Chase Success in God’s Eyes + Beware Spiritual Pride

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 4:1-8.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (NIV)
1  So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.
2  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
3  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.
4  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
5  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

On verses 1-5:  The people in the church in Corinth had their share of “Paul groupies” and “Apollos groupies”.  The Paul groupies loved to talk about how great Paul was and how much better he was than any other Christian leader.  They would boast about their allegiance to Paul and look with disdain at those who were led by other Christian leaders.  The Apollos groupies loved to do the same as it related to Apollos.   In response to all this, here Paul is basically saying, “Stop putting Apollos and me on a pedestal. 

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大卫受膏做犹大王

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〈撒母耳记〉下 2:4  犹大人来到希伯仑，在那里膏大卫做犹大家的王。

阅读经文: 〈撒母耳记〉下 2:1-32

大卫的逃亡生涯结束了，他的第一件事是求问神：“我上犹大的一个城去可以吗？”扫罗死了，以色列地有什么地方大卫不能去的吗？大卫哪里都可以去，但是他觉得自己是属神的人，是神所膏的王，所以他必须听从神的命令。这是何等的顺服！然后他再求问神要上哪一个城去？神指示他上希伯仑，所以他就带着妻子和跟随他的人都带到希伯仑。

当大卫到了希伯仑之后，我们就看见他以前所送的礼，所结交的朋友，现在都“发酵”了。犹大人来到希伯仑，在那里膏大卫作王。大卫知道“建立关系”的重要性，所以他听到基伊拉的城受困，他就去救基伊拉；在旷野时，他就帮助放羊的，免得他们被掳掠；他打胜仗得了掠物，就拿去送犹大的长老们。在逃亡的生涯中，大卫没有因而自暴自弃，反而在每一个关键时刻去帮助别人，与人建立良好的关系。如此，当他住进希伯仑时，犹大人就承认了撒母耳曾经膏大卫做王这件事，同心接受大卫做他们的王。大卫一生中三次被膏为王，这是第二次，第三次是被膏为全以色列的王。

此时以色列大半的国土都已失去，约旦河以西只剩下一些犹大支派的地，例如希伯仑。扫罗的元帅押尼珥带着残兵败将，和扫罗所剩的唯一儿子伊施波设，逃到了约旦河东的玛哈念，立伊施波设为王。押尼珥难道不知道神已经借着撒母耳膏大卫为王吗？可是一旦伊施波设不做王，那么他也当不成元帅。为了保住他自己的权势，押尼珥必须立伊施波设为王。事实上，此时真正发号施令的是押尼珥，不是伊施波设，后者只是个傀儡。

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Don’t Be A People Worshipper

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 3:1-9.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (NIV)
1  Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly–mere infants in Christ.
2  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3  You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4  For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe–as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
6  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
8  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
9  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

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大卫写〈弓歌〉

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〈撒母耳记〉下 1:25 英雄何竟在阵上仆倒，约拿单何竟在山上被杀！

阅读经文：   〈撒母耳记〉下 1:1-27

就在大卫去追亚玛力人，夺回自己和众人的妻儿、财物和牲畜之际，也正是扫罗带领以色列人和非利士人大战之时，扫罗和约拿单都死了，以色列人大败。大卫和跟随他的人正在庆幸找回了家人和财物，而大卫可能会想起，非利士人和以色列人的战争不知进行得如何了？那时没有电视，也没有伊妹儿(email)或爱凤(iphone)，消息传得相当慢。到了第三天，才有人来讨赏。

那是一个住在以色列人中的亚玛力人，可能是作为雇佣兵而参战的。他把扫罗临死的情形告诉大卫，并取来扫罗头上的冠冕、臂上的镯子以作证据。他可能知道大卫已被膏为王，也知道扫罗追杀大卫的事，因为扫罗带兵公开去追杀大卫；所以他认为大卫知道扫罗被杀一定很高兴，因为大卫的仇敌死了，大卫就可以作王了。因此他觉得自己一定可以领到不少奖赏。但是出乎他意料之外，大卫不但不感激他，把他训了一顿，还叫人把他杀了。

这就是大卫。可能有人觉得他矫情，扫罗死了，他岂有不高兴的道理？他不是终于不必东躲西逃了吗？但是大卫的过人之处就在于他敬畏神，所以他一直很尊重扫罗。他在吊扫罗和约拿单所写的哀歌里，把他对扫罗的尊重和对约拿单表露无遗。扫罗其实充满嫉恨残酷，但是大卫不理私人恩怨，只看扫罗在国中所做的。他称扫罗为尊荣者、大英雄。扫罗起初的作为的确是以色列的尊荣者、大英雄。大卫记得扫罗为以色列人做过的好事。

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