Is Love a Choice?

Many blog entries later and i am finally on the topic of Love....sigh. Well, because "愛" is the central theme of our very existence!

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."
-- C.S. Lewis

I wonder if anyone ever notice that "LOVE" is both a noun (feeling) and a verb (action)?

True love is what is left in a relationship after selfishness is removed.

Definition of a Christian

Someone ask me an interesting question recently. How do you think a christian should be? How do you know if they are "genuine" ones?

Ray C Stedman in one of his sermons mentioned "A christian has once been defined as someone who is completely fearless, continously cheerful and constantly in trouble."

So how do one define a true christian? I think God is the only one who is qualified to pass judgement on this subject.

I guess usually the easiest way to identify a genuine christian is by the fruits he/she produces ie. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control (Gal 5:22). However, there are people who r non-christians who may also produce similar fruits in their loving acts to others...so how do we differentiate them from the christians then?

My personal point of view: Knowing and recognising that all kind loving acts we performed comes from God, and not from/by ourself. Because no human can ever claim to do a good deed and not feel at least a little smugness about the deed that we performed. Can we really claim that our action is truly 100% out of pure love for others? Totally no hidden agenda? Totally selfless? Not to make ourselves feel good? None at all? A christian's acts of kindness always should point towards Christ and never claim credit or glory for his/herself.

It is really never about us doing but always what God can do through us.

爱是不保留

常听说世界爱没长久,
哪里会有爱无尽头?
尘俗的爱只在乎曾拥有,
一刻灿烂便要走!

而我却确信爱是恒久,
碰到了你已无别求;
无从解释 不可说明的爱,
千秋过后仍长存不朽!

谁人受痛苦被悬挂在木头?
至高的爱尽见于刺穿的手;
看!血在流反映爱没保留,
持续不死的爱到万世不休!

惟求奉上生命全归主所有,
要将一切尽献于我主的手;
我已决定今生再没所求,
惟望得主称赞已足够!


主唱:林志美
曲/词：卢永享
编：aubrey suwito

彩虹下的约定

我空虚的心灵，终于不再流泪
期待着雨后，缤纷的彩虹
诉说你我的约定
我不安的脚步，终于可以停歇
主你已为我，摆设了生命的盛宴
与你有约，是永恒的约
彩虹为证，千古不变
我要高歌，为生命喜悦
万物都歌颂你的慈爱
大地诉说你的恩典


主唱:林志美
曲/词:林志美

Schubert's Eighth

The study of genesis has finally come to an end. What a year. What drama. In the beginning everything seem good...and then chapter ends with 2 deaths and a coffin.

I never like funeral wakes. I hate the silence of death and the lingering pain of those who were being left behind. My heart goes out to Pauline and Peggy who's got to endure the sudden lost of their beloved husbands. May they find peace and comfort in our Lord's loving hands and cling on to His promise that we will all one day be reunited with our loved ones again in our heavenly home.

i feel like the second half of this year is one long long funeral march for me. The pain has lost its intensity as time promises to heal. Each day i come to work, my prayer to God is to take away the pain. Sometimes He does, sometimes He doesn't. I recently came across a very intersting sermon/article by my fav preacher Ray C Stedman (i've attached his link at the sidebar of my blog page).

He says:" I think we can use instruction in the practice of prayer. God is not saying we should ask for everything we want. We're to ask for everything we need. Frequently we find ourselves praying for things he never promises. For instance, if you are up against some kind of trial, some catastrophe strikes in your life, our perfectly understandable, natural human reaction is to say, "Lord, take this away." But God never said he would do that. He does not always want us to have it taken away. Sometimes he will, sometimes not. That kind of prayer must always have appended to it what our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."

But there are things for which we can immediately ask, and know that we will receive. His grace, his strength, insight, wisdom , patience, love and compassion. And as we lean back upon him in that inner dependence of faith which is prayer, we can also begin to give thanks that the answer has come, and in our thanksgiving we discover the experience of it as well. So as in everything we let our requests be made known to God, the result is peace. The peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Amen.