ONE FAMILY

Ruth and Naomi didn’t look like they belonged together. Naomi was an older Jewish woman whose husband and sons had died, leaving her heartbroken and alone. Ruth was her daughter-in-law from a completely different country and culture. When Naomi decided to travel home to Bethlehem, she told Ruth: “Go back to your own people. You don’t have to come with me.”

But Ruth wouldn’t leave. She said those unforgettable words: “Where you go I will go. Where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.” Ruth chose love over comfort. She chose family over familiarity.

God’s family is like that. It’s not made up of people who all look the same, speak the same language, or come from the same place. God’s family stretches across every nation, every culture, every colour. When we follow Jesus, we become brothers and sisters with people all over the world — even people we’ve never met!

You are part of the most international, most wonderfully mixed-up, most beautiful family on earth. And just like Ruth, God asks us to stick together — across every difference — because that’s what love does. It stays.

Mumbai, India

Mumbai is one of the world’s most crowded and colourful cities — a place where dozens of languages, religions, and cultures all live side by side. Jesus is building His family there too, gathering people from every background into one beautiful community. Mumbai needs believers who live like Ruth — loyal, loving, and fearless.

Pray: Father, gather Mumbai’s many peoples into one family who all know and love Jesus.

• Pray for maturity among Jewish believers in Israel and around the world, that they would grow in knowledge, love, and service. (Ephesians 4:12–13)
• Pray that Jewish believers would be equipped to represent Messiah well to family and friends who don’t yet know Him. (Romans 1:16)

Be a 2BC Champion today — Hearing, Knowing, and Sharing!

Hearing — Ask God to show you someone who needs to feel they belong.

Knowing — I belong to God’s family, with brothers and sisters worldwide.

Sharing — Include someone who feels left out this week.