Both daughters-in-law Orpah and Ruth shed tears at Naomi’s command, yet Orpah alone returned to Moab and Moab’s gods, and Ruth remained with Naomi. Tears didn’t mean a changed life.
Repentance is a change of the mind or direction of life. As sinners, our minds hate God (Rom 5:10; 8:7). No personal choice or act of the will can change that; only God has that power.
Godly sorrow leads to repentance, but repentance doesn’t save anyone; we’re saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone. Worldly sorrow is that of fearing punishment, being caught, or guilty feelings. Godly sorrow is an evidence that God has already changed the heart, not a work to entice God to change the heart.

I. Count (Ruth 1:16). Orpah returned to her family, her nation, and her gods. Naomi urged Ruth to be like Orpah, but Ruth refused. She’d considered the cost of following her mother-in-law, and more importantly, her God.
Ruth was committed despite being told to return to Moab, Orpah turning back, and the consequence of being a childless widow the rest of her life; being in an unfamiliar place with unknown people and a foreign culture; living as a social and a religious outcast. She would be an outcast from the Jewish people, but not from God (Deut 23:3). God delights in showing mercy and saves according to His mercy rather than works or merit we might offer or perform (Mic 7:18; Tit 3:5).

II. Cling (Ruth 1:16-17). Every circumstance of life and the Law of Moses excluded Ruth, but God’s grace included her, bringing her near. Naomi’s people and God would be hers.
Some claim to love Jesus but can’t stand Christians, which is an impossible position. To identify with Jesus in salvation means identifying with His body, His bride, the Church. To dislike His people is to dislike Him. Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph 5:25, 29-30), His love is focused on the church, which in turn makes Him visible in the world.
Ruth would cling to Naomi because she was committed to Naomi’s God, Jehovah. In life and death, she would be faithful to her mother-in-law because of their God.

III. Commit (Luke 9:57-62). Jesus was not easy on those who wanted to follow Him. He didn’t encourage them to repeat a prayer, close their eyes and raise their hands, or respond to an emotional plea. The way of the cross is not easy. As someone has said, If you are a Christian, make sure you look good on wood (Mt 16:24-26). Jesus demanded His followers understand intelligently the personal cost of discipleship (Lk 14:25-33).
Jesus heard the pleas of those following Him, but also knew their hearts and motives. A person may have many motives for following Jesus, but only the motive created by a God-given faith matters.
Luke 9:57-62 records three men who wanted to follow after Jesus; but wanting and doing are not the same! The first man was a scribe, a man of repute, who wanted to follow Jesus as long as he could be comfortable. His interest was in personal gain, not what following Jesus would cost.
The second man would follow Jesus after his father died and he received his inheritance. Let the dead bury the dead suggests the priorities of the regenerated are not the same as the spiritually dead.
The third didn’t want Jesus to interfere with his relationships. Fear of being rejected by his family or losing contact with them prevented him from following Jesus.
These three are starkly different from Peter, James, John (Lk 5:1-11) and Matthew (Lk 5:27-28), who immediately left all to follow after Jesus. Those whom God calls to Christ, will come to Him for eternal life (Jn 1:12-13; 6:37, 44-45; 7:37-39; 8:42-47).
We can be easily manipulated by others into thinking that everyone who repeats certain words is born again; but that’s not so. The new birth results in a new life. Look for the evidence of that new, eternal life as the result of the new birth.