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Obey Without Delay

2024-08-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:17-33.  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! 

Acts 10:17-19 (NIV)
17  While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.
18  They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19  While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you.
 
On verses 17-19:  In verse 3 the Holy Spirit called Cornelius by name.  A number of times in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit calls Peter by name.  (In fact, the Holy Spirit calls him by his new name “Peter” in verse 13 and then calls him by his old name “Simon” in verse 19.)  What can we learn from this?  God is a personal loving Father who knows us and calls us by name.   

耐心等候神

2024-08-05 in , /by

撒母耳記上 13:1-14

掃羅登基年四十歲。做以色列王二年的時候， 2 就從以色列中揀選了三千人，二千跟隨掃羅在密抹和伯特利山，一千跟隨約拿單在便雅憫的基比亞；其餘的人，掃羅都打發各回各家去了。 3 約拿單攻擊迦巴非利士人的防營，非利士人聽見了。掃羅就在遍地吹角，意思說要使希伯來人聽見。 4 以色列眾人聽見掃羅攻擊非利士人的防營，又聽見以色列人為非利士人所憎惡，就跟隨掃羅聚集在吉甲。

望著高鐵窗外掠過的夕陽美景，內心沒有絲毫感動，只有不斷向神呼求憐憫的禱告…。剛剛出席我們預備承接研究案的開標作業，開標現場的長桌上坐著主辦單位的業務、會計、政風人員，在拆封審視投標文件和研究計畫書的當時，政風人員狐疑的冒出幾句：「奇怪！這三間學校的投標計畫書，除了投標金額不一樣外，其他內容好像都一樣？ 」標場氣氛凝結片刻，沒人答腔，開標繼續進行，我們以最低的投標金額得標，承接這個研究案。離開標場，政風人員狐疑的眼神依然留存在我腦海裡，帶上回台南的高鐵，伴隨著忐忑不安的心情，迴繞著我好幾個星期，在每次的禱告中，我求神憐憫，求神赦免。

神安置永生在我心裡

2024-08-04 in , /by

傳道書 3:11-14   神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裡，然而神從始至終的作為，人不能參透。 12 我知道，世人莫強如終身喜樂、行善。 13 並且人人吃喝，在他一切勞碌中享福，這也是神的恩賜。 14 我知道，神一切所做的都必永存，無所增添，無所減少，神這樣行，是要人在祂面前存敬畏的心。

人的一生像一天的生活，早晨雞鳴像嬰兒啼哭入世，夜晚沉睡則恍如虛無離世；在其中，我們早早起床，喝杯咖啡，帶著希望，充滿活力…；大家整天忙碌，有時工作順利，贏得讚許，有時遭遇挫折，深受傷害，有時一事無成，心情沮喪…；撐到夜幕低垂，有人加班值班，有人舉杯歡宴，有人累縮沙發，有人悠遊網域…；疲憊了，爛醉了，通通要休息，躺在床上，窩在沙發，趴在街道，沉沉睡了。沒人能預知夢中有啥？誰能預約一個美夢？誰能將銀行的存摺、豐盛的酒席、歡樂的音符帶進睡夢中？或許有，那只不過是似有若無、虛無縹緲的夢境！

God’s Heart for Every Person on the Planet

2024-08-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 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! 

Acts 10:1-4 (NIV)
1  At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
2  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
3  One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4  Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
 
On verse 4:  God heard the sincere prayers and took note of the generous donations Cornelius made to the poor, though Cornelius at this point had not yet put his trust in Jesus Christ.  Regardless of your faith position, God sees the good that you do and the sincerity with which you pray.  But if all the good you do was good enough to save you, God wouldn’t have sent Jesus Christ for you.  Likewise despite all the good that Cornelius had done in his lifetime, God still connected Cornelius to Peter so that Cornelius could hear the saving news about Jesus Christ.

失望中贏得盼望

2024-08-02 in , /by

耶利米書 24:2-7

2 一筐是極好的無花果，好像是初熟的；一筐是極壞的無花果，壞得不可吃。 3 於是耶和華問我說：「耶利米你看見什麼？」我說：「我看見無花果，好的極好，壞的極壞，壞得不可吃。」

4 耶和華的話臨到我說： 5 「耶和華以色列的神如此說：被擄去的猶大人，就是我打發離開這地到迦勒底人之地去的，我必看顧他們如這好無花果，使他們得好處。 6 我要眷顧他們，使他們得好處，領他們歸回這地。我也要建立他們，必不拆毀；栽植他們，並不拔出。 7 我要賜他們認識我的心，知道我是耶和華。他們要做我的子民，我要做他們的神，因為他們要一心歸向我。

