約翰二書
1作長老的寫信給蒙揀選的太太(或譯:教會;下同)和她的兒女,就是我誠心所愛的;不但我愛,也是一切知道真理之人所愛的。 2 愛你們是為真理的緣故,這真理存在我們裏面,也必永遠與我們同在。 3 恩惠、憐憫、平安從父 神和他兒子耶穌基督在真理和愛心上必常與我們同在! 4 我見你的兒女,有照我們從父所受之命令遵行真理的,就甚歡喜。5 太太啊,我現在勸你,我們大家要彼此相愛。這並不是我寫一條新命令給你,乃是我們從起初所受的命令。6 我們若照他的命令行,這就是愛。你們從起初所聽見當行的,就是這命令。
默想:
- 一個遵行真理的人,他的舉止品德必定與真理相符。因此,遵行真理的生命是有聖潔與愛的標誌。基督徒的生活是不斷捨己為人、充滿活力的天路旅程,而非自我放縱的享樂園地。
- 在一至十的 度量表上(一是最低,十是最高),我的「愛心商數」“love quotient”是多少?我的好友們會給我多少分數?在愛人方面,我最需要成長的是什麼?若我殷勤地「遵行真理」,我的生命會怎樣的改觀?
- 禱告:求神幫助我明白:愛人與遵行神命令的直接關係,並賜我意願與力量,將我所明白的實踐在日常生活中。
禱告與筆錄:
繼續安靜在神面前,與神對話,並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想(心得),或是與神的禱告,記錄在「靈程筆記簿」上面。
2 John
1The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth – 2because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 3Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love. 4It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Meditation
- A person who “walks in truth” lives in harmony with spiritual and moral reality. Therefore, we walk “in the truth” if our lives are marked by holiness and by love. The Christian life is a dynamic pilgrimage of self-giving. It is not a comfortable resting place of self-indulgence.
- On a scale of one to ten (with one being the lowest and ten being the highest), how would I rank my “love quotient”? How might my friends rank my love quotient? What is needed for me to grow in my understanding and expression of love to others? What would my life look like if I were diligently “walking in the truth”?
- Pray: Ask God to help me see the direct correlation between love and following his commands. And give me the willingness and ability to live it out into my everyday life.
Prayer & Journaling:
Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2012 “Spiritual Journal” book.