Building a Beautiful Life

Building a Beautiful Life
Ruth 1:14 to 2:23
February 25-26, 2023

The story of Ruth is really a love story, Ruth and Boaz. It's really one of the most beautifully written stories. In fact, it's studied by students of literature. It's a wonderful example of prose and poetry, even secular students will study it. Not only is he beautiful in the sense that it's a great love story, but it's also prophetic because it speaks of our redeemer, Jesus Christ, is prophetic in that sense and the relationship that God desires to have with us through His Son the redeemer.

Also, it is a story that reveals a deeper truth of how God builds a beautiful life. Now, we know God's heart, His support, His favor and blessing on those who walk according to His purpose, but how does God build that life that is beautiful? That's what you see in the story. By His sovereign hand, how He moves in that life to honor His name and to build that which is beautiful in the life.

I. Nothing Just Happens

Now, I did not say easy life. In fact, it was written during very difficult times. It was written during the times of the judges where it says that every man did what was right in his own eyes. Now, that's going to be trouble right there. It's interesting also to note that God always has a remnant. There are always a few. Even when many are turning their back on God, there are always a few who hold fast to the call and purpose of God in their life. You see this in the story as well, "For it's right, everyone must choose his own way."

The words of Joshua still ring true when he challenged Israel to choose you today, this very day, who you will serve, then he added, "But as for me in my house, we've decided, we've settled the question. As for me in my house, we will serve the Lord." Life lesson each was choose his own way, to do what's right in your own eyes, or to walk according to the ways of God. Because when you walk by the ways of God, you'll see that his sovereign hand moves, that he begins to build that which is beautiful in your life.

A. Stay faithful in difficult times

Let's read it. We're in Ruth 1:1, "Now, it came about in the days when the judges governed that there was a famine in the land of Israel. A certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab." Now, Moab is on the other side of the Jordan, on the east side of the Jordan River. They're going there to Moab because there's a famine in Israel.

It says that he left with his wife and his two sons. Now the name of the man was Elimelech. Now, that's a great name. Actually, in Hebrew, it means my God is the king. It's a great name. The name of his wife was Naomi. Her name is also wonderful. It means pleasantness. That's such a beautiful name, isn't it, Naomi, pleasantness? The names of their two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. Their names also have meaning. The names of their sons reflect the difficult times in which they were living. For Mahlon, his name means sickly, and Chilion means pining away. Now you know times are bad when you name your children sickly and pining.

It comes to no surprise that they die. Here's the story. They entered the land of Moab and remained there. Now, Elimelech, Naomi's husband died and she was left with two sons. Then those two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, they took for themselves Moabite women for wives. They're there 10 years, so they find a wife amongst the Moabite women. Now, the name of the one was Orpah. Now, you have heard the modern-- in our modern day, there's Oprah. You know of Oprah. Her name actually at birth was Orpah, but they misspelled it on in her birth certificate and she liked it, so she kept it. Back to our study. That means nothing.

The name of the other one was Ruth. They lived there about 10 years. Now, both Mahlon and Chilion died. Then the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband. She rose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people and giving them food.

She departed from that place where she was and her two daughters-in-law with her. They went on the way to return to the land of Judah. Naomi then said to her daughters-in-law, "Go back, return each of you to your mother's house. Go home, go to your mother. May the Lord--" She uses here the name of the God of Israel, Jehovah, Yehovah, "May the Lord be kindly with you as you have done kindly with the dead and with me. May the Lord, Jehovah, grant that you may find rest each in the house of her husband. Go and find a new husband. Go home."

She kissed them and they lifted up their voices and wept. Now move to Verse 14 for the sake of time, "They lifted up their voices and they wept again, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and went home, but Ruth clung to her." Then she said, "Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her Gods. Go, go with your sister-in-law." Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from following you."

Then she gives this wonderful speech, "For where you go, I will go. Where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die. There, I will be buried. Thus, may the Lord--" and she uses Jehovah, "May the Lord do to me and more, if anything, but death parts you and me." Oh, what a woman of character is this.

