耶和华的心

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耶利米书29章11节   耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。

有好几次去餐馆时，若有弟兄在场，一定有人点东坡肉。这是兼文学家，书法家和政治家于一身的苏东坡发明的一道菜肴。苏东坡被眨到黄州之后，发现那里的猪肉特别便宜，所以他天天买天天做，就做出名了。苏东坡也曾经有过好日子，在北宋高太后执政时，他当翰林学士兼侍读学士，又教小皇帝读书，对领导群讲课，那一段日子他过得既荣耀，又锦衣玉食。

可惜好景不长，朝庭里有小人务必置他于死地，一再把他放逐，从黄州到惠州到海南岛。那时候的海南岛十分落后，是个鬼门关，去的人十有八九客死他乡。但是三年后苏东坡不仅活着回中原，还写了三本诗词著作，还留传了好几个名菜。

苏东坡的境遇让我想到旧约里的约瑟，从小就是父亲眼里的骄子，可惜被兄长们嫉恨，卖给以实玛利人，又卖到埃及。从一个锦衣玉食的天之骄子，一下子变成事事仰人鼻息的奴隶。使人惊奇的是，他并没有因而颓废，反而因为心里有神，在短短七年内做到了主人的管家。

没想到主人的妻子看上他，要与他同寝，他不肯，她便诬告他，让他下狱。当奴隶己经很倒霉，又变成阶下囚。换成是我，就要大叹来年不利了。约并没有因而丧志，七年里，司狱把监里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟手下，他们在那里所办的事都是经约瑟的手。

然后，法老因着约瑟的解梦，让他成为全埃及的宰相，一人之下，万人之上。十四年的学习，让约瑟对埃及了如手掌，成为宰相，他的能力绰绰有余。很多人羡慕约瑟的成功，但是没有看到约瑟当奴隶和囚犯的痛苦。

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God’s Heart vs. My Heart

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 4:1-11.  Let’s go!

Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 
2  He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 
3  Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
 
On verses 1-3:  God has just shown great mercy to the Ninevites (see Jonah 3:10) and Jonah is angry.  Why?  For the same reason Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh to preach in the first place: Jonah despised the Ninevites.  Jonah had probably learned from the prophets Hosea and Amos that one day Assyria (of which Nineveh was or would be the capital city) would one day attack Jonah’s country of Israel.  So Jonah did not want God to spare the Ninevites.  Notice the double standard Jonah was operating under: when God spared Jonah instead of punishing Jonah, Jonah was overjoyed and thankful, yet when God spared the Ninevites instead of punishing them, Jonah is greatly displeased and angry. 
 

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耶和华和基甸的刀

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约翰福音10章27节   我的羊听我的声音，我也认识他们，他们也跟着我。 

在防止疫情扩展的需要之下，这世界上几乎每一个人都尝到了被居家隔离的滋味。大家都喜欢自由自在的生活，没有人喜欢被隔离，关在家里，因此美国及其他地方偶而有些人出来抗议。但是，其实我们己经很幸福了，能够被居家隔离。在大约三千多年前，有的人不仅被强迫关在家里不敢出去，甚至要躲在酒榨里打麦子。

酒榨是一种用来压出果实汁液的器具，古时候通常都在山穴或地下。打麦子本来要在通风的禾场打，因为需要利用风力将麦糠和麦子分开，才能有最多的收成。但是这个人害怕有人来抢夺他们的粮食，只好躲在最不通风的地下打麦子，可见他实在很不得己。要把麦糠和麦子分开，没有风力(那时也没有电扇)，只要一打下去，麦糠满天飞舞，那种空气也会让人感到窒息。

就在这样令人很尴尬的情况下，却有人突然出现，对他说：「大能的勇士啊，耶和华与你同在！」这人很不以为然地回答：「耶和华若与我们同在，我们何至遭遇这一切事呢？」这人便是基甸，神为以色列人预备的士师。但那时他还不知道神在他身上的计划，他甚至不相信照顾以色列人的神会让他们被米甸人压迫到这样的地步。

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A God of Second Chances

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 3:1-10.  Let’s go!

Jonah 3:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 
2  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 
3  Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh…
 
On verses 1-3:  The first time the word of the Lord came to Jonah, Jonah ran away.  But praise God that in His mercy God decided to let His Word come to Jonah a second time (v1).  Likewise, you and I may not have always responded with obedience the first time God called us, but thank God for those times when, after even we have rejected Him, God calls us a second time, or a hundredth time.  I’m so glad that in His mercy God has decided that “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29).  Thank You Lord for being the God of second chances.  Thank You for Your patience with me.

