Ruth 1:19-22

Recurrent Thought

Dreams are usually achieved through deliberate efforts of small steps. The critical aspect is to be focused and intentional in making those short steps towards your destiny. 

Life is lived on a meandering path. There are times, places and experiences on path of life that are difficult, painful and outright nonsensical. This is one principle of Life, the Principle of Pain, which we dealt before. However, whatever the experience life demands that we must always edge ourselves forward towards our destiny. In today’s Message Ruth demonstrates that despite the circumstances of pain, she is willing to proceed to have a life. Although she had no promises for anything extraordinary, she still wanted to progress in Life. By going out and having a significant win, despite it being small, she unleashed the power of progress. The power of progress is the ability of momentum (or propulsion) that is unleashed in an activity be it personal, organizational or National by significant small wins achieved. The momentum shapes emotions, changes perceptions, and increases motivations. The Power of Progress ultimately leads to bigger wins.

In this message we consider Four Orientations that make us recognize and trigger the Power of Progress.

1. Affirm the Seasons of Your Zero Impact Experiences (1: 19-22)
   • Naomi recognized that and affirmed that her life had terribly changed 
   • Furthermore, she gave herself Mara, which means bitter. She said she had come empty.
   • Notice two interpretations when bad things happen to us:
     First, God is responsible for all the bad things we go through. He controls the seasons of our lives therefore He permits what he deems essential. There situations in which human beings get immersed in, yet they did not cause it. Such as Job. He was a center of Satan’s demands.
     Second, however due to some decision we make we positions ourselves to experience hard circumstances. We participate in Creating Zero Impact experiences by our Decisions.
   • Affirm the circumstances of your Life; accept life as You recognizes what it gives you.
2. Ensure to Make the Best out of Your Zero Impact Experiences
   • Starting at Zero can be humiliating, if you hold on to your pride. 
   • Starting at Zero can be liberating for you have nothing to prove thus you work freely.
   • Ruth went gleaning, an experience for people who had no means, the poor (Lev. 19:10, Deut. 24:21)
   • Those who win in life make the best out of their worst circumstances; there is nothing more you can lose when you are at zero. Gleaning was for the poor. You can’t lose more than zero.
   • Here is the truth about pain on our journey: no matter how deep, pain eventually passes. It eventually gets better. Whatever pain, this too will pass!
   • Remember as hard as the problems are, these are common. 2 Cor.  10:13. The God in you creates capacity equal to the challenges
3. Don’t Despise the Day of Small Wins (Zach. 4: 10) 
   • Ruth believed she had to begin somewhere, even if it was in a small way. She had no field of her own, so she went and applied to glean in peoples fields. 
   • Winning in Life is synonymous with Working Hard. 
   • Turning our circumstances for good, demands we are hard working. See the day of her work
   • Winning in life begins by winning in small ways. Small wins add up into big wins. Winning is an accumulation of Small Wins
   • Small wins create the right character for winning. Small wins are the essence of the Power of Progress.
   • Therefore do not despise the day of small beginnings (things) Zach. 4: 10
   • Many times we are dissatisfied with small wins because we are preoccupied with winning big. But when we don’t appreciate small wins, we will not know how to win big things.
   • When People experience good progress in whatever they are do, it gives them a powerful impact on their emotions, motivations, perception of their work, etc. (Ruth 2:20)
   • Despite the big dreams ensure that you work with small projects that push you forward along towards your dream. 
   • Small wins, are great in providing evidence that your sacrifices are worth it; Small wins (small steps) provide momentum for your movement. Celebrate your every small win
4. Recognize Favor in Ordinary Places.
   • Favor is divine enablement. It is when God, in partnership with human beings brings support, help and resources into your hands to impact your journey to your destiny.
   • Favor is when people invest time, resources, reputation, and credibility over your life and destiny. God blesses you, but he does it through others.
   • Favor is triggered by an activity from You. Favor Notices those who Work Hard (2:3, 10)
   • The More you recognize favor, the more it is amplified and multiplied
   • Favor may be released due to what you do, but it is usually more lavish than what you do (Luke 6:38;  Pro. 11:27; 12:2; 13:15; 14:35)
   • You may trigger the arrival of Favor, but you do not pay for it. Ruth is blessed much more than what she applied for: Gleaning. The Goodness of Ruth did to her mother in law was noticed that triggered the Favor of God through Boaz

Conclusion 

Recognize Short Wins. Celebrate the Power of Progress.