Our relationship with God requires love, faith, and knowledge, all intertwined together (1 John 4:16). Our faith needs the Holy Spirit to renew our heads and hearts because only spiritual beings know spiritual things. Therefore, we must be born again (John 3:7).
 
We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Such love has the following attributes.
 
I. Acknowledge our love for God.
Christ deserves our love, at least due to the sacrifice He made. He also demands it. For those ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of them later. Those who acknowledge Him before others will be acknowledged before His heavenly Father (Luke 9:26, Matthew 10:32-33). Also, acknowledging Him will put them among the most blessed, such as the angels in heaven.
 
If we so acknowledge and live consistently, we may influence others and receive great blessings, because it demonstrates that we are not of the world. But beware that the world will attack us (Genesis 3:15).
 
II. Our love comes from knowledge and faith, knowing and believing that God loves us so much that He gave His only son so we may have eternal life (1 John 4:16, John 3:16).
 
Consider how God has chosen us, redeemed us through His sacrifice, and taken us into Him. Look at His mercy supporting us daily. This will create in us a love for Him. If we don’t love Him, we are extremely ungrateful.
 
In this way, such love will come naturally. It can’t be forced and isn’t because of duty. We just can’t help but love Him because He first loved us. But, like love for our children, our love for God doesn’t come out all the time.
 
III. Our love is based on a great mystery.
 It is a mystery why God loves us. We can only attribute it to His grace and faithfulness. Give God all the glory.
 
IV. Our love is a force sustained by a higher force, which is God’s love to us.
 God’s love is extremely powerful. Nothing can stop His love.
 
Christ’s love compels us, empowering us to do impossible things, such as living not for ourselves but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
 
Summary of a sermon by Charles Spurgeon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIB3MHd2EWo
 


爱神的秘密
 
信徒与上帝的关系需要爱、信和知识彼此交织在一起（约翰一书 4:16）。我们的信仰需要圣灵来更新我们的头脑和心灵，因为只有属灵的人才知道属灵的事。 所以，我们必须重生（约翰福音 3:7）。
 
我们爱上帝因为祂先爱我们（约翰一书 4:19）。 这样的爱有以下的属性。
 
(一）承认我们对上帝的爱。
 至少因为基督的牺牲,祂配得我们的爱。爱基督是祂的要求。以祂为耻的人，祂也会以他们为耻。在人面前承认祂的，祂也会在天父面前承认他们（路加福音 9:26，马太福音 10:32-33）。承认祂的人将被放在最受祝福的（例如天使）被造中间。
 
我们如此承认祂，并且活出这样的生命，就可以影响他人并得到莫大的祝福，因为这表明我们不属于这世界。但要小心，世界会攻击伤害我们（创世记 3:15）。
 
(二) 我们的爱来自知识和信心, 知道并相信上帝爱我们，甚至将祂的独生子赐给我们，使我们得永生（约翰一书 4:16, 约翰福音 3:16）。
 
思想上帝如何拣选我们，藉着祂的牺牲救赎我们，并把我们带到祂里面。祂的慈悲每天托住我们。这一切会在我们里面产生对祂的爱。若非如此，我们岂不是非常忘恩负义？
 
所以，这样的爱是自然而然，不能被强迫, 也不是出于责任感。 我们情不自禁地爱祂，因为祂先爱我们。但就像对自己儿女的爱一样, 我们对上帝的爱不会每时每刻都流露出来。
 
(三) 我们的爱基于一个伟大的奥秘。
 神为何爱我们是个谜，只能将其归于上帝的恩典和信实，当把所有的荣耀归给上帝。
 
(四）我们爱的力量是由更高的大能托住的，就是上帝对我们的爱。
 上帝的爱极其强大，没有什么能阻止它。
 
基督的爱激励我们，赐我们力量去完成不可能的事情, 例如不再为自己而活，单单为祂而活（哥林多后书 5:14-15）。
 

True spirituality is to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind, and to love one another as ourselves. Matthew22:37-39. When we love God, we would love what He loves also.
 
Such love is more vital than to be a scholar of the Bible. Knowledge is valuable and indispensable in our life. We True spirituality is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love one another as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). When we love God, we will love what He loves also.
 
Such love is more vital than to be a scholar of the Bible. Knowledge is valuable and indispensable in our life. We need to use our God-given mind to understand and love Him. But knowledge by itself does not bring life. Intelligence even can hinder us in following God if it leads to arrogance. God’s revelation goes to the humble (Matthew 11:25).
 
Having such love is more valuable than serving as a missionary in a faraway land. Without love, even if we give all we have to the poor and suffer, we gain nothing. Without love, even if we have the faith that can achieve great things, we are nothing (Matthew 22:39, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:20-21, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
 
We need to love God more than our own ambitions or money. We cannot serve God and money simultaneously. Note that being wealthy and loving God can co-exist, and rarely do we see a beggar who does not love money (Luke 16:13).
 
But why should we love God?
 
We should love God because He first loves us (1 John 4:19). Meditate on the love of God. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matthew 26:38). He went through excruciating pain and was crucified on a cross. At one point, even God the Father forsook Him (Matthew 27:46). Christ went through hell so that we would not have to. Ask God to make us see clearly and comprehend deeply His love for us.
 
We should love God because He has forgiven our sins. We have made lots of mistakes, alienating ourselves and hurting others. Our iniquities continue even after our commitment to follow Christ. Ask God to open our eyes to see the seriousness of our sins. The more we realize His mercy in forgiving our sins, the more we love Him because “whomever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).
 
True spirituality is to love God and our neighbors.
 
