Read
Ruth 1:1-4:12
Think
Ruth 1:14-16, "At this, they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. ‘Look,' said Naomi, ‘your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.' But Ruth replied, ‘Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'"
Naomi, a Hebrew, left Bethlehem during a famine and moved with her husband and two sons to Moab, a nation that worshiped many gods. While living in this foreign land, tragedy struck. Naomi's husband died, followed by her two sons. She was destitute. Her only remaining family there were her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. So, when she learned there was no longer a famine in Bethlehem, she decided to return to her homeland. Before setting off on her journey, she urged both of them to return to their families and build a new life for themselves - but both women decided to stay with Naomi.
As they began their journey, she once again urged them to return home. Orpah left her, but Ruth clung to Naomi - and with it, she clung to God. At that moment, Ruth committed to remaining with her mother-in-law, leaving behind her family, her culture, her gods, and all that was comfortable and familiar. What Ruth must've seen and learned from Naomi about God convinced her that He was worth following at all cost!
This leaves us with two questions:
1. Who or what are you clinging to?
2. Who is the Ruth in your life – someone who is searching for ultimate truth and purpose?
As we'll discover in tomorrow's reading, Ruth made a God-ordained decision that led to her being a part of the lineage of Christ. So, cling to God and intentionally lead others towards the life of purpose and promise that's only found in Him!
Pray
Lord, Let me cling to nothing besides You and to those who propel me towards living out Your best! Let there be no comfort, no tradition, or no convenience that I hold higher than following You. And as I wholeheartedly commit to You, help me to set an example for others who have yet to accept You as their personal Lord and Savior! Amen.
