趁著朋友潔蕊短暫的午休時間，我與她急忙趕去一家速食餐廳吃午餐。我們與六位年輕人幾乎同時抵達餐廳門口，但他們搶先一步走進餐廳。我們沒有太多的時間等候，所以有點不開心。他們甚至分開佔了兩個點餐櫃台，確保他們能先點餐。然後我聽到潔蕊輕聲對自己說：「要向人顯恩慈。」哇！沒錯，若能讓我們優先點餐是很好，但這句話卻提醒我們，要顧及別人的需要與想望，而不是只顧自己。

聖經教導我們，愛是恆久忍耐又有恩慈，不自私自利，「不輕易發怒」（哥林多前書13章5節）。聖經注釋家馬太．亨利闡述這樣的愛「會先顧及他人的福祉、需求及益處，而不是自己的想望」。要像上帝那樣愛人，就要首先考慮別人。

生活在這個世界上，我們許多人都很容易被激怒，很多時候我們都需要祈求上帝的幫助和恩典，讓我們能選擇以忍耐和恩慈待人（4節）。箴言19章11節也提到：「人有見識，就不輕易發怒，寬恕人的過失，便是自己的榮耀。」

這種愛的行為表現能使上帝得榮耀，甚至還能藉此讓別人想到祂的愛。

讓我們靠著上帝的能力，現在就抓住每個機會以恩慈來待人吧！

We hurried to a fast-food restaurant to have lunch together on my friend Jerrie’s short work break. Arriving at the door about the same time, six young men got inside just in front of us. Knowing we didn’t have much time to spare, we grumbled inwardly. They stood as a group at both registers to be sure each of them could order first. Then I heard Jerrie whisper to herself, “Show grace now.” Wow! Sure, letting us go first would have been nice, but what a great reminder to think of others’ needs and desires and not only my own.

The Bible teaches that love is patient, kind, and unselfish; it’s “not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5). “It often . . . prefers [others’] welfare, and satisfaction, and advantage, to its own,” wrote commentator Matthew Henry of this love. God’s kind of love thinks of others first.

In a world where many of us are easily irritated, we frequently have occasion to ask God for help and the grace to choose to be patient with others and to be kind (v. 4). Proverbs 19:11 adds, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

That’s the kind of loving action that brings honor to God, and He might even use it to bring thoughts of His love to others.

With God’s strength, let’s take every opportunity to show grace now.