100:00:00,000 –> 00:00:10,500So right from the start what I want us to see is that the lives, the loves and the losses200:00:10,500 –> 00:00:19,719of these ordinary people are woven into God’s hidden plan to bring blessing to the world.300:00:19,719 –> 00:00:22,160Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.400:00:22,160 –> 00:00:26,340I’m David Pick, still a bit croaky but hanging in there.500:00:26,559 –> 00:00:31,820Colin, today we’re continuing to look at the story of Ruth and, of course, Naomi and Boaz.600:00:31,840 –> 00:00:35,840Do you think we sometimes forget the significance of God in this story?700:00:35,840 –> 00:00:40,939That’s right and in every book of the Bible, God is always the hero of the story.800:00:40,939 –> 00:00:46,119Of course, the first question that comes to our minds when we find ourselves in a situation900:00:46,119 –> 00:00:54,540of loss, sorrow, grief such as Naomi and Ruth found themselves in, we find ourselves wondering1000:00:54,540 –> 00:00:56,119where is God in this?1100:00:56,680 –> 00:01:03,700And the whole point of the story is that God’s loving, providing, caring hand is woven1200:01:03,700 –> 00:01:05,220all the way through the story.1300:01:05,220 –> 00:01:07,059It’s on every page.1400:01:07,059 –> 00:01:12,260And, as we move through the story, we’re going to see the goodness and the grace and the1500:01:12,260 –> 00:01:17,699mercy of God in the hard circumstances of life as well as in the times that we enjoy,1600:01:17,699 –> 00:01:19,099in the times of blessing.1700:01:19,099 –> 00:01:21,360That’s at the heart of this wonderful story.1800:01:21,360 –> 00:01:25,760So we’re in Ruth Chapter 1, and I hope you’ll join us in your Bible if you can.1900:01:25,760 –> 00:01:28,440As we continue the message called Loss.2000:01:28,440 –> 00:01:29,620Here’s Colin.2100:01:29,620 –> 00:01:37,699Now, here we come to a question that will affect how we understand and apply this story.2200:01:37,699 –> 00:01:39,660And here’s the question.2300:01:39,660 –> 00:01:48,800Did Elimelech make a mistake when he moved to Moab?2400:01:48,800 –> 00:01:56,839Should he have stayed in Bethlehem and simply trusted God to provide?2500:01:56,839 –> 00:02:07,120Now, some commentators absolutely castigate Elimelech and Naomi for moving to Moab.2600:02:07,120 –> 00:02:13,360Now the Bible makes no comment on the family’s move to Moab.2700:02:13,419 –> 00:02:19,039It simply tells us that this is what they did.2800:02:19,039 –> 00:02:21,460Remember the words of Jesus,2900:02:21,460 –> 00:02:30,940’…with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’3000:02:30,940 –> 00:02:32,699So if you’ve heard that and if you believe it,3100:02:32,699 –> 00:02:40,220you will always want in life to use the most generous measure that you possibly can.3200:02:40,240 –> 00:02:43,979Christians are called to a life of love.3300:02:44,000 –> 00:02:51,039We are called to love all people and especially to love one another.3400:02:51,039 –> 00:02:56,639Loving means that we will take the most generous view that we can of the words and actions3500:02:56,639 –> 00:03:02,479of others that we are to think the best of them.3600:03:02,500 –> 00:03:12,339I was greatly helped some years ago by a kindly word from a dear friend following a sermon3700:03:12,339 –> 00:03:15,160that I had preached.3800:03:15,160 –> 00:03:21,059I had spoken on the leper who said to Jesus,3900:03:21,059 –> 00:03:31,600And I had drawn attention to the word, if, doubt.4000:03:31,600 –> 00:03:38,440Here is a man who is not sure if he believes.4100:03:38,440 –> 00:03:46,520And my friend said, that’s not the most generous view of that verse.4200:03:46,520 –> 00:03:52,960It might have been that he was simply submitting himself to the will of Christ.4300:03:52,960 –> 00:03:57,259If you’re willing you will make me clean.4400:03:57,259 –> 00:04:02,839I’d not taken the most generous view.4500:04:02,839 –> 00:04:12,699And he simply said to me, what we owe to others in life we also owe to characters in the Bible.4600:04:12,699 –> 00:04:15,320And it works the other way.4700:04:15,320 –> 00:04:21,799What we owe to characters in the Bible we also owe to others in life.4800:04:21,799 –> 00:04:23,299Never assume