Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Let, as in allow, the Word to dwell. One of the things that I realized early in my Christian life was the sovereignty of God. Submission gave Him rule over my life and He can do as He wills in my life. He does not need my permission. Sovereignty isn’t the only attribute of God and God being one and equal in all aspects does not force one attribute of His personality over another. Man does that.

God made a way, the Way, but He doesn’t make you walk in it. Love chooses to walk in the Way. The abundant life is ours, but we have to know how to live it. God has provided everything needed but we must cooperate with God for everything to work towards that goal.

Some see God’s sovereignty as; “God’s in charge. I don’t need to worry.” While that is true in one aspect, it is not everything. Mercy and true charity will never become part of our witness if we sit and wait for God to take care of everything. That is how believers become pew potatoes.

We often extoll the coincidence of how meaningful scriptures seem to come in 3:16 verses. Well here is another and while my focus is on this one word “let” it is not everything. If I were to point out what that let was in this verse it would be at the end of the verse. “With grace in your hearts.”

Grace is never viewed as a static attribute, it is always an outpouring, it is love in action, thought and will. Grace is the vehicle of transference of God’s love towards us, of our love towards one another, and most importantly to a lost and dying world.

Ruth 2:15-17 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

The commandments of God to His people was to leave the corner of the fields unharvested. The corners were meant for charity to the poor who had no land nor means of feeding themselves. It was expected of those poor to know their place and to keep to the charity provided and not take from the land owners.

Ruth was not Jewish by birth but stayed with Naomi, her mother-in-law, by choice after her husband died. Boaz saw something in her that was special and offered her help that went against and above custom.

Charity is shown to the charitable. Ruth had no legal responsibility to care for Naomi, but she loved her and in that she did not stick to custom. Ruth went above and beyond what was expected.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Ruth diligently sought and found God in her service, for what is seeking God if it is not to love as God loves, beyond measure, beyond what is expect? The image of Boaz withholding chastening is an image of God’s grace and mercy shown to us, when we act out of love and not self-interest.

Boaz loved Ruth and made her his bride. Christ loves us and we are His bride.