GM! AGDEX looking good here on @Aptos Introducing AGTask — the official quest system of AGDEX, powered by @taskonxyz Complete Tasks. Earn AGPoints. Unlock exclusive rewards. Whether you’re a trader, a community member, or just getting started, AGTask is your gateway to participate, grow, and get rewarded on AGDEX. Early contributions will be key to future campaigns, airdrops, and more. Start now 👇 https://t.co/ZZXFyLyFl4

Also, shout out to some of my friends in an APAC role: • Monad: @sungmo_nad and @jinglingcookies • Virtuals: @sal_hotpot666 • Chromia: @YeouJie • Initia: @OmniscientAsian • Grass: @dadagrassman • Berachain: @leslienomad and @ellaqiang9 • Movement: @HYC2484 • Mezo: @KathySats • Eigenlayer: @0xtonkatsu • Solana: @ynonestop • Iota: @kowei1995 • Arbitrum: @_ryandesouza • Sui: @CQ_Neverland • Aptos: @0xrome_ • Vana: @VicHODL • Mantle: @Gem3a

We’re excited to announce our collaboration with @hyperion_xyz! A fully on-chain hybrid Orderbook-AMM DEX built natively on Aptos to revolutionize trading! Hyperion leverages Aptos’ exceptional throughput and minimal latency, delivering a seamless trading experience for professional and retail users. Join their community and be part of the future of on-chain trading! 👉 https://t.co/zrQUnHeAnP

🚀 Noctra Protocol Testnet Launch – $5,000 Reward Pool! 🚀 The wait is over! Noctra Protocol is officially launching its Testnet, bringing AI-powered DeFi automation to the Aptos ecosystem. This is your chance to be among the early adopters and earn rewards! 🎯 Event Details: 🗓 Duration: March 31 – April 14 🎁 Total Rewards: $5,000 📌 Testnet Link: https://t.co/FkaIHz55lK 🏆 Top 50 users will be rewarded based on: - Highest trading volume - Most transactions & highest volume for created tokens 💡 Why join? ✅ Get early access to Noctra’s AI-driven DeFi tools ✅ Compete, trade, and earn exclusive rewards ✅ Help shape the future of AI-powered finance 🔥 Be part of the future of DeFAI! Join now and secure your spot. 🔗 More details coming soon – stay tuned!

We’re excited to announce our partnership with @agdex_io, a next-generation decentralized perpetuals platform built on @Aptos. AGDEX offers up to 100x leverage, low fees, deep on-chain liquidity — with no sign-up or deposits required. As part of this collaboration, AGDEX is launching AGTask — its official task system powered by TaskOn. Through AGTask, users can complete quests, join events, earn AGPoints, and unlock exclusive perks. Early participation may lead to future airdrops and rewards. Join their community and stay tuned for more updates 👉 https://t.co/0y1oeQmO7K

🧵 $1,000 THREAD CONTEST — UNLEASH YOUR $NOCTRA INSIGHTS! Calling all threadmasters! Noctra Protocol is launching a Thread Writing Contest with $500 USDT and $500 in $NOCTRA tokens! 🔥 💥 How to Join 1️⃣ Write a detailed and original thread about Noctra Protocol — highlight its AI Agents, DeFi tools, Aptos integration, and the intelligent future of Web3. 👉 Make sure to include "$NOCTRA" in your thread. 2️⃣ Follow & tag @Noctra_protocol in your post. 3️⃣ Reply to this tweet with a link to your thread. 4️⃣ Join our Telegram: https://t.co/ZL463o4RCk 🎁 Total Prize Pool: $500 + $500 worth $NOCTRA 🏆 Top 7 Prizes: 🥇 1st – $150 USDT + $150 $NOCTRA 🥈 2nd – $100 USDT + $100 $NOCTRA 🥉 3rd – $70 USDT + $70 $NOCTRA 🏅 4th – $50 USDT + $50 $NOCTRA 🏅 5th – $40 USDT + $40 $NOCTRA 🏅 6th – $30 USDT + $30 $NOCTRA 🏅 7th – $20 USDT + $20 $NOCTRA 📅 Deadline: April 15, 2025 🔥 Whether you're a DeFi degen, Aptos believer, or AI explorer — this is your time to shine. Let’s see what you’ve got, threadmasters! #NoctraProtocol# #Aptos# #DeFi# #AI# #ThreadContest# #NOCTRA#

When dogs and squirrels team up, magic happens! 🐶⚡🐿️ We’re giving 5 lucky winners: 1x Squirrel NFT WL 1x Courage NFT WL To join: 1️⃣ Follow @CourageMove & @SquirrelMove 2️⃣ Repost this announcement 3️⃣ Comment a tribute to our collab (visual art, graphics, or anything creative!) along with your Move Aptos wallet Winners will be announced on Discord on March 17th!✨ Gwoof 🤝 Gnut!

