Selfless Loyalty

Gods Story For Your Life

Selfless Loyalty
================
Read Ruth 1:6-22
================
But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and
turn back. Wherever you go, I
will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your
people will be my people, and
your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I
will die, and there I will be
buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I
allow anything but death to
separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was
determined to go with her, she said
nothing more.

So the two of them
continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem,
the entire town was
excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the
women
asked.

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me
Mara, for the Almighty
has made life very bitter for me. I went away full,
but the LORD has brought
me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has
caused me to suffer and the
Almighty has sent such tragedy upon
me?”

So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law
Ruth, the
young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at
the
beginning of the barley harvest. / (Ruth
1:16-22)

Reflect
=======
Ruth was a Moabitess, not an Israelite.
But her ethnicity didn’t stop her from
worshiping the true God, nor did it
stop God from accepting her worship and
blessing her greatly. The Jews were
not the only people God loved. Rather, God
chose the Jews to be the people
through whom the rest of the world would come
to know him. This purpose was
fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born as a Jew.

Through Jesus, the entire
world can come to know God. Acts 10:35 says, “In
every nation [God] accepts
those who fear him and do what is right.” God
accepts all who worship him; he
works through people regardless of their race,
gender, or
nationality.

The book of Ruth is a perfect example of God’s impartiality.
Although Ruth
belonged to a race often despised by Israel, she was blessed
because of her
faithfulness. She became a great-grandmother of King David and
a direct
ancestor of Jesus. No one should feel disqualified to serve God
because of
race, gender, or national background. And God can use every
circumstance to
build his kingdom.

Respond
=======
God’s
invitation extends to everyone, and he wants everyone to know. God
invites
you to be part of spreading that Good News. In your daily life, the
way that
you love and treat those around you can open doors to sharing that
Good News.
You never know who God is speaking to around you. But as you
interact with
others, listen to their stories and look for glimpses of God at
work. Then
point it out.