Psalm 77 Choose.........

Psalm 77:13

Your ways O’ God are holy.

What god is so great as our God?

What drives me?

What lesser gods……..

Challenge my loyalty-

To the One True God?

What false images have I created-

What have I put my trust in-

What have I betrayed my Savior for-

All because…………

Reality check-

There is One True God-

His ways are Holy-

His ways bring…………

 Life!

Deut. 30:19-20

…….I have set before you Life and death,

Blessings and curses.

-Now Choose Life-

So that you and your children may live

 And that you may love the LORD your God,

Listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.

For the LORD is your Life……..

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

Thank You for Life.

Thank You for Jesus.

Be powerful in me today…….

To Live.

Amen

Loyalty (Part 2)

I love Weddings- The Pageantry- The Beginning of a new life together- Two Becoming One- The Uniting of Hearts and Lives- The Celebration- The food- The Beauty of a Bride and her Court- The Groom at his best- Stong and True- Did I mention the food? I wish I would get invited to more Weddings- Maybe I need to become a Wedding Crasher! That's it- that's the answer- I'll be a Wedding Crasher! Well.............. maybe not. Anyway- As I was pondering over this business of Loyalty, I suppose it was only natural (or maybe Supernatural) that the Holy Spirit would bring Weddings up into my conscious thoughts- Particularly the exchanging of vows. You remember them don't you?

The promise to love, honor, cherish and keep

In sickness and in health

Forsaking all others

Keeping only to your Beloved

All the days of your life

Forsaking all others

Now there's the rub-

A great source of difficulty in the Christian Life.

Does God place this same call on my life in my loyalty and devotion to Him?

Loyalty to my Father in Heaven may mean forsaking people-

At least it may feel like we are forsaking them.

Luke 14:26 Jesus said, " If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes even his own life- he can not be My disciple."

Hard words-yet read on.......

1 John 4:20 If anyone says he loves God yet hates his brother he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, can not love God whom he has not seen.

Okay now, wait a minute-

Which is it- What's it gonna be?

How about this-

My truest Loyalty to Him is lived out by sharing His Love and Life with People.

I can only be Loyal to Him by Loving them-

With His Love.

Maybe there are times when I have to fall back on this "tough love"-

Times when my loyalty to Him feels like being forsaken to them.

John 3:16 For God so Loved the World (People- All People) that He gave His Only Begotten Son............

If I believe this is truely where God's Heart is-

In the restoration of His people-

In the salvation of His people-

Then maybe it's time to entrust some of these people I love into the hands of a God who Loves them infinitely more than I can comprehend or imagine. Maybe my loyalty to Him is the best way to love them.

Lord Jesus, Father God, Holy Spirit- Thank You for even giving me the ability to love anyone at all. Move in me to entrust You with the lives of those You have brought my way. Enable me to Love them truely by Loving You.

Amen

Loyalty

Ally was a good dog. She was a Black Lab we bought as a puppy to help our son Matthew overcome his fear of dogs.........................It worked. Matthew fell in love with that puppy as we watched her grow into a 125 lb dynamo of feet, tail and drool. Now as much as she bonded with Matthew and Rebecca..... and even me- The most powerful connection into our family came with my wife Julie. Julie was the one who walked her, played with her, loved on her and yes even overfed her. I can tell you there was more than once that I envied the love my wife gave that dog- But I shouldn't have been surprised. Julie is like that- A warm, loving, kind woman who can live it out with the best of 'em. Couple that with Ally's love for Julie- Always smiling (Yes I said smiling-Ally had an awesome smile), Always happy to see Julie, Always pouring out unbridled affection for my wife. I imagine there were times Julie wondered why I couldn't have been more like Ally.

With Ally there were no divided loyalties.

She knew who loved her best.

She would choose Julie over all others.

At any sign of threat She would defend Julie for all her worth- Transforming from a sweet adorable pooch- To an incredible display of fury that led many a stranger to ask, "Is your dog safe?"

Ally was a picture of Loyalty.

Mark 12:29-31 Jesus said, " The first command is this- The Lord your God is one.....Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is like it- Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

I wish I could say my own loyalty to my Lord- Father, Son and Spirit- was as pure as Ally's to her Mistress. With Ally it was simple- She knew who loved her best- She knew where her best hope of anything good was coming from. She embraced that and attached herself to my wife in ways that expose my own devotion as paltry.

Her displays of Love for Julie were extravagant.

Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit- Forgive me for my divided heart, forgive me for forgetting who Loves me best. Forgive me for not trusting You- for complicating what is simple in an effort to manipulate my own way. Father God, today- because You are in me and have given Life to my dead heart- I will love You, trust You and follow You in all I do. Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit- Rise up in me today so that this will be true of my life- Unite my heart to Your great Heart so that all that comes out of me today flows from Love for You.

Amen