Something that sets me thinking - Where is the love?

I refer to my friend's blog entry about how people do not spare a thought for other people around them and being oblivious to things around them. Come to think of it, it's quite close to what Paul said about the people today would do, ain't it?

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

-Romans 1:28-32(KJV)

So here we are - people who break every single commandment of God. Now, I'm not trying to say that these people are not saved or are never going to get saved, but really, what she says makes sense! We do do things for ourselves most of the time, but very seldom for other people. Let's be honest with ourselves - Would we want to do something for some bozo's or what's-his-name's benefit, without ourselves benefitting from it at all? Only a Christian, someone who has a heart of charity, or has gone bonkers would be wanting to do such things.

Very often, we see people all around the world stuck in the vicious poverty cycle. To get out of this, as learned through my humanities lessons, we need this necessary evil: money. We need it to get our school fees paid, we need it to buy food. We need it to pay for school uniforms, then we use it to buy cars, fuel, houses, even whole private property! In fact, I can frankly say that this "important" piece of paper, the certificate, is our ultimate goal of education. But then, even with this piece of paper, we still have to get out and bring ourselves into overdrive mode - work and work for money. Funny, when were the times where people gave each other food and lodging out of charity and not for money? Where is the love? What happened to people helping each other out in times of need these days?

The love for money- the driving factor that drives everyone mad like zombies, even Christians. And what did Paul say about this love of money?

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
- I Timothy 6:10 (KJV)

Indeed, the sorrows of this love of money and never-ending desire is just a fine line between keeping and losing one's sanity to it. You work too much, you lose your family love, and even put their lives in jeopardy out of money, in some extreme cases. People turn to kidnapping, or carry out a scam, out of a want for a quick buck. We have people gambling for the money. We have people doing underground brothels, and human trafficking. We have anything possible to make money. All of these things are what God detests, and what is the real cause of this? Sin.

Now, I don't really have to tell you what sin is - most of us know what it is. You know of Adam eating of the forbidden fruit even when God told him not to? That's all sin is - disobeying God. Since Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth, we are actually their descendents. And sin doesn't really go away, much as you'd like for it to be. We carry our sin, as well as the sin of our forefathers - that's why you see people lying, committing adultery, murder, anything else you can think of. Can you truly say you've never lied in your entire life?

Sure, you might enjoy what you are doing right now. "I want to kill, I want to get laid in the nearest red-light district. I want to do all sorts of things filthy. After all, I enjoy it, and what's the big deal of it?" What many people don't realise is that the sin that we carry along with Adam's will make us hellbound after we die. When they do realise it, they figured they can't do anything about it. "Aiyah, might as well live like dirt on earth, since we go to hell anyway..." Believe me, you won't want to go to Hell.

But however, have you guys considered Jesus?

His blood shed on the cross is for our sin. He was blameless, yet he was crucified, whipped and flogged, for us. He, being God, could have smote everyone dead, but he did it and bore the pain, out of what? Love. For whom? You. He doesn't want us to go to hell. Because of sin, we have to go to hell. But He, out of his love for us, died on the cross, bearing the pain and agony in our place, so that we needn't suffer the hell that would be INFINITELY WORSE that just the crucifixion, flogging, persecution and shame to bear!

Now, Jesus died on the cross for us, out of love. He died for all of us, every single one of us, born and unborn. Now, if you have accepted Christ into your life, why not show this love to the people around us? C'mon, people - show some love to others around you today. It may be just saying "Hi" to someone you don't know, or washing the dishes for your mom, or running errands for your neighbours. We have enough bad blood among mankind - the Cold War, war on terrorism, and in Singapore, the Mas Selamat bin Kastari incident. It's time to show some love to your neighbours, be it friend or family.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

-Romans 5:7-8 (KJV)

If you want to find out more about Jesus, click here. After all, you've got nothing to lose. It is better to know the Lord and God you worship than blindly worshipping something that you don't know.