B. Don’t allow your heart to become bitter

Well, when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more of this matter. They both went until they came to Bethlehem. They came about that when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was stirred because of them. The women of Bethlehem said, "Is that Naomi?" She didn't look like the same Naomi. She said, "Don't call me Naomi." See, Naomi means pleasantness, "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara." That means bitter, "Call me bitter. For the Lord, the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me, so I'm bitter. You can just call me bitter."

Then she said, "I went out full, but the Lord Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi since the Lord has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?" Naomi returned and with Ruth, the Moabites, her daughter-in-law who returned from the land of Moab, and they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Now, we got to read part of Chapter 2 because this is a love story and we need to meet Boaz. Chapter 2, Verse 1, "Now, Naomi had a kinsman of her husband, a man of great wealth, of the family of Elimelech whose name was Boaz." Now, his name also has a meaning. His name means strength. If you want to name your Son a good name, don't name him Mahlon. Name him Boaz, there's strength in the name. Ruth, the Moabites then said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field and glean amongst the ears of grain after one in whom I might find favor."

She said, "Go my daughter." It was common, of course, in those days. Gleaning was the provision for the poor. The farmers were instructed to not harvest all the way to the corners but round off the corners and leave that for the poor. Then anything remaining in the fields also they could pick up and glean. This was, again, the provision for those who were poor.

Actually, there's gleaning communities or societies or clubs you can join even today. She said, "Go my daughter and glean." She departed and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. She just so happened to come to the portion of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem where he lived, and he said to the reapers there in the field. Notice his greeting, he's like, "Good morning," and then he adds, "and may the Lord be with you." What a wonderful greeting he gives to his reapers, his workers. "Good morning, may the Lord be with you."

Then you see right away their respect for him, for they reply, "And may the Lord bless you, sir." Aye, right away you just love Boaz. Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the Reapers, "Whose young woman is this?" He did not recognize her. The servant in charge of the reapers answered and said, "She's that young woman, a Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab." Then she said, "Please let me glean and gather after the reapers amongst the sheaves that she came and has remained from the morning until now. She's a hard worker. She's been at it all morning. But even right now, she's sitting in the house for a bit."

Boaz came to Ruth and said, "Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field. Furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids. Let your eyes only be on the field which they reap and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you, and when you are thirsty, go to the water jar and drink from what the servants draw."

She fell on her face, bowed to the ground, and said, "Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me? I am just a foreigner." Boaz answered and said to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me. I have heard the report of how you took care of your mother-in-law and how you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and how you came to your people that you did not previously know. All of this has been reported to me. May the Lord reward your work and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have now come to seek refuge."

All right, these are the verses that I want us to look at. What a wonderful story filled with tremendous important lessons for how God builds a beautiful life. We got to start with this principle. Nothing just happens. She just so happened to glean in the field belonging to Boaz. Nothing just happens. Also, it says that it just so happened that there was a famine in the land. Wait, this is the land that God said is the land flowing with milk and honey. There's a famine in the land where Moses had set, in the book of Deuteronomy.

This is a land of abundance and a great blessing. If there's a famine in the land, it's because your hearts have turned hard. Your hearts turned hard, and you walk away and you turn your heart towards the Lord, then the land will be hard. God is using it. Nothing just happens. God's using it to stir them sup, to bring them back. God's heart is for revival.

If people are hard of heart, then he will allow harder times, nothing just so happens. Therefore, a life lesson comes to us. Stay faithful in difficult times, because of the famine, a certain man of Bethlehem and Judah went to live in Moab with his wife and two sons. Now, they came from Bethlehem. Bethlehem in Hebrew has a great meaning. Beit Lechem, it means the house of bread.

Now, that's irony. What? You live in Bethlehem, the house of bread and you got to go to Moab because there's no bread? That's irony. They do leave Bethlehem and go to Moab because there's a famine, but here's the lesson. The grass is not greener on the other side of the Jordan. I've been to the other side of the Jordan, and I will tell you that the grass is not greener. In other words, if life is difficult, if there's a famine of difficulty, don't walk away, stay faithful. Don't walk away, stay faithful.

By the way, you've heard that expression, the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. You heard this expression. Did you know it's actually scientifically proven that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? I will prove it to you. Ready for this? Scientifically, I am going to prove to you now that the grass is actually greener on the other side of the fence. You ready for this great scientific proof?

