神领的斑马线

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申命记5:33  耶和华你们神所吩咐你们行的，你们都要去行，使你们可以存活得福，并使你们的日子在所要承受的地上得以长久。

诗篇119:105  祢的话是我脚前的灯，是我路上的光。

诗篇 23:4  我虽然行过死荫的幽谷，也不怕遭害，因为祢与我同在；祢的杖、祢的竿都安慰我。

今天早晨走出家门，左右张望，快速穿越正没有车辆通过的马路，继续走到办公室所在的北边校园，停在红灯前，站在斑马线上，耳边再次响起太太和女儿的叮咛：「林老师！过马路要走斑马线。」心中想：「斑马线是谁的点子？」

斑马线(zebra crossing)又称为行人穿越道(crosswalk)，起源于古罗马时代的「跳石」(stepping stones)，当时城市（如庞贝古城）的部分街道，容许马车与行人共用，「跳石」用来分隔人行道与马车道（跳石的间隔足以容纳车轮），让行人可以安全过马路。

随着汽车的发展，第二次世界大战之后，道路上的车辆快速增加，跳石已无法应付交通需求。1950年代初期，由英国运输部的运输研究实验室开发，并于英格兰伯克郡的斯劳(Slough)建置第一条正式斑马线（1951年10月31日），这种黑白相间的横格线看起来像斑马身上的斑纹，因此被称为「斑马线」。

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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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听祷告的神

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诗篇30:2  耶和华我的神啊，我曾呼求祢，祢医治了我。

诗篇40:1-3  我曾耐性等候耶和华，祂垂听我的呼求。
2 祂从祸坑里，从淤泥中，把我拉上来，使我的脚立在磐石上，使我脚步稳当。
3 祂使我口唱新歌，就是赞美我们神的话。许多人必看见而惧怕，并要倚靠耶和华。

有一次，要去参加小组聚餐前，突然开始肚子痛、跑厕所，原本想着肚子不舒服可能要请假，但想到这是小组员第一次主办聚餐，需要被支持，同时也有一些许久未见的组员会出席；我就跟神祷告，求神恢复我肠胃的健康，让我能在聚餐的时候，跟组员有好的相处时光。

骑车的路上、点完餐、甚至是聚餐时吃着义大利面的时候，肚子都有点不舒服，但神让我经历祂恩典够用，我不只可以好好跟组员聊天，聚餐后我的肠胃都没事，直到隔天，接续都没有再不舒服。

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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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诗篇64:3    他们磨舌如刀，发出苦毒的言语，好像比准了的箭

诗篇55:21  他的口如奶油光滑，他的心却怀着争战；他的话比油柔和，其实是拔出来的刀。

诗篇141:3   耶和华啊，求祢禁止我的口，把守我的嘴。

清晨走过校园，清凉微风吹过，远望熟悉身影—草地上驻足不动的大笨鸟（黑冠麻鹭），遇见老朋友，心情觉得格外舒畅。正待靠近，大笨鸟突然飞了起来，飞上树梢，树上正有一对以尖嘴叫嚣、互杠的大笨鸟，它迅即加入战局，三只大笨鸟各自展翅拍击，挥舞细长尖嘴有如空中舞剑，聒聒声扰乱了清晨的宁静。

我大开眼界，惊奇发现大笨鸟不只是笨笨的驻足不动、或是帅气凛然的缓步移动，它会飞，飞很高，还可以用它们的尖嘴互戳斗殴，聒聒大声吵架，声音还真是难听。

聒聒声带我进入新的一天，接续著，车流拥挤时的咒骂声、车祸现场的推托指责、人声鼎沸…声声入耳；打开网路，政治观点的交相批判、物价上扬的抱怨责难、关税议题的制裁恐吓、两国交战的叫嚣挑衅…历历在目。有声、无声的言语犹如无理飞刀，四处飞窜，我们的生活像极了树梢上展翅拍击、尖嘴互杠的三只大笨鸟。

