Two Rules To Live By 生命二誡

馬太福音22：40 Matthew 22:40

「這兩條誡命是律法和先知一切道理的總綱。」

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

(From: Our daily Bread, http://odb.org/ and http://chinese-odb.org/)

by Joe Stowell

你是否曾經覺得被許多規則跟期待淹沒？ 想想看猶太人的感受，他們需要守在舊約裡六百多條的律法，當時的宗教領袖甚至在此之上，還加諸了更多規定。當耶穌將所有的規條縮減，告訴猶太人追求公義，僅需要謹守兩條誡命：「愛主你的上帝」（馬太福音22章37節）和 「愛人如己」（39節）， 你可以想像，當時他們是何等驚訝！

本質上而言，耶穌是在告訴我們：透過我們如何對待每一個人，上帝就可以知道我們有多愛祂！ 坦白說，愛人如己實在是一件不容易的事。但是，當我們藉著愛人來表達我們對上帝的愛時，便可以成為激勵我們的動力去愛他人，無論他是否配得。若我們愛上帝也愛人，自然就會落實其他的誡命。如果我愛我的鄰舍，我就不會作假見證誣告他、不會貪圖他的財富跟妻子，或者偷他的東西。因著上帝來愛人，甚至能讓我們有恩惠和力量，去原諒那些對我們不公的人。

今天，有哪些人需要藉著你看見上帝的愛呢？ 你越能愛那些不配得我們愛的人，就越能顯明你對上帝的愛。JS

盡性盡力和盡意，


盡心愛你的上帝；


使你能愛非善類，


冷酷傷人之仇敵。Sper

因愛上帝，使我們有愛人的能力。

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by rules and expectations? Think of how the Jewish people must have felt as they tried to keep up with more than 600 rules from the Old Testament and many more that had been imposed on them by the religious leaders of their day. And imagine their surprise when Jesus simplified the pursuit of righteousness by narrowing the list down to just two—“love the Lord your God” (Matt. 22:37) and “love your neighbor as yourself” (v.39).

In essence, Jesus is telling us that the way God knows we love Him is by how we treat people, all of them. Let’s face it - loving our neighbor can be a challenge. But when we do it to express our love to God, we unleash a powerful motivation that loves whether the person deserves it or not. And as we love God and our neighbor, everything else falls into place. If I love my neighbor, I won’t bear false witness against him, covet his wealth or his wife, or steal from him. Loving others for God’s sake even provides the grace and strength to forgive those who have heaped injustices upon us.

Who needs to see God’s love today through you? The more unlovable the person, the greater the statement about how much you love God!

To love your God with all your heart, 
Your soul, your strength, your mind,

Enables you to love someone

Who’s hurtful and unkind. —Sper

Loving God is the key to loving others.