Finding the Love You Want

Finding a Love That Honors God

Scripture References

Primary text

• Ruth 1
• Ruth 2

Other references

• Leviticus 19
• Romans 8:28

Overview

Dating and marriage feel “incredibly complicated” in today’s culture, yet God offers a better way. Using Ruth 1–2, the message compares cultural trends with a counter-cultural picture of two ordinary believers—Ruth and Boaz—whose choices are shaped by faith, character, and God’s providence. Listeners are urged to leave “Moab” (past patterns and sin), trust God to turn the page to “chapter two,” and pursue relationships that honor Him.

Context

• U.S. marriage rates have dropped nearly 60 % in five decades; many men under 30 choose singleness, and most Millennials co-habit before marriage.
• “If you do what most people do, you’ll get what most people get.” The sermon therefore looks for a different model in Scripture.
• Ruth 1 ends in heartbreak—famine, relocation to Moab, death of Elimelech and his sons—but also with Ruth’s conversion and loyalty to Naomi. Ruth 2 opens a fresh chapter.

Main Points

The Culture’s Model Is Broken

• Rising singleness, delayed marriage, and high divorce rates show “something is not working.”
• Casual approaches to dating (“Why buy the cow if the milk is free?”) devalue covenant.
• Followers of Jesus need an approach distinct from the prevailing culture.

Turning the Page: From Moab to Bethlehem

• Ruth’s decision—“Your people will be my people, and your God my God”—marks salvation and a new start.
• “Chapter 1 is behind us; today we’re in chapter 2.” God can do the same for anyone stuck in pain, sin, or hopelessness.
• Providence, not coincidence: Ruth “just so happens” to glean in Boaz’s field, showing God working through ordinary events (Romans 8:28).

Meeting a “Man of Standing” (Ruth 2:1–9)

• Boaz is “a man of standing”—inner strength, integrity, property, work ethic.
• He greets workers with, “The Lord bless you,” revealing faith-filled leadership on ordinary ground.
• Qualities Ruth displays that capture Boaz’s attention:
  • Faithful to God (leaves idols, follows Yahweh)
  • Loyal to family (cares for Naomi)
  • Hard-working (gleaning from morning)
  • Morally upright (refuses immoral survival options)

Qualities Worth Pursuing

For Men—modeled by Boaz

• Honors women (speaks kindly, invites Ruth to sit and eat)
• Protects purity and safety (“I’ve warned the young men”)
• Provides generously (access to water, food, later abundance)
• Prays for her (“May the Lord repay you…”)

For Women—modeled by Ruth

• Faith and conversion lived out
• Sacrificial loyalty
• Initiative and diligent work
• Commitment to moral purity

“If you want something different, you have to take a different approach.”

Grace Echoed in the Story

• Ruth arrives empty-handed; Boaz seats her at his table and gives “all she wanted…with some left over,” a picture of God’s exceeding grace.
• Boaz invites Ruth to bread and wine; Christ invites sinners to His table—body and blood for forgiveness.
• No past, however complicated, can cancel God’s future; don’t let chapter 1 define the rest of the story.

Key Truths

• God often guides through ordinary circumstances; His providence is not accidental.
• Character outshines charm: faith, loyalty, work ethic, and purity attract God-honoring relationships.
• Men of God honor, protect, provide, and pray; women of God live faithful, loyal, industrious, and pure lives.
• Leaving “Moab” (sin and old patterns) is the doorway to God’s blessing in “Bethlehem.”
• Prayer moves God; Naomi’s prayer for Ruth opened the way for Boaz.

Response

• Turn away from any “Moab” habits, relationships, or mind-sets that oppose God.
• Pray persistently—for your future spouse, your children’s spouses, and your current marriage.
• Cultivate the traits seen in Ruth and Boaz: integrity, industry, loyalty, purity, and visible faith.
• Honor and protect the opposite sex in word, attitude, and action.
• Trust God’s providence; look for His “it just so happened” moments in daily life.

Closing

The message closes with an invitation: chapter 1 may have left you empty, hurt, or stuck, but God can turn the page today. When we step out of Moab and toward Bethlehem, He brings more than we expect—grace, purpose, and relationships that honor Him.

“Chapter one is finished; chapter two begins.”

Prayer

The pastor prayed for God to build faith, turn pages of pain into new chapters, provide miracles in stuck places, and draw people from sin to salvation through Jesus. Listeners seeking a fresh start confessed sin, surrendered to Christ as Lord, and asked the Holy Spirit to fill them for a lifetime of following Him.