Daily Worship

Commitment… to the past?

November 17, 2014 0 0

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.

Commitment… to the past?  Ruth had lost her husband and here she is vowing to stay with her mother-in-law.  Is Ruth trying to hold on to what she had lost?  Perhaps.
Or is she acting out of a sense of duty?  Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons.  She had no one left to take care of and no one to care for her.  Is Ruth feeling sorry for her mother-in-law?
Perhaps.
But if you follow through the story of Ruth, she never regrets her vow.  Whatever her motive initially, Ruth is committed to standing by her mother-in-law.
And it is love that’s the driving force.

Who are those we care for enough, to commit ourselves to standing by?

Lord Jesus,
You never fail us.
At every turn – through deep troughs
Mountainous crags
And muddy quagmires
Your feet fall in step with ours –
Your arms ready to catch,
To pull through,
To lift up…

Lord Jesus
That’s commitment.
Commitment born of love.

Teach us to be as selfless
As giving
As patient
And as tender.

For you are our God
And we are your people.