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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

撒母耳记上 13:1-14

扫罗登基年四十岁。做以色列王二年的时候， 2 就从以色列中拣选了三千人，二千跟随扫罗在密抹和伯特利山，一千跟随约拿单在便雅悯的基比亚；其余的人，扫罗都打发各回各家去了。 3 约拿单攻击迦巴非利士人的防营，非利士人听见了。扫罗就在遍地吹角，意思说要使希伯来人听见。 4 以色列众人听见扫罗攻击非利士人的防营，又听见以色列人为非利士人所憎恶，就跟随扫罗聚集在吉甲。

望着高铁窗外掠过的夕阳美景，内心没有丝毫感动，只有不断向神呼求怜悯的祷告…。刚刚出席我们预备承接研究案的开标作业，开标现场的长桌上坐着主办单位的业务、会计、政风人员，在拆封审视投标文件和研究计画书的当时，政风人员狐疑的冒出几句：「奇怪！这三间学校的投标计画书，除了投标金额不一样外，其他内容好像都一样？ 」标场气氛凝结片刻，没人答腔，开标继续进行，我们以最低的投标金额得标，承接这个研究案。离开标场，政风人员狐疑的眼神依然留存在我脑海里，带上回台南的高铁，伴随着忐忑不安的心情，回绕着我好几个星期，在每次的祷告中，我求神怜悯，求神赦免。

神安置永生在我心里

2024-08-04 in , /by

传道书 3:11-14   神造万物，各按其时成为美好，又将永生安置在世人心里，然而神从始至终的作为，人不能参透。 12 我知道，世人莫强如终身喜乐、行善。 13 并且人人吃喝，在他一切劳碌中享福，这也是神的恩赐。 14 我知道，神一切所做的都必永存，无所增添，无所减少，神这样行，是要人在祂面前存敬畏的心。

人的一生像一天的生活，早晨鸡鸣像婴儿啼哭入世，夜晚沉睡则恍如虚无离世；在其中，我们早早起床，喝杯咖啡，带着希望，充满活力…；大家整天忙碌，有时工作顺利，赢得赞许，有时遭遇挫折，深受伤害，有时一事无成，心情沮丧…；撑到夜幕低垂，有人加班值班，有人举杯欢宴，有人累缩沙发，有人悠游网域…；疲惫了，烂醉了，通通要休息，躺在床上，窝在沙发，趴在街道，沉沉睡了。没人能预知梦中有啥？谁能预约一个美梦？谁能将银行的存摺、丰盛的酒席、欢乐的音符带进睡梦中？或许有，那只不过是似有若无、虚无缥缈的梦境！

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.

失望中赢得盼望

2024-08-02 in , /by

耶利米书 24:2-7

2 一筐是极好的无花果，好像是初熟的；一筐是极坏的无花果，坏得不可吃。 3 于是耶和华问我说：「耶利米你看见什么？」我说：「我看见无花果，好的极好，坏的极坏，坏得不可吃。」

4 耶和华的话临到我说： 5 「耶和华以色列的神如此说：被掳去的犹大人，就是我打发离开这地到迦勒底人之地去的，我必看顾他们如这好无花果，使他们得好处。 6 我要眷顾他们，使他们得好处，领他们归回这地。我也要建立他们，必不拆毁；栽植他们，并不拔出。 7 我要赐他们认识我的心，知道我是耶和华。他们要做我的子民，我要做他们的神，因为他们要一心归向我。

以色列人被掳掠到外邦之地，在急难时刻，神应许眷顾他们，使他们得好处，建立不拆毁，栽植不拔出；为的是让他们认识神的心，知道祂是神，一心归向祂。

在困境里，我们要经历呼求祷告得应允，专心寻求必寻见，被掳得招聚归回；因为神向我们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，要叫我们末后有指望。

神的儿女倚靠神，在失望中得建立、被栽植，认识神、经历神，赢得生命得归回的永恒盼望。

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

提摩太后书 4:6-7

6 我现在被浇奠，我离世的时候到了。

7 那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了。

「我不要了！」是父亲肝癌离世的最后一句话，他不想要急救，他想要回天家。保罗在提后4:6-7一段话诠释了父亲的一生。

整理父亲的遗物，看着父亲的身分证，「父」栏上注记着「不详」，我们家人都不清楚我的祖父是谁。从小我和姊姊们、弟弟心中有疑惑，但未曾发问一直到现在，这是父亲一生的痛，随着父亲的过世，这个疑问似乎不再重要；但是，它却标记了父亲一生的「成就」，父亲不是完人，他却努力在逆境中孵育儿女成长，且成为许多人的祝福。

父亲常分享年轻时在电台工作，喝醉酒、肚子痛，在地上打滚、认罪悔改的经历，因着这个呼召，让他全心全意摆上自己在教会、家庭和工作。父亲是教会里的孩子王，说起圣经故事，孩子们鸦雀无声、聚精会神，主日学的服事，从幼儿班到松年班，班班皆有他的身影，父亲的身影深埋在许多弟兄姊妹对教会的怀念里。

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

创世记 1:31  神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。

使徒行传 17:24-25   创造宇宙和其中万物的神，既是天地的主，就不住人手所造的殿， 25 也不用人手服侍，好像缺少什么，自己倒将生命、气息、万物赐给万人。

天尚未亮的清晨，走出家门，大楼管理员近似敬礼的跟我打招呼，我受宠若惊地感受他的尽责和诚恳；沿着街道，倾听路跑者规律的脚步声，由远而近，回荡着他们的活力和耐力；路旁老先生、老太太提着小提袋，等著进入游泳池晨泳，舒展手脚，脸上露出生命的坚持；迎面来辆脚踏车，摇晃车身上猛然向我挥手的是那每天清晨不期而遇，精神恍惚、喃喃自语，我避之不及的老头，他认得我，还挥手跟我打招呼；拐进7-11，忙碌的身影放下拖把，带着微笑习惯问我一杯中热美，再加一句要不要寄杯、八折优待，我在亲切的「谢谢光临」声中走出店门。