Dying to self, living to the Lord.
With her two daughters-in-law SHE LEFT the place where she had been living and SET OUT ON THE ROAD that would take them back to the land of Judah. Ruth 1:7
Naomi had experienced three deaths(she may have coped with one or even two but all hope was gone), her husband and her two sons. She’d heard that there was food again in Judah and there was nothing left for her in Moab, so she made the decision to return home to her own people.
GO BACK(seems good advice, just go back to where you’ve always been), each of you, to your mother’s home. Ruth 1:8
At this they wept 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”. Ruth 1:14, 15
God gives us lots of opportunities to turn back but Ruth refused to go back, she clung to Naomi. This in a sense is the FOURTH DEATH in the Book of Ruth. A young woman gave up life as she had known it, with her people, her land where she’d always lived and her gods, to go and serve her mother-in-law. RUTH CHOSE A RELATIONSHIP(a close relationship) to set the future course of her life. Together they left Moab and walked back to Bethlehem.
Ruth’s destiny was with her poor and elderly mother-in-law. When she clung and held on to Naomi and gave up everything else she’d known she walked towards God’s Plan for her life.
We have to die to our plans for God’s purposes to prevail in our lives and be warned, it can be painful and the path may well be tough! God’s path may seem foolishness to those around us because our lives are working on a different compass. We’re not looking for the easiest or most advantageous plans for self, but for our Devine Destiny. Ruth gave up ALL HER PLANS, literally died to herself and began the exciting adventure of walking out someone else’s plan for her. Her destiny was to become the great grandmother of King David and an ancestor of the Messiah.
Many people may set out on the path the Lord has chosen and make the commitment to walk upon it;
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”. Ruth 1:16
On the first Sunday of January this year I had a significant dream. Part of it was that the Lord would deal with my flesh and I can see that God has been bringing to death a number of areas in my life, not an easy experience. Not everyone will be as steadfast as Ruth when passing through the fire, the trials of our lives, but GOD IS FAITHFUL. He works to purify us for our good and for eternity.
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God bless and keep you today.