In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a man from Bethlehem in Judah left the country because of a severe famine. He took his wife and two sons and went to live in the country of Moab. (Ruth 1:1 NLT)
Pack up, we're moving! Eighteen times in the last fifty-nine years my wife has heard those words. Each time decisions had to be made. What do we pack? What do we leave behind? Moving is always a frenzy and is just as difficult today as it was in the days of Ruth and Naomi.
Naomi along with her husband, Elimelech and their two sons left Bethlehem in Judah because of a famine and moved to Moab. What a difficult decision to leave your place of birth, and move to a foreign land where they worshiped gods of wood and stone.
When you move, something must be sacrificed and left behind. What must you abandon in order to worship the one true God? False beliefs, and practices of the past? A relationship that doesn't honor God? Possessions that are weighing you down? Leaving your comfort zone? Many other things could be mentioned.
Worshiping God requires sacrifice. God honored Ruth's commitment and gave her a place in the lineage of Jesus. (Matthew 1:5)
Thought for the Day: Consider what God is calling you to leave behind today. Like Ruth, follow your heart and obey God.
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