Heart of surrender
But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" (Ruth 1:16-17)
The story of Ruth has captured the hearts of many generations. In the midst of unfair tragedies one after another, her selfless love shines in the midst of the darkness. Particularly this passage quoted above seem to give us a glimpse of her heart. Not only did she just declare these words with her mouth, but we read of her ratifying these words with her life. Many will look to her as a wonderful model of agape love for women (and men).
Hers is a heart that we should be emulating even as we choose to follow Christ. Too many times, I see people declaring that "Jesus is Lord of their life" and yet there is not even a trace of the sort of surrender that we see displayed in Ruth's life. Read the passage again. I know it doesn't translate perfectly into our declaration when we choose to follow Christ, but look at the heart that lies behind these words.
"Surrender" is a word that we throw around so often in our Christian jargon and yet treat so lightly when it comes to actually living it out in our day to day. What level of obedience/surrender have we come to in our walk with Christ? How does the world view our decision making processes? Do they see you making choices that just benefit yourself? Or will they stand back in wonder and say of your life - "Jesus is your Lord, and where He tells you to go, you have gone and where He tells you to live, you have lived, etc..." I know it is not easy to surrender. But this is the small gate and narrow path we have chosen for ourselves as we daily DENY ourself, pick up the cross and follow Him.
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Created 8 months ago
