Loyalty: Living Life God's Way

Loyalty is a deep desire in most people

We have all been lead astray by others

We have all desired a friend, a spouse, a bestie

that stands by us in thick and thin

no matter what the error or the cost

— They are there with us

We all struggle with accepting God’s will in situations

We love the direct answer to prayer the YES

We struggle with the Lord telling us NO

and we all definitely struggle with the NOT NOW WAIT

from God

TODAY:

our message is about RUTH and Naomi and to a equal extent the other daughter in law Orpah

We see a older woman in deep and long suffering pain, and two others that initially commit to being there for her.

BUT when the cost is revealed

One runs

and the OTHER stands firm

Our lesson is that of our daily life

We will have challenges in life

We will have people stand by us and others that will not pay the cost

But we also know that we are NEVER ALONE, no matter what the world whispers

God will give us those select few in our life that will be there in thick or thin

It is said that you can count your TRUE FRIENDS through life on one hand

Today we see that display of

true commitment and TRUE LOYALTY to others

of a young woman comes to faith in God

and trusts the Lord no matter what the circumstances

Ruth’s Loyalty

this is about Ruth’s loyalty but deeper

to be about committing to others and committing to God.

Lets open our Bibles to Ruth 1:6-18

“6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.

7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.

10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands?

12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear …”

The story opens with Naomi deciding to leave.

We know that she has been in Moab for a least 10 years,

she has been a widow for almost that long

and in reading the first couple of today's verses we learn that she has not had an easy time emotionally in this land.

We know that the lose of her spouse and sons would be hard on anyone, but the bitterness in Naomi is deep.

We know that she never took another husband, so her sons would have provided for her.

somehow both sons die and Naomi's bitterness for life is increased.

She decides to return to Bethlehem

Her bitterness seeks isolation --- Go!! Return to your family!!

Her bitterness was so deep that the next verse said SHE WEPT

We can only guess the level of anguish, and lose that she felt.

Faithfulness in our Lives

Loyalty and commitment within human relationships is important in the life of God’s people.

It is seen particularly in marriage, fulfilling family obligations, honouring vows, dutiful service to our work or community.

We are to be trustworthy in speech and conduct

Orpah was part of that “pledge to Naomi” in her time of distress

Both woman state NO — we will stay with you

look at verse 10

Ruth 1:10 “10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.””

BUT in verse 11-13 Naomi speaks of the cost and one stays and one goes

Illustration:

We have all been victims and been guilty of the same, so I think we can relate to Orpah

But we must learn to be a Ruth

We have all in a moment of passion spoken words that at the time we meant yet later rethought

We have seen couples marry --- for better or worse; richer or poorer; sickness and in health

If this was true and deep loyalty — no Christian would ever be divorced or start one

We have known people that said “I got your back”

and it was their back you saw when you needed them.

We have even had friends, children, and people that we have POURED into, GIVEN MORE THAN any one would consider reasonable

--- BUT THEY LEAVE US, never call, they just lose the desire to be with us.

NO Matter what they said.

BUT THIS IS NOT JUST A STORY OF LACK OF LOYALTY

BUT RATHER A STORY OF COMMITMENT

OF THE LOYALTY THAT WE ALL DESIRE

Living Out Your Commitments

If loving God is first, and loving others is second, then selfishness must be at least third

How do we do better?

first key is to stop

--- don’t allow emotions to rule your decision

Second --- pray

— we can stop anywhere and anytime and pray

Prayer at a specific quiet place and daily time is wonderful and a blessing

but we should learn to Pause in our lives and Pray

Third - think on it --- before opening your mouth — think on it

What am I committing to?

Can i meet those obligations?

What terms can i truly fulfil?

Is there a cost? Can i pay it?

IN OTHER WORDS --- BEFORE YOU OFFER WORDS Make sure you can back them up!!

We know that we should be imitators of Christ

and that Christ has always done what is promised.

Our assurance of salvation is based on trusting the Word of Christ.

In our verses this morning

One woman makes a commitment and then weights the cost and is not willing to follow through

One woman makes a commitment — hears the cost - and makes one of the greatest statements of loyalty in the BIBLE

Ruth 1:16-17 “16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.””

Isn’t that beautiful?

I am betting that you want that in your life

Be the person that you want to Be

Be the person to others that you want to be around

Matthew 7:12 “12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

The GOLDEN RULE

Friends

NO matter the cost --- God is with us

as i close today i want to remind you of one of the Basics of our Faith

THE TRINITY

God the Father, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit

who is a gift of grace,

a blessing of our walk,

our connection to the Father and the Son

Friends

there is a good argument and conclusion in our lesson this morning

That the Lord will never leave us or forsake us

That Orpah represents the love of the World

and the Ruth represents the love, the faithfulness, the unconditional loyalty of CHRIST

Christ knew the cost and paid it

Christ knows your need and meets it

No matter what the situation or cost

NEXT Week:

we start the journey back to Bethlehem

we start to discover the blessings that come from Loyalty and Faithfulness

and we start to see the AMAZING WORK of our Lord in Life.

Let’s pray