Loyalty – Loyalty that Stays (365/227)
Hard seasons reveal whether our loyalty will remain when the cost rises and staying puts us at risk.
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)
The Bible in 2 Samuel 15, tells us that when David fled Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion, he urged Ittai the Gittite, a recent arrival, to return rather than follow him into danger (v 19–20). Ittai’s response however, was unwavering: “whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be.” (v 21). He had no guarantee of a favourable outcome, but he chose to remain with David through his vulnerable times. His loyalty was voluntary, public and costly.
Demas, on the other hand, once counted among Paul’s fellow workers (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24), later deserted him because he “loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:9–10). Yet Paul experienced even greater loyalty and testified, “the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:16–17).
Christ is the ultimate expression of loyalty. He did not abandon us when our sin made the cost immeasurable. He walked willingly toward the cross, remaining faithful even unto death (Philippians 2:8).
Pause and Ponder
What happens to my loyalty when a relationship becomes difficult or costly?
Am I more committed to people when they benefit me?
Where is Christ calling me to remain faithful rather than choose the easier path?
Because Christ remains faithful to us, we can remain loyal to Him and to those He has entrusted to us - even when circumstances give us every reason to leave.
Lord, help me choose loyalty over comfort and sacrificial love over self-interest as I follow Christ, who never abandoned me but remained faithful to the cross. Amen.
Extended Reading: 2 Samuel 15; 2 Timothy 4
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