基督徒的愛
馬太福音五章41至48節
41有人強逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里；
42有求你的，就給他；有向你借貸的，不可推辭。
43你們聽見有話說：當愛你的鄰舍，恨你的仇敵。
44只是我告訴你們，要愛你們的仇敵，為那逼迫你們的禱告。
45這樣就可以作你們天父的兒子；因為他叫日頭照好人，也照歹人；降雨給義人，也給不義的人。
46你們若單愛那愛你們的人，有甚麼賞賜呢？就是稅吏不也是這樣行麼？
47你們若單請你弟兄的安，比人有甚麼長處呢？就是外邦人不也是這樣行麼？
48所以，你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。
信息分享
基督教導我們要愛仇敵，究竟是甚麼意思呢？祂並非表示，我們愛仇敵，要像我們愛妻子、丈夫和兒女一樣。愛自己的家人，乃是人的天性，是人不用細想也會自然流露的感情。
然而，愛仇敵卻是有違人的本性，是一種出於意志的決定。當我們成為基督徒後，我們在神面前定意，先不論我們的仇敵怎樣傷害我們，我們都不去憎恨他，不對他心生苦毒和不鄙視他。這絕對是我們的本性不能做到的；只有基督在我們心裡，我們才能夠做到化敵為友。
當基督被釘十字架的時候，祂若能向父神說：「父啊，赦免他們」，那麼，祂必然能夠賜予我們能力，去饒恕得罪我們的人。唯有基督住在我們心裡，我們才能克服和放下苦毒的感覺。
此外，我們還要為得罪我們的人做一項工作，那就是為他們禱告(44節)。當你憎恨某人，或對他心存苦毒的時候，你是很難為他禱告的。但是，當我們願意為敵人禱告，我們的內心就會逐漸對他萌生神的愛，希望他能悔改歸正，得著神的祝福。
許多人立志以「登山寶訓」所提出的準則來生活，但問題是沒有人可以靠自己做得到。除非人倚靠基督，讓基督活在他的心裡，才會有能力去遵行祂的教導。腓立比書四章13節可以意譯為：「我可以靠著基督加給我的力量，去遵行基督的教導。」
願我們今天立志倚靠基督的大能，若有人得罪我們，求基督幫助我們以德報怨。
反思：
將經文中的「你」字，全部改作「我」字，然後再讀一遍，反思當中的意思。
CHRISTIAN LOVE
Matthew 5:41-48
41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Message
What does Christ mean when he speaks of loving our enemies? He did not mean that we should love them as we love our wives, husbands or children. Love for our family should come naturally to us from our own hearts.
Love for our enemies begins in our will. As a Christian we determine before God that no matter what enemies may do to us, we will not hate them; we will not become bitter and spiteful toward them. That would be our natural reaction. Christ in us makes all the difference.
If Christ could say 'Father forgive them' when men were nailing him to a cross, then he can surely give us power to forgive those who do wrong to us. It is only as Christ lives in our hearts that bitterness can be overcome and put away.
Notice also something else we need to do for those who are against us. We are to pray for them (v. 44). You can't pray sincerely for anyone and still have hateful or bitter feelings about the person. When we pray for our enemies the love of God for them will grow in our hearts.
There are many people who say they live by the Sermon on the Mount. The problem is that no one can do this without Christ. We need him living in our hearts to enable us to do the things he asks us to do. Philippians 4:13 can be paraphrased in this way 'I can do all those things Christ asks me to do by the strength which he supplies'.
Count on his help today. If there is someone who has done wrong to you, ask Christ to help you be kind to that person.
Most of all, pray for him.
A THOUGHT: Put alongside these verses in Matthew-'THIS MEANS ME'.