The Power Of Commitment

Outside of our immediate family, we need to be aware of who the Lord is calling us to spend time with. It may be that the Lord is directing us to take a co-worker out for a coffee or share a lunch with. Maybe He’s directing you to invite a neighbour over for dinner. Whatever the case, to impact people’s lives takes exposure. I know that is costly, but the results are always worth it. What could be more worthwhile than helping to change to life of another? I love the words of the song “For Good” for the musical, Wicked. Let me play a little of it for you (show video).

The first spiritual lesson we can glean from this chapter is this: Follow God, not food. The second: Don’t blame God for our bad choices. The third: Our life can change lives. The fourth spiritual lesson is this: When we commit ourselves to God, He commits Himself to us. Look at verses 11-15 (read verses).

When Naomi sees her daughters-in-law follow her, she tries to dissuade them. She loves Orpah and Ruth and wants the best for them. She knows that for them to accompany her, they would be facing a very bleak future. Naomi argues that if they went with her, they would have no hope of being married again. She is too old to have any more sons. She argues that even if that happened, it would take too long for the children to grow up and for them to be potential husbands.

Both girls cried, but their actions showed where their hearts were. The text says that Orpah kissed her mother-in-law and then left. However, Ruth clung to Naomi and wouldn't let go. There are two young women in exactly the same situation. One decides to cut her losses and leave. The other decides to remain committed until the end. Verses 16-17 are some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible (read verses). Don't these verses sound something like wedding vows. Last weekend I attended a wedding and the bride and groom repeated vows to each other that sounded very similar to this.

"I take you to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And from this day on I pledge you my faithfulness."

There's something beautiful in loyalty and commitment. Steven Curtis Chapman, a well known Christian musician wrote a song about loyalty and commitment that is sung in many weddings today. The song is called, "I Will Be Here", but when Chapman wrote it he had no idea it would become a wedding favourite. He wrote it for his wife during a difficult time in their marriage.

When Chapman and wife Mary Beth married in 1984, they were young but possessed a couple of things that many newly-married folks don’t: a healthy realization that living together wouldn’t be easy and a good role model to follow by observing the strong, spiritually-centered marriage that Steven’s parents had.

But then Chapman's parents decided to end their marriage which affected Steven deeply. He says: "So in the process of that, my parents did end up divorcing, [and] it really shook the foundation of my faith, my ideas of marriage and everything because, again, with my parents, there was a strength there."