But Ruth said, “Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”
When we look back on how we have grown or where we have come from, we likely think of many influential people who have helped us and supported us along the way. At times those people are peers, but often some of the most influential people in our lives are in the generation ahead of us. Their guidance and wisdom carry more time and experience than we have. Growing up, we depend on these people to show us the way to live before we go out into the world on our own.
Ruth’s history with Naomi was useful for a season and building an meaningful legacy that would inform the decisions she made for the rest of her life. Ruth’s loyalty reminds us to care for the generation that has gone before us, even when it is inconvenient, but it also reminds us of the legacy we are cultivating through our influence on the next generation. Have we guided them well in the direction they should go? Have we shown them the joy of our God so that they desire Him to be their God? As we follow Jesus, the fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives and will give testimony of who God is to the next generation searching for Him.
- Who are some people that have been impactful in your walk with Jesus?
- What are some things you hope to leave as a legacy to the next generation?
- Pray and ask God to help you follow Him so that the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life.
