Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for October 28, 2007
The First Millionairess, Ruth - II
We are continuing our millionaire series today with the rest of the story about the first millionaires, Ruth. Last week we talked about Naomi leaving Bethlehem and going to Moab. It was in Moab that her two sons married the Moabite women Ruth and Orpah. Then Naomi's husband and both sons died. So this week we will finish the story of Naomi and Ruth.
HOW BUSINESSWOMAN BECAME A MILLIONAIRE
But first, let me tell you about a businesswoman who quietly went from limited financial circumstances to a life of affluent financial independence (she became a millionaire), after she began to spend time daily meditating on the rich substance of the universe, and inviting it to manifest lavish abundance for her.
The "millionaire meditation method" which she developed, and suggests is this:
Get by yourself for a few minutes every day. Release your worries, relax your body, and quietly invite the rich substance of the universe to flow into your mind, body, and affairs. State that this rich, universal substance is providing you with whatever you need for your growth and expansion. It might be health, guidance, specific ideas or information, a job, more money, peace of mind, more leisure and time for reflection, or more harmonious relationships.
Don't try to force this Power to do anything for you. To try to compel it only repels it. Be relaxed, receptive, open-minded, and humble. Don't get impatient, but practice this simple asking and inviting method daily. Something wonderful will happen, if you persevere!
HOW A HOUSEWIFE DEMONSTRATED FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
A housewife had long suffered from privation, because her husband was one of those people whose theme song was, "We can't afford it." When she learned about the power of prosperous thinking, this housewife was relieved to learn that God, not her husband, was the Source of her supply. She began quietly to invite the wealth of the universe into her life every day. That universal wealth quickly responded!
She soon learned that she had become an heir to a family business. Her husband made fun of at her inheritance, since it was a business that had never prospered. In spite of this, she began quietly to invite that same universal wealth to take control of her inheritance.
The heirs placed this business under new management, and it began to produce as never before! This quiet prayerful lady was soon receiving substantial monthly income checks from this business. She blossomed forth with a mink jacket, diamond rings, a redecorated house - all the beauty she had secretly longed for over the years.
Her husband (still in a Moab consciousness) continued to say, "We cannot afford it." His wife's answer? >From her prosperous Bethlehem consciousness she replied, "Maybe you can't, honey, but I can because I have finally learned that God is the Source of my supply." This housewife discovered that when you invite the rich substance of the universe into your life, remarkable things do happen!
PROSPEROUS REASONS WHY RUTH WENT TO BETHLEHEM
Naomi had two daughters-in-law. One was Ruth, the other was Orpah. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she took Ruth with her, but left Orpah in the Land of Moab, and rightly so. "Orpah" symbolizes a material state of mind, one that loves that which can be seen outwardly.
Ruth loved the inner world of mind and Spirit. She symbolizes one who holds fast to the power of prosperous thinking until it has had time to manifest permanent results in one's life. (This, of course, is the secret of permanent success.)
Experts have estimated that success results 98 % from inner work (Ruth), and 2% from outer action (Orpah). Since Ruth persisted in doing this inner work, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances, it was appropriate that she should have accompanied Naomi to Bethlehem.
GATHERING YOUR GOOD BIT BY BIT LEADS TO WEALTH
When Ruth and Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, they had nothing. Naomi was bitter about their poverty, because she was still judging according to appearances. But Ruth knew this was the test. She uncomplainingly did the things that lay at hand to do, while practicing prosperous thinking.
One thing she could do to meet their immediate needs was to go into the harvest fields as a gleaner. The word "glean" means "to collect gradually," or "to collect bit by bit." Ruth collected bit by bit the grain that was left by the reapers. Granting this privilege was one of the ways the Hebrews helped their poor people. It was an ancient custom for the wealthy to leave sheaves in the field for the poor to gather' 'bit by bit" in order to add to their prosperity.
When you have a need, you must be willing to do the same thing: Practice thinking prosperously, and gather the prosperous results bit by bit, if necessary. As you quietly and uncomplainingly collect your good bit by bit, it increases.
FROM ONE ROOM IN ALABAMA TO FAMED ACTOR'S FORMER HOME IN CALIFORNIA
Catherine Ponder wrote, "I started writing about the inner laws of prosperity at a time when I was living in one room. I felt ridiculous telling other people how to be prospered, while I was still living in only one room. But I realized that I had to expand my prosperity consciousness in order to break out of such a narrow world, and that the best way to expand was by thinking, affirming, teaching, and writing about abundance."
A gleaner is one who collects his good gradually, if necessary. Catherine found that the only way to get out of that one room was "bit by bit." As she quietly blessed it, beautified it, and lived as prosperously as possible in it, it became easier to picture something better. That method worked.
She moved from that one room into a beautiful new church manse in Alabama. It was not hers, but living in it was a step forward. Later she lived in a series of apartments in Austin, Texas. Each was nicer than the previous one, as she blessed each one and fixed it up "bit by bit."
This method led her to her first home in San Antonio, Texas - a Mexican hacienda which she filled with custom-made furnishings from Mexico. Later in Palm Springs, California, she bought and redecorated a larger home that had once been owned by a famous show-business personality. But none of these blessings came to her suddenly, or all at once. They came' 'bit by bit" as she persisted.
HOW RUTH BECAME THE FIRST MILLIONAIRESS
There is an axiom: You become what you want to be by affirming that you already are! To think prosperity, affirm prosperity, talk prosperity, and act prosperously opens the way for prosperity to appear in your life, bit by bit.
This method worked for Ruth. While she quietly and uncomplainingly gathered grain in the harvest fields, bit by bit, she was "discovered" by the millionaire owner of the field, Boaz. He was a kind, respected, wealthy citizen of Bethlehem. In her humble, receptive, uncomplaining state of mind, Ruth had unconsciously been guided to one of the richest harvest fields in Bethlehem!
