实践慈爱

作者:每日箴言   来源:普世佳音

“耶和华有怜悯,有恩典,不轻易发怒,且有丰盛的慈爱。” - 诗 103:8

  在耶稣的比喻中,好撒玛利亚人动了慈心,他把别人的需要放在他自己的需要之上。更恰当的说法是,他“实践了慈心”,因为慈心不单是某种态度或感受,这位撒玛利亚人用他的手为被劫的人包裹伤处,扶伤者骑上他的驴子,又留下银子给店主,让伤者在店里疗养。

  履行以恩慈待人的应许是要付代价的,而违背这应许往往会伤害别人。约瑟请求同囚的犯人得释放时施恩与他,但这人忘记这样做,圣经没有告诉我们,他为何忘记了,这酒政没有对约瑟守施恩的诺言,以致约瑟在监牢里呆了两年。

  有一句希伯来谚语这样说:“恩慈是律法的起点和终点。”这句话回应诗篇119:149所说的:“求你照你的慈爱听我的声音;耶和华啊,求你照你的典章将我救活。”有些圣经译本,把“慈爱”这个字翻译为“恩慈仁爱”,译得真是美丽啊!由于主是慈爱的,祂的律法为慈爱之道立下了典范。你有没有留意到,撒玛利亚人的善行,正是先爱神然后爱人如己的例子?这就是神律法的重心了。

  实践慈爱也就等同于把嫉妒的眼晴挖出来,因为我们是以主的眼目看我们的邻舍,而主是不轻易发怒,且有丰盛的慈爱的。

祷告

神啊,祢一直向我施慈爱,求祢帮助我也以慈爱待人,又让我以祢的眼目看事物,好叫我有完美的视力。奉耶稣的名祈求,阿们。

 

创世记 40:12-14, 23; 路加福音 10:25-37

12 约瑟对他说:“你所做的梦是这样解:三根枝子就是三天,
13 三天之内,法老必提你出监,叫你官复原职,你仍要递杯在法老的手中,和先前做他的酒政一样。
14 但你得好处的时候,求你记念我,施恩于我,在法老面前提说我,救我出这监牢。
23 酒政却不记念约瑟,竟忘了他。
25 有一个律法师起来试探耶稣,说:“夫子,我该做什么才可以承受永生?”
26 耶稣对他说:“律法上写的是什么?你念的是怎样呢?”
27 他回答说:“你要尽心、尽性、尽力、尽意爱主你的神,又要爱邻舍如同自己。”
28 耶稣说:“你回答的是。你这样行,就必得永生。”
29 那人要显明自己有理,就对耶稣说:“谁是我的邻舍呢?”
30 耶稣回答说:“有一个人从耶路撒冷下耶利哥去,落在强盗手中。他们剥去他的衣裳,把他打个半死,就丢下他走了。
31 偶然有一个祭司从这条路下来,看见他,就从那边过去了。
32 又有一个利未人来到这地方,看见他,也照样从那边过去了。
33 唯有一个撒马利亚人行路来到那里,看见他,就动了慈心,
34 上前用油和酒倒在他的伤处,包裹好了,扶他骑上自己的牲口,带到店里去照应他。
35 第二天拿出二钱银子来,交给店主说:‘你且照应他,此外所费用的,我回来必还你。’
36 你想,这三个人哪一个是落在强盗手中的邻舍呢?”
37 他说:“是怜悯他的。”耶稣说:“你去照样行吧。” 

Doing Kindness

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. — Psalm 103:8

英语音频 English Audio

In Jesus’ parable, the good Samaritan showed kindness by placing the needs of another person ahead of his own. It may be better to say he “did a kindness” because kindness is more than an attitude or a feeling. The Samaritan used his hands to soothe wounds, lift the beaten man’s body onto his donkey, and pay out hard cash for recuperation at the inn.

Keeping a promise to be kind can be costly, and failing to keep such a promise can be hurtful. A fellow prisoner forgot Joseph’s request to be kind to him. We aren’t told why he forgot, but the cupbearer’s failure to do a kindness left Joseph in prison for two more years.

A Hebrew proverb — “kindness is the beginning and the end of the law” — echoes Psalm 119:149: “Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, LORD, according to your laws.” In some versions of the Bible, the word “love” here is translated as “lovingkindness.” That’s beautiful. Because the Lord is kind, his law gives shape to the way of kindness. Did you notice that the Samaritan’s kindness was an example of loving God first and loving his neighbor as himself? That is the heart of God’s law.

Doing kindness also plucks out the envious eye, for it sees the neighbor with the eyes of our Lord, who is slow to anger and full of kindness and love.

Prayer

You have been kind to me, Lord; help me to act in kindness to others. Give me your eyes to see, that my sight may become whole. In Jesus, Amen.

诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳


发布日期:2018-03-09