hai...finally the song presentation is over....hahaha!!!!!! i tell you wat happened yesterday really was testing my faith in God man!! haha!!!! honestly to say i was freaked out in the 1st service and during the 2nd service i was so super shocked but thanks to God's strength suddenly courage came over me!!! thank God man!!! haha!! i was so close to actually end the song!!!hehe.....i am really so sorry about the musicians man..hey you YWAM ppl, really wana say SORRY to you guys man!! (">)
anyway,today i had a very cool day with my 'budd' deborah!!! haha!!1st she came to my house and she taught me how to play the song 'still' on the piano!!! wow!! i really love the song!!! i even composed on the phone as my ringing tone!!! hahaa!!! then after that we went to far east to shop shop!!! guess wat we bought? guess la......
*drum rolls*........i bought an army type pants and deborah bought a necklace and a ring!!! haha!!!! i tell you we really enjoyed ourself man!!! hehe...when shopping with deborah i dun see wat i really like and when deborah shop with me she dun really see wat she likes too...haha!!!! 'yi ge tian,yi ge di' hahaha!!!! i am really so excited about new clothings man!!!
you know sometimes i try to buy skirts and some girly clothings....but....i will hardly wear...but today i went to this shop that sells all the hip hop clothes i just went crazy man!!!haha!!! i still look good in hip hop clothes!!! haha!!!! anyway, tml it's gonna be along day....haha!!!! gotta go....byez!!!!!!!!!!!!

urgh!!!!!!!!!i am so frustrated man!!!!!!!!i dunno why juz can't get the song rite!!!urgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!God pls help me man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're Ryoma!


(Prince of Tennis) Which Seigaku Regular are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Waya - You're loud, annoying, and lots of fun to be
around! Did I mention you have a cool sense of
fashion? But you need to give people second
chances. You hold on to things that you should
just let go.


Which Hikaru no Go character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

spider- you can be sneaky and vindictive. you do
things for shock value. get a life


what BUG are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Pray first before you do anything, aim and shoot high in your goals,
and stay focused on God. Pass this on in order that someone else might
be blessed. Never let others discourage you concerning your past. The
past is exactly that - " the past." Live every day one day at a time.
And remember that only God knows our future and that he will not put
you through any more than you can bear. Do not look to man for your
blessings but look to the Lord. He can open doors for you that only
He is able to do. Doors that you will not slip through but doors that
only He has prepared in advance for you in your favor.



Wait, and be still, patient:
keep God first and everything else will follow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P.S. When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say,
"Jesus, could you please get that for me?"

hey hey...been quite some time since i blogged in arh...haha!!! feeling kinda lazy....hehe..anyway, today was really a fantastic day for me man!!! for the very 1st time during holiday i have to wake up at 7am to walk my dogs!!! my dear jeff and junior!!!haha!! guess wat me and maid did when we walk them to the beach?? we threw them into the sea!!!! hey, it's not that i am merciless i mean come and think of it where got ppl wake up so early just to throw their dogs into the sea for fun.....of coz got reason one la...but i won't tell you.....i think some of you will say,'who cares man....'haha!!! anyway walking my dogs is really so cool man!!! i even saw this super duper cutie dog by the name of spices!!! it's the some breed as jeff but i tell you it's pedigree!!! it's really sooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!! and this stupid jeff so fierce towards her......hai ya~ this jeff arh...no hope one la..haha!!!!
anyway today i went to play basketball again!!! wow...it's so super fun!!!! i played with the poly and ywam ppl!!! haha!!! gotta admit i am so the slow man!! haha!!! hey amelia gal you played super well man!!! 1st time see you run and snatch ball!! haha!!!as for shu fen, wow you are really good man!!! germaine le....hmm.....cannot mess up with her man!!!! someone basketball captain le.......haha!! anyway, today playing bball was really fun man!!!!! tennis also fun man!!!!!! haha!!! wow!! thank God that i belong to HOPE of God!!!! haha!!!! serving God is sooooooooo cool!!!!!!!! can anyone say amen?

