"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
-John 13:34
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
-1John 3:16
What is love? Have you ever been asked that question? i'm pretty sure you have. When someone talks about love, the boy-girl relationship is really the first thing that crosses our mind. Not that there's anything wrong about that, but when you talk about the genuine TRUE LOVE, the love that Jesus Christ showed upon the cross, it is a much deeper, and more meaningful love to talk about. i'm going to talk about how God gave me a more genuine insight about what love really is.
Last night was a ery special night for the Core. Last night, we had movie night, and the movie was "Fireproof." It was about this man named Caleb who screwed up his marriage with his wife, Catherine, and was now trying to fix it because his dad helped him realize there was still a part of him that wanted to save their marriage because his wife had already prepared the divorce papers. His dad gave him a book entitled "The Love Dare" which was a 40-day journey that Caleb would have to take. It was written in his dad's hand, filled with Biblical teachings and suggestions what to do, like buying her flowers, or do something unexpected.
Catherine rejected every single one of Caleb's gestures. Out of hope and halfway through the 40-day journey, he had a talk with his dad that made him realize that love isn't about showing how much you care for someone, but it's this unexplainable "thing(*)" that leads you to care and do things for someone, regardless of whether or not they deserve it, or will accept it, surpassing all storms, all trials, all rejections, all fires, all hardships. In the same way, his dad made him realize that Jesus is always showing us how much He loves us, especially what He did for us on the cross to save us from all we've ever done against Him, and all we've ever done was reject Him.
Caleb (and the viewers) has now received a much more genuine insight about what love is, and is now doing what the book is leading him to, ultimately because of his love for his wife. In the end, Catherine finally realized the truth of what Caleb's been doing, and has accepted both him, and Jesus.
Caleb then goes to his dad to thank him for the faithfulness he's shown, and for not giving up on mom when he took the Love Dare. However, his dad said that although the book was written in his hand, it was his mom that took the Love Dare when he wanted to leave, and that he wrote it in his hand because he knew that Caleb would take it from him. This broke Caleb because he used to always get annoyed about how his mom acted like, like you know, mom, he realized how strong his mom was, and what her faithfulness led their family to. This part made me cry the most.
As i'm writing this (or in this case, typing), it still makes me cry about how much my mom really loves me, and that how she showed her strength to raise both me and my brother alone really made a great impact in my own life. Though she gets worried much, and tends to get all clingy, like Caleb's mom, i've always tried not to complain about that because here on earth, she's the only one i've ever got apart from my brother, and it shatters me when i make her feel like retiring from motherhood.
Up until this day, she and the rest of the family remain unbelievers, sticking to their religion. In my walk with God, there have been times when i really felt like either giving up, or just be taken away. But looking at how Jesus persevered on His excruciating journey to the cross, i want to persevere with my mission here on earth with His guidance.
Not just for my family, but for everyone, i want to continue spreading truth. i'll continue to step up in faith to show them that God does not want our sacrifices, our works, or our religion. Rather, He just wants our whole selves. i want to show them that there is nothing and no one else but Jesus that they could go to for salvation, or forgiveness, or needs; that prayers are our conversation with God, and not repeated gestures, or something given by a anybody that is to be presented to God, like it's "the right words to say"; that religion is worthless and that they should come to a church that is committed to Jesus, and nobody or nothing else; and that reading the Bible is more important than eating.
That night really gave me a new and better perspective of love. It isn't something that must be shown, rather it's something that should be given. It isn't something that requires you to make gestures to someone, rather it's something that leads you to want to do great things for someone. It isn't something that can only be shared with a "special someone", or a spouse, but even to somebody whom you just met. Most of all, it isn't something reserved to reward someone for something special that they've done, rather, true, genuine love exists unconditionally, whether or not somebody deserves it, whether or not somebody wants it, whether or not somebody asks for it.
Jesus loves you! God bless you all.
What is love? Have you ever been asked that question? i'm pretty sure you have. When someone talks about love, the boy-girl relationship is really the first thing that crosses our mind. Not that there's anything wrong about that, but when you talk about the genuine TRUE LOVE, the love that Jesus Christ showed upon the cross, it is a much deeper, and more meaningful love to talk about. i'm going to talk about how God gave me a more genuine insight about what love really is.
Last night was a ery special night for the Core. Last night, we had movie night, and the movie was "Fireproof." It was about this man named Caleb who screwed up his marriage with his wife, Catherine, and was now trying to fix it because his dad helped him realize there was still a part of him that wanted to save their marriage because his wife had already prepared the divorce papers. His dad gave him a book entitled "The Love Dare" which was a 40-day journey that Caleb would have to take. It was written in his dad's hand, filled with Biblical teachings and suggestions what to do, like buying her flowers, or do something unexpected.
Catherine rejected every single one of Caleb's gestures. Out of hope and halfway through the 40-day journey, he had a talk with his dad that made him realize that love isn't about showing how much you care for someone, but it's this unexplainable "thing(*)" that leads you to care and do things for someone, regardless of whether or not they deserve it, or will accept it, surpassing all storms, all trials, all rejections, all fires, all hardships. In the same way, his dad made him realize that Jesus is always showing us how much He loves us, especially what He did for us on the cross to save us from all we've ever done against Him, and all we've ever done was reject Him.
Caleb (and the viewers) has now received a much more genuine insight about what love is, and is now doing what the book is leading him to, ultimately because of his love for his wife. In the end, Catherine finally realized the truth of what Caleb's been doing, and has accepted both him, and Jesus.
Caleb then goes to his dad to thank him for the faithfulness he's shown, and for not giving up on mom when he took the Love Dare. However, his dad said that although the book was written in his hand, it was his mom that took the Love Dare when he wanted to leave, and that he wrote it in his hand because he knew that Caleb would take it from him. This broke Caleb because he used to always get annoyed about how his mom acted like, like you know, mom, he realized how strong his mom was, and what her faithfulness led their family to. This part made me cry the most.
As i'm writing this (or in this case, typing), it still makes me cry about how much my mom really loves me, and that how she showed her strength to raise both me and my brother alone really made a great impact in my own life. Though she gets worried much, and tends to get all clingy, like Caleb's mom, i've always tried not to complain about that because here on earth, she's the only one i've ever got apart from my brother, and it shatters me when i make her feel like retiring from motherhood.
Up until this day, she and the rest of the family remain unbelievers, sticking to their religion. In my walk with God, there have been times when i really felt like either giving up, or just be taken away. But looking at how Jesus persevered on His excruciating journey to the cross, i want to persevere with my mission here on earth with His guidance.
Not just for my family, but for everyone, i want to continue spreading truth. i'll continue to step up in faith to show them that God does not want our sacrifices, our works, or our religion. Rather, He just wants our whole selves. i want to show them that there is nothing and no one else but Jesus that they could go to for salvation, or forgiveness, or needs; that prayers are our conversation with God, and not repeated gestures, or something given by a anybody that is to be presented to God, like it's "the right words to say"; that religion is worthless and that they should come to a church that is committed to Jesus, and nobody or nothing else; and that reading the Bible is more important than eating.
That night really gave me a new and better perspective of love. It isn't something that must be shown, rather it's something that should be given. It isn't something that requires you to make gestures to someone, rather it's something that leads you to want to do great things for someone. It isn't something that can only be shared with a "special someone", or a spouse, but even to somebody whom you just met. Most of all, it isn't something reserved to reward someone for something special that they've done, rather, true, genuine love exists unconditionally, whether or not somebody deserves it, whether or not somebody wants it, whether or not somebody asks for it.
Jesus loves you! God bless you all.