the worst.4900:04:23,299 –> 00:04:28,279Always think the best, and less compelled by evidence to the contrary that cannot be5000:04:28,279 –> 00:04:30,179put in a better light.5100:04:30,179 –> 00:04:34,799Now why would I take time over this today?5200:04:34,799 –> 00:04:43,440Well, one reason is that we all know what it is to look back at decisions that we made5300:04:43,579 –> 00:04:48,040and wonder if we did the right thing.5400:04:48,040 –> 00:04:50,760You know this in your life as I know it in mine.5500:04:50,760 –> 00:04:56,640Did I make the right decision?5600:04:56,640 –> 00:04:59,600Was that an act of faith?5700:04:59,600 –> 00:05:02,320Or was it an act of folly?5800:05:02,320 –> 00:05:07,980But do you see that the focus of this story that we are going to follow in these coming5900:05:08,779 –> 00:05:13,380it’s actually not on whether Elimelech made the right decision.6000:05:13,380 –> 00:05:21,220It’s on how God brings blessing to His people in every circumstance of life,6100:05:21,220 –> 00:05:25,660whatever the decisions you may have made.6200:05:25,660 –> 00:05:32,720So don’t waste your time and your energy reassessing the decisions of your life in6300:05:32,720 –> 00:05:34,339the rear-view mirror.6400:05:34,339 –> 00:05:38,559What is done is done.6500:05:38,559 –> 00:05:46,920Have faith in God who works in all things for the good of those who love Him.6600:05:46,920 –> 00:05:53,500What that means is that God works for our good when our decisions are wise,6700:05:53,500 –> 00:06:00,040and God works for our good when our decisions should have been wiser.6800:06:00,140 –> 00:06:02,600One commentator says very beautifully,6900:06:02,600 –> 00:06:08,100God’s kind providence covers even our mistakes.7000:06:08,119 –> 00:06:11,179Aren’t you thankful for that?7100:06:11,179 –> 00:06:16,940God’s kind providence covers even our mistakes.7200:06:16,940 –> 00:06:23,519That’s why you don’t need to live your life in regret and second guessing,7300:06:23,519 –> 00:06:29,239because you have a God who works for your good,7400:06:29,239 –> 00:06:38,040whether your decisions in the past were wise or whether they should have been wiser.7500:06:38,040 –> 00:06:46,119Now, what follows as we get into this story, are two weddings and three funerals.7600:06:46,119 –> 00:06:50,899Notice first that after the move to Moab, Elimelech died.7700:06:51,220 –> 00:06:58,799But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, verse three, died, and she was left with her two7800:06:58,799 –> 00:07:00,179sons.’7900:07:00,179 –> 00:07:03,779Then we’re told that these two sons, Malon and Chilean, married.8000:07:03,779 –> 00:07:07,119These took Moabite wives.8100:07:07,119 –> 00:07:12,359The name of the one was Orpa and the name of the other Ruth.8200:07:12,359 –> 00:07:18,779Then we’re told that Malon and Chilean both died.8300:07:18,779 –> 00:07:26,440They lived there about ten years and both Malon and Chilean died so that the woman was8400:07:26,440 –> 00:07:32,640left without her two sons and her husband.8500:07:32,640 –> 00:07:41,440So Naomi endured extraordinary sadness, not in one bereavement, but in three.8600:07:41,440 –> 00:07:50,799The lights of her life went out, one by one, and all who grieve the loss of a loved one8700:07:50,799 –> 00:07:57,760will be able to identify with her great sorrow and her great loss.8800:07:57,760 –> 00:08:07,799But I want you to see that this story is about more than the lives, the loves and the losses8900:08:07,799 –> 00:08:10,359of these ordinary people.9000:08:10,359 –> 00:08:17,679It is supremely a story about our extraordinary God.9100:08:17,679 –> 00:08:24,519And we want to do more in this series than simply identify with what is a very moving9200:08:24,519 –> 00:08:27,059story of love and of loss.9300:08:27,059 –> 00:08:34,159We want to learn from it, we want to apply it so we can grow in faith and in hope and9400:08:34,159 –> 00:08:38,419in love – and obviously we can’t wait until the end of the series to do that!9500:08:38,500 –> 00:08:44,840So, right from the start what I want us to see is that the lives, the loves, and the9600:08:44,859 –> 00:08:52,960losses of these Ordinary People are woven into God’s Hidden Plan to bring