三月十二日

當愛你的鄰舍。（太5:43）

“愛你的鄰舍”，或許他富有，你貧窮，你的小茅屋就在他壯麗的大廈旁邊；你天天看到他的家私，他穿的是綾羅綢緞，吃的是珍饈美味；神賜給他這一切，所以你不要貪婪他的財富，也不要起嫉妒的心。若你不能改善自己的境遇，那麼就當知足，不要看你的鄰舍，也不要希望他像你一樣。要愛他，那麼你就不會羡慕，也不會嫉妒他了。

也或許，你有錢，而在你鄰近的地方有一位窮人。那麼不要以為稱他為鄰舍就是羞辱了自己。你不要輕看人家。你要愛他，那是你的責任。世人看他不及你。可是他有什麼不及你的地方呢？他和你是一樣的，並無不及你之處，因為神“從一本造出萬族的人，住在全地上”。你的衣服比他好，並不是你比他好。他是個人，你還能超出這個人字之外嗎？要注意，就是你的鄰舍襤褸不堪，貧窮非凡，你也要愛他。

或許你說：“我不能愛我的鄰舍，因為我所作的，他們卻報之以怨尤和輕蔑。”但是你還能大大地愛他。你只願作一個穿著輕便如羽毛似的軍裝的戰士，而不願作一個穿戴愛的厚重的甲胄鬥士嗎？最有果敢的人，得勝必最多；若你的愛的道路崎嶇，要大膽地踏過，仍要不為畏艱困地愛你的鄰舍。把炭火堆在他們頭上，若他們難以討好，就不要討他們的好，要討你主的好；他們蔑視了你的愛，主卻不蔑視。你的行為既被主接納就像被他們接納一樣。愛你的鄰舍，因為你這樣作就是跟從了基督的腳蹤。

March 12

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour." --Matthew 5:43

"Love thy neighbour." Perhaps he rolls in riches, and thou art poor, and living in thy little cot side-by-side with his lordly mansion; thou seest every day his estates, his fine linen, and his sumptuous banquets; God has given him these gifts, covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning him. Be content with thine own lot, if thou canst not better it, but do not look upon thy neighbour, and wish that he were as thyself. Love him, and then thou wilt not envy him.

Mayhap, on the other hand, thou art rich, and near thee reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbour. Own that thou art bound to love them. The world calls them thy inferiors. In what are they inferior? They are far more thine equals than thine inferiors, for "God hath made of one blood all people that dwell upon the face of the earth." It is thy coat which is better than theirs, but thou art by no means better than they. They are men, and what art thou more than that? Take heed that thou love thy neighbour even though he be in rags, or sunken in the depths of poverty.

But, perhaps, you say, "I cannot love my neighbours, because for all I do they return ingratitude and contempt." So much the more room for the heroism of love. Wouldst thou be a feather-bed warrior, instead of bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most, shall win the most; and if rough be thy path of love, tread it boldly, still loving thy neighbours through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on their heads, and if they be hard to please, seek not to please them, but to please thy Master; and remember if they spurn thy love, thy Master hath not spurned it, and thy deed is as acceptable to Him as if it had been acceptable to them. Love thy neighbour, for in so doing thou art following the footsteps of Christ.