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看不見的看見

約翰一書 5:1      凡信耶穌是基督的,都是從神而生;凡愛生他之神的,也必愛從神生的。

哥林多後書 4:18    原來我們不是顧念所見的,乃是顧念所不見的,因為所見的是暫時的,所不見的是永遠的。

約翰福音 20:29  耶穌對他說:「你因看見了我才信,那沒有看見就信的有福了!」

「愛」讓我們看見(經歷)那不能看見的神。做在最小的弟兄身上,就是做在主身上,「愛人」可以讓我們觀察、體驗那看不見的神;在無助、窮乏的時候,「那雙看不見的手」是我們的安慰、滿足,「被愛」也可以讓我們觀察、體驗那看不見的神。

「凡信耶穌是基督的,都是從神而生,凡愛生他之神的,也必愛從神生的。(約壹5:1)」

神奇妙的恩典不僅讓「看得見的」能看見「那不能看見的」,也讓「看不見的」同樣能看見「那不能看見的」;且讓我們領受視障者的心靈分享:

多數人依賴視覺的經驗習慣,或許唯有黑夜才能體會何謂「看不見」;但對一群視障者來說,卻在看不見中「看見」不同黑夜的風景。

The Damage that Deceit Can Do

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 22:11-23.  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!

For context, let’s start at verse 9.

1 Samuel 22:9-23 (NIV)
9  But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
10  Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11  Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father’s whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.

On verses 9-23:  To understand what led to the murder of Ahimelech the priest, his family, 84 other priests as well as the entire town of Nob, we must first go back to verses 9-10 and understand who Doeg was and his role in this situation.

On paper Doeg was Saul’s head shepherd (v7), but his real role was as Saul’s personal assassin, his “closer”.  To me Doeg fits the mold of a classic James Bond henchman, a heartless killer who speaks few words and flexes a lot of muscle, a one-man wrecking crew.

因信稱義的福

羅馬書 4:4-8

4 做工的得工價,不算恩典,乃是該得的。 5 唯有不做工的,只信稱罪人為義的神,他的信就算為義。 6 正如大衛稱那在行為以外蒙神算為義的人是有福的, 7 他說:「得赦免其過、遮蓋其罪的,這人是有福的! 8 主不算為有罪的,這人是有福的!」

在美國讀書的時候,每個月倚靠指導教授給的九百美金獎學金過活,扣掉學費、房租,所剩有限,僅可維持日常生活所需。博士班第一年時,向指導教授請假返鄉結婚,很意外的,指導教授欣然同意,還給了我一個一千元美金的大紅包(超出我一個月的薪水)。對一個住在儲藏室、睡在一張床墊的窮留學生而言,一千元美金是無以言喻的驚喜;那天晚上,睡到一半,我從床墊爬起來,興奮的感謝神!

祂讓我體會領受恩典的感覺,在我做工所得工價以外,我白白獲得的額外祝福。保羅提醒我們,我們的過得赦免、罪蒙遮蓋,我們是有福的!不在於我們的行為,不在於我們的服事,而是白白得來的因信稱義。

約翰福音 15:13     人為朋友捨命,人的愛心沒有比這個大的。
哥林多前書 13:4-7   愛是恆久忍耐,又有恩慈,愛是不嫉妒,愛是不自誇,不張狂, 5 不做害羞的事,不求自己的益處,不輕易發怒,不計算人的惡, 6 不喜歡不義,只喜歡真理; 7 凡事包容,凡事相信,凡事盼望,凡事忍耐。 8 愛是永不止息。

一位年輕弟兄分享他們小組的討論:愛有很多種,將你想像中的愛畫出來會是甚麼樣子呢?什麼是你心目中的愛呢?對你來說甚麼是愛?

小組討論中,有幾位的分享令我印象深刻。一位身心症的女孩說,愛是在黑暗中的光,因為愛,她可以站在這邊跟大家分享,正常的生活。耶穌說:「我是世界的光。跟從我的,就不在黑暗裡走,必要得著生命的光。」(約8:12)

另外一位女孩說愛有很多種,有許許多多的色彩,但中間都包含著神無形的愛。「愛是恆久忍耐,又有恩慈;愛是不嫉妒;愛是不自誇,不張狂,不做害羞的事,不求自己的益處,不輕易發怒…」(林前13:4-5)

The Cave Seasons of Your Life

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 22:1-10.  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! 
 
1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NIV) 
1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 
2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. 

