It Starts Small

One of my most favorite books of the Bible has always been Ruth. I love the story of Ruth and Boaz as a love story between a man and women, but the story of Ruth goes deeper. All of the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of our Savior. In the book of Ruth, we learn that Ruth is a picture of the church. She is a picture of you and I. Boaz is a picture of God. Ruth was a pagan and Boaz was a good man.

This book was written during a very dark time in the history of God’s people. They were without a king. The people did what they wanted and fell into very dark times as a nation. The story of Ruth reminds us, that no matter how dark it is, there is hope, life, and freedom. Our lives are the sum total of our decisions. Our decisions have an affect on the lives of those around us. We have to be careful in what we choose to do.

The story of Ruth starts with Elimelech. He packed up his wife Naomi and their sons and moved to Moab because of a great famine that had fallen on the land. This was a wrong decision he made for their family. The moabites were an evil wicked people. The Moabites were created out of the incest between Lot and his daughters. They practiced horrible pagan rituals that included sacrificing their own children. God commanded his people to stay away from them.

How do we make decisions that lead to a God’s destiny for our lives?

We have to understand the principle of willing choice. God gives all of us a free will. He doesn’t force his will or purpose upon us. We have the choice to be completely on heaven’s side or hell’s side. There is no middle ground. We choose life or death, blessing or curse, receive or reject, and to honor or to despise. Many day to day choices don’t matter, like what do I eat? What brand of tooth paste do I use? But there are some very important decisions that are to be made that are life changing. Not just life changing to ourselves, but our families.

There’s no neutrality. You never get to choose the consequences of your choice. You can choose to be righteous or unrighteous, but you never get to choose the blessing or the curse that follows. many of the decisions we make bring curses upon our house. Our children are cursed by our wrong decisions and blessed by our righteous decisions.

We need to really understand what happens when we willfully make wrong choices. Elimelech was out of the will of God and rather than trusting God to provide during the famine he moved his family to the worst place possible. Many of our wicked choices come from having the wrong motivation. Instead of seeking God, he was seeking physical relief from hunger. Many of our own wrong choices are made out of unfulfilled lives. That hunger deep in us, the loneliness and emptiness leads us to choose to fill those needs and we ignore what the consequences are. This is why we need a deep close relationship with Jesus. When he is filling our hearts to its fullest, we don’t make decisions based on our senses. We make them by listening to Holy Spirit speak to us. We recognize the power of choices and choose to make choices that bring blessing, no matter how hard they seem.

God is never going to sit in second place in our lives.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Seek God first!

Elimelech was using the wrong method. He was operating by his senses. He operated by what he could see rather than by faith. Faith swims where reason cannot. Faith moves where nothing makes sense. Faith trusts in the promises of God. Faith serves God almighty. He served the wrong master. He could see and hear with his ears that Moab was flourishing. There was food in Moab. Who cares that they’re a wicked evil people, at least they have bread right? My family will be fed, so I must be making the right decision.

The consequences were devastating! As a result his sons took pagan wives. This was against the Hebrew Law. He was directly against what God spoke. Those sons, and Elimelech died early in their years. This left Naomi with two daughter in laws in a pagan land with no sons or husband to support them. We can not run and hide from God. You can not run from death, disappointments, or your wrong choices. God knows, and it’s only a matter of time before your consequences overtake you.

We need to also understand the power of making a wise choice. Naomi was in a pickle. Granted, it was her husband’s decision to move them to Moab, that started this mess. She had a cursed life. God said, anyone who lives among these people were cursed with them. She was living a crushed life. Her husband was dead. Her sons were dead. Her heart was broken and she had no means to support herself. Isn’t it most often when we are cursed, crushed and broken we have the greatest decisions to make?

But In the midst of her grief and suffering, there was hope. God was making a way.

And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. Ruth 1:14

Naomi, in her bitterness and grief returns to the land of Judah. She tells her two daughter in laws to return to their people. The one daughter in law left, but Ruth made one of the most life changing choices that not only changed her life, but made way for our Savior!

16 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: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. Ruth 1:16-17

Ruth had a new determination. She said, I am going with you, Naomi. Wherever you lead I will follow. Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. I will depend upon you. I want to be with your people. Your God is my God. Where you die, I will will die.

What a beautiful commitment Ruth made to her mother in law. Often times, these words are spoken by brides in a marriage ceremony. We need to make this commitment to Jesus. We need to be determined and committed to go, follow, depend, and worship our Heavenly Father.

This is the greatest decision we can make for ourselves and the blessing spills out upon our families. We need to let go of the world and choose to follow God. Let him have complete control over our lives. Throw our own selfishness and pride down in the grave and just tell our Heavenly Father, where you go I go. Where you lead I will follow. Where you lodge I will lodge. Your people are my people and I will worship you all the days of my life.

This is a lifetime commitment. This is a life changing commitment. This is a forever decision. This is what Jesus asks of us. We don’t always have to make sense of where he leads us or make sense of circumstance, we just have to have complete trust.

What decisions are you facing today? Who do they involve? What does God’s Word say and what is the Spirit speaking to you today?

I wished I had awesome amazing stories to share with you of great wise decision and how God blessed myself, my marriage and my family by choosing him over the world. Sadly there’s not enough hours in a year to tell you how many horribly wrong decisions I have made and the consequences of them were not pretty. The best decision I made was a year ago. I chose to change my clothes. I took the filth of death off and spoke these beautiful words to Jesus. I realized in everything I do I am a testimony and witness of Him. Even though my children are grown, I still testify to them by my choices and my actions. I testify the character of God in everything I do.

It’s not easy to obey, especially when the dots are lined up for an evil victory. I’ve had to ask my Heavenly Father a few times, you want me to do what? But….. Ruth is a reminder, that we just have to trust and cling to Jesus as she did Naomi. Trust and commit all to Jesus.

We find out as we continue reading Ruth, she was about to have her life turned upside down in a fantastic blessed way. Through Ruth we can really understand God’s amazing grace, how to draw close to Jesus, and the redeeming love!