our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Dec 9, 2018, 12:17:19 AM12/9/18

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Dangerous Distractions

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:35 nlt

Artist Sigismund Goetze shocked Victorian-era England with a painting entitled “Despised and Rejected of Men.” In it, he portrayed the suffering, condemned Jesus surrounded by people of Goetze’s own generation. They were so consumed by their own interests—business, romance, politics—that they were shockingly oblivious to the Savior’s sacrifice. Indifferent to Christ, the surrounding crowd, like the mob at the foot of Jesus’s cross, had no idea what—or who—they had missed.

In our day as well, believers and unbelievers alike can easily become distracted from the eternal. How can followers of Jesus cut through this fog of distraction with the truth of God’s great love? We can begin by loving one another as fellow children of God. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 nlt).

But real love doesn’t stop there. We extend that love by sharing the gospel in hopes of drawing people to the Savior. As Paul wrote, “We are . . . Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

In this way, the body of Christ can both reflect and project God’s love, the love we so desperately need, to both each other and to our world. May both efforts, empowered by His Spirit, be a part of cutting through the distractions that hinder us from seeing the wonder of God’s love in Jesus.

Read the Discovery Series booklet Truth with Love: Sharing the Story of Jesus at discoveryseries.org/hp141.

To a world living in the fog of distraction, we bring the light of the good news of Jesus.

危险的分心

你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。-约翰福音13章35节

英国画家西蒙．戈兹（Sigismund Goetze）的一幅画作《被人轻视和厌弃》，震撼了维多利亚时代的英国。戈兹的画作，描绘了受苦、被定罪的耶稣正被与戈兹同时代的人围绕着。然而，这些人只关心自己的利益，追求商业利润、浪漫爱情和政治地位，竟然完全不在意救主的牺牲。这些围观群众漠视耶稣，如同当年高喊钉耶稣十架的暴民，浑然不知他们错过了什么，错过了谁。

在现今这个时代也是如此，不论是信徒或非信徒，都同样很容易因干扰而分心，结果错过永恒的福分。在这干扰人心的重重迷雾中，我们这些基督徒要如何让人看到上帝的大爱呢？我们既是上帝的儿女，就可先从彼此相爱开始。耶稣说：“你们若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。”（约翰福音13章35节）

但真实的爱并不仅限于信徒间彼此相爱，还要将这爱延伸出去，与人分享福音，领人归主，如保罗说：“我们作基督的使者。”（哥林多后书5章20节）

这样一来，我们这些信徒就能反映和传递上帝的爱，把这份人们所迫切需要的爱带给彼此和这个世界。愿圣灵让我们能藉由彼此相爱和爱世人，得以排除一切干扰我们的迷雾，看见上帝藉着耶稣所展现的爱是何等奇妙！