DCLM Daily Manna 20 June 2025 Devotional Message Written By Pastor W.F Kumuyi
Read DCLM Daily Manna Devotional 20th June 2025, Friday Message.
TOPIC: UNCOMMON STEADFAST LOYALTY
KEY VERSE:
“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.” – (Ruth 1:16).
READ: Ruth 1:6-18 (ESV)
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But 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.
9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons,
13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
MESSAGE:
In the 2nd Century AD in Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey) lived a faithful and steadfast disciple of Christ named Polycarp. He was a disciple of the apostle John and a revered Christian leader. When persecution intensified, Roman authorities demanded that he renounce his faith. Polycarp’s response was legendary: “Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” He refused to deny Jesus, even when faced with execution. His loyalty to Christ remained steadfast, and he was martyred by fire. His unwavering commitment inspires Christians until this day.
Famine had driven Elimelech and his family to Moab, a heathen nation, to seek a livelihood. Ironically, he and his two sons died there leaving behind his wife, Naomi, and the daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah. Having heard about God’s visitation in Israel, Naomi decided to return home. She appealed to her daughters-in-law to remain in their country. While Orpah yielded, Ruth determined to go with her.
Adverse situations tend to bring out either the good or the bad in people. Ruth’s decision to give up the possibility of security and remarriage at home, and to worship and serve the true and living God of Israel is indeed instructive and inspiring. She was handsomely rewarded, as she became the great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus.
The lesson derivable from this is that God does not disqualify anyone from accepting and serving Him because of race, nationality, or social standing. He seeks faithful and loyal disciples. God loves sincere and committed followers. Do not allow bitterness, grief, and disappointment of the present to blindfold you to the tremendous opportunities of God’s love, care, and restoration.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Steadfastness and faithfulness are big-earning cousins.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 1-2
About Author – Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.