John 15:12-13 NKJV – ‘This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.’
Ruth 1:17 NKJV – ‘Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.’
Living at home with parents or guardians is very different from living in a college dorm or apartment. When I came home on breaks, I was happy to spend time with family but upset that my time was no longer my own. Suddenly, I had responsibilities that I never actually signed up for. It felt incredibly unfair. Sure I should do nice things for my loved ones, but should I do nice things all day everyday? Upon studying the book of Ruth, I learned that yes, I should.
Ruth left everything she knew to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, simply because she made a commitment when she married Naomi’s son. When her husband died, Ruth could have gone back to her family in Moab, her homeland. That’s probably where she would feel the most comfortable, in a familiar place.
But Ruth chose to remain selflessly committed to Naomi. She did not simply say to Naomi, “I love you,” but she lived out that love by giving up what was comfortable and familiar to follow Naomi to Bethlehem and serve Naomi’s God: Yahweh. In Bethlehem, Ruth submitted to Naomi in the way a daughter submits to a mother and she took it upon herself to take great care of her (Ruth 3:5; Ruth 2:14,18).
This is the love that God shows us and wants us to show others. It is not one that begins and ends on the tongue. This love of God is one of selfless commitment. If I truly love my family, then I would gladly give up my time or resources to be of service to them, regardless of whether they show appreciation. That is what it means to selflessly commit oneself to others.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the love that you have shown me through Jesus Christ. As you have laid down your life for me, teach me to do the same. Help me to be selflessly committed to others that they may experience a sample of Your perfect love through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.