made to be dependent on him and delight in what He gives us each day. Can you see that Solomon is speaking to so much more than the fuel for your flesh? The bread of the righteous feeds their hearts, minds, souls, and flesh.

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever?” Zechariah 1:3, 5

God is calling, will you answer?  James says draw here to God and He will draw near you.  Zecchariah says the same thing. The word of the Lord comes through him and says return to Me, come to me. Why does God say this? It is because He knows we have a tendency to wander. We think of pilgrimages as explorations where we go off on our own, but that is not a biblical pilgrimage. God wants to send you, guide, provide for you, and flow through you as He sends you. Our pilgrimage is meant to be perfectly dependent on the Perfector of our faith.

Think of Jesus words in Matthew 11:28. He says come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  God wants you to learn what it means to find refuge and rest in him.  He tells us to practice the Sabbath because He knows He made us to need to be refreshed. Are you receiving the rest He wants to give you or do you feel like you are running on empty? He says return to Me. This is the daily invitation Jesus speaks over our lives. Where have you wandered or gone your own way and need to return to Him?

“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands...his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son...if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5:2-16 

Jesus made following the commandments very simple. He said love me and love the people around you. How are you doing at following these? Does your life reflect your love of Jesus? John says as you learn to live a life centered in Jesus you will find eternal life and gain the confidence that comes with the authority you are given as you abide with Him. 

What's his one warning? Don't let your heart stray. Don't chase after idols. Don't let anything come between desiring a life that dwells with Him. God wants us to know that like Ruth, He already has a plan to provide and restore us as our guardian redeemer. He wants us to live with joy in our hearts as we see how blessed our lives are and how beautifully He provides for us. He wants us to learn what it means to go from strength to strength. 

So let the pilgrimage begin. Become a pilgrim like Ruth who walked by faith, did the work she could with humility and gratitude, saw the signs of God's favor all around her, and let her life reflect a heart of love towards others. Give us the kind words of Boaz and the wisdom to steward our resources in a way that meets the needs of those less fortunate. And above all give us the heart of David whose sole desire was to satisfy the longing of his soul that sought to dwell with you forever.