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Respond to God’s Promises with Wonder, Worship and Faith

2024-12-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 7:18-29.  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! 

2 Samuel 7:18a (NIV)
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD

On verse 18a:  Notice how David responds after hearing the powerful promises God spoke to him through the prophet Nathan.  David doesn’t say, “That’s interesting” and walk away.  Rather David responds by getting into God’s presence and sitting before the Lord.  When God speaks to you, don’t just go, “That’s nice” and walk away.  Take time to sit in God’s presence and let your soul digest what you have received.  Then you can respond to God in an appropriate way.  One of the most powerful things you can do any day is to sit in God’s presence and be still.  When I sit down in God’s presence, I experience His peace, receive insight for my situation and direction for what to do next.

Jesus = God’s Promises Fulfilled

2024-12-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 7:1-17.  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!

2 Samuel 7:1-2 (NIV) 
1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 
2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

On verses 1-2:  When God had given David rest from all his enemies around him, David’s heart was still restless for God.  David restlessly dreamed of building a house for the Lord.  You can tell what is in a person’s heart by what stirs their heart even when their circumstances are peaceful.  Like David, I believe God has placed a dream in your heart to do something significant for His glory.  That dream will keep you awake and gnaw at you even when – or especially when – life seems relatively peaceful.

道成肉身

2024-12-09 in , /by

馬太福音 1:18 耶穌基督降生的事記在下面：他母親馬利亞已經許配了約瑟，還沒有迎娶，馬利亞就從聖靈懷了孕。

路加福音 1:26-38
26 到了第六個月，天使加百列奉神的差遣往加利利的一座城去，這城名叫拿撒勒； 27 到一個童女那裡，是已經許配大衛家的一個人，名叫約瑟，童女的名字叫馬利亞。 28 天使進去，對她說：「蒙大恩的女子，我問你安，主和你同在了！」29 馬利亞因這話就很驚慌，又反覆思想這樣問安是什麼意思。 30 天使對她說：「馬利亞，不要怕，你在神面前已經蒙恩了。 31 你要懷孕生子，可以給祂起名叫耶穌。

在這段短短的經文裡，我們看到了一個神話故事，神的話應驗的故事。兩千年前的某天，有位天使去猶大地看一個猶大妙齡少女，告訴她，她己經從聖靈懷孕了。而這個少女馬利亞，竟然很快樂地接受了這件事。她只是好奇，沒有結婚的我，怎能生孩子？

天使回答：「聖靈要臨到你身上，至高者的能力要蔭庇你。因此，所要生的聖者必稱為神的兒子。」這句話至關重要。因為很多人質疑耶穌的無罪性，既然是從馬利亞出生，怎麼可能沒有原罪？「聖靈要臨到你身上」，這句話就是指道成肉身的真相，聖靈親自成為一個受精卵進入了馬利亞的子宮；然後「至高者的能力要蔭庇你」，換句話說其他的事神會親自成就。假如神能創造人，祂豈不能使馬利亞的身體可以因為從聖靈受孕，而開始有各方面的變化嗎？當然可以，那就是神的能力蔭庇馬利亞的實證。

三個十四代

2024-12-08 in , /by

馬太福音 1 : 3-6

猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭，5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。大衛從烏利亞的妻子(拔示巴)生所羅門。

聖經在很多人心中具有很神聖的地位，耶穌是彌賽亞，人類的救贖主，祂的地位更是無比崇高。因此當許多人看到耶穌的家譜上出現了四個女人的名字，都大感驚訝。
她瑪，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她們代表的是怎樣的社會地位呢？

她瑪，曾經是猶大的媳婦，猶大是雅各的四子。因為猶大的長子早死，按照猶太人的規矩，次子要為長子留後，免得長子的產業無人繼承。猶大的次子與她瑪結婚，卻不肯為哥哥留後，因此神也不給他長留人世。猶大還有一個小兒子，尚未成年；成年後，猶大卻不捨得讓他和她瑪成婚，怕萬一他又得罪神。她瑪看到小叔己成長，卻沒有來娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她聽到公公會經過某條路去剪羊毛，於是她打扮成一個妓女蒙著臉，引誘她公公上床。因為猶大當時沒準備，所以把他的印、帶子和手杖放在她那裡。等猶大派人帶著羊羔去找她時，卻找不到她了；反而聽到她瑪懷孕的消息。他本來要懲罰她，卻不料她瑪派人把他的當頭送來。

Worship the Lord With All Your Might

2024-12-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:12-23.  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! 

2 Samuel 6:12 (NIV) 
12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

On verse 12:   For a season David was afraid to get near God’s presence (v9-10), but when he saw how much God had blessed Obed-Edom because Obed-Edom drew near to God’s presence, David decided that he needed the presence of God no matter what the cost.

Longing for God’s Presence

2024-12-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 6:1-11.  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! 

2 Samuel 6:1-2 (NIV) 
1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 
2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.

On verses 1-2:   The ark here was a gold covered box 2.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet high, and 4 feet long.  It was where centuries before Moses would meet with God on behalf of the people (Exodus 25:22).  Why did David want to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem?  It’s because the ark of God represented the presence of God.  David longed for God’s presence to fill Jerusalem and his entire kingdom.  So he leads a massive processional of 30,000 men where together they would bring the ark of God into Jerusalem.
Like David, our greatest longing should be for God’s presence and glory to fill our marriages, homes, churches, and cities.

