Can you relate with Ruth? Ruth trusted God personally, relationally & culturally. Ruth trusted God in the midst of personal doubt, relational objection, and cultural curses. She trusted God when it made no logical sense, when she was told to do something different, and when culture screamed otherwise. Cheryl and I can relate with Ruth, can you?
We are all tempted to doubt ourselves. Winning the battle of self talk is a real challenge for all of us. We have between 50,000 - 75,000 thoughts each day. Paul challenges us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ in 2 Corinthians 10:5. We can't do this unless we talk to God all of the time about the thoughts we are having which makes 1 Thess. 5:16-18 make more sense. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There is no way we can find peace and freedom over the doubts unless we foster our relationship with Jesus.
Speaking of relationships, we all face relational objection. This objection comes from family and well meaning friends. The key here is to know the difference between Godly accountability and relational objection to us walking in obedience.
Naomi told Ruth to go back to her own people multiple times. Ruth responded to her mother-in-law by saying, “Where you go I will go, where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” This part of the story ends with Naomi seeing the determination of Ruth to be with her and remaining loyal to the end. May we be like Ruth trusting God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in the area of relational objection.
Culture was another challenge that Ruth faced. It was not culturally right for her to stay with her mother-in-law. It is unusual for a Moabite woman to leave her own people and go to a nation that considered them enemies. Then with the death of her husband with and no one in the family available to marry her she should have gone back home to her family of origin. As the story progresses we see Ruth, a foreigner, humbling herself before Boaz in total submission. Boaz redeemed Ruth which is a beautiful picture of the way Jesus redeems us. May we humbly come before God completely submitted to him as our Redeemer.
Partner Progress - Prayer 204 of 250 - Financial 16 of 100