以色列人被擄掠到外邦之地，在急難時刻，神應許眷顧他們，使他們得好處，建立不拆毀，栽植不拔出；為的是讓他們認識神的心，知道祂是神，一心歸向祂。

在困境裡，我們要經歷呼求禱告得應允，專心尋求必尋見，被擄得招聚歸回；因為神向我們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，要叫我們末後有指望。

神的兒女倚靠神，在失望中得建立、被栽植，認識神、經歷神，贏得生命得歸回的永恆盼望。

There’s Hope After A Failure

2024-08-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 9:23-43.  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! 

Acts 9:23-28 (NIV)
23  After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him,
24  but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.
25  But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26  When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
27  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28  So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
 
On verses 23-28:  Here we see various groups responding to Saul in different ways.  Some (his former allies) want to kill him (v23-24).  Others (his new converts) want to protect him (v25).  Some are afraid of him and doubt his intentions (v26).  Barnabas believes in him and advocates for him (v27).  Just as Barnabas advocated for Saul and spoke on his behalf so that he could join the apostles’ team, so Jesus Christ stood in the gap for us and spoke on our behalf so that we could join His team.

Was Blind But Now I See

2024-08-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 9:1-22.  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! 

Acts 9:1-19a (NIV)
1  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

On verses 1-19a:  As we read about Saul’s amazing conversion to Christianity, we see that God is full of grace and mercy. He does not treat His enemies as they deserve. Instead of destroying His enemies for their sins, His first choice is to woo them to His side. That’s what Jesus did with Saul, and that’s He does with us too.

我不要了

2024-08-01 in , /by

提摩太後書 4:6-7

6 我現在被澆奠，我離世的時候到了。

7 那美好的仗我已經打過了，當跑的路我已經跑盡了，所信的道我已經守住了。

「我不要了！」是父親肝癌離世的最後一句話，他不想要急救，他想要回天家。保羅在提後4:6-7一段話詮釋了父親的一生。

整理父親的遺物，看著父親的身分證，「父」欄上註記著「不詳」，我們家人都不清楚我的祖父是誰。從小我和姊姊們、弟弟心中有疑惑，但未曾發問一直到現在，這是父親一生的痛，隨著父親的過世，這個疑問似乎不再重要；但是，它卻標記了父親一生的「成就」，父親不是完人，他卻努力在逆境中孵育兒女成長，且成為許多人的祝福。

父親常分享年輕時在電台工作，喝醉酒、肚子痛，在地上打滾、認罪悔改的經歷，因著這個呼召，讓他全心全意擺上自己在教會、家庭和工作。父親是教會裡的孩子王，說起聖經故事，孩子們鴉雀無聲、聚精會神，主日學的服事，從幼兒班到松年班，班班皆有他的身影，父親的身影深埋在許多弟兄姊妹對教會的懷念裡。

Start With Where They’re At

2024-07-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 8:26-40.  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! 
 
Acts 8:26-28 (NIV)
26  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
27  So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28  and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
 
On verses 26-28:  God tells Philip to go south to the desert road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.  God doesn’t tell Philip why.  On his way Philip meets the treasurer of the Egyptian government.  According to the New American Commentary, eunuchs in the ancient Near East were men who had been castrated at a young age and were put in charge of the royal harem and the treasury.   

主每早晨提醒我

2024-07-31 in , /by

創世記 1:31  神看著一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。

使徒行傳 17:24-25   創造宇宙和其中萬物的神，既是天地的主，就不住人手所造的殿， 25 也不用人手服侍，好像缺少什麼，自己倒將生命、氣息、萬物賜給萬人。

天尚未亮的清晨，走出家門，大樓管理員近似敬禮的跟我打招呼，我受寵若驚地感受他的盡責和誠懇；沿著街道，傾聽路跑者規律的腳步聲，由遠而近，迴盪著他們的活力和耐力；路旁老先生、老太太提著小提袋，等著進入游泳池晨泳，舒展手腳，臉上露出生命的堅持；迎面來輛腳踏車，搖晃車身上猛然向我揮手的是那每天清晨不期而遇，精神恍惚、喃喃自語，我避之不及的老頭，他認得我，還揮手跟我打招呼；拐進7-11，忙碌的身影放下拖把，帶著微笑習慣問我一杯中熱美，再加一句要不要寄杯、八折優待，我在親切的「謝謝光臨」聲中走出店門。