Chris Grainger: 1:22

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, fellas, spiritual kickoff time, let's get right into it. We're at the book of Ruth this week.

Chris Grainger: 1:35

Okay, so the book of Ruth, chapter 1, verses 16 through 17. It says but Ruth replied Don't urge me to leave you or turn my back from you. Wherever you will go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me ever so severely If even death separates you and me.

Chris Grainger: 2:05

So I absolutely love this scripture, guys. I mean, first thing we need to understand when we look at the book of Ruth is where is it? So? It's Old Testament. We need to know that it's Old Testament. Just pulling my Bible up right here, if you go to Judges and before you get to 1 Samuel, that's a small book. It's not many chapters at all, so it's very easy to fly by it. So if you find yourself in 1 or 2 Samuel, back up a little bit, but you may go too far, you may land in Judges. So just kind of inch forward a little bit and that's where you'll find Ruth, okay, and we see right here this verse or verses rather, we hear these verses very commonly used at weddings when you go, I go, your God, my God, all that stuff. Right, because it's so important.

Chris Grainger: 2:49

And what we're going to be talking about this week is how we can embrace love and, ultimately, unity inside of what's called a blended family. Ok now, blended families they're out there. I'm part of one. As such. It's as near and dear to my heart. This is also being more and more prevalent within the church, and this scripture out of Ruth gives a direct, timeless message about love, loyalty and commitment. Because you see this right here, you can just feel this coming out where you go, I go, where you stay, I still your people, my people, your God, my God. It's right there because she's speaking when we go to the scripture directly.

Chris Grainger: 3:27

Ruth is speaking to her mother-in-law, naomi. Ok now, her husband had just died, naomi's husband just died. They're in a dumpster fire of a situation. Naomi's telling them you just need to go home, just just go back to where you're from. I'm going back to where I'm from and let's just call it a day, and Ruth is saying, nope, it's not happening, it's not how this is going down. I am with you, you're people, my people, your God, my God. Where you go, I go that, right there in the face of adversity.

Chris Grainger: 4:00

That's why I love the book of Ruth first and foremost, because it talks about the importance of family, and in today's society, this whole concept of family has evolved. It really has, because the traditional nuclear family, as important as it is okay, don't get me, don't get me wrong. That's not the only model, though, because blended families have become more and more common. You'll find out from our guest on Wednesday. He talks about the high percentage of blended families in the church. Now, it's unbelievable where it's going and these families, whether they're formed through remarriage or adoption or other circumstances, they have unique challenges and opportunities, much like what Ruth was going through right here, and within a church, it's crucial to recognize and embrace these diverse family units and really foster a unity, love that reflects God's heart for all his people, just the way Ruth is reflecting it right here.

Chris Grainger: 4:47

So think about the power of Ruth's commitment that she's doing. She is declaring to Naomi right here in a powerful example of love and loyalty that, look, this is not just about biological tie. No, this is about love, because she wasn't her blood, her, her daughter-in-law by blood, her daughter by blood. Rather, she was her daughter-in-law right, but her commitment to her was unwavering. She chose to stay with Naomi because she was adopting her people. This is a big deal. So she's not only adopting Naomi, she's like I'm going with you, I'm going with your people, who happen to be a whole nother type of people out there. So this is a bigger idea than you can even begin to put your wrap your heads around, because this is such a big impact that it had on Ruth directly. But it shows about her love and her dedication and that the family bond, that family tie, man, that can't be broken when it's done unconditionally, with commitment and not just by birth.

Chris Grainger: 5:49

And we start thinking about blended families. There's lots of dynamics, lots of dynamics navigating these relationships with step siblings that's a big one. Step parents, extended family members you have all these different types of relationships that you have to think about. Ruth teaches us right here that out of all those different relationships, love has to be the foundation. And when love is the foundation. All these relationships thrive. So we embrace each family member with love. That includes patience and understanding. That builds unity, that builds harmony.

Chris Grainger: 6:31

But this requires, with the blended family, intentionality. You don't just wake up and this happens. No, it takes a lot of intentionality. It means recognizing and respecting each person's history and experiences. You start working together to create a new, unified family identity so that open communication, that mutual respect that we're talking about, and shared values these are so important components when we start thinking about fostering a loving and supporting family unit, family structure, and for our family this has been key. We've had to learn a lot of this stuff on the fly and, guys, I'm trying to put this stuff in front of you so if you're dealing with this, you can be thinking about it, because you can think it's going to impact your family different.

Chris Grainger: 7:13

Every blended family is different 100%, and I know one thing the church has a big role here. The church does in supporting blended families. It needs to first of all provide a welcoming feeling to these families and help the families navigate the complexities of their unique situations. They can be difficult, so having resources such as small groups or counseling or maybe special education sessions can really make that blended family feel like they belong, like they fit. And I'm going to tell you, most churches don't do this well. Don't do it well because they miss this as an opportunity. They're not thinking about it, and I don't think they're necessarily doing it on purpose. They're busy, I get it, they're just, it's just not on their radar.

