I Will / 当然愿意！

[Dexu Xia]

I Will

Love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18

Shirley settled into her recliner after a long day. She looked out the window and noticed an older couple struggling to move a section of old fence left in a yard and labeled “free.” Shirley grabbed her husband, and they headed out the door to help. The four of them wrestled the fence onto a dolly and pushed it up the city street and around the corner to the couple’s home—laughing all the way at the spectacle they must be. As they returned to get a second section of fence, the woman asked Shirley, “You be my friend?” “Yes, I will,” she replied. Shirley later learned that her new Vietnamese friend knew little English and was lonely because her grown children had moved hours away.

In Leviticus, God reminded the Israelites that they knew how it felt to be strangers (19:34) and how to treat others (vv. 9–18). God had set them apart to be His own nation, and in return they were to bless their “neighbors” by loving them as themselves. Jesus, the greatest blessing from God to the nations, later restated His Father’s words and extended them to us all: “Love the Lord your God . . . . Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39).

Through Christ’s Spirit living in us, we can love God and others because He loved us first (Galatians 5:22–23; 1 John 4:19). Can we say with Shirley, “Yes, I will”?

Reflect & Pray

How have you been cared for by someone when you felt alone? Who can you reach out to this week to show the love of Jesus?

Loving God, thank You for the love You’ve shown me. Please, Holy Spirit, love others through me so that you will be glorified.

 

当然愿意！

要爱人如己。-利未记19章18节

辛苦的一天终于结束了，雪莉安适地窝在躺椅上。她望着窗外，看到一对较年长的夫妇正奋力地挪动一截别人放在前院、供人免费取用的旧围栏。雪莉赶紧拉着丈夫一起去帮忙。他们一边把围栏弄上推车，走过街道，推到那对夫妇位在街角的家，一边为四人推围栏的模样开怀大笑。当他们继续要推第二截围栏时，那位太太问雪莉说：“妳愿意做我的朋友吗？”雪莉回答说：“当然愿意！”雪莉后来得知，这位越南朋友只懂一点英文，她的孩子长大了又住得远，所以她常感到孤独寂寞。

在利未记中，上帝提醒以色列百姓，他们曾亲身体验为外地人的感受（19章34节），应该知道如何善待别人（9-18节）。上帝拣选他们成为自己的子民，而他们就当爱他们的邻舍如同自己，祝福他们的邻舍。上帝赐给万民最大的祝福就是耶稣基督，主耶稣也重述天父所说的话，祂对我们所有人说：“你要尽心、尽性、尽意，爱主你的上帝。⋯⋯要爱人如己。”（马太福音22章37-39节）

藉着住在我们里面的圣灵，我们能够爱上帝、爱人，因为祂先爱了我们（加拉太书5章22-23节；约翰一书4章19节）。我们是否愿意爱这些外地人，像雪莉一样回答说：“当然愿意！”

主啊，谢谢祢向我彰显祢的爱。
圣灵啊，求祢让我能与人分享这份爱，使祢得到荣耀。

你在孤独时，曾如何受到别人的关怀？
这周你可以向谁表达关怀，显明耶稣的爱？