Psalm 40:1
[ For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. ] I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

 Proverbs 14:29
A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

 Proverbs 16:32
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

 Proverbs 19:11
A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense

 Ecclesiastes 7:8
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

 Habakkuk 3:16
I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

Romans 12:9-13
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

1^st Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

2^nd Corinthians 1:6
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Hebrews 6:12
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 

Hebrews 6:15
And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

James 5:7-8
[ Patience in Suffering ] Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

Someone special had asked me a question that we all tend to think about every once in a while.  The question was, “What is love and what does it mean to you?”

Now, I know that love is not just about the warm fuzzy feelings you have when you find the right guy or girl.  It’s not about the time when everything slows down and music starts to sing in your ears as he/she walks into the room.  Love is a lot more than that.  I really believe that love has to do with the commitment you have for that one special person.  It is a commitment so great that it is sacrificial. 

It’s so easy to answer, “I would be willing to die for you and give everything up in my life for you”, but do you really mean that?  We say it when we are in “love.”  So shouldn’t we put it into action?

This question, “what is love?” made me think about what “true love” is.   I wanted to look at “true love” in the biblical perspective, yet how we can apply it here on this earth with the people we truly love. 

This question reminded me of the commitment Hosea had for his wife, Gomer.  In the book of Hosea, we can see that God had Hosea marry a prostitute.  When Hosea had married this prostitute, she continued to live her life of prostitution.  Now, Hosea had every right to leave her, divorce her, and even have her killed according to God’s law.  Yet, in the end and because of love, Hosea did the unthinkable.  He said to her that he will be with her. 

Can you imagine what it would be like if your wife/husband was living a life of prostitution?  I’m sure you would be totally upset and that you would not want to be anywhere near this spouse of yours.  I bet Hosea felt the same way.  However, Hosea had committed himself to her.  Commitment must last through the inconsistency of human emotions that we have everyday.  It must withstand insensitivity, neglect, and betrayal.  With this kind of love, love will last forever. 

If you think about it, we are like Gomer in this case.  We cheat on God every time we sin.  We neglect Him, betray Him, and are insensitive to what God wants for us.  Yet, God made a promise; a commitment to us.  God loves us no matter how much we turn against Him. 

I had mention that commitment must be so great that it is sacrificial.  According to God’s word, Hosea had to buy Gomer back from prostitution.  Gomer had put herself on the market of slavery and in order for Hosea to get her back, he had to buy her.  Hosea paid fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley.  In Exodus 21:32, you can see that the price of a slave was about 30 shekels of silver.  Well, one homer was equal to 10 ephah, and he had one and one-half homers, which made it 15 ephah (one barely is equivalent to one shekel per ephah.)  Therefore, if you add the 15 shekels he had with the one and one-half homers of barley, Hosea had an equivalent amount of 30 shekels of silver. 

Why is this important?  Well, we can see that Hosea did not have enough shekels of silver.  He only had half of what it would cost to buy Gomer back.  He had to pay with whatever he had left in value, which happened to be barley.  I’m sure that Hosea did whatever he could to find enough shekels of silver to buy Gomer back.  In other words, he took all he had and sacrificed it for Gomer.  

This showed Gomer that she was worth more than anything Hosea had ever possessed.  It told Gomer that his love was not based on feelings, but on his commitment to her. And it told her that she could expect more of the same in the days to come. 

In the same way, God bought us back with the ultimate sacrifice.  He bought us back through the death of His one and only perfect son.  Like Gomer, we did not have to earn this love, but it was given to us through the commitment of our lover. 

Now that is “true love.”  This is why I don’t believe love is all about the feeling and emotions… it’s the commitment and the promises that follows it.  One thing I ask, if you really “love” someone,” don’t just say it, mean it by putting it into action.

It's funny how it seems so easy for Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to drop everything they were doing to follow Jesus.  I'm pretty sure these four knew that they would not be coming back for a long time, yet they were willing to give up everything they had and the people they cared about for Jesus.

Are you willing to do that?  This is something I am going through right now.  I have been at Gaithersburg Chinese Alliance Church for seven years now.  But now God is calling me to go.  I didn't have another church in mind, but God was telling me that it was time for me to move on.  There is another purpose in store for me elsewhere... but where?  That I did not know.

I have to admit that this is a scary thought.  I didn't know where or why I had to leave.  All of my friends are here at GCAC.  I have a good fellowship and I enjoy serving the youth here.   But I knew that I had to leave soon.  So I finally took a deep breath and said to myself, "It is time to go.  I do not know where, but I trust You God. Lead me where You want me to go."

If it was my choice, I would stay at GCAC.  But God has a plan for me.  And His choice is always better than my own.  So I must listen to Him and follow Him.  And with this, it is time for me to say goodbye.

I wrote this song for my friends at GCAC.  I will always love each and every single one of you.  May God continue to bless you and all those who enter the church at GCAC.

Forever,
Danny