四個女人

2024-12-06 in , /by

馬太福音 1 : 3-6

猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭，5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。大衛從烏利亞的妻子(拔示巴)生所羅門。

聖經在很多人心中具有很神聖的地位，耶穌是彌賽亞，人類的救贖主，祂的地位更是無比崇高。因此當許多人看到耶穌的家譜上出現了四個女人的名字，都大感驚訝。
她瑪，喇合，路得，拔示巴，她們代表的是怎樣的社會地位呢？

她瑪，曾經是猶大的媳婦，猶大是雅各的四子。因為猶大的長子早死，按照猶太人的規矩，次子要為長子留後，免得長子的產業無人繼承。猶大的次子與她瑪結婚，卻不肯為哥哥留後，因此神也不給他長留人世。猶大還有一個小兒子，尚未成年；成年後，猶大卻不捨得讓他和她瑪成婚，怕萬一他又得罪神。她瑪看到小叔己成長，卻沒有來娶她，她立刻明白公公的意思。

某天她聽到公公會經過某條路去剪羊毛，於是她打扮成一個妓女蒙著臉，引誘她公公上床。因為猶大當時沒準備，所以把他的印、帶子和手杖放在她那裡。等猶大派人帶著羊羔去找她時，卻找不到她了；反而聽到她瑪懷孕的消息。他本來要懲罰她，卻不料她瑪派人把他的當頭送來。

耶穌基督的家譜

2024-12-05 in , /by

馬太福音 1:1 亞伯拉罕的後裔、大衛的子孫耶穌基督的家譜：

2 亞伯拉罕生以撒，以撒生雅各，雅各生猶大和他的弟兄， 3 猶大從她瑪氏生法勒斯和謝拉，法勒斯生希斯崙，希斯崙生亞蘭， 4 亞蘭生亞米拿達，亞米拿達生拿順，拿順生撒門， 5 撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯，波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得，俄備得生耶西， 6 耶西生大衛王。
大衛從烏利亞的妻子生所羅門， 7 所羅門生羅波安，羅波安生亞比雅，亞比雅生亞撒， 8 亞撒生約沙法，約沙法生約蘭，約蘭生烏西亞， 9 烏西亞生約坦，約坦生亞哈斯，亞哈斯生希西家， 10 希西家生瑪拿西，瑪拿西生亞們，亞們生約西亞， 11 百姓被遷到巴比倫的時候，約西亞生耶哥尼雅和他的弟兄。

這段簡單的記錄便是神救恩的藍圖：亞伯拉罕 — 信心之父；大衛 –- 合神心意的人；耶穌，神的兒子，祂為亞伯拉罕和大衛的一生做了總結，並彰顯神為我們所做的一切。

誰說先祖的記錄不重要呢？

耶穌來了，讓我們看到在歷史上一系列的名字，不是日子，不是節期 – 藉著這些人名，祢以恩慈和責任揀選了他們，也揀選了我們。因此，我們也以相信和喜樂的心接受祢的名，耶穌。

聖經裡所列的家譜並不像一般人所感覺的無聊和沒有意義， 相反的，這些名字所代表的，是神在他們每一個人身上的磨鍊，顯明他們和神的關係，還有神的應許怎樣一一應驗在他們身上的史實。

Don’t Just Rely On Your Experience. Look to God.

2024-12-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 5:17-25.  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! 

2 Samuel 5:17-25 (NIV)
17  When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.
18  Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
19  so David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.”

On verses 17-25:   There was a season in David’s life when for 16 months David had allied himself with the Philistines, such that King Achish of the Philistines thought David was fighting for them (1 Samuel 27).  So when the Philistines hear that David has now been anointed king over Israel, they must have felt in some ways betrayed and rejected by David.  So the Philistines come in full force, spreading their entire army across the Valley of Rephaim to fight David.  David inquires of the Lord, gets God’s signal to attack the Philistines, obeys God’s signal, and is victorious over the Philistines (v19-20). 

祂來（待降節期的渴慕）

2024-12-04 in , /by

腓立比書 2:6-7  祂本有神的形象，不以自己與神同等為強奪的， 7 反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形象，成為人的樣式。

「待降」(Advent)拉丁文的意思是「來臨」，就是等待耶穌基督的降臨，一方面紀念祂曾降臨，另方面則期待祂二次降臨。「待降」節期包含四個禮拜，就是聖誕節的前四個禮拜，一般都從十一月最後主日算起，持續四個主日，直到聖誕節達到節慶高潮。

祂在耶和華面前生長如嫩芽，像根出於乾地。祂無佳形美容；我們看見祂的時候，也無美貌使我們羨慕祂。祂被藐視，被人厭棄；多受痛苦，常經憂患。祂被藐視，好像被人掩面不看的一樣；我們也不尊重祂。祂誠然擔當我們的憂患，背負我們的痛苦；我們卻以為祂受責罰，被神擊打苦待了。哪知祂為我們的過犯受害，為我們的罪孽壓傷。因祂受的刑罰，我們得平安；因祂受的鞭傷，我們得醫治。我們都如羊走迷；各人偏行己路；耶和華使我們眾人的罪孽都歸在祂身上。（以賽亞書53:2-6）

祂來，本有神的形象，反到虛己，撇下天上榮華，成為世人模樣，
如此榮耀的君王，竟降生在馬槽，謙謙卑卑，靜靜悄悄。

祂來，願做罪人良友，為世人的罪過，流血犧牲，愛到毫無保留，
而祂深愛的人啊，悖逆不認識祂，我主耶穌，曾否心傷？

祂來，使罪奴得釋放，應許凡擔勞苦，重擔的人，就近祂得輕省，
人們為何不肯 放手全交給祂，寧願受苦，寧願疲乏！