Category Archives: Loyalty

Bible, Fellow worker, Loyalty, Partner, Scripture

ONE OF THE FEW

COLOSSIANS 4:11

“and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.”

Sometimes when you move to a new city you will have a few of your new neighbors who reach out. They become the few among the many who make you feel welcomed. My wife and I moved to a new city one year ago and into a fairly large subdivision. It’s sad to say but the only neighbors we have met are the ones we have reached out to. No one has come to our door with a welcome gift or a casserole (that’s popular in the South). We should all be better neighbors.

Paul, however, had a few Jewish believers who stuck with him. We mentioned two of those yesterday, Mark or John Mark and Aristarchus. Many of the other Jewish believers were pretty fickle in their support for Paul. But here is Jesus (also called Justus) who Paul describes as a “fellow worker for the kingdom of God.” What a great compliment from Paul. Paul valued fellow workers because he knew he could not do the work alone. We are no different.

APPLICATION

Too many Christians fail because they think they can do it alone. This term fellow worker, used by Paul almost exclusively in the New Testament, is the Greek word sunergos. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says it comes, “From a presumed compound of sun and the base of ergon; a co-laborer, i.e. Coadjutor — companion in labour, (fellow-) helper (-labourer, -worker), labourer together with, workfellow.” Remember, that preposition sun is that inseparable “with.”

Paul uses sunergos in Romans 16:3, 9, 16; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 1:24, 8:23; Philippians 4:3, 11; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; and Philemon 1, 24. Look up these verses and see who Paul is talking about. Can you just imagine your name listed there as one of Paul’s fellow workers? That would be awesome.

Only John, besides Paul, uses this term in 1 John 1:8. “Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may prove to be fellow workers with the truth.” And he gives the same weight to this term. We should all be fellow workers with the truth. Amen. Are you?

Father, make me into the kind of fellow worker with others that they need and give me fellow workers to accomplish all You have for me to do.

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Abiding, Access, Bible, Citizen, Home, Loyalty, Scripture

CITIZENS

EPHESIANS 2:19

“So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,”

I was born in the U.S., so I am a natural born citizen. I am proud to be a citizen of the U.S. We aren’t perfect, but I think we’re the greatest nation in the world. Millions of people around the world want to come to the U.S. for many reasons. Most of them want to become citizens. It is a long process to do that. Classes and tests are required. But if they persevere, they can become naturalized citizens with the same rights and privileges I have.

Paul tells us in today’s verse that we are “fellow citizens.” We belong in “God’s household.” That’s pretty special. The word Paul uses for “fellow citizens” is sumpolitéswhich only occurs in this verse. This is a compound word coming from sun (that inseparable “with”) and polites (citizen). In other words, this citizenship is undissolvable. God made us citizens, and no one can change that.

APPLICATION

Wherever you live, think about your citizenship. What does it mean to you? Do you value it? Would you rather be a citizen somewhere else? Some people have dual citizenship. They have rights in both countries. Unfortunately, many Christians try to live that way. They want to live in the world and also as a Christian. All through God’s Word we see pictures of that. It simply is not possible. You must choose.

Jesus said we cannot serve both God and mammon. In Matthew 6:24, He says this. “‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” That’s pretty clear. Where is your citizenship – with God or with the world?

Like I said earlier, we are now in God’s house. We can dwell with Him. I have no idea what God’s house is like. It doesn’t matter. As long as He is there, I am content. I want to dwell with Him forever, don’t you? I am so glad I know He has counted me in His number.

Lord, Your promises are true – I will dwell with You forever!

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Agreement, Allies, Bible, Fellowship, Hand, Integrity, Loyalty, Partner, Relationships, Scripture

RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP

GALATIANS 2:9

“and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.”

A handshake – it used to mean something. Many a deal was made just by a simple handshake between individuals. A man’s word was his bond. That handshake meant each man would follow through on what they had agreed upon. No paperwork was required. No lawyer was needed. My dad had that kind of reputation in my hometown. Jack Willis’ word was enough. That’s the kind of man I strive to be.

When James, Peter and John gave Paul and Barnabas the “right hand of fellowship” they were agreeing to support them in their mission to the Gentiles. They were saying We trust you to carry out the mission we have agreed on. They recognized them as fellow-laborers for Christ. Whether this was done privately or in public, this handshake was a formal agreement between them. Paul believed them and was supported by them.

