Naomi, her mother in law, gave her the blessing to go back to her family. Naomi said to her & her sister-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s house. May the LORD show you the same kindness as you have shown to the deceased and to me. May the LORD guide each of you to find a husband and a home in which you will be at rest.” (Ruth 1:8-9)
Ruth could follow her instruction & leave her. She could pursue a better life. She was a young widow who could still have brighter future with a new husband. But Ruth made the crazy choice. She decided to stay with her mother in law Naomi. She declared these powerful words.
“Do not press me to go back & abandon you! Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people & your God, my God. Where you die I will die, & there be buried. May the LORD do thus to me, and more, if even death separates me from you!” - Ruth 1:16-17
Beautiful words! Ruth defined what faithfulness is all about. That’s love in action!
Jesus is like that to us also. Multiply Ruth’s faithfulness by a gazillion times that’s how faithful God is to us. Jesus could have abandoned us. He could allow us to die in our sins. He could simply press RESTART to re-create the world. But HE chose not. In fact, Jesus even denied HIMSELF to save us.
“HE was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; & found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:6-8
That’s what LOVE is all about. That's what GOD is all about.
This action of Jesus should move us to follow HIS two commandments.
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. - Matthew 22:34-40
Jesus is calling you to LOVE every day.
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