blessing9700:08:52,960 –> 00:08:53,960to the world.9800:08:53,960 –> 00:09:01,000That’s the central message of this wonderful book – that the lives, and the loves, and9900:09:01,000 –> 00:09:12,340the losses of these Ordinary People are woven into God’s Hidden Plan to bring blessing10000:09:12,340 –> 00:09:13,659to the world.10100:09:13,659 –> 00:09:17,260You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and the message called10200:09:17,260 –> 00:09:18,260Loss.10300:09:18,260 –> 00:09:23,880It’s part of our series, Ordinary People, Extraordinary God, all about the book of Ruth.10400:09:23,880 –> 00:09:27,880And if you ever miss one of the series or if you want to go back and listen again, come10500:09:27,960 –> 00:09:31,320to our website, openthebible.org.uk.10600:09:31,320 –> 00:09:34,320There you’ll find all the messages which have already been broadcast.10700:09:34,320 –> 00:09:38,679You’ll also find Pastor Colin’s messages as a podcast, and those are on all the main10800:09:38,679 –> 00:09:45,280podcast sites, search for Open The Bible UK, or indeed, follow the link from our website.10900:09:45,280 –> 00:09:50,719Well, however you listen to Pastor Colin’s messages, it’s all brought to you by the financing11000:09:50,719 –> 00:09:52,320support of our listeners.11100:09:52,320 –> 00:09:56,479If that’s something you would like to begin doing, if you are able to setup a new direct11200:09:56,479 –> 00:10:01,440debit in the amount of five pounds per month, or more, or a one-off gift of 50 pounds or11300:10:01,440 –> 00:10:06,520more, we’d love to thank you by sending you a copy of Lee Strobill’s book, The Case for11400:10:06,520 –> 00:10:12,799Easter, and also a copy of Pastor Colin’s booklet, Six Days that Changed The World,11500:10:12,799 –> 00:10:17,340plus a lovely Open The Bible tote bag, bookmark and pen.11600:10:17,340 –> 00:10:22,520All of these are our thank you gifts, if you are able to setup a new direct debit to the11700:10:22,520 –> 00:10:26,919work of Open the Bible, in the amount of five pounds per month, or more, or a one-off11800:10:26,919 –> 00:10:30,719gift of 50 pounds or more this calendar month.11900:10:30,719 –> 00:10:34,320Back to the message now, where, in the book of Ruth, here’s Colin.12000:10:34,320 –> 00:10:40,719The story of course revolves around Naomi and Ruth, and Boaz, who we’ll meet later12100:10:40,719 –> 00:10:42,840at the end of the story.12200:10:42,840 –> 00:10:45,840And he becomes Ruth’s husband.12300:10:45,840 –> 00:10:52,000But the central character in the story is not Naomi, not Ruth, not Boaz.12400:10:52,000 –> 00:10:54,239The central character is God himself.12500:10:54,239 –> 00:11:00,179It is the Lord who rewards the faithfulness of his people.12600:11:00,179 –> 00:11:03,359We’ll pick that up when we come to chapter two.12700:11:03,359 –> 00:11:05,679It’s the Lord who brings blessing.12800:11:05,679 –> 00:11:07,760That is repeated throughout the book.12900:11:07,760 –> 00:11:10,179It’s the Lord who gives the gift of children.13000:11:10,179 –> 00:11:15,539And it is the Lord supremely, at the end, who sends the Redeemer.13100:11:15,539 –> 00:11:20,880Everything good in the story comes from the hand of God.13200:11:21,200 –> 00:11:27,299We’re going to see in this story that God cares about ordinary people.13300:11:27,299 –> 00:11:30,979And that’s one of the most beautiful things about this book.13400:11:30,979 –> 00:11:37,799It’s sandwiched between The Book of Judges, that’s all about international crises,13500:11:37,799 –> 00:11:43,760and The Book of 1 Samuel, that’s all about national events.13600:11:43,760 –> 00:11:50,979And here in the middle of these books that deal with issues on a massive scale, you have13700:11:50,979 –> 00:12:01,619God’s care for a single family, ordinary people who are struggling to make a living,13800:12:01,619 –> 00:12:10,119facing difficult choices, anxious to do the best they can for their children.13900:12:10,219 –> 00:12:17,940And sometimes we may wonder, you may have had this thought cross your mind, in the vastness14000:12:17,940 –> 00:12:26,020of this universe does God really care about what is happening to me?14100:12:26,020 –> 00:12:28,260Yes!14200:12:28,260 –> 00:12:35,059God