Loyalty

I read a definition of loyalty that I really appreciated. It said loyalty is the willingness to make an investment or personal sacrifice to strengthen a relationship.

Why is loyalty important? Loyalty is the determining factor between true friends and acquaintances. Loyalty is a foundational trait in a marriage, in a friendship and even between covenant relationships in church.

What is loyalty? When I lived in Waynesville, NC there was a little restaurant that was just across the railroad tracks from my office. I could walk to it in a matter of 20 seconds. I regularly visited the restaurant. Someone might have assumed that I was loyal customer of that restaurant because I often ate there for lunch. But I wasn’t. I never recommended it to anyone because the food was rather poor, I would tell my friends the food was lousy. And if ever there had been another restaurant opened up near it, I would have never gone back to the other one. I wasn’t loyal, it was just convenient.

I was thinking that it would be dangerous to place convenience as a foundational trait in our most important relationships and if we do then they are doomed for trouble. Why? Assuming you are a married man, what if an attractive woman shows interest in you? What if your friend disappoints you? What if a new church opens up? Loyalty stays the course while convenience jumps ship.

How do you develop loyalty? Simple, you invest in the relationship. People always stay interested in their investments. I learned this when I invested some money in the stock market. Suddenly, my interest in watching a particular stock grew quickly all because I now had an investment in it.

It may be time for you to look at your most important relationships and decide if you are really investing in them in a way that develops loyalty.

Faithfulness

What does faithfulness mean to you? In a marriage it certainly means purity but it means more than that. It means arriving home when you said you would. It means taking responsibility for helping with household duties and being active in the life of your children. It means setting a spiritual tone for your family. Faithfulness means "you can count on me to do the right thing for you and I will do it all with a great attitude because I love you."

2 Timothy 2:1-3You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. NKJV

In church leadership we should seek out faithful men and women to help with ministry. The key is to find faithful people. Faithfulness in church leadership isn't quite as committal as in a marriage but there are some similarities in the attitude concerning serving. In order to be faithful in church leadership we must carry the same attitude which is "you can count on me to do the right thing for this church and I will do it with a great attitude because I love the Lord."

Challenge yourself today to become faithful.