wow....today is such a cold and wet day but......it'a alrite!! coz it's still God's creation!!! i love raining days man!!! haha!!! anyway, yesterday's district PM is super the fantastic!!! the praise and worship, the teaching the praying times...wow i tell you, when we were ask to pray for our neighbour (who happen to be deborah!!), God really spoke to me alot of things, is it regardless about me or about deborah..... then after we prayed for one another, deborah said this to me that God told her that if i am to be more obedient in some areas, not only 1 or 2 ppl i will be leading but it will be alot....when i heard this my heart nearly drop!!! i was shock to hear this as when we worshipping God, God also spoke to me about my area of obedience.......haha!!! scaring arh!!! hehe...but really yesterday not only i responded to really give my life for Him, i also want to be His leader by the end dec!!! hehe...this is really full of faith man!!!! anyway, deborah i really wana tell you that i am so glad to have you as my spiritual 'butt' !!!haha....really love your accompany alot!!! thank God that he created you!!! hehe...still remember, 'wat comes out from your nose?' hmm...wonder wat the answer is...haha!!!!!!!!

The Room, a 17 year old's description of Heaven
17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject as what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb.
It's the best thing I ever wrote." It also was the last. Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teays Valley High School in Pickaway County. Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them, notes from classmates
and teachers, his homework.
Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's life. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven. It makes such an impact that people want to share it. You feel like you are there." Mr. Moore said.
Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day.
He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole.
He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.
The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it, " Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.
Brian's Essay:The Room...
In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly
endless in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards.
I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.
And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.
A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content.
Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed." The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have given," "Jokes I Have Laughed at." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've yelled at my brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My
Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed, by the sheer volume of the life I had lived.
Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched ,"I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I knew that file represented. When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.
One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!"
In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it....the title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shook through
me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.
No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files.
Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said,"It is finished." I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
If you feel the same way, share this with as many people as you can so the love of Jesus will touch their lives also. My "People I shared the gospel with" file just got bigger, how about yours? (">)

yoz people.....wow,now my leg is really tired man....after yesterday one whole nite of walking in orchard and today's basketball with the poly ppl...but gotta thank God that my leg is still intact!!! haha!!!
anyway talking about today, i really had great time with zyann and the poly ppl!!!today in the morning went with zyann to marine parade to collect her 'ballet stuff'...haha!!! had a breakthru man!!! come on, i step into a shop selling ballet stuff for quite a long time!!! hehe...i think i am really crazy liao......then after that we went to holland there to play bball....i tell you the gals today really go crazy man!!!!haha!!! but it was rather a cool game we had today!!!
you know wat?? i really had great fun in ss yesterday!!! even though the atmosphere is abit different from the 1st ss but just like wat jasmine says, we all are serving God the same God!!!! hey ppl can anyone, help me to find wat's the song that faith hill sing?? the title is something moment something.....as long as the title got 'moments' inside do inform me ok!!! thanks!!!

HELLO)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow, it's been sometime that i update my blog arh.....FINALLY my exams are OVER liao!!!!!!!!!!hahaha!!!! i'm free like a bird now!!!!!!!!! haha....
well.....my life in NYP is really cool man!! at first i couldn't figure out why i dun feel like home in NYP, the problem is it coz i still thought i am in ND?? well then i got the answer finally.....the problem is myself!!! but thanks to God's word, the barrier in my heart in removed!!!!!!!!! now i feel like as though i am in NYP for a very long time!!!!!! haha!!! i tell, the ppl in NYP is so cool man!!! ppl like lalita,jamie,xue fen,cheryl,cyvia,josh,don etc....the UL of NYP is so sweet man!!!! haha i think you guys know who am i talking about...haha!!! deborah still ask her to train me to become gentle....i am already gentle in the 1st place....DUN LAUGH HOR, IT'S TRUE ARH!!!!!!!!! :P
anyway,yesterday i went to watch movie with hannah and my good fren aishai!! haha i tell you aishai was so afraid that she will be so extra but thank God due to hannah's friendly personality aishai soon felt like she's part of us!!! hehe......anyway, we actually wanted to watch 'the park' coz i heard from my fren that not only is this show scary but it's in 3D too!!!how cool is it man!!!! o let's come back....we watch 'uptown girls'!! i tell you at first i thought this show was quite bimbo but i was wrong man!!! the whole storyline even though quite predictable but it's really a nice show!!! especially the guitars in the movie......it's so beautiful and cool!!!! haha...i and hannah was squealling away when we saw the guitars!!!hahaha!!!!!
anyway, there's this show i really wana catch and it's call......'santa versus the snowman'!!! you know why?? it's in 3D too!!!!!!!!!!! wow....
hey you know what?these few days i am really so crazy about dancing!!!especially hip hop!!how i wish i know how to dance.........haha....

