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Why God Sometimes Makes Us Wait A Little Longer Than We’d Like

2024-10-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 13:1-23.  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 13:1-15 (NIV)
1  Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years.
2  Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

On verses 1-15:  In these 15 verses, we see how one bad decision altered Saul’s destiny.  The sequence of events is fairly straightforward:

1. Saul’s first born son Jonathan leads a successful attack against the Philistines (v3-4).

2. In response, the Philistines come roaring back with a massive force, assembling at Micmash, ready to fight Israel (v5).

愈忙愈要找時間

2024-10-18 in , /by

馬太福音11:28-30 28

「凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這裏來，我就使你們得安息。 29 我心裏柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式，這樣，你們心裏就必得享安息。 30 因為我的軛是容易的，我的擔子是輕省的。」

網路上有個圖片描繪星期一到星期日英文字的翻譯：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）還沒有忙死，星期四（受死day）行將受死；但是，轉機來了，星期五（福來day）捱完後就可以放假；接下來，一星期最安逸瀟灑的一天，就是星期六（灑脫day）；過完星期六，再面對星期日（傷day），又將繼續下一個「忙」的星期。

有篇文章這樣描述：「忙」這個字拆開就是「心亡」，如果我們對某些事、某些人的心已經死了，就會用「忙」來當作藉口。有人會因為忙，而疏離朋友；因為忙，而冷淡親人；因為忙，而忘了自己的健康。這代表我們對朋友、親人、以及自己的心已經死了，我們用「忙」來拒絕一切。

有封E-mail的標題是「撒旦的會議記錄」，其中談到撒旦向全世界的邪靈召開會議，討論如何讓基督徒中斷參與教會、中斷讀聖經明白真理、中斷與耶穌的親密關係；或是讓他們留在教會，但偷去他們的時間，使他們彷彿活在基督裡，卻無真實的連結。

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.  

存留對天父的記憶

2024-10-17 in , /by

以賽亞書 46:3-4 

3 雅各家，以色列家一切餘剩的，要聽我言！你們自從生下，就蒙我保抱；自從出胎，便蒙我懷揣。 4 直到你們年老，我仍這樣；直到你們髮白，我仍懷揣。我已造做，也必保抱；我必懷抱，也必拯救。

約翰福音 15:13-14

13 人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。 14 你們若遵行我所吩咐的，就是我的朋友了。

天父讓祂的兒女，用一生光陰來經歷、認識祂自己。讓他們：

經歷孩童的襁褓萌芽，浸泡於被保抱、被懷搋（賽46:3-4）的慈愛裡；

經歷少年的青澀成長，尋得最好的朋友-耶穌（約15:13-14），被接納、被肯定；

經歷青年的茁壯揚帆，藉著心裡的力量-聖靈（約14:16-17），被裝備、被挑戰；

經歷婚姻的磨合接納，認識祂的愛（約壹5:1）與忌妒，學習專一、聖潔；

經歷父母的養育劬勞，明白天父對祂兒女的憐憫與救贖（賽44:22），祂會傷痛（創6:5-6）、祂應該也有眼淚；

經歷髮白的夕陽西沉，放下曾拿起的，停下正追趕的，在背駝緩步的悵然中，湧起回家的渴望；盡頭到了，停了顫動，全然謙卑地回到那創造的源頭。

天父的兒女在一生歷程裡，所能帶走的僅是靈裡對天父的記憶，藉著對天父的記憶，按圖索驥，歸回天父的家。

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?  

小人物的一句話

2024-10-16 in , /by

列王紀下 5 章:1-14

1亞蘭王的元帥乃縵在他主人面前為尊為大，因耶和華曾藉他使亞蘭人得勝。他又是大能的勇士，只是長了大痲瘋。 2 先前亞蘭人成群地出去，從以色列國擄了一個小女子，這女子就服侍乃縵的妻。 3 她對主母說：「巴不得我主人去見撒馬利亞的先知，必能治好他的大痲瘋。」 4 乃縵進去，告訴他主人說：「以色列國的女子如此如此說。」 5 亞蘭王說：「你可以去，我也達信於以色列王。」於是乃縵帶銀子十他連得、金子六千舍客勒、衣裳十套，就去了。

