HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THE LORD??

     Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "How much do I truly
love the Lord?"  This may seem like a strange question to ask, for
most likely each one who is listening today believe that we love
the Lord.  We may attend some religious services on occasions and
we feel that there is a God. We may bow our heads in thanks unto
God as we sit down to eat. We may even assist our neighbors who are
in need. Someone might ask, "Is this not showing that we love the
Lord?"
     We cannot ask this question without the thought entering our
mind that there are many things for which we should love the Lord.
When we consider our very bodies, we need to recognize and realize
that were it not for the grace of God, we would not be here, nor
could we make a move nor have a thought. The apostle John speaks of
Christ in John 1:3, when he states, "All things were made through
him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made."
Then in verse 10, John states, "He was in the world, and the world
was made through him, and the world knew him not." The apostle Paul
says, "for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon
the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created
through him, and unto him, and he is before all things, and in him
all things consist." (Colossians 1:16,17).
     It is of the Father in Heaven that Paul says in whom we live
and move and have our very being. The birds of the heaven, the
beast of the field and the fish of the sea were created for our use
and God hath clothed the earth in grass and trees and herbs and set
the sun in the sky by day and the moon by night for our blessings.
There is nothing that we do, enjoy or think that is not by the
grace of God. Yet, man from the beginning of time has rebelled,
cursed, and rejected the creator. But, in face of this rejection,
we see a loving Father express His great love for mankind in His
willingness and desire to give His son that we might have a hope of
life everlasting.
     Have we truly grasped the fact that "God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have eternal life?" So states John in John
3:16. Can you truly fathom a love that would give His son to come
to this sin cursed world, live a life of poverty, die a shameful
death on a cross and be buried in a borrowed tomb, so that you and
I might escape the consequences of sin. That is love.
     Jesus did not die for lovely people. He did not die for those
who walked with God. Notice what the apostle Paul stated, "For
while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for
a good man some one would even dare to die. But God commendeth his
own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us" (Romans 5:6-8). Truly, God's love for you and me was
demonstrated by the sending of Christ Jesus and His willingness to
come and eventually to die on that cruel cross that I might become
the friend of God once again. God's love took that first step
toward us. Hear the apostle John as he speaks in 1 John 4:10,
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
     Christ exhibited his love for us as the writer of Hebrews
tells us, "though he was a son, yet learned obedience by the things
which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all
them that obey him the author of eternal salvation" (Hebrews
5:8,9).
     But, may we pause again and ask just how well do you love the
Lord.  We have seen from this passage in Hebrews the Christ loved
us enough that he was willing to learn obedience. Did not Jesus
say, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." (John 14:15)?
In verse 23 and 24 of the same chapter, He states, "If a man love
me, he will keep my word: and my father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not
keepeth not my words; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but
my Father's who sent me." And again in John 15, verse 14, we read,
"Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you." This
places upon each one us the responsibility of listening to what
Christ says and then be willing to obey His words. If His love was
shown by His obedience to the Heavenly Father, how can we show our
love unless we are willing to obey Jehovah. It is not enough to
say, "Oh, yes I love the Lord," we must be willing to respond to
His wishes by an obedience to His commandments.
     Someone once said, "He loves not Christ at all who does not
love Christ above all." Jesus said in Matthew 10:37, "He that
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." My
friends, I am not wrongfully judged when I tell you that if you do
not place Christ above all else and have not obeyed the gospel of
our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, you do not truly love the savior
of mankind.
     With these thoughts in mind I now turn to a letter that
appeared in the Beaumont Enterprise two weeks ago, written to and
printed in "the readers write" section of the Editorial page. The
lady who wrote the letter was expressing her feelings concerning
the controversy between two preachers in our area. She states, "I
found myself searching for a faith that is more relevant for modern
times -- one that transcends theology, celebrates humanity in all
its diversity, includes and accepts everyone, embraces freedom of
thought and expression, welcomes and explores a variety of
ideologies, promotes justice and social action, and perceives
people as basically good, not needing to be 'saved' to be worthy.
