I am very fortunate to be able to attend a small women's Bible study and prayer group once a week. Last week we discussed the book of Ruth, and it was very interesting and enlightening. The leader gave 4 points about the book which are examples of the christian life.
1.) The Christian life is a life of choices
2.) The Christian life is a life of work and obedience
3.) The Christian life is a life of dependence
4.) The Christian life is a life of reward
Each of these points goes along with the four chapters in the book of Ruth.
Lets take point one, "The Christian life is a life of choices."
The text is from Ruth chapter one.
Ruth was in a place in her life where she had a couple of major choices. She could stay in her homeland and perhaps get remarried or go with her mother in law Naomi to a land she never knew. I don't know how long Ruth struggled with the issue, but I do know what her choice ultimatly was. " 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. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, of anything but death separates you and me". ( Ruth 1: 16-17 )
Ruth left her homeland, her family, her gods, and her security to go to a new place. She made a tough choice. When they got to Bethlehem the whole town was stirred up. They talked among themselves about if that was really Naomi and what happened to her. Naomi told them that the Lord had afflicted her and brought her back empty. Then the two women, Naomi and Ruth the Moabite, started their life again.
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Choices. I know we all have to make choices every day, but what happens when those choices become life changing ones? Are we ready and willing to step out and follow the Lord, despite how it may appear? Do we want to please so many people that we forget about pleasing and doing the work of the Lord? Ruth's choice was obvious, stay or go. Yet, her choice affected the rest of her life and also the lives of countless others. Our choices matter. We cannot decide for other people, just as Ruth could not decide for her sister in law. We can only decide for ourselves and do what the Lord wants us to do.
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Have you had any major choices to make? How did you go about choosing which way to go? How did your choices affect those around you? If you could make your choices over would you change your decisions? How would that affect your life now?
Please take time to read the first chapter of Ruth and answer the questions.
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