神領的斑馬線

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申命記5:33  耶和華你們神所吩咐你們行的，你們都要去行，使你們可以存活得福，並使你們的日子在所要承受的地上得以長久。

詩篇119:105  祢的話是我腳前的燈，是我路上的光。

詩篇 23:4  我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷，也不怕遭害，因為祢與我同在；祢的杖、祢的竿都安慰我。

今天早晨走出家門，左右張望，快速穿越正沒有車輛通過的馬路，繼續走到辦公室所在的北邊校園，停在紅燈前，站在斑馬線上，耳邊再次響起太太和女兒的叮嚀：「林老師！過馬路要走斑馬線。」心中想：「斑馬線是誰的點子？」

斑馬線(zebra crossing)又稱為行人穿越道(crosswalk)，起源於古羅馬時代的「跳石」(stepping stones)，當時城市（如龐貝古城）的部分街道，容許馬車與行人共用，「跳石」用來分隔人行道與馬車道（跳石的間隔足以容納車輪），讓行人可以安全過馬路。

隨著汽車的發展，第二次世界大戰之後，道路上的車輛快速增加，跳石已無法應付交通需求。1950年代初期，由英國運輸部的運輸研究實驗室開發，並於英格蘭伯克郡的斯勞(Slough)建置第一條正式斑馬線（1951年10月31日），這種黑白相間的橫格線看起來像斑馬身上的斑紋，因此被稱為「斑馬線」。

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The Work Jesus Does to Restore You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 14:1-18. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 14:1-18 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to Moses,
2  “These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest:
3  The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,
4  the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.

On verses 1-18:  In Leviticus 14 we read of what a priest would do for a leper who had been banished from society because of their skin condition.  The priest was to go outside the camp to find the leper, to examine the leper, to confirm the leper’s healing, to make sacrifices on the leper’s behalf and to restore the leper back into the community.  Notice that it is the priest who does all the work on behalf of the leper so that the leper could be restored.

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聽禱告的神

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詩篇30:2  耶和華我的神啊，我曾呼求祢，祢醫治了我。

詩篇40:1-3  我曾耐性等候耶和華，祂垂聽我的呼求。
2 祂從禍坑裡，從淤泥中，把我拉上來，使我的腳立在磐石上，使我腳步穩當。
3 祂使我口唱新歌，就是讚美我們神的話。許多人必看見而懼怕，並要倚靠耶和華。

有一次，要去參加小組聚餐前，突然開始肚子痛、跑廁所，原本想著肚子不舒服可能要請假，但想到這是小組員第一次主辦聚餐，需要被支持，同時也有一些許久未見的組員會出席；我就跟神禱告，求神恢復我腸胃的健康，讓我能在聚餐的時候，跟組員有好的相處時光。

騎車的路上、點完餐、甚至是聚餐時吃著義大利麵的時候，肚子都有點不舒服，但神讓我經歷祂恩典夠用，我不只可以好好跟組員聊天，聚餐後我的腸胃都沒事，直到隔天，接續都沒有再不舒服。

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Clean Because of Jesus

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 13:40-59. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:40-46 (NIV)
40  “When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean.
41  If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean.
42  But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead.
43  The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease,

On verses 40-46:  In Leviticus 13:45-46 we read of the way in which people with leprosy were kept away from the rest of society: they would need to tear their clothes, cover their faces, cry out “unclean!” whenever anyone came near, and live alone outside the camp away from everyone.  Sadly, for the protection of the rest of the community, lepers were treated as the untouchables of Israelite society.

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禁止我口，把守嘴唇

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詩篇64:3    他們磨舌如刀，發出苦毒的言語，好像比準了的箭

詩篇55:21  他的口如奶油光滑，他的心卻懷著爭戰；他的話比油柔和，其實是拔出來的刀。

詩篇141:3   耶和華啊，求祢禁止我的口，把守我的嘴。

清晨走過校園，清涼微風吹過，遠望熟悉身影—草地上駐足不動的大笨鳥（黑冠麻鷺），遇見老朋友，心情覺得格外舒暢。正待靠近，大笨鳥突然飛了起來，飛上樹梢，樹上正有一對以尖嘴叫囂、互槓的大笨鳥，它迅即加入戰局，三隻大笨鳥各自展翅拍擊，揮舞細長尖嘴有如空中舞劍，聒聒聲擾亂了清晨的寧靜。

我大開眼界，驚奇發現大笨鳥不只是笨笨的駐足不動、或是帥氣凜然的緩步移動，它會飛，飛很高，還可以用它們的尖嘴互戳鬥毆，聒聒大聲吵架，聲音還真是難聽。

聒聒聲帶我進入新的一天，接續著，車流擁擠時的咒罵聲、車禍現場的推託指責、人聲鼎沸…聲聲入耳；打開網路，政治觀點的交相批判、物價上揚的抱怨責難、關稅議題的制裁恐嚇、兩國交戰的叫囂挑釁…歷歷在目。有聲、無聲的言語猶如無理飛刀，四處飛竄，我們的生活像極了樹梢上展翅拍擊、尖嘴互槓的三隻大笨鳥。