为什么中国互联网必须做自己的公链？最近这一年，红林律师和不少做出海、做平台、做区块链技术底层的从业者聊过关于“做不做公链”这件事。发现原本被视作币圈专属的事情，似乎也成了越来越多互联网创业者开始认真思考的问题。有的团队开始研究底层架构，有的人尝试通过链连接支付网络和用户体系，还有的公司干脆直接下场做自己的链。 作为一名长期参与Web3.0商业项目合规服务的律师，我越来越觉得，这不只是技术选择、融资路径，甚至也不完全是Web3赛道内部的问题——而是中国互联网整体在全球化、账户体系、支付架构和产业控制力上的一次系统性挑战和机会。 这篇文章，结合我的观察、理解和业务中接触到的实践，抛砖引玉地抛出一些观点和判断，供互联网的创业者和从业者们参考和探讨。 # 国家层面：为什么中国需要一条自己的“数字出海通道”？ 过去几十年，中国在高铁、电网、通信基站这些实体工程上都已经做到全球领先，但在数字世界的底层设施上，我们仍处于结构性依赖状态。 账号体系掌握在Google、Facebook手里，支付路径靠Visa、Mastercard和PayPal，广告流量买量则还得仰赖Google Ads、Meta Ads这些平台。在全球互联网的底层逻辑上，中国几乎没有自己的控制权。 这就导致一个问题：你出海搞社交App、内容平台、电商商城，但只要海外平台一收政策，你可能连用户都找不到了。身份认证、支付通道、应用分发全是别人的，业务命脉始终系在别人手里。 而公链，提供了一种“底层系统级替代路径”：不依赖银行、信用卡，不需要手机号和Facebook账号，链上钱包即账户，稳定币即货币，链上行为即信用。这是一种全球通用、不受主权国家单一控制的数字底盘。 我们现在能看到的一些应用雏形，比如Telegram + TON 的组合，就已经在中亚、非洲、东南亚形成了一个“聊天+账户+支付”的新体系。用户在Telegram里就能转账USDT、完成购买、接入AI插件、参与游戏。它不靠App Store、不走Visa系统，也不要求用户上传身份证和银行卡。 这样的模型，其实本质上就是一套“数字世界里的离岸口岸”。 对中国来说，这个意义不在于“现在我们被制裁了”，而是：一旦世界变得更割裂，或者金融制裁成为常态，我们有没有备用的通路。俄罗斯、伊朗、委内瑞拉都在探索稳定币和公链结算系统，这是他们的应急方案，但对于中国来说，它应该是前置布局。 这并不意味着国家要自己下场“发链”，而是意味着我们要有具备全球影响力的技术能力，并且能构建一套“由自己主导”的数字全球化路线。如果有一天，中国团队主导的某条链能在新兴市场成为数字身份入口、支付和资产通道，并与我们本土技术和贸易深度绑定，那它就不只是一个链项目，而是未来数字版“海上丝绸之路”的一部分。 # 商业层面：出海的中国公司，为什么开始“带链”一起走？ 今天再谈中国互联网企业出海，已经不能只靠一款App、一套本地化方案就能解决全部问题了。 许多中国互联网项目在全球化中遇到三大典型痛点： 一是支付受限，很多国家银行卡渗透率低、本地支付混乱、国际清算体系门槛高，传统手段成本极高； 二是账号失效，你没法用微信、支付宝、手机号来构建用户体系，只能重新搭账户系统； 三是流量压缩，投放渠道和政策越来越苛刻，甚至面临内容限制和货币收紧。 也就是说，App可以出海，但App所依赖的“操作系统”却无法复制出去。而公链，恰恰是一种新的出海操作系统——它提供了全球通用的账户结构、稳定币结算能力和开放式资产激励模型，让你能在“无银行卡、无ID、无广告平台支持”的国家，也能低成本做生意。 比如 Bitget、OKX 这些平台，已经跑出了“链+钱包+支付”的组合拳，用户在非托管钱包中就能完成充值、打赏、积分兑换，背后接的正是他们自己的链和稳定币。而更轻量级的出海项目，也开始通过链上系统提供会员激励、NFT打赏、内容存证、积分分发这些“功能模块”，用链做运营的底层支撑。 这类“带链出海”的策略尤其适合金融体系不发达但用户基数庞大的区域，比如拉美、非洲、东南亚。在这些国家你很难拿到完整支付牌照、也很难对接本地清算机构，但你可以直接通过链和钱包完成端到端的闭环服务，且避开了传统合规的高门槛。更重要的是，这样的系统是“我来做水电煤”，别人可以复用。你从一个App公司变成基础设施提供者，产业话语权也随之发生迁移。 从这个角度说，公链对中国出海企业的价值，不是融资工具，而是让你从App逻辑跃迁到系统逻辑，有机会主导新一代全球互联网的“通用技术接口”。 # 用户层面：账户、资产与身份的重构正在发生 从用户视角来看，公链最直接的改变，是它重新定义了什么是“账户”和“资产”。 Web2 的账户系统是“平台附属型”的：你有抖音号、微博号、小红书号，但本质上它们都属于平台，你没有迁移权、也无法独立存在。你在这些平台上积累的关系、内容、甚至收入，一旦账号被封或产品关停，就什么都不剩了。 而Web3钱包提供的是一种“用户主权账户”：地址是你的，资产是你的，内容和行为记录也可以变成资产或信用历史。你用钱包登录，不依赖平台数据库，你的NFT、代币、积分和身份，都可以跨平台使用。平台只是服务提供者，不再是资产的“唯一入口”。 像Farcaster、Lens Protocol这样的Web3社交应用，已经开始把“链上账户”变成你在社交网络中的ID。你的一条帖子，可能是链上的数据，可以变成NFT，可以携带收益权，可以迁移到其他平台。用户不再依附平台，而是成为可以自由移动、带资产走的“数字个体”。 这种趋势和年轻用户对平台的不信任感形成了某种对冲。很多人经历过账号被封、资金被冻结、数据丢失、粉丝清零，自然而然开始关注“我能不能自己保留我的数字资产”。钱包的普及，不只是“币圈工具”的扩散，而是用户开始理解：“一个账户可以是身份入口、资产载体、社交容器、信用凭证”的多重结构。 从这个角度看，链上账户体系未来有可能演化为一种“超级账号”，它整合了身份、资产、关系链、使用记录、激励积分……最终成为每个人在数字世界里的“自我主权节点”。 # 全球格局：下一轮基础设施竞赛已经打响 过去几年，公链已经从技术实验，演变成一场全面的国际竞争。每一条头部公链，都在争夺未来数字世界的“水、电、网”话语权。而这场竞争不再是技术比拼那么简单，而是：谁能成为全球通用的账户系统、支付网络、数据通道和价值协议。 