____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ October 13, 1991 ____________________________________________________ Our "Fourfold" Love for God by Tom Edwards Our love for God cannot be separated from the way we live. To say we love Him, but simultaneously live to the contrary of His word is not only hypocritical, it is also sinful. Jesus implies the need for this proper conjoining of word and deed in John 14:21 by saying, ``He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.'' Inferentially, the love one needs for God is not blind to the truth, but that which sees and acts in accord to it. Emotionalism or sentimentality can often steer a person in the wrong direction, though he or she means well; and, therefore, loving God is more than an emotional act. It must be the fourfold combination which Jesus speaks of in Mark 12:30: ```And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.'' The heart and soul can involve feelings. Certainly it should be a meaningful experience for the one who strives to worship God in spirit and in truth and to serve Him sincerely. It is the love, joy, peace, patience, and the other attributes of the Spirit that help to formulate the proper emotions in one's life and, thus, provide the recipient with what makes living meaningful. We must not end here, though. Jesus also includes the ``mind'' which one must love God with. The Lord, therefore, appeals to man's intellect. In Isaiah 1:18, He states, ```Come now, and let us reason together', says the Lord....'' ``I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you'' (Psa. 32:8,9). It is not an empty mind that renders obedience, but one that is filled with reason to do so. ``So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God'' (Rom. 10:17). By examining the Scriptures honestly, we can acquire a substantial basis for our faith in the Lord, and it will then not be a mere ``leap in the dark.'' A properly instructed mind can lead one beyond the realm of misdirected feelings, and it is necessary for salvation and living the life of holiness. Lastly, Jesus instructs the follower of God to love the Lord with all his ``strength.'' Sometimes this required walking that ``extra mile'' during the days of Jesus when Roman soldiers would coerce Jews, selected at random, to carry their belongings. Serving God often necessitates physical exertion and the need for endurance. Paul himself traveled miles and miles by both land and sea in which longanimity was often required as he braved the threatening tempest or trudged across the rugged and mountainous terrain. Without doubt, the apostle Paul exemplifies the principle of loving God with all one's heart, mind, soul, and strength, for his arduous journeys were for the sake of Jesus Christ and not a mere recreational pursuit. His heart and mind had been changed by God's revelation and now his zeal had been rechanneled in the proper direction as he pressed on ``toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus'' (Phil. 3:14). The need to use our might in serving God is not a strength that must necessarily be ``great'' or ``herculean,'' but what the Lord emphasizes is that one simply uses ``all'' of whatever strength that person has -- whether great or small; and this is to be done because of the individual's love for Him. Let us each examine ourselves and see whether we are loving the Lord in these four ways that He expects us to. Remember, loving God is more than appreciative feelings of the heart; it also involves the intellect, obedience, and all of one's strength. ___________________________________________ Jesus -- The Christian's "Lodestar" by Tom Edwards The term ``lodestar'' is primarily defined as ``a star that shows the way'' and secondarily as ``something that serves as a guide or on which the attention is fixed.'' In time's past, many an ancient mariner relied on the North Star as his lodestar that would help him to navigate his ship on the proper bearings. In view of its importance, what a comfort it must have been to the seagoing voyager who had many miles to sail and much sea to cover before finally reaching the port of his longed-for destination. There in the northern heavens would be the star that he had set his course by, softly and faithfully beaming the way. In a similar manner, Jesus is the Christian's lodestar who points out the direction to the open gate of heaven. As the Hebrew writer exhorts, ''...let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God'' (12:1,2). The concept of ``fixing our eyes on Jesus'' denotes more than a mere ``glancing at Him''; it involves looking to Him intently and following in His footsteps. By so doing, we will eventually arrive at the same destination He has -- heaven itself. Paul shares this same truth, though expressed differently, in Colossians 3:1-3: ``If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden in God.'' When is one ``raised up with Christ''? In this same epistle, Paul writes, ``having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead'' (Col. 2:12). Baptism is the ``in which'' that one is raised up from with Jesus. According to Romans 6:3,4, one is raised up in order to ``walk in newness life.'' Grammatically speaking, the ``in which'' of Colossians 2:12 cannot refer to the Lord Himself for it is a term that can only represent an inanimate object -- not a person. Jesus is a ``who,'' ``whom,'' or ``that''; but not a ``which.'' As the verse shows, one is raised up with Christ through baptism if that person has faith in God and His plan of salvation. The one thus ``raised'' is to set his mind and affections on heavenly things. This can be accomplished through Bible study, prayer, and obedience to the gospel. Looking into God's word can be as if we are looking directly to the Lord Himself as He sits upon His glorious throne and hearing His personal instructions as to how we are to live unto Him. The lodestar that seagoing voyagers have used in days gone by is not fully analogous with that ``bright and morning star'' (Rev. 22:16) that has arisen from Jacob (Num. 24:17). For the former, no matter how brilliant, could often have its luminance hidden behind dark and ominous clouds of obstruction, whereas the eternal light of Christ can never be extinguished, but will always shine through even the gloomiest times of human tragedies. Are you looking to Jesus today as your lodestar, and are you reflecting the light of His guidance through your life? We trust so and would like to help you increase your illumination of the Scriptures by mailing to you one of our free Bible lessons. It is one of the ways in which we can be ``fixing our eyes on Jesus'' and learning to radiate His love more fervently. To receive this, merely send your name and address to the address shown on this bulletin and indicate that you would like to be sent lesson one of our eight lesson Bible course. Thank you. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________