双语灵修（葛培理牧师）：8月2日 神爱显明

8月2日

神爱显明

“惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，神的爱就在此向我们显明了。”

罗马书 5:8 

我们的上帝是有律法的神，祂爱世人，知道我们在各方面都犯了罪，于是派祂的独生爱子来救赎我们，并将生命之灵的律法放在我们心里。人类背负着自己的重担在历史中蹒跚而行，而祂那怜悯的目光一刻也没有离开他们。

加略山的十字架已经向最怀疑的人显明，上帝并没有对人类的困境视而不见，而是愿意与人类一起受苦。“怜悯”这个词来自两个拉丁词，意思是“一起受苦”。上帝对人类无尽的爱在十字架上得到了最充分的体现，他的怜悯就因着耶稣基督显明出来。“这就是神在基督里，叫世人与自己和好”（哥林多后书 5:19）。

永远不要质疑上帝的大爱。先知耶利米写道：“古时耶和华向以色列显现， 说 ： 我以永远的爱爱你， 因此我以慈爱吸引你。”（耶利米书 31:3）。保罗说 上帝“有丰富的怜悯，因他爱我们的大爱，”（以弗所书 2:4）正是上帝的爱使耶稣基督走上了十字架。

年轻人喜欢谈论爱情。他们的大多数歌曲都是有关爱情的。维克多·雨果很久以前就说过：“人生最大的幸福就是坚信我们被爱。” 弗洛伊德宣称：“爱是心理健康的首要条件。”圣经教导我们“神就是爱”，上帝爱你。认识到这一点至关重要。没有什么比这更重要。上帝爱你，对你的生命有美好的计划。还有谁能如此出色地规划和指导你的生活呢？

今日祷告：

天父，我感谢祢，即使我还迷失在罪中，但因着基督，祢仍然爱我。我感谢祢救赎了我；奉耶稣的名，阿们。

August 2

GOD IS NOT BLIND

God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Ours is the God of law who, loving the earth’s people, and realizing that we had offended in every point, sent His only Son to redeem us to Himself and to instill the law of the Spirit of life within us. His eyes of compassion have been following man as he has stumbled through history under the burden of his own wretchedness.

Yet Calvary should prove even to the most skeptical that God is not blind to man’s plight, but that He was willing to suffer with him. The word compassion comes from two Latin words meaning “to suffer with.” God’s all-consuming love for mankind was best demonstrated at the cross, where His compassion was embodied in Jesus Christ. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Never question God’s great love. Jeremiah the prophet wrote, “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

Paul speaks of God as one “who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4). It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross.

Young people talk about love. Most of their songs are about love. “The supreme happiness of life,” Victor Hugo said long ago, “is the conviction that we are loved.” “Love is the  first requirement for mental health,” declared Sigmund Freud. The Bible teaches that “God is love” and that God loves you. To realize that is of paramount importance. Nothing else matters so much. And loving you, God has wonderful plans for your life. Who else could plan and guide your life so well?

Pray for the Day:

Father, I thank You that in Christ You have loved me even when I was still lost in my sin. I thank You for redeeming me; in Jesus’ Name, Amen.