Devotionals

A Selfless Love Story {The Book of Ruth}

i’m a big fan of the book of ruth. i’m a sucker for a good love story and it’s an easy, short read. not to mention it’s a good excuse to flip through some of my wedding photos from earlier this year and put them to good use on my blog.

“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” {Ruth 1:16}

sound familiar? have you ever heard this verse at a wedding and thought it was a bit odd that this verse is taken from the context of daughter-in-law to mother-in-law? you’re not alone, i certainly have.

But then i realized the ultimate purpose of the verse, and book of Ruth in general, is to demonstrate the kind of love and faithfulness that God desires for us. 

completed reading Ruth on september 30th.

“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.” {Ruth 1:16}

my Ruth summary: 

I love that the book of Ruth follows the book of Judges because it shows us the difference between what happens when we {or a nation} stray from God {the book of Judges}, verses when we faithfully follow God {the book of Ruth}.

As stated in the popular marriage verse Ruth 1:16 — Ruth shows extreme loyalty to her mother-in-law, Naomi by returning to Bethlehem with her after the death of both Naomi and Ruth’s husbands.

Ruth scavenges food from Boaz’s field to feed Naomi; which ultimately leads to Boaz taking Ruth in and eventually making her his wife.

my favorite Ruth story: 

Ruth meets Boaz in the grain field {Ruth 2}.

“I’ve been told about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband — how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” {Ruth 2:11-12}

Selfless love and compassion followed by more selfless love and compassion which results in a happy ending for all parties involved — now i get why Ruth is a popular book for wedding.

After six short months of marriage i’m starting to understand the importance of selfless love and compassion toward others, specifically your significant other. And to see the happy ending that results from being selfless and showing compassion is an obvious reinforcement that I need to continually work on these traits in my life and marriage.

biggest take-a-way: 

selfless love — love selflessly and you will be provided for.

We belong to a loving and faithful God. Made in His image, like Ruth and Boaz, we are called to be compassionate and selfless.