“We love because God first loved us”
In the arena of life, we are surrounded by:
· Materialism
· Competition
· Stress
· Difficulties
We don’t have the luxury:
· To isolate ourselves
· To opt out of the competition
· To give up

In the midst of such an environment, what sort of spirit have we developed within our souls? Is it a loving spirit or a loveless spirit?
A loving spirit consists of LOVE, where “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 TEV)
And a loveless spirit consists of:
· Selfishness
· Pride
· Bad temper
· Inconsiderateness
· Envy
· Gossip
· Intolerance
· Malice
· Hate
· Revenge
· Arrogance
· Greediness

Think about it, a loving spirit gives us the ability to make our family and others happy and in the process brings joy to ourselves. How? A loving spirit goes out of the way:
· To give pleasure instead of merely trying to please
· To do kind deeds instead of looking after number one
· To do a good turn instead of waiting for one
· To give cheerfully rather than to receive
· To serve gladly instead of being served
· To share generously our knowledge and time instead of grudgingly

Where do we stand? It is likely that most of us, in our daily living, are nearer to possessing a loveless spirit. But we do want to make our spouses, ourselves and others happy. So there is in most of us a desire to sweeten, purify and transform our loveless spirit into a loving spirit in daily life. Can we do it by our will power or with time or with the help of religion? Yes, but it can be a very slow process and we are more likely to give up before achieving our goal of possessing that loving spirit.
But the Christian religion advises: ”We love because God first loved us”(1 John 4:19 TEV).
Father Henri Nouwen asked, “How do we know that we are infinitely loved by God when our immediate surroundings keep telling us that we’d better prove our right to exist?
The knowledge of being loved in an unconditional way, before the world presents us with its conditions, cannot come from books, lectures, television programs, or workshops. This spiritual knowledge comes from people who witness to God’s love for us through their words and deeds. These people can be close to us but they can also live far away or may even have lived long ago. Their witness announces the truth of God’s love and calls us to act in accordance with it.”(Bread for the Journey, June 17)
However, for us to know personally that we are loved by God is not as easy as we think because for us to respond to God’s love is a great act of faith. Even monks have great difficulty to know for certain that God loves them. As Father Henri Nouwen said, “I suddenly saw much better than before that one of the greatest temptations of a monk is to doubt God’s love. Those who enter a contemplative monastery with the intention of staying for life must be very much aware of their own brokenness and need for redemption. If the monastic life should lead them to a morbid introspection of their own sinfulness, it would lead them away from God for whom they came to the monastery. Therefore, the growing realisation of one’s sins and weaknesses must open the contemplative to a growing awareness of God’s love and care.” (The Genesee Diary, Oct 27 1974)
Like the monks we find it hard to believe that God loves us when we are all so sinful. We feel that we have to earn the love God offered to us. But God wants to offer that love to us not because we have earned it, but because He has decided to love us independently of any effort on our part. God’s love for us is so total and unconditional that He simply welcomes us home, if we repent and return to Him.
As Henri Nouwen said, “God does not require a pure heart before embracing us. Even if we return only because following our desires has failed to bring happiness, God will take us back. Even if we return because being a Christian brings us more peace than being a pagan, God will receive us. Even if we return because our sins did not offer as much satisfaction as we had hoped, God will take us back. Even if we return because we could not make it on our own, God will receive us. God’s love does not require any explanation about why we are returning. God is glad to see us home and wants to give us all we desire, just for being home.” (The Road to Daybreak, Nov 17 1985)
“God’s unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God’s ever-present love.” (Bread for the Journey, Feb 6)
St Paul said, “God puts right everyone who believes in Jesus” (Romans 3:26) and Jesus came to help us to return to God without fear of God. As Henri Nouwen said, “Jesus came to us to help us overcome our fear of God. As long as we are afraid of God, we cannot love God. Love means intimacy, closeness, mutual vulnerability, and a deep sense of safety. But all of those are impossible as long as there is fear. Fear creates suspicion, distance, defensiveness and insecurity.
