All In?
What are the greatest gifts you can give to someone? Love, loyalty and faithfulness are, no doubt, the most wonderful things we can give to another person. They are the enduring and endearing qualities of friendship. They are the prerequisites for trust and intimacy. They are signs of heart level commitment.
Strong relationships are built on love, loyalty and faithfulness. This is why the writer of Proverbs highlighted them as qualities we must develop and preserve:
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” –– Proverbs 3:3, 4 (NIV)
“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.” –– Proverbs 3:3, 4 (NLT)
Just as the Lord instructs us to grow and show these qualities in our relationships with others, He also longs for us to demonstrate them with Him. He is looking for people who love Him, and show their love to Him by their loyalty and faithfulness. He is attracted to people who fully commit themselves to Him, from the heart, and are committed for the long haul. Their relationship with Him doesn’t run hot and cold, depending on their circumstances or current emotions. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, they are “all in” with Him. God works in and though people like this to change the world!
How about you? Are you “all in” with God? Are you demonstrating love, loyalty and faithfulness to Him? Are these qualities overflowing into other relationships in your life?
Make the decision to be an “all in” believer!
Dale O'Shields
For more information, visit the Church of the Redeemer's website.
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