Ruth

I posted earlier about a mighty man, and I felt it only appropriate to write a couple of thoughts about a woman in the Bible as well. So I've decided to jump to Ruth, one of my favorite stories. Ruth has always stood out to me as one of the most devoted people in the Bible. I won't share with you her whole story, you can go and read the book of Ruth for yourself. (It's a very short book. Shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes to read through it.) But what I do want to share with you is a very short piece of the book, from the mouth of Ruth herself:

“Entreat me not to leave you,

Or to turn back from following after you;

For wherever you go, I will go;

And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;

Your people shall be my people,

And your God, my God.

Where you die, I will die,

And there will I be buried.

The LORD do so to me, and more also,

If anything but death parts you and me.”

If you're struggling to understand the meaning of the word devotion or what that may look like, then here is your answer. She is so devoted to her mother-in-law that she will allow nothing but death to separate herself from her. This is what devotion should look like.

Ruth will follow, lodge with, be one with, die with, and be buried with this person that she is devoted to. There will be no degree of separation between them. This is the kind of devotion we should all be pursuing towards God. No degrees of separation us. I'm going to take a few liberties (please forgive me) and rewrite Ruth's words into a prayer:

Entreat me not to leave you,

Or to turn back from following after you;

For wherever You lead, I will go;

And wherever You send me, I will stay;

Your people shall be my people,

For you are my God.

Not my will, but Yours.

Turn Your face upon me Lord,

If anything but death parts You and I.

Amen.