I’m sure you know that loyalty to friends are hard to find. I’ve had plenty of friends over my life time, but loyal friends are hard to come by. I do believe that everyone who comes in and out of your life – come for a “season.”
Seasonal friends mean, they come into your life to teach you something and then they are gone. Some lessons are good ones and unfortunately some are bad – but lessons nevertheless.
Some people have grown up with “besties” from their childhood and some still have these besties in their adult life to this day. Some besties lose contact over the years or just simply stop communicating when they grow apart from each other.
Sometimes fights happen. Misunderstandings happen. Judgement happens. Lying and deceit happens. And now those loyal friends are now gone.
Psalm 12:1-2 A psalm of David. Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
When David wrote this scripture in the bible days, he even struggled with those who were faithless and disloyal. He said they have seemed to vanish from the earth and no one could be found who wasn’t a liar. Fast forward today and it’s still true.
If we can’t be loyal to others who we see – how can we remain loyal to Christ who we don’t see?
Even though humans are sinful, egotistical and narcissistic by nature – Christians still have hope that true loyalty to others and Christ can happen. Here’s how…
Loyalty is more than words. True loyalty will result in actions.
Proverbs 20:6 Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?
We’ve all experienced friends and family who say one thing and do another. They say that they will be there for you through thick and thin, but when the thick actually happens, they are nowhere to be found.
These people are not loyal to anything, much less to you. They may not even know what true loyalty means, because they haven’t experienced it in their lives. Being reliable is a foreign concept and they can’t relate to this way of living. Sad but true.
True loyalty is someone who shows you how loyal they are. They don’t have to say a word, but when you are going through hard times, they are always around. They make sure they check on you, just to see how you’re doing. They want you to know that they’ve got your back.
Now I must say, that all friends and family will not be loyal to you. That may not be their job or position in your life. It doesn’t mean that they love you any less, it just means that your relationship with them is different.
God always sends loyal people in your life just when you need them. And if you happen to not have anyone there for you – God will step in and become that person to lean on.
We should be loyal to the people who God put in our lives.
John 13:34-35 “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you. Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
Now if you have been blessed to have those friends and family who are truly loyal to you, you must reciprocate your loyalty to them. It’s not right for them to be there for you, but you not be there for them when they are going through hard times.
I’m sure that you can also relate to this type of person who takes, takes, takes – but never gives. Please don’t be that type of person who only cares about your needs and not the needs of others. I believe that’s called selfish…. If you are that kind of person, you’ll soon find yourself alone when you cry wolf.
God puts loyal people in your path when you need them to talk with, a shoulder to cry on, a prayer warrior or just to love. Abusing this type of friendship, may also result in loneliness. God may decide to remove those people from your life to teach you a lesson.
Let’s make sure that we recognize gifts of love and friendship that God provides and practice giving back or paying it forward.
We should remain loyal to Christ.
Mark 8:34-35 Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously, because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.
As stated earlier, it’s great to have loyal family and friends who are there for you. But your main focus as a Christian is to always remain loyal to Christ. People will leave you, but God will never leave you or forsake you. He’s always there no matter what.
When Jesus told us that we must deny ourselves and follow him, he requires the most loyalty from his people and followers. No matter how hard life gets, you must cling to God’s word, the power of prayer and his will for your life.
When you decided to follow him, you decided that his plans for your life was better than your own. Just remember that when the road gets rocky and you feel that God is nowhere to be found, your loyalty and belief will ultimately pay off with eternal life in the end.
Revelation 2:25-26 Except to hold on to what you have until I come. To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.
Conclusion
God never promised us that our life would be easy. He actually said it would be hard because of Him. This is one of the prices we pay as followers of Christ. Disloyal friends and family come with the territory. Remember Judas? I love my friends and family with all my heart, but they are also human.
Humans can’t possibly be all things to all people.
- People will hurt you.
- People will not be there when you need them.
- People are not trustworthy.
- People lie, steal, kill and cheat.
- People will take care of themselves before they take care of you.
So I’ll leave this right here and just say – Thank you Jesus that I serve a God who will never be disloyal to me as I have to Him. He proved his unconditional love, when he died on the cross for my sins – and that loyalty was enough for me! How about you?
Question: Why do you think true loyalty to others and God is so hard to find today? Leave me a comment!