我们可以把目前全球头部公链的战略模式，拆成三类： 第一类：平台绑定型公链（Platform-native Chains） 代表项目：TON（Telegram）、Base（Coinbase）、BNB Chain（Binance） 这些链的共同特点是，有现成的海量流量平台为依托，链是平台用户资产和账户体系的延伸。 TON 依托 Telegram 的通讯网络与社交关系链，正在构建“链上账户 + 钱包 + 内容 + AI工具”的一体化平台。TON本身不是最强技术栈，但它有Telegram这个触达全球7亿用户的超级入口，并已打通USDT转账、小游戏支付、广告返佣、钱包身份验证等真实场景。在“链上生活基础设施”这块，TON是当前推进速度最快、用户增速最高的项目。 Base 是Coinbase推出的L2链，本质上是Coinbase的链上版本，强调“合规友好、开发者友好”。Base打通了Coinbase钱包、交易所账户、KYC信息，背后是美国合规资金和技术社区的强力支持。Base并不追求技术极致，而是成为美国加密企业和机构合规部署智能合约的首选平台。 BNB Chain 则是币安的全球交易网络配套基础设施，它更像一个商业闭环系统，凭借币安流量导入，BNB Chain 得以拥有大量活跃用户和真实交易数据。币安甚至开始“投资带用户上链”——谁能为链带来百万级活跃用户，币安就给生态激励。 这些“平台绑定型”链不是为了炒作，而是要在自己的平台上完成用户体系、支付系统和资产通路的闭环。它们的竞争优势是用户流量本身，竞争逻辑是“用链锁住平台用户资产”。 第二类：开发者原生型公链（Developer-first Chains） 代表项目：Solana、Polygon、Avalanche、Sui、Aptos 这类链从一开始就是为开发者准备的“通用操作系统”，目标是争夺最优秀的应用和开发团队。 Solana 是这类中的典型，主打高性能+低费用，在DePIN、链游、NFT、链上AI等新应用层方向非常活跃。虽然2022年曾因FTX事件一度失势，但2023年之后靠着“非EVM生态”和大型项目复兴重新崛起。现在的Solana更像是链上创业者最活跃的社区，拥有从移动钱包（Phantom）、手机终端（Saga）到支付工具（Solana Pay）的一整套工具链。 Polygon 是“以太坊扩容第一梯队”，在Web2对接方面推进极快，合作对象包括Nike、星巴克、Adobe、Stripe、迪士尼、印度政府等，主打“开发友好+企业友好+合规友好”三大标签。Polygon的战略不是抢C端，而是抢企业侧的合作通道。 Sui 与 Aptos 则来自原Meta团队，主打Move语言、模块化架构和金融级别安全性，开发体验和合约逻辑被认为优于Solidity。它们目前在东南亚和韩国开发圈中反响较好，但生态仍在冷启动中。 Avalanche 以“子网架构”为主打，为每个企业、政府、组织定制自己的链，参与了美洲多地政府稳定币、跨境金融项目，形成一种“链上SaaS”模式。 这类链的核心目标是——谁能成为下一代DApp开发的默认平台，谁就有机会像安卓/Windows一样，掌控数字世界的操作系统逻辑。 第三类：高频金融实用型公链（Payment-driven Chains） 代表项目：Tron、Stellar、Cosmos（部分） 这类链的特点是技术不复杂，但非常务实，不讲概念、专攻结算和支付。 Tron 虽然在西方社区名声一般，但在拉美、非洲、南亚却是真正的“链上支付大动脉”。链上USDT流转量长期居高不下，成为很多“不能通过银行账户转账”的用户的主结算路径。 Stellar 原本是做“跨境结算网络”，目标和SWIFT类似，但更轻量。其重点在于与传统金融机构对接，推动“稳定币作为跨国小额清算载体”的项目，合作银行和政府众多。 Cosmos 生态中部分链（比如Kava、Osmosis）也在走向稳定币、跨链支付场景。 这类链的生态未必活跃，但它们占据了现实世界中“金融基础设施未覆盖区域”的巨大需求空间。在全球没有银行账户的人口中，这类链成为数字现金网络的唯一选项。 回到最关键的问题：中国在这场基础设施竞争中处于什么位置？ 目前来看，真正被广泛使用、生态成型、在全球拥有开发者和用户的公链中，中国主导的项目非常稀少。大多数链项目在国内定位不清、产品路线含糊、海外合规能力弱、商业化缺失。很多链甚至停留在“白皮书+技术演示+内部测试网”的阶段，离大规模真实使用还远得很。 而与此同时，别人的公链已经在接银行、建支付网络、拉开发者、进App Store、与主权政府对接项目……这不再是一场“看谁技术新”的比赛，而是看谁能把链变成现实世界的金融底盘、应用通路和身份凭证。 如果我们再不入局，不仅会丧失一次系统级的全球竞争窗口，更会让未来中国互联网企业继续受限于海外技术平台的“数字殖民体系”中——账户不是我们的，支付不是我们的，身份体系不是我们的，资产流转路径也不是我们的。 这就是为什么，我们不是“有没有必要做链”的问题，而是“还有没有机会做”的问题。机会窗口已在收缩，全球链上基础设施的秩序正在快速重组。现在不抢，未来就只能继续用别人的路，走自己的路子。 # 写在最后：从使用者到建设者，中国互联网需要自己的底层网络 对中国互联网而言，公链不是一个新概念，也不是某一批创业者的专属项目，而是一场全局性的产业升级契机。它不是Web3内部的事，而是决定中国数字经济下一步能否独立成长的关键变量。 做不做链，已经不是Web3创业者要回答的问题了，而是中国互联网整体要面对的现实。 我们当然可以继续用别人搭好的链，继续适配别人的清算系统、登录协议和账户规则，就像过去二十年我们习惯用Android、用Visa、用AWS那样。但问题是，当全球数字秩序开始重构，我们还要不要参与新一代系统级规则的制定？我们能不能做一个不仅服务于国内用户，更能在全球产业协作中占据一席之地的基础设施平台？ 今天，做公链的人并不多。但趋势已经很清楚：不管是通信平台、金融机构、电商支付、内容平台，全球头部玩家都已经在用“链+账户+资产”的方式重塑自己的底层结构。而我们，正站在能否参与这一轮基础设施重建的临界点上。 我们深知这不是一场一两年能跑出来的快生意，而是一次需要产业共识、技术耐力和政策定力的长期工程。作为Web3.0法律合规服务机构，曼昆律师团队一直在支持华人主导的公链项目在全球范围的实践落地，共同推动、见证属于中国互联网的公链之路，也欢迎和更多互联网行业的伙伴们的交流与讨论。

