【双语灵修】爱耶和华LOVE THE LORD

「以色列啊，现在耶和华你神向你所要的是什么呢？只要你敬畏耶和华你的神，遵行他的道，爱他，尽心、尽性侍奉他。

「耶和华你神向你所要的是甚么呢？只要你敬畏耶和华你的神，遵行他的道，爱他，尽心尽性侍奉他。」-申 10:12

爱神似乎是一件非常自然的事，因为祂先爱我（约翰福音 13:34；约翰一书 4:19）。然而，我记得自己曾没有尽心尽性爱祂，所以我们每一个人也和古时的以色列民一样。有人、事物和环境在争夺取我们的爱和注意力，它们开始时往往不甚明显，但却能改变、动摇和分割我们对神的爱。

我们对神的爱是我们对祂给予我们的爱的回应，而服从是我们爱祂的最佳表征。耶稣告诉祂的门徒：「你们若爱我，就必遵守我的命令」（约翰福音 14:15），爱神和服从神是分不开的。我们知道，爱神不单凭口说；借着圣灵的能力，我们放下旧日的生命来跟从主。生命不再是我自己，而是关于我们与主的爱的关系。

借着认识神的性情、祂是谁、祂的行事方式、和祂的作为，我们便能加深我们对祂的爱。我们透过研读圣经，在生活上留意神的同在，和与爱祂的人交往，都能做得到。

我还记得那次John 执事和Claire邀请我到他们家中吃饭的情景。John为人沉默寡言，是喜怒不形于色的人。在祷告之前，他诵读了一段选自诗篇的经文，但当读到关于神和祂的良善时，他的眼睛竟然充满了泪水。爱是发自一颗感恩的心的。

祷告

慈爱的父，我爱祢，我愿意尽心尽性去爱祢。我为祢的大爱感谢祢。奉耶稣祈求， 阿们。

LOVE THE LORD

What does the Lord . . . ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve [him] . . . with all your heart and . . . soul . . . ?   —Deuteronomy 10:12

It seems so natural to love God because he first loved me (John 13:34; 1 John 4:19). But I remember when I didn’t love God with all my heart and soul. In that way each one of us is like the ancient Israelites. There are people, things, and situations that compete for our love and attention. They often start subtly and cause our love for God to shift, fluctuate, and fragment.

Our love for God is a response to his love for us. Obedience is an excellent indicator of our love. Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). Love for God and obedience to God are inseparable. We know that loving God goes beyond words. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we follow the Lord by leaving our old life behind. Life is no longer all about us but about our love relationship with the Lord.

We deepen our love by getting to know God’s character, who he is, his ways, and what he does. We do this by reading the Bible, observing God’s presence in our lives, and being around people who love him.

I remember when Deacon John and Claire invited me for a meal at their home. John was a quiet, stoic type. Before he prayed, he read aloud from the book of Psalms. Tears came to his eyes as he read about God and his goodness. Love comes from a heart of gratitude.

Loving Father, I love you and want to love you with all my heart and soul. Thank you for your love. In Jesus, Amen.