Lessons on Love and Loyalty

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a man who had a wife and two sons. There was a famine in the land where he lived, so he said to his wife and sons, "We will journey down to another country where the crops have not failed. There shall we find plenty to eat, and there will we make our home."

So the family moved to the strange land where they prospered and were happy. In time, the boys grew to young manhood and married young women of the new land where they dwelt. Then sorrow entered their homes, as sorrow comes sooner or later to every home. The father and the two sons died, and the mother and her two daughters-in-law were left alone.

The mother, whose name was Naomi, said, "I am going back to the land where I lived in former days, back to the people of my girlhood." The young women said, "We shall go with you also." "No," replied Naomi, "you must not do that. Go back to your homes, there you shall be cared for, and may the Lord deal gently with you."

The names of these two daughters-in-law were Ruth and Orpah. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye.  But Ruth spoke up and said:

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Great words are these, words of love and loyalty.

(This Bible story is found in Ruth Chapter 1.)

MEMORY VERSE:  Exodus 20: 12
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

KIDS CRAFT:  Dog Paper Craft
Dogs are known to show love and loyalty to their owners.  How do dogs show their love and loyalty?  What can we learn from dogs?   This puppy dog is a simple cut and paste paper craft that is fun for young children to make.  It makes a great project for preschool and kindergarten kids.  See complete instruction here.