June 22, 2008

kAdhalikkalAmA? [May I “love”?]

kAdhalikkalAmA? [May I “love”?]

Note: The word “love” here doesn’t mean either Godly love or parental love or friendly love or brotherly love or any love of this kind. I hope you understand what I mean.

Q: Can a person who has received Jesus Christ love? Is it not possible to break the caste issues through love marriages? The practice of divorce can even be demolished!

A: Well. A Tamil writer said, “In olden times people behaved as if there is no love; but today people do things as if there is nothing other than love.” Another man said, “Before it is love at the first sight; but today it is love every sight.” “One who has fallen in love keeps a thorn right in his rib-side”, said a scholar.

Whatever may be, it is wise to be miles away from matters like “love”. You may ask why? Here are some reasons:

1
Most of the love-s do not end up in marriage. Even cases ended in marriage undergo often bombardments and collisions. It is thinkable that even England’s royal family suffer because of this issue.

2
The minds of those who are in love are always occupied by several thoughts. So they themselves find it difficult to focus on their studies or profession or spiritual duties. Is it not an indirect idol worship to replace Jesus (who is with you right from your mother’s womb) with some one else (who came just yesterday) in your mind? Rom. 8:5 says, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

3
Love will make you to play as an actor / actress who is never real. Do you think that you can remain worthy to receive God’s blessings by cheating your elders with lame reasons, pouring out lies generously to your parents, and living as a hypocrite just to cover your “love”? Rom. 12:1 says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Also David says in Ps. 39:6, “Every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain.” So don’t run after it; but run away from it. It is better to enter heaven alone than to live with your boyfriend / girlfriend / lover in eternal fire.

4
If a person who has received Jesus Christ “love”, he will surely bring ill-name to his witness. Exchange of letters, secret meets, wrong looks, unwanted smiles will cause you a bad name. The Bible says God should be glorified in each and every deeds of a believer. Cross check whether your deeds bring glory to His name or whether they grieve Him. Such issues like “love” is not just a hindrance for you to glorify Him but also brings His name in vain, accordingly you are acting against the third commandment.

Rom. 2:24
The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
Rom. 14:16
Do not let your good be spoken of as evil.
1 Cor. 6:20
You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Cor. 10:31
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

5
According to the Indian constitution, the age criterion for marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. So “love” in the age of schooling should be a crime. A teenager falling in “love” is more similar to a blind unknowing the path falling in a deep pit. Also it is similar to an elephant sprinkling dust on its own head. Think! Prov. 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself.”

6
Marriage is not just related to a man and a woman; but God is also involved with it. This fact should be clearly understood. That too, in the life of a believer God’s plans are manifested through marriage. But many fall into love or they forget God’s will for their life and are inclined to their desires / plans and other factors like beauty, emotions, situations, short cut, and other expectations like dowry, family status, education and so on.

Don’t be in a hurry and miss the greater blessings and plans that God has for your life. Remember God is more concerned about your future than you. Don’t forget it!

7
The world is getting worse more and more because of two reasons: love and violence. But you are selected by Jesus for a special purpose and you are given an important calling. The gist of today’s cinemas and stories are just “love” and “violence”. Let these not be in the center of your life. The extent you are displeased with violence, so be displeased with “love”. Perhaps if you are caught in such traps, abandon such relationships making no compromise. Commit yourself whole unto the Lord and start living a new, holy, joyful life with Him alone. Acts 2:40 says, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

8
Teenage is an age which longs for the real love. In this age if someone corrects their mistakes, they begin to hate them. If somebody exalts the teenagers, they will become madly close with those who exalts. So in this age, most of the innocent girls fall into the trap of young boys and go astray.

The Bible speaks in Gen. 34:1-26 about a girl called Dinah who went astray because of disobedience.

It is not those who correct us are bad people or those who exalt us are good. It is better to be aware. The prudent considers well his steps. (Prov. 14:15)

9
A man said, “’Love’ is a satanic trap to defeat a believer”. Fell in a look, blossomed in smiles, exchanged memorable gifts, communicated through letters and through Hi-Fi techniques, then get into wrong relationships, losing their identity, if failed -- suicides, sorrowed face, unshaved cheek, untrimmed beard -- many times, spiritual backslide, shame in family, pain for parents – are these really necessary?

Our God is not a God encouraging problems; but a God of peace. 1 Cor. 14:33 says, “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.”

10
I have heard people saying, “Through ‘love’ it is possible to root out dowry system and caste differences, and have better understanding with each other.” This is more analogous to a person who wants to rescue himself from the water, to be consumed in fire. Solomon says, “He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears.” Prov. 26:17

For believers, falling in love is similar to plucking the ears of the dog. If bitten, the scar would remain the entire remaining life.


Are you asking whether you can love? Don’t you want to be in peace???

Make known God the weakness of your heart. HE will help you to be out of such tragedies.

1 John 5:18 says, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

Source: A book, “vAlibaththin kELvigaL” written by Evg. J.J. Gurusingh

Thanks Judith Sharon for your valuable help.
Translation, Compilation & Web print: Me
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One day (12th standard I guess) when I was traveling in bus, I happened to meet one of my elder brothers named Mohan (not my own, but from Church). He was working as an LIC agent. He started the chat inquiring about my spiritual life. We had a good talk and finally he explained the cunning plots of the devil.

He plainly asked me, “Will you steal?” I said, “No”.

Then, he asked, “Will you murder?” I just laughed, “How will I do that anna?”

He further continued to ask such future tense questions relating to most of the commandments and laws, and I was giving a positive answer as you would also hopefully give.

Then he shot another question, “If you see a cute girl, would you like to love her?” I was shocked with that unexpected question and I couldn’t give an immediate answer. There he got into me. He continued explaining. This is how the devil enters into most of the Christian youth, even more committed youth.

He said, “As Christians you would pass all the tests such as stealing, murdering, adultery etc. First the devil tests with all the above listed tests. Once you fail him in all these, finally he brings the test called ‘love’. If you win this test, he will keep on tempting with such stuff. But once if you fail this test, you would voluntarily invite all the previous tests / sins and will be ensnared by him”.

This made me to think and helped me to run away when I was tempted. But I should admit that I was tempted. But by His love and grace, I was able to resist myself from the temptation, and run away from it.

Yes brothers and sisters, guard yourselves. Be holy and pure in His sight.

The pleasures of this world are momentary. We would be missing the great blessing promised for us if we go behind this world and its customs.

May God be with us!

Monic

1 comment:

Unknown said...

corinthians 16:14 let all things be done in love . Well the love chapter and then diffference of lust and love ....and between ppl all over the world fall in love ..its not love thats wrong its the manner in which path it follows your relationship ..if you make it a secret and hide it and get into the lusty side and obsesses with it the its wrong but wen you carry your relationship in a way which pleases the lord or for that matter putting Jesus first then no way thts wrong and besides thats what songs of solomon is all about and many a times all the holy people when they took wives they did look at the beauty of the wives and select .We need Jesus to fill our lives so we live according to his love he showed by humbling us .but that means that you done turn your love to "eros" but whatever happens we are to love because GOd is love and that the gifts of the spirit will come into being when jsut follow GOd commands..well you can check out also 1 Peter3 which also teaches to love unonditionally I mean that even men as husbands also are to love uncontionally or else its turns out to be wordly love ..we too are to love one another and there will be no error in love. Because love never fails and Jesus never fails