The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1952-10-04
Dedicated to God

Dedicated to God
HIGHEST object Of all dedication
80 is God; this always includes de-
votion to his cause. To be dedicated
20 God means to be devoted, In pur-
pose and in action, In every way
that Is possible, to making this
Notwithstanding with ones own
celf-oomc into line with the pray
or, THY will be DONE"
Tho y6tns man Jesus, whose
story the Sunday school lessons
will be following through the
Gospel by Matthew for the next
six months, was OF all persons
the topmost example of a life
dedicated TO God. Jesus did not
drift into this. Dedication was
not automatic, inevitable.
Jesus. not less than those he
calls his brothers and sisters, had
to make up his mind to the ancient
demand: Choose this day whom you
will serve.
The Power
JESUS WAS not late conner to his
j decision. Once or more it has
happened that a young man who de-
cides to enter the ministry will sur
prise and even startle family and
friends by this decision. But when
Jesus entered the ministry" Gas
we may rightly say he did, after
his baptism), 1t could have sur
prised none who had known him. He
had always been aware Of being
"about his Fathers business" He
did not pass from drifting to dedica-
ton, as most men must; he passed
from one stage. Of dedication to an
other.
Whatever questions the story
OF Jesus baptism raises, one
thing Is certain: from and after
that even Jesus knew himself to
be Gods special Representative,
endowed with the Holy Spirit
for the work he was to do.
Over and over In the New Tesla
ment we hear of the power Of the
Spirit" for the divine Spirit both
brings power and Is Power. Only the
life dedicated to God has the power
Of God.
The Problem
TT is a mistake to think that the
dedicated life is free from prob
lens. God will not weaken us by
making our choices for us. Every
temptation Is an opportunity to
choose. between Gods way and
some way that is not Gods. Temp.
tation may also present choice not
80 much between black and white,
wrong and right, as between good
and better, right and more-right.
One meaning Of Jesus temp
tattons was just that in them he
had to think through the how of
his dedicated life. He was in
deed Gods beloved Son; His
work was indeed to save the
world for God.
But the question was, How? BY
turning stones into bread? BY as
tenishing people with miracles such
as jumping unhsrmed off the Tenn.
pie top? No; these were not Gods
way. The last temptation was moi
as absurd as 1t sounds. Whenever
men have said, Let us do evil that
good may come" whenever they
have said that noble purpose glori
files any method used to attain it
they have done what Jesus was
tempted to do,-worship Satan
The Practice
MO, DEDICATION does not free
AZ the dedicated from problems
But whsn life is put at Gods dis
pcsai, With each problem comes the
power to avoid wrong choice, Il
make the right one. Yet again there
is q condition: God will not resist
our temptations In our place. There
u something we have TO do for our
selves. There is a practice required
Is II likely that Jesus had
never IN his lifetime been
tempted before that day in che
wilderness? No, he Tesists with
the sl1Ili ef long practice. The
weapon he uses Is still ours to
use: the WORD of God.
Does that weapon lie rusting un