“But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die…” ~ Ruth 1:16-17
REFERENCE:
A young lady who loses her husband after a few years of marriage will be preoccupied with redeeming her youth, but not Ruth. She sought a future that included God, not what she could get; a future that drew her closer to the God of her mother-in-law was more vital to her than one in which she remarried, had children, and lived her dreams. She chose God over goodies.
What prompted Ruth to follow Naomi, despite the lack of prospects, to an unknown land, strangers, and a foreign God when she could easily have gone back to her family, friends, and support system after the death of her husband? An underlying spirit of faithfulness and loyalty characterized Ruth’s life, a sense of duty that outweighed any need for pleasure.
Ruth severed all ties to her past – family, friends, home, gods, etc., and chose to put her faith in a God that she did not know. She knew sticking to Naomi and her God offered her no security blankets, but she decided to follow regardless. Her motive was pure, not based on what she could get. It contrasted with her sister, Orpah, who decided to go home and ‘sort’ herself out. Life with Naomi held no prospects; hence, she would go home and get a life.
Like Orpah, many believers like the idea of following God as long as it offers goodies. Naomi and her God were good when they offered her a husband, but Orpah turned her back when that fountain dried up. Some follow Jesus to a point and then turn back when the heat is on, or they see no immediate material benefits. Some will do anything for God as long as He reciprocates with His blessings; if there is a break, they sulk and stop going to church.
Have you chosen God over goodies? Following Jesus means denying yourself often; He told one man who sought to follow Him for comfortable lodging, “Birds have nests and foxes have holes, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” We are called to follow God in good and not-so-good times. The moment you decide on this, like Ruth, God will commit true riches to you. Ruth went out ‘blindly’ but trusting, but God blessed her in amazing ways.
ADDITIONAL TEXT:
PRAYER:
+ Father, let my resolve to follow You be strengthened by the help of the Holy Spirit, especially when I can’t see any tangible profits to the union.
+ I receive the heart of loyalty and faithfulness that will not turn back like Orpah but will follow through as a worthy disciple of Christ Jesus.
