爱
我还记得我爱上那个成为我妻子的女人时的情景。我们当时在大学里,已经互相了解了一段时间,然后我们开始约会。当我意识到我不再害怕在她面前做自己时,我知道我已经爱上她了。我可以和她分享我最深的想法,关于我的事业、我的未来目标、我的计划、我的信仰和我的家庭。虽然分享这些事情使我变得脆弱,但我知道她不会试图用这些来攻击我。我并不害怕她会在我悲伤、愤怒、沮丧或愚蠢的时候跑掉或离开。被爱和在爱里消除了我的惧怕。
如果与我的妻子相爱使我的惧怕消失,那么了解神的爱会使我的惧怕消失多少呢!“神就是爱 ”,使徒约翰在我们今天所读的经文中说,“爱里没有惧怕。”
当我们在与神的关系中越来越多地成长时,祂就会驱走我们生活中的惧怕。虽然直到在天上与神同在之前,我们的惧怕可能永远不会完全消失,但祂的爱能够除去我们的惧怕,即使在我们经历死荫幽谷之时(诗篇23:4)。
下次你害怕的时候,把你的惧怕带给神。让祂的爱冲刷你。求祂拿走你的惧怕,用祂完美的爱来代替。
慈爱的神,我们在这世上会经历惧怕。求你拿走我们的惧怕,用你完美的爱取代它。奉耶稣的名,阿们。
约翰一书 4:7-21
7亲爱的弟兄啊,我们应当彼此相爱,因为爱是从神来的。凡有爱心的,都是由神而生,并且认识神。
8没有爱心的,就不认识神,因为神就是爱。
9神差他独生子到世间来,使我们藉着他得生,神爱我们的心在此就显明了。
10不是我们爱神,乃是神爱我们,差他的儿子为我们的罪做了挽回祭,这就是爱了。
11亲爱的弟兄啊,神既是这样爱我们,我们也当彼此相爱。
12从来没有人见过神,我们若彼此相爱,神就住在我们里面,爱他的心在我们里面得以完全了。
13神将他的灵赐给我们,从此就知道我们是住在他里面,他也住在我们里面。
14父差子做世人的救主,这是我们所看见且作见证的。
15凡认耶稣为神儿子的,神就住在他里面,他也住在神里面。
16神爱我们的心,我们也知道也信。神就是爱,住在爱里面的,就是住在神里面,神也住在他里面。
17这样,爱在我们里面得以完全,我们就可以在审判的日子坦然无惧;因为他如何,我们在这世上也如何。
18爱里没有惧怕,爱既完全,就把惧怕除去,因为惧怕里含着刑罚;惧怕的人在爱里未得完全。
19我们爱,因为神先爱我们。
20人若说“我爱神”,却恨他的弟兄,就是说谎话的;不爱他所看见的弟兄,就不能爱没有看见的神。
21爱神的,也当爱弟兄,这是我们从神所受的命令。
Love
"There is no fear in love." - 1 John 4:18
I remember when I fell in love with the woman who became my wife. We were in college, we had been getting to know each other for a while, and then we started dating. I knew I was in love when I realized I wasn’t afraid to be myself in front of her anymore. I could share my deepest thoughts with her about my career, my future goals, my plans, my faith, and my family. Although sharing those things made me vulnerable, I knew that she wouldn’t try to use any of that against me. I wasn’t afraid that she would run away or leave when I was sad or angry or frustrated or goofy. Being loved and being in love took away my fears.
Now, if being in love with my wife made my fear go away, how much more should knowing the love of God take my fear away! “God is love,” says the apostle John in our Bible reading for today, and “there is no fear in love.”
As we grow more and more in our relationship with God, he drives out the fear in our lives. And while our fear may never go away completely until we are with God in heaven, his love can take away our fear even in the darkest valleys we might pass through (Psalm 23:4).
The next time you are afraid, take your fear to God. Let his love wash over you. Ask him to take your fear away and to replace it with his perfect love.
Loving God, we experience fear in this world. Take away our fear and replace it with your perfect love, we pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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