"Extraordinary Allegiance" (Ruth 1:7-22)

I. Consumed by suffocating suffering                             (Introduction)

     Compelling Truths

          •Defining dialogue points to the sovereignty of God

          •Living loyalty that reaches beyond logic

          •Grip of bitterness distorts perspective

          •Grace-filled grit from an unsuspecting source

II. Defining dialogue

     A. Heart to bless

     B. Logical and practical argument

III. Living loyalty

     A. Rational response

     B. Relational response

IV. Grip of bitterness

     A. Is this Naomi?

     B.  Descent into grief

“As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils…” Job 27:2-3

“For the arrows of the Almighty are in me;
my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” Job 6:4

V. Grace beyond the logic                                                  (Application)

4 Descriptions of a Good Comforter

1.A witness who sees us when we’re stricken;

2.An advocate who defends us when we’re abandoned;

3.An intercessor who prays for us when our prayers have run dry;

4.A friend who hopes for us when we no longer have hope for ourselves.

                                                                                                                 Glen Scrivener