The Importance of Loyalty
One of the all-time greats in baseball was Babe Ruth. His bat had the power of a cannon, and his record of 714 home runs remained unbroken until Hank Aaron came along. The Babe was the idol of sports fans, but in time age took its toll, and his popularity began to wane. Finally the Yankees traded him to the Braves.
In one of his last games in Cincinnati, Babe Ruth began to falter. He struck out and made several misplays that allowed the Reds to score five runs in one inning. As the Babe walked toward the dugout, chin down and dejected, there rose from the stands an enormous storm of boos and catcalls. Some fans actually shook their fists.
Then a wonderful thing happened. A little boy jumped over the railing, and with tears streaming down his cheeks he ran out to the great athlete. Unashamedly, he flung his arms around the Babe’s legs and held on tightly. Babe Ruth scooped him up, hugged him, and set him down again. Patting him gently on the head, he took his hand and the two of them walked off the field together. That is a good example of loyalty, isn’t it?
How loyal are we towards God? The first commandment that God gave to Moses was “You shall have no other gods before me.” God is serious about our loyalty to Him. God expects us to always be loyal. He says “Be faithful, even to the point of death” (Rev. 2:10). The Apostle Paul reminds us, “Therefore, dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you” (I Cor. 15:58).
Some Christians live their lives in such a way that they will be loyal to God and His church… as long as it doesn’t interfere with other pursuits in their lives. They will worship God – as long as it doesn’t interfere with activities they feel are more important. That Christian is serving his own gods, isn’t he? That Christian is not being fed from the teaching and preaching of God’s Word, because he isn’t present in worship services.
With whom does your loyalty lie? It can often be seen by our actions. Let’s be loyal to God, who has given us so much. Rob Combs, Minister
2 comments:
Cain is an example of divded loyalty. Cain was willing to worship God BUT only on his own terms.
Sadly, many today are only concerned with worshipping God on their terms.
Parents often neglect to give their children the most important thing that they could give. They make them go to school, brush their teeth BUT when church activities are planned they allow them to "make their own decision."
How sad it is when there is a church that is willing and able to help shape the spiritual lives of children BUT the parents find themselves to tired from worldly persuits or simply uninterested in building their children's faith in God.
The comment is a good basis for a whole article-- how true!! Sad, but true...
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