Live for nothing, die for something.

In case you didn't know, the quote came from Rambo 4.

"What good can come out of a violent bloody gory brainless movie like Rambo??"

Well honestly, plotwise, the movie was for a 3 year old.

Big strong man with big gun rescues weak stupid White girl from evil bad guys by killing all of them.

And yet, amazingly, one line in the movie sort of stuck in my head. Actually two lines.

The first line was from the scene when Rambo and the 4 missionaries (haha) are confronted by Burmese pirates while trying to get across a river. Those who watched the movie will remember the feeling of excitement, when Rambo sort of put up his hands and told the missionaries to bend down and keep quiet, while a gun boat with 3 or 4 pirates can up to Rambo's boat. Basically, he kills all the pirates when they wanted to grab the girl and one of the religious guys tries to tell him who is he to kill another human being and all that crap about being nice..

Dumbass missionary, "Who do you think you are to kill... ACCKK!!"

Rambo at this point grabs his throat and throws him against the side of the boat.

Rambo roars,"WHO ARE YOU?? WHO ARE ANY OF YOU???!!"

I was thinking, damn, Rambo just saved your sorry butts and you still try to preach to him? If I were Rambo I'd whack his face and given him a good kick in the balls to put him in place, but of cos Rambo suddenly becomes Mr Nice Guy when the girl pleads with him.

But he made his point. Who are we to judge another person's actions? For those who stand on a high platform and talk about stupid things like pulling troops out of Iraq, or talking about peace in the Middle East or in Burma, when hundreds of people are being killed DAILY for NO reason at all?

Honestly I think everyone should go and watch Rambo. Not for the ridiculous hero-killing-everyone parts of course, but for the parts when they show the dictator army ruthlessly murdering and killing the villagers with glee.

Honestly, this happens in some parts of the world all the time.

While we sit in our offices and schools complaining about teachers and bosses and work, there are people sitting in their homes wondering when the next bullet is going to pierce their body, or worse, when their loved ones are going to die.

Ok, the second line from the movie which was really cool was when Rambo was "convincing" the mercenaries to continue on their rescue mission when they were about to chicken out.

"Live for nothing. Die for something." He mumbles.

Live for nothing. That doesn't mean life is worthless, or that a person's life is meant to be wasted. Rather it means that we're not afraid to lose anything, because we don't have anything.

Why don't we have anything? Because everything of me, I've placed at Your feet. I no longer live for materialistic things, or for self-gratification, or for selfish ambitions, or to make myself "feel good" and enjoy the carnal things of the world. Live for nothing means to live without fear, trusting in Him to pave the way for you.

Die for something. This brings to mind a P Diddy rap song I heard a few years ago, though I doubt many pple in Singapore actually know the rapper, let alone the song.

How many niggers gonna die for you?
How many take the keys split the pie with you?
I ain't talking bout those that get high with you
Niggers know infra red on their heads and they'd ride with you

Think it was from a gangster movie or something, but not only was the song awesome, the lyrics actually had some meaning in them, compared to many rap or R&B songs nowadays. Let me translate that rap chorus into something easier to understand.

How many pple consider something or someone worth dying for?
How many are willing to share their success and fruits of their labour?
There're many hi-and-buy friends who're only around when you're having fun or going thru good times
But we know that if you force someone to do something, they'd do it not for you but to stay out of trouble and avoid the threat.

Have you found something you would die for? If you can answer that question, then good, you've found some meaning in life. Then the next question: have you found someone you can live for?

Think about it. Pulling the trigger or slashing wrists is a quick and thoughtless process.

Yet if you have to struggle to live on, to take care of the people you love, to protect them and to provide for them, to endure constant mockery, pain, humiliation, mental, physical and spiritual attacks..

Living for someone is much much more demanding and difficult. But then living for Him is the choice we've to make, knowing He will deliver us in times of trouble.

Live for nothing but live for someone. Live for Jesus.