This morning I was contemplating loyalty while in the shower. (Not what I meant) Take 2- While in the shower, I was contemplating the concept of loyalty, it's function and likelihood in a broken world and what is a truly inspiring example of someone being loyal. How about this:
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5" 8
Loyalty, driven by love for us, willing to die for us even though we had nothing useful to offer in return, no way to reciprocate, even considering we had already proven ourselves to be wholly untrustworthy. God's deep loyalty to his poor, rebellious, self-centered, missing the point, creation - is beyond our flesh and blood understanding.
Or how about this:
"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love." Romans 8:38
From the deepest depths a love emerges, fighting for us, protecting us - protecting our present and our future. More than any human could ever hope to be, God is loyal to us, his broken children. He fights for us and adores us when we fail, with a guarantee that he will not let ANYTHING break his loyalty to us. Oh how the church would shine (even more) if we could embrace and assimilate God's example into our lives of how to be loyal to others.
John Wimber said "Wherever the Church is obeying the words and works of Jesus there is an outpost of the Kingdom of God."
If the church (we who are Jesus followers) is an outpost of the Kingdom, then one of the of the defining features of that outpost should be LOYALTY borne out of love, fighting for others, not disposing of people because they don't meet our expectations of how WE think they SHOULD be. Loyalty is demonstrated from the top down, just as God shows us loyalty, church leaders should live that loyalty to those they lead, as a picture for us to first experience, then learn, and then practice, ESPECIALLY with those who hurt us or disappoint us.
Today, too many things in our world have become disposable. Sadly, people, friends, co-laborers of God have also become easy to cast aside and cut off from relationship, the lack of loyalty revealing what is lurking underneath, a lack of love for what is difficult or simply just uncomfortable. People have become projects or tools. Few are the number of advocates for people who need loyalty.
Yet God, still fights for us. His loyalty unyielding, His love given without expectation, knowing we will fail Him. Hear Him say about you, "IF YOU WANT HIM, COME AND CLAIM HIM!" His loyalty is alive, as should ours.
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