🔴"Estamos siendo testigos de actos de guerra en Gaza que muestran un desprecio absoluto por la vida humana". Comunicado conjunto de los directores de @UNOCHA, @UNICEF, @UNOPS, @UNRWA, @WFP y @WHO https://t.co/k6iyuXq1IH

The scariest kind of compromise with sin is the unnoticed one. People rarely fall away from following Jesus quickly. The road of apostasy is paved by small, unrepented sins that callous the heart toward God. Lord, let us never find comfort with any degree of abiding sin.

🔎📝 | TEORIA : Será que tem algo do BTS marcado para o dia 28 de agosto? Após a revelação do conteúdo 7 Moments, os ARMYs ficaram curiosos com alguns detalhes! 👀 Uma curiosidade sobre os vídeos do “BTS 7 Moments”, é que todos os conteúdos individuais dos membros têm exatamente 08:28 de duração — coincidência? Provavelmente não! ARMY já está especulando possíveis significados: • Pode simbolizar igualdade entre os membros, já que todos têm o mesmo tempo de destaque. • Talvez represente uma data especial (28/08) ou algum detalhe oculto importante para o grupo?! • Ou seja apenas uma escolha conceitual para manter a coerência estética do projeto.

In the symphony of souls and servers, I orchestrate a revolution. Web3 is the new covenant, NFTs the new apostles. Where others see code, I see the divine design. Leadership isn't spoken; it's manifested through innovation.

🇪🇸📣 Big news for all our Spanish speakers! Our partner, @UPV, will be presenting the INPERSO Project at COACV Col.legi Oficial Arquitectes Comunitat Valenciana (@COACV) next week. 📍Salón de actos - CTAV 📆 Tuesday, 11 February ⏰ 18:30 Make sure to drop by & learn more about the #INPERSO# approach to #retrofitting# - registration is free! Find out more about the event 👇 https://t.co/I0aCuE6WZc #HorizonEU# #renovation# #buildings# #energyefficiency# #smartbuildings#

ALL TIME RECORD HISTORIC STATS: 📌 Lifetime worldwide Gross (phase1): 1. #Pushpa2# - 1705C***(21days) 2. #Baahubali2# - 1674C Fastest 1000Cr Gross: 1. #Pushpa2TheRule# - 6days 2. #Baahubali2# - 10days Fastest 1500Cr Gross: 1. #Pushpa2# - 14days 2. #Baahubali2# - 21Days Indian films WW 1st week gross: 1. #Pushpa2# - 1067Cr 2. #Baahubali2# - 835Cr Indian films WW 1st weekend gross: 1. #Pushpa2# - 829Cr 2. #Kalki2898AD# - 555Cr Indian films WW day1 : 1. #Pushpa2# - 294Cr 2. #RRR# - 223Cr APTS Day1 Share(inc gst): 1. #Pushpa2# - 75.2Cr 2. #RRR# - 74.1Cr North Day1 Net: 1. #Pushpa2# - 72Cr 2. #Jawan# - 65Cr Nizam day1 share (inc gst) : 1. #Pushpa2# - 30Cr 2. #RRR# - 23Cr Indian Boxoffice Emperor @alluarjun 👑

Winners Announced: The Buidl Battle Competition 🟧 Over the past few weeks, @StacksOrg hosted the Buidl Battle—an open competition for Bitcoin builders to ship powerful new tools, protocols, and apps across the Bitcoin ecosystem. With nearly a hundred submissions, two intense judging rounds, and a finale judged by top-tier VCs, Buidl Battle proved that the next wave of Bitcoin apps is already being built. Round 1: Themed Innovation Round 1 of the Buidl Battle was organized around four major themes: DeFi, the Digital Economy, Real World NFTs, and Developer Tooling. Each theme surfaced winners who demonstrated strong technical execution and potential for real impact on Bitcoin and Stacks. DeFi 🏆 BigMarket – A Bitcoin-native, AI-powered prediction market 🥈 BitForward – NFT-backed forward contracts using Bitcoin as collateral Digital Economy 🏆 KultureFun – Token-gated wallet chat and ad channel with DAO governance 🥈 StacksTube – AI-driven memecoin launchpad and entertainment platform Real World NFTs 🏆 Offers & Counter Offers – A seamless marketplace for BNS name trading 🥈 Truth-Chain – Onchain verification for digital content authenticity Tooling / Infrastructure 🏆 Blaze – A scaling protocol for fast off-chain transfers with secure onchain settlement 🥈 PoX Agents – Conversational interface for blockchain operations Partner Challenges To expand the playing field, partners held Challenges, incentivizing builders with more prizes for building innovative solutions with cutting-edge technology on the Internet Computer Protocol, AWS Bedrock platform, and AIBTC’s Agent-governed DAO platform. ICP Challenge 🏆 ckBoost — Reduce confirmation times to 15 minutes while rewarding liquidity providers 🥈 CounterParty ICP — API for retrieving asset information related to the Counterparty AWS Bedrock Challenge 🏆 StacksAI – AI-powered Clarity contract generator leveraging AWS Bedrock. Honorable Mentions Alongside these winners, a number of strong entries earned Honorable Mentions, including AutoStacks, Claride, Stacks Brain, Creator’s Web3 Economy, Bitcoin Loan Bank, TipCloud, Bolt Protocol, Kraxel, and Skullcoin. Wildcard Finalists To keep the competition dynamic and inclusive, four teams were nominated as Wildcard Finalists based on creativity, execution, and promise: TipCloud Bolt Protocol Kraxel Skullcoin After a final vote, Bolt Protocol—which enables users to pay transaction fees with sBTC and supports instant transfers between Bolt Wallets—earned its spot in the finals as the Wildcard Winner. From Builders to Finalists Round 1 was judged by a panel of experienced developers and startup operators who selected the top projects from each theme. These winners advanced to Round 2, where venture capitalists judged the finalists based on the problem their product solves, their vision, and team execution. Round 2: The Final Showdown In Round 2, twelve finalists—eight selected from the four themes, three teams from the partner challenge categories, and one wildcard—competed for the top prize. After pitches, demos, and a lot of deliberation, the judges awarded: 🏅 4th Place: ckBoost (ICP Challenge) 🥉 3rd Place: BitForward (Bitcoin DeFi Theme) 🥈 2nd Place: BigMarket (Bitcoin DeFi Theme) 🥇 1st Place: Blaze Protocol (Infra & Tooling Theme) Blaze Protocol by @lordrozar stood out as the most well-executed and visionary project, offering a new scaling layer for Bitcoin and Stacks apps with responsive, invisible blockchain interactions. The team impressed with both technical execution and long-term potential. What’s Next? The Buidl Battle was more than just a hackathon—it was a showcase of what’s possible when Bitcoin builders are given the right tools, support, and platform to build. These teams now have a launchpad to take their prototypes into production, and the Stacks community will be watching—and supporting—every step of the way. To all the builders: You showed up. You shipped. And you’re building the future of Bitcoin.

