Loyalty: May 12, 2010

May 12. TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY MAY 12, 2010

LOYALTY

DEFINITION:

Faithful to one’s sovereign reign, oath or obligation; loyal to a vow; faithfulness.

SCRIPTURE:

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

The western novelist Steven Bly writes that there were two types of friends in the days of America’s old west. There were runners and standers. These terms were also given to horses. At the first sign of trouble the runner would bolt, abandoning you to whatever peril you were facing. But a stander would stick with you no matter what the circumstances might be. Unfortunately, he wrote, you would not know what kind of friend you had until trouble came. And then it was too late, unless your friend was a stander.

Rather than spending time thinking about what kind of friends you have, we ought to consider what kind of friend we are. The apostle Paul in his final days as he awaited death noted that some who had ministered with him turned into runners and abandoned him allowing him to face execution alone. In II Timothy 4:11 he referred to Demas who had run off and then simply stated that only Luke had stayed with him. Paul was no doubt disappointed with those who had deserted him but deeply comforted that Luke stood with him. Luke was a stander!

Proverbs tells us that a friend loves at all times. During times of adversity we all need friends that we can rely on. When people we know that are in trouble, what kind of friend will we be to them? Are you a runner or a stander?

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John16:24.

“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, help me be the kind of friend who does not run when one of my friends is in need. Give me the courage to stand by my friend and give me the wisdom to know what to say and also the ability to serve them.