by John O’Malley
“And Ruth said...and where thou lodgest, I will lodge” (Ruth 1:16).
Home. For most people the very word stirs hearts and elicits a warm feeling within the bosom. During the Christmas holidays, a friend called me in the middle of unwrapping presents and heard such laughter and rejoicing as my four siblings and their spouses and children opened gifts. He asked me, “Can I come over?” He was content and enjoying the day with his own family, yet when he heard the thrill and joy in my “homeland,” he asked to be a part.
Naomi must have had many a conversation about the Promised Land in Ruth’s presence. Perhaps it was the stories of a land that flowed with milk and honey. Maybe it was the account of the grapes of Eschol that grew so large in their clusters that two men would have to carry them. Was it the incidents of days when seas parted and rivers stood on end to allow God’s people to move about? No matter the specific occasion, clearly Naomi had spoken enough about home that Ruth determined that she wanted to lodge wherever Naomi lodged.
What would happen if we began to speak more about our home in heaven? What if we told of streets of gold, or gates of pearl. What would happen if we began to speak of a place where sorrow, death, and tears are never present and will never be allowed access? What if we told of a Land of rest and reunion that never ends? What if our conversation included tidbits of heaven? You know, if it did, perhaps our testimony would draw people to our Homeland. Remember, we are merely strangers, aliens, and pilgrims on this earth; our Homeland is just beyond the veil of this life.
Think about it...