Woman of Faith – Ruth

 

Hello my dear friends!  It’s me again. How are you? I Hope everything is okay with you all. I am so glad and be grateful could come back again to blogging after for one month totally out of blogging for holiday. I really miss read your great and wonderful posts. I will try to visit and read all of your posts as soon as I can.

This post is my other series of “Woman of Faith” Quite been long time I longs to write a post based on the book of Ruth. Beside many other woman bible figures, Ruth is one of my favorite figures.  After I took study and ponder, I got many valuable lessons from her story and this post talks about the most important thing we could learn from Ruth.

Let’s briefly look to Ruth’s background. Ruth is a woman of Moabites. The Moabites was born from the sex relationship between Lot and two of his daughter.  The one was gave birth the Moabites and the other one was Amon. It means Ruth was coming from the sinner background.

Ruth’s story began when The Israel hit by the long famine. Elimelech, a man of Bethlehem, Judah, with his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion decided went to Moab for a living. Then Mahlon took wives Ruth and Chilion took wives Orpah.  After ten years lived in Moab, Elimelech and his two sons died, so Naomi just with her two daughters-in-law. With consideration there was no longer can be done in the land of Moab, Naomi chooses and decided to go back to the land of Judah and she asked Orpah and Ruth return to the Moab. (Ruth 1:8-9) Eventually Orpah was choosing to go back to her people but Ruth expressly refused. She chose to keep stay with Naomi. She 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.”(Ruth 1:16 NKJV)

My beloved readers, here we learn one important thing from Ruth and become a substance in the Christian living. Actually after her husband died she has full right to leave Naomi and could married with other man in her homeland, Moab. But Ruth insisted to remain follow Naomi to the land of Judah. This wasn’t an easy choice because at that time, the future of a woman depends on her husband. And Ruth’s future depends on her status as a widow or someone’s wife. Here Ruth made a step of faith. She chose leave her traditions, culture, her god in Moab, showed her faith and faithfulness to the God that recently she knew through Naomi’s family, and she dared to bet her own future just for the sake to accompany Naomi back to the Bethlehem. Well, before I continue, I want to ask one thing, please for awhile place ourselves in the Ruth’s position. Do we dare risking our future to go and live at a place that has different culture and we even really don’t know what we can do there for life, without any planning, we don’t have anyone we know, we don’t even know what will be happen there, and there is no assurance at all that we will get the better future?  Are we? Ruth dared to do it. She dared to leave her own land went to Judah that in fact was the enemy of her people, while if she decided to go back to the Moab she might live comfortably and without any difficulties. This was a great faith step of Ruth. She chose to believe and act on her faith in God. Ruth believes God has a plan even though she hasn’t seen it. Ruth was heading into the dark tunnel but she believes there is a sun above the tunnel although she did not see it. Her faith could make her believe that at the end of tunnel she will see the light.

What is the result of Rut’s faith step? After she passed through quite difficult and hard lives, finally Ruth reaps the fruit of her great faith. Ruth met Boaz. This was another phase of Ruth live. It turns out the figure of Ruth shines brightly in Bethlehem. Although she came from Moab, Ruth became an honorable woman figure and it wasn’t only recognized by Boaz but also by the people of Bethlehem. Boaz said:

And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. (Ruth 3:11 NKJV)

Ruth and Boaz got married. This was a final result of her great faith step. Her lives restored incredibly. Her great faith step led her to God’s blessings that continually flowed in her lives and we all are know that from their offspring then David was born, until Jesus Christ later.

What is the important thing that can be applied from Ruth’s story? In one phase of my personal life, I was applying Ruth’s step of faith. Before I formally replace my parents in the company a few years ago, my parents gave me two options. The options was, I build my own business or take over their position. After asking God’s guidance and  consider many things then I chose the second option. Still remember in my mind when my parents officially handed over the reins of leadership of the company to me.  Although actually I had been prepared to replace them, but when the time comes, to be honest I was scared. I am haunted by fears and doubts. Lead and controlling many companies weren’t an easy thing. I learned and mastered everything about business only from what I have learned in the college but it all just a theory and not necessarily will be same as reality. Realized that I wasn’t in good situation then my mother gave me a simple advice. She said, “Learn from Ruth’s story. Compare her situation with your situation”

I am pondered so deep. Yes! Indeed, Ruth’s situation at the time was so different with me. My situation was much, much better than her. She didn’t have anything and had to move and lived among the nation that became her enemy. She didn’t even know what should to do for live there. Compared with me, God blessed me with good knowledge and ability; I am not alone because I am surrounded by those who experts in their field, I really know what should to do to run my parents company because I have “A master handbook” of the company. I also have many place to ask. My parents, my husband, and the most important thing is, I have God who surely lead and help me.My mother than said again, “Ruth could be a success and became a virtuous woman because she had a great step of faith. You have to do the same thing, you have to see everything by faith, walking and living by faith. Like Ruth, completely trust in God! Just maintain your faith in God so you could walk confidently despite everything in the front of you seem indistinct.”

My beloved readers, today let’s take time for a moment to reflect and re-examine the quality of our faith. How is our attitude in facing tomorrow, next week, next month, even our next future? Whether today or tomorrow we can sleep in peace and joy without any worries about what will go on later?  Whether we still could sleep wakeless in the night while there are still so many burdens of unresolved problems? How big our faith overcoming our fear and anxiety about all of things that hasn’t seen? How far we believe that God will always sustain us as it is written in Psalms,

I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. (Psalm 3:5 NKJV)

Where we put our faith? If only a lip service we say we have faith but when the problems come to hit us, we become shaky and scared or we are worried if what we expect never comes and we begin to doubt with God’s inclusion in our life? Or otherwise our faith completely strongly embedded and rooted in the deepest of our heart and become a substance of everything we do?

Today, let’s learn from Ruth’s story. Her unwavering step of faith to the God who recently she knew made her life full of hope and didn’t make her afraid about the future in the land of Judah. Although she lived long before the New Testament but she had applying what is written in the book of Hebrews,

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)

Although Ruth came from a pagan background in Moab, once she met the God of Israel, she became a living testimonial to Him by faith. Ruth is the great example That God rewards faith and faithfullness:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)

From Ruth we also learn that how God can change a life and take it in a direction He has foreordained, and we see Him working out His perfect plan in Ruth’s life, as He does with all His Children.

Let us always  nurture and strengthen our faith by continue to maintain our personal relationship with God, read and ponder God’s word every day, and do it in our lives  as Paul said:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. (Romans 1:16 NKJV)

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.(Romans 10:17 NKJV)

Let’s make sure that faith lead us in the middle of each side of life, because the righteous live by faith. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:38 NKJV) Not just a lip service but also accompanied by work just because faith without work is dead. (James 2: 17, 20, 26 NKJV) Amen.

Other articles about Ruth’s life that could be learn:

“What should we learn from the life of Ruth?”

“Why was Ruth so loyal to Naomi?”

“Why did Ruth and Orpah make different decisions?”

All articles was written by Michael at Altruistico.wordpress.com

Karina – Living by faith

Image credit: pinterest.com