第六週■週五

w06d05-ch

晨興餧養

約壹四16『神在我們身上的愛，我們也知道也信。神就是愛，住在愛裏面的，就住在神裏面，神也住在他裏面。』

太五44 ～ 45『…要愛你們的仇敵，爲那逼迫你們的禱告，你們就可以作你們諸天之上父的兒子；因爲祂叫祂的日頭上升，照惡人，也照好人；降雨給義人，也給不義的人。』

在召會生活中，弟兄姊妹也許彼此相愛，但他們的愛也許相當膚淺。在他們的愛裏，也許沒有生命的供應，也沒有能施醫治的『抗生素』。這就是說，他們的愛缺少神聖的愛。但在彼得所說對弟兄的愛裏，有另一種元素，這元素就是神聖的愛，這愛以智慧供應我們，使我們合式的愛弟兄。有時候我們愚昧的、以能慣壞別人的作法愛他們。我們沒有智慧，以使他們能得着生命的供應並得滋養的作法愛他們。神的愛不但滋養人，也包含能施醫治且豫防疾病的屬靈抗生素。我們若以神聖的愛愛弟兄，就會將這樣的抗生素注入他們裏面。例如，你也許曉得弟兄有某種缺欠或輭弱。你知道教導或改正不會幫助弟兄。這位弟兄需要人以高尚的愛愛他。你若以這種愛愛他，他就會得着生命的供應，以及能殺死他裏面『病菌』的抗生素。在召會生活中，我們需要有辨識、不愚昧的彼此相愛。我們需要帶着滋養弟兄並幫助他們得醫治的崇高目的來愛他們。（彼得後書生命讀經，七○頁。）

信息選讀

馬太五章四十五節告訴我們，神降雨給義人，也給不義的人。但祂這樣作是有智慧的。…祂愛他們，但祂是有辨識的愛他們。同樣，我們不該不愛聖徒。我們該愛眾弟兄，但我們該有辨識的愛他們，…也總該照着度量或在界限之內。我們若過度愛某位弟兄，那愛也許就慣壞他。我們需要只愛他到某個地步就可以了。但另一位弟兄也許需要更大量的愛。這樣愛別人，就是不僅僅以弟兄的情愛愛他們，更是以神聖的愛愛他們。

我們愛弟兄常在於我們情感的起伏。…有些弟兄的情緒高昂時，幾乎會作任何事幫助你。但他們一旦情緒低落，就一點也不願意幫助人。這種弟兄雖然愛聖徒，卻是照着情感的起伏不定愛他們。那種愛不是神聖的愛。神聖的愛不在於我們情感的起伏。因爲這愛起源於神聖的生命，它就不改變。我們需要學習以這神聖的愛愛弟兄，不以那在於我們情感起伏的愛愛弟兄。

神的愛是始終如一的。我們若以這愛愛別人，也會是始終如一的。每當有人接觸我們的時候，我們的愛會是相同的。我們總會有辨識並照着別人的需要愛他們。我們也許曉得一位弟兄需要多少愛，所以我們會量出、分配出那麼多的愛給他；但另一位弟兄也許需要不同分量的愛應付他的需要。這是一種高尚的愛。

我們在婚姻生活和家庭生活中需要有這神聖的愛。彼得囑咐作丈夫的要按妻子應得的分敬重她。（彼前三7。）這需要高尚的愛。

姊妹一般是用情感，沒有辨識或不適度的愛丈夫。這樣的姊妹高興或情緒高昂時，就會因此愛丈夫。但她若不高興或生氣，就不會愛他。那種愛是情感的，不包含神聖之愛的元素。然而，一位在主裏較爲老練的姊妹，會始終如一的愛丈夫和兒女，但她的愛總是適度且有辨識的。這種愛必是高尚的愛。（彼得後書生命讀經，七○至七二頁。）

參讀：彼得後書生命讀經，第七篇。

WEEK 6 — DAY 5

Morning Nourishment

1 John 4:16 And we know and have believed the love which God has in us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him.

Matt. 5:44-45 …Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

The brothers and sisters in the church life may love one another, but their love may be rather superficial. In their love there may be no life supply and no “antibiotic” to foster healing. This means that their love is lacking in agape. But in Peter’s love for the brothers, there is another element, and this element is the divine love, a love that supplies us with wisdom to love the brothers in a proper way. Sometimes we love others foolishly, in a way that can spoil them. We do not have the wisdom to love them in a way that will enable them to receive the life supply and be nourished. God’s love is not only nourishing but also contains a spiritual antibiotic that fosters healing and prevents illness. If we love the brothers with divine love, we will infuse such an antibiotic into them. For example, you may realize that a brother has a certain shortage or weakness. You know that teaching or correction will not help the brother. This brother needs to be loved with a noble love. If you love him with this kind of love, he will receive the life supply and an antibiotic that can kill the “germs” within him. In the church life we need to love one another with discernment, not foolishly. We need to love the brothers with the high purpose of nourishing them and helping them to be healed. (Life-study of 2 Peter, p. 59)

Today’s Reading

Matthew 5:45 tells us that God sends rain on both the just and the unjust. But He does this with wisdom…He loves them with discernment. Likewise, we should not withhold love from the saints. We should love all the brothers, but we should love them with discernment [and also] according to a measure or within a limitation. If we love a brother excessively, that love may spoil him. We need to love him only to a certain extent. But another brother may be in need of a greater measure of love. To love others in this way is to love them not merely with brotherly affection but also with agape.

Often our brotherly love is dependent on the tide of our emotions…When the emotional tide of some brothers is high, they will do almost anything to help you. But when the emotional tide is low, they are not willing to help at all…That kind of love is not agape. The divine love does not depend on our emotional tide. Because this love has its source in the divine life, it does not change. We need to learn to love the brothers with this divine love, not with the love that depends on the tide of our emotions.

God’s love is consistent. If we love others with this love, we will also be consistent. Whenever someone contacts us, we will be the same with respect to our love. We will always love others with discernment and according to their need. We may realize that one brother needs a certain measure of love. Therefore, we will measure out, mete out, that much love to him. But another brother may need a different measure of love to meet his need. This is a noble kind of love.

We need to have this divine love in our married life and family life. Peter charges the husbands to assign honor to the wife (1 Pet. 3:7). This requires a noble love.

It is common for sisters to love their husbands emotionally and without discernment or measure. When such a sister is happy or high in her emotion, she will love her husband accordingly. But if she is unhappy or angry, she will not love him. That kind of love is emotional and does not contain the element of agape. However, another sister, with more experience in the Lord, will consistently love her husband and children but will always love with a measure and with discernment. This kind of love is surely a noble love. (Life-study of 2 Peter, pp. 59-61)

Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Peter, msg. 7