The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 16 March 2026 – Humility And Industry
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TOPIC: Humility And Industry
READ: Ruth 2:1-17
1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4 And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 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:
16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
THE MESSAGE:
Our text presents two persons of different backgrounds and class: Boaz, a high and wealthy man and Ruth, a lowly and poor widow. Though different, these 2 persons displayed lifestyles of great virtues. The first virtue is humility. Ruth cheerfully accepted her situation and lived within her circumstances. On his part, Boaz did not think of himself too highly to associate with the lowly in society. The second virtue was industry. Both of them engaged in honest employment.
Ruth, though unfamiliar with her new environment, stepped out for opportunities, loving pain more than the bread of idleness. Boaz was fully involved in business – supervising and encouraging his workers.
The third virtue was faith in God. Though she did not know which way to go or who to meet, Ruth trusted divine providence to raise her a helper, an act of faith that paid off for her. The fourth virtue was Boaz allowing GOD to make him a source of help – he willingly, without any negative motives, used his God-given wealth to bless the poor and needy.
From the above, we learn that looking out for the wellbeing of others, and adding humility to our industry, are rewarding godly virtues. We also learn that we do not need to be shy of honest employment because labour is not a reproach. Finally, we learn that we are blessed to be a blessing.
PRAYER: Lord, make me a person of faith, humility and industry so I can be an instrument of blessing to those around me and to my generation. Amen.