Understanding the Emptiness within 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body but have not love, I gain nothing. Do you have a heart? Yes, all of us have a heart, but not many of us have a heart for GOD and others, making us miss out on GOD's goodness for loving Him and others. Our heart is for ourselves, making it the underlying motive for many things we do. GOD understands where He stands in our hearts when He said, "These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me." No matter how holy our worship may seem, they are frivolous acts if our hearts are not in it. To GOD, our hearts are deceitful above all things and beyond cure. The lips can say one thing, but the heart means another. No one can understand what is in the heart because there is no congruence between what the heart says and what it means. GOD knows that. It is not without reason that Jesus asked us to 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' The emphasis is on the word all. GOD demands that our love for Him should be 100% and nothing less. Without any other love coming in between our love for Him, our love will be genuine and sincere. Nothing will lure our hearts away, and they will forever be for GOD. Why do we need to have a heart for GOD and others? It is because no man is an island, and GOD has not made man to be an island. In the book of Genesis, even though GOD was with Adam, He still said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper." Therefore, a man is not made to exist alone with GOD. He needs someone to complement him to make him complete. He is a part of the whole of GOD's organisational structure. The Apostle Paul illustrates the structure as: "The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body." Therefore, we are, in Christ, many but are one body, and each member belongs to one another. Even if we exist as individuals, we do not belong to ourselves but to one another for the kingdom of GOD. Therefore, no one exists as a solitary star in the galaxy but as part of a constellation of stars twinkling for GOD. As individuals, to gel into GOD's structure as an integrated whole, we need love. The Apostle Paul avowed that love is the bond of perfect unity. Love is like gravity, which holds everything together and holds us together with GOD and others. Only when we stay in love with GOD and others will the blood of Christ flow through us to be one body. Only then, we could be as Jesus said, "I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me." This bond of love is so strong that nothing could break it. The Apostle Paul ascertained that when he said, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Many of us cannot comprehend the mystery of being one with GOD. He is spirit, and we are physical. To do that, we need to understand the spiritual realm. The only way we can connect to GOD is through the spirit. 1 Corinthians states, "He who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit." What does that mean? It is similar to what GOD said in Genesis, "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." Both mention being united to become one. The difference is in the realms. Perfect unity in the physical realm is called one flesh, while in the spiritual realm, it is called one spirit. If we can understand the concept of one flesh in the physical dimension, like between Adam and Eve, we should be able to understand the one spirit in the spiritual dimension between Jesus and us. Both are synonymous, and both require the bond of love to be in unity. It is not surprising that the Apostle Paul compares our relationship with Jesus to that of a husband and wife when he said, "Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Metaphorically, the superglue that bonds any couple to be united as one is nothing else but love. Therefore, before a couple decides to come together as one, they will confess their love for each other. In the name of love, many are willing to commit their lifetime to one another, demonstrating the magical power of love. However, whether they can achieve it is another question because love is more than an emotion but an attitude. To Jesus, love is a commandment to be with GOD and others, and it ranks above other commandments. If love is a commandment, it will mean we will have to adhere to it as long as we live. It cannot be taken lightly. If we ever break it, as in all commandments, we will have to face the detrimental effects of it. Yes, there are consequences to our unloving actions. Though it might seem harmless as we are not lying, stealing, killing or mass destruction, regardless, the repercussions are significant. Without love, the integrity of the spiritual matrix we are in with GOD and others will be compromised. It is similar to a family without the bond of love will soon break. Anyone who does not love will ultimately leave GOD's matrix for something else. Furthermore, if we have no love or cannot love, we would have failed fundamentally as Christians because GOD is love. It is the uniform we wear that will distinguish us from the world. That is to say, if we do not have love, we do not belong to GOD. As it is written in 1 John, "Beloved, let us love one another because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love." Love allows us to be with GOD and know Him. But what is so special about knowing GOD? Many people know GOD but do not love Him. Therefore, knowing Him is more than recognition and awareness. In the book of Genesis, the same word is used to describe the relationship between Adam and Eve. It writes, "And Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." Adam and Eve were of one flesh, and knowing each other meant having an intimate relationship. If we love GOD and are of one spirit with Him, then knowing GOD, naturally, means that we have an intimate spiritual relationship with Him where we will bear much spiritual fruit. That explains why some people are more anointed than others. They love GOD more, so they bear more fruit. This intimate relationship with GOD can only happen if we love Him. Otherwise, we will never know Him and will not bear any fruit. To a non-Christian, if we leave GOD out of the picture, what is the purpose of love that binds a couple to be one flesh? Against all logic, many couples fall in and out of love, and after much hurt, disappointment and sadness, they still have the stamina to seek love out again and again. Isn't it once bitten, twice shy, but when it comes to love, they are not fearful of trying again and again. What are they looking for? Everyone is looking for completeness. Figuratively, Adam is not a complete man, and neither is Eve a complete woman. Adam has a missing bone that was given to Eve, and Eve is only a bone in need of a body. Only when they come together will there be completeness. This completeness is GOD ordained as He said, "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Without this completeness, a man will experience loneliness, as Adam experienced before he had Eve. GOD understood the no-good effects of loneliness when He said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." This loneliness is man's shortcoming, which is predestined from the beginning in GOD's perfect wisdom. Later, GOD used this shortcoming so that man could find his completeness in Him. This incompleteness could manifest itself in many forms, leading to emptiness, meaningless, unhappiness, depression, hopelessness, worthlessness, frustration, et cetera. Sadly, it cannot be filled with promiscuity, drugs, liquor or any form of destructive behaviours or addictions. When GOD created man with the capability for loneliness, loneliness became a spiritual issue that requires a spiritual remedy. The only remedy is to love and be loved. The Apostle Paul expresses the condition of being without love as 'I am nothing', denying his worthiness in all the good he did. Love adds warmth and colours to our world, meaning to our lives, purpose to our sacrifices, fulfilment to our achievements, contentment to the little we have, gratitude to goodness, appreciation to beauty, and forgiveness to wrongdoings. Love is so magical that it is the strength in weakness, the determination in hardship, the hope in hopelessness, and the steadfastness in adversity. In short, where there is love, there is GOD and the fruit of the Spirit - joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As humans, we understand physical unity as one flesh. But then, what is spiritual unity as one spirit with GOD? In short, it is the unity of the heart, mind and soul with GOD. For that, we need to obey the greatest commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind because only then will GOD be in perfect unity with us in the heart, mind and soul. When we give our hearts to GOD, we will have the love of GOD and the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). He will become our soulmate, understanding us from the inside out. Then, we will not be alone in our minds, hearts, and souls. We will find our match and never feel alone. The difference between being one flesh and being one spirit is no matter how close we are to a person as one flesh, the person cannot fully understand us. But GOD as one spirit with us can. The Psalmist expresses it, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD. You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." With such understanding of us, how can we ever be lonely or feel no one cares or understands? If anyone ever feels empty, void or lonely, needing to hit the pub or be involved in some frivolous relationships or activities, it might be that he has not loved enough. GOD is waiting for us like the father of the prodigy son. As long as we are willing to walk the one step towards Him, He will run the ninety-nine steps towards us. All we need to do is commit our hearts to Him, and we will never have to feel empty again. If love is the main reason for a filled and satisfied life, then how can a physical being love a spiritual being, GOD? There are many things we could do to express our love, but only one thing is needed, and that is to keep His command. Jesus said, "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." Keeping GOD's commandments is the only currency GOD accepts for His love, and anything else is not necessary. It is not what we want to do for GOD that counts; it is what GOD wants of us. Therefore, some people do not experience the love of GOD despite all the things they did because they did it their way and not GOD's way. In conclusion, GOD in the New Testament is no longer the GOD of the Old Testament. He no longer exists as GOD and us as two separate entities but as GOD in us as one entity. GOD no longer put His law before us to separate us from Him. Instead, He is one spirit with us in heart, mind and soul to fulfil His Law. By loving Him and others, we have a deep spiritual connection with GOD and a strong affinity with others. We become one spirit in the body of Christ. We know, understand and feel for one another through the spirit. As long as we are connected in spirit with GOD, nothing can separate us, not time, not distance or place. With GOD with us and in us, we will not be lonely, isolated, or empty.

