Week 18: Loyalty
Weekly Chapters:
II Kings 24 - I Chronicles 18
Passage of the Week:
I Chronicles 12:38
Adjective:
1. State of being loyal: faithful
2. Adherence to government, sovereign
Thesaurus:
· Adherence
· Fidelity
· Devotion
· Honesty
· Faith
· Obedience
Father God,
Give me the courage to be loyal to You. Give me the strength to open the door and expose myself. Give me the words to tell You my fears and explore my weaknesses. Father God, I love You. Guide me this week, and let my heart be open to Your words.
Amen
Authentic vulnerability:
We have covered so many emotions; loyalty can be both raw or joyous depending on where we are in our lives. We have experienced betrayal as a violation of loyalty, but for today, this week, we want to focus on loyalty. The pure loyalty you feel as parents to your babies, as young children to your parents, the blind and blissful loyalty of innocence. The commitment that King David had when he followed the Lord, unquestionably. How I long to feel that kind of loyalty. My heart, unfortunately, is constantly questioning, always uncertain. My life is devoted to my Father, yet I still find myself being disobedient, following my selfish desires rather than the desires of my Father God.
Tomorrow, tomorrow I will pray daily, tomorrow I will read my Bible, tomorrow I spend more time worshiping my Lord rather than the TV. Self-care, yes, but sometimes I know my heart longs for God, for the peace of God, and instead, I turn to worldly past times to block out and numb myself. I tell myself not to listen to my feelings, to stuff them, to listen to others, all the while God beckons me to be loyal to Him and to share my emotions with Him. To let Him comfort me and give me respite. I long for God’s peace, yet I am not loyal to the one who offers it.
Today Lord, I want to be loyal to You. I want to share my feelings and fears with You. I want to express my anger positively through You instead of shoving it down. I want to show You my insecurity, my vulnerability, my self-hatred.
Amen
What is your Authentic Truth?
Study:
David’s entire career in the book of I Chronicles is about loyalty. I Chronicles paints David in a compelling light. The book builds up who is who and then speaks to allegiance.
The gatekeepers of the I Chronicles 9:20-34, and I Chronicles 16:37-43 were appointed in a position of trust guarding the treasure in the house of God. Their loyalty to the house of God was necessary to keep its honor. Day and night, the gatekeepers watched over the house of God. North, south, east, and west, they were stationed. They were chosen because they were reliable men (I Chronicles 9:22), loyal men.
Imagine your whole life dedicated to keeping God‘s house protected and holy. Now imagine stationing gatekeepers around your heart, mind, and soul. Little guards whose purpose is to guard your mind against distraction from God. More little guards to guard your heart toward pure desires. Last battalion of little guards to protect your soul from living a life that deadens your spirit. Two hundred twelve guards in all giving your life boundaries, guard rails, so that we stay the course. I can imagine that these little guards would fight against spiritual warfare with giant swords and probably some guns—big ones. *
In I Chronicles 16, David sings about God’s loyalty to his people: rescuing them from Egypt, solidifying victories over their enemies, keeping them alive—loyal to his promises to Abraham (v16), and honoring his covenant (v 15).
When I think about these things: the guardsmen, the little guardsmen inside, and God’s loyalty to his people, I realized that loyalty to God equals peace. With peace, I have freedom from pain, from anxiety, from anger, and wrath. God remains loyal to those who believe in him. His loyalty to support us and care for us.
*The Armor of God is elaborated on in Ephesians 6:10-19.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Father God,
Thank You for a week of self-discovery and growth. Lord, give me the strength to continue to look at my emotions and teach me to feel them. Help me find a way to permit myself to feel and not to block my emotions. Soften my heart, and let the forgiveness of my past begin.
Amen.
Homework:
Who are you loyal to?
Who is loyal to you?
How do/did they make you feel?
What does loyalty feel like? Use emotional words and write this in your journal.
Think about your loyalty to God and one thing that you can do to improve it today.