cares about you and your family.14300:12:35,159 –> 00:12:40,359Listen to these faith-building words of our Lord Jesus.14400:12:40,359 –> 00:12:46,419He said, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?14500:12:46,419 –> 00:12:51,500I mean, a sparrow’s not even worth one penny in the market in Jesus’ day.14600:12:51,500 –> 00:12:56,080It’s two sparrows for one penny.14700:12:56,080 –> 00:13:03,380And Jesus says, And yet, not one of them will fall to the ground, apart from your Father.14800:13:04,280 –> 00:13:06,799Fear not therefore.14900:13:06,799 –> 00:13:15,679You are of more value than many sparrows.15000:13:15,679 –> 00:13:21,200You are of infinite value in the heart of God.15100:13:21,200 –> 00:13:26,219God cares about you and about your family.15200:13:57,039 –> 00:14:00,539It ends with the birth of a child.15300:14:00,539 –> 00:14:05,320It begins with this woman Naomi weeping with terrible loss.15400:14:05,320 –> 00:14:12,219It ends with this woman Naomi rejoicing as she holds a baby in her arms and this baby15500:14:12,219 –> 00:14:21,380turns out to be the grandfather of king David and it was into his line of descent that the15600:14:21,520 –> 00:14:27,559Jesus Christ himself was born.15700:14:27,559 –> 00:14:38,080The lives, loves, and losses of ordinary people are woven into God’s hidden plan to bring15800:14:38,080 –> 00:14:41,359blessing to the world.15900:14:41,359 –> 00:14:46,280And remember that is God’s plan.16000:14:46,280 –> 00:14:53,200He said to Abraham, I will bless you and in you all the families of the Earth will be16100:14:53,200 –> 00:14:54,179blessed.16200:14:54,179 –> 00:14:59,479I’m not only going to work in you God says to Abraham, but I’m going to work through16300:14:59,479 –> 00:15:07,359you, and your life, and your loves, and your losses will be woven into my hidden plan to16400:15:07,359 –> 00:15:12,640bring blessing to others.16500:15:12,700 –> 00:15:20,080It’s through the lives of these ordinary people, it’s through the choices they made, it’s through16600:15:20,080 –> 00:15:24,280the places that they lived, it’s through the people that they married, it’s through the16700:15:24,280 –> 00:15:26,179losses that they suffered.16800:15:26,179 –> 00:15:34,520We see in this book that God was advancing his purpose to bring blessing to all people!16900:15:34,520 –> 00:15:38,979God will advance his purpose to bless others through your life, through your loves, through17000:15:38,979 –> 00:15:41,880your losses.17100:15:41,880 –> 00:15:49,200He will use these things as means to bring blessing to others, too.17200:15:49,200 –> 00:15:54,020That leads me to the last observation here which is simply that God works through the17300:15:54,020 –> 00:15:55,679kindness of his people.17400:15:55,679 –> 00:16:00,239This is a big theme that we’re going to keep seeing in this story.17500:16:00,239 –> 00:16:06,940God blessed Ruth through the example of Naomi.17600:16:06,940 –> 00:16:12,059God blessed Naomi through the loyalty of Ruth.17700:16:12,059 –> 00:16:17,380God blessed Ruth through the kindness of Boaz.17800:16:17,380 –> 00:16:21,039God blessed Boaz through the initiative of Naomi.17900:16:21,039 –> 00:16:24,700They’re all just interwoven.18000:16:24,700 –> 00:16:32,400The beauty of this story is that God works for and through each of his people.18100:16:32,440 –> 00:16:39,299Each one receives blessing from the others, and each one brings blessing to the others.18200:16:39,299 –> 00:16:44,440Here we are in these dark days of conflict, the days of the judges.18300:16:44,440 –> 00:16:49,239And right in the middle of all this hopelessness and violence and conflict and anger there18400:16:49,239 –> 00:16:58,520is this beautiful story of human kindness, of faith, of hope, of love,18500:16:59,479 –> 00:17:03,359of Naomi, of Ruth, of Boaz.18600:17:04,599 –> 00:17:09,280And their lives, their loves, and their losses shine like a light18700:17:10,680 –> 00:17:15,959in the darkness of the world around them.18800:17:15,959 –> 00:17:18,660God works through the kindness of his people.18900:17:18,660 –> 00:17:21,579Brothers and sisters we are the body of Christ.19000:17:21,579 –> 00:17:25,359That’s what the New Testament says the Church is the body