What Road Will You Choose?

Can anyone guess how many decisions we make each day? (33,000 - 35,000)

That may seem like a lot, but it includes decisions like:

What socks are we going to wear, which foot will be put the sock on first, what time will you get out of bed?

Decisions like what you will say to a person, how you will say it, etc. Also bigger decisions on if you will play a sport, make a big purchase, accept a job offer

Story of working camp: Choosing to shower at night or not

Regardless of where you are in life, you have to make A LOT of choices each day. That can have very drastic consequences, like:

decisions fatigue- when you have too many decisions to make that it affects you mentally, physically, and emotionally and you begin to procrastinate, become irritable, or feel overwhelmed

Choice Overload- FOBO (fear of better options) you end up not making any decision, though you really needed to.

Considering how many choices we have to make a day, I believe it is safe to say that our decisions will dictate the outcome of our life.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

That should be the reason behind every choice we make if you are a believer

But often, our decisions come down to “What will they think of me?” instead of “Will this glorify God?”

What you do or don’t do, say or don’t say can have serious consequences or great outcomes. Tonight, we are looking at a particular person who made a very important decision that affects us today. This decision being made was a result in dying to self.

Context: Ruth 1

It was Elimelech and Naomi. They were from Bethlehem in Judah and they left their land because of a famine.

They had 2 sons, Mahlon and Chilion. All 4 of them traveled to Moab and while they were there, Elimelech died and both sons married. After about 10 years, the 2 sons also die. Now all three women are widows.

Naomi feels like it’s time for her to return to her home country since there is no family in Moab. In that culture, family was very important, it was their security and identity. Now, having lost her family, she has essentially lost everything that would provide that safety and identity.

She tells Orpah and Ruth that she is going to return to Judah and they begin to follow her. Naomi tries to convince them that it would be better for them to stay in Moab and not go back with her. And we will pick up the story here

Read Passage.

Main Thing: Living a life with eternity in mind means choosing to live in faithfulness today

In what we read, we see a decision both Orpah and Ruth had to make: Return with Naomi and stay. In this particular story, we see both roads taken

Based on what we read, I want to pose 2 choices. And you have to decide what path you will take:

1. Live for yourself and follow your gods

We see Orpah make this choice. After Naomi tells them they should stay, Orpah weeps, kisses Naomi bye and goes back home. (v.14-15)

She did not easily choose to return because she did try to go with Naomi. But after hearing Naomi make the case for why she should not follow her, Orpah agrees and returns. Unfortunately, she returns to her people which also meant she returned to her gods.

She may not have necessarily sinned by going back home, but it did show that she didn’t fully love and commit to Naomi like Ruth would

Lifeguarding water zips and people doing everything except going down.

I think there can be application for us in the example of Orpah. Many people appear to have a value and affection for Christ, yet come short of His salvation, because they never forsake other things for him. They love him, but leave him, because they don’t love him more than other things.

Look to your own life: do you love Christ? Would you sacrifice other things for him? Is showing up tonight the extent to which you love God?

Will you be so close to Jesus yet return to your gods?

2. Die to self and follow the one true God

Ruth now had to make a decision. Her sister n law already made up her mind.

In v.14, we see Orpah return, yet Ruth “clung to her.” This was her death to self moment

Ruth died to her self and what she may have desired or what she was scared of and chose to follow Naomi and ultimately follow the one true God.

Instead of returning home, she insists that Naomi stop urging her to leave her.

Something important to note is what Deuteronomy 23:3 says “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,”

If Ruth who is a moabite follows Naomi, she will be entering the assembly of the Lord. Bethlehem would have been associated with the people of Israel and moab was traditionally an enemy of Israel.

That could’ve been enough to scare Ruth away and keep her in her home land. But she is determined to go with Naomi. Read v.16-17. She was so committed that she said it would only be death that would stop her from going with Naomi. She binds herself to an oath that invites punishment if she is unfaithful to Naomi.

v.18 - Ruth spoke with such a passion and desire that Naomi not only felt it but saw it. Her dedication was not just words, but action.

Lifeguarding water zips and people going down. (follow through, kept their commitment)

Ruth 1:19 “So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem…”

We don’t have time to cover the rest of the story, but in short:

Naomi’s husband who died, had a relative named Boaz.

Ruth goes to the field of Boaz and gathers barley. Boaz finds out who she is but does not kick her out

Fast forward more, Ruth and Boaz marry one another.

They have a son, Obed, who was David’s grandfather.

Because of Ruth dying to herself, and her faithfulness to do what wasn’t easy, she was apart of God’s redemptive story. The Lord used her greatly to bring about the coming Messiah. So much so, that she is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew. Matthew 1:5 “and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,”

Main Thing: Living a life with eternity in mind means choosing to live in faithfulness today

Have you ever thought of how long eternity is? It’s hard to wrap your hear around forever. But our choices can have eternal impact. It’s important we live each day with eternity in mind.

Toilet Paper Illustration

Eternity is life forever with God or forever apart from God. It all depends on the choice we make.

Main Thing: Living a life with eternity in mind means choosing to live in faithfulness today

Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi and God led to Jesus being born. If Ruth didn’t go where Naomi went, lodge where Naomi lodged, or accepted Naomi’s people and God, the story could look very different. God is ultimately sovereign and would carry out his plan no matter what, but part of that plan was done through Ruth’s faithfulness. Through dying to her self.

Through Ruth’s faithfulness, Christ would be born from the line of David. And he would come to save us from our sins.

We have choices every day that will invite us to live for the here and now or to live for eternity. To choose what is convenient, quick, or easy or to choose faithfulness even when it’s difficult.