A different kind of strength

Over the long dreary trail from Moab to Bethlehem and in the long backbreaking days of gleaning in the fields, God was preparing Ruth to assume her place in the lineage of Christ. Ruth's life serves to remind us today that God sometimes requires us to labor in what might be long, dull, wearying, and seemingly fruitless duty. Often, in that process, He uses the labor of our hands to heal our souls.

As moderns, we have been sold the notion that self-actualization lies in the pursuit of self-interest. Nothing can be further from the truth! Self-actualization is to be found in caring for the needs of others. This reality does not dictate that we should despise ouselves as though we have no value or as though our needs are not important. Our own growth, development, and fulfillment are paramount in God's concern when He calls us to the duty of sacrificial love of others. Note that Christ did not say, "Love your neighbor and hate yourself." Instead, He said, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

In the quest for power today, sacrificial obedience is anathema to many women. Sadly, like Eve, some Christian women have been taken in by the desire to be independent and answerable to no one. The unwillingness to be subject to the authority of God is the crux of the modern tendency to eschew obedience.

... Gilbert Meilaender, in reviewing [Thomas] Nagel's book [The Last Word], commented, "Relativism and subjectivism are not then simply philosophical problems. They are also, and perhaps primarily, moral problems. We do not want to bend the knee."

Beverly LaHaye
From the chapter: The Power of Obedience
The Strength of a Godly Woman: Finding Your Unique Place in God's Plan