God's Love is unconditional

When we like someone or love someone in our lives, be it our family members or our partners, we always expect that our love is returned in a sense that those whom we love will love us. Is this really called love? Will we stop loving those we claim to love if they do not love us? Or even bear a grudge against those people whom we so once loved but ended up in broken relationships?

What is.... Love? My own walk with God showed me the true meaning of God's Love.

1) Love is not asking for something in return:
When Jesus came to us, He gave us a choice to believe in Him, and for that He would heal us of our sins. He came and died for sinners, righteous, rich, poor, handsome, pretty, ugly, etc etc etc ALL OF US. He came to show His Love for us.

2) Love is unconditional:
Love is not about asking for something in return, instead is only want the person(s) we love to be well, happy. Its not something selfish. Parents naturally care for their children. Even animals take care of their young. Its something God put in us in His own image. You will love someone no matter what happens, even if he or she is disfigured the next moment, did something so wrong to you..... it does not depend on what he/she did. Or whether the person loves you back.

Of course, God created us to enjoy intimate relationships with Him and people around us. Perhaps that is why we so long for our love to be returned. Yet, God himself gave people the freedom of freewill.. and the choice to reject His love.

It is the somewhat similar for us as we are able to choose whom we want to spend the rest of our lives with, we constantly are afraid to go into relationships for fear of rejection. We even face rejection from our closes kins sometimes.. and are unable to forgive for some of the things done wrong to us.

Imagine the hurt, the bleed in the heart when the person died alone in pain, nail-pierced, flogged brutally before that and being hurled abuse at by the people around Him. Worst of all that pain in His heart must have come from the fact that He came to show His Love, for people, you and I, all of us when we don't even understand.

It must really have griefed Him to let Himself be subject to the rejection of so many He loved.

If you and I can understand the pain when we confess to someone we like and get rejected... imagine the pain God Himself felt.

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8

To change or not to change... that is not the question

Last Sunday's sermon was about making changes... I took a whole day to reflect upon that. It seems as if in life we make alot of changes, from small decisions to major decisions affecting our lives, and even those decisions havin an impact on others' lives.

We constantly think of what to change: whether or not to dye our hair colour, whether or not to follow suit the trends of the today world, whether to be tech-savvy, whether or not to choose certain modules to take up in university. Whether or not to change the way we think of people.. whether its right to do the things people commonly do.

"The traditional stubborn way of the old people needs a change!" is something young people nowadays will lament. Maybe some advocates of people who don't want to see changes will say: "We cannot change! If not, we are changing who we are just to suit the new trends. Today change, tommorrow also change, forever changing.. who are we actually?"

With regards to Christianity, that is a problem, too. Already, Christianity has so many denominations and "civil-wars" about doctrines of each other people wonder if we really belong together. Then again now, traditional churches are facing the growing trends of "changing styles" to suit the taste-buds of the younger generation.

I'm not trying to say changing to other styles is not good and I agree with what the pastor said. Since God has allowed mega-churches to grow so much, there is certainly a place for them... and traditional churches have prevailed... there is also a place for them.

The question is: To change or not to change... that is not the question. It is WHAT YOU ARE CHANGING AND WHAT YOU KNOW YOU ARE CHANGING that is a difference.

There are many styles of churches in the world today. And it is down to really preference of which one you can get comfortable with to worship God. But, it is not just changing to suit trends, to adhere to the preferences of people. When we change, we should KNOW what we are changing, and ask ourselves whether the change is God-intended.

There is not as much a big issue here, only question is how do you know if its God-intended. I'm very sure if we do seek Him, he will find the answer.

It is mentioned in the bible that in the end of days, people will raise up teachers for themselves, to hear the preaching they want to hear.. hopefully churches today at macro level know what they are headed towards, and not just changing to suit the people's wants. And at micro level, we don't just blindly follow.

FootSteps..

I'm sure everyone has heard of the footsteps story when a man walks with God. He looks back one day and to his surprise, see only one set of footprints for the last visible part of the journey. Angry, he questioned God :"Why do I see one set of footprints God?? Where are you? Are you even with me?!"

Taking His time slowly, God replied :"My child, I have been with you all the while. The set of footprints is when I carried you in my arms."

*********************************

I have this little notebook/schedule/miscellaneous book I carry with me around each day as I go about my little life. It is going to be full and so I spent a little while to look at the content I wrote..

I must say, I have indeed short-term memory: I forget things very quickly. and looking back at some of the things I wrote, I wondered: Hey, when did I ever write this XD. Some reminds me of the days I miss school :X

"I woke up late again...."

some talked about the various plans for church committee meetings and FOC planning:

"Foc call-up list for main comm...... .... ... Guan huai direction for year 2009-2010... missions trip planning for games"

there's even a song I composed

"Everytime I fell you picked me up, ......."

All in all that night I sat the bus home, I was reminded of the footsteps story, as I looked in the book: It contained anecdotes of my walk with God. One such little prayer went:" I have accepted the post of student coordinator for FOC and I hope God will use me even though I fear I may not be up to it." beside that was a little verse from Exodus 4: (if I don't rmb wrongly, it was about how God replied Moses when Moses asked God why did God choose Him to save the Israelites... where Moses said I don't know how to tell them..)

Some other thoughts were reflections: "We can as christians argue alot about how right we are... but does all that draw people closer to knowing God??" "what does it mean to truly follow Jesus and be a disciple of Christ??" "Lord, I'm so sorry for doubting You..."

The list of things I can pick out from such a little book that can fit into any pocket is yet countless more. It reminded me yet of the fact God is with us and He carried me through all of that I went through.. and alot of things that happened was not recorded. If I did, I probably would have more reasons to give thanks to my Father in heaven.

I feel that it is many a times we look back in good times we will not complain to God but when things go so wrong we blame God for being silent, and not being there. But hey its not true. that was the time He quietly carried us through, cried in our sorrows with us, just as He would rejoice in our happiness.

God is patient, God is kind, God is love and He is with us.