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God’s Got Other Sheep for You to Reach

2024-05-15 in /by

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? 

恩典中的確據

2024-05-14 in , /by

馬太福音 6:25-34

25 所以我告訴你們，不要為生命憂慮吃什麼喝什麼，為身體憂慮穿什麼。生命不勝於飲食嗎？身體不勝於衣裳嗎？ 26 你們看那天上的飛鳥，也不種也不收，也不積蓄在倉裡，你們的天父尚且養活牠，你們不比飛鳥貴重得多嗎？ 27 你們哪一個能用思慮使壽數多加一刻呢？ 28 何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想野地裡的百合花怎麼長起來，它也不勞苦，也不紡線， 29 然而我告訴你們：就是所羅門極榮華的時候，他所穿戴的還不如這花一朵呢！

先求神的國和神的義，我們的內裡需要必得滿足，外在生命將彰顯神的榮美。

…不要為生命憂慮吃甚麼，喝甚麼；為身體憂慮穿甚麼。

生命不勝於飲食嗎？身體不勝於衣裳嗎？你們看那天上的飛鳥，也不種，也不收，也不積蓄在倉裡，你們的天父尚且養活牠。你們不比飛鳥貴重得多嗎？你們哪一個能用思慮使壽數多加一刻呢？

何必為衣裳憂慮呢？你想野地裡的百合花怎麼長起來；它也不勞苦，也不紡線。然而我告訴你們，就是所羅門極榮華的時候，他所穿戴的，還不如這花一朵呢！你們這小信的人哪！野地裡的草今天還在，明天就丟在爐裡，神還給它這樣的妝飾，何況你們呢！

How Jesus Leads You

2024-05-14 in /by

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

2024-05-13 in /by

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.
 

得人的漁夫

2024-05-13 in , /by

路加福音 5:1-11  

耶穌站在革尼撒勒湖邊，眾人擁擠他，要聽神的道。 2 他見有兩隻船灣在湖邊，打魚的人卻離開船洗網去了。 3 有一隻船是西門的，耶穌就上去，請他把船撐開，稍微離岸，就坐下，從船上教訓眾人。

4 講完了，對西門說：「把船開到水深之處，下網打魚。」 5 西門說：「夫子，我們整夜勞力，並沒有打著什麼，但依從你的話，我就下網。」 6 他們下了網，就圈住許多魚，網險些裂開， 7 便招呼那隻船上的同伴來幫助。他們就來，把魚裝滿了兩隻船，甚至船要沉下去。

耶穌指引整夜勞苦、毫無所得的漁夫們，將船開到水深之處，參與他們的專業工作，讓他們突破瓶頸、超越限制，滿得魚獲；更呼召他們，他們可以成為得人的漁夫。

我們相信耶穌、倚靠耶穌，祂幫助我們在職場、工作、家庭…不同層面上得勝、得豐富；祂更呼召我們與祂同工，在我們的職分上傳福音得人，成為得人的總經理、工程師、老師、理髮師、父親、母親…。

What An Effective Witness for Jesus Does

2024-05-12 in /by

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

2024-05-12 in , /by

路加福音 11:5-8    耶穌又說：「你們中間誰有一個朋友半夜到他那裡去，說：『朋友，請借給我三個餅， 6 因為我有一個朋友行路，來到我這裡，我沒有什麼給他擺上。』 7 那人在裡面回答說：『不要攪擾我，門已經關閉，孩子們也同我在床上了，我不能起來給你。』 8 我告訴你們：雖不因他是朋友起來給他，但因他情詞迫切地直求，就必起來照他所需用的給他。

路加福音記載耶穌教導門徒禱告（路11:1-4）之後，接續說了一個比喻：有一個人半夜向他的朋友借餅給他行路來的朋友，夜晚已經在床上的朋友因他的情詞迫切地直求，就起來照他所需用的給他（路11:5-8）。

比喻裡有三個朋友，行路的朋友、求餅的朋友和給餅的朋友，求餅的朋友並非為自己求餅，是為行路朋友的需要求餅；而給餅的朋友是在不方便的情形下，將餅給他朋友的朋友。經文中「情詞迫切地」的原文有「不顧羞恥」、「厚臉皮」之意，半夜向人借餅似乎相當失禮、不顧面子，但也凸顯出求餅朋友的用心和熱切。

我們可以從比喻裡理解，耶穌藉由那個夜晚不願被攪擾，但因拗不過迫切要求而起身供應的朋友，來對照表明我們若是同樣地向神迫切地懇求，豈不更蒙這位滿有恩慈的神豐豐富富地賞給我們嗎？

Don’t Be Afraid to Identify with Jesus

2024-05-10 in /by

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. 

小事上盡忠

2024-05-10 in , /by

創世記 39:1-4  約瑟被帶下埃及去。有一個埃及人，是法老的內臣護衛長波提乏，從那些帶下他來的以實瑪利人手下買了他去。 2 約瑟住在他主人埃及人的家中，耶和華與他同在，他就百事順利。 3 他主人見耶和華與他同在，又見耶和華使他手裡所辦的盡都順利， 4 約瑟就在主人眼前蒙恩，伺候他主人，並且主人派他管理家務，把一切所有的都交在他手裡。

出埃及記 3:1-10  摩西牧養他岳父米甸祭司葉忒羅的羊群，一日領羊群往野外去，到了神的山，就是何烈山。 2 耶和華的使者從荊棘裡火焰中向摩西顯現。摩西觀看，不料，荊棘被火燒著，卻沒有燒毀。 3 摩西說：「我要過去看這大異象，這荊棘為何沒有燒壞呢？」 4 耶和華神見他過去要看，就從荊棘裡呼叫說：「摩西！摩西！」他說：「我在這裡。」

人常注重大事，而忽略小事，但耶穌卻說：「人在最小的事上忠心，在大事上也忠心；在最小的事上不義，在大事上也不義。」（路16:10）在按才幹受責任的比喻裡，耶穌也說：「好，你這又良善又忠心的僕人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把許多事派你管理；可以進來享受你主人的快樂。」（太25:21）。

被神所用的人，都是先從小事上盡心盡力做起。約瑟將主人波提乏交在他手裡的事都辦的盡都順利，於是他從奴隸被提拔成管家，波提乏派他管理家務，把一切所有的都交在他手裏（創39:1-4）。上帝呼召摩西時，他並非身居高位，而是在曠野牧羊（出3:1-10）。

A Big Reason Why God Allows Suffering

2024-05-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:1-12.  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 9:1-3 (NIV)
1  As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

On verses 1-3:  When the disciples saw a man blind from birth, the disciples immediately assumed that the man’s blindness was somebody’s fault.  The only question for them was “Who is to blame?”  But Jesus didn’t play the blame game.  Instead, Jesus explains that the reason why this man was born blind was not due to this man’s sins or his parents’ sins, but “so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (v3).