Ruth 1

"And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:" (v. 16)

Ruth was loyal to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She was willing to let go of everything she had been taught and move to a new land, and worship a new God because of the testimony of Naomi. No doubt Naomi still practiced her religion in this far off land, and Ruth was somewhat familiar with the God that Naomi worshipped. She was forsaking her god, and her country and her people, but she made the right choice. She was willing to go wherever Naomi went, no matter where that was. Ruth had a lot of character. In verse 17 she said she would stay with Naomi until death, and even be buried in a foreign land. What an amazing woman! It doesn't take a special gift to be loyal, it takes determination; it takes compassion; it takes character. Naomi saw that Ruth would not be deterred, and she gave up trying. (v. 18). They moved to Bethlehem, later to be the birth place of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the people knew her there. Naomi was obviously a virtuous woman. She was highly respected. When we do right, and live clean, pure lives, we will gain the respect of others.

It seems as though Naomi must have witnessed to Ruth, she definitely made a great impact on her. Ruth had a certain amount of character, but I have no doubt that Naomi made a difference in the life of Ruth. Do you know that you too can make a difference in the life of someone? If we would give ourselves to the service of the Lord, we could all make a difference in the lives of others, after all, it is Christ Who makes the difference in actuality. Let God use you. You do not have to be perfect, because none of us are, but you need to be available, and willing to be used of Him. Some of the most precious attributes we could ever hope to have in this life are availability and dependability. These go together like love and marriage. Ruth had both of these qualities, and God used her, and blessed her beyond her wildest dreams. Ruth became the grandmother of David, the greatest king of Israel beside Christ, and in the lineage with Christ. If we make ourselves useful to God, He will use us, and He will bless us, exceedingly.
--Marty Dunn

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