God’s love stands when all else has fallen.

He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

As Jesus’s beloved disciple John grew older, his teaching became increasingly narrowed, focusing entirely on the love of God in his three letters. In the book Knowing the Truth of God’s Love, Peter Kreeft cites an old legend which says that one of John’s young disciples once came to him complaining, “Why don’t you talk about anything else?” John replied, “Because there isn’t anything else.”

God’s love is certainly at the heart of the mission and message of Jesus. In his earlier gospel account, John recorded the words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The apostle Paul tells us that God’s love is at the core of how we live, and he reminds us that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

God’s love is so strong, available, and stabilizing that we can confidently step into each day knowing that the good things are gifts from His hand and the challenges can be faced in His strength. For all of life, His love is what matters most.

Thank You, O Lord, that Your love is rich and pure, measureless and strong!

万物皆会朽坏，唯上帝的爱永不改变。

上帝差祂独生子到世间来，使我们藉着祂得生，上帝爱我们的心在此就显明了。-约翰一书4章9节

耶稣所爱的门徒约翰年纪老迈的时候，他所写的三封书信都偏重于教导上帝的爱。美国护教家彼得·克里夫特（Peter Kreeft）在他的著作中，曾引用古老的传说，提到曾有一个年轻的门徒向使徒约翰抱怨道：“为什么你只谈上帝的爱呢？”使徒约翰回答：“因为如果不谈上帝的爱，就没有什么可以谈的。”

毫无疑问，耶稣的使命和教导是以上帝的爱为中心。使徒约翰在约翰福音书中，就曾经写下：“上帝爱世人，甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信祂的，不至灭亡，反得永生。”（约翰福音3章16节）

使徒保罗告诉我们上帝的爱是我们生活的核心，他提醒我们：“无论是死、是生，是天使、是掌权的，是有能的，是现在的事、是将来的事，是高处的、是低处的，是别的受造之物，都不能叫我们与上帝的爱隔绝；这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里的。”（罗马书8章38-39节）

上帝的爱是大有能力、永不止息，永不改变的，使我们可以有信心面对每一天，知道所有美善的事物都是祂所赐下的恩典，我们也能倚靠祂的能力面对所有的挑战。在我们的一生中，清楚明白上帝对我们的爱是最重要的。

主啊，感谢祢，因祢的爱何等丰富，
伟大无限无量！

1 John 4:7-19New International Version (NIV)

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.19 We love because he first loved us.

整理：于姊妹