“For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
Sometime ago, a picture posted on Reddit showing a bowl Kellogg’s famous Raisin Bran cereal with only a sparse supply of raisins caused an uproar among some cereal lovers. In response, BusinessInsider.com set out to investigate, leaving those same cereal lovers feeling a lot better. What they discovered was that although Kellogg has never really made it clear on just exactly how big their “scoop” is, BusinessInsider.com felt that with 1.5 cups of raisins in an extra-large box of Raisin Bran cereal and when compared to the raisin to cereal ratio, there was certainly enough raisins to satisfy most taste buds and give consumers their money’s worth.
In Ruth chapter four, following her mother in-law’s instructions to a “T,” Ruth presented herself to Boaz, offering herself to him as a wife, to which she was not turned away or disappointed. Boaz gladly offered to redeem her and was honored that Ruth didn’t choose a younger man but chose him instead. He would follow all the protocols necessary to make her his wife, but before he sent her home from the grain threshing floor, he did something even more. Boaz asked Ruth to spread out her cloak and then he filled it up with six full scoops of grain. Ruth came there that night for the soul purpose of hopefully finding redemption, but she left with even more.
In this Old Testament story Boaz is a picture of Jesus “Our Kinsman Redeemer” and we are a picture of Ruth, a stranger and a foreigner with no inheritance of our own, completely destitute and unable to save ourselves. When we come to the Lord as our Redeemer, He not only gives us the redemption we seek, but on top of redemption, He also gives us even more than we ask for. Not only does He save us from our sins, giving us a future, eternal home in Heaven, but along with this redemption He has poured out Sozo Salvation upon us. These six additional “scoops” of blessings as defined in the Greek word for Saved, with is Sozo, include healing, deliverance, preservation, protection, prosperity/provision, and wholeness.
Just as with Ruth, our Heavenly Father didn’t want to just give us redemption, which by itself would have been a gracious gracious, but He also wants to give us “Abundant Life” here on earth.
Today, no matter what you stand in need of, receive, by faith, those extra scoops of Sozo that God has so graciously provided for us through Jesus.