DCLM HIGHER EVERYDAY 31 August 2022 — The rugged Ruth

DCLM Higher Everyday 31 August 2022 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — The rugged Ruth

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TOPIC: THE RUGGED RUTH

TEXT: RUTH 1:16-22

16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

MEMORY VERSE: “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (RUTH 1:16).

MESSAGE:

Adversity is the grindstone of life. It grinds some people down and polishes others up. George Young wrote:

“Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood.”

Indeed, no one is immune from adversity in life. Following the Lord is not a jolly ride. Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of Wartburg. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress in a Bedford jail.

Ruth had her own share of life’s adversities. She became a young widow. Worst still, her mother-in-law did not give her a ray of hope for a brighter future but painted a picture of cheerlessness.

Also Read: DCLM Higher Everyday 30 August 2022 — The downfall of Dagon

Ruth decided to leave her comfort zone. She forsook her idolatrous people and doggedly plunged herself by faith into an “uncertain future” to serve the only true God.

Life is full of challenges. The impact and ultimate result depend on what you do with the problems that come your way. Whatever life’s situations bring, rise up, face your challenges and overcome.

QUOTE: She forsook her idolatrous people.

CHALLENGE: Make your life’s challenge a stepping stone.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me not to cringe in the face of any challenge.

GOSPEL REALM: STEPS TO SALVATION
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)