Self-Denial, NOT Self-Love

Last weekend, February 21 and 22, we were blessed to have a few days to focus on God’s design for marriage.  If you missed it, we plan to have these events more regularly in the future, so stay tuned for the next event.   The guest speakers for this event were Anush from Armenia and Mart Vahi from Istonia. 

Anush spoke to the ladies Friday evening on the importance of unity between the wise women who have lived godly lives and the younger women.  She pointed out that God had promised to pour out His Spirit in the last days upon all flesh and that in the last days we will see a great harvest of souls for the Kingdom.  What really spoke to me is when she tied in the story of Ruth and Naomi.  These two women had an extraordinary relationship.  Naomi was able to develop such a close relationship with her daughters-in-law that when both women were widowed, they clung to Naomi as she set out to return to her homeland.

These women were raised in a culture that was different from Naomi’s.  They probably didn’t worship the true and living God, as Naomi and her family did.  Yet, Naomi was able to reach their hearts in such a way that when they were begging her to let them go with her, Ruth said to her,

“Entreat me not to leave you, or turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”

Naomi had somehow touched the heart of Ruth in such a way, that she was ready to leave her people, her way of living life, and even the gods her people worshipped and submitted herself fully in obedience to this wise, older woman.  Oh how this generation needs to seek out wise, older women from whom they can draw and see an example of godly womanhood! 

What happens next I believe is prophetic of what we will see in our lifetime.  Naomi and Ruth return to Naomi’s homeland, to the city of Bethlehem, which means “house of bread.”  We read in the book of Ruth 1:19-21

“Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem.  And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”  But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.  I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty.”

The chapter finishes by stating that they returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the harvest.  There is so much to glean from this scripture, which I used to look past all this time until Anush pointed it out.

Naomi returned to Bethlehem emptied out.  Have you served God until you have been emptied out?  I know this is going against the grain of the self-care and self-love gospel we hear and see everywhere today, but Naomi had left Bethlehem with her husband and her sons, in obedience to her husband’s decision.  Whether his decision was right or wrong is irrelevant here.  What matters is Naomi lived a godly life, in submission to her husband, loving and serving her children in such a way that she even won over the women who came from a people considered to be enemies of her own people.  She poured herself out.  She didn’t throw her hands up and use her husband’s walking away from Bethlehem as justification.

Here is where God begins to unravel and reveal what Naomi couldn’t have imagined to have.  Ruth, following Naomi’s life example, submits herself in obedience to her and they enter the time of harvest in unity.  Not in strife and division, each pulling her own direction.  No!  Unity is only possible through willful submission in relentless, uncompromising self-denial.  Jesus did not call us to selfish ambitions.  He called us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him.  He was obedient unto death on the cross.  If we have not yet submitted ourselves in obedience until all our ambitions have died, we are not ready for the harvest.

All this time I thought Ruth was the hero.  But I realized, had it not been for Naomi’s unwavering obedience and acts of service in her own home, she might have returned to Bethlehem alone, at the beginning of harvest, but unable to partake in it.  Ruth would have never been reached, never would have become the grandmother of King David, and never weaved into the lineage of Christ.

Ladies, obedience is looked upon with disdain in our time.  Servitude is despised.  But it is the power of the gospel.  Without it, we miss the harvest that God has prepared.

I will continue my reflections of the marriage conference in my next blog post, “Marriage is like making bread, it has to be made fresh daily.”  Mart Vahi

Until then, keep emptying yourself for the sake of the Kingdom.