APPLICATION

Perhaps you have given that “right hand of fellowship” to someone. What does that mean to you? Will you support that individual in their walk with the Lord? We need each other to accomplish God’s kingdom work here on earth. You and I can’t possibly do this all by ourselves.

There is a passage in Hebrews 10 that is often quoted to encourage each other to attend church. Look at verses 24 and 25 and see what you observe there. “24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Do you want to know what I see there? I’m going to tell you anyway. I see “encourage one another in love and good deeds.” I see “encouraging one another.” It’s not just about not missing church. We need to be coming alongside each other. We need to be offering that “right hand of fellowship.” Why? Because the day is “drawing near.”

Paul has been talking a lot about allies, companions and partners in Galatians. I believe he wanted the Galatians to know that he was not a one man operation. He was co-laboring with Titus, Barnabas, Peter, James and John. And just like Paul, we need others to work alongside for the cause of Christ. Who is that person(s) in your life?

Thank You, Lord, for my partners in ministry all over the world.

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Belief, Bible, Entrust, Faith, God's Will, Loyalty, Scripture, Trustworthy

ENTRUSTED

GALATIANS 2:7

“But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised”

To be entrusted with anything is a great responsibility. When the Lord gave my wife and I our two children, we both felt that He had entrusted them into our care. They have never “belonged” to us. They are His, entrusted to us for a season. It is our prayer that we did the Lord proud by the way we loved them, taught them and raised them to honor Him. There is probably no greater entrustment than that.

Paul uses the Greek word pisteuówhich is translated “entrusted.” Pisteuócomes from the word pistis (faith) which comes peitho (to be persuaded). Okay, you’ve had your Greek lesson for today, lol. But look at those words. What do you see now that Paul was trying to get across. God had shown faith in Paul, had been persuaded by his changed life and now had entrusted him with the Gospel to the uncircumcised.

APPLICATION

What has God entrusted you to do? I truly believe every believer has been entrusted with a mission. Whether they accept it is another story. God has entrusted me with a ministry to men through Every Man A Warrior. I truly love what I do. When I see men’s lives transform and become the spiritual leaders of their homes, it gives me joy. 2 Timothy 2:2 is a verse our ministry teaches to our men to show spiritual multiplication. “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.” You may have been entrusted with a ministry to the homeless or to unwed moms or with addicts. Whatever it is, embrace it.

Over in 2 Timothy 2:12 and 14, we see Paul talk about entrusting again. This time he uses another Greek word which means “a deposit, a trust or thing consigned to one’s faithful keeping: used of the correct knowledge and pure doctrine of the gospel, to be held firmly and faithfully, and to be conscientiously delivered unto others” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). “12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 14 Protect, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

I believe that as we entrust ourselves to God, as we place our faith in His promises, He begins to entrust us with His desires for our lives. It is all about belief. It is all about faith. What do you entrust with your life? Who do you entrust with your future? Only Jesus can be trusted to hold you close.

I place my trust in You, O Lord. Thank You for trusting me with the message You have given me.

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Abiding, Allegiance, Bible, Choices, God's Will, Loyalty, Obedience, Scripture

TURNING FROM THE WAY

MALACHI 2:8

“‘But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have ruined the covenant of Levi,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Call me a nerd, but I like the Star Wars movies and the spinoff shows. One of the most recent spinoffs is “The Mandalorian.” The main character is basically an inter-galactic bounty hunter. I don’t have space here to go too deep into the plot and subplots of the show, but I wanted to mention part of his creed which is spoken at least once every episode. It is “This is the Way.” This creed guides his decisions and actions. He must maintain this “way.”

The priests of Israel have turned from “the way.” God says so right there in today’s verse. And their turning away has “caused many to stumble.” This goes directly against what we saw in the previous two verses (verses 6-7). God says they have “ruined the covenant.” That’s a pretty heavy charge against them. God does not make false charges, so we know this was true. We also know He is a covenant keeping God.

APPLICATION

One of my biggest fears as a Children’s Pastor was that I would do something to cause one of the children under my watch to stumble. Jesus said it well, didn’t He? In Luke 17:2 He said, “‘It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin.’” I don’t know about you, but I am sure I couldn’t swim with a millstone around my neck.