My search led me to the Spindletop Unitarian Church." She went on
to say, "We do not have to think alike to love alike."
     Evidently this writer searched about until she found a church
that satisfied her longings to serve the Lord without having to
obey the commandments of that same Lord. She states that people do
not need to be "saved" to be worthy. That may well be so, if by
worthy you mean a good neighbor, friend, or citizen. But, my
friends, one who is not "saved" is not worthy of eternal life with
Jehovah.  Christ did not die on the cross that we might be
"worthy," or that we just make this world a better place to live.
Surely, if everyone would be a Christian, this world would be a
better place to live.  But, Christ died on the cross in order that
mankind might be saved from the sins that separate us from our God.
That we might become the friend of God.
     The writer stated, "We do not have to think alike to love
alike."  Is the writer saying that we can differ with God and still
please Him?  Can we flagrantly disobey Him and expect Him to accept
us? Not if His Word has any semblance of truth in it. Jesus very
clearly states, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments." Do
you truly love the Lord?  Then, you must DO what He commands.
     According to the writer of the letter that we have mentioned,
one can please God and still be "unsaved." If that be the case,
then the death of Christ on the cross was completely unnecessary.
He really did not need to come and to die. When reading the book of
God how can one get the impression that God "includes and accepts
everyone."  Now, if the writer means that all people can come to
God and be forgiven, then I agree. But, if she means that people
can remain in their sins and please God, then I must disagree.
There is just no way to walk, to live in sin and be a friend to
God.
     The writer of the letter states that she had searched around,
looking for "what she felt in her heart." She states that her
search led her to Spindletop Unitarian Church. Does not this
attitude express the feeling of multitudes in our day and time.
People search around until they find something that suits them;
that meets what they feel in their heart. The writer is saying,
what my heart approves of is what the Lord approves of. But, that
is not necessarily so. Our eternal destiny is not going to be based
upon our own conscience, what we believe about the matter. We shall
not be judged by our own conscience. Truly our conscience must play
a part in our salvation. But, one might be clear in conscience and
still be displeasing unto God. The persecutor Saul, who later
became the apostle Paul, said he was doing his persecution in good
conscience. Yet, he was wrong. The only way our conscience can
guide us is for our conscience to be correctly taught. And that
teaching comes through the understanding and application of the
Word of God.
     Back to the question that we began with in this study. How
much do you truly love the Lord?  Jesus said, "Except ye believe
that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). You cannot
possibly say that you love the Lord unless you believe that He is
the Son of the living God. That faith (and love) will lead you to
turn aside from you sins. That is called repentance. Paul, the
apostle, said in Acts 17:30,31, "The times of ignorance therefore
God overlookes; but now he commandeth men that they should all
everywhere repent."  One cannot say that they love the Lord and
continue to live in their sins. Oh, they might say it, but the Lord
says that if we die in our sins, where He is we cannot come.
     How much do you love the Lord? Do you love him enough to
submit to His commandment as found in Mark 16:16? "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Peter states it like
this, "Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins." (Acts 2:38) Have you
been baptized (immersed) into Christ for the remission of your
sins?  If not, my friend, you do not love the Lord. You might say
that you do, but unless you are willing to do what He has commanded
you simply do not love Him.
     Am I being harsh by making such statements? If so, then the
Lord was harsh when He gave the scriptures. You will notice that we
have said only what is stated in God's Book. It is the same book
that will judge us when this life is over.
     How much do you love the Lord? Do you love Him enough to
continue to faithfully offer your worship and service to Him. It is
not sufficient to just do something. Whatever we do must be done in
agreement with and in harmony with a thus saith the Lord. If the
Lord has spoken, then we must obey. If the Lord has not spoken,
then we had better not speak or act. Are you willing to do just as
the Lord has commanded.  If not, then how can you say, "Yes, I love
the Lord."
 
Return to Index
Home