基督徒的爱
马太福音五章41至48节
41有人强逼你走一里路，你就同他走二里；
42有求你的，就给他；有向你借贷的，不可推辞。
43你们听见有话说：当爱你的邻舍，恨你的仇敌。
44只是我告诉你们，要爱你们的仇敌，为那逼迫你们的祷告。
45这样就可以作你们天父的儿子；因为他叫日头照好人，也照歹人；降雨给义人，也给不义的人。
46你们若单爱那爱你们的人，有甚么赏赐呢？就是税吏不也是这样行么？
47你们若单请你弟兄的安，比人有甚么长处呢？就是外邦人不也是这样行么？
48所以，你们要完全，像你们的天父完全一样。
信息分享
基督教导我们要爱仇敌，究竟是甚么意思呢？祂并非表示，我们爱仇敌，要像我们爱妻子、丈夫和儿女一样。爱自己的家人，乃是人的天性，是人不用细想也会自然流露的感情。
然而，爱仇敌却是有违人的本性，是一种出于意志的决定。当我们成为基督徒后，我们在神面前定意，先不论我们的仇敌怎样伤害我们，我们都不去憎恨他，不对他心生苦毒和不鄙视他。这绝对是我们的本性不能做到的；只有基督在我们心里，我们才能够做到化敌为友。
当基督被钉十字架的时候，祂若能向父神说：「父啊，赦免他们」，那么，祂必然能够赐予我们能力，去饶恕得罪我们的人。唯有基督住在我们心里，我们才能克服和放下苦毒的感觉。
此外，我们还要为得罪我们的人做一项工作，那就是为他们祷告(44节)。当你憎恨某人，或对他心存苦毒的时候，你是很难为他祷告的。但是，当我们愿意为敌人祷告，我们的内心就会逐渐对他萌生神的爱，希望他能悔改归正，得着神的祝福。
许多人立志以「登山宝训」所提出的准则来生活，但问题是没有人可以靠自己做得到。除非人倚靠基督，让基督活在他的心里，才会有能力去遵行祂的教导。腓立比书四章13节可以意译为：「我可以靠着基督加给我的力量，去遵行基督的教导。」
愿我们今天立志倚靠基督的大能，若有人得罪我们，求基督帮助我们以德报怨。
反思：
将经文中的「你」字，全部改作「我」字，然后再读一遍，反思当中的意思。
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'.