接受爱，回报爱
因着父亲拉班的诡计，利亚和拉结这两姐妹嫁给了同一个男人。拉结是唯一被丈夫疼爱的，而利亚是唯一能生养孩子的。在那个时代的文化中，这两姐妹注定要彼此不断相争。利亚有孩子，却没有丈夫的爱；拉结有丈夫的爱，却没有孩子。
尽管拉结被丈夫疼爱，又生得美丽，可她的一生并不快乐。在那个年代，不能生孩子被认为是不光彩的事。但神在她等待了多年后“使她能生育”，拉结生了一个男孩，她给他起名叫约瑟（创世记 30:22-24）。后来，拉结因生另一个儿子而难产去世，雅各给这个儿子起名叫便雅悯（创世记 35:16-20）。
今天，我们很多人仍渴望家人的爱和尊重。如果我们爱另一个人，对方却不以爱回报，我们就会感到受伤。人心最深层的需要，便是被爱和回报爱。
但爱不是可以赚来的，而是对方愿意给予的。耶稣来到世上作我们的救主，就清楚表明了神是多么的爱我们。神爱我们，乃是照我们的本相爱我们——不管我们是否美丽或可爱。因着知道我们是深切被神爱着的，我们就能活出丰盛的生命。
你已经接受了神对你的爱吗？而作为回报，你有没有与人分享神这份爱呢？
亲爱的神，感谢祢如此爱我们，以致祢差遣祢的儿子来拯救我们。奉祂的名祷告，阿们。
创世记 29:15-30
15拉班对雅各说：你虽是我的骨肉(原文作弟兄)，岂可白白地服事我？请告诉我，你要什么为工价？
16拉班有两个女儿，大的名叫利亚，小的名叫拉结。
17利亚的眼睛没有神气，拉结却生得美貌俊秀。
18雅各爱拉结，就说：我愿为你小女儿拉结服事你七年。
19拉班说：我把他给你，胜似给别人，你与我同住罢！
20雅各就为拉结服事了七年；他因为深爱拉结，就看这七年如同几天。
21雅各对拉班说：日期已经满了，求你把我的妻子给我，我好与他同房。
22拉班就摆设筵席，请齐了那地方的众人。
23到晚上，拉班将女儿利亚送来给雅各，雅各就与他同房。
24拉班又将婢女悉帕给女儿利亚作使女。
25到了早晨，雅各一看是利亚，就对拉班说：你向我做的是什么事呢？我服事你，不是为拉结么？你为什么欺哄我呢？
26拉班说：大女儿还没有给人，先把小女儿给人，在我们这地方没有这规矩。
27你为这个满了七日，我就把那个也给你，你再为他服事我七年。
28雅各就如此行。满了利亚的七日，拉班便将女儿拉结给雅各为妻。
29拉班又将婢女辟拉给女儿拉结作使女。
30雅各也与拉结同房，并且爱拉结胜似爱利亚，于是又服事了拉班七年。
Lovely Rachel
"Laban had two daughters... Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful." — Genesis 29:16-17
Because of their father's trickery, two sisters were married to the same man. Rachel was the only one loved by the husband, and Leah was the only one able to bear children. In the culture of that day, these sisters were destined to constantly compete against each other. Leah had children and wanted Jacob's love; Rachel had Jacob's love and wanted children.
Despite the fact that Jacob loved her and she was beautiful, Rachel's life was not a happy one. In those days it was considered a disgrace to be unable to have children. But God "enabled her to conceive" after long years of waiting, and Rachel had a boy, whom she named Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). Later, Rachel died giving birth to another son, whom Jacob named Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-20).
The longing for love and respect from family members is still a part of our lives today. It hurts when one person loves someone more than they are loved in return. Our deepest human need is to be loved and to love in return.
But we can't earn love; it can only be given. Jesus' coming as our Savior is the most vivid example of God's shouting out to us how much he loves us. God loves us, just as we are—whether or not we are beautiful or lovable. With God, we can live life fully, knowing that we are deeply, dearly loved.
Have you accepted God's love for you? And, in return, are you sharing that love with others?
Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son to save us. In his name, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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