We have such a high responsibility as believers to lead others toward Jesus, not away. Most of us are so careful with what we do, but we do not always watch what we say as carefully. One little word could cause someone to shun a life with Christ. They are looking for something different in us, a life that is not perfect but is different.

May I encourage you to say “This is the way” as you live each day with Christ? Make your way a holy way. Make your way one that reflects Jesus. Make your way His way. If you do that, you will draw others to Jesus. They will see you as different and want to find out how to get what you have. Keep the Way.

Show me Your Way each and every day, Lord. I want to lead others in it.

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Abiding, Bible, Blessing, Commitment, Decisions, Following, Gospel, Loyalty, Memorials, Salvation, Scripture

A MEMORIAL

ZECHARIAH 6:14

“‘Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.’”

Have you ever put something aside as a reminder? I have. In fact, I could probably still find some of those things if I dug for them. That’s just my point. The things we think are so important at the time are really not. They will not last. We tend to put way too much value on things that are temporal. Instead, we should be laying up treasures in heaven.

The Lord tells Zechariah that this crown upon Joshua’s head will become a memorial, a reminder to the people. Back in verse 10, these individuals named here are first brought to our attention. Most scholars believe Helem and Hen are the same as Heldai in verse 10. The crown stands for God’s rule and reign in their lives as Priest and King. God seems to be saying, “Don’t forget this.”

APPLICATION

What is the key moment in your life when you gave your heart and mind to Christ? When did you finally surrender to His call? Think back to that time when you prayed to receive Christ’s offer of salvation. That is a memorial! That is a marker, a milestone. Mark it! Nail it down! You need to remember that moment.

Well Carl, I just kind of grew into Christ. Well, I have to disagree. Just because you are born in a garden you don’t grow into a turnip, do you? God calls each of us to Himself. I love that ole hymn that says, “Have you heard the Savior calling?” Revelation 3:20 tells us, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

There is a moment when you felt that call, when you heard that knock. Ask the Lord to show you when that was, if you are not sure. Why am I stressing this? Because we need those markers in our lives. As we share our story with others those markers give us our talking points. Use them to show others what He has done for you and what He can do for them.

I heard Your call and answered, Lord. Now, use me to glorify You.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Blessing, Choices, Flesh, God's Will, Idols, Loyalty, Scripture

MY PLEASURE

ZEPHANIAH 1:5

“‘And those who bow down on the housetops to the heavenly lights, and those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by Milcom,’”

When I was in my early teen years, I worshipped pleasure. Now, I didn’t say that out loud, but my actions all pointed to that. I still attended church and even sang in the youth choir, but my heart was pledged to something else. All I desired was pleasure. I didn’t really care what the source was as long as it felt good. I did not call it a god, but it was.

The people of Judah had turned to worshipping all sorts of idols. One was worshipped on their housetops through incense. They worshipped the Sun and Moon. And they even worshipped the detestable idol of the Ammonites, Milcom (also known as Molech). This god was brought into the nation by King Solomon when he was pursuing his own way.

APPLICATION

Ask yourself whom you serve? Oh Carl, of course I serve God. I attend church every week and even put money in the offering plate. I’ve taught Sunday School for decades. That’s all well and good, but whom do you worship? For whom are you living? Is your god the God of the universe or some figure you have developed in your own mind that fits your lifestyle?

So many of us go through life thinking we are doing the “Christian thing” well. We go to church, we serve and even get baptized. We can do all those things well and still miss God by a mile. God desires complete surrender. We have to give Him our all. When we worship, it has to be all about Him. Nothing from the world can make our worship better. We have to be centered on Him and bow only to His will.

I don’t like not getting my way. I’m just like most people in that regard. But I have learned to yield my desires to Jesus. There is pleasure in serving a holy, righteous God. There is pleasure in knowing I am pleasing Him. My pleasure senses have been transformed through His Word and His Will. Yours can be too.

Thank You, Lord, for teaching me what real pleasure is all about.

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Bible, Family, Loyalty, Relationships, Scripture, Wealth, Worship

WHAT DO YOU WORSHIP?

