foreword: this post is long, but deals with the most important thing everrr. read & know.
i dedicate this post to Nicky Leong and Grant Mizuno. God has taught me untold amounts of his love and grace from both of you. i love you both so much...
p.s. Mom & Dad. i did this instead of study :D yayyy!! i love you guys too. hahaha.
and happy bday dad!
onto the best post everrr.
There has been an age old debate in most relationships about being a reacher and settler. here's my 2cents on the matter.
a reacher is one who reaches outside his or her range in order to be with someone who is above their range.
a settler is the other person who decides to settle with said reacher.
now to reachers, this doesn't bother them.
to me, it definitely doesn't bother me.
hahaha. no joke.
why doesn't this idea bother me?
the reason is this [part 1a]: i always believe i'm the reacher in the relationship...
woah, who do you think you are? you're jt. no duh! you're always going to be the reacher in the relationship~!!! and whoever settles for you has the heart of Mother Teresa.
if i believe myself to be the settler, the fact might be this: i probably wont be happy, because i'll feel like i'm not maxing my potential. there is probably a "what if" in the back of my mind. i won't be content. i'm sure that girls in general dont carry this egotistical swag that i'm sharing about. it's only applying to me for this example.
BUTTT. if believe myself to be the reacher in the relationship. i'll probably have a crappy swag and grin, but for the reason that i'm the grateful basket who landed the most amazing girl. i'm at my full potential, maxed out at 100%. i'm completely content and satisfied and could not do any better.
the end of the sentence is this[part2a]:
...and that the girl believes herself to be a reacher as well.
i believe this to be a key in having an equal, flourishing relationship. if both parties believe that they themselves are the said reacher, they are going to have an awesome relationship as they believe themselves to be the one who lucked out in the dating pools of the world. they are both at 100%, max potential, and completely satisfied.
i believe this to be true because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. it's your point of view that matters. your state of mind.
doesn't this seem like a solid equation for a successful relationship?
right?
WRONG
this is a solid view [IMO] but is lacking.
lets not overlook the truth of life. we're flawed and sinful. and thus the dual reaching view can only take you so far before there are problems. what is the solution to those problems?
the key ingredient that is missing to this equation is
[ love. ]
this is what makes a relationship possible. the reality is that we all have flaws and missing parts. the fact that we continue with one another through the good and bad is because love.
cool, i'll keep this in mind, jt. now what does this have to do with anything?
well, in keeping with the idea of not settling for anything less than the besttt...
who's love is the best?
lets talk about the source of that ultimate love.
[part 1b]God's love for us...
what does that look like?
1 Corinthians 13
Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
this post is about the most important thing i've come to know. and i want to make sure that everyone who reads this blog knows the most important thing i've ever come to know, which is the gospel.
----*****----
lets start the gospel where it all begins, with God.
God has a plethora of attributes and characteristics. He's holy, loving, merciful, righteous, just etc. so those last two were righteous and just.
Thus, he's a righteous judge. (makes sense, ya?)
We are all accountable for the life that we live to God. (He created us after all)
He then demands payment for any injustice or unrighteous act that we've committed against him...otherwise known as sin. Sin is something that we all have plenty of (sadly). Sin, back in the day, meant missing the mark. it was used specifically in relation to missing the bulls eye in archery. If we relate this to life today, it'd be anything but perfection. That describes all of us.
from birth we're sinners and thus apart from a holy, perfect God. since we've wronged God...there needs to be reparation. the Bible says we can't reach God by ourselves.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
ahhh. what are we to do? we can't do anything about our impending doom! oh no, hellbound FTL! but in our moment of fail and doom, enter Christ:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
YES! there's a way to get right with God. Jesus takes our punishment upon himself and dies for our sins. then he rises from the dead conquering death and sin, FTW.
but how is this gift obtained?
For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9, 10)
repent and believe. it's that simple.
ah the gospel. how sweet it is to those that hear it, repent and believe. how tragic it is to those refuse. it's literally the greatest story ever told. the whole concept is completely ridiculous [IMHO] because God and his love is so good. sinners such as myself do not deserve it, yet because of his love and grace...it's possible. it boggles my mind. [O.O]
His love truly knows no bounds.
thus this sentence finishes that it[part 2b]: ...is for his glory.
He's God. He's able to conceive of the most perfect plan to save us and make us his own. He created the way out for us. it's through his son Christ Jesus. Christ was the one who bridged the gap for us and in his death and resurrection. simply repent and believe.
We love because he first loved us.
(1 John 4:19)
Thus, this is how we are able to love. and thus how relationships are able to work; all by his first act of true Love. love conquers all/ftw.
give your heart to God and he'll give you satisfaction of knowing you settled for nothing less than the very besttt.
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