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His Higher Purpose

2026-07-28 in /by

No moment, event, or detail falls outside of God’s supervision. God is the one who “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45 NIV). He isn’t making up this plan as he goes along. Daniel 5:21 (NKJV) says, “The most high God rules the kingdom of men, and sets over it whom he will.”

So if God is in charge, why does he permit challenges to come our way? Wouldn’t an almighty God prevent them? Not if they serve his higher purpose. The ultimate example is the death of Christ on the cross. Everyone thought the life of Jesus was over. Jesus was dead and buried, but God raised Him from the dead. God took the crucifixion of Friday and turned it into the celebration of Sunday. Can he not do a similar reversal for you?

凡勞苦擔重擔的人

2026-07-28 in , /by

〈申命記〉 23:9 你出兵攻打仇敵，就要遠避諸惡。

閱讀經文：〈申命記〉23章

神呼召對亞伯拉罕時，對他說：「為你祝福的，我必賜福於他；那咒詛你的，我必咒詛他。（創 12:3）」 這一句話直到今天依然有效。在以色列人進迦南之前，神宣佈有一些人不得入耶和華的會。耶和華的會指的是耶和華的會眾，也就是成為以色列人。根據猶太人的條例，外邦人若想成為以色列人，首先要接受摩西五經的教導，並且要脫離奴隸的身份。就像摩西在〈民數記〉十五章15節說的：「至於會眾，你們和同居的外人都歸一例，作為你們世世代代永遠的定例。在耶和華面前，你們怎樣，寄居的也要怎樣。」所有的外邦人都可以成為以色列人，除了羅得的子孫摩押人和亞捫人，以及外腎受傷的，或被閹割的人。

Rejoice Always

2026-07-27 in /by

Paul urges us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). Not just on paydays, good days, or birthdays, but rejoice in the Lord always.

Rejoice in the Lord always? “Yeah, right,” mumbles the person from the hospital bed. “How?” sighs the unemployed dad. “Always?” questions the mother of the baby born with a disability. It’s one thing to rejoice in the Lord when life is good, but when the odds are against you? It’s not easy, but it is possible.

Lay claim to the promise of God in Colossians 1:7. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Rejoice in the sovereignty of God. His thrown is still occupied, his will is still perfect. Rejoice in the Lord always. God uses everything to accomplish his will.

你們當中誰沒有罪

2026-07-27 in , /by

〈申命記〉 22:22  若遇見人與有丈夫的婦人行淫，就要將姦夫淫婦一併治死。這樣，就把那惡從以色列中除掉。

在古老的社會裡對於處理女人是否貞潔的方法，竟然有不約而同之處。這貞潔的憑據指的是在第一天同房的晚上，女人的處女膜破裂所流出來的血，要用一塊布接住，作為貞潔的憑據；倘若沒有血流出來，就會被懷疑為不貞潔。這當然是很不科學的，因為有時意外或劇烈的運動都會引起處女膜的破裂，以此來鑑定，肯定有人被冤枉。

從這個試驗貞潔與否的方法，我們可以連想到耶穌的母親馬利亞當年的震驚。當天使向馬利亞宣佈她要從聖靈懷孕時，馬利亞的頭會不會嚇得嗡嗡作響，因為未婚而有孕在當時是何等可怕的事，是要被石頭打死的。這也是為何約瑟得知後不想宣揚，而想暗暗把她休了。因而馬太說約瑟是個義人，因為在他誤會時，他依然考慮到馬利亞的處境，不願意明明地羞辱她，或置她於死地。

看見或看不見

2026-07-26 in , /by

〈申命記〉 22:4 你若看見弟兄的牛或驢跌倒在路上，不可佯為不見，總要幫助他拉起來。

在〈申命記〉22 章1-12節裡，神教導我們一些做人的原則。

在第1-4節裡，神用了三次「不可佯為不見」，也就是說不可以假裝看不到。

在什麼情況下不可假裝看不到呢？1. 你若看見弟兄的牛或羊失迷了路，不可佯為不見，總要把牠牽回來交給你的弟兄。2. 你的弟兄無論失落甚麼，或是驢，或是衣服，你若遇見，都要這樣行，不可佯為不見。3. 你若看見弟兄的牛或驢跌倒在路上，不可佯為不見，總要幫助他拉起來。

在今天，牛羊或驢都可以改成別的東西，例如：衣服，手機，兒女，腳踏車，雨傘，等等。只要你看到是弟兄姐妹的東西，就不要假裝沒看見，在他人的疏忽上，付出你的關心，使他人不遭損失。

Trust God’s Sturdy Grip

2026-07-26 in /by

In one of Henri Nouwen’s books, he tells about the lesson of trust he learned from a great trapeze artist. The acrobat said, “The flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. I have simply to reach out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron.” The flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.

