Drop by Drop 一点一滴
Dexu Xia
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
“In everything / we look for pleasant ways of serving God,” writes sixteenth-century believer Teresa of Avila. She poignantly reflects on the many ways we seek to stay in control through easier, more “pleasant” methods than total surrender to God. We tend to slowly, tentatively, and even reluctantly grow to trust Him with all of ourselves. And so, Teresa confesses, “even as we measure out our lives to you / a bit at a time, / we must be content / to receive your gifts drop by drop, / until we have surrendered our lives wholly to you.”
As human beings, trust doesn’t come naturally to many of us. So if experiencing God’s grace and love were dependent on our ability to trust and receive it, we’d be in trouble!
But, as we read in 1 John 4, God’s love for us comes first (v. 19). He loved us long before we could love Him, so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us. “This is love,” John writes in wonder and gratitude (v. 10). Gradually, gently, little by little, God heals our hearts to receive His love. Drop by drop, His grace helps us surrender our fears (v. 18). Drop by drop, His grace reaches our hearts until we find ourselves experiencing showers of His abundant beauty and love.
By: Monica La Rose
In what ways have you experienced God’s grace “drop by drop” in your life? How has God’s love helped you overcome fear in exchange for hope and trust?
Faithful God, thank You for loving me first, even when my heart was too wounded and hurting to trust You. Thank You for the many ways You reach me wherever I am.
我们爱，因为上帝先爱我们。—约翰一书4章19节
十六世纪的圣女大德兰写道：“我们在每件事上，都会寻找舒适的方式来事奉上帝。”她深刻地反思了我们服事上帝的许多方式，我们会寻求藉着更容易、更简单的方法掌控事情，而非完全降服于上帝。我们对上帝的信靠通常是慢慢地、尝试性地，甚至不情不愿地，逐渐成长到完全信靠的地步。因此，大德兰向上帝坦言：“当我们把自己的生命，一次一点缓慢地交给祢，就必须满足于一点一滴地领受祢的恩典，直到我们将自己的生命完全献给祢。” 对人而言，信靠并不是人的天性。所以如果经历上帝的恩典和爱取决于我们是否相信和接受它，那我们可就有麻烦了。
但约翰一书4章记载，是上帝先爱了我们（19节）。早在我们能爱上帝之前，祂就已经深爱着我们，甚至愿为你我牺牲祂的儿子。使徒约翰赞叹又感激地写道：“这就是爱了。”（10节）
上帝逐步地、温柔地、一点一点地，医治我们的心灵，让你我能一点一滴地领受祂的大爱。祂的恩典帮助我们不再惧怕（18节），祂的恩典一点一滴地流入我们的心中，直到我们经历祂有如恩雨沛降的荣美和慈爱。
作者： 白茉妮
你曾如何“一点一滴”地经历上帝的恩典？
上帝的爱如何帮助你,以信靠与盼望胜过恐惧与不安？
信实的上帝，当我的心伤痕累累而无法信靠祢时，感谢祢已先爱了我。感谢祢，无论我在何种处境中，
祢都不离开我，用各种方式来帮助我。