| 愛與禱告 | |
| 經文: 「你們要謹慎自守，警醒禱告。最要緊的是彼此切實相愛。」（彼得前書四：7～8） | |
| 聖經中「警醒禱告」與「火熱愛心」是密切相關，在屬靈的生活中也是如此，只為自己禱告的，會發現與上帝的關係不容易融洽；但是人心中若充滿了對別人火熱的愛心，在神面前就會不斷地為所愛的人禱告，甚至對我們看不順眼的人，我們也會誠心為他禱告。 若我們忽略禱告在追求愛心的成長中，所扮演重要的角色，這本談彼此相愛的書，就不夠完全了；因為這兩個果子是不可分割的，若你希望你的愛心越來越豐盛，就要忘記自己，迫切地為教會、為弟兄姐妹們，不斷迫切地禱告；若你希望你的禱告生活是活潑、充實有力，你就要不斷地去幫助周圍的人，分擔他們的痛苦，解決他們的需要。 在這個世代，我們多麼需要火熱、強有力的守望代禱勇士，這些常抱怨弟兄姐妹之間沒有足夠愛心的基督徒，當自我檢討，是否自己缺乏紮實的禱告生活？不常為肢體們禱告？我深信上帝渴望祂的兒女們，有互為肢體的體認，每天都來到施恩寶座前，求上帝降下聖靈的大能，祝福所有的聖徒。團結就是力量，天國也是如此，靈裡合一有助於我們忘記自我，無私地為上帝，為他人而活。就如同彼得所說：「要警醒禱告，彼此切實相愛。」 讓愛心逐日增長的最好方法，莫過於每日來到施恩寶座前，為眾弟兄姐妹們提名代禱，感受到靈裡相通的合一與喜樂。但願這本愛的小書也能成為禱告的書，當我們思念我們的弟兄姐妹們時，我們就驅使自己來到上帝面前禱告，為他們的需要向上帝懇求，這不是藉著閱讀或空想所能完成的，惟有藉著與上帝相親、向祂傾心吐意方能達成。 是的，愛與禱告是無法分割的，惟有靠著主耶穌的幫助，聖靈的同在，我們的禱告才可達到慈父的面前，蒙祂施恩祝福。 | |
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| LOVE AND PRAYER | |
| Scripture: "Be sober, and watch unto prayer, above all things being fer¬vent in your love among yourselves."—1 PET. iv. 7, 8. | |
| In our text, watching unto prayer and fervent love are closely linked. This is true, too, in the spiritual life. The man who prays only for himself will not find it easy to be in the right attitude towards God. But where the heart is filled with fervent love to others, prayer will continually rise to God for those whom we love, and even for those with whom we do not agree. There would be a great defect in this little book on brotherly love if we neglected to indicate what an important place prayer holds in the life of love. These two fruits of the Spirit are inseparably connected. If you wish your love to grow and increase, forget yourself, and pray, pray earnestly, for God's children and His Church. And if you would increase in prayerfulness, give yourself in fervent love to the service of those around you, helping to bear their burdens. What a great need there is, at this time, of earnest, powerful intercessors! Let those who complain that there is so little love among Christians, acknowledge that one of the chief signs of love is lacking in themselves, if they do not pray much and often for their brethren. I am deeply convinced that God desires His children, as members of one body, to present themselves each day before the Throne of grace to pray down the power of the Spirit upon all believers. Union is strength. This is true in regard to the Kingdom of Heaven. Real spiritual unity will help us to forget ourselves, to live unselfishly, wholly for God and our fellow-men. And the word of Peter will be applied to our lives— "watching in prayer—fervent in love." There can be no surer way of growing in the spirit of love than by uniting daily at the Throne of grace, and finding our joy and life in the oneness of Spirit with the whole Body of Christ. Let this little book on love be also a book on prayer. As we meditate on love to the brethren, we shall be constrained to have fellowship with God. And we shall attain this, not by reading or thinking, but by intercourse with the Father, and with the Lord Jesus through the Holy Ghost. Love impels to prayer; to believing prayer is vouchsafed the love of God. | |
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