THE BASIC PROSPERITY PRINCIPLES BOAZ USED
This Bethlehem millionaire, Boaz, symbolized prosperity at its best. He had become a wealthy citizen because he used some basic prosperity principles:
First: He recognized God as the Source of his supply.
Second: He knew the power of blessing God, people, and substance. When he met Ruth he blessed her with the prosperous words: (Ruth 2:12) "May the Lord reward you for your deeds, and may you have a full reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge!"
He and his workers spoke words of blessing to each other in the barley fields. (Ruth 2:4) "He said to the reapers, "The Lord be with you." They answered, "The Lord bless you." Theirs was a pleasant, prosperous relationship. No wonder Boaz was so rich! As he blessed people and things, this caused a quickening of substance, which resulted in his increased wealth.
HOW TO USE THE PROSPERING POWER OF BLESSING
First: Bless all that you have. Blessing your money stamps it with increase. A dollar which has been blessed is capable of bringing you much greater good than the dollar which has not been blessed. When the word of blessing is placed on tangible objects, those objects are surrounded with the quickening power of increase: "I BLESS ALL THAT I HAVE, AND I LOOK WITH WONDER AT ITS INCREASE NOW."
Second: Bless all that you hope to have. Not only should you bless what you have, but you should go a step further and bless what you would like to have. Make a list of your desires. Bless them. Invite them to come into your life. A simple word of blessing poured out on what you have - and on that which you would like to have - will begin to release the super-abundance of the universe to you! Declare often, "I BLESS ALL THAT I HAVE, AND ALL THAT I HOPE TO HAVE NOW."
Third: Bless people, things, or events of the past or present which have seemed to hurt you. This is another form of blessing that is all-powerful. There is great prospering power in the word of blessing directed toward those people, things, or events which have hurt and disappointed you. As you practice blessing the people who have injured you, and the failures that have burdened you, an unlimited blessing can still come out of it all! Declare often, "I BLESS THOSE PEOPLE, THINGS, OR EVENTS WHICH SEEMED TO HAVE HURT ME. I BLESS THE FAILURES THAT SEEMED TO HAVE BURDENED ME. I GIVE THANKS THAT A BLESSING IS NOW COMING OUT OF IT ALL."
THE PROSPERING POWER OF GETTING SPECIFIC
After getting into a prosperous Bethlehem state of mind, Naomi then did what we all must next do to demonstrate prosperity. She got specific.
Naomi realized that Ruth and Boaz had become interested in each other, and that she must do something about it. Ruth was a poor widow, a gleaner in the fields, whereas Boaz was the rich owner. Naomi knew she must find a way to bridge the gap between them.
She found it quickly by remembering that Boaz was a distant relative of hers. According to Hebrew law, a widow, when she remarried, was supposed to marry a relative of her late husband's family in order to protect the family name, and to retain family property.
Naomi got specific when she sent Ruth to Boaz to remind him of his family duty, and asked his protection in marriage. Her method worked. Boaz followed through according to Hebrew tradition and married Ruth. But then he would, because remember that Boaz means "prosperity at its best." Through this marriage, both Ruth and Naomi had demonstrated just that!
THE PROSPERING POWER OF SORROW
Like Naomi, when you return to the prosperous state of mind known as Bethlehem, and then get specific about what you want, your former bitterness turns to joy. Prosperous thinking is always the victor, never the victim, when it is persistently used.
Why was Naomi able to demonstrate so much happiness and wealth for herself and for Ruth - after a lifetime of hardships? Perhaps because she had been through so much. Sorrow can expand your consciousness tremendously. A person who experiences sorrow in the knowledge that something good will come from the experience expands his consciousness to such an extent that he is able to receive more good than ever before!
A person once wrote to Catherine Ponder, "Your writings get inside a person's feelings and go to the heart of the matter. You must have suffered a great deal in your life to have developed that kind of understanding."
Catherine said, "Like most people, I've experienced sorrow over the years, much of which it was inappropriate for me to write about. Yet I had hoped it didn't show!"
But she realized that every painful experience - private or otherwise - has not only forced her to release limitations of the past, but has caused her to expand her consciousness in preparation for accepting greater good. Pain can bring gain.
If sorrow seems to seek you out, don't shun it, because the experience of sorrow can get you ready to receive in a much bigger way than ever before! As you meet it non-resistantly, sorrow makes you let go and release the limitations of the past. Sorrow frees your good to expand.
The Persian philosopher Kahlil Gibran explained it in his famous book, The Prophet: Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
THEIR HAPPY ENDING CAN BE YOURS, TOO!
With Ruth's marriage to Boaz, Naomi's former bitterness turned to joy. Although she and her daughter-in-law had returned to Bethlehem poverty-stricken, they were now two of the richest women in the city!
Later when Ruth and Boaz gave birth to a son - who became an ancestor of Jesus, and grandfather of King David - Naomi moved into their home, adopted their son as her own, and "lived happily ever after" as the matriarch of this rich and honorable family.
I have faith that as you use the prosperity formulas that I have presented, you, too, shall demonstrate a Boaz in your life - prosperity at its best.
You can begin demonstrating prosperity at its best by declaring often, "I REJOICE, BECAUSE I AM NOW EXPERIENCING PROSPERITY AT ITS BEST."
The Psalmist might have later been describing the happy ending to Ruth and Naomi's experiences - the happiness we can all experience when we follow their mystical formulas for success:
(Psalms 126:6) "Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves."
SCRIPTURE: Ruth 2:12; Ruth 2:4; Psalms 126:6
REFERENCE: The Millionaires of Genesis by Catherine Ponder
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Last updated
October 16, 2007
