Are you a Boaz, Ruth or David in your ministry?

I know this is a very different title for my post. I hope it will intrigue your interest to read further.

One afternoon I was thinking about Naomi and Ruth in the Bible and how it pertains to my daily walk and in my leadership role. As I was thinking out loud how Naomi had such a encouraging and loving personality and how she had suffered the loss of her husband and her two sons, but she still had the love of God inside of her. She had the responsibility of her two sons wives Ruth and Orphah. Naomi was mocked and talked about because of her love for God. One day Naomi decided she needed to release her two daughter-in-laws back to their people and she told them that she was going to go back home to Bethlehem back to her own people where she belongs. Her daughter-in-laws were not pleased with her decision and they said, “We will follow you”. They all began to set foot on their journey leaving Moab to Bethlehem. On the road, Naomi speaks to Ruth and Orphah, this is not right you are released and go home to your people. Naomi then turns and starts on her journey once more. Ruth and Orphah are walking back to Moab when Ruth stops Orphah and tells her that she is going with Naomi. The two woman embrace and go their separate ways. Ruth then runs up to Naomi and says to her, “Your people will be my people and your God will be my God”. Right then and there, Ruth became a servant. She learned the value of serving another. Ruth gave up her family and her land to serve and follow Naomi. What a sacrifice. Ruth trusted Naomi and the God she served. Ruth came to her new home and new land of Bethlehem and she served Naomi any way she could. The name Naomi means: Pleasantness and Naomi sure had this. The name Ruth means: Companion, friend, vision of beauty and Ruth carried these traits well.

Ruth told Naomi that she would work the fields and you rebuild the house. Ruth knew it was going to be a rough and hard work, but she understood “Servanthood”. Ruth never complained and I’m sure she never talked bad about Naomi and her situation. She trusted and kept serving and I’m also sure her flesh was screaming out at times for field work was very hard. Because of her right heart in serving Naomi, a wealthy man named Boaz took notice of Ruth in the fields. Boaz made sure that she had enough food for herself and Naomi. Boaz was captivated by her heart and her beauty. Boaz name means: “Strength within”, what a great quality. The story goes on to tell how Boaz and Ruth marry. When you have a servants heart, you have the favor of God upon you. Okay, let’s move forward into time. Boaz and Ruth had a grandson son named Jesse and Jesse married a woman named Nitzevet who was David’s mother and David was the great-great grandson of Boaz and Ruth.

You may be thinking right now, is this a bible lesson or a post? Well, both. Let’s continue on so we can get to the point and wrap it all up and explain the title of this post,”Are you be a Boaz, Ruth or David in your ministry”?

As I was studying these characters in the bible (Naomi, Ruth, Boaz and David), I began to think about our roles as worship leaders and worship teams. Just like Naomi and Ruth, there was encouragement, faith, loss, and servanthood. Due to these qualities in these two woman, it brought favor unto their lives and changed their lives completely. Then their is Boaz a wealthy man full of integrity first unto his God then unto his people. He treated people fairly and with respect. Then we come to David. The name David means: “Beloved”. David was known in his youth for his good looks, kind and quick hands and feet and sparkly eyes. So I like to think of it this way, David came from a long line of servants, kindness and integrity and most of all loving God. David was known for his music and his poetry too for his music would calm down a king. David had such a soft heart for the Lord that when he sang or wrote there was peace on it. He soon became a powerful King himself by his strengths that were seen. We know the story well, “David and Goliath”. David always stayed humble to God and his servanthood.
My point in all of this is, as worship leaders and worship teams, have you kept servanthood as your priority? Serving God first then others and lastly yourself. Remember Ruth? She was a great servant and God prospered her in wealth and position. Ruth’s servanthood was passed down into generations. David learned how to be a great servant from stories of his family (don’t ever think that traits are not passed down). Because of David’s servant hood, he became a powerful King for God could trust him in all things. For David was a man after God’s own heart. The same goes for all of us as leaders too, we should stand in that place of leading with integrity and treating others fairly and with respect. Never should we become high minded and it is all about our talent or just because we are a leader others are a no body. Yes, leaders are out in front, but when God is first place in your lives, and in your walk with humbleness and integrity, then others will follow you and help serve you to get the Lord’s work done.

For this is truly the heart of a servant.

Not to take away from all of the encouraging words we have read, but we must show another side of King David. King David fell into sin over a woman named Bathsheba. Her beauty took away his integrity. As worship leaders and worship teams if we are not careful our talents can become a playground for the enemy to use. We must stay humble and realize who gave us our gifts and if we don’t seek God and his word daily and we grumble over our leadership and we also begin to think we can do it better then those over us, we too could fall into sin.
Think about it this way, David came from a long line of servants and integrity, kindness and honor and he too had these qualities, but his fleshly desires over took the qualities and that he believed and walked in. He became a murderer and a person who covered up sin for his gain. What was a once a great King in my opinion became lost and I believe that he never fully recovered in his heart what he had done. We must stay humble and seeking after God and his face and stay away from fame and being used for our talent and live as if today is the last day on earth and help lead God’s people unto him. That is what we were made for. I so believe this is the greatest testimony of all, desiring God with all of your heart like Naomi did and Ruth and Boaz did and even David did in his earlier years. For our God is a supernatural God full of grace, mercy, favor and love. He will not have any other God’s before him.

Today I leave you with this; “Are you a Boaz, Ruth or David in your ministry”?

I hope this had made you think about these bible stories and I pray they help strengthen you in your positions and in your walk with the Lord.