Loyalty is all about honesty, trust and commitment. Ruth stuck with Naomi, her mother-in-law through a very hard time when it was really tough. She had the option to return like Orpah! Naomi, whose name means pleasant, returned to Bethlehem and told the people to call her Mara because things had turned bitter for her. She had decided to return because it was the beginning of Spring and there was barley harvest. The decision Orpah made appears to have made more sense, she would be more comfortable with her own people in Moab! Decisions determine destiny!
Most of us haven’t had to uproot our lives for survival like Ruth and Naomi did, but we were all born spiritually displaced. Whatever passport we hold, neighborhood we live in, or income bracket we belong to, we were all citizens in the land of the spiritually dead as Ephesians 2:5 states “that even though we were dead because of our sins, God gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It’s only by God’s grace that we have been saved."
Both Naomi and Ruth were “walking by faith and not by sight” as 2 Corinthians states. When they got to Bethlehem, Ruth immediately demonstrated her commitment by going to find a job for their upkeep.
Dear Lord, thank you for being with me when I go through hard times. Please give me the wisdom to serve the hurting hearts around me, and the patience to know how to walk alongside them through their trials. Amen
Go Deeper: Do you know someone you can encourage today? Would you call them, pray for them, text them or just sit beside them if you happened to be around them?
Meditate on: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
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