The Lost Art of Loyalty

A casual observance of society reveals loyalty is a lost art. In earlier days, sports fans could expect professional athletes to remain with one team for the life of their career. Now loyalty yields to a “show me the money” mentality. My grandparents believed, to guarantee a long marriage they should leave the word “divorce” out of their vocabulary. Now loyalty gives way to no cause, easy access divorce. A recent survey showed 57% of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs and would change employers immediately if a better position were offered to them. So much for vocational loyalty. At the first hint of disagreement or dis-satisfaction, loyal church members transfer membership down the road or across town. An old favorite hymn, written for the first convention of the Baptist Young People’s Union in 1894 would no longer be popular if we sang, “From over hill and plain there comes the signal strain, ’Tis loyalty, loyalty, loyalty to Christ; Its music rolls along, the hills take up the song, Of loyalty, loyalty, yes, loyalty to Christ. ‘On to victory! On to victory!’ Cries our great Commander, ‘On!’ We’ll move at His command, We’ll soon possess the land, Through loyalty, loyalty, Yes, loyalty to Christ.” The Bible says, “Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments” (1 Kings 8:61). May this kind of loyalty never be a lost art.

Join me this week in praying for the following global concerns:
• Pray for Russell who will be at the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary March 16-20 to help train ten Ukrainian mission students to spend one semester abroad in the fall.
• Give thanks that a 20+ year project to translate and print the Bashkir New Testament is nearing completion.
• Pray for Hamish as he travels in key parts of Asia to better understand the countries and their cultures as well as comprehend activity of God as it connects with Vancouver.
• There are over 50,000 Danes living in Germany and enjoying many state-recognized rights there. Intercede that they would have access to the gospel, and that their hearts would be open to hear and respond to it.