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愈忙愈要找时间…

马太福音 11:28-30

28 凡劳苦担重担的人,可以到我这里来,我就使你们得安息。 29 我心里柔和谦卑,你们当负我的轭,学我的样式,这样你们心里就必得享安息。 30 因为我的轭是容易的,我的担子是轻省的。」

网路上有个图片描绘星期一到星期日英文字的翻译:星期一Monday(忙day)忙得要死,星期二Tuesday(求死day)忙得想死,星期三Wednesday(未死day)还没有忙死,星期四Thursday(受死day)行将受死;但是,转机来了,星期五Friday(福来day)挨完后就可以放假;接下来,一星期最安逸潇洒的一天,就是星期六Saturday(洒脱day);过完星期六,再面对星期日Sunday(伤day),又将继续下一个「忙」的星期。

有篇文章这样描述:「忙」这个字拆开就是「心亡」,如果我们对某些事、某些人的心已经死了,就会用「忙」来当作借口。有人会因为忙,而疏离朋友;因为忙,而冷淡亲人;因为忙,而忘了自己的健康。这代表我们对朋友、亲人、以及自己的心已经死了,我们用「忙」来拒绝一切。

God’s Got Other Sheep for You to Reach

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:11-21.  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!
 
John 10:11-13 (NIV)
11  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
13  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

On verses 11-13:  Here Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the one who loves the sheep so much that he would lay down his life for the sheep.  This is exactly what Jesus would do for us when he would die on the cross for our sins. 
 
Who is the “hired hand” that verses 12-13 are referring to? 

恩典中的确据

马太福音 6:25-34

25 所以我告诉你们,不要为生命忧虑吃什么喝什么,为身体忧虑穿什么。生命不胜于饮食吗?身体不胜于衣裳吗? 26 你们看那天上的飞鸟,也不种也不收,也不积蓄在仓里,你们的天父尚且养活牠,你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗? 27 你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢? 28 何必为衣裳忧虑呢?你想野地里的百合花怎么长起来,它也不劳苦,也不纺线, 29 然而我告诉你们:就是所罗门极荣华的时候,他所穿戴的还不如这花一朵呢!

先求神的国和神的义,我们的内里需要必得满足,外在生命将彰显神的荣美。

…不要为生命忧虑吃甚么,喝甚么;为身体忧虑穿甚么。

生命不胜于饮食吗?身体不胜于衣裳吗?你们看那天上的飞鸟,也不种,也不收,也不积蓄在仓里,你们的天父尚且养活牠。你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗?你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢?

何必为衣裳忧虑呢?你想野地里的百合花怎么长起来;它也不劳苦,也不纺线。然而我告诉你们,就是所罗门极荣华的时候,他所穿戴的,还不如这花一朵呢!你们这小信的人哪!野地里的草今天还在,明天就丢在炉里,神还给它这样的妆饰,何况你们呢!

How Jesus Leads You

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:1-10.  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!
 
John 10:1-5 (NIV)
1  “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
 
On verses 1-5:  Back during Jesus’ time on earth, shepherds would often bring their respective flocks together to be placed in a communal pen for the night.  One shepherd would be assigned to be the watchman to watch the flocks at night while the other shepherds slept.  In the morning, the shepherds would return to the communal pen to collect their sheep.  But how would they separate their own sheep from the rest of the sheep in the communal pen? 

Your True Spiritual Condition Is Revealed By THIS

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:35-41.  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!
 
John 9:35-38 (NIV)
35  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36  “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38  Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
 
On verses 35-38:  When the healed man was thrown out by some Pharisees, Jesus goes out to find him.  During this second encounter with Jesus, Jesus teaches the healed man more of who Jesus is, calling himself the Son of Man, and leads the man to saving faith in him.
 

得人的渔夫

路加福音 5:1-11  

耶稣站在革尼撒勒湖边,众人拥挤他,要听神的道。 2 他见有两只船湾在湖边,打鱼的人却离开船洗网去了。 3 有一只船是西门的,耶稣就上去,请他把船撑开,稍微离岸,就坐下,从船上教训众人。

4 讲完了,对西门说:「把船开到水深之处,下网打鱼。」 5 西门说:「夫子,我们整夜劳力,并没有打着什么,但依从你的话,我就下网。」 6 他们下了网,就圈住许多鱼,网险些裂开, 7 便招呼那只船上的同伴来帮助。他们就来,把鱼装满了两只船,甚至船要沉下去。

耶稣指引整夜劳苦、毫无所得的渔夫们,将船开到水深之处,参与他们的专业工作,让他们突破瓶颈、超越限制,满得鱼获;更呼召他们,他们可以成为得人的渔夫。

我们相信耶稣、倚靠耶稣,祂帮助我们在职场、工作、家庭…不同层面上得胜、得丰富;祂更呼召我们与祂同工,在我们的职分上传福音得人,成为得人的总经理、工程师、老师、理发师、父亲、母亲…。

What An Effective Witness for Jesus Does

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:24-34.  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!
 
