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You Are God’s Treasured Possession

2024-03-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Malachi 3:16-4:6.  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!

Malachi 3:16 (NIV)
16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.

On verse 16:  Here Malachi describes how those who feared God – that is, worshiped, revered, and honoured God – talked to each other, and God not only heard them but also took notes about them.  What can we learn from this?  God not only listens to how we talk to Him.  He also listens to how we talk to each other.  When we talk to each other in ways that honour His name – when we encourage one another in the Lord – God takes notice.   Just as it pleases a parent to see his or her children getting along and encouraging one another, so it pleases and honours God when we speak in ways that encourage one another and lift up His name.

用主的眼光而活

2024-03-25 in , /by

馬可福音12:41-44

41 耶穌對銀庫坐著，看眾人怎樣投錢入庫。有好些財主往裡投了若干的錢。 42 有一個窮寡婦來，往裡投了兩個小錢，就是一個大錢。 43 耶穌叫門徒來，說：「我實在告訴你們：這窮寡婦投入庫裡的比眾人所投的更多， 44 因為他們都是自己有餘，拿出來投在裡頭，但這寡婦是自己不足，把她一切養生的都投上了。」

主耶穌進入了耶路撒冷後，祂讚賞了三個人，一位是文士，一位是窮寡婦、一位是用香膏膏抹祂的女人。這三件事有很多地方值得我們學習。

主耶穌讚賞一位文士（可12:28-34）。這位文士回應主耶穌說：「夫子說，神是一位，實在不錯；除了祂以外，再沒有別的神；並且盡心、盡智、盡力愛他，又愛人如己，就比一切燔祭和各樣祭祀好的多。」這位文士領會到真正的善行比虛偽的禮儀好得多。主耶穌聽到這位文士所說之後，就說：「你離上帝的國不遠了。」

第二個記載是主耶穌坐在聖殿裏看人們怎樣奉獻（可12:41-44，路 21:1-4）。主耶穌說明窮寡婦所投的是很多，因為這差不多是他的所有財產，他將自己的生活所需的全數也交給上帝，主耶穌讚賞的重點不是那兩個小錢，而是有些人能夠無私地將自己的生命和生活的一切都奉獻給上帝。

Jesus is Your Soap

2024-03-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Malachi 3:1-15.  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!

What a rich passage this is.  I believe there are at least 7 powerful lessons that the Holy Spirit would have us learn from today’s passage.  I summarize them in bold below.  

Malachi 3:1 (NIV) 
1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty. 

On verse 1: Scholars sometimes debate whether verse 1 is describing one or two messengers.  I submit that the best interpretation is to see verse 1 as referring to two messengers.  The first messenger is described at the beginning of verse 1: “See I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.”  In Matthew 11:7-10, Jesus seems to quote this verse when talking about John the Baptist as a messenger that God would send who will prepare the way before the Lord. 

3 Ways We Can Break Faith with God and with One Another

2024-03-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Malachi 2:10-17.  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!

Malachi 2:10 (NIV) 
10 Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another? 

On verse 10: In this passage God identifies three ways that the Jews “broke faith” with one another. By carrying on these three sinful practices, the Jews were hurting one another, discouraging each other’s faith in God, threatening their unity as God followers, profaning the covenant their ancestors had made with God, and setting a bad example for the generations that followed them. Let’s take a look at each of these three practices, which are even more common today than they were in Malachi’s time.

愛在伯大尼

2024-03-24 in , /by

路加福音19:1-10

1耶穌進了耶利哥，正經過的時候， 2 有一個人名叫撒該，做稅吏長，是個財主， 3 他要看看耶穌是怎樣的人。只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看見。 4 就跑到前頭，爬上桑樹，要看耶穌，因為耶穌必從那裡經過。 5 耶穌到了那裡，抬頭一看，對他說：「撒該，快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。」 6 他就急忙下來，歡歡喜喜地接待耶穌。 7 眾人看見，都私下議論說：「他竟到罪人家裡去住宿！」 8 撒該站著對主說：「主啊，我把所有的一半給窮人，我若訛詐了誰，就還他四倍。」 9 耶穌說：「今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。 10 人子來，為要尋找、拯救失喪的人。」

愛在桑樹下：因著愛，祂住宿撒該家說：今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。（路19:1-10）

路加福音記載耶穌榮耀進耶路撒冷前，經過耶利哥，出現一位人物撒該，他和使徒馬太（利未）跟隨主以前的職分同樣是稅吏，但是他是稅吏長，且是個財主；看來猶太人對他的敵視應該是加倍的，也許他也因中飽私囊而成為財主。

The Result of Reverence

2024-03-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Malachi 2:1-9.  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!

