I had a revelation about love..
The bible says, Love bears all things, hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7);
To bear all things evil, and is not overcome. This is the idea of bear. Love bears up against the tide of evil, as the rock against the waves. Believes all things, is not distrustful and suspicious; Hopes all things, is hopeful instead of despondent and hopes for the best. How hard for the loving mother to give up on her recreant son! Endures all things; To endures patiently persecution and suffering. And here, the cardinal quality of fortitude, hardihood and unyielding persistence is meant.
Love is not on the basis of how the person is to you. It is to love irregardless. That loving someone is not on the basis of how well he treats you, or if he has a mood swing you love him less. That is not love. But the real kind of love is one that is borne purely inward (not out of an outward reciprocration), regardless of how the person treats you. And when you love that way, nothing the person do can affect your love for him. And even when the other party hurts you or upsets you, or even if it seems like the other party does not care, one can continue to love and give. For that kind of love is not circumstance nor person-driven.
And there can be greater joy in loving this way; to love irregardless. For half a heart is not a whole. To love wholly, is to give it your all. The same way God loves us.
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
too long..
It's been too long since I last wrote in my good news journal..
Did God not bless me? Did He not speak to me? Of course not! He never stopped speaking; never stopped blessing. He is faithful. Always.
I was reading today's Daily Bread (February 6, 2007) on Spiritual Passion:
I have this against you, that you have left your first love. —Revelation 2:4
"Why does spiritual passion fade so easily? When we first experience God’s love, we spend hours thinking about Him, studying His Word, and telling others how much He means to us. Then it happens. Our busy schedules slowly dampen our passion. Our longing for Jesus and our study of His character become an occasional glance. Surely the object of our affection hasn’t changed!
The church at Ephesus wrestled with maintaining its spiritual passion. Jesus, through John, wanted to help them restore and maintain their love and zeal for Him. Although He commended this church for their work, Jesus saw that they had abandoned their first love—Him (Rev. 2:4).
The Ephesians had lost their spiritual passion for Jesus. It had become a cold and mechanical orthodoxy. I wonder if they had allowed the stealthy culprit of religion and busyness to enter their hearts. Whatever it was, something had stolen the affection they had once reserved for the Lord.
Have you allowed something to steal your passion? If so, it can be restored and maintained when you consistently remember His amazing love demonstrated at Calvary. Repent of your sinful, unloving attitudes, and out of love for Jesus repeat your "first works" (v.5). —Marvin Williams
What once was filled with wonder
Lies cold within my heart;
Return, O Lord, that wonder,
And may it not depart. —Sper
Devotion to Jesus is the key to spiritual passion."
... and so I decided to continue from where I left off..
Hence my first entry for the year :)
No matter what happens, we will never cancel out God's love for us.
The bible says, Draw close to God and He will draw close to you (James 4:8) and it cannot be more true than that. Which is why, no matter how spiritually low or dry you feel, never stop seeking Him. When troubles come, run TO Him, not away from Him. Even when you feel guilty, ashamed or even embarrassed, go TO your Father. When we take one step towards God, He will take a thousand steps towards us. Don't entertain thoughts of condemn and escape from Him. Should you feel low, my advice is to squeeze out any ounce of energy to seek after Him, and you will be glad you did so, for you will be rewarded. I have been, that's why I can testify to that.
He never fails.
He is faithful, and His mercy endures forever.
Did God not bless me? Did He not speak to me? Of course not! He never stopped speaking; never stopped blessing. He is faithful. Always.
I was reading today's Daily Bread (February 6, 2007) on Spiritual Passion:
I have this against you, that you have left your first love. —Revelation 2:4
"Why does spiritual passion fade so easily? When we first experience God’s love, we spend hours thinking about Him, studying His Word, and telling others how much He means to us. Then it happens. Our busy schedules slowly dampen our passion. Our longing for Jesus and our study of His character become an occasional glance. Surely the object of our affection hasn’t changed!
The church at Ephesus wrestled with maintaining its spiritual passion. Jesus, through John, wanted to help them restore and maintain their love and zeal for Him. Although He commended this church for their work, Jesus saw that they had abandoned their first love—Him (Rev. 2:4).
The Ephesians had lost their spiritual passion for Jesus. It had become a cold and mechanical orthodoxy. I wonder if they had allowed the stealthy culprit of religion and busyness to enter their hearts. Whatever it was, something had stolen the affection they had once reserved for the Lord.
Have you allowed something to steal your passion? If so, it can be restored and maintained when you consistently remember His amazing love demonstrated at Calvary. Repent of your sinful, unloving attitudes, and out of love for Jesus repeat your "first works" (v.5). —Marvin Williams
What once was filled with wonder
Lies cold within my heart;
Return, O Lord, that wonder,
And may it not depart. —Sper
Devotion to Jesus is the key to spiritual passion."
... and so I decided to continue from where I left off..
Hence my first entry for the year :)
No matter what happens, we will never cancel out God's love for us.
The bible says, Draw close to God and He will draw close to you (James 4:8) and it cannot be more true than that. Which is why, no matter how spiritually low or dry you feel, never stop seeking Him. When troubles come, run TO Him, not away from Him. Even when you feel guilty, ashamed or even embarrassed, go TO your Father. When we take one step towards God, He will take a thousand steps towards us. Don't entertain thoughts of condemn and escape from Him. Should you feel low, my advice is to squeeze out any ounce of energy to seek after Him, and you will be glad you did so, for you will be rewarded. I have been, that's why I can testify to that.
He never fails.
He is faithful, and His mercy endures forever.
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