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WEDNESDAY — True Devotion
Today’s Big Point: Ruth provides us with an excellent example of what it looks like to become a fully devoted follower of Christ. Like she did, we must let go of and leave everything else behind.

“My dearest Tom,
I love you with all my heart and I know we’ll be together forever.
I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever
& ever. I’m yours for all eternity.”
Love, Helen
P.S. If we ever break up, I want this picture back.”

A man walked into a photo shop with a framed picture of his girlfriend that he wanted copied. While removing it from the frame, the shop owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph (see above).

Do you think Helen was totally committed to the relationship? No! Real commitment is a highly prized commodity. Those who’ve experienced it know how gratifying receiving such loyalty is. God also loves commitment. That’s why He included Ruth’s statement (1:16-17) in your Bible. In these two short verses Ruth tells her mother-in-law: I’ll never leave you, I won’t turn away from you, I’ll go where you go, I’ll stay where you stay, AND where you die–that’s where I’ll die. That’s the kind of unqualified commitment God desires.

READ…What does the Bible say?
Ruth 1:14-18 (New Living Translation)
14And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. 15“Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” 16But 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. 17Wherever 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!”  18When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

Matthew 8:19-22 (New Living Translation)
19Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 21Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 22But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”

Matthew 19:29 (New Living Translation)
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

THINK…Find the answers

Are you surprised by Ruth’s decision to stay with her mother-in-law? Why or why not?

What is Jesus asking of us in the two passages from Matthew?

LIVE…What will you do now?

Ruth 2:11-12 tells us Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband — how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Consider the words in Ruth 1:16-17 and 2:11-12. Do you have that kind of committed, unconditional love for others—those in your family, friends, neighbors, or for God? Explain:
Many of us struggle, like Helen (from the love note), to fully commit to anything. We might have no problem with being 99% “in”; but often, we have a contingency, we hold on to something, or we’re wishy-washy. What if Christ hadn’t been 100% committed, or “all in”, when He was called to make the ultimate sacrifice?
What’s keeping you from becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ; and, how can Christ and the examples from Ruth help to motivate you to that end?

PRAY…God, What do You want me to know & do?
“We agree that the cause of the church is the greatest cause on the planet— worth our very lives!” (Four Agreements, CedarCreek Missional Membership). Pray for the faith, strength and grace to forsake it all, with full devotion, to advance the kingdom of Christ. Ask Him to uncover and remove anything in the way.

DAILY BIBLE READING COMMENTARY: Luke 12
12:1 Notice how Jesus addresses his disciples first, before addressing the crowd, because hypocrisy was the sin they were most in danger of falling into since they were involved in the profession of religion more than the others.
12:2 “yeast of the Pharisees” is a very visual term to describe the swollen pride of the Pharisees, who were filled with self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
12:10 Many have lived in fear of what Jesus meant in this verse. ‘Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit’ is when someone denies Jesus and never repents.
12:22-23 This section of scripture is also found in Matthew 6. Jesus doesn’t prohibit us from owning possessions. However, Jesus does teach in a way that challenges our lifestyles. Jesus desires for us to invest in what brings about an eternal return versus obsessing about our upward mobility. So as not to create any confusion, anyone who lives in America fits the definition of wealthy when compared with the rest of the world. Our challenge is to invest the blessings that God has given us (even if they seem meager) in a way that matters for eternity.
12:35-48 Unfortunately, most people in society are only worried about the “here-and-now” of life. Jesus admonishes us to pay attention so that we are ready for his second coming. In scripture, Jesus tells us that he will be coming again at an unspecified time. In this passage of scripture, Jesus is calling us to be good stewards of all that we’ve been blessed with and to use those things (our resources, gifts and talents) to build his kingdom until he returns.