Living the Ruth Life in an Eve World: Being Committed or Being Egotistical

by Debra Ann Elliott
(Birmingham, AL, USA)

Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The LORD be with you!" "The LORD bless you!" they called back. Ruth 2:4 NIV

Are you a committed servant of the Lord as Ruth?

Ruth was committed to Naomi:

She wanted to provide food for Naomi who she loved.

So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. Ruth 2:3 NIV

Do you strive to provide spiritual “food” for the ones you love?
The Lord wants you to be as Ruth: You need to “go out” and begin to “glean” the fields.

Ruth was committed to Boaz

Boaz had shown her favor and she wanted to honor Boaz.

May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."
Ruth 2:12 NIV

Ruth was humbled, she became committed because of his generosity.

"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls."
Ruth 2:13 NIV

So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
Ruth 2:17-18 NIV

How do you honor God?

The Lord wants you to be a Ruth: You need to “show” and begin to “tell” how great His love is for others. In that, you are committed to serve Him as Ruth was committed to serve Boaz.

Ruth was committed to God:

Where do your commitments lie? Commitments to your family and friends are well intended, but
your commitment to God must take top priority in your Christian life. Always maintain a “Ruth” attitude. Because of her wiliness to leave her home and go to Boaz the Lord favored her for her commitments.


Are you an egotistical servant of the Lord as Eve?


Eve's world revolved around Eve.

Sometimes in our busy, bustling lives we forget our purpose is to serve God, not to serve our ego's.
Our world DOES NOT revolve around us! Our world needs to revolve around GOD!

Adam and Eve were commanded to not eat fruit from the tree of knowledge, but Eve let her ego take control and she found it more pleasing to disobey God.

Eve did not listen to her husband.

She did not listen to her husband. She knew what she must not do, but here again her “ego” took control and Eve chose to listen to the serpent, not caring about the consequences of her actions. She knew what she did was wrong. She let her “ego” get in the way, because she was tempted by another.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:7 NIV

Have you ever been tempted to do something you know is wrong because of your “ego”?

Have you ever been “naked” in front of the Lord?

I have! We all have! We are only human and yes, we all have ego's. But we can't let our ego's get in the way of serving God.

Eve did not listen to God.

She was ashamed of what she did. She let her ego get in the way of what was right. She only thought about herself, not about God.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Genesis 3:8-13 NIV

Have you been tempted by the “serpent”?

Is your ego whispering for you to follow the wrong path?

It is easy to get trapped in an egotistical world. It is easy for “it” to become all about us and not all about God.

Do not let the serpent of ego take over your life.


In closing, remember to be committed to God. Do not have the egotistical mindset of Eve.
You must be willing to “leave” you Eve lifestyle and commit to a new “Ruth” lifestyle.

Live a Ruth life in an Eve world.

©2009 Debra Elliott