You can't wait. Right? "Oh, yeah. I can't wait, prove it." All right, I will. You're on your side of the fence and you're looking down, straight down on your grass. You're seeing because the blades are straight up and down, you're seeing all the flaws, you're seeing all the stuff in the dirt, you're seeing all the flaws, but when you look at your neighbor and the grass on the other side, you're seeing the blades of grass from an angle and the grass on the other side, all the angles like this, they hide the flaws. It looks like it's greener, scientifically proven. Didn't think I could do it, did you?

On the other side of the fence, it is scientifically proven to be greener because you're seeing it at an angle. You think, "Oh, it's greener on the other side of the fence. I will thusly go over to the other side of the fence." You go over there and then you look down, and what do you see? Wait a minute, this is just as flawed as where I left. This is the lesson.

People do this. They have troubles, they have difficulties, and they look for something greener. They look to get out. I got to get out of this thing. I got to get out of this thing. I got to look for something better. They start looking for greener stuff until they get there. Moab was not the land God gave them. This was not the land God promised them.

In fact, Moab is a picture of the world. This is how God spoke of Moab. Notice Psalm 60:7-8. God speaks, He says, "Mt Gilead is Mine." That's in Israel. "Manasseh is Mine." That's in Israel. "Ephraim is a helmet of My head." That's in Israel. "Judah is My scepter." That's in Israel. "But Moab is My wash bowl, and over Edom, I will throw my shoe," says the Lord Almighty. See, a wash bowl is where the dirty water collects after you wash something. That's the way I think of Moab, He says.

In that culture, and it's still true today, throwing a shoe is one of a ways to give a very strong insult, even today. Maybe some of you remember back in 2008 when then President Bush was in Iraq and he was giving a press conference. During that press conference, an Iraqi journalist took off his shoe and threw it at the president, who had to duck. Remember the story? It was an insult of epic proportions. Did he mean that? Then he took off his other shoe and threw that also as a way of saying, "You belong under my foot. That's where you belong." That's the insult of the thing, right?

God is making it very clear how he feels about Moab. That's not the place of blessing. Oh, you think it's greener? Yes, life was difficult in Bethlehem, but stepping out of God's will is not the way to an easier life. Stepping out of God's will is not the way to an easier life. Naomi will discover that life in Bethlehem was not as bad as she thought. Later Naomi will say, "I went out full, but the Lord brought me back empty." It's a life lesson.

There was a famine, but she was still blessed. She had her husband, she had her sons. In other words, count your blessings. Yes, it's difficult. Yes, you're going through troubles. I mean, count your blessings. What is that old song? Name Them One By One. Thank God. Thank God for what you have. Keep walking, press through, and be thankful for what you have.

Many of you know my story. We were raised in poverty. I did not know any family poorer than ours growing up, all my growing up years. I didn't know anyone poorer than us. Yet my mom, who I respect, all my life, I respected my mom. She would say to us over and over, "But you be thankful." Of course, we knew how poor we were, so we're on this and that, "Now, you be thankful."

I remember one day I was at school, I was in, I don't know, sixth grade or something and I loved lunch at school because we got free lunch and the nice big, back in those days, you get a nice big tray. Philip was the home maid; the cook was Millie Coleman. I still remember Millie to this day. I was so thankful "Oh, thank you," as they put on whatever, "Thank you. Thank you." Finally, they'll put a thing, a milk on there. One day I'm out in the cafeteria eating my lunch and Millie Coleman comes out and stands next to me.

At first, I think I'm in trouble, and then she says, "Now, Richard, every day you come to the line, and you say thank you every day. I just want you to know that I noticed that. That's a good thing. I hope you stay thankful all your life and of course my first thought was, "Oh, praise God, I'm not in trouble." I still remember Millie Coleman. I still remember that lesson that she gave me all these years later because it's a right. In fact, you can see it's a theme that runs through the entire Word of God from the beginning to the end.

