The Websters dictionary states that fidelity is : the quality or state of being faithful. Two of the synonyms that I want to share with you are loyalty and devotion. The definition of loyalty implies a faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray. Webster describes devotion as stressing zeal and service amounting to self-dedication. Fidelity is a word that we all have heard before weather through the knowledge of banks or lending institutions or the United States Marine Corp motto Semper Fidelis which means always faithful; but do many people really know what being faithful means as a Christian?
Growing up in a middle class family in the USA I have never had to struggle with anything in my life like poverty, religious persecution, famine or war breaking out in my city and being afraid for my life. I have had a pretty comfortable life. My goal for my life when I was in high school was to graduate, go to college and find a job that I could make plenty of money at so I could one day start a family. Not a bad goal to have but it was lacking conviction. I've never been convicted deep in my heart that I wanted to get a job and make money; I have a job and make good money but I've never found that 1 thing that drives me to get up in the morning and run to the office. Some people do that though. They decide that they want to be a lawyer or a businessman and they commit their life to going to school and getting their degree so they can hit the ground running and never look back. They work 12-16 hour days, never saying no to a project or an extra case; completely living the job and pouring their soul into their work in order that they can be the best at what they do. They are committed to their job, they become the job; the job defines who they are. They are Devoted to becoming the best at what they do and that is why they are successful; they are committed in their heart to be the best lawyer or businessman they can be and they will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Don't get me wrong, God tell us to do our "jobs" as if we are working for Him, to work hard and to provide for our families. I'm not saying that working hard is a bad thing, but devoting yourself to your job over or instead of God is where people miss the mark and that is why so many people get burned out or are unhappy with what they do for a living.
Faith as Fidelity is a commitment of the self at it's deepest level, the commitment of the "heart."
Fidelity refers to a Radical Centering of your life in God.
I am reading a book by Marcus J. Borg who brought this topic to my attention in his book The Heart of Christianity. He was talking about faith as being the way of the heart and I completely agree with him. As I was reading in my office this morning I came across this idea of fidelity as loyalty, allegiance, and a commitment at the deepest level which is in your heart. I was blown away at that statement because even though I try my hardest to become more and more like Jesus everyday in everything I do I have never been completely loyal to God. I have asked Him for forgiveness for my sins everyday and I try not to sin and I succeed most of the time when tempted with something of the flesh. Even though I do all of these things I have never been completely sold out, on fire, constantly thinking about furthering His kingdom and a full time soldier for Christ. That's what Faith as Fidelity means. A commitment of self at the deepest level, a zeal and service amounting to dedication. As I read those words and pondered them this morning I started to think about what fidelity means in my life, what I would need to change about myself in order to be completely committed to Jesus and I started to get really uncomfortable because there is so much that I need to do. I need to focus on being a Follower of Jesus like the businessman and the lawyer focus on being the best at what they do. I need to work harder, longer and stronger in order to be the man that I want to become and that God wants me to become in order for Him to use me the way that He wants to in the future. There is so much that I want to do with my life, so many people around me that I want to help and I want to be a good Godly influence on my son by living out my faith in everything that I do and do it for the glory of God Almighty. As I thought about it this morning and as I started writing this afternoon I came to the conclusion that I am on the right track. I am living the way that God wants me to, I am going to church, I am getting involved in the lives of my friends and family and showing them the love of God through my actions and words. I am constantly praying for wisdom and for the people I care about and love. I am a sinner saved by grace and I am an unfinished product in the hands of the great artist in heaven. Everything He does He finishes and He will continue to work with me and mold me into the likeness of His son Jesus Christ until the day that He calls me home so I shouldn't worry about it. I just need to focus on what He is calling me to do; which is a completely different topic altogether.
I just have one question for you, whoever is reading this LONG rambling cluster of thoughts from my mind. What are you dedicating your life to? Who do you show your allegiance to and who are you loyal to? Your answers to these questions say a lot about who you are as a person and what your life stands for. Are you dedicated to your job or your family? Are you dedicated to making money or sports or hooking up with beautiful women? Where does your allegiance lie; to whom is your life devoted? The bible says in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." This goes for anything, not just money. It goes for your job, your hobby, your family, your friends and even good causes like helping the poor or saving the earth if that is what you are devoted to if you are not first serving the Lord and seeking to glorify Him. All of these things can be self serving and can overtake you and you can become addicted to anything.
I want to close with my personal thoughts on the subject of Fidelity. Fidelity matters to God. God wants you, He wants all of you; your heart, soul, mind and body. He wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to rely on Him for everything that goes on in your daily life along with what goes on outside in the world and in your loved ones lives. God requires your complete allegiance and devotion in order to be counted as one of His chosen sons or daughters; it needs to be something that you feel very strongly about and something that is on your mind all the time. When you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to save you from spending eternity in Hell you are pledging your allegiance to God and He requires you to live according to His commandments and His will. God is your heavenly Father, He wants to bless you and give you good gifts. He wants to see you succeed in everything that you do. But He is also a jealous God who requires you to put nothing above Him or your relationship with Him. When you became a Follower of Christ you made a covenant with God, a pact that you would be His son and He would be your Father. This relationship is like any other relationship, if you go behind your wife's back and are sleeping with another woman she is going to be mad and probably leave you if not try to kill you, as in my wife's case; I love you honey! Your relationship with God is the same way. If you cheat on God with your job or with drugs or with any kind of sin He gets angry, it breaks God's heart when you sin because He loves you and He doesn't want to see you get hurt. When you created your pact with God you promised to love Him and never forsake Him. God is holy, He cannot sin and He cannot be near sin because it is against His nature; thus He hates it when we sin because it is anti-God behavior. Loyalty to God. Fidelity in your relationship with the Holy God Almighty is what being a Christian is all about. It is striving to become more like Jesus, reading your bible daily so you can learn more about God and grow in your relationship with Him, focusing on what God has called you to do in your life or figuring out what that is, living your life as a testimony to the people around you by obeying the Laws of God and Loving your neighbor like Jesus told us to and ultimately refusing to give up or deny Christ in the face of temptation when the world is at your doorstep and they want to know where your allegience is. Fidelity Matters......
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