REDEMPTION MEANS WE’VE MADE A CHOICE TO FOLLOW GOD. 

SCRIPTURE | Ruth 1:22; 3:5-13; 4:13-17 

CENTRAL TRUTH 

Ruth was faithful in the moment. Our faithfulness can have ripple effects we could never imagine. Knowing this can encourage us when the moment of decision feels difficult—when it feels like our faithfulness doesn’t matter. It matters more than we can know. 

KEY QUESTION 

RUTH COULDN’T KNOW HOW HER STORY WOULD FIT INTO GOD’S BIG STORY. WHY IS THIS A GOOD REMINDER FOR US? 

KEEP IN MIND 

Some of your students may feel like they’re outsiders. They may feel too far away from God to call out for salvation or like they could never be forgiven. The story of Ruth is a great example of the gospel. It parallels how God takes us—outsiders, sinners, foreigners—and brings us into His family through Jesus’s sacrifice. Our own efforts and goodness aren’t enough to earn our way into God’s family; it’s quite the opposite. Likewise, Ruth was an outsider, but she willingly made the choice to join God’s people and to follow God. The gospel, the good news, is that we can all make the same choice because God loved us by sending His Son to die in our place, making us right with Him if we’ ll just call on Him for salvation (John 3:16). 

APPLICATION 

HOW COULD YOUR STORY PLAY A PART IN SOMEONE ELSE’S REDEMPTION? 

THE WIN 

FOR THE STUDENT: If our students claim to know, love, and follow God, then they have the great responsibility to carry their hope to others. They have the responsibility to share the gospel with the lost and the hurting. And while it may seem scary, we can help them see that it’s a privilege. 

FOR THE LEADER: While our students’ salvation is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit and doesn’t rest on us, we get to be used by God! Your story of faithfulness and trust in the Lord could influence someone else to follow Him—to become part of God’s family—too. Your testimony of how God saved you is important for those around you.