当有人伤害你或亏欠你时,你很容易就想报复,想要“算账”。
有些人一生中很大一部份时间都是别人残忍行为的受害者。要摆脱这种痛苦可能非常困难。
爱一个我们喜欢的人很容易,但爱一个我们有各种理由不喜欢的人却很难。然而,耶稣说,如果我们想成为祂那样的人,宽恕就是我们基督徒最起码要做的。
这就是恩典的意义所在。当我们还做仇敌的时候,神就爱了我们,且差祂的儿子耶稣来更新我们,使我们回转(约 3:16-17;罗 5:8-11)。神完全有权利拒绝我们,但祂仍选择全心全意地爱着我们。
更重要的是,神要求我们以同样的方式对待身边的每一个人。恩典是神设定的标准,如果我们作为信徒接受了这一恩典,我们就应该带着恩典和宽恕去生活,去对待所有的人。耶稣以身作则,告诉我们要不分国籍、个性、信仰或环境去爱他人。耶稣向我们提出挑战,要我们成为恩典的使者,让他人知道我们也曾被爱和被饶恕。
主啊,感谢你的恩典和你对我们的爱,你为我们做了完美示范。请帮助我们用你的爱去爱每一个人,无论有何艰难。请教导我们每天都更像你。阿们。
马太福音 5:43-48
43“你们听见有话说:‘当爱你的邻舍,恨你的仇敌。’
44只是我告诉你们,要爱你们的仇敌,为那逼迫你们的祷告,
45这样就可以做你们天父的儿子,因为他叫日头照好人也照歹人,降雨给义人也给不义的人。
46你们若单爱那爱你们的人,有什么赏赐呢?就是税吏不也是这样行吗?
47你们若单请你弟兄的安,比人有什么长处呢?就是外邦人不也是这样行吗?
48所以你们要完全,像你们的天父完全一样。
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:44-45
When someone hurts you or wrongs you, it's easy to think of revenge and wanting to "get even."
Some people have lived a big part of their lives being the victim of someone else's cruelty. And it can be very hard to let go of that pain.
Loving someone whom we like is easy, but loving someone who has given us every reason not to like them is hard. Yet Jesus says that if we want to be like him, forgiveness is at the foundation of our Christian walk.
This is what grace is all about. God loved us so much when we were his enemies that he sent Jesus to renew and restore us to him (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8-11). God has every right to reject us—and yet he keeps loving us fully.
What's more, God asks us to do the same to everyone around us. Grace is the standard that God sets, and if we as believers accept that grace, we are to live with grace and forgiveness toward all others. Jesus modeled that we are to love others regardless of nationality, personality, faith, or circumstance. Jesus challenges us to be the grace differential so that others may know that we too have been loved and forgiven.
Thank you, Lord, for your grace and your perfect example of loving us. Please help us to love everyone with your love, even when it is hard. Teach us to be more like you every day, we pray. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