Reflections on Being Loyal to Jesus Christ

Loyalty! What a noble and inspiring word to meditate on! The dictionary defines loyalty as: "faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc." In other words, loyalty means to have a passionate and persistent devotion to something or someone. Loyalty is a commitment to stand by someone or something with undaunted resolve no matter what form the detractors may take. Time may go by, but loyalty never stops clinging to her person or cause.

I have always valued loyalty throughout my life...but that is not bragging...it is more of a confession. Let me explain what I mean: Before I came into a relationship with Christ, I was loyal to many unworthy people and things. I was fiercely loyal to many friends growing up who were very bad influences. "Bad company corrupts good moral" says the Good Book (I Cor.15:33). Therefore, my loyalty to maintaining close friendships with "bad company" proved to be an ignoble use of the noble quality of loyalty. For over 3 years, I was passionately loyal to a false religion. I believed with all my heart that that religious system was true. I would have given my life for that religion if the moment would ever have come. Therefore, I was sincere and loyal...but sincerely wrong and loyal to a false religion. Once again, I was found guilty of imperfect human loyalty.

However, one day a Strange Man "stepped in front of me". His name is Jesus Christ, the God-man. God in the flesh. The Son of God...the Lamb of God who takes away, not just the sins of the world, but my sins! No one ever spoke like this Unusual Man. No one ever lived like Him. As God's servants began to implore me to receive Jesus Christ and be saved, my heart began to melt...and I experienced first hand the new birth of salvation in Jesus. From that day, God created in me a noble loyalty to Jesus Christ. It is a loyalty that has its foundation and origin in God Himself. "We love, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

True loyalty to Jesus Christ can be spelled as follows: O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Beloved, we are loyal to Christ, when we obey Him. It is as plain, simple and glorious as that! Be loyalty to Christ. Obey His word as it applies to your life today. Therein is noble loyalty. A loyalty that transcends our human weakness and places our feet on the high places where His grace abounds.