Scripture: Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied, “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.”
Devotion: Moab was a place that was filled with evil. It was forbidden by God to go there. It was named after a man who was the son of the daughter who got her dad, Lot, drunk and slept with him. The Moabites worshipped a false god and the Lord referred to them as a washbasin to wash His feet. The point? It was not a good place. And that is where Ruth and Naomi are coming from.
Even though they are coming from a terrible place, and Ruth herself was a Moabite, the Lord uses them and their story. They turn from Moab. In fact, when encouraged to go back to her home country by her mother-in-law Naomi, Ruth refuses. Instead, they head toward Bethlehem. This is God’s best. And we see the positive impacts of that decision play out in their lives through Boaz (which we will dive deeper into in the coming weeks).
When we turn away from the things in life that don’t honor God (like Moab) and turn towards God’s best for us, we bring glory to our Lord and will reap the benefits of a life lived in pursuit of Him.
So, what is it that you need to turn your back on? Is there a sin in your life that keeps a hold on you? A bad habit? A toxic relationship? What is getting in the way of you living a life that honors God? It’s time for us to turn away from it and live the life that God has called us to: a life shaped in the image of Jesus. When we do so, we will truly know what it is like to experience God’s best for us.
Reflect:
- Is there a sin, habit, relationship, etc. that is getting in the way of you living a life that honors God? How might you take a step towards turning away from it?