Day 16: What matters most

..::*+ Small Talk +*::..
有时候，我们把自己看得太渺小了。
别以为你所说的每一句话都没有影响力，有时候，有些人真的很在意你对他说的话。

你所说的话、所讲的诺言、所祝福的每一句鼓励，将影响某些人：你可能把他带到更高峰，或彻底干扰他的心情。

所以，你不是一颗渺小的草；你是有些人的力量。你知道吗？


眼泪，我抹去了。你呢？你是否哭了？

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Day 16: What matters most

No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
1. Corinthians 13:3b The Message

Still remember who is God?



Yes, God is love. And thus the most important lesson that God wants us to learn on earth is how to love. It is also the foundation of every command he has given us.

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Galatians 5:14

Love, it sounds so a simple word. It is, however, different from the love between a husband and wife. And to learn to love unselfishly is never an easy task. And therefore we are given a lifetime to learn it. God wants us to love everyone, but we must put more concerns on other family members.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:10

But why? Why other believers first, you might ask. God wants His family to be known for its love more than anything else. Jesus said:

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35

We need to have this "family responsibility" to prepare ourselves for an eternity of loving. Therefore, practice it. Have close and constant fellowship with other believers to develop this skill of loving.

The best use of life is love

Love is our top priority. Love is what we should learn to master.

Love is not a good part of your life; it's the most important part.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life

Let love be your greatest aim.
1. Corinthians 14:1a Living Bible

Relationships must have priority in your life above everything. But, why?

Life without love is really worthless. Relationships are not something to be fitted into our daily life. They are what life is all about. The Ten Commandments talked about what we should and should not do; in fact, the first four deal on our relationships with God, while the other six deal with our relationships with other people. Matthew 22:37-40 basically talked about the summary of it.

After learning to love God (worship), learning to love others is the second purpose of your life.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life

Busyness is the greatest head-on enemy of relationships. Most of us busy in our daily living, accomplishing tasks as if these are the living purpose. But they are not. Rick Warren gave a wonderful mathematics equation:

life - love = zero
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life

Love will last forever. This is another reason God wants us to let love be the first priority in life. And love is the secret of a lasting heritage.

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1. Corinthians 13:13

It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters.
Mother Teresa

And of course, when we die, all of our earthy wealth will not be brought over to eternity. But our love and our relationships will be brought over to heaven. Wisdom is learning this truth sooner rather than later.

We will be evaluated on our love. This is the third reason to make learning to love the goal of our life. When we cross over to eternity, we bring nothing other than our faith through love.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6b

And that's why, pray to God every morning after you wake up. Pray to God that He makes sure you can spend time loving God and other people around - and that's what life all about.

The Best Expression of love is time

Time is your most precious gift because you can only have a set amount of it.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life

The time we spent on others cannot be retrieved back. That is why, it is the greatest gift that you can give someone. The time you and efforts you gave to others is the most treasure gift. It is all about how much we give of ourselves. Nothing can take the place of that.

The most hungered gift of love is not diamonds whatever-number carat nor chocolates from Lindt nor 18 roses nor postcards from Paris nor valuable stuffs. It is focused attention. Jesus showed this love:

Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:2

The best time to love is now

We never know how long we will live. Therefore, instead of waiting tomorrow, why don't just start to express our love? Love to God, and love to others. I like this quote from the book very much:

The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now.
Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life

I love God. I love you.


Vincent