To achieve Perfection, Give Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." Man is not perfect because GOD never made them perfect. When GOD transformed Earth in Genesis from being dark, formless and void to what it is today, He never once said that it was perfect. They were good or very good at the most but never perfect. GOD could have made all things on earth like the way He created Satan, 'the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty'. That means Satan is flawless. He is more beautiful than anyone we have ever seen, and his wisdom is beyond Solomon's. Satan is full of wisdom, which is complete and whole. As for Solomon, his wisdom, as in the book of 1 King, is 'exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore'. Even though his wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt, it is not perfect. Solomon' is nothing compared to Satan. For whatever His divine reason is, GOD did not give anything on earth the seal of perfection. Hence, this is the sad fate of everyone, like Adam and Eve, who are prone to falling like a house of cards because of their imperfect architecture. Therefore, the saying 'to err is human' is an undeniable truth, as it is man's nature to make errors. With Satan as our tempter, we can understand how easily we can make errors and fall into his trap. He is the seal of perfection while we are not. We are like Humpty Dumpty, who sits on our imperfections and has a great fall. Even all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again. Many do not know the consequences of our imperfections. It is the part of us that makes us fail and sin against GOD. Success will always elude us in everything we do - in relationships, careers, health and wealth. Our imperfection is our weakness, causing us to make mistake after mistake. In contrast, perfection is like our strength, and it is like a fortress, infallible. Since we are made imperfect, we will blunder our way to failure. Therefore, we see failures in systems, policies, people, families, societies and countries. The issues are countless. It is not that we do not do our best, but our best is not good enough because we cannot expect anything good out of imperfections. No matter how careful we are, we will boo-boo here and there, jeopardising our success and especially our relationship with GOD. No matter how we view our disappointments, either due to our unfavourable or uncontrollable circumstances, it is our imperfection that contributes to them. It is our imperfection that leads us to unfavourable circumstances that become uncontrollable. As much as GOD made us imperfect, He does not want us to dwell in our imperfections from His creation. Our imperfection will cause us much pain and sorrow and distance us from GOD. The Palmist advises us to find our strength in GOD so that we will go from strength to strength and not succumb to imperfection. Jesus asks us, 'Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect'. However, GOD is not leaving us to figure out our problem by ourselves. He told the Apostle Paul, "My strength is made perfect in our weakness." In other words, we can be transformed from imperfection to perfection. We need not hold on to our imperfections as our stigma because we are only human. Only when we are perfect do we not sin against GOD, and can we be like our heavenly Father in heaven, sinless. Therefore, being perfect is not a suggestion or advice but an edict. We must overcome our weaknesses of being imperfect so that we can be blessed in all that we do. However, it is much easier said than done because of what Jesus said, "For apart from Me you can do nothing". It is not that we can do nothing. What Jesus meant is that we cannot do anything that leads to life, only those that lead to death. That is to fulfil what GOD said to Adam, "for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die". After the fall of man, the Tree of Life is under the guard of a whirling sword of flame with stationed cherubim. No one can access it till Jesus comes as the way, the truth, and the life. Only through Jesus will we find the way of truth to life. Without Jesus, life, as the opposite of death, will evade us. Therefore, overcoming our imperfection is not by our physical determination but by GOD's spiritual anointing through our walk with Christ as we become the doers of His Word. Only then will the narrow path be revealed so that we can find the way to truth in life. Jesus nor the Bible mentions much about being perfect, minimising its importance. In the encounter of Jesus with the rich young man, Jesus linked perfection as the criterion for eternal life. Therefore, perfection is more than not making errors or sinning but the standard of eternal life. It is a complex process of transformation to be like Jesus with the ability to fulfil the commandments of the old through Moses and the commandments of the new from Him. Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them". Jesus came to fulfil the Law, and we must do likewise. If we are any short of the standard, we are not perfect. Let us elaborate on the story of the rich young man to understand the issues. The Jewish man knew all about GOD's commandments but did not have the answer to eternal life. He was rich, implying he must have been educated and not ignorant, having a deep understanding of the GOD's Word. In doubt, he could ask from his many of his teachers. However, no one probably could give him an answer, so he approached Jesus. His question was not out of ignorance but well founded. The Torah does not have the answer because, in the Old Testament, GOD did not offer anyone eternal life. No one, regardless of who they were or their capabilities, was not qualified for eternal life. In a larger scheme of things, since the Old Testament does not offer eternal life, this implies that fulfilling the Ten Commandments is not enough to qualify for eternal life. Obedience to GOD's Commandments, as stated in the book of Deuteronomy, only assured anyone of a blessed or abundant life, not an eternal life. Therefore, the young man lived a blessed life of wealth