LOYALTY BRINGS UNITY TO THE CHURCH

Who would have thought that honeybees give an example of God’s faithfulness and loyalty to us, and our need to be faithful and loyal to Him and to each other? God’s nature lessons are given for our benefit and blessing. Next time a honeybee lands on you, smile as you think about the Lord’s faithfulness.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES                    by Sally Bair

Unity in loyalty

I used to raise honeybees. They not only provided us with gallons of honey, they became a fascinating hobby. I was amazed by their efficiency, their communication system and their loyalty.

An average colony of 60,000 bees contains only one queen, that lays two to three thousand eggs daily and lives between one and five years. A hive has about 100 drones, whose duty is to scout future queen bees. The remaining are worker bees that maintain the hive, babysit the larvae and gather and prepare the nectar.

Problems sometimes arise in beehives. In my colony, a black bear damaged the hives. Angry bees flew everywhere until, with our help, we restored their boxes. Nature allowed them to repair the inner parts of the hives by bringing the bees together as a supportive whole. They expressed their loyalty to each other through their amazingly accurate system of intercommunication. From a distance, I could hear them throbbing, their signal to adapt themselves—even change roles—in an effort to make up their loss.

The Church as a whole is asked to be supportive of one another, too. Loyalty and faithfulness go hand in hand within God’s kingdom. When one falls, or is damaged, we should  stop everything and minister to that one. Prayer support and continued fellowship are important in restoring those who are damaged in any way.

God is loyal and trustworthy to His people and we can count on His faithfulness in all things. For instance, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Second, God would have us be faithful to Him, even as a colony of honeybees is faithful to their queen. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life,” Jesus told the persecuted Church as recorded in Revelation 2:10.

Third, we are to be loyal to and supportive of one another. The unity of God’s Church is uppermost in His desire. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) Like the honeybees, when we are united we become whole. And when we are united in Christ, we experience God’s blessings, including wholeness.

Lord, thank You for the lessons You give in nature. Like the honeybees that serve their queen, cause us to be united in our efforts to serve You. Keep us from going off on our own and losing the protection, fellowship and blessing of You and of our church family. In Jesus’ name, amen.