To whom are we loyal? We look for happiness and joy in personal relationships, in our jobs, in money, in what we do in our free time and when those don't work out; when things don't go right, who do we turn to? Do we turn to God first or do we look to the things of the world first? We take for granted that we will have a place to live, that we will have loved ones or that we will have our health; but when those things are removed do we trust God, are we loyal to Him, or do we rely on our own wisdom?
No Longer Loyal to God
In 2 Chronicles chapters 14-16 we read about King Asa of Judah. He trusted in God when he was young but after years of things going smoothly it seems he had wandered from that trust. He began to look to the world instead of his Lord for strength and help. He took for granted his relationship to God and forgot Him in his time of need. He thought that he was in control, not God. King Asa was no longer loyal to God.
"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
2 Chronicles chapter 16 tells us that King Asa had gone for help to the neighboring nation of Syria instead of waiting on the Lord. He had relied on things of this world for his help instead of God. By doing this the king showed that He did not trust God to take care of him and his nation. The king was not loyal to the One who he had a covenant with. Sometimes when we struggle in life, we feel that God has abandoned us but perhaps it is God longing to teach us something. On whom do we depend? The world or the One who shows Himself strong on our behalf?
The Problem with Relying on Yourself
In King Asa's mind his overtures to the nation of Syria worked, but God saw the bigger picture. God's way would have been a victory that would have lasted but the king's way caused problems for a century for the people of Judah. God saw the bigger problem was Syria. There is a reason Proverbs reminds us not to lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) How many times have we created more problems than we solved simply by relying on ourselves and how we thought things should be done instead of relying on God?
God Requires Loyalty
The Lord is searching for a loyal heart. He wants to show His strength on our behalf. He sees our trials and tribulations and loves us enough to act on our behalf. God sees our distress, He has strength to give us but He requires something - loyalty. Where do we place our trust? When King Asa was told this we read further that he was angry. He didn't want to hear the truth. He didn't want to know that he was wrong. His trust was in the world, not in God. Sadly we read that even in death, this king did not reach out to God, but to man alone.
We Need God's Strength
The Christian life requires strength to live it. We may not be like the king in 2 Chronicles, warring against another nation, but nonetheless we are in a war. We are in a spiritual war. The strength to fight that war doesn't come from other people, or ourselves, but from God. To live a Christian life successfully we have to learn to let go of the control we mistakenly believe we have. God is in control not us. A loyal heart learns to accept God's control.
Trust - Loyalty-Obedience
When someone is in the military and of lower rank they learn to be loyal to those above them who know more than they do. What they are asked to do many times may seem foolish or dangerous but their trust is that those in charge have the greater good in mind. They learn that loyalty demands obedience. Their loyalty is rewarded, just as our loyalty to God will be rewarded. Who of us would not want the strength of the Lord on our side?
The Lord Supplies our Needs
Isaiah 40:29 reminds us that to those that are weak and have no more strength left the Lord supplies their needs. It is He who gives us power and might. Psalm 84:5 tells us that our happiness is found when God is our strength. Sometimes life can be so overwhelming. We face tragedy, loss, heart ache, and sickness but in times like these, and in good times as well, we have to look to God not the circumstances that are around us.
Blessed are the Loyal
The Lord is searching for His loyal ones so He can bless them. As Christians we are blessed to have the Holy Spirit living in us. How can we be anything but loyal? God has blessed us with His Son, with forgiveness and with everlasting life with Him. If someone gave their child's life for you and forgave a deep wrong that you had done to them would you not be loyal to that person? In return for our loyalty the Lord promises to "show Himself strong" for us.
Our Strength Lies in God
In Romans 4: 17(b) Paul speaks of the faith of Abraham and emphasizes who his hope was in, "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did." In our lives, God is our life, our strength and our hope. It is in Him that we have victory, not in ourselves. A loyal life is one lived under the shelter and protection of the strength of God. Oh what a life that would be if every day when we wake we would remind ourselves where our strength lies - in Him.
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