LOVE and relationships...

Just had a conversation with 3 friends, one whom i chat with not-so-irregularly but yet not-so-regularly (err... i think you kinda get what i mean...), one whom i've met and chatted infrequently and superficially but haven't met for quite some time, and one whom i've never met before. Well, actually 2 conversations took place, the first between myself, A and B, and then A left and C arrived (the 2nd conversation). But all that aside...

Just thinking aloud... pondering over the content of both conversations left me thinking, and coming to a conclusion -- "Lack of CAPABLE Spiritual AUTHORITY" (in certain parts of the church).

Quoting a pastor who said something, but completely unrelated to this issue, "Those who have the power to make the changes don't care... those who really care don't have the power to make the changes..."

(The following is aside from the above-mentioned conversations... incase A/B/C are wondering if we really did talk about these...)

Eventually when we get to Heaven, its not how much we've done on this world that matters (NOT that it DOESN'T matter)... its not how many people we bring to receive Christ that matters (NOT that it DOESN'T matter)... its not even how well we live our lives as a Christian that matters (NOT that it DOESN'T matter)...

We're called to make relationships... we're told repeatedly in the Bible to love one another... (just below loving God... but yet we're told to love each other JUST AS WE LOVE GOD...)

But... the way we're treating our earthly relationships... yes, i know that man is flawed... the relationship between man and man is flawed... ever since Adam was told NOT to eat from the tree, and he told Eve not to eat, and Eve ate, and offered to Adam, and Adam ate, and then when God asked Adam "Why did you eat from the tree?" the first thing Adam said was "she did it!"... and when Eve was asked, the first thing she said was "the snake did it!"...

And ever since, we've been treating our relationships like disposable tissue papers... when its useful to us, we treasure them... when its not-so-useful to us, we keep them... when its no longer useful to us... we throw them... when its a bother to us... we despise them...

If our relationship with God becomes a bother to us... if our relationship with God becomes no longer useful to us... WHAT will we do? Will we do the same? Apparently, the Bible says that if we do that with our relationships with man, its EQUIVALENT (read: SAME) as doing it to God...

if we treasure ALL our relationships with everyone, with whom we love, and with whom we choose not to love, and with whom we choose to hate... we are doing the SAME to God... does it paint a picture?

some people will say "but that's the IDEAL model... its not possible here... not possible now... not possible... just not possible..." well... my say is... that's why we're still on earth... that's why we still have to live our 60-80yrs down here on earth... LEARNING to love each other BEYOND logical sense...

SACRIFICIAL LOVE... AGAPE LOVE... loving BEYOND logical sense... loving BEYOND anything in this world... loving each other like we would love God...

then again... by this time... some people will say "ok, i will... BUT there are some people whom i will NEVER love... or at least NOT passionately..." well... to them... "that's how your love for God is..."

hmm... oh God... teach me to love EVERYONE... should somebody stab me, in the front or in the back... teach me to look him in the eye... and say "i forgive you... i love you... even though you do all this to me... God... forgive you for you know not what you are doing... may this love fill you and change you for the rest of your life..."