TODAY'S
DECISION
(Making the right decisions in order to have a bright
tomorrow)
By Abraham Oludolapo
There are several times we
are faced with the option of making a decision and many
times the decision looks simple and of little or no
consequence at that material time. Nevertheless, always
remember that the decisions of yesterday made today
what it is and the seemingly inconsequential decisions
of today will surely determine what our tomorrow will
look like.
In this message I'll like to look at the decisions of
two people in the book of Ruth. One was born into God's
own family, by his name had a relationship with God
and was located in the best place of all. While the
other a woman was born a heathen and was disadvantaged
by her origin. We will be considering Elimelech and
Ruth.
Elimelech
Elimelech was meant to be a man of history judging by
his name and the situation that preceded his days as
confirmed by the last verse of the book of Judges (Judges
21:25). We are by the help of the Holy Spirit given
insight into the lifestyle of the people who lived before
Elimelech, they were lawless and uncontrollable, they
did not abide by the law, but each did what was right
in his sight.
It was around this time that Elimelech was born and
given the name Elimelech which means Jehovah or my God
is King. How can somebody in a lawless society still
make reference to Jehovah? it shows us that he had a
parentage that knew God and must have been brought up
in His way.
Another peculiar thing about Elimelech is the place
of his origin; Bethlehem of Judah. Bethlehem means house
of bread and Judah means Praise. This you will agree
with me should confer on Elimelech a great life but
things turned out against expectation as we will see
later.
Ruth
Ruth, a Moabitess is another figure we want to look
at, she was born a heathen which in today's parlance
we will call an "unbeliever", she came from
Moab an accursed land and she had everything working
against her. According to Eph 2: 11-12, She belonged
to a group of people who were doomed in this life and
will face eternity without God. Such was the condition
of Ruth by background but things turned out differently
and went well contrary to expectations.
THE EVENTS AND DECISIONS:
It is important to consider the events that led to the
decisions that each person made, as this will give us
the opportunity to have an understanding of their situation.
Elimelech: At the beginning of his
story, the Bible says that there was famine in his country
and as common with men that lack God's leading the next
thing he did was to migrate to another land, and Moab
of all places was his choice. I am sure his parents
would have told him about the land of Moab and the judgement
of God concerning Moab.
Despite God's stand, Elimelech's decision was to leave
the place of bread because of famine. To me the famine
was an aberration and should have been seen so because
God's word can't fail irrespective of the situation
that arise against it. Heaven and earth shall pass away
but no portion of His word shall fail. Unfortunately
Elimelech forgot that each time there had been famine
in the land, it has gone as it came and the people remained.
Many of us are like Elimelech, once there is a little
discomfort we begin to run helter-skelter not even thinking
of seeking God's face about the situation, we allow
our instinct to overcome our reasoning. It is high time
we dealt with this attitude of reacting to every situation
instead of holding steadfastly to God's word.
Worse still is the fact that it was a solo decision
despite the fact that Elimelech was married. As is common
with many men, his wife had no input in the decision
and this is an issue today's men must take note of.
Men, don't be a dictator in your home!
Ruth: Beyond the limitations
imposed on Ruth by her background was the fact that
her husband died untimely, and also that she was childless.
This situation would have made many women to become
wayward and reckless but not Ruth, her decision was
to seek God. I could imagine her saying things have
gone awry already, then I need Him who has the power
to change all situations.
Ruth didn't consider remarrying as to her that was not
the most important thing but to make up with this Yaweh
her in-laws had presented to her. I suppose she had
been admiring the God of Israel secretly and when the
opportunity came for her she did not waste time in declaring
her preference for this all-knowing God.
Of interest is the fact that Orpah had an equal opportunity
to make the same decision as Ruth, but did not. Yet
Ruth was not swayed by what Orpah decided, as many would
have harped on solidarity to take their decision and
when you confront them their explanation will be that's
how it is done in our culture. Remember, that has nothing
to do with God and confirms the saying that the path
of destiny is a lonely path, you are responsible for
your actions.
CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR DECISIONS:
Though Elimelech got to Moab as he decided yet he did
not stay there for long, he died within a short time-
leaving his family behind in a strange land. Before
long, Elimelech's decision gave birth to another consequence
which was the death of his two sons, his wife Naomi
now became a widow and childless.
Ruth on her part decided to follow her mother in law
back to Judah despite the fact that there was no hope
in sight, but I believe she had the eyes of the Spirit
and could see God above the prevailing situation. Though
Naomi was going back home to make a living (Ruth 1:6),
Ruth on her part wanted to go and seek God who to her
meant everything.
At the end of the day Ruth became married and above
all became a person of history just because she took
the right decision. One other consequence of Ruth's
decision is the fact that she became the progenitor
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, what an honour
for a lady who was once an alien. Of all the women in
the Bible only a few had their names mentioned in Matthew
chapter one and Ruth's name was among these few.
YOUR DECISION:
Your decision of today is extremely important because
it will go a long way to affect your future. The most
important of all decisions is to surrender your all
to God through Jesus Christ by accepting Him as your
Lord and Saviour, because this is the foundation of
all greatness.
Also if there are things you had done wrong or there
are mistakes you had made in the past, don’t hesitate
to make the necessary changes as that will not remove
from you but rather it will enhance your life.
SUSTAINING YOUR DECISION:
After taking the right decision, you need to sustain
the decision taken and the following will go a long
way in sustaining your decision:
1. Obedience: Ruth 3:5; Ruth was obedient to Godly authority
and this helped and led her to her destiny.
2. Hardwork: Ruth 2:7, Pro 14:23; as good as your decision
may be if you are a lazy person you cannot get the expected
result because God Himself frowns at laziness, Pro 6:6.
3. Integrity: Ruth 3:11; It takes a man of integrity
to walk with God and prosper, please work on your integrity.
The days must come again when the word of a saint are
his bond and some of us must arise and keep the standard,
be a man of integrity in terms of time and money management.
4. Diligence: Ruth 2:2,Pro 22:29; A man must be extremely
diligent to become great in life.
SHALOM.
ABRAHAM OLUDOLAPO