Chris Grainger: 7:59

And it's just when we see, right here, from Ruth, though, if they, if the church, adopted Ruth's model and embraced all these family units, celebrating that diversity within the family units, man, that's what God's love looks like, and this is going to build a stronger, more cohesive church. When you do this Because I want the church to survive, I want it to thrive Embrace it Right. And when you see Ruth with Naomi these words she just lays out they're just beautiful. They're just absolutely beautiful Because it's all about loyalty, it's all about faith with her, it's all about love and those strong family bonds. And I'll just tell you, for me, ruth is one of the most inspirational books of the Bible.

Chris Grainger: 8:44

Just take some time and read. You can sit there and read Ruth in one setting and just read it. Watch how Boaz interacts and just the whole story of how Ruth was absolutely relentless and just you know what I'm going with you, because the world's changing around us. It is the family dynamics are shifting big time and love, though, out of all the changing dynamics, love is a cornerstone that's not going to change. Okay, it's not. I don't care if it's through marriage, if it's through birth, through choice, it doesn't matter. The bonds are formed the strongest when they're strengthened through love and commitment and trust and support. And Ruth is showing us this right here. She's showing us right here what it means strengthened through love and commitment and trust and support. And Ruth is showing us this right here. She's showing us right here what it means that families, when they put their focus on unity and love and purpose, nothing's going to prevail against that. Nothing is, because that is a commitment that is forming and sustaining these family bonds right here. And this is such a big deal.

Chris Grainger: 9:51

So if you're dealing with this stuff out there and you're dealing with a blended family, I just want to encourage you this week, I want to encourage you to lean in, to listen to the episodes this week and you may be saying, well, chris, I don't have a blended family, we're good. I can tell you one thing the statistics say two-thirds of Americans are affected by blended families somewhere within their family structure. So it may not be in your house Hallelujah Good for you but it may be in your family line somewhere and that's going to impact you. So it could be you as a grandparent with a son or a daughter. Maybe that impact you. So it could be you as a grandparent with a son or daughter and maybe that's impacted them. Okay, maybe it's a sibling, a brother or sister or a cousin or aunt or an uncle. It's most likely showing up in your family somewhere and knowing some tricks, knowing just being aware that this issue is out there and how you, as a Christian leader, can lean in to address it the way that God has really called us to. That's such a big deal. I don't want you to miss that. So I want you to think this week how do you show that unconditional love in your family, no matter what? Is that unconditional love that is so huge, particularly when you start thinking about the and talking about the complex dynamics of that blended family.

Chris Grainger: 11:05

Okay, so now talked a lot about love out there, talked a lot about love, and I want you to know one thing God loves you, he absolutely loves you, and if you don't know Christ as your personal Savior, today's just a great day for you to begin that relationship with Him. And at first we need to understand that God is love. We know, first we need to understand that he, god, is love. We know that. Scripture tells us that. And he created us in his image, he formed Adam and breathe the breath of life in his lungs and Adam, in that moment, was, was face to face with his creator, god, and that and we are made in his image, and so whatever flaw you may be thinking that you have or you're not lovable we talked a lot about love today. That's a lie. That's a lie from the pits of hell. I just want to cast that back to where it belongs. You are just the way God wanted to make you, and you may be thinking that you have all these issues or flaws or whatever. I'm just telling you don't believe them. You're made in the image of God, so we had this perfect relationship with God. You're made in the image of God, so we had this perfect relationship with God.

Chris Grainger: 12:07

Then, all of a sudden, something happened. Well, sin entered the world, okay, and that's when the fall occurred. And that's where we have this separation from God. So, yes, we're made in his image, but now we're separated from him. So we have a holy and righteous God and you have us. And there's this gap here because we have us, who have this sin nature, fall short of the glory of God, and a holy and righteous God man. This is a big deal, and a sin, just to clarify, is nothing more than anything that separates us from God.

Chris Grainger: 12:35

The problem is we start trying to categorize sin and trying to stackerate them and things like that. Well, murderous disses up here versus you know, lying down here and somewhere in the middle you have these different Stop, stop, stop. A sin is a sin. Quit trying to make yourself feel better. A sin is a sin. Ok, they all separate us from God.

Chris Grainger: 12:56

So now we have this separation from God, and what do we do? Well, can we go to church? Can we just open our Bible and start reading? Can we just be a nice person? Can we just open our Bible and start reading? Can we just be a nice person? Can we help little old ladies cross the street? Can we give our money to charities? And will all this stuff help us be good enough to where we can close that gap and go to heaven? It's a legit question.

Chris Grainger: 13:23

Okay, the issue is all those things, all those, those, those action, those works that we're doing, they can't. They can't buy your salvation. This is a free gift, right? You can't, you can't earn your way in. This is where so many people get trapped up. Why does think I can just be a good enough person? What define good? What is good? What's good enough? Because your definition of good is different than my definition of good.

