1月22日
標 題：愛的動機
經 節：公義的父啊，世人未曾認識你，我卻認識你；這些人也知道你差了我來。我已將你的名指示他們，還要指示他們，使你所愛我的愛在他們裏面，我也在他們裏面。（約翰福音十七章25～26節）
你不需要「整頓」神的王國；你為神的王國「苦痛」。你不可能與神親密相交，卻不被神的大愛所影響。天父以祂永遠的愛來愛祂的兒子。天父心中所有的一切與祂的大愛，都傳給了祂的兒子。當神明示自己對墮落世界的大愛，這份熱愛也通過祂的兒子顯明祂的大愛。天父訂立了拯救世界的計畫，神兒子接受了上十字架的任務。
當耶穌在人群中行走，天父的愛充滿祂的胸懷。耶穌知道平凡的愛無法使祂甘願上十字架。人類的愛不足以使祂願意完全順服天父。只有天父的大愛才能夠驅使祂願意順服，以祂自己的生命完全天父救贖的目的。
耶穌祈求神將同樣的愛放置在門徒的心裏。祂知道，任何動機都不足以使門徒完成神所託付的任務。神的回答是將祂的愛子放在他們心裏。一個基督徒不可能擁有神愛的胸懷，卻不願意運行神給他們的任務。
如果你沒有神的愛，就無法幫助那些神要你伸出援手的人。除非先充滿神無盡的愛，你不可能饒恕他人、陪他人走二裏路，或為他人犧牲。要追求，要認識天父和祂那不可測的大愛，然後，讓祂的愛子藉著你去愛其他的人！
Our Motivation of Love
O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:25-26)
You do not “organize” the kingdom of God, you “agonize” the kingdom of God. You cannot be close to God without being affected by His love. The heavenly Father loved His Son with an eternal love. Everything in the heart and life of the Father was released to His Son. As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion was manifested through the life of His Son. The Father initiated His plan to save mankind, and out of a heart of devotion, the Son accepted the assignment that took Him to the cross.
As Jesus walked among people, the Father’s love filled His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life. Only His Father’s love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father. Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them. God’s answer was to place His Son in them. It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.
You will be incapable of ministering to everyone God sends you unless you have His love. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of God. Seek to know the Father and His immeasurable love, then allow His Son to love others through you!
