Devotion for November 15, 2013: But Ruth said, “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.” -Ruth 1:16-17 I can imagine this sentiment being rampant among newlyweds and probably couples who have been together for quite a long time: Those newlyweds have not weathered too difficult a storm quite yet; and those longtime married, who have weathered so many storms they are becoming old pros at it. And no, a storm does not have to be an internal fight amongst the married couple, it could be the loss of a job, the loss of a child, moving across the state or even country. So many things could be considered weathering a ‘big storm,’ and yet when Ruth is saying this to Naomi she is not saying it to a spouse but rather to a mother in law. Now, no, this is nothing against mothers in law, but I wonder how many of us would make this type of pledge that Ruth did to someone who was not ‘blood’ or was not our spouse? To tell another person that I will be with you no matter what: no matter where you go, no matter what happens, no matter the circumstances we run into, I will be there. We can’t even make that kind of statement to our spouses at times. I have heard my fill of stories of spouses wanting to get a divorce because a time of weathering just couldn’t be done. Instead of being with that person through anything and everything… maybe we hedge the bet a little bit. Maybe I will be with that person, so long as I can handle what is going on. Maybe I will be with that person so long as I am still getting something out of the relationship. Maybe I will go anywhere with that person so long as I approve the move first. But to say that we will go anywhere, live anywhere, endure anything with another person, that takes a lot of love and a lot of guts to do. And this is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us. Before His ascension He told His disciples, and all of us, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Jesus made this promise to His faithful children that He is always with them. During His life on this earth He lived perfectly. When the time for His death came he died innocently, not deserving it but still suffering it. When He rose again… He made the promise to be with us always. And even before His rising back to life, He told His disciples that wherever two or more are gathered together in His name there He is also. Jesus has promised us that He will always be with us. When we are in His house, it is so easy to see how He is with us. When we sin, it is harder to see Him… and yet He is there. When we sin He is calling out to each and every one of us, calling us back to Him, calling us to believe that He lived the perfect life and died the innocent death so that our sins could be forgiven. Jesus has promised to be with us always. Whether we move far away; whether we lose a child; whether we lose a job; regardless of what happens to us, Jesus promises to be with us. He will be with us because through faith we cannot lose Him. Our faith is the empty hand that reaches out and holds on to Christ… and we pray that we never let Him go. God is always with us. He is protecting us. He is guarding us. He is helping us. God is there. You are never alone. And just like Ruth made the promise to Naomi, so Jesus has promised us that He will always be with us, loving us and redeeming us. Soli Deo Gloria!
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 01:50:58 +0000
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