THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Him in the most magnificent mansion? Do we make His people, black, white, rich, poor, ignorant, educated, our people? and do we really make His God our God ? And Ruth lived up to it. Do we live up to it when we say it? It was probably in the first place love for Naomi that made Rutn love Naomi’s God, and if we live as we ought to live and manifest the life of our God as we ought, yve will draw men not only to love us but to love Him, who is the Source of all that is good in us. The proverbial relation between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is anything but that of love as pictured here, but it was loyalty to Jehovah that made the relation so-tender and beautiful in this case. In many a case today the professed Christianity of mother- in-law and daughter-in-law does not make the relation any happier, but that is simply because the professed Christianity is not real Christianity. Ruth’s choice was really the choice of Jehovah, “Thy God shall be my God” (cf. ch. 2:12). It is not unlikely that the life of Mahlon, Ruth’s husband, had much to do with this choice. v. 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.” More real heroism of faith was shown in the action of Ruth than in the daring exploits recorded in Judges, and today the truest heroism is displayed by the self-sacrificing acts of tender women in home life, and not by soldiers on the field of battle. The highest heroism displayed in Belgium and France and Germany and England today is not that of the soldiers in the trenches where there is all the ex citement and din of conflict, but in the brave women at home fighting out their battle alone. Ruth did not for a moment stop to ask where Naomi was going but said, “Whither thou goest I will go.” Nor
did she stop to ask where Naomi might die; there she would die too. Are we thus ready to go "anywhere with Jesus” and die any where for Him and with Him? Let us stop a moment before we answer that. He may ask us to. go to Africa with Him and there die. It paid Ruth to say it, though she did not realize at the time that it "did, and it will pay us. The humblest hut in Bethlehem would be sweeter to Ruth than the finest palace in Moab because Naomi was there. The place above all places that the Christian longs for is the place where the Lord Jesus is (cf. Phil. 1:23). Ruth had determined not only to die with Naomi but to be buried with her, and we too should be “buried with” Him we love (cf. Rom. 6:4). But we can go far beyond Ruth and her words to Naomi, for we not only die and are buried with Him we love, we also rise with Him (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1).- Ruth refuses to think of anything as separating Naomi and her but death, but not even death separates us from Christ (Rom, 8:38, 39 ; 2 Cor. 5:8 R. V.; Phil. 1:23). v. 18. "When she saw that she was stead fastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her." As soon as Naomi “saw” the whole-heartedness of Ruth’s love, she accepted it and said no more about her going back. Our Lord Jesus will accept the same kind of love from us but He will accept no other kind (Luke 14:33). The trouble with many today is that in stead of being “steadfastly minded to go with” Christ, they are of an undecided mind. They want to go with Him but they also want to go with the world. They look first at Him and then they look at the al lurements of the world. Such love our Lord will not have. He will have the whole heart or none at all.
5 jtfar 3 am reaby not to hr luutttii only, bat alan ta bir, at 31 misaient far tire name af life Harb 31 ratta.—Aria 2 I; 13 .
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