READ: 1 Samuel 20: 1-17
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners“ – 1 Corinthians 15:33
Everything has a price. Loyalty also has a price. To be loyal to one person means you cannot be loyal to everyone. Loyalty will cost you relationships and friendships. My loyalty to Christ has meant that I cannot maintain some of my old friendships.
The reason for this is my loyalty to the Lord. I want you to meditate on the following verse. “…whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world IS the enemy of God” (James 4:4). Notice that certain friendships are equivalent to enmity with God. No explanations are needed. Anyone who is the friend of my enemy is also my enemy. You cannot take relationships for granted. They are not meaningless. Every friendship or relationship will contribute something to your life. Every pastor ought to observe the friendships that his associates maintain.
I once visited an assistant pastor friend of mine. As we chatted, he spent most of the time commending the achievements of another pastor (not his own senior pastor). He said virtually nothing about his own senior pastor or his own church. I thought to myself, “I wonder how long this assistant is going to be in his present ministry?” Lo and behold, a few months later, I heard that my assistant pastor friend had defected. Friendship with this means enmity with that!
Your loyalty is revealed through the friends you keep. Some friendships will be broken if you are being loyal to Christ, to your church and to your pastor.