The Point: God's redemption is motivated by His love.

"Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz." -Ruth 2:1

"2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” -Ruth 2:2

"9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest." -Leviticus 19:9

"19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." -Deuteronomy 24:19

"So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech" -Ruth 2:3

"10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before.12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”" -Ruth 2:10-12

"13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’" -Luke 18:13

"5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,” -Matthew 1:5

"19 And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.”" -Ruth 2:19a

"23 So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law." -Ruth 2:23

God's redemption is motivated by His love.

"20 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!”" -Ruth 2:20a

"It means God’s deep goodness expressed in His covenant commitment, His absolute loyalty, His obligation of Himself to bring to fruition the blessing that He has promised, whatever it may cost Him personally to do that." -Sinclair Ferguson

"16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

"8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

"The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. This is the only kind of relationship that will really transform us. Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it. God's saving love in Christ, how-ever, is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God's mercy and grace." -Tim Keller

"22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22-23

"4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you," -1 Thessalonians 1:4

"Then there is the false belief that my current circumstances are indicative of God's affection for me. We measure God's love by how successful we are in terms of money, popularity, health, prospects for the future, friends, family, and how we are doing in comparison to others. This false belief is rooted in the assumption that hardship and adversity are signs of God's displeasure and his disappointment with us." -Sam Storms

1) Pray

"5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." -2 Thessalonians 3:5

"14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:14-19

2) Remain

"20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." -Jude 1:20-21

"You are God's beloved child. But the opportunity for you to experience this steadfast love in the present is dependent on God working in your life to direct you into the enjoyment of His delight in you. Pray that God would overcome whatever fear, hesitation, or anxiety there is in your heart that prevents you from believing that His steadfast love is a reality. And avail yourself of every means He has provided so that you may enter into His love and live peaceably and joyfully in all that it means to be beloved of the Most High." -Sam Storms

"You see, the Christmas story is the world’s best love story. It’s about a God of love sending the Son of His love to live a life of love and die a death of love, so that all who believe in Him would be welcomed into the arms of His love forever and ever. Embedded in the Christmas story is a promise of unbroken love for the children of God…As you celebrate the birth of Jesus, celebrate the unbreakable love that His birth guarantees you.” -Paul Tripp