Lessons from Ruth (1)

The Bible book of Ruth shows us how God can work when we step out in faith and take risks with him. The book begins with: 'There was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife [Naomi] and his two sons' (Ruth 1:1 NKJV).

Things went well for the family for a while, but then tragedy struck. First Naomi's husband Elimelech died, and she was left with her two sons. The sons married local Moabite girls, but then the sons died. Overwhelmed with grief, Naomi decides to return home to Bethlehem and advises her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to stay in Moab to start new families. Orpah decided to stay in Moab, a place she knew even though it was filled with heartache. But Ruth chose to trust in Naomi and her God and move. She said to Naomi: 'Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God' (Ruth 1:16 NKJV). Orpah stayed back, Ruth went forward. And it paid off. In Bethlehem she met Boaz, her new husband. He was a good man and took good care of her, and their descendants included King David and Jesus.

God rewards faith, and he'll be with us every step of the journey out of our comfort zone.



So what now? Perhaps for you, today is the time to break with the past and move forward.





— SCRIPTURE —

'Wherever you go, I will go.' Ruth 1:16 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

Num 22-24, Mark 4:1-12, Ps 37:25-31 , Pro 11:5-6