Coke or Pepsi? McDonald's or Burger King? Jif or
Skippy? Chevy or Ford? John Deere or Case IH?
As humans, we like to pick favorites. Many of us are
inclined to become fiercely loyal to the brands of our favorite things. I
don't just wear jeans, I wear Wrangler jeans. Not just any corn flakes
will do for me, I prefer Kellogg's corn flakes. Why do we insist on this
odd loyalty to things? I've seen some go so far as to place stickers and
emblems on their vehicles, on their person and recently saw an image online of
a farmer who plowed the John Deere logo into one of his fields. If our
local store is out of the brand we espouse loyalty to, we'll pay more somewhere
else to get it. We're willing to invest time, money and effort into
publicly supporting our favorite brands. Marketing professionals the
world over are jumping for joy when we do this.
How then is it that the human race, who so willingly aligns
themselves with one thing over another struggles so mightily when it comes
to the simplest of brand choices; God or the devil? The fleeting wisdom
of the world or the eternal knowledge of God?
In Revelation 3:18, relaying God's message directly to the
church in Laodicea, Paul writes...
(Message Translation)
"Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from Me,
it's gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be
rich. Buy your clothes from Me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone
around half naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from Me so
you can REALLY see."
(NIV Translation)
"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the
fires, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your
shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."
The message to the Laodiceans then and to us today is that
we need to be fiercely brand loyal to our God and Creator. The day is
near when He will return in triumph. Every second that we waste invested
in being loyal to this sinful world (a complex lie expertly created by the
author of lies, Satan) is one that puts us in danger of being
lost eternally. Unfortunately, brandy loyalty to our Father in Heaven
isn't as easy as just committing to buying Kraft mac n' cheese or
Hershey's chocolate syrup. It requires diligence, daily time studying His
word, time in service to others, daily confession and prayer and a
commitment to turning away from the way of the world and towards the
light. This has to happen daily; over and over again until our time on
earth comes to an end.
Dear Lord, motivate me to be loyal to you in ALL of my thoughts, words and actions. Lead me to willingly repent when I fall short and to seek your freely offered forgiveness and mercy for choosing the wrong brand time and again. Dear Lord, make me loyal to you; no matter what the cost. Amen.
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What's the big deal about Jesus?
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