Are You Loyal To Christ?

Rose Syracuse is retiring as the longest-serving employee in Macy's history. The 92-year-old started working at Macy's in New York in 1939.

“This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else,” Syracuse, told The Daily News. “I was happy here.”

Syracuse always worked behind the scenes at the flagship store, where she got her job after passing a math and typing test. She went on to work for decades in the store’s phone and mail order department, until the Internet made her job obsolete.

For the last three years she has worked on archival projects for the department that organizes the parade and other special events. A broken hip sustained in a fall months ago forced the brand's oldest employee into retirement.
- ABC 7 Denver, September 7, 2012

The illustration above exemplifies one type of loyalty: an employee's loyalty to a company. But there is an even more important type of loyalty that I would like to discuss today. Loyalty to Christ! Loyalty to Christ begins in the heart. We must love him supremely. "He who loves father or mother more than me—is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me—is not worthy of me." Nothing makes worthy discipleship, if love is lacking.

In these days, Christian activity is emphasized and required. Never was the church of Christ as active as it is now. This is beautiful. But with all our activity, we fear lest we are not loving Christ as we should. - J.R. Miller

In one of the epistles to the seven churches, Jesus commends the church of Ephesus for many things—its works, its toil, its patience and that it could not bear evil men. "But," he adds, "I have this against you— that you have left your first love." With all its activity and self-sacrificing service—it did not love Jesus as it used to do.

Loyalty means first of all—heart devotion. Has Christ really the highest place in your heart? It is not your work he wants most—it is you! It is beautiful to do things for him—it is still more beautiful to make a home for him in your heart!

If there is true, supreme love in the heart—there should be a holy life and character. Here again we need to guard against devotion to the work and service of Christ—while in the life the world sees there are so many flaws and blemishes, that the impression is not to the honor of Christ. He is very patient with our infirmities and our stumblings. If he were not, who of us ever could hope to please him?

We are inexperienced, mere learners, at first. We misspell our words. We blunder in our grammar. We sing out of tune. Some of us are just beginning our Christian life, and are discouraged already because we have failed to be what we meant to be, and to live as beautifully as we were sure we would live. Christ is patient with us—when he knows that we are true in our heart, that we really want to be faithful.

Christ never forgets how frail we are. But he does not want us ever to give up. Though we stumble when we are learning to walk, he wants us to get up and try again. Though we are defeated in our battle tomorrow, he wants us to rise at once and keep on fighting.

A true soldier may be wounded, may be beaten in many battles—but he never is a deserter, never is a traitor. He is always loyal. It is only when we desert Christ, turn away from him, become false to him—that we really fail. You never can fail—if you are true, if you are faithful.

Loyalty to Christ! There really is nothing else in religion.

Helpful Bible Verses: Matthew 24:45-47; Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Proverbs 18:24; Philippians 4:7; Acts 5:29; 1 Peter 3:15; John 13:37; John 10:28

Prayer: Dear Lord, Even though we have suffered much hardship, you can restore us to abundant, fresh life. You are the God of all restoration. So Lord, we ask today that you would restore any areas within our lives and within our family that may be desolate and fruitless. Amen   -Special thanks to J.R. Miller

May God bless you,

Marlene