亞蘭國元帥乃縵是大能的勇士，曾立大功，深受王倚重，只是長了大麻瘋。一個被亞蘭人從以色列國擄來的小女子服事乃縵的妻，她告知主母說：「巴不得我主人去見撒馬利亞的先知，必能治好他的大痲瘋。」（王下5:3）乃縵將婢女的話告訴了亞蘭王，亞蘭王同意，且帶信給以色列王，要求治好乃縵的大痲瘋。

以色列王約蘭收到信後十分恐慌，因為當時亞蘭國力強於以色列；先知以利沙聽到此事，就打發使者告知乃縵，讓其在約旦河中沐浴七次即可潔淨。乃縵初時發怒拒絕，後來經僕人勸說，就照做了，果然得潔淨。

乃縵得潔淨後，再三地求以利沙接受餽贈禮物，以利沙堅拒；乃縵最後帶著兩騾子馱的土回去，要獻祭給耶和華。半途中，以利沙的僕人基哈西追上乃縵，假藉以利沙意思，編造理由索取銀子和衣裳。事後被以利沙發現，指責他說：「…這豈是受銀子、衣裳、買橄欖園、葡萄園、牛羊、僕婢的時候呢？…」於是，基哈西就長了大痲瘋，像雪那樣白。（王下5章）

人和神關係間的恢復

2024-10-15 in , /by

撒母耳記下 24:16-17

16 天使向耶路撒冷伸手要滅城的時候，耶和華後悔，就不降這災了，吩咐滅民的天使說：「夠了，住手吧！」那時，耶和華的使者在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場那裡。 17 大衛看見滅民的天使，就禱告耶和華說：「我犯了罪行了惡，但這群羊做了什麼呢？願你的手攻擊我和我的父家。」

神降災懲罰大衛，三日瘟疫讓百姓死了七萬人，大衛看見即將要向耶路撒冷伸手滅城的天使，他向神禱告認罪：「我犯了罪，行了惡；但這群羊做了甚麼呢？願你的手攻擊我和我的父家。」（撒下24:16-17，代上21:15-17）

神指示迦得見大衛，要他在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場上為耶和華築一座壇，讓民間的瘟疫止住。亞勞拿樂意獻出一切，但大衛不肯用白得之物作為燔祭獻給神，就用五十舍客勒銀子買了那禾場與牛。大衛在那裡為耶和華築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭，瘟疫在以色列人中就止住了。（撒下24:18-25，代上21:18-28）

聖殿山位於摩利亞地（古耶路撒冷）。在此山上，亞伯拉罕聽從神的命令，曾預備以兒子以撒為祭獻給神（創22:l-14），數百年後，這裡成為耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場，大衛在此為神築壇獻祭，並交代所羅門建聖殿（代上22章）。神的話臨到大衛說：「…你要生一個兒子，他必作太平的人…他的名要叫所羅門。

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. 

我選擇耶穌

2024-10-14 in , /by

歷代志上 21:9-14

9 耶和華吩咐大衛的先見迦得說： 10 「你去告訴大衛說：『耶和華如此說：我有三樣災，隨你選擇一樣，我好降於你。』」 11 於是迦得來見大衛，對他說：「耶和華如此說：『你可以隨意選擇： 12 或三年的饑荒；或敗在你敵人面前，被敵人的刀追殺三個月；或在你國中有耶和華的刀，就是三日的瘟疫，耶和華的使者在以色列的四境施行毀滅。』現在你要想一想，我好回覆那差我來的。」 

大衛數點百姓，神不喜悅，懲罰臨到大衛。神給他機會選擇：國中有七年饑荒？被敵人追趕三個月？或國中有三日瘟疫？大衛不願意落在人的手裡，選擇神所掌管的大自然災難，三日瘟疫讓百姓死了七萬人。（撒下24:11-15，代上21:9-14）

大衛的選擇看起來有點自私，如果被敵人追趕三個月，也不確定會造成多少城邑失去？多少軍兵、百姓死亡？七年饑荒太長，太痛苦；三日瘟疫也許是一個好的選擇，但也讓無辜百姓死了七萬人。

換成現在的你、我，我們會有甚麼樣的選擇？