我知谁掌管明天

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雅各书 4:14-15    其实明天如何，你们还不知道。你们的生命是什么呢？你们原来是一片云雾，出现少时就不见了。 15 你们只当说：「主若愿意，我们就可以活着，也可以做这事或做那事。」 

我不知明日将如何，每时刻安然度过；我不求明天的阳光，因明天或转阴暗。
我不为将来而忧虑，因我知主所应许；今天我必与主同行，祂深知前途光景。
许多事明天将临到，许多事难以明了；但我知主掌管明天，祂必要领我向前。

艾拉·史坦菲尔(Ira Forest Stanphill)是20世纪美国著名的福音诗歌作家和巡回布道家，一生创作超过500首诗歌，《我知谁掌管明天》是最广为流传的一首。

1914年，史坦菲尔出生于美国新墨西哥州，在基督徒家庭长大，自小接触音乐与教会生活，10岁开始弹钢琴与风琴，12岁开始作曲。他于神学院获得音乐与神学训练，22岁成为音乐牧师与巡回布道家，常以音乐服事来分享福音；在那个时代，他的音乐风格被认为既「流行」又「敬虔」，能够吸引教会内外的人。

在1940年代末期，史坦菲尔的婚姻出现极大危机，他的妻子离开他并拒绝信仰，这对他造成极大打击。在那段人生低谷中，他仍坚持事奉主，甚至说：「我选择在破碎中服事，因为神能使用破碎的器皿。」

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Eat with the King

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 25:8-25:30.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 
 
2 Kings 25:8-21 (NIV)
8  On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
9  He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.

On 2 Kings 25:8-21: King Nebuchadnezzar has captured Judah’s capital city of Jerusalem and has deported Judah’s King Zedekiah along with approximately 10,000 Judahites to Babylon (v1-7). Now in these verses we see King Nebuchadnezzar setting fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace, all the houses and every important building in Jerusalem (v8-9). 

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让今天成为美事

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诗篇30:5  因为祂的怒气不过是转眼之间，祂的恩典乃是一生之久，一宿虽然有哭泣，早晨便必欢呼。

耶利米哀歌 3:23  每早晨这都是新的，祢的诚实极其广大。

诗篇 5:3  耶和华啊，早晨你必听我的声音；早晨我必向你陈明我的心意，并要警醒。

大卫在献殿的时候作诗歌，歌颂神，称赞祂的圣名，因为他深深体会，神的怒气仅在转瞬之间，神的恩典乃是一生之久。黑夜或许充满眼泪与挣扎，但是神未远离，黑夜过去，天一亮，祂依然与我们同在，我们可以欢呼迎接新的开始。

大卫说：「一宿虽然有哭泣，早晨便必欢呼。」（诗篇30:5）

清晨，神的慈爱与怜悯再次临到，这是祂诚实不变的应许，祂给每一个人都有新的一天。在这时刻，万物苏醒，我们的心也再次被更新。「每早晨，这都是新的；祢的诚实极其广大。」（耶利米哀歌 3:23）

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从「永远」进入「永生」

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约翰福音 3:1-21  

有一个法利赛人，名叫尼哥迪慕，是犹太人的官。 2 这人夜里来见耶稣，说：「拉比，我们知道你是由神那里来做师傅的，因为你所行的神蹟，若没有神同在，无人能行。」 3 耶稣回答说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不重生，就不能见神的国。」 4 尼哥迪慕说：「人已经老了，如何能重生呢？岂能再进母腹生出来吗？」 5 耶稣说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不是从水和圣灵生的，就不能进神的国。 6 从肉身生的就是肉身，从灵生的就是灵。

耶稣第一个传福音的对象是尼哥底母（约翰福音3:1-21），他是法利赛人、犹太人的官，拥有旧约传统的宗教和社会地位。他夜里来见耶稣，也许是谦卑寻见、或是避人耳目；但耶稣与他一席详谈，带他明白如何从旧约的「永远」进入「永生」，将「永远」赋予生命意义，阐述永远的生命。

耶稣劈头给尼哥底母一个重击，「我说：『你们必须重生』，你不要以为希奇。（约翰福音3:3-7）」；接着，祂用犹太人熟捻的「摩西旷野举蛇」历史（民数记21:4-9），来说明得着「生命」的真理。

以色列人出埃及后，在旷野途中，因艰苦与缺水缺粮而向神和摩西抱怨。神使火蛇进入百姓中间，咬死了许多人，惩罚他们的埋怨与背弃。后来，百姓悔改，神吩咐摩西制造一条铜蛇，挂在杆子上，凡被蛇咬的，只要抬头仰望铜蛇，就必得痊愈。摩西照做，铜蛇成了神怜悯与救赎的记号。

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God’s Preferred Way of Working in Your Life

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 24:8-25:7.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 24:8-19 (NIV)
8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
9  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father had done.

