Adventure Bound Outdoors TV Program Host
Loyalty 1 Corinthians 1:9

As the fall of the year approaches, those of us who love the outdoors and who enjoy hunting begin to count the days until the opening of our favorite season.  We're already checking out our favorite spots in anticipation of the exciting season ahead.  It won't be long before the leaves will turn, the air will be crisp and cool, and the sounds of migrating ducks and geese will fill the air.  Living as I do on the Mississippi flyway, I have had the privilege of witnessing the annual migration of some of God's most beautiful creatures:  Canada geese.

I have heard hunters tell stories of shooting a goose only to watch its mate circle back, risking death itself, in an attempt to help its partner.  If for some reason a goose can't make the difficult migration south for the winter, often its mate will stay by its side, facing the harsh winter with its partner.  More often than not, both geese will die together as a result of the winter weather, while the one that is not wounded could have been saved.

The intense loyalty that characterizes the Canada goose not only extends to its mate, but also to its young.  While mature geese have few natural enemies, those geese that are raising their young have been known to take on a raccoon or even a fox to protect their small ones.  Recently, I was reading and account of an unseasonably late spring snowstorm that came to the breeding ground of the Canada geese.  The snow continued falling until it reached a depth of three feet.  As the snow melted away days later, an amazing picture of loyalty was revealed.  Scores of dead geese were found still sitting on their nests.  They had chosen to suffocate rather than leave the eggs they were protecting.

As I reflect on the intense loyalty of the Canada goose, I am convinced that it is a reflection of our Creator's heart.  When we talk about God, we have another word for this loyalty.  We call it faithfulness.  1 Corinthians 1:9 says, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  I like the way the Message paraphrases this verse when it says, [God] "will never give up on you.  Never forget that."  Faithfulness, or loyalty, is one of God's greatest characteristics.

In Hebrews 13:5 he says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Loyalty holds relationships together.  Without it, marriages, families, and friendships fall apart.  That is why loyalty is so important.  When others give up and quit, loyal people are reliable and consistent.  You can count on the steadiness of loyalty, and God shows loyalty to those who are His.

As I think back over my life, I am humbled by the intense loyalty that God has shown to me when I have least deserved it.  His blessings and His grace have been there in spite of my fickleness and my foolish moods.  He has been consistent; He has always remained loyal to me.

During the cold days of the late fall, I will stand on the edge of flooded timber in Eastern Arkansas or sit in a duck blind, and I will hear the familiar honk and see the V-shape formation of geese flying overhead.  At that moment, I will think about how fortunate I am to know personally the God who not only created the geese, but who created me.  I will breathe a prayer thanking God for the many ways He has proven His loyalty to me, and I will once again resolve, in my own heart, to faithfully live for the One who cared so much that He sent His Son for me.  Then I'll realize that's a loyalty I'll never deserve.  That's why it's called grace.

That's the truth....about loyalty, in God's country.