Friday, March 14, 2008

 

How Will They Know Series

 

Joshua 24:15 “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

 

Loyalty

 

In the old West stories the writers made a great deal about loyalty of the cowboys to the brand, loyalty to the guys with whom you rode and roped.  I remember my grandfather talking about the importance of loyalty to the hands and tenants on the farm. Years ago Matt had the staff take a personality inventory and it showed that loyalty was the most important characteristic or trait to me.   

 

Our world no longer is a loyal place to a great extent.   Companies fire long-term employees without remorse.   People commonly are not loyal to stores or brands anymore.   I’ve had real estate people sit down and talk to me about the fact that they would show people houses for months and the person would find a house for sale “By Owner” and buy it in a minute and never say anything to the real estate person again. 

 

Time magazine had an article about the high percentage of people who are constantly church shopping. They are only loyal to a church for a short period of time.   I certainly have experienced that at Spanish Fort United Methodist Church and time and time again it has broken my heart.   People that I have prayed for, loved, tried to serve, leave the church without a single word or explanation.  When they see me they look at me as though I didn’t exist.   An especially painful experience for me, I think, because loyalty is important.   If that were not true I would not have stayed for 20 years. 

 

So what do we do in the face of disloyalty?   Do we respond ourselves by being disloyal?   The Book of Joshua has this incredible line that says, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  Even though the disciples deserted Him, Jesus was loyal to the will of God and constantly tried to re-establish a connection. 

 

I suppose everyone has to find their own answer.  The answer for me is to practice loyalty to God and to people.   I will never be a cowboy riding the western range but in my own way I find it important to be loyal to my brand, my church if you will.   I cannot let go of people I have loved and even if they are just a memory in my heart, no one can diminish the memory of those friendships.   It would be impossible for someone to make me disloyal.  You honor people as God’s creation and you serve the Lord always.  In that way we can be true to what we really believe. 

 

Prayer:

Dear God, help me to be a loyal person. Amen.