Loyalty

Joshua 1:16-17

16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.

Quickword: Loyalty

Moses, the great leader was no more. The mantle of leadership had been passed to Joshua by God. The question is will the people be loyal to the leadership of Joshua as they were to Moses. At this point the question of loyalty is important as the children of Israel, primarily the men were now preparing to engage in battle. The one trait or characteristic that resonates with me in friendship/relationships, as a member of a family, organization, church , etc is loyalty. Here me clearly, I don’t mean blind loyalty that causes you to compromise one’s integrity, The loyalty I’m talking about is remembering who was there when the difficulties of life came? Who stands with you in the darkness, when you made the wrong decision? Who shows up for you in a crisis? Who stands with you, year end and year out, month after month, day after day. Loyalty is a rarity and again for me it is a precious commodity. As the leader , Joshua’s loyalty to the people and the peoples loyalty to Joshua will be critical to their success or failure. I think we are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. Loyalty will weigh heavily in determining our future.

• As believers in Christ, our loyalty should first be to God almighty.

• Loyalty requires us to be steadfast even in the midst of trials and tribulations .

• May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors.

Romans 5:8 teaches us about loyalty “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. The children of Israel responded to Joshua saying we will be loyal to you as we were to Moses, may the Lord be with You as He was with him. So today, if you desire, I’d ask you to honestly examine where our loyalties lay. If they don’t align with what is pleasing to God, a change needs to take place. My brothers and sisters it does not take large numbers to make a difference, just a few faithful and loyal followers.