Liked and Loved by God 上帝爱我们
Dexu Xia
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.Jeremiah 1:5
It feels like “likes”—you know, that little thumbs-up on Facebook—have always been with us. But it turns out that this virtual symbol of affirmation has only been around since 2009. The “like” designer, Justin Rosenstein, said he wanted to help create “a world in which people uplift each other rather than tear each other down.” But Rosenstein came to lament how his invention might have enabled users’ unhealthy addiction to social media.
I think Rosenstein’s creation speaks to our hardwired need for affirmation and connection. We want to know that others know us, notice us—and, yes, like us. The “like” is fairly new. But our hunger to know and be known is as old as God's creation of man.
Still, the like button doesn’t quite get the job done, does it? Thankfully, we serve a God whose love goes so much deeper than a digital nod. In Jeremiah 1:5, we witness His profoundly purposeful connection with a prophet whom He called to Himself. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”
God knew the prophet even before conception and designed him for a life of meaning and mission (vv. 8-10). And He invites us too into a purposeful life as we come to know this Father who so intimately knows, loves, and likes us.
By: Adam Holz
How does knowing God intimately affect how you relate to others? How can living with purpose bring peace?
Father, help me to rest in Your love and calling on my life, to know that You care for me intimately as You shape me for each of the days You’ve planned for me.
我未将你造在腹中，我已晓得你；你未出母胎，我已分别你为圣。—耶利米书1章5节
或许你会觉得，脸书上竖起大拇指的点赞符号似乎一直伴随着我们。其实这个表示肯定或喜欢的符号，是在2009年左右才出现的。这个符号的设计者贾斯汀·罗森斯坦（Justin Rosenstein）说，他要“打造一个互相打气而不互相拆台的世界”。但罗森斯坦后来感叹，他的发明可能让脸书用户者沉迷于社群媒体。
我想，罗森斯坦的发明，反映了我们极其需要别人的认同并与人连结。我们想要知道：有人认识我、注意我，而且喜欢我。点赞符号的出现并不是很久，但我们对于了解别人、被别人了解的渴望，却早在上帝造人之初就已经存在了。
显然，点赞的符号无法满足人们的这个渴望。但感恩的是，我们服事的这位上帝，祂的爱比表示认同或喜欢的点赞更加深刻。在耶利米书1章5节，我们看见上帝在呼召先知耶利米之前，就已经与他有了深刻意义的连结：“我未将你造在腹中，我已晓得你；你未出母胎，我已分别你为圣。”
上帝在耶利米尚未成胎前就认识他，并为他计划了有意义的生命和使命（8-10节）。当我们认识这位深刻了解我们、爱我们、喜欢我们的天父时，祂也邀请我们活出有意义的生命。作者： 何安德
深刻地认识上帝，如何影响你与他人的关系？
生命有了目标，如何带给你平安？
天父，求祢帮助我信靠祢的爱和呼召。
求祢让我知道，祢计划我的人生，祢塑造我，而且时时都关爱着我