The greatest block in the spiritual life is fear. Prayer, meditation, and education cannot come forth out of fear. God is perfect love, and as John the Evangelist writes, ‘Perfect love drives out fear.’(1 John 4:18) Jesus’ central message is that God loves us with an unconditional love and desires our love, free from all fear, in return.” (Bread for the Journey, Feb 29)
And Mother Teresa said, “Jesus came into this world for one purpose. He came to give us the Good News that God loves us, that God is love, that He loves you, and He loves me. He wants us to love one another as He loves each one of us. Let us love Him. How did the Father love Him? He gave Him to us. How did Jesus love you and me?--by giving His life. He gave all that He had--His life--for you and me. He died on the cross because He loved us, and He wants us to love one another as He loves each one of us. When we look at the cross, we know how He loved us. When we [at Christmas] look at the manger we know how He loves us now, you and me, your family, and everybody’s family with a tender love. And God loves us with a tender love. That is all that Jesus came to teach us, the tender love of God. ‘I have called you by your name, you are mine.’” (Jesus, The Word to be Spoken, Dec 26)
But, because after many promises we still sin again and again, the great temptation for us is to run away from God in despair instead of returning to Him in hope. As Henri Nouwen said, “During this week Judas and Peter present me with the choice between running away from Jesus in despair or returning to Him in hope. Judas betrayed Jesus and hanged himself. Peter denied Jesus and returned to Him in tears.
Sometimes despair seems an attractive choice, solving everything in the negative. The voice of despair says, ‘I sin over and over again. After endless promises to myself and others to do better next time, I find myself back again in the old dark places. Forget about trying to change. I have tried for years. It didn’t work and it will never work. It is better that I get out of people’s way, be forgotten, no longer around, dead.’
This strangely attractive voice takes all uncertainties away and puts an end to the struggle. It speaks unambiguously for the darkness and offers a clear-cut negative identity.
But Jesus came to open my ears to another voice that says, ‘I am your God, I have moulded you with My own hands, and I love what I have made. I love you with a love that has no limits, because I love you as I am loved. Do not run away from Me. Come back to Me---not once, not twice, but always again. You are My child. How can you ever doubt that I will embrace you again, hold you against My breast, kiss you and let My hands run through your hair? I am your God---the God of mercy and compassion, the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care. Please do not say that I have given up on you, that I cannot stand you anymore, that there is no way back. It is not true. I so much want you to be with Me. I so much want you to be close to Me. I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all of your actions. And I love you because you are beautiful, made in My own image, an _expression of My most intimate love. Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let My love touch the deepest, most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your own beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but which will become visible to you again in the light of My mercy. Come, come, let Me wipe your tears, and let My mouth come close to your ear and say to you, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’
This is the voice that Jesus wants us to hear. It is the voice that calls us always to return to the One who has created us in love and wants to re-create us in mercy. Peter heard that voice and trusted it. As he lets that voice touch his heart, tears came---tears of sorrow and tears of joy, tears of remorse and tears of peace, tears of repentance and tears of gratitude.
It is not easy to let the voice of God’s mercy speak to us because it is a voice asking for an always open relationship, one in which sins are acknowledged, forgiveness received, and love renewed. It does not offer us a solution, but a friendship. It does not take away our problems, but promises not to avoid them. It does not tell us where it all will end, but assures us that we will never be alone. A true relationship is hard work because loving is hard work, with many tears and many smiles. But it is God’s work and worth every part of it.
O Lord, my Lord, help me to listen to Your voice and choose Your mercy.” (The Road to Daybreak, March 26 1986)