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為天上的主人工作

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路加福音19:12-21 「有一個貴胄往遠方去，要得國回來。 13 便叫了他的十個僕人來，交給他們十錠[a]銀子，說：『你們去做生意，直等我回來。』 14 他本國的人卻恨他，打發使者隨後去說：『我們不願意這個人做我們的王。』 15 他既得國回來，就吩咐叫那領銀子的僕人來，要知道他們做生意賺了多少。 16 頭一個上來，說：『主啊，你的一錠銀子已經賺了十錠。』 17 主人說：『好，良善的僕人！你既在最小的事上有忠心，可以有權柄管十座城。』 18 第二個來，說：『主啊，你的一錠銀子已經賺了五錠。』 19 主人說：『你也可以管五座城。』 20 又有一個來，說：『主啊，看哪，你的一錠銀子在這裡，我把它包在手巾裡存著。 21 我原是怕你，因為你是嚴厲的人，沒有放下的還要去拿，沒有種下的還要去收。』

有一次在禱告中，我問神，為什麼我在工作時，總是想要把事情做到好為止，甚至有時候還會希望我的同事不要表現得比我好？聖靈點醒我檢視自己，我是否想要證明我的價值？而且我特別希望獲得來自主管的肯定。

剛好，我讀到聖經中十錠銀子的比喻（路加福音19:12-21），神的話提醒我，要為天上的主人工作。想要被肯定、被讚美、找到自己的價值，要找對對象；我該找的是天上的主人，聽天父對我的肯定與讚美，看天父眼中的我是什麼樣的人。

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In Christ God Sees You as Clean and Forgiven

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 13:18-39. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:18-39 (NIV)
18  “When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals,
19  and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest.
20  The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was.

On verses 18-39:  When it came to unusual appearances on people’s skin, ancient Mesopotamian cultures like the Babylonians and Assyrians often viewed such appearances as punishment from the gods.  For example, in the Diagnostic Handbook called the Sakikkû by Esagil-kin-apli (c. 11th century BCE), a description of skin diseases was often accompanied by a statement like “If a man has spots on his skin and they are white, it is the hand of the god.”

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福杯滿溢

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哥林多後書4:7  我們有這寶貝放在瓦器裡，要顯明這莫大的能力是出於神，不是出於我們。

哥林多後書12:9  祂對我說：「我的恩典夠你用的，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。」所以，我更喜歡誇自己的軟弱，好叫基督的能力覆庇我。

詩篇23:6   我一生一世必有恩惠、慈愛隨著我，我且要住在耶和華的殿中，直到永遠。

主啊！我常感到自己如此渺小，沒有特別的才能，沒有出眾的外貌，也缺乏社會的歷練。內在像是空空如也…，我有什麼能與人相比呢？

但祢卻說，祢喜悅渺小的、軟弱的、空虛的。因為只有這樣，才能顯出祢福音的大能，才能被祢的愛充滿。祢對我說：「我的恩典夠你用的，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。」（哥林多後書12:9）

我們其實什麼也做不了，也不需要證明什麼，只要每天擔起當日的難處，祢都看在眼裡。在苦難中，我們一次次地回轉、一次次地呼求，這些在祢眼中都是極寶貴的，是誠實的敬拜，是深刻的奉獻。

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Jesus Gets You Where You Can’t Go

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 13:1-17. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:1-17 (NLT2)
1  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
2  “If anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons.
3  The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin-deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean.

On verses 1-17:  What does it mean to be ceremonially unclean in Leviticus?  When someone is ceremonially unclean, it means that he or she, from a ceremonial worship standpoint, is unable to participate in the community worship activities of the Israelites for as long as he or she is “unclean”.  When the period of being “unclean” is over, that’s when he or she can then join the rest of the community in its community worship services.

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真葡萄樹上的枝子

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約翰福音15:1-6

我是真葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人。 2 凡屬我不結果子的枝子，他就剪去；凡結果子的，他就修理乾淨，使枝子結果子更多。 3 現在你們因我講給你們的道，已經乾淨了。 4 你們要常在我裡面，我也常在你們裡面。枝子若不常在葡萄樹上，自己就不能結果子；你們若不常在我裡面，也是這樣。

舊約裡，以色列民族是神栽種的上等葡萄樹，全然是真種子；然而，他們卻變為外邦葡萄樹的壞枝子（耶利米書2:21），結出野葡萄（以賽亞書5:1-7）。

約翰福音15:1-6中，耶穌闡明自己是「真葡萄樹」，天父是栽培的人，門徒（信主的人）則是連結於祂的枝子。這段經文除了印證舊約先知所預言：「從耶西的本（樹幹、樹樁之意）必發一條；從他根生的枝子必結果實。」（以賽亞書11:1）之外，也強調真葡萄樹（耶穌）與枝子（門徒、信主的人）的生命關係。

人栽種葡萄樹的目的是結果子，天父所栽培的真葡萄樹也是如此，期待連結於樹的枝子能結果子，活出豐盛的生命，帶出恩典與祝福。耶穌談到不結果子的枝子，祂就剪去，丟在外面枯乾，人拾起來，扔在火裡燒了。

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