July 03, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"The Power of Choice... "
Ruth 1:16
New International Version
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.
Whatever happened to Ruth's sister-in-law, Orpah? Although Naomi encouraged both of her daughters-in-law to remain, the text gives us an important clue as to why only Orpah stayed behind. "Look," said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her." The choice was not really about whether to leave relatives and friends. Naomi knew it was fundamentally a choice between gods. So did Ruth. Despite being given the clear option to choose otherwise, Ruth chose the God of Israel. The true God. This left Orpah choosing false gods-and a culture that did not honor godly values. Was hers, as one can imagine, a life ending in bitterness, grief, and regret? Defined as we are by our choices at critical junctures in our lives, the only real issue is whether we decide to go with God.
So the question is: When I reach each crucial crossroad in my life, is God foremost among my considerations?