On verses 1-2:  David was at the lowest point of his life so far.  His hiding in a cave symbolized the darkness, loneliness and distress David was experiencing as he ran from Saul.  Yet it was in this cave that God took David’s leadership to another level, from being a military leader that led well trained soldiers who were commanded to follow him, to becoming a leader of people who were not as well trained or experienced but who wanted and chose to follow him.  

When Fear Makes You Fake

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 21:1-15.  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! 
 
1 Samuel 21:1-9 (NIV)
1  David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
2  David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.

On verses 1-9:  When David runs away from Saul, the first place David flees to is Nob, “the town of the priests” (see 1 Samuel 22:19).  There David meets Ahimelek the priest, who gives David bread and a sword:

– The bread which Ahimelek gave David was known as “the bread of the presence” (or the “showbread”) and was supposed to be eaten by the priests (Leviticus 24:9).  Ahimelek saw that David needed the bread more than he did, so out of compassion for David, Ahimelek gave his bread to David.  In a way, this points to Jesus our high priest who saw our need and in compassion gave us what He had.

信靠耶穌真是甜美

彼得前書 5:7      你們要將一切的憂慮卸給神,因為祂顧念你們。
路加福音 18:1    耶穌設一個比喻,是要人常常禱告,不可灰心。
馬太福音6:32    你們需用的這一切東西,你們的天父是知道的。

「信靠耶穌真是甜美」的作者史戴德(Louis M. R. Stead, 1850-1917)出生於英國,少女時有蒙召做宣教士的心願,期望能去中國傳道,但因體弱不能成行。她21歲時遷居美國俄亥俄州,4年後結婚,育有一女莉莉。

當莉莉4歲時,那年夏天他們全家去紐約長島海灘野餐,史戴德看著丈夫和女兒挖沙戲水,其樂融融,不禁對自己說:「我的福杯滿溢,擁有虔誠的丈夫和可愛的女兒。」正在此時,她看到一個男孩在巨浪中掙扎呼救,她丈夫毫不猶豫跳下去救那男孩,可是兩人不幸一同被海浪捲去,史戴德抱著女兒莉莉在海邊聲嘶力竭的呼喚,也無濟於事,眼看著他們兩人遭受滅頂之災。

Getting By With A Little Help From My Friends

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 20:24-42.  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! 
 
1 Samuel 20:24-29 (NIV)
24  So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.
25  He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty.
26  Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean–surely he is unclean.”
27  But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28  Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.

On verses 24-29:  Here we see Jonathan protecting David as he had promised and speaking to his father on David’s behalf.  Jesus does the same for us (see 1 John 2:1).

求主幫助的禱告

雅各書 2:15-18   
15 若是弟兄或是姐妹赤身露體,又缺了日用的飲食, 16 你們中間有人對他們說「平平安安地去吧,願你們穿得暖、吃得飽」,卻不給他們身體所需用的,這有什麼益處呢? 17 這樣,信心若沒有行為就是死的。 18 必有人說:「你有信心,我有行為。」你將你沒有行為的信心指給我看,我便藉著我的行為,將我的信心指給你看。

這是一個小孩子寫的禱詞:「主啊,請幫助我們做個好孩子,又幫助我們能夠去幫助別人。」這是一個值得學習「求主幫助」的禱告。

禱詞中並不是說「使我們」,而是說「幫助我們」。這個孩子懂得禱告的真正含義,不是「神蹟改變」,而是「與主同工」。

要是禱告時能盡量少說「我」,多說「我們」,那麼我們所得到的力量會大得多。

這一個禱告所祈求的只是幫助做個「好孩子」。沒錯,只要生命的主體是好的,其他部分也都會跟著好。我們缺少的東西很多,但好的人格是最重要、最不可或缺的。一個人如果為人正直,就不會有其他大的缺點。

活出榮耀神的生活

創世記 1:27 神就照著自己的形象造人,乃是照著祂的形象,造男造女。
馬太福音 5:14   你們是世上的光。城造在山上,是不能隱藏的。
加拉太書2:20    我已經與基督同釘十字架,現在活著的不再是我,乃是基督在我裡面活著。並且我如今在肉身活著,是因信神的兒子而活,祂是愛我,為我捨己。

一位年輕弟兄的分享:

神就照著自己的形象造人,乃是照著祂的形象,造男造女。(創1:27)

我們都是天父最完美的傑作,要好好看待自己的恩賜,結出三十、六十、百倍的果實。你們是世界的光。建在山上的城是不能隱藏的(太5:14)。要學著活出基督的樣式。

也許有些人早已找到自己的命定,而有些人還在尋找,但不管如何,在小事上忠心,必然能夠結出果子,活出榮耀神的生活。So let go my soul and trust in him.-It is Well。