TOPIC: IN-LAWS SHOULD BE LOVED
MEMORISE:
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:21
READ: Ruth 1:8-18
8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
9 The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? Are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? Would ye stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
MESSAGE
When I was leaving for my postgraduate studies, I handed my mother over to my wife, knowing that she would take good care of her. My wife is a helpmeet indeed, and a true helpmeet is a great blessing, not just to her husband but her in-laws as well. She won’t seek to compete with them or disrespect them; rather, she will help her husband by honoring his people. Nowadays, some women say that they are only married to their husbands and do not care about their in-laws. This is not right because their husbands came from a home, and as helpmeets, they have a responsibility to love their husbands’ people too.
Ruth was a wise woman. When she married Naomi’s son, she took Naomi as her mother. Her love for Naomi was so great that when her husband died, she abandoned her hometown to follow her mother-in-law to a place she had never been. She was ready to risk everything to care for her aged mother-in-law. In return, God rewarded her selflessness by giving her another home. Ruth’s service to her mother-in-law opened the door of fruitfulness to her (Ruth 1-4), and in the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:1-16, you will find her name in verse 5.
Loving in-laws is, however, not peculiar to wives alone. Husbands must also love and honor their in-laws. The fact that they have fulfilled all the necessary traditional marriage rites does not mean their wives’ parents and family members are unimportant. For example, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law when he visited Peter’s house in Matthew 8:14-15. Immediately Jesus healed her, she arose and ministered to them. If she hadn’t been treated well before that time, and if she wasn’t made to feel welcomed in the house, she wouldn’t have thought of serving everyone present, including her son-in-law.
If you’re married, God put you in your spouse’s family because He wants you to extend His love to them. Whether they reciprocate or not, your responsibility is to love them. No man snuffs out the little light he has because every other person is living in darkness. Instead, he makes his light shine brighter for all to see. If your in-laws don’t believe in Jesus yet, your marriage has given you the opportunity to show them the light. Ask God for the wisdom to relate with them, and in everything you do, let the love of Christ rule your heart, actions, and decisions.
KEY POINT
In-laws should be loved whether they reciprocate
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hosea 5-9
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 28: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH!
1. Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah!
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven! Bread of heaven!
Feed me now and evermore (2ce)
2. Open Thou the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow:
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong deliverer! strong deliverer!
Be Thou still my strength and shield (2ce)
3. If I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside:
Bear me through the swelling torrent,
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises! songs of praises!
I will ever give to Thee (2ce)
4. Saviour, come! We long to see Thee,
Long to dwell with Thee above;
And to know in full communion,
All the sweetness of Thy love.
Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus!
Take Thy waiting people home (2ce)
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