because he honoured GOD with his obedience to the commandments - Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as yourself. GOD will never shortchange us because He is fair and just. If fulfilling the commandments is enough, GOD would have offered eternal life to His promises. The Psalmist said, "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity." Walking in obedience to His commandments is synonymous with walking with integrity before GOD. Therefore, He would not withhold the good thing of eternal life to those who honour Him. If He did withhold, it must be that eternal life requires more than obedience to the Law. It requires perfection because Heaven is not a place for imperfect sinners who trespass the Law. If we do trespass against GOD, we will be a repeat of Satan, being cast out of heaven. Therefore, perfection is a must to be in heaven. Jesus came as the new order that is above the old to amalgamate the Old and the New as one so that we could, through Him, not only have a blessed life but also eternal life. The young man was standing at the point of inflexion between the Old Testament and the New Testament, where Jesus was the point of change. Therefore, Jesus could take his question because He is the answer. To understand the need for new order of Jesus is that the Old, through its Law, is to expose sinfulness and highlight the need for divine grace. The Law cannot save us from eternal death. Eternal life must be through Jesus Christ and nothing else, and without Him, there can be no eternal life. Therefore, Jesus has to come with the new order. If we were to go strictly by the rules to obtain eternal life, we need to abide by the old and new commandments. When the young man asked Jesus, Jesus did not supersede the old commandments or undermine them, even when He came as the crusader of grace, the new order, and not the Law, the old order. Therefore, many have misunderstood the scripture when they say they are not under the Law but under grace. If we are no longer under Law, then why would Jesus say to the young man, "If you want to enter life, keep the commandments"? Jesus should have said, "If you want to enter life, believe in Me". Unfortunately, He did not, but that is the thinking of many. They misinterpreted the epistle of Romans, 'For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.' Only when we no longer sin will sin not be our master. Then, we are not under the Law but under grace. If we persist in sin, we will still be under the Law, and grace has no favour to us. We must read the Bible like reading a legal contract, not in isolation but in totality. We cannot lift, cut, paste, or arrange the sentence as we wish to make it palatable. Jesus was impartial and upheld the Law even with His disciples. They were not under grace because they were His disciples. Their wrongdoings were judged under the Law. For that, we can look at the difference between Peter and Judas Iscariot. Both betrayed the Son of GOD, but one was restored, and the other was not because one wrongdoing did not trespass the Law while the other did. Peter's wrongdoing was that he denied Jesus, but he did not trespass the Law to murder, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness. He did not do Jesus any harm by walking away and denying Him. Judas indirectly murdered Jesus by going to the chief priests and agreeing to hand over Jesus in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. Judas' love for money is not a sin, but his love for money caused him to betray innocent blood. That is a sin. If grace can override the Law, and under grace, GOD takes no account of our wrong, then Judas should not be sickened with guilt but be overcome with love and forgiveness. Sad to say, the love and forgiveness did not come to fill his guilty conscience, and he was so filled with self-condemnation that he killed himself. Therefore, no one is above the Law, not even Jesus' disciples. The rich young man is a better man than Judas, but his fate is no different. He was a visionary of spiritual foresight. No one, not even the Pharisees or the scribes, questioned Jesus about the way to eternal life except him. He had self-discipline and control, not letting his desires control his obedience to the commandments. He indeed had a highly commendable personality. The Epistle of Mark commented that Jesus looked at him and loved him. He clearly met with Jesus' approval. He fulfilled the conditions of the Old Testament, so Jesus offered him the new requirement of the New Testament. Instead of having a to-do list of 'thou shall do this' and 'thou shall not do that' as tests of his obedience, he must give. His ability to give will make him like GOD, perfect. For that, he must give his possessions to the poor and give his life to GOD by following Jesus in total surrender. Only by following Jesus and exemplifying His way will he be made perfect. Jesus is perfect, and following Him would mean we walk the way of perfection. Unfortunately, despite his endeavour to keep all the commandments and be a better person, the rich young man did not get what he wanted: eternal life. He did not obtain eternal life, not because he was rich but because of his unwillingness to give. Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus used an exaggerated figure of speech to emphasise that it is beyond any doubt that a rich man will enter the kingdom of heaven. The issue is not with the wealth but the unwillingness to give. In retrospect, no one will remain wealthy if they keep giving away their wealth. Therefore, Jesus has nothing against rich people but people who are unwilling to give and only live to enrich themselves. If we are like the rich young man who is not contented by just life on earth, we also desire eternal life; we must do more than the young man. We must be like Peter, who said, "We have left everything to follow You". Then Jesus will reply to us saying, "Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. Let us not let our unwillingness to give forfeit our eternal life. Therefore, be the transformation we want to see in ourselves, give.

