經文: 「主為我們捨命，我們從此就知道何為愛；我們也當為弟兄捨命。」— (聖經·約翰一書 3章16節)
「人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。」(約翰福音 十五13)，這兒救主向我們啟示，因著祂長闊高深的愛，祂願意步上十字架為我們捨命；現在也因著這樣的愛及力量，住在我們心裡面：「我們也當為弟兄捨命。」主命令我們要彼此相愛，祂期盼我們與弟兄姐妹交往時，也能流露主耶穌般的愛。
因著耶穌在十字架受苦受死，我們就知道耶穌何等愛我們；以我們對弟兄姐妹所付出的愛來衡量，惟有當耶穌的愛充滿我們的心，並每天激勵我們的靈時，我們才能愛弟兄與愛眾人，願意為他們忍受一切的不便。是的，基督徒不單愛耶穌，也當愛看得見的弟兄姐妹們。
約翰呼召信徒們過的是一個神聖完全的生活：愛人如己。若沒有憑信心接受耶穌活在我們心裡的事實，並算自己與祂同釘十字架，我們是無法活出這樣一個無私的生命。耶穌說：「若有人要跟從我，就當捨己，背起他的十字架，來跟從我。」(馬太福音 十六24)，惟有向「老我」死，將「舊亞當」的天性釘死在十字架上，如此我們才能不犯罪，才敢說：「我愛祢的命令，祢的命令不是難守的。」
但要做到上述的地步，惟有天天親近主與祂溝通，並與祂有不停歇的連繫，如此耶穌就能將祂的應許，藉著聖靈的大能，兌現在我們日常生活中。我們只要交託順服，相信那為我們捨命的耶穌，也要將那樣的大愛賞賜在我們心中，使我們能愛人如己和為弟兄捨命。若耶穌在教會中能居首位，基督的愛就能成為基督教的標誌，眾人也能看出我們是耶穌的門徒了；如此我們就能引導世人相信：上帝愛我們，就像祂愛耶穌一樣。
—《 神 的 心 意 》
(每日靈修 7月2日)
作者：慕安德烈
編輯：榮華興
(圖片版權屬「愛主更深事工」所有，在此僅供分享福音用途。)
『 Followers of the Cross 』
Scripture: “Hereby know we love, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”—1 JOHN iii.16. R. V.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.” Here our Lord reveals to us the inconceivable love that moved Him to die for us. And now under the influence and in the power of that love dwelling in us, comes the message: “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Nothing less is expected of us than a Christ-like life, and a Christ-like love, proving itself in all our intercourse with our brethren.
The cross of Christ is the measure by which we know how much Christ loves us. That cross is the measure too of the love which we owe to the brethren around us. It is only as the love of Christ on the cross possesses our hearts, and daily animates our whole being, that we shall be able to love the brethren. Our fellowship in the cross of Christ is to manifest itself in our sacrifice of love, not only to Christ Himself, but to all who belong to Him.
The life to which John calls us here is something entirely supernatural and divine. It is only the faith of Christ Himself living in us that can enable us to accept this great command in the assurance that Christ Himself will work it out in us. It is He Himself Who calls us: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Nothing less than this, a dying to our own nature, a faith that our “old man,” our flesh, has been crucified with Christ, so that we no longer need to sin—nothing less than this can enable us to say: We love His commandments; this commandment too is not grievous.
But for such fellowship and conformity to the death of Christ, nothing will avail but the daily, unbroken abiding in Christ Jesus which He has promised us. By the Holy Spirit revealing and glorifying Christ in us, we may trust Christ Himself to live out His life in us. He who proved His love on the cross of Calvary, He Himself, He alone can enable us to say in truth: He laid down His life for vis; we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. It is only as the great truth of the indwelling Christ obtains a place in the faith of the Church which it has not now, that the Christ-like love to the brethren will become the mark of true Christianity, by which all men shall know that we are Christ’s disciples. This is what will bring the world to believe that God has loved us even as He loved Christ.
— God’s Best Secrets by Andrew Murray ( 2 July )