In the great trapeze act of salvation, God is the catcher, and we are the flyers. We trust. Period. We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us. As we do trust him, a wonderful thing happens—we fly!

Your Father has never dropped anyone. He will not drop you. His grip is sturdy and his hands are open. Place yourself entirely in his care. As you do, you will find it is possible—yes, possible—to be anxious for nothing.

齊人非福

2026-07-24 in , /by

〈申命記〉21章 15-17節 人若有二妻，一為所愛，一為所惡，所愛的、所惡的都給他生了兒子，但長子是所惡之妻生的。到了把產業分給兒子承受的時候，不可將所愛之妻生的兒子立為長子，在所惡之妻生的兒子以上，卻要認所惡之妻生的兒子為長子，將產業多加一分給他；因這兒子是他力量強壯的時候生的，長子的名分本當歸他。

你可能沒想到，在《聖經》裡居然會談到一個人同時有兩個妻子的事情。可見在神的眼裡心中，祂非常清楚人的情慾所帶來的罪惡及後果。神也明白人的有限，若碰到無法解決的謀殺案，以色列人應當怎樣行。神沒有說，祂會幫我們查清命案，但是神要人在神面前自表清白。

你會覺得很可笑，現在的人特愛說謊，上至美國總統下至平民小販，有誰不說謊？尤其是廣告，更是吹牛撒謊無所不用其極。你覺得神的方法管用嗎？

Look Forward

2026-07-23 in /by

There’s a reason the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror: your future matters more than your past. God’s grace is greater than your sin. You thought the problem was your calendar, your marriage, your job. In reality, it’s this unresolved guilt. Don’t indulge it. Don’t drown in the bilge of your own condemnation. What you did was not good, but your God is good, and he will forgive you. He is ready to write a new chapter in your life.

Say with Paul, “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us” (Phil 3:13-14 TLB). Your salvation has nothing to do with your work and everything to do with the finished work of Christ on the cross. Rejoice in the Lord’s mercy.

以色列的植樹節

2026-07-23 in , /by

〈申命記〉 20:19你若許久圍困，攻打所要取的一座城，就不可舉斧子砍壞樹木。

在〈申命記〉20章裡講到以色列人作戰的條例，神先宣告祂的同在，但是也宣告若有人沒有準備好，就不要去參戰。這是一般人想像不到的。我們以為只要人多就有氣勢，但是神知道得勝乃在乎耶和華，不在乎人力或軍備，因此祂不要心懷二意的人加入祂的軍隊。

在以色列遭受周圍國家的虎視眈眈和不時的挑釁時，以色列人人皆兵。我們實在很難想像，他們能夠為了結婚或種葡萄園等等原因而拒絕去作戰。但這確實是神的本意，倘若心裡沒有準備好，就不要去作戰；倘若心裡有所掛念，也不要去作戰。因為不能專心去打戰很容易受傷，也會影響到整個團隊。因此，曾經有個人想要跟隨 耶穌，想先去跟家人告別時；耶穌說：「手扶著犁向後看的，不配進神的國。（路9:62） 」手扶著犁向後看的人，就像心存掛慮的人，別說打仗，連進神國的路也有可能看不清楚而走到歪路上。

Jesus Takes Away Our Sins

2026-07-22 in /by

Denalyn and I had enjoyed a nice dinner at a local restaurant. As we received our bill, a church member spotted us and came over. After we chatted a few moments, he took our bill. “I’ll take this,” he said. Guess what? I let him do what he wanted to do. I let him take it away.

Someday we will stand before God. All of us will be present. All of us will have to give an account for our lives. Every thought, every deed, every action. Were it not for the grace of Christ, I would find this to be a very terrifying thought.

Yet, according to Scripture, Jesus came to “take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 Phillips). On that day, I will point to Christ. When my list of sins is produced, I will gesture toward him and say, “He took it.” Let him take yours.