Good day to all who are reading my blog!!! I pray you are experiencing the Lord’s favor and comfort on your life at this time. I also pray that you are growing in the Lord in every area of your life.

As I was talking to someone the other day, they gave me what I would call one of the greatest compliments one could ever receive, yet I had such great difficulty receiving it. The person said I was one of the most loyal persons they have ever met (WOW) The reason I had such a hard time receiving that wonderful compliment was because of how loyal is defined: true, dependable, firm, faithful. Those are very huge words in my mind. I have always desired to be a loyal person, a loyal friend but if I were to be honest (that is a good thing to be you know) I wouldn’t say I was always so loyal. The Lord revealed to me that yes I was a loyal person but it was more of a convenient loyalty.

Being conveniently loyal is a category that I sadly believe many people fall into. Being conveniently loyal is when our loyalty is only expressed when it comes with an advantage to us; let me explain. It can be said that we are a loyal employee but are we as loyal when the boss isn’t watching or no one is around to see what we do. It can be said we are a loyal friend but when those friends aren’t around how loyal are we when we speak of them.

There is a person in the Bible that speaks of the highest form  of loyalty. In 1 Samuel 14, 18-20 we read of a man named Jonathan. Johnathan was the oldest son and heir to the throne of his father King Saul. The Scripture portrays Johnathan as a worthy prince a bold, inspirational and pious military leader in Israel’s struggle with the Philistines. When David entered Saul’s service, Johnathan and David became very close friends. In fact they became so close they made a covenant of total committment between each other to one’s another’s families. Have you ever made a committment or covenant with someone only to see yourself break that committment, that covenant because of something that went what you may say bad?

Johnathan supported David even as David’s growing popularity and military success aroused the jealousy of his father King Saul. King Saul was jealous of David’s success; Johnathan was glad even though his succession to the throne was affected. Johnathan openly defended David and by doing so risked his father’s anger. Johnathan worked to save David even though he himself was heir to his father’s throne. That my dear friend is the true model for loyalty.

A huge fault I see in the church today and I will put myself at the top of the list is that there is a huge epidemic of convenient loyalty. People in the church make covenant in their marriages only to see them divorce at the drop of a hat. Something insignificant takes place between fellow brothers and sisters or with their pastors and people who once said this was their church or who declared you were their friend, quickly bolt to find greener pastures. Johnathan gave up what was right for him to take, because of a covenant that he had made with David.

Proverbs 20:6 “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?” The word used for faithful here means one who is permanent or certain. What would it be that you could confidently say you are permanent in, certain of? The Lord declared of Israel in Psalm 78:35-38 “They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant. Yet He was merciful; He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them, Time after time He restrained His anger and did not stir up His full wrath.” Aren’t you glad that the Lord is faithful, that He is loyal to His covenant with us?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you and I or the church we attend could receive without any hesitation, the wonderful greeting the Apostle Paul  gave to the church at Colosse in 1 Colossians 1:1-2 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace be to you from God our Father.” 

I heard a young youth pastor say something one time at a summer youth camp that has burned in my heart to this day. He said that we will be called to many faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful, faithful times in our lives before we will see the fruitful times.

Now my friend you may better understand why it was so hard for me to receive the compliment that I was a very loyal person because deep down in my heart I knew that I haven’t always been so loyal and faithful and my heart is sad because of it. How about you my friend; could you confidently receive that compliment it someone said it of you today? If you could confidently receive that compliment in your heart my friend then give the Lord the praise. But, if like me, you found many holes in your loyalty to your friends, to your church or to your pastor, then would join with me and let’s pray to the Lord that He would change that in our lives. We need many more Jonathan’s in the church today.