Friendship and Loyalty

This week our focus will be on relationships.  God created us to need each other, and He uses the various relationships in our lives to develop our character. The most meaningful relationships in our lives come with challenges. Turn to God through the challenges to learn what He is working to develop in you.

We begin this week looking at friendship, as exemplified in the book of Ruth.  This is a story of true friendship, and portrays ultimate loyalty.  It is the story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth.  It is hard to capture all of the rich details of this story in a short devotional, therefore, I encourage you to read the book of Ruth for the full story.  Ruth left everything she knew to return to Bethlehem with Naomi to support an aging widow in a land that was foreign and strange to her.  When Naomi traveled back to her home town, she intended to travel alone to spare her daughters-in-law the suffering that the trip would incur.  But Ruth would not allow Naomi to travel alone.  

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.  Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”  (Ruth 1: 16-17)

Ruth made the difficult journey with Naomi, and supported the two of them by working the fields in Bethlehem.  

Ruth demonstrated ultimate loyalty through some extremely difficult times, and in so doing, literally changed the fate of Naomi, as well as her own.  What kind of friend are you?

• Are you as loyal to God and your friendships as Ruth was to Naomi?
• Would you travel miles, pray without ceasing, or lend a shoulder to cry on for a struggling friend in need?
• Are you willing to give what it takes to build a friendship like this?

Friendships like this don't come easy.  It takes an investment of time.  You must be willing to learn to communicate with each other openly and honestly.  You must be willing to work through disagreements.  Think of all of the storms of life we encounter.  Think of our ugliest moments - those times where we might be a bit embarrassed to be seen or heard by anyone.  A true friend who can see us at our worst and love us still, is a blessing.  A friend who has the courage to say what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear -without judgement, but with love -is not easy to find.  The character trait of loyalty will help you be that kind of friend to others. 

With a strong devotion to God and the people He puts in your life, your friendship has the potential to change their destiny, as well as your own.