To Naomi, she stayed 10 years in Moab. During this time, her husband died, her sons died, and she's left with these two Moabite daughters-in-law. She tells them to go home. She's planning to go back with nothing. Nothing good came of this, which is to say nothing. See, you'll never be satisfied in the world in Moab. There's nothing out there that will satisfy. It's like the story of the prodigal son. Remember the story in Luke 15, how this young man had a large inheritance, and so he went into this city, and he spent it all on wild living, parties, women, all of it, all the world thing.

He had a lot of money to a long time to go through all that money. A lot of parties, but there's nothing. I don't care how much money he had. He would never be satisfied. Because the world cannot satisfy the desire of the soul. Anybody who's done the wrong thing knows exactly what I'm talking about. There's nothing in the world that will satisfy the hunger and the desire for the soul. Anybody want to agree with me? Anybody want to add your testimony? You know it so.

For the soul desires more. The soul desires something glorious, something beautiful, something meaningful, something of Godly purpose and value of life. That's what the soul wants. There's nothing out there that will do that. Count your blessings. Finally, Naomi decides to go back to Bethlehem, to the house of bread. She's decided that it's bad enough despair in her father's house.

Reminds me of a hymn that we used to sing when we were very young. I love the words of the hymn He Giveth More Grace. I'll just quote some of the words. When we've come to the end of our hoarded resources, he giveth and giveth and giveth again. I don't know why, but that line always caught me. When we've come to the end of our hoarded resources, our Father's forgiving has only begun. He giveth and giveth and giveth again. Stay faithful, keep walking. Go walk through the difficult times. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He will walk with you through it. Then there's this then, don't allow your heart to become bitter.

It's difficult times. Naomi returns to Bethlehem, and so when she arrives, the city is stirred. They were surprised that her appearance, "Is that Naomi?" In other words, sometimes a hard life writes its story on the lines of the face. Sometimes a hard life writes its story on the lines of the face. "Don't call me Naomi. Call me Mara. For the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me." She has resigned herself to believe that God was against her. That God had been dealing bitterly with her. She can't see.

Now, we have the story. We have the end. We know how this thing ends. She didn't know how this thing was going to end. She couldn't see. That's part of the problem. You don't know how your story's going to end either. You don't know where this thing is going to go. You don't know. Because you can't see, many people when they encounter difficulties, they make wrong conclusions, and they react wrongly to those conclusions.

God has dealt bitterly with me. She's blinded, she cannot see, and then the troubles and the trials of darkness and despair. God is doing something. God is at work, and faith believes that even if you cannot see that God is at work in your behalf. Faith believes that, even though you cannot see, faith believes that God is at work in your behalf. Psalm 127, I love to quote it. It's vain to rise up early. Vain means empty. There's nothing. It's empty. It's vain to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors.

That means I got to do this thing. I got to work this thing out on my own. I got to figure this thing out. I got to work this thing out. I got to do this thing out. I got to do this thing. He said, no, that's empty. That's vain. Nothing won't come of that. Do you not know? That it is He who gives to His beloved? That's what He says you are. It is He who gives to His beloved, even when He's sleeping. You're sleeping, you're not doing anything. God is at work on your behalf. Her bitterness blinded her.

Bitterness blinds. Bitterness keeps people from trusting God. See, when you're blaming God, it's very hard to trust him. When you're angry with God, it's very hard to trust him. Many people, when they encounter difficulties, they have decided that God is dealing bitterly. They get angry. They get bitter. I will tell you that no good comes of it. No good comes of it because you have a very hard time trusting. In the very time, you need to trust God, in the very times when you need more.

I understand pain, I understand hardship, I understand difficulty. Many of you know my story. Our daughter was killed. She was murdered. I understand the pain, but I know this, I know that bitterness would do no good. To believe that God walks with you faithfully through the trial, is to believe that God is working in ways you cannot see. Romans 8:28, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. Not angry with or bitter with. There's that love of trust and faith, those who are called according to his purpose."

Now, that verse doesn't mean that God will cause all things to be good. It means that God will work all things together for your good and for His glory. An example, when Jonah was running from God's will, Jonah, the prophet of Old Testament times, was given the mission to go to Nineveh and preach to the people a message of repentance. He did not like the people of Nineveh. He didn't really want to go. He didn't want them to find repentance.

