The Lost Art of Loyalty
"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever." 1 Chronicles 28:9
Loyalty defined: The state of being true or faithful in allegiance; faithful to the lawful government, to a prince or superior; true to plighted faith, duty, or love; not treacherous; constant.
David told Solomon to serve God with a loyal heart and a willing mind. What did it mean to have a loyal heart? It meant that Solomon needed to maintain a clarity of purpose and a sharp focus on the commands and direction of both the Lord and his father/leader, David. He needed to maintain proper relationships vertically with God and horizontally with people. Solomon needed to know the spirit of those who came along side.
As David discovered, if a leader is not paying attention, an Absalom may arise to stand by the gate of the king's court to "steal the hearts of the people," (2 Samuel 15:6) divert their attention to another agenda and cause a spirit of distrust and lack of confidence to build against the senior leader. As the apostle Paul said, "...divisions must come among you, that those who are approved may be made manifest..." At the point of "di-vision" (another vision, separate from the stated vision) and separation, all the lines of disloyalty appear, even to the extent that people who are not directly involved, but are not loyal in heart, are negatively affected.
Some keys to restoring a loyal heart include:
1. Faithfulness to God-ordained relationships and purposes
2. Repentance and restitution for injuries caused by lies, gossip and false judgments
3. Understanding one's own gifts, grace and measure in the body of Christ and working within them
4. Submitting to spiritual authority as unto the Lord
5. Reading and living out the Word of God
6. Strengthening and supporting your local church/leaders and thereby enhance the larger church
7. Resolve conflicts and problems by the Word going to those with whom we have a problem.
8. Publicly and privately vocalizing support for leadership
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