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The Penitent Thief

2026-03-09 in /by

Much has been said about the prayer of the penitent thief on the cross next to Jesus. But dare we forget the one who didn’t pray? He offered no request. He, too, could have requested mercy. He, too, could have asked Jesus to remember him in the new kingdom. But he didn’t. He offered no prayer of repentance. And Jesus didn’t demand one.

Jesus gave both criminals the same choice. One said, “Remember me.” The other said nothing. There are times when God sends thunder to stir us. There are times when God sends blessings to lure us. But then there are times when God sends nothing but silence as he honors us with the freedom to choose where we spend eternity.

亞伯蘭與羅得分離

2026-03-08 in , /by

創世記 13章:14-18

14 羅得離別亞伯蘭以後，耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「從你所在的地方，你舉目向東西南北觀看， 15 凡你所看見的一切地，我都要賜給你和你的後裔，直到永遠。 16 我也要使你的後裔如同地上的塵沙那樣多，人若能數算地上的塵沙，才能數算你的後裔。 17 你起來，縱橫走遍這地，因為我必把這地賜給你。」 18 亞伯蘭就搬了帳篷，來到希伯崙幔利的橡樹那裡居住，在那裡為耶和華築了一座壇。

2020年5月13日的紐約每日新聞報導，說有位下班了的警員在長島的家外面和一位從小一起長大的好朋友發生爭執，開了五槍，把對方殺死了。從小一起長大，這樣的友誼不能說不堅固了，可是讓堅固的情誼受到挑戰的因素很多，其中有一個很大的因素便是利益衝突。

就像亞伯蘭和羅得這對伯侄，他們在一起很久了。羅得的父親過世了，所以他跟著亞伯蘭伯伯出吾珥，又跟著他到迦南。他們一起下埃及，又一起出埃及，在這數十年的時間裡，羅得也逐漸成長，可以獨當一面。他們各有自己的財產和僕人，各有自己的牲畜和需求。

當他們從埃及回到迦南地後，大家住在一起，伯侄相安，僕人卻時有爭執。同在一地共飲一井，誰的牲畜先喝水，誰的牛羊先到哪塊草地上吃草，大家都要搶先機，免得吃虧。日子一久，這些爭執就傳到了兩個伯侄的耳中。

法老責備亞伯蘭

2026-03-06 in , /by

創世記 12:10-20

10 那地遭遇饑荒。因饑荒甚大，亞伯蘭就下埃及去，要在那裡暫居。 11 將近埃及，就對他妻子撒萊說：「我知道你是容貌俊美的婦人， 12 埃及人看見你必說『這是他的妻子』，他們就要殺我，卻叫你存活。 13 求你說你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。」 14 及至亞伯蘭到了埃及，埃及人看見那婦人極其美貌。 15 法老的臣宰看見了她，就在法老面前誇獎她，那婦人就被帶進法老的宮去。 16 法老因這婦人就厚待亞伯蘭，亞伯蘭得了許多牛、羊、駱駝、公驢、母驢、僕婢。 17 耶和華因亞伯蘭妻子撒萊的緣故，降大災於法老和他的全家。

亞伯蘭在埃及說謊，25年後，亞伯拉罕在基拉耳說同樣的謊。很多人說這是他的軟弱，其實他真正的弱點跟所有人都一樣，要用自己的方法來保護自己。當危險來臨時，我們想到的一定是自保。所謂夫妻本是同林鳥，大限來時各自飛。但是當神不允許時，神就出手了。

亞伯蘭因饑荒下埃及，這是很不得己的做法，因為迦南地是神給他的祝福，一旦離開神給他的祝福之地，他就害怕了。

Jesus Himself Chose the Cross

2026-03-06 in /by

God has penned a list of our faults. The list God has made, however, cannot be deciphered. The mistakes are covered. The sins hidden. “He has forgiven you all your sins: he has utterly wiped out the written evidence…and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 Phillips).

He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you, and since he couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you, he chose the nails.

The verdict behind the death was not decided by jealous Jews. With a flex of the biceps, Jesus could have resisted. No. Jesus himself chose the nails. He knew that the purpose of the nail was to place your sins where they could be hidden by his sacrifice—nailed to the cross, covered by his blood.

The Hand of God

2026-03-05 in /by

Come with me to the hill of Calvary. Watch as the soldiers press a knee against a forearm and a spike against a hand, as the soldier lifts the hammer to strike it. Think about the hand that received the nail. The fist doesn’t clench, the moment isn’t aborted.

A mallet drove a nail into the hand, not just of a carpenter, but into the hand of God. Fingers that formed Adam out of clay and furrowed truth into tablets felt the pain of crucifixion. The same hand that stilled the seas stilled your guilt. And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you.