He booked passage on a ship going in exactly the opposite direction. That ship ran straight into a storm and Jonah recognized immediately that God was using that storm to turn him around. God is working even in the midst of the storm to bring about His purpose. Go back to the story of Ruth. Notice this part. God takes character and builds. He will build a beautiful life.

II. God Takes Character and Builds

The storyline now shifts from the hardship of Naomi to the hearts and the character of Ruth and Boaz. Naomi decides she's going back to Bethlehem. She urges Ruth and Orpah to return to their homes, to their Gods, to their mothers, to find new husbands and build a new life. "I'm going back empty," but Ruth refuses and she gives that amazing poetic beautiful powerful speech. "I will not leave you, do not urge me to leave you. For where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die. There, I will be buried." What a woman of character and faith. Now, we see faith arising.

Then we meet Boaz and we see his heart and his character even in the pages of the story. When the heart and character, we see in both of them become the building blocks that God uses to build a beautiful life. It's a principle of Scriptures. God takes those building blocks and builds. Jesus said, for example, in the parable where Jesus taught the parable about a farmer sowing seed. It's like a picture of the Word of God being sown on different types of hearts without going through all of the different types of soils or hearts.

Speaking of the last one, the only one that bore any fruit was Luke 8:15. The seed in the good soil, good heart, these are the ones, the people, who've heard the word in a honest and good heart. Then they hold it fast. They are the ones who will bear fruit and they'll bear fruit with perseverance lasting bearing of fruit. They have that building block and honest and good heart, and they take hold of the Word of God and then He builds.

A. Heart and character are blessed of God

See, in other words, heart and character are blessed of God. Ruth's kindness and her grace are seen in her care for Naomi. She wants to glean in the fields for both of them. You see the character of Boaz in even a simple greeting that he extends to his workers when he greets them in the morning. "Good morning, may the Lord be with you. May the Lord bless you." Then they respond, "And may the Lord bless you, sir." Right away, you love Boaz. You see his heart, his character, grace of his countenance.

See, grace should be seen in even the simplest things of life. Boaz, he could have treated his men harshly. No doubt it would've been quite in common in those days, workers were considered very low on the scale, meager earnings. The boss was the owner, was all that. It's very common for the owner, the boss to be very bossy, a bossy boss. Anybody ever have a bossy boss? I'll tell you what, it's not fun.

I hope that you've never been a bossy boss, but to have such a thing, it's part of the character. It's a reflection of character. How do you treat people? It's part of your character, the continents of your character. Jesus said, "You know how it is out there in the world amongst the gentiles. You know how it is? Those who have authority lorded over those who are under them." What does that mean, lorded over? It means that they're bossing. They think they're all that, they treat people very low and they're all big and all high up and mighty and whatever. They speak very down. You know how it is out there.

It ought not be this way amongst you. You're in the Kingdom of God now. That who desires to be greatest be the least, and who desires to be first, then be the last. The character of your countenance should be seen in the simplest things. Notice Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be with grace, always, seasoned as though with salt so that you'll know how you should respond to each person."

Then you see this principle, grace comes back to you. How beautiful is this to God takes character and faith and builds a beautiful aspect of life, so that when you take the character of God and God builds it and blesses it, it comes back to you. "May your wages be full," he says to Ruth, because she says, "Why are you treating me with such favor? I'm a foreigner." He says, "Because all that you have done for your mother-in-law has been fully reported to me. How you cared for her. You did not leave her. You left your father and your mother in your home and you came to people you didn't know, to care for your mother-in-law. All of this has been reported to me."

B. Grace comes back to you; how beautiful

It's beautiful. Grace comes back to you. May your wages be full wages or that which comes back to you under whose wings you have come to seek refuge. It's the principle of your beautiful life. Grace comes back to you. You sow with your character and God blesses it and it comes back to you. Let me give you this out of Luke 6:36-38. "Be merciful, I want you to be full of mercy just as your Father is merciful." In other words, God wants you to be full of mercy. Why? Because your Father is full of mercy. Be gracious. Treat people with grace. Why? Because your Father is gracious.

