Loyalty: Remembering that it's not all about me.

"And the women answered... as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth...and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward" (1 Sam. 18:7-9).

Although David was a loyal servant of King Saul, he became jealous of David and began to look upon him with suspicion. Saul was envious of David because to him being the King was no longer about serving God and his purposes, but about serving himself. When your relationships with others becomes about what they can do for you, rather than how you can be a blessing to them, you're more like the devil than Jesus. King Saul not only looked upon David with suspicion but he attempted several times to kill him. David, on the other hand remained loyal to King Saul, not only in spite of the fact that Saul tried to kill him, but he remained loyal knowing that he was to be the next King of Israel. Although King Saul did not deserve it, David honored him until the end because he honored God and viewed Saul as the Lord's anointed. David didn't have his own agenda. It's remarkable to me that David didn't view King Saul as an obstacle to him actually reigning on the throne of Israel, although it was decreed by God that he was to be the next king. Instead, he viewed himself as a servant of God and of the King, who was still currently on the throne, and he was going to honor him until God said otherwise. David had his chances to take Saul out. But he was determined to wait on God to promote him in His time rather the taking matters into his own hands. In the mean time, he was content to play his harp for the king and carry his armor.

Thomas Merton wrote, "To consider persons and events and situations only in the light of their effect upon myself is to live on the doorstep of hell." That certainly applied to Saul but not David. "David didn't have the "it's all about me" attitude. There was something much bigger then "me" operating in his life, namely a high and holy view of God. Loyalty, which David exemplified in his dealing with Saul, is a byproduct of remembering that it's not all about me. In his actions, David demonstrated a Christ-like humility. We are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to show that same humility and love towards one another. He wrote, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philip. 2:4-8).

David was loyal to an undeserving king because he was humbled by an all powerful God and like Jesus, God exalted him. Oh how the church needs a heavy dose of loyalty for one another that flows from humility. "Practicing loyalty means first of all maintaining perspective. Many disagreements and divisions start when we focus on a minor detail and forget the big picture. I think the most Christians agree on goals of ministry but sometimes disagree on how to reach those goals. It's not the purposes of the church or biblical principles we follow that create problems in ministry, but the procedures we use to accomplish those purposes and implement those principles. We can't compromise the commission the Lord has given us, but we can negotiate the elements of the programs by which we hope to serve Him. We can't always have our way, and a willingness to give up some of our rights may lubricate the machinery' (Warren Wiersbe).

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, loyalty means to be "faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due." But Jesus was faithful to us not because we showed ourselves to be faithful. He was faithful to us unto death because his love for us compelled him to be. If a church is going to be healthy we need to keep our eyes on the big picture--we need to keep our eyes on Christ and his cause in the world. We are to be loyal to our Church leaders, we are to be loyal to one another because we are loyal to Christ. Our loyalty and faithfulness is not about what others can do for me but what we can do for others that is going to advance the cause of Christ. There will be true loyalty among Christians when they remember that's it's not about me. David humbled himself and remained loyal and faithful to an undeserving king because he kept his eyes of the Lord. He would not take matters into his own hands in order to promote himself and in due time God exalted him. Jesus went all the way to Calvary for sinners like you and me. May we be loyal and faithful to one another and love each other like Jesus loved us.