神第二次呼召亞伯拉罕

2026-03-05 in , /by

創世記 12:1-9

耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要離開本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。 2 我必叫你成為大國，我必賜福給你，叫你的名為大，你也要叫別人得福。 3 為你祝福的，我必賜福於他；那咒詛你的，我必咒詛他。地上的萬族都要因你得福。」 4 亞伯蘭就照著耶和華的吩咐去了，羅得也和他同去。

神第一次呼召亞伯拉罕時，他的妻子撒萊和父親他拉，以及侄子羅得都跟他一起離開本地、本族、父家。但是走到哈蘭時，可能老人家歲數大了，就停留下來直到過世。那時的亞伯拉罕在想什麼呢？

他可能也覺得累了，父親的墳在那裡，不如就陪著他老人家，守墳。以前的華人有守墳的習俗吧，好像父母過世後，要守三年，連做官的也得回去守孝，不然就會被指責。

當神的話再次臨到他時，離開本地、本族、父家這句話開始有了真正的意義。離開，包括思想上的離開，因為神要讓他的後裔成為大國。他不能再眷戀以前的生活或人事，他必須前行，因為那裡有極大的應許等著他去領取。

The Briar Patch of Humanity

2026-03-05 in /by

What is the fruit of sin? Step into the briar patch of humanity and feel a few thistles. Shame. Fear. Disgrace. Discouragement. Anxiety. Haven’t our hearts been caught in these brambles?

The heart of Jesus, however, had not. Jesus never knew the fruits of sin—until he became sin for us. And when he did, all the emotions of sin tumbled in on him. Can’t you hear the emotion in his prayer at the Cross? “My God, my God, why have you rejected me?” (Matthew 27:46). These are not the words of a saint. This is the cry of a sinner. He stood silent as a million guilty verdicts echoed in the tribunal of heaven.

Do you want to know the most amazing thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns? He did it for you. Just for you.

神第一次呼召亞伯拉罕

2026-03-04 in , /by

創世記 11:27-32

27 他拉的後代記在下面。他拉生亞伯蘭、拿鶴、哈蘭。哈蘭生羅得。 28 哈蘭死在他的本地迦勒底的吾珥，在他父親他拉之先。 29 亞伯蘭、拿鶴各娶了妻：亞伯蘭的妻子名叫撒萊；拿鶴的妻子名叫密迦，是哈蘭的女兒，哈蘭是密迦和亦迦的父親。 30 撒萊不生育，沒有孩子。 31 他拉帶著他兒子亞伯蘭和他孫子哈蘭的兒子羅得，並他兒婦亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊，出了迦勒底的吾珥，要往迦南地去。他們走到哈蘭，就住在那裡。 32 他拉共活了二百零五歲，就死在哈蘭。

基督教論壇報報導：美國時間2020年9月15日下午，以色列總理納坦雅胡（Benjamin Netanyahu）與阿拉伯聯合大公國（阿聯）外長阿布杜拉（Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan）、巴林外長薩亞尼（Abdullatif al-Zayani）正式簽署歷史性的《亞伯拉罕協議》，正式向世界宣告，以色列與兩個阿拉伯國家建交。此項儀式由美國川普總統在白宮南草坪主持。

以色列總理納坦雅胡說：「這天是歷史的轉折點。它預示著和平的新曙光。數千年來，猶太人民一直為和平祈禱。幾十年來，猶太國家一直為和平祈禱。」納坦雅胡認為，這項協議「已經提出了實現以色列與巴勒斯坦人之間和平的現實構想。」納坦雅胡感謝阿聯國王和外長「擴大了和平圈」，也感謝巴林的國王和外長， 與以色列「一起為亞伯拉罕的所有子孫帶來希望。」

巴別

2026-03-03 in , /by

創世記 11:1-9

那時，天下人的口音、言語都是一樣。 2 他們往東邊遷移的時候，在示拿地遇見一片平原，就住在那裡。 3 他們彼此商量說：「來吧！我們要做磚，把磚燒透了。」他們就拿磚當石頭，又拿石漆當灰泥。 4 他們說：「來吧！我們要建造一座城和一座塔，塔頂通天，為要傳揚我們的名，免得我們分散在全地上。」 5 耶和華降臨，要看看世人所建造的城和塔。

弗朗茲·卡夫卡（德文：Franz Kafka），是廿世紀奧地利德語小說家，也是個猶太人。他寫過一篇極短篇，名為〈巴別之坑〉：你在建造什麼？—我想挖一條地道。必須有些進展，因為我所在的位置太高了。 我們正在挖巴別之坑。

在另一篇名為〈巴別塔〉的寓言裡，他寫道：「如果建造巴別塔不是往上蓋，或許這項工程會被恩准。」

The Gifts of the Cross

2026-03-02 in /by

Have you ever wondered why God gives us so much? We could exist on far less. God could have left the world flat and gray—we wouldn’t have known the difference—but he didn’t. Why give the flower a fragrance? Why give food its taste? Jesus asked, “If you hardhearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?” (Matthew 7:11).

Every gift reveals God’s love, but no gift reveals his love more than the gifts of the cross. They came, not wrapped in paper, but in passion. Not covered with ribbons, but sprinkled with blood. The gifts of the cross! Have you taken time to open these gifts? If you do, perhaps you will hear him whisper, “I did it just for you.”