Daily Jewel

by Pastor J.T. Carnell, McAlester, OK
Sept. 14, 2011

“Dogged Loyalty”
“Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart." – Proverbs 3:2 (The Message)

Would you consider yourself to be a “loyal” person? If you answered, “yes,” then the next question would be – how do you know? Have you had your loyalty taken to task or tested to its highest level? I read a story a few years ago that brought this home to me. A retired man in his 70’s and his dog, Hank, were traveling in his pickup in a remote wooded area in West Virginia. It was during the winter and the roads were not in the best condition. The West Virginia Highway Patrol concluded that the man had lost control of his truck on the icy roads and careened down a steep embankment. The man was recently widowed and it was three days before he was discovered missing. The fourth day the wreckage along with the man’s body was found. It appeared that he had been thrown from the pickup and was killed instantly. They also found Hank, his dog, barely alive, lying next to the man’s body. Despite the cold temperatures, the lack of food and water, Hank remained close to his owner’s side. Had Hank not been found when he was he would have also died at that same spot. The dictionary defines loyal: “A constant faithfulness.” I think I would add; “a constant, often inconvenient faithfulness.” Loyalty is often tested when it becomes a matter of convenience. Allow me to take that a step further; our loyalty towards God is tested when we encounter situations where our decision is based as a matter of convenience! I have the choice between doing what is right or what is easy. Which do I choose? Just for the record – it does not mean that the “easy” choice is necessarily wrong – but it also means that it is not always the best choice. That should be the deciding factor! My favorite example of loyalty comes from Scripture. First, the loyalty that existed between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. Jonathan proved over and over again that he would not betray David even though his own father was seeking to both capture and kill him. In truth, Jonathan risked both his life and his possible future as the next king to protect David. What an incredible example! But even above that was the loyalty David showed to Saul, the very man who sought to have him killed. Twice, David had the opportunity to kill Saul and end his nightmare of running for his life and twice – David held back his hand and spared the life of the king. Since David had been anointed by Samuel as the next king, and given the fact that Saul had lost favor with God, killing Saul would have actually not been wrong – but in the end David made the more difficult choice and continued to live life on “the lam” as it were. Of course the best example is when Jesus left the convenience of His Father’s heaven and came to live in a world filled with hatred, bitterness, greed, lust and evil. God showed His loyalty toward us by not doing what was convenient but by doing what was right and by giving us His very best! Isn’t that worth giving Him back our best – staying by His side regardless of the conditions?
Pastor J. T. Carnell