February 2025
FULL REWARD
As we rise to our feet, let us read the promise God is giving us for this month.
Ruth 2:12 - “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord
God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
This month, the Lord will give full reward to all of us. In all the works that we do, we will
witness the full reward of the Lord. The favour of the Lord will be with you this month. The
magnificent hand of the Lord is able to bring full reward into your lives.
The title of today’s sermon is “Full Reward”. The verse that we read is given to Ruth. This
promise and the reward is given to Ruth for the faith and the hope that she demonstrates in
her life. God commands Ruth to receive the full reward. We all know Ruth’s story. She had
gone through a lot of losses and terrible incidents. She had lost her husband, her nation and
was in a desperate situation where she had nothing of her own. Despite all her losses, God is
reminding her that He has a great purpose for her life. God says there is a full reward for your
complete faith. Many of us have faced great losses and failures just like Ruth and God is
reassuring to each one of us that despite all, He has a great purpose for our lives and has great
things planned for our future.
Whenever we talk about a reward, we think of it as the end of something. When we
accomplish a thing, we get a reward. But God is telling us today that even though the year has
just begun, right from the start of this month, we will witness the ‘full reward’ of the Lord.
You might be thinking you’ll have to accomplish certain things to obtain the reward, but God
says He will grant you the reward promptly and not according to your thinking.
Even in Ruth’s life, she only received her reward after many generations when the name of
David and Jesus became part of her lineage, but the Lord is going to give us the full rewards
promptly. God is demonstrating His own love for Ruth through the person of Boaz and the
love He has for all people with hopeful hearts. How did Ruth receive this blessing? We see in
the verse “under whose wings you have come for refuge”. It is an expression of God’s
security and protection He offers to His children. As a mother bird protects her young by
spreading her wings over them, so the Lord protects His people. What is it like under the
wings of God? The answer to this question can be found in the gentle care of Boaz for Ruth.
God will give us the blessing of being under His wings. It is a beautiful model of the gentle
love of God
1. God’s Concern
Ruth 2:5 - “Then Boaz said to his servant who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose
young woman is this?””
We receive God’s concern and care when we are under His wings. We see in this passage that
Boaz took notice of Ruth and his attention turned towards her 1 - Ruth was poor and was in a
helpless situation. And we see that God is turning Boaz’s attention and his concern towards
Ruth. We many times find ourselves in such situations when we face failures and losses. God
is reminding us that He cares and that His concern is on us. He never turns a blind eye to the
problems we face. We have God’s special recognition under His wings. We see multiple
verses as evidence of this in the scripture. (e.g. “For God so loved the world...”)
Romans 5:8 - “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Even when we were sinners and didn’t deserve it, Christ loved us enough to die for our
salvation. God is not distant and disconnected. He wants to be connected to us and have
fellowship with us. Ruth’s story gives us all hope that God has concern upon us. In our lives,
we must have noticed some kids act out dramatically and throw tantrums to get attention
from their parents. Likewise, many of us indulge in atrocious things to turn God’s attention
towards us. We see in Elijah’s story that the prophets of Baal did so many things to attract the
attention of their god. God tells us today that we don’t have to do anything flashy to get His
attention, because His attention is on all of us and His concern is always upon His children.
Psalms 63:7 - “Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your
wings I will rejoice.”
God’s concern brings favour and favour accomplishes things and it brings full reward. When
His concern is upon us, we will not only have His favour, but also divine rejoicing and
gladness.
2. God’s Closeness
Ruth 2:8 - “Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do
not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young
women.”
We receive God’s closeness when we are under His wings. Boaz requested Ruth to stay in his
field. Likewise, we need to stay in God’s family, the Church, to receive a full reward. The
Lord is able to fulfil all your needs, bless you, build you, heal you, help you, and speak to you
through the Church. When we are a part of the Church, we get all of these blessings. FACA is
God’s family. Stay here that you may grow, receive, be blessed and build God’s kingdom.
Most of us who are part of the church are lacking something. Do not abandon the church
because you see church-goers lacking. Because, the church is God’s chosen vessel and He is
able to help those who stay close to Him and continue to be a part of His chosen family. And
He will give His full reward when we stay by His side.
Usually, the people who conduct workshops or meetings on Zoom for hours have a software
that checks your attendance throughout the duration of the meeting and they offer a reward to
those who stay till the end. Same way, all of us who stay connected to God’s family will
obtain a certain reward from His hand.
Hebrews 10:24,25 - “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of
some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.”
We encourage each other to stir up love and good works. When we’re connected in God’s
family, He helps us grow in love.
3. God’s Conservation
Ruth 2:9 - “Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I
not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the
vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”
We receive God’s conservation when we are under His wings. Boaz protected Ruth by giving
right instructions to his male and female workers. He creates a situation of protection and
preservation around Ruth. God’s protection works from the inside out: protection over spirit,
soul and the physical body. He saves and protects our body from destruction and accidents in
our everyday lives.
Psalms 34:7 - “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
and delivers them”
Right from the creation of Adam and Eve, we see that the Lord gives us protection by giving
us boundaries. We receive the blessing of protection from the Lord when we remain within
the fences and boundaries that the lord has set. A few days ago, we visited the Bannerghatta
zoo in Bangalore where they took us on a safari, where we go in a caged van and the animals
are roaming freely. The zookeepers said that as long as we stay inside the van, we will be
protected from the wild animals. Similarly, God has given us certain boundaries that the Lord
has set, we will be preserved and protected. And we face the consequences when we
disregard the perimeter that God has given. Fear of the Lord is acknowledging Him in all our
ways.
Psalms 57:1 - “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in
You;
and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities
have passed by.”
There are two kinds of storms that we face. One, where to which we have to say with
authority, “Quiet, be still!” And two, where we just have to remain calm under the wings of
the Lord and it will pass by without harming us. Let us ask God to give us the wisdom to
discern between the two.
4. God’s Blessing
Ruth 2:15 - “And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying,
“Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.”
We receive God’s Blessing when we are under His wings. You will witness the blessing by
the hand of the Lord in every work of your hands when you stay under His wings. Boaz
makes provisions so that Ruth’s work is extra blessed and productive. Similarly, when we
remain faithful in doing our work, God will honour and bless our works in front of people.
Just as God gave Ruth a full reward despite her situation of nothingness, He will give you a
life of full blessing and reward.
Pr. Benny Visuvasam,
Faith ACA, Pallavaram
