DECISION DETERMINES DESTINY

Ruth 1:1-17

Life if full of choices. We make hundreds of choices everyday. Many times we do not realise that the decisions we make will greatly impact our lives. Some very important decisions include choosing a religion, choosing a course to study in the university, where to live, who to marry, how many children to have, how you spend money, how you relate to men/women, whether/how you pay your tithes and offerings, your housekeeping, the list is endless.

Ruth’s decision gives us an insight on how God regards our decisions. Although Israelites may not marry Moabites, Ruth’s love, faithfulness and decision to follow the God of Israel turned everything around for her and allowed her to marry into the royal family of Judah.  In a similar way, when a person believes in Jesus, their life will change for the better. They will have eternal life.

Ruth’s Life-Changing Decision

Ruth 1:15-16

She Vowed To Follow Naomi

She Vowed To Change Her Nationality

She Vowed To Follow The God Of Israel

She Vowed To Suffer Whatever Naomi Suffer

Christians Must Follow Christ In Like Manner

Ruth’s vow of steadfastness is a shining example for all who would follow Jesus today. As Ruth left everything she knew behind so should we leave every worldly thing behind. No one can follow Christ truly without forsaking all (Mat.10:37-39) Love for Christ must supersede all other affections we may have. The believer is to be a living sacrifice to the Lord (Rom.12:1-2). You offer yourself – your body, your belongings, your time, your education, your money, your children, your husband/wife. All these belong to God. What did you bring into the world? Ruth through her love had a deep understanding of what it meant to fully follow the Lord. She left her nationality. She left the idols of her nation. She embraced the God of Israel. That was exactly what the early Christians did. They forsook all (Mat.19:27-29)

 

Rewards Of Deciding Rightly

Examples Of Good Decision Making (Jos.24:15; Gen.13:8-9; Exo.24:24-25; Esther 4:15-16; Dan.1:8; 3:18; Mat.4:19-20; Mk.2:14)

Divine Approval and Blessing (Ruth 4:13; Gen. 22:12-18; John 3:18, 36)

Living  In God’s Perfect Will (Eph.1:11; Acts 17:26; Deut.32:8)

Unexpected Blessings (Ruth 2:8-13; 4:13)

Eternal Blessings (Mat.19:27-29; John 14:1-3)

Looking through the scripture we can see what it takes to make the right decision. God and our relationship to Him is the number one consideration in our decision making. Joshua and his household chose to serve the God of Israel - a great choice filled with blessings. So did Caleb.
In (Gen.13:8-9), Abraham gave the right of first choice to his nephew, Lot, thus retaining God's inheritance.
In (Esther 4:15-16), Esther chose to put her life on the line to save God's people.
In (Dan.1:8) Daniel purposed not to defile himself with idolatrous meals.
In (Mat.4:18-20) The first apostles promptly answered the call to follow Jesus

 

Eternal Regret For Wrong Decisions

Achan’s Disastrous Decision (Jos.6:18-19; 7:1, 20-26)

King Saul’s Tragic Choices (1Sam.15:1029)

Judas Iscariot’s Shocking Betrayal (Mat.26:14-16, 47-50)

Eternal Regret Of All Who Reject Christ (Revelation 6:12-17; 21:6-8)