讀經:約翰一書第四章。
默想:「人若說『我愛神』,卻恨他的弟兄,就是說謊話的;不愛他所看見的弟兄,就不能愛沒有看見的神。」(約一4:20)
默想一:怎麼知道你是愛神的人?唯一的證明是你有沒有愛人及愛人的行動。愛神的實際,不是單在乎嘴巴會講什麼,而是在乎怎樣行。若看得見的人都不能愛,那看不見的神就更難具體去愛了。人是照著神的形像造的,真正愛神的絕不會不愛人。
默想二:什麼是我們從神所受的命令?就是盡心地愛神及愛人。我們必須以愛神為愛弟兄的動機,而且以愛弟兄為愛神的實際行動。真正的愛神,要看我們對最弱小的弟兄的愛有多少,也要看我們怎樣對待身邊的人—家人和教會的弟兄姊妹。一個人若言行不一,就是說謊話的。
禱告:感謝神,因袮的愛,我們才知道什麼是愛。曾幾何時,我心靈固然願意去愛,肉體卻軟弱,以致於祢的愛在我身上走不動。主,求祢赦免我的愛無能,並饒恕我的軟弱。也祈求祢的聖靈充滿我並管理我,我願順服聖靈的引導過愛神愛人的生活。奉主耶穌得勝的名禱告,阿們!
Bible Reading: 1 John 4.
Insight: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1Jh 4:20)
Insight one: How do you know that you are a person who loves God? The only proof is whether you have love and have the action of loving others. The genuineness of loving God is not simply a matter of what the mouth says, but is a matter of what action to take. If one can’t love the people he/she has seen, then it is much harder to truly love the invisible God. People are created in the likeness of God. Those who truly love God will never not love others.
Insight two: What is the command we have received from God? It is to love God and people with all our hearts. We must draw inspiration from loving God to love our brethren, and we should love our brethren as the decent action of loving God. How truly we love God can be testified by how much we love the weakest brethren and how we treat the people around us, the family, and the brothers and sisters at church. Whoever different in says and deeds is a liar.
Prayer: Thank God, we realize the significance of love because of Your love. From time to time, my spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak so I make Your love idled inside me. Lord, please forgive my incompetence of love and forgive my weakness. I also pray that the Holy Spirit fills in me and rules me. I am willing to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit and live out a life of loving God and loving people. I pray in the victorious name of the Lord Jesus, Amen!