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愈忙愈要找时间

2024-10-18 in , /by

马太福音11:28-30 28

「凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。 29 我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式，这样，你们心里就必得享安息。 30 因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。」

网路上有个图片描绘星期一到星期日英文字的翻译：星期一（忙day）忙得要死，星期二（求死day）忙得想死，星期三（未死day）还没有忙死，星期四（受死day）行将受死；但是，转机来了，星期五（福来day）挨完后就可以放假；接下来，一星期最安逸潇洒的一天，就是星期六（洒脱day）；过完星期六，再面对星期日（伤day），又将继续下一个「忙」的星期。

有篇文章这样描述：「忙」这个字拆开就是「心亡」，如果我们对某些事、某些人的心已经死了，就会用「忙」来当作借口。有人会因为忙，而疏离朋友；因为忙，而冷淡亲人；因为忙，而忘了自己的健康。这代表我们对朋友、亲人、以及自己的心已经死了，我们用「忙」来拒绝一切。

有封E-mail的标题是「撒旦的会议记录」，其中谈到撒旦向全世界的邪灵召开会议，讨论如何让基督徒中断参与教会、中断读圣经明白真理、中断与耶稣的亲密关系；或是让他们留在教会，但偷去他们的时间，使他们仿佛活在基督里，却无真实的连结。

Don’t Run from God. Run to Him

2024-10-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 12:12-25.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 12:12 (NIV) 
12 “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’–even though the LORD your God was your king. 

On verse 12:  Here we learn the most immediate reason why the Israelites wanted a human king so much: they felt threatened by the Ammonites and thus cried out for a king to save them.  They repeated the same mistake that their ancestors before them had made: trusting in human effort more than in God, forgetting that God was with them and looking only to people for help.  

存留对天父的记忆

2024-10-17 in , /by

以赛亚书 46:3-4 

3 雅各家，以色列家一切余剩的，要听我言！你们自从生下，就蒙我保抱；自从出胎，便蒙我怀揣。 4 直到你们年老，我仍这样；直到你们发白，我仍怀揣。我已造做，也必保抱；我必怀抱，也必拯救。

约翰福音 15:13-14

13 人为朋友舍命，人的爱心没有比这个大的。 14 你们若遵行我所吩咐的，就是我的朋友了。

天父让祂的儿女，用一生光阴来经历、认识祂自己。让他们：

经历孩童的襁褓萌芽，浸泡于被保抱、被怀搋（赛46:3-4）的慈爱里；

经历少年的青涩成长，寻得最好的朋友-耶稣（约15:13-14），被接纳、被肯定；

经历青年的茁壮扬帆，借着心里的力量-圣灵（约14:16-17），被装备、被挑战；

经历婚姻的磨合接纳，认识祂的爱（约壹5:1）与忌妒，学习专一、圣洁；

经历父母的养育劬劳，明白天父对祂儿女的怜悯与救赎（赛44:22），祂会伤痛（创6:5-6）、祂应该也有眼泪；

经历发白的夕阳西沉，放下曾拿起的，停下正追赶的，在背驼缓步的怅然中，涌起回家的渴望；尽头到了，停了颤动，全然谦卑地回到那创造的源头。

天父的儿女在一生历程里，所能带走的仅是灵里对天父的记忆，借着对天父的记忆，按图索骥，归回天父的家。

4 Traits of a Great Leader

2024-10-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 12:1-11.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 12:1 (NIV) 
1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you.

On verse 1:  Great leaders listen to the people.  That doesn’t mean the leader agrees with everything the people say or grants all of their requests.  Rather it’s about being sensitive to where the people are at.  You need to know where your people are at in order to lead them, and in order to know where your people are at, you need to listen.  Are you a good listener?  

小人物的一句话

2024-10-16 in , /by

列王纪下 5 章:1-14

1亚兰王的元帅乃缦在他主人面前为尊为大，因耶和华曾藉他使亚兰人得胜。他又是大能的勇士，只是长了大痲疯。 2 先前亚兰人成群地出去，从以色列国掳了一个小女子，这女子就服侍乃缦的妻。 3 她对主母说：「巴不得我主人去见撒马利亚的先知，必能治好他的大痲疯。」 4 乃缦进去，告诉他主人说：「以色列国的女子如此如此说。」 5 亚兰王说：「你可以去，我也达信于以色列王。」于是乃缦带银子十他连得、金子六千舍客勒、衣裳十套，就去了。

亚兰国元帅乃缦是大能的勇士，曾立大功，深受王倚重，只是长了大麻疯。一个被亚兰人从以色列国掳来的小女子服事乃缦的妻，她告知主母说：「巴不得我主人去见撒马利亚的先知，必能治好他的大痲疯。」（王下5:3）乃缦将婢女的话告诉了亚兰王，亚兰王同意，且带信给以色列王，要求治好乃缦的大痲疯。

