Saturday, February 16, 2013

February 16 – Loyalty to God, Family, Friends and Yourself

Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man? ... Loyalty and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne by righteousness. Proverbs 20:6, 28  

But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." All the disciples said the same thing too.  Matthew 26:33-35 

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 

Three, actually four, examples of loyalty in scripture. People proclaim or declare their loyalty—like Peter and the other disciples, “I won’t deny you.” With our friends, we say—I’m here for you. In the marriage ceremony we declare our love, faithfulness, and loyalty to our spouse—until death do us part. When we dedicate our children to the Lord, we declare our devotion and loyalty to God and promise to raise the children that He has blessed us with for Him. In baptism we declare our belief in Jesus, as well as devotion and loyalty. One of my favorite verses in the Bible God promised, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5. Claim that promise now and always. I do.  That is a promise of God’s loyalty to us—He will never leave us or forsake us.  

Training Tip – Make an acrostic as you discuss what it is to be loyal.
            L – loving
            O – others
            Y – yourself
            A – always
            L – lasting 

Lord – Just as You have promised to never leave or forsake me, I promise to never leave or forsake You. Help me to instill this loyalty in my children and grandchildren. 

Continuing with the Random Acts of Kindness Week—to whom did you show kindness today? 

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

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