i love my name =)

here's a delayed post cos i ended up panicking and rushing out my accomodation form to UCL... (i decided... i'm going... on whose sponsorship... that will depend)

my name:
Kam - 'gan tian' in Chinese = sweet
Mei - 'mei li' in Chinese = beautiful
En - 'en dian' in Chinese = grace
Charity - in KJV = love
Theodora - dunno where from... XD = God's gift

so i'm sweet beautiful grace love God's gift =)





but that's not the point.
i got sidetracked reading the bible yesterday when i saw 'Ephraim'... and started searching for the meaning in Strongs.
Ephraim אפרים (ef·rah'·yim) = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful"
[haha i have a friend called double fruitfullness! may he be doubly fruitful haha.]

so i searched for charity... even though i knew it meant love:
charity = agapē
1) affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love
2) love feasts
=> it's the word consistently used in the context of God's love for us... and only found in the new testament (granted. you wouldn't find greek in the old testament)

then i searched for 'love' in the old testament:
אהב 'ahab (http://cf.blb.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=0157)
1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual
2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom
3) human love for or to God
4) act of being a friend
-> lover (participle)
->friend (participle)
5) God's love toward man
-> to individual men
-> to people Israel
-> to righteousness
=>this love is mostly man to man... or in commandment to love God (to desire, to breathe after)

אהבה 'ahabah (http://cf.blb.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=0160)
1) love
-> human love for human object
---> of man toward man
---> of man toward himself
---> between man and woman
---> sexual desire
2) God's love to His people
=> 0_0... God's love to His people in the old testament is like that for an object?? like ownership of a woman... hm






then in the new testament:
phileō (http://cf.blb.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=5368)
1) to love
-> to approve of
-> to like
-> sanction
-> to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
2) to show signs of love
-> to kiss
3) to be fond of doing
-> be wont, use to do
=> a more intimate version... mostly used in the context of Jesus when in the world


agapaō [verb] (http://cf.blb.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=25)
1) of persons
-> to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
2) of things
-> to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing
agapē [noun] (http://cf.blb.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=26)
1) affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love
2) love feasts
=> God's unconditional love =)






so from old testament to new testament ... old covenant to new:
we have progressed - from being an 'object' owned by God that is loved... or someone that has to try 'to desire, to breathe' God and keep His laws

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." ~Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)

[i can't imagine... the love there is ahab... to desire to breathe God... i think i most assuredly cannot keep the law.]

but now we have His unconditional love... agapē... consistently there for us... so amazing right...!



Brings new meaning to what Paul said...

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
~1 Corinthians 13:1-3

that love he's talking about? agapē... substitute it... without the love of God... i am nothing.





[oh. and it's my name! coolness(= ]