Be kind. Treat people kindly. Why? Because your Father is kind. Be patient. Why? Because your Father is patient. Be merciful. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, press down, shaken together, and running over, for by your standard of measure. It will be measured to you in return, because it will bear fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. By your standard of measure, it will be measured to you in return.

C. Live in the shadow of the Almighty

In other words, don't be stingy with mercy. Don't be stingy with grace. Don't be stingy with forgiveness or kindness. "All that you have done, I've heard the story, the report." Grace is coming back to her. Then there's this, "Live in the shadow of Almighty." When they left Bethlehem, they left the presence and the protection of God. This is a powerful statement. It's better to walk with God through the difficulty than to sink your own way without him. Don't dwell outside of the shadow of the Almighty. When Ruth and Naomi come back, they have come back because they've decided to dwell under the shadow and to seek refuge under his wings.

Proverbs 18:10. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, and the righteous run into it and are saved." Don't run away, run toward. Many people when they have troubles and difficulty and the bitterness and the anger in their hearts cause them to run away from God. No, you run toward God and don't walk, you had to run.

For Psalm 91:2. "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Oh, I love that Scripture, "To abide there in the shadow of the Almighty." "I will say to the Lord my refuge and my fortress my God in whom I trust." Oh, what a great psalm. Then lastly, we'll close with this, "God gives handfuls on purpose."

Later on in the story, Boaz tells his workers, "I want her to glean here in this field and I want you to pull out of the sheaves. I want you to pull out handfuls on purpose. You leave them right in front of Ruth. That's what I want you to do. I want you to give handfuls on purpose, so that when Ruth goes home at the end of the day," Naomi says "Where have you been gleaning?" Now, you would find such as this, so she says, "Well, I was gleaning today in the field of a man belonging to Boaz," "Did you see Boaz?" "Boaz?" "Boaz is our kinsman redeemer."

D. God gives handfuls on purpose

Handfuls on purpose. Boaz is a picture of Christ, in the picture of God's heart and desire to give handfuls of blessing on purpose. Now you can say handfuls on purpose, but you can also say handfuls for a purpose. When God pours His favor, and His purpose is for a reason. God is constructing something in your life. God is building something in your life. There's a purpose God is doing something. Now, this is a love story. Boaz gives handfuls on purpose, but he doesn't know it yet.

God's going to give handfuls on purpose to him. For before this story is over, he will find a bride of character and faith and beauty. He is a picture of Jesus Christ who took even a foreigner like us into the fold and loved. It's a story of love, of God's love, of God's redeeming love, to win your heart, to win your faith, to win a relationship to you. I quoted that hymn earlier.

I want to quote just a little more. "He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater. He sendeth more strength as our labors increase. To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy. To multiply trials, He multiplies peace. His love has no limits. His grace has no measure. His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of his infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again."

When you've come to the end of yourself, your Father's forgiving has only begun. His heart is to win you. His heart is to draw you. His heart is to bless you with a beautiful life. There's nothing out there that will satisfy the hunger and the desire that you have in your soul. Nothing. Your soul will only be satisfied in that which God will bring. Seek that and He'll bless you. Father, thank you for your heart to show us yourself how beautiful it is to see how you build that which is beautiful.

Church, how many would say to the Lord today, "God build faith and character and then take that and build in me that which is beautiful. I want to honor you. I have come to know it. There's nothing out there for me. It's you I need, It's you I seek, It's you I desire. There's nothing out there. It's you. I seek you, I want more. I want you to build my life"? Church, how many would say that to the Lord today? Would you say is that your desire? I want you to build my life. I want my life to honor you. You have purpose. I want it. You send your glory. I desire it. I want more.

Church, how many would say that God is stirring, God is calling you, God is calling you? Will you come? Will you respond? He's seeking relationship. He's desiring more. Will you come? Would you just raise your hand to the Lord if you would say to the Lord, "I want you to build my life, you build it. You do it. I want you. There's nothing out there for me. It's you." Just raise your hand to the Lord if that's your desire. Father, thank you for everyone whose hand is raised, whose desire is for you. Bless, pour out your spirit of life. Revive your church. Revive us, oh, Lord, we love you for it now in Jesus' name, and everyone said, can we give the Lord praise and glory and honor?