A Selfless Sacrifice that Saves

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, ‘Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.’” Ruth 1:8

THINK

There’s a word for love in the Bible that is difficult to translate directly in a single word or concept. It’s a Hebrew word that encapsulates many aspects of love. The closest translation requires a cluster of words like mercy, love, grace, loyalty, and kindness. That word in Hebrew is “hesed.”

Hesed is a completely selfless concept. It’s thinking more of the other person than of ourselves. Throughout the book of Ruth, hesed plays a major role. Naomi, in today’s verse, extends that kind of selfless love to her daughters-in-law. She wasn't concerned with her own well-being; she only wanted to look out for them.

Hesed, though, isn’t only in the book of Ruth. God extends that same kind of selfless, sacrificing, grace-filled love to you and to me through His son Jesus. You are a central figure in God’s love story. Have you experienced that kind of selfless love? Do you extend that kind of love to others?

PRAY

Thank God for His completely selfless love for you. Ask Him to help you not only experience that love in your life, but also to extend that love to others around you. 

ACT