A person who is loyal has a habit of being true and faithful to God, to other people, to a duty, or to a promise (Deut. 23:21-23). Loyalty is shown through unwavering completion of responsibilities no matter what the difficulties may be. A person who is loyal will defend with determination his privilege to be obedient and faithful to the object of his loyalty.
Loyalty builds trust, while disloyalty destroys trust. The cost of disloyalty is high, leading to the failure of friendships (Prov. 11:13), the damage done to a nation by a military traitor, and the criminal loss from a business caused by one of its own employees. Disloyalty, similar to unfaithfulness, does great harm to the cause of Christ. James 4:4
Are you learning to be loyal? Are you now practicing habits of loyalty to God, to other people, to your duties, and to your promises?
- I will be willing, if necessary, to give my life for my country.
- I will be willing, if necessary, to physically give up my life for the Lord.
- I will be loyal to anyone who hires me to do a job; they will be able to trust me and to depend upon me to keep a good reputation for them.
- I do not complain or murmur about my parents or about decisions that they have made.
- I do not complain or murmur about my teachers to other students or to my parents.
- I show loyalty to my family by being obedient to my teachers when I am at school.
- I show loyalty to my family by showing the character that they expect of me when I am at school; I work hard and do my best in all that I am asked to do.
- I show my loyalty to my country by being respectful during the pledge to our flag and during the national anthem.
- I am loyal to my Lord and Savior by thinking about Him and by talking about Him whenever I can.
- I do not discuss family problems with those outside of my family unless I am seriously seeking counsel or asking for prayer from an adult.
Thinking of the loyalty that you show now, will you be ready later in life to be loyal to God, your church, your family, your job, and to your country? Review Student Exercise 20.2 and Personal Evaluation 20.3 and set a specific goal for yourself.
“Do all things without murmurings and disputing’s: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:14,15
