Loyalty

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9.
The eyes are the Lord are constantly looking for a person with a heart whose loyal to Him. Why? Because a person who is loyal to Him is a person who would go to the ends of the world to fulfill the assignment that God has given them. When it comes to the work at hand for the Kingdom of God, we are going to need to be seriously loyal and committed to God if we are going to overcome the challenges that are scattered throughout the journey. The loyalty of this degree requires commitment. Look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo.
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” – Daniel 3:17-18.
They said that even if God didn’t deliver them, they would not serve those false gods for their hearts were loyal unto God and their commitment to Him showed that loyalty. For loyalty is being committed to one. In the end of this story after the burning furnace and the fourth man, watch what happens after the king sees this.
“Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.” – Daniel 3:30.
They were instantly promoted to a higher ranking in Babylon. If you desire to be promoted to the next level in the Kingdom of God, then be willing and loyal to God regardless of the cost for God cannot promote those who are unreliable or untrustworthy. If God can’t trust our ability to run with Him, then He will only run little sprints with you rather than whole marathons. We won’t get far if we are always running small little sprints. We can trust God, but can God trust you?
“Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.” – 2 Chronicles 25:1-2.
Amaziah was one of the kings of Judah and notice something in the latter part of these verses. It says that he did what was right and correct but not with a loyal heart. He eventually started worshiping the gods of the Edomites that he just defeated. He might have defeated them but his heart worshipped their gods forsaking the one and true God. Many other translations say, “Not with a perfect heart,” or, “not wholeheartedly.” What this can show is that loyalty is something that requires a heart devoted to the Lord wholeheartedly. If your heart is partially there and partially not, then it is not loyalty. Being wholehearted is being committed to the Lord. It is truly interesting how we will commit to our jobs, sleep, and taking care of our fleshly desires, yet when it comes to God and our relationship, many of us will only halfway commit being inconsistent. You see, loyalty and commitment require and demand consistency. You simply cannot be committed one day and the next day not committed. That isn’t how it works or functions. At that point you aren’t loyal or committed for commitment is consistent even in the ups and the downs. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo were in the worst of the worst yet they showed commitment. True commitment and loyalty is proved in the worst and toughest of times. It is only then that you can tell someone is truly loyal. It is easy to fake-it-to-make-it when everything is going great, but when things are the other way around, people will ditch and leave. Therefore, if we can be committed and consistent in our daily livelihoods and jobs, then why do we struggle to be that way with God? It is because we have a flesh which is our default mode of function. The whole spiritual walk and growth we have is on renewing our minds which is renewing our default mode of function. Anything that we are more committed to than God becomes an idol of our lives. Nothing should take more commitment and loyalty than God Himself. Shadrach and the others were so committed to God that even if God didn’t do His part and meet them halfway they still wouldn’t bow down to the false gods and wouldn’t forsake the one and true God. Talk about commitment. You see, God takes that perspective every day with us. He is so committed to us that even if we don’t do our part, He won’t forsake us. Yet, we don’t always do our part and we fall short. If God is this committed to us that even when we don’t do our part and when we are unreliable and He still chooses to love us and keep us and consider us for His mighty works, then we ought to be likewise committed to Him like this. For He won’t fail on His part, and He won’t fall short unlike us. Loyalty without commitment is a form of deception/manipulation because one can appear loyal with a certain level of commitment rather than wholly being committed and then betraying for selfish gain. Judas was like that when he betrayed Jesus for some silver. Judas appeared loyal but his true commitment was not in his heart. This principle also goes for us in being wary of who we trust. Just because someone appears loyal to us and trustworthy doesn’t always reflect so in their heart. There are those who are truly loyal to you and those who are loyal to what you have. Those who are loyal to what you have will go to great lengths just for selfish gain and to obtain what you have. Now, if you look back on the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo, you will notice a perspective they took toward God. So overall, we ought to take the heart that is loyal and committed to God seeking only His desires. We are in a covenant with God and a covenant is the most sacred form of commitment. He honors that covenant with us by being committed and loyal to us. It would only be right to do the same for Him.