以色列王约兰收到信后十分恐慌，因为当时亚兰国力强于以色列；先知以利沙听到此事，就打发使者告知乃缦，让其在约旦河中沐浴七次即可洁净。乃缦初时发怒拒绝，后来经仆人劝说，就照做了，果然得洁净。

乃缦得洁净后，再三地求以利沙接受餽赠礼物，以利沙坚拒；乃缦最后带着两骡子驮的土回去，要献祭给耶和华。半途中，以利沙的仆人基哈西追上乃缦，假藉以利沙意思，编造理由索取银子和衣裳。事后被以利沙发现，指责他说：「…这岂是受银子、衣裳、买橄榄园、葡萄园、牛羊、仆婢的时候呢？…」于是，基哈西就长了大痲疯，像雪那样白。（王下5章）

人和神关系间的恢复

2024-10-15 in , /by

撒母耳记下 24:16-17

16 天使向耶路撒冷伸手要灭城的时候，耶和华后悔，就不降这灾了，吩咐灭民的天使说：「够了，住手吧！」那时，耶和华的使者在耶布斯人亚劳拿的禾场那里。 17 大卫看见灭民的天使，就祷告耶和华说：「我犯了罪行了恶，但这群羊做了什么呢？愿你的手攻击我和我的父家。」

神降灾惩罚大卫，三日瘟疫让百姓死了七万人，大卫看见即将要向耶路撒冷伸手灭城的天使，他向神祷告认罪：「我犯了罪，行了恶；但这群羊做了甚么呢？愿你的手攻击我和我的父家。」（撒下24:16-17，代上21:15-17）

神指示迦得见大卫，要他在耶布斯人亚劳拿的禾场上为耶和华筑一座坛，让民间的瘟疫止住。亚劳拿乐意献出一切，但大卫不肯用白得之物作为燔祭献给神，就用五十舍客勒银子买了那禾场与牛。大卫在那里为耶和华筑了一座坛，献燔祭和平安祭，瘟疫在以色列人中就止住了。（撒下24:18-25，代上21:18-28）

圣殿山位于摩利亚地（古耶路撒冷）。在此山上，亚伯拉罕听从神的命令，曾预备以儿子以撒为祭献给神（创22:l-14），数百年后，这里成为耶布斯人亚劳拿的禾场，大卫在此为神筑坛献祭，并交代所罗门建圣殿（代上22章）。神的话临到大卫说：「…你要生一个儿子，他必作太平的人…他的名要叫所罗门。

3 Differences the Holy Spirit Makes In You

2024-10-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 11:1-15.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 11:1-5 (NIV)
1  Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”
2  But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
3  The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
4  When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud.
5  Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with the people? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

On verses 1-5:  Here we see the first major challenge Saul would face as king:  the Ammonites led by King Nahash were long-time enemies of Israel and lay siege on the Israelite town of Jabesh Gilead.  Saul, with the help of the Holy Spirit, would deal with this challenge incredibly well.  

Your Identity Impacts Your Effectiveness

2024-10-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 10:17-27.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Samuel 10:17-19 (NIV) 
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 
19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.” 

On verses 17-19:  What was so wrong with the Israelites demanding that they have a king to rule over them?  In doing so, the Israelites were rejecting God as their king, the very One who had successfully brought them out of slavery in Egypt and enabled them to conquer nations much greater than them. 

我选择耶稣

2024-10-14 in , /by

历代志上 21:9-14

9 耶和华吩咐大卫的先见迦得说： 10 「你去告诉大卫说：『耶和华如此说：我有三样灾，随你选择一样，我好降于你。』」 11 于是迦得来见大卫，对他说：「耶和华如此说：『你可以随意选择： 12 或三年的饥荒；或败在你敌人面前，被敌人的刀追杀三个月；或在你国中有耶和华的刀，就是三日的瘟疫，耶和华的使者在以色列的四境施行毁灭。』现在你要想一想，我好回复那差我来的。」 

大卫数点百姓，神不喜悦，惩罚临到大卫。神给他机会选择：国中有七年饥荒？被敌人追赶三个月？或国中有三日瘟疫？大卫不愿意落在人的手里，选择神所掌管的大自然灾难，三日瘟疫让百姓死了七万人。（撒下24:11-15，代上21:9-14）

大卫的选择看起来有点自私，如果被敌人追赶三个月，也不确定会造成多少城邑失去？多少军兵、百姓死亡？七年饥荒太长，太痛苦；三日瘟疫也许是一个好的选择，但也让无辜百姓死了七万人。

换成现在的你、我，我们会有甚么样的选择？

It’s Not Enough to Be Anointed. You Need to Be Equipped.

2024-10-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 10:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

1 Samuel 10:1-7 (NIV)
1  Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?
2  When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”‘

On verses 1-7:  Samuel anointed Saul king over Israel by pouring oil on Saul’s head.  What does it mean to anoint?  To anoint means to set apart for a special purpose.

Similarly, to prepare us for our mission and life purpose, God anointed us.  Every Christian is anointed by God to serve Him and to live for Him (see 1 John 2:20).  As 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “…He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”