“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 Redditshowing 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 exactly how big their “scoop” is, BusinessInsider.com felt that in an extra-large box of Raisin Bran cereal there was a full 1.5 cups of raisins, and when compared to the raisin to cereal ratio, that 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 more. Boaz asked Ruth to spread out her cloak and then 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 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 blessing as defined in the Greek word for Saved, 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 is plenty gracious, He also wants to give us “Abundant Life” here on earth.