Day 1
Make Courageous Commitments – Ruth
by Ann White
Are you overcommitted? Ruth in the Bible made a commitment that changed her life forever. Today’s devotional will help you analyze and prioritize your commitments to choose the ones that honor God.
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!’ When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.” (Ruth 1:16–18).
Pray: Lord, open my eyes to your truth and help me understand and obey your precepts.
Observe: Each day, we are given twenty-four hours to work with. But we often try to squeeze something into every crevice of our day, leaving only enough time to sleep, so we can get up tomorrow and do it all over again.
When making commitments, we need to be mindful of where they fit into our overall goals, objectives, and schedules. And we must consider how they fit into God’s overall plan and purpose for our lives.
Once we’ve prayerfully considered these factors and are confident in our chosen direction, we must then avoid procrastination and take action. All the while, we should be diligent to analyze and prioritize our commitments on a regular basis, avoiding anxiety, and maintaining balance in our everyday lives and schedules.
In the book of Ruth, we encounter a daughter-in-law who boldly makes a life-changing commitment to her deceased husband’s mother. Ruth had married into a family that worshiped the one true God, and when it came time for her to make the choice to return to her family and the gods they served or travel with her mother-in-law to an unfamiliar land, she chose her commitment wisely.
Courageously analyze and prioritize your commitments by asking yourself the following questions:
- What commitments have I made?
- What commitments do I need to make?
- Are there any commitments I need to eliminate?
- How dedicated am I to my commitments?
Prayerfully analyzing your commitments can mean the difference between success and defeat, peace of mind, and exhaustion.
Interpret: God will give us everything we need to make courageous, God-honoring commitments. He promises to be with us along the way and will bless us in response to our dedication.
Apply: Analyze and prioritize your commitments today. Make the ones God is encouraging you to make, eliminate the ones he’s encouraging you to eliminate, put aside procrastination, and take action.
Pray: Father, give me wisdom and discernment regarding my commitments. Help me discern areas of my life where I am overcommitted or under committed. Grant me the ability to eliminate commitments that are not within your will and establish commitments that honor you.
