Loyalty is one of the most expensive things in life. It is the most selfless way to love. Living solely for oneself and being loyal are incompatible. People who are loyal not only keep their promises, but are also ready to go through pain for them.
Your love for God, the church, your family, and your friends will sometimes require you to give up something. What is giving up? It is the act of giving something valuable and expensive that costs you something. There is no real type of loyalty that doesn’t require you to make regular sacrifices. If it does, you’re just making it up.
Jonathan serves as a remarkable illustration of Loyalty. At times, he found himself torn between his loyalty to his father, Saul, and his loyalty to his friend, David. His response to the problem demonstrates the principles of loyalty and the foundation upon which loyalty should be built. Loyalty in Jonathan was always grounded in truth.
Jonathan understood that God was the ultimate source of truth and recognized the importance of remaining steadfastly loyal to God above all other commitments. Jonathan’s ability to navigate the challenges in his life stemmed from his strong and meaningful connection with God. Saul, being both his father and the king, naturally inspired loyalty in him. David’s friendship compelled him to remain loyal and supportive. His loyalty helped him deal with the different needs of the people in his life.
Let me ask some direct questions. Are you loyal to God? Most of us—probably all of us—of course would say, “Yes.” Are you loyal to your family? Are you loyal to the household of God? Are you willing to defend and protect the honor of others in the household of God? More pointedly, are you a loyal individual? And what are you loyal to? These are tougher questions than appear on the surface. Some may only be loyal to themselves. But, hopefully, that’s no one, or hardly any one.
The different needs of our relationships also make us work hard. If we only try to solve these problems on a personal level, we will always feel like we’ve been betrayed. But if we tell our friends that our final loyalty is to God and his truth, it will be much easier to decide on many things.
The Bible will help us figure out what to do because of the truth in His Word.
