Dreamboats Can Come from Places We Consider Down-And-Dirty

". . . Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!" -- John 1:46 Amplified Bible

When Nathanael asked Philip this question, Nazareth had such a bad reputation that it seemed no good person could come from there. Likewise some said don't go to Moab, because good people and good things did not come out of Moab. These places had a reputation for being down-and-dirty, yet some dreamboats -- Jesus Christ and Ruth -- came out of Nazareth and Moab.

Neither Jesus Christ nor Ruth were defined by their environments. Jesus and Ruth had their priorities in proper order. God was number one in both Jesus' life and Ruth's life.

Ruth's relationship with God and herself was secure enough that she was not defined by her biological family. When they were false worshipers, she had been given the grace of God to become and remain a true worshiper. Ruth left her family in Moab and journeyed to Israel to form a new family.

Ruth knew how to have good relationships with God, self and others. Ruth had an awesome relationship with herself. When Ruth made up her mind, others couldn't change it. Naomi tried to get Ruth to stay in the wrong place, but Ruth knew to move on from Moab to Israel.

Ruth loved herself without narcissism. She cultivated an awesome relationship with Naomi. Her good choices in relationships created opportunities for even more awesome relationships like her relationship with Boaz. The women of Ruth's community had such a high opinion of Ruth that they said Ruth was better to Naomi than seven sons.

Receiving a good name from ones community is a good thing. Proverbs 22:1 English Standard Version Bible counsels, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." 

A good name is not just for Jesus Christ and Ruth. Multiple people can have one. "If you don’t see the value of community it’s difficult for you to win," said Sonia Sotomayor during a colloquium with journalist Maria Hinojosa at the El Barrio Museum in Harlem, where she spoke about her autobiography My Beloved World. Sotomayor, 58, made history in 2009 when she was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama to be the first Latino justice on the high court. She is of a Puerto Rican descent and grew up in modest means in Bronx, New York.

When someone like Jesus Christ or Ruth appears in our life, live out the attitude, "Come and see!" A gift will be waiting for us to open up and enjoy. The apostles enjoyed the Messiah. Naomi enjoyed being a grandmother to Ruth's son, Obed. Boaz enjoyed being a husband to Ruth. The women of Ruth's community enjoyed having her as a member.

Jesus Christ and Ruth stood out. They were different and divine. Jesus Christ is the Messiah. His people are joint-heirs with Jesus.

Perhaps you have met someone from a place like Nazareth or Moab? May you be wise enough not to dismiss or discriminate against him or her because he or she may be from a place with a reputation for being down-and-dirty.

Actually, all believers come from a down-and-dirty place of spiritual death; then one day God resurrected His people into an eternal relationship with Him. God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ and God the Holy Ghost (1 X 1 X 1 = 1) keeps on working with us to bring out more of the God inside.

Father God in the Precious Name of My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy Ghost, help us to recognize discrimination in ourselves. Empower us to love those who are different from us. Dreamboats can come out of down-and-dirty places.