Family Ties
Today’s scripture selection: The Book of Ruth
Key verse: Ruth 1:16
Family – sometimes it’s “can’t live with them; can’t live without them.” Even in the happiest of families, conflict and disagreement are inevitable.
That’s one reason people love the story of the biblical characters named Naomi and Ruth.
At its core – it is a story of loyalty. They were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. They were also two people who were different from one another in many ways. But they loved each other – and that was all that mattered.
When circumstances threatened to tear them apart – Ruth’s words summed it all up:
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
Loyalty – and love – two very powerful things.
We live in a world where too often we are encouraged to think only of ourselves. Ruth and Naomi remind us that there is a higher and nobler way of life.
And – as it turns out – what seemed to be a choice that only impacted those two women’s lives – actually was part of God’s larger plan too. You see, Ruth turns out to be a key player in bringing the long awaited Messiah into the world.
So, when you are tempted to give up on family – on love and loyalty – think again. God may have a plan that includes you and your family – even if sometimes – they are a little hard to live with.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for my family – and for being part of the family of God. AMEN.
By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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