Abounding Love 丰盛的爱

[Dexu Xia]

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Today's Scripture Philippians 1:3-11

Today's Insights  Paul writes to encourage his spiritual children whom he lovingly describes as “God’s holy people . . . who belong to Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1 nlt). He’s praying they’ll mature in their faith and become more like Christ (vv. 9-11; see 1 Thessalonians 3:12). The apostle doesn’t simply want them to love each other; he wants them to overflow with God’s love (Philippians 1:9 nlt). Because God is love and He’s demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die for our sins, the apostle John commands us to love one another just as God loved us (1 John 4:7-12): “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect” (vv. 16-17 nlt). Our identity as believers is rooted in knowing that God made us and loves us.

Today's Devotional  At the last night of summer camp, my teenage self felt conspicuous as I stood alone in a group of campers. When one of them mocked me, I felt hurt. I ran back to my tent, pretending to sleep when the group leader checked on me. The next morning I avoided her attempt to talk about it.   She later wrote to me, helping me understand that God truly cared for me. She quoted from the apostle Paul: We can be “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). I felt like the apostle’s words were directed right to me.

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, which he’d planted over a decade earlier, to encourage them to root their love for God and each other “in knowledge and depth of insight” (v. 9). God would carry on His work in and through them as He filled them “with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ” (v. 11). At the time I didn’t understand the original context, but I started to comprehend that my identity as one loved by God came from knowing and accepting the love of Jesus.

God desires that we receive His love and that it would abound in us more and more. As He fills us with His joy and peace, we’ll grow in the knowledge not only of Him but of His good work in us.

Reflect & Pray

How does knowing that God will complete His work in you shape you? How can you root your identity in Christ more deeply?  Creator God, You made me and love me. Please help me look to You always for love, joy, and help.  By Amy Boucher Pye

“那在你们心里动了善工的，必成全这工，直到耶稣基督的日子。”（腓立比书 1:6）

今日经文：腓立比书 1:3-11

今日洞见：保罗写信鼓励他的属灵儿女，他亲切地称他们为“属神的圣徒……属于基督耶稣的人”（腓立比书 1:1）。他祈祷他们能在信仰上成熟，变得更像基督（9-11节；帖撒罗尼迦前书 3:12）。使徒不仅希望他们彼此相爱，更希望他们充满神的爱（腓立比书 1:9）。因为神就是爱，祂已经藉着差遣祂的儿子为我们的罪而死来表明祂的爱，所以使徒约翰命令我们彼此相爱，正如神爱我们一样（约翰一书 4:7-12）：“我们知道神爱我们，我们也信靠祂的爱。神就是爱，住在爱里的，就是住在神里面，神也住在他们里面。我们住在神里面，我们的爱就更加完全了”（16-17节）。我们作为信徒的身份根植于，我们知道神创造了我们，并爱我们。

 今日灵修：在夏令营的最后一晚，十几岁的我独自站在一群营员中间，感觉自己很显眼。当其中一个人嘲笑我时，我感到很受伤。我跑回帐篷，假装睡觉，直到小组长来查看我。第二天早上，我避开了她想和我谈话的尝试。后来她写信给我，帮助我明白神真的关心我。她引用了使徒保罗的话：“我深信那在你们心里动了善工的，必成全这工，直到耶稣基督的日子”（腓立比书 1:6）。我感觉使徒的话仿佛是直接对我说的。腓立比教会是保罗十多年前建立的，他写信给教会的目的，是鼓励他们将对神和彼此的爱建立在“知识和各样见识”上（9节）。神的灵将继续住在他们里面，并通过他们来成就祂的工作，正如保罗，“靠着耶稣基督结满仁义的果子，叫荣耀称赞归于神”（11节）。当时我不明白原文的上下文，但我现在开始明白，我能得着蒙神所爱之人的名分，是因为我认识了耶稣，并且接受从耶稣而来的爱。上帝渴望我们接受祂的爱，并让这份爱在我们里面变得越来越丰盛。当祂用祂的喜乐平安充满我们时，我们不仅会更认识祂，也会更认识祂在我们里面所成就的美好工作。

反思与祷告 知道上帝会在你身上完成祂的工作，这对你有什么影响？你如何才能更深入地将你的身份根植于基督？创造我的上帝，您创造了我，您也爱我。求你帮助我永远仰望您，靠着您得着爱、喜乐和帮助。作者  艾米 波切 派