On 2 Kings 24:8-19:  These verses describe how in approximately 597 B.C. while Jehoiachin is king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah again, this time deporting back to Babylon approximately 10,000 Judahites, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, wives, officials, 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans. 

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God is King Over All

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:21-24:7.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 23:21-23 (NIV) 
21  The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 
22  Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. 
23  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem.
 
On verses 21-23:  In the Book of the Law, God had commanded His people to celebrate the Passover, an annual festival intended to commemorate how God had rescued His people.  As part of ushering a revival (a spiritual awakening) in his land, Josiah leads the people of Judah in celebrating the Passover for the first time in approximately 500 years.

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主日

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诗篇118:22-24    

22 匠人所弃的石头，已成了房角的头块石头。23 这是耶和华所做的，在我们眼中看为稀奇。24 这是耶和华所定的日子，我们在其中要高兴欢喜。

使徒行传4:10-11 

你们众人和以色列百姓都当知道：站在你们面前的这人得痊愈，是因你们所钉十字架、神叫祂从死里复活的拿撒勒人耶稣基督的名。11 「祂是『你们匠人所弃的石头，已成了房角的头块石头』。

使徒行传 20:7  七日的第一日，我们聚会掰饼的时候，保罗因为要次日起行，就与他们讲论，直讲到半夜。

旧约时代，神赐下「安息日」的律例（十诫的第四诫，出埃及记20:8-11）；因为神用六天的工夫创造天地，第七天祂就安息了。当时的安息日是七日里的最后一天，为了叫人记念神的作为。

新约时代，耶稣在逾越节期间被钉十字架，星期五（受难日）下午三点左右断气，晚上被埋葬，三天后，星期天早上复活（约翰福音20:1-23）；自此以后，星期天（七日里的第一天）就成为圣日，基督徒聚集一起纪念耶稣（使徒行传20:7，哥林多前书16:2），就是现在的主日（启示录1:10）。

主日（Lord’s Day，拉丁语：dies dominica，源自通用希腊语：he kuriake hemera）即主的日子，这一天是纪念耶稣基督复活的日子。它使人想起神创造的第一日，神在这一天造了光，而基督徒的五旬节(Christian Pentecost)是逾越节后的第五十天，这日子纪念圣灵的降临，也是星期日（使徒行传2:1-4）。

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The God of Revival

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:1-20.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 23:1-2 (NIV)
1  Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2  He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets–all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD.
 
On verses 1-2:  Keep in mind that King Josiah of Judah has just discovered the long lost Book of the Law (consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch).  He realizes that he and his nation of Judah have not lived up to God’s commands contained inside that book. 

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「听从」声音或让声音「空响」

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帖撒罗尼迦前书5:19-22      19 不要消灭圣灵的感动， 20 不要藐视先知的讲论。 21 但要凡事察验，善美的要持守， 22 各样的恶事要禁戒不做。

那是个忙碌的周五上午，一早跟学生讨论研究进度、接着一场视讯会议、之后又有研究生固定的专题演讲…；中午吃完便当，正想休息片刻，却来了一通电话，提醒我下午的拜访行程。起身走向校园的另一个角落，天气热，身体有点累，心想拜访行程完后就打道回府，迎接周末，好好休息。

擦擦汗，坐在会议室等候拜访会议，滑手机看email，「老师！下午三点可以在哪里找到您?」讯息映入眼帘。喔！喔！找我？下周二要期中考了，问问题？不是跟大家约好，明天周六上午开放让同学问问题吗？今天下午三点！我累了，我不想回办公室，我要回家。正想要回讯息，会议开始了，我停下滑手机。

接近下午三点开完会，我再打开手机看，「老师！您传给我的讯息怎么空空的？」原来刚才犹豫不知如何回复，就送出空白讯息。此时心中声音涌现…，我挣扎着思考，回研究中心太远，回机械系馆还算可以，那就在系馆中庭好了，我不想上五楼办公室，太麻烦了。回了email，缓步走向系馆，呆坐中庭木椅，收到回复讯息「我从体育馆过来，十分钟，马上到」。

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Have a Soft and Responsive Heart toward God’s Word

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 22:1-20.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 22:1-20 (NIV)
1  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
2  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3  In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said:
4  “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.

On verses 1-20:  At just eight years old Josiah becomes king of Judah.  At age 26, Josiah leads a campaign to repair the temple of the Lord.  As the temple is being repaired, workers in the temple recover an old Book of the Law, which most likely contained the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch. 

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