So, how can we hear with our inner ears this voice that Peter heard? Before we can hear this inner voice that Peter heard, we have to start by believing in the Bible and that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 TEV) And that "Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us." (Romans 15:4 TEV) What this mean is that we must develop our faith in God.
And what is faith? St Paul says “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” (Hebrew 11:1 TEV) and without faith we cannot please God as, “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists” (Hebrew 11:6 TEV). Faith is accepting Jesus at His word. When Jesus was asked, “’Where is your father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor my Father. If you knew Me, you would know my Father also.’”(John 8:19 TEV) and “The Father and I are one.”(John 10:30 TEV) “Whoever sees Me sees also Him who sent Me.”(John 12:45 TEV) St Paul says “Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God.”(Colossians 1:15 TEV) Jesus tells us that He loves us “I love you just as the Father loves Me”(John 15:9 TEV) and “I am the good Shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep” (John 10:11 TEV). Faith, then, is taking Jesus completely and absolutely at His word. Faith is complete trust that what Jesus said and taught about God is true.
Faith is complete confidence in Jesus’ love for us. As Mother Teresa asked, “Am I convinced of Christ’s love for me and mine for Him? This conviction is like a sunlight that makes the sap of life rise and the buds of sanctity bloom. This conviction is the rock on which sanctity is built. What must we do to get this conviction? We must know Jesus, love Jesus, serve Jesus. We know Him through prayers, meditations, and spiritual duties. We love Him through Holy Mass and the sacraments and through that intimate union of love. We must endeavor to live alone with Him in the sanctuary of our inmost heart.” (No Greater Love, Mother Teresa, 81)
We also know Jesus through studying the Bible and contemplating on Jesus’ love for us daily. Jesus loves us always, as He says; “I love you just as the Father loves Me.” (John 15:9 TEV) “And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20 NJB) “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”(Hebrew 13:5 TEV) “I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me.”(John 6:37 TEV) Jesus assures us “...for the Father Himself loves you. He loves you because you love Me and have believed that I come from God.” (John 16:27 TEV) St John tells us "God showed His love for us by sending His only Son into the world, so that we might have life through Him"(1 John 4:9 TEV). This was clearly emphasized by Jesus, who said "I have come in order that you might have life---life in all its fullness." (John 10:10 TEV) Jesus says “Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear My voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 TEV)
When Jesus comes into our hearts, we will be transformed to having a loving spirit. Then we will be able to bear everyday trials cheerfully and will be patient even under persistent irritation. We learn to return good for evil, meet the friction of everyday living with gentleness and sweetness and do not envy others. We learn to be humble and not boast about ourselves. We learn not to be easily provoked and we bear no malice. We learn not to fear as St Paul says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”(2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) We learn to be kind and compassionate, having a tender heart and not a stony heart “full of hypocrisy and sins.” (Matthew 23:28 TEV)
Therefore, for this miracle of transformation to come about so that our spirits become loving, we have to daily contemplate deeply on Jesus’ love and Words and obey His commandments. What are God’s commandments on love? Jesus tells us “The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’”(Mark 12:30-31 TEV). Again Jesus Christ says, "My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you" (John 15:12 TEV). “If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples.” (John 13:35 TEV) We cannot love Jesus if we do not obey His commandments as Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.”(John 14:15 TEV) and “If you obey My commands you will remain in My love.” (John 15:10 TEV) and “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you” (John 15:12 TEV). Again Jesus says “Whoever loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and My Father and I will come to him and live with him.”(John 14:23 TEV) We need always to remember that if we do not obey His teachings, we don’t love Him, as Jesus says, “He who does not love Me does not keep My Words.”(John 14:24 NKJV) St John reminded us that, "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love"(1 John 4:8 TEV) and "if we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen."(1 John 4:20 TEV) He emphasised that, "God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them"(1 John 4:16 TEV).
Mother Teresa summed it up by saying, “Jesus came into this world for one purpose. He came to give us the good news that God loves us, that God is love, that He loves you, and He loves me. How did Jesus love you and me? By giving His life.
God loves us with a tender love. That is all that Jesus came to teach us: the tender love of God. ‘I have called you by your name, you are mine’ (Isaiah 43:1 NAB).
The whole gospel is very, very simple. Do you love me? Obey my commandments. He’s turning and twisting just to get around to one thing: love one another.
‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, and with all thy mind’ (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV). This is the command of our great God, and He cannot command the impossible. Love is a fruit, in season at all times and within the reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set.
Everyone can reach this love through meditation, the spirit of prayer, and sacrifice, by an intense interior life. Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary.” (No Greater Love, 21)
Therefore, “we love because God first loved us” as this is a cause and effect phenomenon. The cause is “because God first loved us” and when we are able to fervently believe this; the effect on us is that we love. Since love begets love, we begin to love Jesus and others by a process of induction, like a magnet. Do we have faith in Jesus that this will come about? If we do have faith, then our chances of being transformed from having a loveless spirit into a loving spirit are that much better because the fruit of faith is love. Faith or trust is the direct route to love and we have to trust that only through being loved are we capable of love. And for the miracle of having that loving spirit starts with me, I must truly believe that God first loves me.