Loyalty

When thinking about the Easter story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, it’s a story of loyalty or like there of.

The loyalty was one-sided, and Jesus Christ was showing us that some people will let you down, but God will never let you. And even when people let you down, you have the power to forgive.

In this world if you have someone or some people who are loyal to you cherish them, show your appreciation, so not take them for granted, there are loyal people, but unfortunately loyalty can change.

Most heartbreaks happen because we thought someone was loyal to us and they let us down.

I do believe loyalty exists, but if we live our life solely based on others loyalty to us, when they let us down we are disappointed and sometimes devastated.

On the other end, if you’re so loyal that you accept abuse of any kind because of your loyalty to that person or institution your loyalty is misguided.

Human loyalty to others is limited or should be, we don’t have to be loyal at cost to our life, physical, mental, spiritual, financial, or emotional health.

Matthew 26:56(NKJV)

But all this was done that the scriptures of the Prophets might be fulfilled. Then all his disciples forsook him and fled.

2 Timothy 4:16(NKJV)

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

Jesus and the Apostle Paul was forsaken by men but not by God, but both forgave the ones that forsook them< so when someone breaks that bond with you, you may have to move on but forgive.

The word “loyalty” is not in the bible, you may find it in a translation if you really search for it.

The concept is supposedly in the bible.

But I believe the concept in the bible is more faithfulness than loyalty.

Loyalty – Giving or showing constant allegiance to a person or institution

Faithful – Reliable and dependable

Loyalty in my opinion can cause one to be acquiescent to abuse, control, and manipulation.

In this world view of loyalty we are encouraged to stick we a person or institution no matter what, no matter if it is hurtful to us or others.

Biblically it is translated by some that David was loyal to Saul, but he wasn’t going to stay in Saul presence and let him kill him Loyalty can cause one to stay in relationships too long, stay in friendships too long, stay in jobs too long and stay with many other people and places too long.

Faithful relationships or friendships, you love and support but also correct in love. Loyalty sometimes causes you to be quiet and obey. There is such thing as blind loyalty.

Faithfulness and love is not blind. So loyalty and faithfulness can seem interchangeable but mentally can mean too different things.

When I was running the streets, we were so loyal to each other we would go to jail instead of snitch.

So I understand loyalty by definition, but I don’t even apply that word to my life anymore because I’ve been burnt and have burnt others by loyalty.

So, as we ponder the Easter story this week, let’s realize that the only one who has unwavering loyalty to us is Christ Jesus. 

Jesus’ loyalty to us is so powerful that even when we let him down, his loyalty never changes. Even our sin could not break that loyalty, our sin cause a separation but Christ death and resurrection put that back.

Happy Easter