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为天上的主人工作

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路加福音19:12-21 「有一个贵胄往远方去，要得国回来。 13 便叫了他的十个仆人来，交给他们十锭[a]银子，说：『你们去做生意，直等我回来。』 14 他本国的人却恨他，打发使者随后去说：『我们不愿意这个人做我们的王。』 15 他既得国回来，就吩咐叫那领银子的仆人来，要知道他们做生意赚了多少。 16 头一个上来，说：『主啊，你的一锭银子已经赚了十锭。』 17 主人说：『好，良善的仆人！你既在最小的事上有忠心，可以有权柄管十座城。』 18 第二个来，说：『主啊，你的一锭银子已经赚了五锭。』 19 主人说：『你也可以管五座城。』 20 又有一个来，说：『主啊，看哪，你的一锭银子在这里，我把它包在手巾里存著。 21 我原是怕你，因为你是严厉的人，没有放下的还要去拿，没有种下的还要去收。』

有一次在祷告中，我问神，为什么我在工作时，总是想要把事情做到好为止，甚至有时候还会希望我的同事不要表现得比我好？圣灵点醒我检视自己，我是否想要证明我的价值？而且我特别希望获得来自主管的肯定。

刚好，我读到圣经中十锭银子的比喻（路加福音19:12-21），神的话提醒我，要为天上的主人工作。想要被肯定、被赞美、找到自己的价值，要找对对象；我该找的是天上的主人，听天父对我的肯定与赞美，看天父眼中的我是什么样的人。

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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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福杯满溢

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哥林多后书4:7  我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的能力是出于神，不是出于我们。

哥林多后书12:9  祂对我说：「我的恩典够你用的，因为我的能力是在人的软弱上显得完全。」所以，我更喜欢夸自己的软弱，好叫基督的能力覆庇我。

诗篇23:6   我一生一世必有恩惠、慈爱随着我，我且要住在耶和华的殿中，直到永远。

主啊！我常感到自己如此渺小，没有特别的才能，没有出众的外貌，也缺乏社会的历练。内在像是空空如也…，我有什么能与人相比呢？

但祢却说，祢喜悦渺小的、软弱的、空虚的。因为只有这样，才能显出祢福音的大能，才能被祢的爱充满。祢对我说：「我的恩典够你用的，因为我的能力是在人的软弱上显得完全。」（哥林多后书12:9）

我们其实什么也做不了，也不需要证明什么，只要每天担起当日的难处，祢都看在眼里。在苦难中，我们一次次地回转、一次次地呼求，这些在祢眼中都是极宝贵的，是诚实的敬拜，是深刻的奉献。

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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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真葡萄树上的枝子

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约翰福音15:1-6

我是真葡萄树，我父是栽培的人。 2 凡属我不结果子的枝子，他就剪去；凡结果子的，他就修理干净，使枝子结果子更多。 3 现在你们因我讲给你们的道，已经干净了。 4 你们要常在我里面，我也常在你们里面。枝子若不常在葡萄树上，自己就不能结果子；你们若不常在我里面，也是这样。

旧约里，以色列民族是神栽种的上等葡萄树，全然是真种子；然而，他们却变为外邦葡萄树的坏枝子（耶利米书2:21），结出野葡萄（以赛亚书5:1-7）。

约翰福音15:1-6中，耶稣阐明自己是「真葡萄树」，天父是栽培的人，门徒（信主的人）则是连结于祂的枝子。这段经文除了印证旧约先知所预言：「从耶西的本（树干、树桩之意）必发一条；从他根生的枝子必结果实。」（以赛亚书11:1）之外，也强调真葡萄树（耶稣）与枝子（门徒、信主的人）的生命关系。

人栽种葡萄树的目的是结果子，天父所栽培的真葡萄树也是如此，期待连结于树的枝子能结果子，活出丰盛的生命，带出恩典与祝福。耶稣谈到不结果子的枝子，祂就剪去，丢在外面枯干，人拾起来，扔在火里烧了。

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