Malachi 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1 “And now this admonition is for you, O priests. 
2 If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me. 

On verses 1-2:  After rebuking the Jewish people as a whole, God has a specific rebuke and warning for the priests.  From these verses we can see that God wants His priests to have hearts that are set on honouring His name.  Because their hearts were not set on honouring God, God says that their blessings are cursed (“I will curse your blessings” – v2).  Is “blessings” in verse 2 referring to blessings that the priests receive (such as material blessings and provision) or blessings that the priests give and pronounce on others?

愛在彎腰畫字時

2024-03-22 in , /by

路加福音19:1-10

1耶穌進了耶利哥，正經過的時候， 2 有一個人名叫撒該，做稅吏長，是個財主， 3 他要看看耶穌是怎樣的人。只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看見。 4 就跑到前頭，爬上桑樹，要看耶穌，因為耶穌必從那裡經過。 5 耶穌到了那裡，抬頭一看，對他說：「撒該，快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。」 6 他就急忙下來，歡歡喜喜地接待耶穌。 7 眾人看見，都私下議論說：「他竟到罪人家裡去住宿！」 8 撒該站著對主說：「主啊，我把所有的一半給窮人，我若訛詐了誰，就還他四倍。」 9 耶穌說：「今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。 10 人子來，為要尋找、拯救失喪的人。」

愛在桑樹下：因著愛，祂住宿撒該家說：今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。（路19:1-10）

路加福音記載耶穌榮耀進耶路撒冷前，經過耶利哥，出現一位人物撒該，他和使徒馬太（利未）跟隨主以前的職分同樣是稅吏，但是他是稅吏長，且是個財主；看來猶太人對他的敵視應該是加倍的，也許他也因中飽私囊而成為財主。

4 Ways We May Unintentionally Look Down on God’s Name

2024-03-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin our look at the book of Malachi.  Here is some background on the book of Malachi that you may find helpful:

1.  The book of Malachi was most likely written in the 5th century B.C.  (around the same time as, or maybe slightly before or slightly after, the events described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).  It is the last of the Old Testament prophetic books to be written.

2. During the time that Malachi was written, the Jews were under Persian rule.  Jewish governor Zerubabbel and prophets Haggai and Zechariah had already successfully led the Jews in rebuilding the temple by 515 B.C.  Still the Jewish people had become cold spiritually and were struggling financially.  Doubt about God’s promises and spiritual apathy had set in, resulting in many Jews marrying non-believers and refusing to tithe or to be accountable to their spiritual community. It is in this context that God sends several hard-hitting messages to the people through the book of Malachi.  Let’s go!

愛在桑樹下

2024-03-21 in , /by

路加福音19:1-10

1耶穌進了耶利哥，正經過的時候， 2 有一個人名叫撒該，做稅吏長，是個財主， 3 他要看看耶穌是怎樣的人。只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看見。 4 就跑到前頭，爬上桑樹，要看耶穌，因為耶穌必從那裡經過。 5 耶穌到了那裡，抬頭一看，對他說：「撒該，快下來！今天我必住在你家裡。」 6 他就急忙下來，歡歡喜喜地接待耶穌。 7 眾人看見，都私下議論說：「他竟到罪人家裡去住宿！」 8 撒該站著對主說：「主啊，我把所有的一半給窮人，我若訛詐了誰，就還他四倍。」 9 耶穌說：「今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。 10 人子來，為要尋找、拯救失喪的人。」

愛在桑樹下：因著愛，祂住宿撒該家說：今天救恩到了這家，因為他也是亞伯拉罕的子孫。（路19:1-10）

路加福音記載耶穌榮耀進耶路撒冷前，經過耶利哥，出現一位人物撒該，他和使徒馬太（利未）跟隨主以前的職分同樣是稅吏，但是他是稅吏長，且是個財主；看來猶太人對他的敵視應該是加倍的，也許他也因中飽私囊而成為財主。

What Heaven Is Like (Part 2)

2024-03-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 22:1-21.  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!

Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 
2  down the middle of the great street of the city…

On verse 1-2a:  In Psalm 46:4 we read that “[t]here is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.”  Here in Revelation 22, John gets to see that river.  According to John’s description, heaven is such a beautiful city that there is a river of living water, clear as crystal, that flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the main street of heaven.