Sharing More Than Stuff
Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Ruth 1:16
“But I don’t want to share!” wailed my youngest child, brokenhearted that he would have to part with even one of his many LEGO pieces. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity, but truthfully, this attitude is not limited to children. How much of my own life, and really all of human experience, is marked by a stubborn resistance to freely and generously give to others?
As believers in Jesus, we’re called to share our very lives with one another. Ruth did just that with her mother-in-law, Naomi. As a destitute widow, Naomi had little to offer Ruth. And yet Ruth connected her own life to her mother-in-law’s, vowing that they would press on together and that not even death would separate them. She said to Naomi, “Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). She freely and generously gave to the older woman—showing love and compassion.
While sharing our lives in this way can be difficult, we should remember the fruit of such generosity. Ruth shared her life with Naomi, but later she bore a son, the grandfather of King David. Jesus shared His very life with us, but was then exalted and now reigns at the right hand of the Father in heaven. As we generously share with one another, we can be confident that we will experience greater life still!
By Peter Chin
REFLECT & PRAY
Sharing God’s love = caring for others.
Jesus, as we share our lives with others, may we reflect Your loving heart.
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INSIGHT
The book of Ruth, by virtue of both content and location, forms an important bridge between the times of the judges and the times of the prophets and kings. With Israel settled in the promised land, the judges were tasked with drawing Israel back to God during their periodic seasons of spiritual rebellion. However, eventually a king would rule—even though Israel’s desires for a monarch were misguided. To anticipate this coming monarchy, Ruth’s book (whose events took place during the times of the judges; see Ruth 1:1) closes by focusing on her great-grandson—David (4:22)—as a “preview of coming attractions” that will be discovered as the biblical story unfolds.
For more on Ruth, download Ruth and Hannah: Learning to Walk by Faith at discoveryseries.org/hp051. Bill Crowder
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