of Christ.19100:17:25,359 –> 00:17:34,500He’s the Head, and the Head prompts and works through the members of the body.19200:17:34,900 –> 00:17:40,739We are his hands, we are his feet.19300:17:40,739 –> 00:17:47,540That means that God has something to give to you through the brothers and sisters that19400:17:47,540 –> 00:17:53,439he has placed around you, and God has something to give to the brothers and sisters he has19500:17:53,479 –> 00:17:58,560placed around you through you.19600:17:58,560 –> 00:18:05,780Jesus Christ will work for you, and Jesus Christ will work through you.19700:18:05,780 –> 00:18:10,439God already has future joys prepared for you.19800:18:10,439 –> 00:18:11,439Think about that.19900:18:11,439 –> 00:18:19,180He has future joys prepared for you, and there are people that he has already planned to20000:18:19,359 –> 00:18:29,400bless through you as your light of faith, hope, and love shines in the darkness of this20100:18:29,400 –> 00:18:30,400world.20200:18:30,400 –> 00:18:33,859So who is the Naomi that you can befriend and comfort?20300:18:33,859 –> 00:18:39,420Who is the Ruth that you can help and provide for?20400:18:39,420 –> 00:18:44,880Who is the Boaz that you can strengthen and encourage?20500:18:45,760 –> 00:18:50,819It’s a story about ordinary people.20600:18:50,819 –> 00:18:55,500It’s a story about our extraordinary God.20700:18:55,500 –> 00:19:02,439And lastly here today, it is of course a story supremely about redemption.20800:19:02,439 –> 00:19:12,780When you bring ordinary people and our extraordinary God together, what you get is a story of redemption.20900:19:12,819 –> 00:19:16,339Look at chapter four and verse 14 in these last moments, please.21000:19:16,339 –> 00:19:24,339Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without21100:19:24,339 –> 00:19:31,420a redeemer, and may His name be renowned in Israel.21200:19:31,420 –> 00:19:42,339Now, the words redeem, redeemer, and redemption are all over this book.21300:19:43,219 –> 00:19:50,500And my friend Jonathan Prime wrote a book about Ruth, and he says that these words21400:19:50,500 –> 00:19:57,739– redeem, redeemer, redemption – occur 23 times in just 85 verses of this book.21500:19:57,880 –> 00:19:59,959That’s an awful lot of redeeming.21600:19:59,959 –> 00:20:02,69923 times in 85 verses?21700:20:02,699 –> 00:20:09,000So to understand this book, you really have to meet the Redeemer.21800:20:09,800 –> 00:20:16,199And a redeemer is very simply a person who brings the best out of the worst at his own expense.21900:20:16,199 –> 00:20:19,680We’re going to meet the Redeemer in this book.22000:20:19,680 –> 00:20:23,859The person who brings the best out of the worst at his own expense.22100:20:23,859 –> 00:20:31,579That is what Boaz did for Ruth, and, of course, that is what the Lord Jesus Christ22200:20:31,699 –> 00:20:33,939will do for us.22300:20:33,939 –> 00:20:35,300He is the great Redeemer.22400:20:35,300 –> 00:20:39,380He brings the best out of the worst.22500:20:39,380 –> 00:20:43,619And he does this by making us his own.22600:20:43,619 –> 00:20:47,859He does this by bringing us into his family.22700:20:47,859 –> 00:20:51,339He does this by giving us the most glorious inheritance.22800:20:51,339 –> 00:20:58,699And he does all of these things at his own expense.22900:20:58,780 –> 00:21:08,760Peter says you were redeemed, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious23000:21:08,760 –> 00:21:12,819blood of Jesus Christ.23100:21:12,819 –> 00:21:15,579That’s what it cost to redeem us.23200:21:15,579 –> 00:21:20,800The shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, but you know Jesus did what it took23300:21:20,800 –> 00:21:27,140to redeem us by laying down his life on the cross.23400:21:27,380 –> 00:21:31,140As the woman said to Naomi,23500:21:31,140 –> 00:21:36,939the Lord has not left you without a redeemer.23600:21:36,939 –> 00:21:42,979The Lord has not left you without a redeemer.23700:21:42,979 –> 00:21:53,459The Lord has not left you without one who can bring the best out of the worst and he’ll23800:21:53,560 –> 00:21:56,579to do it at his own expense.23900:21:56,579 –> 00:22:03,099That is why there is hope here for every person this