This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for Sept. 6, 2020: “Serve Devotedly” (Ruth 1:3-5, 8-11, 14-18)
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By David Faust
Brand loyalty keeps us buying Coke or Pepsi, Fords or Toyotas, and cheering for our favorite sports teams. Loyalty can be misplaced, though. Have you been burned by an unscrupulous salesperson who cheated you, an unfaithful friend who betrayed you, or a church leader who wounded you? Jesus urged us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, refusing to follow untrustworthy preachers, priests, or politicians who would lead us astray.
Loyalty is rare. “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6). Even Jesus wasn’t immune to disloyalty. Peter denied him and Judas betrayed him. At first, George Washington trusted a soldier who later plotted to surrender West Point to the British, and we remember Benedict Arnold as a traitor.
Ruth—one of two women to have books of the Bible named after them—serves as a positive example of loyalty.
Loyal to God’s Covenant Community: “Your people will be my people” (Ruth 1:16)
Ruth grew up in Moab, but she chose to identify with her mother-in-law Naomi’s kin, the Israelites. In our day it’s popular to trash the church. Do we have the courage to stand with God’s covenant people and say, “I’m with them”? Although it’s flawed, the church is “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). We can be honest about its imperfections without body-shaming the body of Christ.
Loyal to the Lord: “Your God [will be] my God” (Ruth 1:16)
How did Ruth even know about the true God? She must have learned about the Lord while she worked beside Naomi at home and in the fields, and it’s likely their family observed the Passover every spring. Naomi’s family moved to Moab to escape from a famine, but on a deeper level, God sent them there as missionaries! If a new job takes you to a different city—if you move away to attend college or serve in the military—don’t leave your faith behind. Take it with you and share it. Loyalty to God is our highest commitment.
Loyal Until Death: “Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried” (Ruth 1:17)
Jesus said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown” (Revelation 2:10).
After serving 18 years as missionaries in Ethiopia, my friends Adrian and Jennifer Fehl returned home to America. To clarify that the Fehls’ departure was permanent, Ethiopian authorities stamped “Leave for good” on their passports. My friends said, “We looked at those words a different way. It was good to be there in Ethiopia, but now we were leaving for a good reason and we knew God would use us for good back in the USA, too.” When a Christian dies, the message, “Leaving for good,” could be stamped on our caskets. It’s good to serve the Lord here on earth, but after death comes something far better.
In time, Ruth’s son Obed became the grandfather of Israel’s famous King David. A bit of Ruth’s Moabite blood flowed in the veins of the Messiah (Matthew 1:5-6). Jesus slept in a manger in the same village where Ruth cradled little Obed in her lap. It’s amazing what God can do through loyal servants who remain faithful to him.
Personal Challenge: Do a loyalty self-check. What are you doing to build trust with others? Are you completely faithful to your family? To your spouse? To the Lord? To your coworkers? To your friends? If you identify any pockets of unfaithfulness in your heart, confess them to the Lord.
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COMPANION RESOURCES
Lesson for Sept. 6, 2020: “Serve Devotedly” (Ruth 1:3-5, 8-11, 14-18)
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