Friday, August 04, 2006
8/04/2006 04:29:00 PM
true loveWhat is true love? What does it mean to really care for someone from the bottom of your heart? How many of us can honestly say we understand what love is, that we are able to do it well??
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
I've come to the conclusion that loving someone is a choice. It is the conscious decision to put that person first, doing what is best for that person. It is the desire to provide support to the person wherever, whenever, without expecting anything in return. It is the willingness to sacrifice a portion of my time, my energy, even bits of myself to give the person my very best. Now who is able to do all of this?
Jesus Christ did just that. He put God's desires before His. He chose to die a torturous, shameful and painful death so as to bring us eternal life. Why, why, why??
Love.
While I was under covenant last year, God revealed to me a different aspect about Himself to me. Not only is God my Father and King, He is also my lover. He made me to be a wonderful creation. He knows where I am, where I am going and what I am thinking about. He knows the number of hairs on my head. He goes with me wherever I go. God wants to spend as much time with me as possible and more. He's basically head-over-heels in love with me.
Wow. Who am I God that I should receive such love and care from You? I am no one God, a sinful person unworthy of this. But that’s just it. God loves me for me, not for what I've done or can do.
That's the same for you, yes you. Our heavenly Father loves you for you!! God loves the fact you wrinkle your nose when you detect a stench. He thinks it's cute that your tongue sticks out slightly when you're concentrating real hard. He even thinks it's funny when you let out a lil' burp after a big meal. God is simply crazy about you. That's why He chose to die for you and me.
How should we respond?? At first, I sat there and started telling God, "God, I think you should stop loving me cos' I’m just not worth it." Then I went on to try and pay Him for His love (1 hour of quiet time, 2 hours of SOL 3 classes, another half-an-hour of ministering to a child of His…) Both didn't work.
Then I remembered what Pst Seng Lee said during a SOL 3 lesson. He said, "We must learn how to receive God’s love."
That's the answer, to simply receive God's love. There's no use trying to understand or comprehend how or why God loves you and me. We need to humbly accept it, loving Him in return in whatever small way that we know how.
So the question we need to answer today is, "Are we willing to receive His love?"
+ AMEN
