Lust VS Love; Immaturity VS Maturity

What is lust? Lust is natural.
It is the desire to benefit self at the expense of others.

What is love? Love is not an emotion, love is a decision!
It is the desire to benefit others at the expense of self, even if it means getting nothing in return!

When the fire of trials come, how would you normally respond to it?

They say God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
In a sense, how you react first, is more crucial than how you actually overcome it.

That short second, that brief moment, where a person first responds to any crisis, already shows the heart and the attitude of that person. Its not the process of the trial.

The process of the trial only strengthens who you already are.
But the response of the trial reflects who you really are.

Only when you've gone through the 'reaction' phase, only then will God start to shape you based on His 'assessment' of you. Its like saying, how does one know where to go, unless he knows where he already is?

For the immature, when they are feeling down.
Very often, they think about what they feel, and how they want to feel better, etc.
They are selfish, irresponsible, unaccountable and think only about themselves.

Have you heard people who say:

"Do you know how I feel?"
"I dont care, I want to do what I want."
"I am doing this, because that is what I feel."
"I want to this, because I think its right."

Sounds like a kid.

In the first place, who are we to even think we are anything in our own eyes?
Even the wisdom of man is like foolishness to God!

Its like, when they put their heart into something, they really put all their heart into it, so much so that they no longer have the capacity in their heart for others. Again, balance is the key.

When they are down, they cant be there for others, they cant encourage, they cant serve, they cant give, they cant love, etc, they just have no mood!

Who ever said you should live according to your mood?

Obedience is never defined by mood or emotions.
Obedience is defined by character.

Obedience is:

You dont have to feel loved, to love.
You dont have to feel encouraged, to encourage.
You dont have to be prosperous, to give.
You dont have to be knowledgeable, to teach.
You dont have to be stable, to counsel.

Ive always lived with the mentality that how can one give what he/she has not received?
To an extent, that is true. But I realized, that is low level thinking!

God is love. God = Love.
Its amazing how we can replace every word ("God") in the bible with the word ("Love") and vice versa.

God is great.
Love is great!

God is merciful.
Love is merciful!

God created the universe out of nothing.
Love created the universe out of nothing!

God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or think.
Love is able to do exceedingly abundantly, above all we can ask or think!

Friends, you dont need to have something in order to give it!
That is obedience. That is real love.

What is love?
Love is the desire to benefit others at the expense of self.
Even if it means getting nothing in return!

Jesus didnt love because He received love.
He love because He IS love!

You dont need faithful friends to be faithful. Just do it!

When a mature person is hit with a crisis, even though he or she is feeling down, that person can still bring life to death, healing to sickness, faith to the doubtful, encouragement to the discouraged, joy to the sad, etc.

And that person may not even have his/her own emotional needs met, nevertheless, with true love, comes true obedience. That person is able to have a greater capacity to love, to give, to encourage, to support to serve...so much to the extent, even when people look at him, its as if they have no problems at all.

That is when your problems become smaller and smaller.
Because what a person sows, that he will also reap.
He who waters others will he himself be watered.

You will never have what you gain,
You will only have what you give.

Very often, in the wilderness, God responds the moment you make a prayer, "Change me", "Mould me", "Take me to the next level", etc. At that moment, what is important to you?

Maybe it is 'time' that means the most to you. And because you need time and time is important to you, that wilderness will require that very thing from you.

Or maybe you need finances desperately, and God puts you into that wilderness. And next thing you realize, you have to give finances more than you ever did before.

What do you need today?

Dont wait until you have it before you can give it.

Take the first step. You didnt become holy before Jesus died for you. He gave first!
He died, while we were yet sinners. That, is love, that, is obedience. That, is faith.

Maybe you're feeling down, and you have another friend going through the same thing.
Be Jesus today, stop getting distracted. Stop thinking about yourself.
Oh God, feed me, feed me, feed me...

Its time to stop asking God to feed you and start learning to take the spoon and eat yourself.
And ask Him to give you the capacity to feed others.

Dont be a spiritual baby, that never grows.
There is a time and a season for everything.
Now is the time to rise up and stop wallowing in self pity.

Your life will never change with time, your life changes only when your thinking changes.

Dont just be happy, be Jesus.