John 9:24-25 (NIV)
24  A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25  He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
 
On verses 24-25:  When questioned again by the Pharisees, the “once was blind but now I see” man is not afraid to testify about what Jesus has done in his life.  He didn’t claim to have all the answers.  Rather he simply boldly shared his experience about the difference Jesus made in his life.  To be an effective witness for Jesus, you don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to be willing to share your story. 

彼此代求

路加福音 11:5-8    耶稣又说:「你们中间谁有一个朋友半夜到他那里去,说:『朋友,请借给我三个饼, 6 因为我有一个朋友行路,来到我这里,我没有什么给他摆上。』 7 那人在里面回答说:『不要搅扰我,门已经关闭,孩子们也同我在床上了,我不能起来给你。』 8 我告诉你们:虽不因他是朋友起来给他,但因他情词迫切地直求,就必起来照他所需用的给他。

路加福音记载耶稣教导门徒祷告(路11:1-4)之后,接续说了一个比喻:有一个人半夜向他的朋友借饼给他行路来的朋友,夜晚已经在床上的朋友因他的情词迫切地直求,就起来照他所需用的给他(路11:5-8)。

比喻里有三个朋友,行路的朋友、求饼的朋友和给饼的朋友,求饼的朋友并非为自己求饼,是为行路朋友的需要求饼;而给饼的朋友是在不方便的情形下,将饼给他朋友的朋友。经文中「情词迫切地」的原文有「不顾羞耻」、「厚脸皮」之意,半夜向人借饼似乎相当失礼、不顾面子,但也凸显出求饼朋友的用心和热切。

我们可以从比喻里理解,耶稣借由那个夜晚不愿被搅扰,但因拗不过迫切要求而起身供应的朋友,来对照表明我们若是同样地向神迫切地恳求,岂不更蒙这位满有恩慈的神丰丰富富地赏给我们吗?

Don’t Be Afraid to Identify with Jesus

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:13-23.  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!
 
John 9:13-16 (NIV)
13  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
14  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.
15  Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
 
On verses 13-16:  In response to Jesus giving sight to a blind man on the Sabbath day, some Pharisees fixate on their little rules – how Jesus healing on the Sabbath was a violation of their Sabbath day rules – all the while missing what really matters to God.  May we not make the same mistake.  May I not be so focused on my own little man-made system being challenged that I miss the big things that God is doing. 

小事上尽忠

创世记 39:1-4  约瑟被带下埃及去。有一个埃及人,是法老的内臣护卫长波提乏,从那些带下他来的以实玛利人手下买了他去。 2 约瑟住在他主人埃及人的家中,耶和华与他同在,他就百事顺利。 3 他主人见耶和华与他同在,又见耶和华使他手里所办的尽都顺利, 4 约瑟就在主人眼前蒙恩,伺候他主人,并且主人派他管理家务,把一切所有的都交在他手里。

出埃及记 3:1-10  摩西牧养他岳父米甸祭司叶忒罗的羊群,一日领羊群往野外去,到了神的山,就是何烈山。 2 耶和华的使者从荆棘里火焰中向摩西显现。摩西观看,不料,荆棘被火烧着,却没有烧毁。 3 摩西说:「我要过去看这大异象,这荆棘为何没有烧坏呢?」 4 耶和华神见他过去要看,就从荆棘里呼叫说:「摩西!摩西!」他说:「我在这里。」

人常注重大事,而忽略小事,但耶稣却说:「人在最小的事上忠心,在大事上也忠心;在最小的事上不义,在大事上也不义。」(路16:10)在按才干受责任的比喻里,耶稣也说:「好,你这又良善又忠心的仆人,你在不多的事上有忠心,我要把许多事派你管理;可以进来享受你主人的快乐。」(太25:21)。

被神所用的人,都是先从小事上尽心尽力做起。约瑟将主人波提乏交在他手里的事都办的尽都顺利,于是他从奴隶被提拔成管家,波提乏派他管理家务,把一切所有的都交在他手里(创39:1-4)。上帝呼召摩西时,他并非身居高位,而是在旷野牧羊(出3:1-10)。