"The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." Psalm 85:12 (NIV)

Going forward or staying in your comfort zone

by Bob Gass | May 1, 2025

‘Entreat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go.’ Ruth 1:16 NKJV

The book of Ruth illustrates the difference between those who step out in faith and take risks, and those who give in to fear, play it safe, and miss God’s best. The story begins with Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons. ‘There was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem… went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons.’ (Ruth 1:1 NKJV) Things went well for a while, then tragedy struck. First Elimelech died. Naomi’s two sons married local girls named Orpah and Ruth. Then the sons died. Overwhelmed with grief, Naomi decided to return home to Bethlehem. She advised her two daughters-in-law to stay in Moab, find husbands and raise families.

This is when the difference shows up in the two girls. Orpah decided to stay in Moab, even though it was a place of heartache and hard times. Why? Because it was the place she knew. It was her comfort zone. She didn’t have the faith to go forward. Ruth was different. She said to Naomi: ‘For wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.’ (Ruth 1:16 NKJV) Orpah stayed behind. Ruth went forward, and it paid off. In Bethlehem, she met Boaz, her new husband. Not only was he wealthy, but he took good care of her, and they had a son from whom descended both King David and our blessed Lord Jesus. God rewards faith, not fear. So, the word for today is—it’s time to break with the past and move forward.

SoulFood: Deut 1–2, Mk 3:13–22, Ps 35, Prov 11:19–21

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