爱的力量

诗歌《爱，我愿意》的歌词写道：“十字架上的光芒，温柔又慈祥，带着主爱的力量，向着我照亮……我愿意降服，在你爱的怀抱中，我愿意降服；……永远在你怀抱中，你是我的主。”许多诗歌也使我们看到，我们愿意心向神，完全地摆上，是因为主爱浇灌我们的心，是主爱的力量。人的爱是有限的，会改变的，会过去的，唯有主的爱能发出莫大的力量。

一、主爱的吸引：

耶31:3中记载“耶和华说:‘我以永远的爱爱你，因此我以慈爱吸引你。'”神的慈爱不会改变，神是全然可靠的，总是持守他信实的坚定的爱。只要他的百姓愿意接受，神都将最好的赐给他们，神的慈爱能将他的百姓吸引过来亲近他。主的爱是超越的爱，是舍己牺牲的爱，如同磁铁一样深深吸引着我们。正如主耶稣在受害前说：“我若从地上被举起来，就要吸引万人来归我”（约12:32）。有位名人说过：“基督耶稣藉着爱心建立国度，不靠一兵一卒，却能雄立宇宙间，至今仍有千千万万的人甘心为他献身”。这就是任何力量都无法比拟的爱的力量，能吸引人到他面前来得怜恤，蒙恩惠，作随时的帮助。我们能来神面前，是主爱所吸引，也让我们将这爱从我们身上流露出来，能使更多人被吸引，来归向主。

二、主爱除惧怕：

“爱里没有惧怕；爱既完全，就把惧怕除去，因为惧怕里含着刑罚。惧怕的人在爱里未得完全。”（约壹4:18）

报摘科威特有个七岁女孩在动物园观光喂食时，不慎被猛虎抓住头，并把她往兽笼里拉，危急关头，他的母亲用牙齿咬住了虎爪，迫使老虎松开了她的女儿。这个报道使我们看见，母爱的力量促使一个女子有胆量用牙齿去咬老虎的爪子，撇开自己一切的惧怕和生命的安危。亲爱的读者，世上还有比这爱更伟大的吗？回答是肯定的。有！神把他独生爱子赐下人间，为拯救人类脱离罪恶深渊，不惜牺牲他爱子宝贵的生命，使一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生――这是最神圣最伟大的爱。

主的爱是完全的，永不改变的。我们因为住在主里，就能免去将来的审判和刑罚，所以在爱里没有惧怕。今天我们有时活在对罪未得赦免的惧怕中，有时活在对魔鬼撒但攻击的惧怕中，凡此种种，这一切惧怕都是没有活在主的爱中，不明白主爱的奥秘。主的爱是除去一切惧怕的。当我们认罪悔改，主的宝血就洁净我们，我们的罪就得赦免。魔鬼撒但攻击，生活中遇到风浪，环境危险而惧怕不安的时候，主都与我们同在，保守我们平安。我们在主的爱中不惧怕，因为主的爱已将惧怕除去。

三、主爱能得胜：

林后5:14（上）写道：“原来基督的爱激励我们。”彼得在主受害时原是不敢认主的人，因着主爱的激励，四处奔跑为主作见证，最后还为主殉道；保罗在大马色路上被主光照悔改后，一生奉献给主，经历了许多艰难困苦，终于唱出一首凯歌：“那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了。从今以后，有公义的冠冕为我存留。”（参提后4:7-8）――因为主的爱是能得胜的爱，才能激励许许多多的圣徒像他们一样，最终得胜，在基督里得胜。

历史上曾有多少人象亚历山大、拿破仑、希特勒等，虽显赫一时，但最后都以失败告终。人想用武力征服世界，但耶稣基督却没有用一兵一卒，他以爱征服了世界，征服了千千万万人的心，这就是得胜的爱。我们有了主的爱，不但不惧怕，反而能刚强壮胆，主的爱能激励我们不断更新自己，快跑跟随他，作得胜的人。

我们今天所领受的乃是神的爱，是吸引人的，除去惧怕的，能得胜的爱。让我们被神的爱所激励，过得胜的生活，为主作美好的见证。

The Strength of Love

By Rev. Jiang Guiying

Bible Verse Reading: Jeremiah 31: 3; 1 John 4:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

The hymn "Love, I will" says, "The light of Cross is gentle and kind, with the strength of LORD'S love, shining upon me…I am willing to surrender. I am willing to surrender in your arms of love;…to be in your arms forever. You are my LORD." Many hymns also show us that we love to turn to God with our heart and set the whole of ourselves in front of Him because His love fills our heart and His love is strength. The love of human beings is limited and will be changed and gone by. Only the love of God can give off tremendous strength.

1. The faithfulness of God's love.

Jeremiah 31 records that "God says, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.'" God's kindness will never be changed and He is perfectly dependable. God always persists in His faithful and steadfast love. God always gives best to those who are willing to accept and His love draws His people to be close to Him. God's love is transcendent and self-sacrificing. Just as what LORD Jesus said before he was crucified, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12: 32) Someone said, "With love, instead of depending on any soldier, Jesus Christ built his kingdom, which stands in the universe. Thousands of people are willing to die for him even today." His incomparable strength of love draws us to Him so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Thus we may reveal the love so that more will be drawn to God.

2. God's love casts out of fear.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." (1 John 4:18)

According to a newspaper, in Kuwait a 7-year old girl was grabbed by a violent tiger when she visited a zoo. The tiger seized her head and pulled her to the cage. In this critical moment, her mother bit the tiger's paws to make it release her daughter. The report indicates that mother's love makes a woman have the courage to bite a tiger's paws, regardless of her personal fear and danger. Dear all, could there be any love greater than that? Yes. God gave us His only Son to save human beings from evils so that those who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life-This is the holiest and greatest love of all.

God's love is perfect and everlasting. Because we abide in LORD so that we will be exempted from judge and punishment in the future. Today we sometimes abide in the fear that our sin may not be forgiven, and sometimes we abide in the fear that the devil may attack us, which show us that we do not abide in God's love or we do not understand the secret of God's love. When we admit our sin and repent, we are cleansed by the precious blood of the LORD and our sin is forgiven. The LORD is always with us and bless us with peace when we are attacked by the devil and when we are in danger and experience hardship.

3. God's love is victorious.

2 Corinthians 5:14 says, "For the love of Christ urges us on." Peter dared not admit LORD when the LORD is crucified. But because of LORD'S love, he testified for the LORD everywhere and finally, he died for the LORD. Paul was flashed around by the light form God on his way to Damascus. He experienced a lot of hardship and dedicated himself to the LORD all his life. Eventually he sang a victorious song, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness." (Ref. 2 Timothy 4: 4-8) God's love can urge many disciples on like him because His love is victorious love. We will be victorious finally and in Christ we win.

There were many like Alexander, Napoleon and Hitler who had mighty power once but ended up in failure. Human beings want to conquer the world with arms, but Jesus didn't use even one soldier. With love, he conquered the world and the heart of thousands of people. This is victorious love. With LORD'S love we will not be afraid, but rather, we will be bold and urged on to renew ourselves, running fast to follow him and be a victorious person.

Today we receive God's love, and His love draws us and casts out our fears. May that we are all urged on with God's love, and we lead a victorious love and give the testimony of God. 　 　

（根据录音整理）