hmm, been feeling a bit down today because of..haha stuff i guess.
not really something to post publicly because its a very subjective thing to think, but the feeling of exclusion/loneliness it caused kinda got to my head a bit today even though I knew it shouldn't. because in the end, the love of the world is only brotherly - it's not perfect, sacrificial and unconditional like God's.

anyway, thankfully i have the Lord's Word. Trying to apply what Pastor Chris taught in sunday school - to learn to draw strength from the Lord and turn to Him in my troubles. I tried thinking of a verse to encourage myself (haha kinda funny huh :p), and though I couldn't think of any on the spot, I just randomly thought of the aspect of God's love, and typed in 'love' into the search thing on my iphone bible, and as i scrolled through I found the verse in romans 8:35 and 38-39;

"Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor ANYTHING else in all creation, will be able to seperate us form the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"

Really helps to dwell on the love for the Lord. I thought to myself, why should i seek the brotherly phileo love of the world, and push away God's sacrificial agape love if i can have it instead? And then this is where the crucial part happens; I remember the verse I used to try and encourage people - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in ALL our troubles that we may comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

As I dwelt on this verse, I was reminded how God is a God of compassion. He's not a God who's just all 'up there' and unreachable, He actually knows and sympathises with our sufferings - why?
because He Himself endured all the sufferring of the world, and bore every pain possible; all in one go.
I was reminded of how God knows my troubles, and I felt so englightened. I don't need to rely on the love of the world to comfort me; not when I have a God like this who can love so much more!

Indeed, this is why we love God - not that we loved Him first, but because He first loved us.