HARMLESS THOUGHTS

God Moves in a Mysterious Way God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.  Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sov’reign will.  Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.  Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.  His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.  Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain. William Cowper, 1774

We are studying Ruth in our adult Sunday School Class at Church. I am using A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper as a guide. As he writes about Ruth 2:10-13, he says the following (which is worth sharing and pondering): [Ruth] is different from most people today. We have a sense of entitlement. We expect kindness and are astonished and resentful if we don't get our "rights." But Ruth expresses her sense of unworthiness by falling on her face and bowing to the ground. Proud people don't feel amazed at being treated well. They don't feel deep gratefulness. But humble people do. In fact, they are made even more humble by being treated graciously. They are so amazed that grace came to them in their unworthiness that they feel even more lowly. But they receive the gift. Joy increases, not self-importance. Grace is not intended to replace lowliness with pride. It's intended to replace sorrow with joy. John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, a...