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雅各的天梯

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约翰福音14章16节  我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师，叫祂永远与你们同在。

这次新冠疫情带给大家最大的痛苦，大概就是隔离效应了。许多人都觉得很孤单。特别是为了保护老人，儿孙辈不准探访祖辈；在老人院的不准出门，只能关在自己室内，每天三餐送到门口。独居的每天独来独往，生病的更不准探视，进了医院的就等于世隔绝，很多人都在孤独中死去。人人都好像在坐监牢。有人开玩笑说，等疫情过后大家都可以去干一两件坏事，因为我们都己经提早服刑了。

孤单，是这个时代的特色，只是在这次的疫情中更加地突显出来。在旧约里有个人曾经也很孤单。因为他的母亲叫他去偷了他父亲给哥哥的祝福，所以他哥哥气得想杀他，他的母亲只好叫他快快离家，避避风头。这就是雅各的故事。

雅各要从现在的巴勒斯坦/别是巴走到大约土耳其的哈兰，那时称为巴旦亚兰，又称米索波大米，大约需要走一个多月。这是一条很孤单的旅途，圣经记载，雅各累了只能枕石而睡。没有汽车旅馆，也没有住家可以借宿，也没有仆人跟着帮他打点。他就这样一个人默默地走，默默地睡觉。他心里的徬徨可想而知。

有一次温哥华的巴士罢工，有个朋友在餐馆打工，凌晨一点下班，自己没有车。一直走回到家里，己是凌晨四时。她回忆那时的心情十分恐惧，半夜三更路上无人还好，万一有坏人，她都不知要往哪里逃。她说就是一路祷告，不停祷告，直到回到家里。

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基督再来时如何？

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God’s Grace Is Greater Than Your Troubles

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Jonah 2:1 (NIV) 
1  From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2  He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3  You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
4  I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
5  The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6  To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
7  “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

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焦急中的选择

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撒母耳记上30章6节    大卫甚是焦急，因众人为自己的儿女苦恼，说要用石头打死他。大卫却倚靠耶和华他的神，心里坚固。

纽约最近有一则新闻，有一位急诊室的医生也被传染到新冠肺炎，后来自杀。她是我儿子的一个同事，儿子说工作单位里的人听到这个消息都非常震惊难过。那位医生的自杀突显出在疫情下的医护人员身心的巨大压力。在这个新冠病毒肆虐的时候，每个人都受到极大的冲击，尤其是在第一线的医护人员和其他工作者。儿子也在急诊室上班，他说医院内外是两个世界，医院里聚满了许多垂危的病人，但是到了街上仿佛无事一般。除了有亲友死去的人，许多人不明白这病毒的传染有多么危险，还不肯配合政府的宣导，以致于害人损己。

面对生死的压力时，我们还能仰望神吗？大卫让我最佩服的地方就在此。在他逃亡的后期，非利士王亚吉收留了他，还送给他一座城洗革拉。但是当非利士人要去和以色列人争战时，他们担心大卫会临阵倒戈，因此不让大卫和从人参加。大卫他们一行人只好回去洗革拉的家。没想到迎接他们的是一座被掠夺和焚烧的城，他们的妻子和儿女都被亚玛力人掳去了。

当大家为妻儿哭泣时，愤怒到要用石头打死大卫。此时的大卫也很着急，他的妻子也被掳去了，众人又来势汹汹，情况万分危急。圣经记载，此时的大卫却因为倚靠神，心里坚固。这句话不是说他己有主意，而是说在此大风大浪之际，他转眼仰望神。他不是试着去安抚众人，而是请祭司亚比亚他拿以弗得来求问神。大卫选择倚靠神，而不让焦急控制他的心思。

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Run After God, Not Away From Him

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 1:1-17.  There are so many powerful lessons we can learn.  Let’s go!

Jonah 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 
2  “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

On verses 1-2:  Who is this man Jonah?  Is he a deeply spiritual man with a close and honest relationship with God?  Or is he a superficial man who lacks love for God and love for people?  Is he a bit of both?  As you read the book of Jonah, make it your aim to find out what kind of person Jonah is, besides the famous fact of him running away from God and getting swallowed up by a big fish.  Besides the fact that his name means “dove” and he is son of Amittai (which means “true one”), these two verses show us that Jonah had an assignment from God: to go to the city of Nineveh, which would become the capital city of Assyria, and preach a message of repentance to the people in Nineveh.  This was not the only assignment God had ever given Jonah.  In 2 Kings 14:25 we learn that Jonah was a prophet from Gath Hepher who prophesied accurately that Jeroboam II king of Israel would restore the boundaries of Israel.  As a prophet, Jonah was probably someone who was accustomed to hearing God’s voice, receiving assignments from God and giving messages from God to others.

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