What God-Pleasing Faith Looks Like

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 4:17-25.  Let’s go!

Romans 4:17 (NIV)
17  As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed–the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
 
On verse 17:  God called Abraham a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5) even when Abraham and Sarah had no success bearing even a single child.  God specializes in doing the impossible and speaking the possible out of impossible situations.  That’s why Paul calls him “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” 

Romans 4:18 (NIV)
18  Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Read more

Who’s Your Daddy?

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 4:9-16.  Let’s go!

Romans 4:9-12 (NIV)
9  Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
10  Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
12  And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
 
Verses 9-12:  To show that righteousness by faith is a gift that God makes available to everyone and not only to Jews, Paul goes back to the example of Abraham.  Paul notes that Abraham received his righteousness by faith before he was circumcised (v10).  In this way, Abraham is a father of faith (that is, a great example and a forerunner of what it looks like to receive righteousness by faith) for all of us who are not circumcised, i.e. who do not come from a Jewish background (v11). 

Read more

以智慧建造人生

/in , /by

箴言24:3   房屋因智慧建造，又因聰明立穩。

閱讀經文：箴言 24:1-4

1你不要嫉妒惡人，也不要起意與他們相處。2因為他們的心圖謀強暴，他們的口談論奸惡。3房屋因智慧建造，又因聰明立穩，4其中因知識充滿各樣美好寶貴的財物。

1你不要嫉妒惡人，也不要起意與他們相處。2因為他們的心圖謀強暴，他們的口談論奸惡。Don’t envy bad people; don’t even want to be around them. All they think about is causing a disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble.

什麼是惡人呢？就是那些心裡圖謀強暴，口裡談論奸惡的人。這樣的人有什麼值得人嫉妒，並且還起意想跟他們相處？你會發現，在日常生活裡，有不少人很羨慕這樣的惡霸。似乎跟他們在一起，自己也有了存在感。

他們似乎是具有特權的人，因為凶惡，令人害怕，不敢得罪，以致於常常佔別人的便宜。大部份人成為被恐嚇的對象。也因此，超人電影往往受人喜愛，因為我們常常感到自己的軟弱，無法和惡勢力對抗。所以惡霸後面總跟著一群人，為了要沾他的光。為了離開自己的軟弱，而成為惡人的手下，卑躬屈膝，成為走狗，大有人在。

例如同性婚姻的訴求，同運人士的操作，即使有很多人心裡不以為然，表面上卻很積極地支持，因為怕被同伴嘲笑落伍，怕被人說有歧視，等等。我們心裡害怕被擠出去，不敢說出心裡真正的看法。因為忘記了，我們有一位耶和華神，是全能的主宰，是看顧我們的天父。我們總是害怕眼所能見的，不敢相信眼見不到的。我們的信心建立在自我之上，所以不敢過分別為聖的生活。

求天父幫助我們，開我們的眼睛，讓我們看到，那與我們同在的，比與他們同在的更多。讓我們明白，不要怕那只能傷害身體的，反而要怕那有能力轄制身體和靈魂的。

Read more

You Are Righteous Because of Jesus

/in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 3:21-31.  Let’s go!

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
21  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
 
On verses 21-24:  In the Bible, to be “righteous” means to be blameless, acceptable and worthy in God’s eyes to be in His presence because we are holy like He is.  In Romans 3:9-20 Paul explained that we could never be righteous by trying to obey God’s laws.  That’s because no matter how hard we try, we will never meet God’s perfect standard.  Because of our sin, we are separated from God’s holy presence.  As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

Read more

流連飲酒的後果

/in , /by

箴言23:34   你必像躺在海中，或像臥在桅杆上。

閱讀經文：箴言 23:27-35

27妓女是深坑，外女是窄阱。28她埋伏好像強盜，她使人中多有奸詐的。29誰有禍患？誰有憂愁？誰有爭鬥？誰有哀嘆？誰無故受傷？誰眼目紅赤？30就是那流連飲酒，常去尋找調和酒的人。31酒發紅，在杯中閃爍，你不可觀看，雖然下咽舒暢，終久是咬你如蛇，刺你如毒蛇。33你眼必看見異怪的事，你心必發出乖謬的話。34你必像躺在海中，或像臥在桅杆上。35你必說：「人打我我卻未受傷，人鞭打我我竟不覺得，我幾時清醒，我仍去尋酒！」

根據2016年12月英媒《都市報》報導，波蘭一名25歲男子卡密爾（Kamil）日前參加一個狂飲派對，在過程中他喝下大量伏特加酒，當場喪失意識，經送醫後宣告不治，被送進太平間停放。然而當晚醫院的警衛聽到奇怪的聲音從停屍間傳出，推開門後赫然發現一具冰冷、全裸的「屍體」望著他，並開口要一條毛毯，令警衛嚇到直接報警。警方到場後協同院方人員進行身分比對，確定這具復活的「屍體」是已被宣判死亡的卡密爾，在進行一連串健康檢查後，醫師認為他健康狀況良好，隨即送他出院。不過，死裡逃生的卡密爾出院後目的地竟不是家中，而是另一間酒館。

Read more