"Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them food.  So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.  And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, 'Go, return each of you to her mother's house.  May the Lord deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.  May the Lord grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.'  Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.  And they said to her, 'No, but we will surely return with you to your people.'"

One of the key words for the book of Ruth is "loyalty".  Here we begin to see opportunity for loyalty.

Naomi's daughters-in-law had suffered like she had.  They had lost their husbands, they had lost their providers.  Naomi knew that these women needed someone to take care of them, she did not think that person was her. 

We often feel the same way.  Those we love rely on us, but we are afraid to let them.  We are afraid that we will not be able to help people like we want. 

This is when loyalty steps in.  Ruth and Orpah pledge their loyalty to Naomi.  Naomi will continue to ask them to leave, but Ruth will eventually show a loyalty that is Godly.

This is where we see Christ in the story.  We often tell Christ to leave our lives, that we don't want Him near.  That we don't want Him to move us, to live in us, to change us.  But Christ loves us through our fears.

Christ, the Lover, is loyal to us forever - we can be loyal to Him as well.