HABAKKUK 1:16

“Therefore, they offer a sacrifice to their net and burn incense to their fishing net, because through these things their catch is large, and their food is plentiful.”

People worship stuff. There, I said it. We worship sports. We worship money. We worship prestige and fame. We have done it for centuries. Whatever we put most of our time and attention to becomes our god (notice I put a little “g” there). When will we ever learn that there is only One True God?

The Chaldeans literally worshipped their instruments of war. They would praise their swords and spears. They would claim their strength as their god. This was a common practice then and one that continued for centuries. Warriors in many countries often sacrificed to their weapons and swore allegiance to them, as if they were gods.

APPLICATION

So, this begs the question of us. What do we worship? I know you are going to be quick to say, Carl, I only worship God. Really? Then where do you spend your resources? How much time do you really give God? Do you worship Him in Spirit and in truth? John tells us to do that in John 4:24. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I live in the South where football is King. I’m talking about American football, of course. This time of the year people spend hours engrossed in a ballgame that will be forgotten next year. But we won’t spend 30 minutes with our Lord. I know I am meddling. And I must confess that I watch football, too. But it is not my god. It can never replace that relationship.

Your god may be your family. You spend every moment thinking of and caring for your family, but you neglect your time with Jesus. There is nothing wrong with caring for your family, but we need to spend time with the One who adopted us into His family. Ask yourself today what your god is. Is it Jesus or something else?

I seek You, Lord. I want to know You more so I have to spend time with You.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Eternity, Loyalty, Promises, Relationships, Scripture

DISAPPEARING ACT

NAHUM 3:17

“Your courtiers are like the migratory locust. Your officials are like a swarm of locusts settling in the stone shelters on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, and the place where they are is not known.”

Who doesn’t love a good disappearing act?! I can still remember David Copperfield making a Boeing 747 disappear. That plane is probably still wandering somewhere, lol. We all know that the plane didn’t really disappear, but the illusion was breath taking.

Nineveh would soon disappear, just like the locusts as soon as the sun rises. During the cool nights, they piled on top of each other to stay warm. They were a mass of wiggly insects. Nineveh compares the army of Nineveh in that same fashion. They were so numerous they resembled this horde of locusts at night.

APPLICATION

Unlike the strength of Nineveh that disappeared never to return, our Lord will never disappear. He is with us forever. He remains by our side through this life. Then we will reign with Him forever in the eternal. He will never, never disappear.

I worked with a lot of children during my 30+ years in the Child Welfare system. Many of them had disappearing parents. Mom or dad or both deserted them. The damage done to those precious children would break your heart. I am so grateful for parents who were present in my life all the way up to the time of their homegoing. And one day we will be reunited.

I am also grateful that my heavenly Father is always there. I may not always feel that, but that is because I have drifted away. He is still there. Jesus will never disappear on you. He is there, faithful and true, always ready to lend you His hand. Will you take it?

Place your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the waters. Place your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the seas.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Commitment, Deceit, Devil, Encouragement, Following, Fruit, God's Will, Judgment, Loyalty

PARTING GIFTS

MICAH 1:14

“Therefore you will give parting gifts in behalf of Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will become a deception to the kings of Israel.”

When my wife and I got married over 36 years ago, we were given wedding gifts by friends and family. Some gave money (something a new couple can always use) and others bought things we would need for our home. Wedding gifts are pretty customary in most countries. Some actual require a dowry.

The phrase “parting gifts” can have that meaning – a dowry. You see Judah had so broken their covenant with God that He was giving them over to the pagan invaders. He said to even give them the dowry. He was parting company with them. The deception of idolatry had penetrated the very heart of Judah.

APPLICATION

We need to be very careful what we allow to enter our lives. Satan is sneaky. He loves to slither into our lives and get us to do things we never thought we would do. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says, “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

It can happen so quickly. Before you know it, we are participating in things that God frowns on. God will not allow His children to live in sin. Rebuke will come. Correction will happen, sooner or later.

So, what do we do to protect ourselves? We wrap ourselves in Jesus. If you have not read John 15 lately, do that. John explains it so well. We have to abide in the vine. If we do that, if we cling to Him, we will be doing His will and not ours. Abide in Him.

Father, I would never want to hear You tell me to depart Your presence. I know I am secure in Christ. Help me walk closer each day.

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