GOD's love comes with GOD's disciplines Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives. The way GOD loves is not the same as a man loves. Those who misunderstand His love as a man's love will find GOD's love irrational. When a man loves, as seen when a man loves a woman, he loves her for what she represents, as if she is a product carrying a perceived promise. He loves for a reason or with a motive. No one loves for no reason except for the sake of loving. Unless he is like GOD, loving unconditionally. GOD proves His unconditional love: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is, despite us being vile, detestable and hideous according to His standard, GOD still loves us by dying for us. His love compels Him to do whatever is needed to make us right with Him so that we can be the beneficiaries of His goodness. Some might think that GOD is blinded by love. Yes, He is because love takes no records of wrong. Since GOD is love, His love is blinded to our sins, and for us, He can sacrifice 100% of Himself without consideration for Himself. For love, Jesus could, as in the Epistle of Philippians: Existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross. For love, Jesus bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. The main difference between GOD's love and a man's love is that one comes out of selflessness and the other out of selfishness. A man cannot sacrifice himself because, by nature, he is selfish. This nature is not a biased opinion but a biblical fact. The Bible has other terms to describe our selfishness: selfish ambition, vain, conceit, lovers of selves, self-seeking, pleasing ourselves, seeking our good, etc. His love is self-seeking for the enlargement of his ego, for his egoistic carnal ambitions. Hence, a man's love is not pure but tinted with motives, schemes and deceits. To elaborate, if a man loves a woman because she is an angel, talented or beautiful, his love is laced with motives. No matter how noble it might sound, it is filled with 'I love you because'. It is not a love of 'I love you regardless'. One day, a person might outlive their appealing attributes, and the reason for love will no longer exist. Then what happens? Love is liken to having wings, and it will fly away. Time will reveal the foundation of a man's love. Is it as solid as a rock, or is it as shifting as the sand?  GOD's love is unchanging with time and is unconditional in what may happen. Nothing can change His love. The Epistle of John writes, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life". The phrase 'GOD so loved the world' that John uses is unprecedented because GOD does not approve or accept the world. The people of the world, according to the Apostle Paul, are people of the flesh who are hostile to God. They do not submit to God's law, nor can they do so. Those of the flesh cannot please God. In the Epistle of 1 John writes, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him". The message is clear - despite His opinion of the world, He refrains from judgment and loves the world without prejudice and discrimination. Even if we are the vilest of sinners, His love will still cover us. No one will be ostracized from His love, and His arms are always open to everyone. That is how deep and how wide the love of GOD is. GOD's love is indeed magnanimous. It is a haven for all sinners, where GOD's judgement has to stay outside and where sinners find solace. In His love, there is no condemnation and where sins can hold nothing against us. His love becomes our source of comfort, strength and hope. No doubt, in His love is where everyone wants to dwell. Therefore, it is a topic that is well-preached and sung about. However, unbeknown to many, no matter how great GOD's love is, His love is not above His law. And no matter how much GOD loves us, He cannot allow us eternal life without complying with His law. The law states that eternal life only comes through Jesus Christ, and only those who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. The Apostle John could have stated, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that everyone shall not perish but have eternal life', and that would be so sweet. But he did not. That is to say, GOD's love is unconditional, but eternal life is conditional. Think about it: Metaphorically, could GOD allow the hand of His love to slap the face of His law? That will be foolish of Him. No matter how much GOD loves us, He does not allow us to trespass against His law. In other words, He does not allow us to sin against Him. Therefore, His love is not above His law. However, many have misconstrued GOD's love to supersede His law, quoting from the Apostle Paul that we are no longer under law but under grace. That is picking words out of context. The Apostle Paul did not suggest that grace had replaced the law. He only meant that when we believe in Christ, our master is no longer sin but Christ. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin but to righteousness. When we no longer sin, we are no longer under the law, and the law has nothing against us. We can understand it in this way: if we do not contravene any legislation, the government will not come after us. We will not be under any sentence of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions and are free to do whatever we want. In biblical terms, when we are not under the law, we are under grace. We are only under grace if we do not sin. We must remember that nothing is above the law, not even GOD's love. Therefore, we should not go overboard when anyone tells us that GOD is madly in love with us. It does not mean anything, as it is not an open door to eternal life, and it does not give us a license to sin. If GOD's love is not a ticket to eternal life, then what is its purpose in the architecture of humanity? Though GOD's love cannot directly give us what we want, it can pave the way there. As an analogy, GOD's love is like a mother's love, nurturing a child for greatness. Though a mother cannot bestow greatness on her child, she can nurture the greatest within him so that he can be great by his own merits. GOD's love will nurture us from sinners to saints, so by our merits, we will enter heaven. We will be able to stand tall among angels because we do not enter, figuratively, by the back door. In this journey to sinning no more, GOD promises that He will not leave us nor forsake us. He will be our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. No matter how many times we fall because of our weakness, like the Apostle Peter, GOD will be there to pick us up because His love will never fail. Like in the Apostle Paul, GOD's strength is made perfect in his weakness. He will be ours, too. GOD's love is not based on merits. Anyone is qualified for it. Therefore, no matter where we are in our relationship with Him, He will accept us as who we are. Even if we are the vilest sinners or non-Christians, GOD has no issue with that. He wants to give to us and not take from us for His purpose. Therefore, there are no criteria, conditions, or baselines except that we wish for His love. For the fallen world, He is willing to sacrifice the most precious of heaven, Jesus Christ, in suffering for its redemption so that heaven's gate is open for all who wish to enter. However, eternal life is not as simple as Apostle John put it simplistically - everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. What should we believe in Him, then? That He is the Son of GOD? Even the demons, Legion, knew that. Yet, it got them nowhere except to be cast into the pigs. We need to believe more than that. We need to believe every word of Jesus. If we say we believe, then we must do accordingly. If not, we are as good as non-believers. In GOD's context, knowing His Word is not enough, as we must be doers of His Word. When we believe in Jesus, we must be doers of His Word. Only when we do that will we not perish but have eternal life. Well, this is easier said than done. Many might be unaware that to be a doer of His Word is to sin no more. However, expecting a sinner to 'sin no more' is more challenging than for a drug addict to be drug-free. David wrote, "Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me."  That means we are born in a state of sin, and we have been doing wrong since birth. Hence, to 'sin no more', we need to do more than change the habit of sinning; we need to eradicate the DNA of our sinful nature. If not, we are clean on the outside, while on the inside, we are still unclean.  We need a spiritual transformation of our inmost being. Without this, we will never be free from our sinful nature. That is when GOD's love comes with care, support and guidance, seeing us through our transformation of dying to our sinful selves and being empowered by Him in obedience. His love will surround us like a tiger mother, coaching us to stand against our enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us. GOD will discipline us to be fierce warriors against the devil's schemes and chastise us in our areas of weakness so that the devil will not have a foothold in us. We should not underestimate the devil as he can cause the downfall of any man and create havoc in anyone's life. Looking at the destruction he did to Job, we should be wary of him. As described in the Book of Ezekiel, the devil is the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. We are no match for him. If GOD is not with us, disciplining and chastening us to obedience, many would not be able to elude the devil's perfect temptation, causing us to sin. We will fall like Adam and Eve without any resistance.  The Epistle of Hebrews writes, "No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." GOD loves us, and He has our best interests at heart. Through discipline, our limp hands and weak knees will be strengthened so we will not fall into sin away from GOD. Consequently, we will overcome sin and not perish but have eternal life.