Summarized a sermon by Zac Poonen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3wTy8n4b9g

 
​
最重要的诫命
 
真正的属灵是尽心、尽性、尽意爱上帝,并且爱人如己（马太福音22:37）。一个爱上帝的人也会爱祂所爱。
 
拥有这样的爱比做圣经学者更为重要（马太福音13:52）。知识在我们的生活中是宝贵而不可缺的。我们需要使用上帝所赐的理智来理解祂，来热爱祂。但知识本身并不能带来生命。聪明才智如果带来骄傲自大，甚至会阻碍人跟随上帝。上帝的启示显明给那些谦卑的人（马太福音11:25）。
 
拥有这样的爱比在远方做宣教士更有价值。即使我们将所有的周济穷人而受苦，没有爱也是一无所得。即使我们的信念堅定得可以成就大事，但没有爱也是一无是处（马太福音22:39；约翰福音13:34-35；约翰壹书4:20-21；哥林多前书13:1）。
 
爱上帝需要胜过自己的野心勃勃,胜过对金钱的贪爱。不能同时服侍金钱和上帝。请注意富有和爱神可以共存。很少有不爱钱的乞丐（路加福音16:13）。
 
不过为什么要爱上帝呢？
 
应该爱上帝因为祂先爱我们（约翰壹书4:19）。让我们一起来默想上帝的爱。在客西马尼园里，基督被悲伤压碎，几乎要死（马太福音26:38）。祂经历了极度的痛苦，被钉在十字架上。在某一时刻，甚至父神也离弃了祂（马太福音27:46）。祈求上帝帮助我们，使我们可以清楚地看见和深入地领会祂对我们的无比大爱。
 
应该爱上帝因为祂赦免我们的罪。我们犯了很多错误,离开了祂，伤害自己和他人。即使立志跟随基督之后，我们的罪孽仍未曾停止。求神打开我们的眼睛，看到自己的罪何其严重。越能意识到祂赦免之怜悯，就越爱祂，因为“那赦免少的，他的愛就少”（路加福音7:47）。
 
真正的属灵是爱上帝和邻舍。

In ancient times, there were no hotels. Travelers sometimes depended on local people to take care of them, at times waiting outside a city gate for residents to invite them in and provide them lodging.
 
Jewish hospitality could go even further. Their laws required them to love foreigners, partially because they themselves were foreigners in Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).
 
Similarly, Christians should be hospitable to strangers, and should proactively protect the marginalized (Hebrews 13:2-3).
 
Where do we get the impetus to help them? We are more inclined to be good to our neighbors because they could help us later. But most likely, we would never see a stranger again.
 
First, know that things on earth are transient. They do not belong to us. They are not here just for us. At best, we could only keep them for a very short time. Also, remember that what we have are gifts from God. So don’t focus on using them solely for our own benefits, forgetting the needs of others. Use them to benefit the community, to benefit others as well. For example, build stable families to benefit our children.
 
Second, know that God is always with us. Though we have turned away from God so as to run our own lives, God has promised us unconditionally that He would not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). This was shown by Christ sacrificing Himself for us. To make us children of God, Christ suffered terribly, forsaken by both humans and God the Father (Hebrews 13:12, Mark 15:34).
 
Third, know that Christ has prepared our real home with God the Father (John 14:2). It is a glorious place in the house of God (Revelation 21 and 22). Let’s look forward to it (Hebrews 13:14).
 
In conclusion, be aware that things on earth are transient. Nothing on earth could endure the test of time. But God loves us and is always with us. He has a wonderful place prepared for us in heaven, so look forward to our permanent home that is to come. For our short time on Earth, let us be good to strangers as God has been to us. It is possible that you might be entertaining an angel (Hebrews 13:2).
 
Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon.
http://www.gospelinlife.com/free-sermon-resource
 

 
款待陌生客旅
 
​古代的时候没有旅馆。外来旅客有时需要依赖当地人照顾。譬如，旅客要先在城门外等待，直到城里的居民邀请他们进去，并且提供住宿的地方和食物给他们。
 
犹太人的款待可以更进一步。他们的律法要求他们爱寄居的外来人, 部分原因是犹太人本身也曾经是埃及的寄居客(申命记10：17-19) 。
 
同样地，基督徒也应该好好地款待陌生人，并主动地保护那些边缘人 (希伯来书13：2-3)。
 
我们从哪里得到这种行为的驱动力呢? 我们更可能对邻居好，因为他们以后可以帮助我们。 但我们如果帮助陌生人，很有可能再也见不到他们，得不到任何回报。
 
首先，我们要知道世上的东西都是短暂的。它们既不属于我们，也不只是为了我们而存在。我们最多只能保留它们很短的时间。并且记住我们拥有的都是上帝的恩赐。因此，不要只关注它们是否对自己有用， 而忘记别人的需求。也应该使用自己所有的来使我们生活的社区受益, 使我们周边的其他人受益。比方说，可以帮助建造稳定的家庭使孩子们受益。
 
其次，要知道上帝永远与我们同在。虽然我们离开上帝要过自我操控的生活，但上帝无条件地应许我们，祂不会撇下或丢弃我们 (希伯来书13：5)。基督为我们舍命就是明证。为使我们成为父神的孩子, 祂遭受了极大的痛苦, 被人类和父神离弃 （希伯来书13:12, 马可福音15:34）。
 
此外，要知道基督还与父神一起为我们预备了真正的家 (约翰福音14：2)。这是上帝的家, 一个荣耀的地方 (启示录21和22) 。让我们期待它吧 (希伯来书13:14) 。
 
总之，要知道世事是转瞬即逝的。地上没有任何东西能够真正承受时间的考验。但是，上帝爱我们，并且永远与我们同在。祂在天国为我们准备了一个美好的地方。因此，我们应期待未来的永久家园。让我们在地上这短暂的时间内，好好地对待陌生人，就像上帝对我们一样。你也许在不知不觉中，就款待了一位天使（希伯来书13：2）！