Reflections on Being Loyal to Jesus Christ

Loyalty! What a noble and inspiring word to meditate on! The dictionary defines loyalty as: "faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc." In other words, loyalty means to have a passionate and persistent devotion to something or someone. Loyalty is a commitment to stand by someone or something with undaunted resolve no matter what form the detractors may take. Time may go by, but loyalty never stops clinging to her person or cause.

I just changed my Blog title today to: "Loyal to Jesus Christ" not because I am perfectly loyal to Him, but rather, because it is my goal to be more and more loyal to Him. I have always valued loyalty throughout my life...but that is not bragging...it is more of a confession. Let me explain what I mean: Before I came into a relationship with Christ, I was loyal to many unworthy people and things. I was fiercely loyal to many friends growing up who were very bad influences. "Bad company corrupts good moral" says the Good Book (I Cor.15:33). Therefore, my loyalty to maintaining close friendships with "bad company" proved to be an ignoble use of the noble quality of loyalty. For over 3 years, I was passionately loyal to a false religion. I believed with all my heart that that religious system was true. I would have given my life for that religion if the moment would ever have come. Therefore, I was sincere and loyal...but sincerely wrong and loyal to a false religion. Once again, I was found guilty of imperfect human loyalty.

However, one day a Strange Man "stepped in front of me". His name is Jesus Christ, the God-man. God in the flesh. The Son of God...the Lamb of God who takes away, not just the sins of the world, but my sins! No one ever spoke like this Unusual Man. No one ever lived like Him. As God's servants began to implore me to receive Jesus Christ and be saved, my heart began to melt...and I experienced first hand the new birth of salvation in Jesus. From that day, God created in me a noble loyalty to Jesus Christ. It is a loyalty that has its foundation and origin in God Himself. "We love, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

True loyalty to Jesus Christ can be spelled as follows: O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Beloved, we are loyal to Christ, when we obey Him. It is as plain, simple and glorious as that! Be loyalty to Christ. Obey His word as it applies to your life today. Therein is noble loyalty. A loyalty that transcends our human weakness and places our feet on the high places where His grace abounds.

Overshadowed by the Cross

Overshadowed by the Cross
“A Psalm of Mary”
Written by Robert L. Brannon, Christmas 2009

The words of Gabriel were very clear,
His name is Jesus, salvation’s near.
A light to Gentiles, that is He,
To Israel, Glory and Jubilee.

I look down and see Him in the crèche,
The Baby whom angels call, “God-in-the-Flesh”.
And I am sure their words are true,
A Savior’s born to make us new.

In Bethlehem is born this King,
The angels and all heaven sing.
And here I am, a mother-girl,
Watching prophecies unfurl.

My heart is a treasure-trove of awe,
As I watch my Jesus in the straw.
Then I lift Him from His manger low,
And count His fingers, and His toes.

As I lift Him up so very high,
The star of glory shines from the sky.
His body straight, His arms extend,
His shadow falls upon the pen.

Alas, what does His shadow cast,
This Babe in arms that I hold fast?
My soul is pierced! Oh, is all lost?
His shadow forms a Roman cross!

I cringe to think of death at birth,
Yet Jesus smiles in holy mirth.
Yes, Jesus has a destiny,
To pay sin’s price for you and me.

They’ll pierce You, Jesus, in the end,
You’ll pay our penalty for sin.
And how I love you, Savior-King!
Salvation’s song, I now can sing!

Background behind this Poem and Painting
Once the Christmas season comes around each year, I like to choose a different part of the Christmas story to personally meditate on in order to worship Christ for His incarnation. Some years it has been a meditation of the passages of Scriptures pertaining to the star, the wise men, the shepherds, etc... But this year (2009), I have been captivated by the way that Galatians 6:14 relates to Christmas and the incarnation of Christ. Galatians 6:14 says, "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." For the apostle Paul (with his many amazing accomplishments), only one thing really mattered to him - the Cross. To him, all other accomplishments were considered as rubbish in comparison. This verse of Scripture has been such a sweet rebuke to me over the past several months. I too only have one thing to boast in...not ministry, not family, not accomplishments...but rather...the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angel said of Jesus, "You shall call His name Jesus (salvation), for He will save His people from their sins." (Matt.1:21) He came to save us from our sins...ON THE CROSS. All the prophecies, the birth, life and death of Christ were all about glorifying God by redeeming Adam's helpless race...on the Cross! Jesus' purpose and mission in life was to "set His face toward Jerusalem" to pay the penalty of our sins...on the Cross. While walking on the mountain the other day and meditating on these truths about the incarnation and the Cross of Christ, an image came to my mind of the bright star shining behind Mary and Jesus as she lifted Him from the manger...and then something surprising happened before Mary's eyes and in her heart! (see artwork above). I explained this image to my friend, Steve Seropian, an artist and a fellow member of Rocky Mountain Bible Church here in Utah. Steve drew this image, and I wrote a poem to go with it. I hope that you are inspired, by the artwork and the poem, to bask in the Shadow of the Cross this Christmas Season...and throughout the entire year!