morning.24000:22:03,099 –> 00:22:10,099The losses of your life may be many, the sorrows of your heart may be great, the burdens that24100:22:10,880 –> 00:22:17,880you carry may be heavy, but there is a redeemer.24200:22:17,959 –> 00:22:23,079And there is hope for you in Him.24300:22:23,119 –> 00:22:25,119Our Message of Hope24400:22:25,119 –> 00:22:29,319And for the Christian, hope is not just wishful thinking, we have God’s24500:22:29,319 –> 00:22:34,920promise that when we come to Jesus as Saviour and Lord, we have assurance of forgiveness24600:22:34,920 –> 00:22:37,920and a future of eternal life with Him.24700:22:37,920 –> 00:22:42,439To find out more, speak with a trusted Christian friend or family member, or go along to a24800:22:42,439 –> 00:22:47,680local Christian church. There you’ll find many who can testify to the hope that we have24900:22:47,680 –> 00:22:49,839in Jesus Christ.25000:22:49,839 –> 00:22:54,000You’ve been listening to pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible and Our Message Called25100:22:54,000 –> 00:22:59,439LoS. it’s part of our series Ordinary People Extraordinary God, and if you missed any of25200:22:59,439 –> 00:23:03,699the series don’t forget, you can always catch up or go back and listen again on line25300:23:03,699 –> 00:23:08,160at our website openthe bible.org.uk25400:23:08,160 –> 00:23:12,459Open the Bible is supported financially by our listeners and if that’s something you’re25500:23:12,459 –> 00:23:17,359considering doing for the first time we have an offer for you this month. If you’re able25600:23:17,359 –> 00:23:23,380to set up a new Direct Debit in the amount of £5 per month or more or a one off gift25700:23:23,380 –> 00:23:29,260of £50 or more we’d love to say thank you by sending you a copy of the book The Case25800:23:29,260 –> 00:23:36,239for Easter by Lee Strobl, and also the booklet Six Days That Changed the World by Colin Smith25900:23:36,239 –> 00:23:41,260plus a lovely Open the Bible tote bag, bookmark and pen.26000:23:41,260 –> 00:23:43,959Colin what is this book about?26100:23:43,959 –> 00:23:49,219Well Christian faith is not a blind leap in the dark and the compelling evidence on which26200:23:49,219 –> 00:23:53,839we can take a reasoned step of faith in Jesus is placed before us in the Gospels.26300:23:53,839 –> 00:23:59,300But I think there are many people who’ve never really carefully considered the evidence26400:23:59,300 –> 00:24:05,900and The Case for Easter is about the evidence for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.26500:24:05,959 –> 00:24:12,540The author Lee Strobel examines the medical evidence that Jesus did indeed die, the evidence26600:24:12,540 –> 00:24:17,760of Jesus’ missing body from the Tomb and of course the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection26700:24:17,760 –> 00:24:23,819appearances. It really is a wonderful clear book that will help Christian believers know26800:24:23,819 –> 00:24:28,119why we believe in the resurrection and it will help those who are beginning to explore26900:24:28,119 –> 00:24:32,180Christian faith to find a pathway to faith in the Risen Lord.27000:24:32,180 –> 00:24:35,739And we’d love to send you a copy of Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Easter27100:24:35,859 –> 00:24:37,680along with Pastor Collins’ booklet27200:24:37,859 –> 00:24:43,060Six Days that Changed the World plus a lovely Open the Bible temporary boat bag,27300:24:43,060 –> 00:24:48,380bookmark and pen if you’re able to begin a new direct debit to the work of Open the27400:24:48,380 –> 00:24:55,380Bible in the amount of £5 per month or more or a one-off gift of £50 or more.27500:24:55,459 –> 00:24:59,260Full terms and conditions and to give online come to our website27600:24:59,260 –> 00:25:02,619www.openthebible.org.uk27700:25:02,939 –> 00:25:04,780For Open the Bible and Pastor Collin Smith27800:25:04,780 –> 00:25:09,300I’m David Pick and I hope you join us again next time.27900:25:13,699 –> 00:25:15,619We’re hearing one of the most beautiful stories28000:25:15,619 –> 00:25:21,979in the Bible. The story of Ruth and we’ll hear about three distinguishing marks of genuine28100:25:21,979 –> 00:25:24,459love. Next time on open the Bible.