Chris Grainger: 13:47

So here's the problem we compare ourselves to others. So if you find yourself in that trap, comparing yourself to someone else down the street or your neighbor or your coworker, that's a dangerous place to be, because, instead of comparing yourself to them, compare yourself to a holy and righteous God and then see how you stack up. And I'm going to tell you, if you stack up anything less than he's God and he is up here and you are way down here and you're completely separated from him you did it wrong, because he is holy and we are not, so recognize that we are a sinner, because there's nothing we can do to buy it. We can't buy our way in. What do you do then? Well, you can't do anything. You need a Savior, enter Jesus.

Chris Grainger: 14:31

So Jesus came on that rescue mission for you, for me, for the whole world. He was born of a virgin. He performed all the miracles, the prophecies. He fulfilled them all. And then Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and for my sin, for the sin of the entire world. And they killed him. His perfect blood ran, every piece of it was out, and they they hung, they put him on the cross, they crucified him, and his blood is what pays for your sin. They laid him in a tomb, but he didn't stay there long, three days. He's up and out of there Now. He's back to the right hand of the father and no one comes to the Father except through him. He is the way, the truth and the life. Fellas, this is it. There is no other name among men of which we must be saved. It's Jesus. He's it.

Chris Grainger: 15:17

So how do you get this? How do you get this free gift? Well, I had to confess him. You got to say Lord, I get it. I am a sinner in need of a savior hey, I'm not a mistake or in need of a life coach. No, no, no, no. I'm not a snowflake, a skittle or a cupcake. Nope, I'm a sinner, doggone it, and I need a savior, and Jesus you're it, and I recognize that you are it. So I'm choosing to follow you and wherever you lead I'll go. I'm yours and, at that moment, no-transcript to begin doing what he's caused you to do. You just entered a battlefield and I'm so excited to have you here with us. So I'm telling you, if this is new to you, if you've never heard it said this way, or maybe you're listening to the podcast and you've heard this before but all of a sudden, today it's just clicking Hallelujah. So now's the time for you to decide are you going to do anything with this or are you just going to pass it by and go on to the next podcast?

Chris Grainger: 16:23

Highly encourage you If the Spirit's tugging, don't put off for tomorrow what the Spirit's asking you to do today. Do your business with God, confess Him as Lord and Savior, take action now. And I want to pray with you for that one listener who's ready to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. So, father, that one listener who's ready to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. So, father, that one listener out there. They're broken, they're tired, they're at the end of the rope, lord. They don't know what else to do, but they know they need you. This is clearer to them now than it's ever been in their entire life. They know they need you. I pray you that you hear their prayer, that you comfort them, that you give them some moments of joy today, that you just put your peace that passes all understanding around them, that you fill their heart with hope, with encouragement and, father, I just pray that as they take this step of obedience, that you put people in their life that will help guide and direct them on their discipleship journey, which they just started right now. We love you, jesus, and we praise you in Christ's name, amen. So if you just accepted Christ as your Savior, hallelujah, welcome to the club. Let's get after it. Let's get going.

Chris Grainger: 17:35

I want to hear from you Okay, email me at chris, at thelinewithinus what I'm going to do. I'm going to send you some free resources, some things we've built over the years. Get you started, get you set up. I also want to find out where you're at in the country to see if we can help you, get you plugged into a good gospel preaching church who believes the Bible is the inherent word of God and they preach it. I want to help you find that resource for you, get you started Again. Chris, at the line, withinus, also just want to give you a virtual high five and a fist bump and just encourage you. Okay, all right, looking forward to hearing from you for sure. So share the stuff out, guys.

Chris Grainger: 18:08

Come back on wednesday particularly if you're in a blended family or you know someone in that situation, because we go deep, we drop the plow, we go deep. I brought in the number one expert in the united states that can talk on this topic. I'm telling you you, this is a great conversation. This is one that will encourage you particularly for those that maybe this impacts you directly or somewhat indirectly Maybe it's in your extended family, but not in your underneath your own roof on how we should be showing love. What does that look like in a blended family? Because the dynamics have changed. They have, and we need to know how to embrace that, recognize it to be true and adjust. So now, guys, leave us a rating and review. That helps big time.

Chris Grainger: 18:47

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Chris Grainger: 19:27

We put a ton of work in this. We're in it all the time. We're refining, we're fine-tuning, we're making this be the resource out there. It's going to help so many Christians. So the so many Christian men, so the lion withinus. Get started today. All right, guys, have a great one, get after it. Thank you so much for listening. Reach out. Look forward to hearing back from you Again. Share this stuff out. That's how we make the lion happen and you know what's coming. Keep unleashing the lion within.

Chris Grainger: 20:04

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Chris Grainger: 21:00

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