我们的主复活之后曾三次问使徒彼得：“你爱我必这些更深吗” ？（约21:15）其实主问我们每一位门徒的最深刻问题也是：“你爱我吗？” 主耶稣显然希望我们对他的爱是第一的，也是最高的，个人的爱。拯救我们的主也配得我们这样专心的爱。主希望我们专注于他自己，远远超过我们所有的服事，超过我们一切的工作或其它的理想，超过我们一切拥有的东西。

玛利亚向主所献的香膏之所以那么宝贵是因为它是代表出自她内心对主深深的爱。主自己说“因为常有穷人和你们同在，要向他们行善随时都可以；只是你们不常有我。(马可福音 14:7）。主温柔地暗示：我们常会遇到一个危险，就是我们的热心常会阻碍祂真正的旨意 — 我们的心可能更多地被基督的工作所占据，而不是被基督自己。

我们需要基督自己来充满我们的心！我们需要基督的爱来帮助我们，装备我们适合作我们的服侍工作。除此之外，没有别的会给我们的工作一个真正的目标和中心，也没有别的会帮助我们对付生活与工作中面临的各种的压力！

当耶稣准备差派使徒彼得照顾他的羊群时，他并没有问他：“你爱我的羊群吗？”他只是问道：“你爱我吗？”我们对人的爱并不能使我们对他们真正忠诚。 但是如果我们有了对基督的爱，我们身上就会自然而然地流露出一种基督的爱，就像从基督反射出来的爱。我们本来并不能影响他人，是这种基督的爱让我们能触摸感动他人，祝福他人。这一切都是在基督的爱里！

“我们若爱　神，又遵守他的诫命，从此就知道我们爱　神的儿女。”(约翰一书 5:2）

主啊，帮助我省察自己的内心，帮助我真实的爱你！

“Lovest thou me?" the Master asks of each disciple. He expects our first and highest love for Himself, personally, and He has a right to it. More than all our service, more than all our work to build up a cause, He desires our personal devotion to Him. Mary's gift was precious because it was personal. Ye have the poor with you always; but me ye have not always (Mark 14:7), was His tender suggestion of a danger which defeats His purpose-our being more occupied with the work of Christ than with Christ Himself.

We need the love of Christ in order to fit us for His work. Nothing else will give it its true aim and center; nothing else will sustain us amid its pressures.

When Jesus was about to send Simon to take care of His flock, He did not ask Him, "Lovest thou my sheep and my lambs?" He asked, "Lovest thou me?" Mere love for people will not enable us to be true to them; but love for Christ will give us a reflected love for others that will enable us to touch them for Him and to bless them as our direct touch never could.

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments —1 John 5:2”