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When You’re Going Through Desperate Times, Fast and Pray

2023-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Joel 1:13-20.  Let’s go!

Joel 1:13-14 (NIV)
13  Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
14  Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
 
On verses 13-14:  Joel’s nation was facing desperate times.  A famine meant that offerings were withheld from the house of God (v13).  In the midst of these desperate times, Joel calls the priests not only to mourn and wail (v13) but also to declare a fast and call a sacred assembly so that the people could come together in God’s presence with prayer and fasting (v14).

思想带出行为

2023-12-17 in , /by

弥迦书2: 1  祸哉，那些在床上图谋罪孽、造做奸恶的！天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了。

读经文: 弥迦书 2:1-13

1祸哉，那些在床上图谋罪孽、造做奸恶的！天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了。 2 他们贪图田地就占据，贪图房屋便夺取。他们欺压人，霸占房屋和产业。 3 所以耶和华如此说：「我筹划灾祸降于这族，这祸在你们的颈项上不能解脱，你们也不能昂首而行，因为这时势是恶的。

在本书的第一章强而有力地形容出一个人的思想如何影响他的一生。有人说：思想会带出话语，所以要小心你说的话，因为言语会变成行动。留意你的行为，它会成为你的习惯；注意你的习惯，它会形成你的性格；不要轻忽你的性格，因为它将决定你的一生。所以在暗室时，在独处时，要留心你的思想，因为它将带动你一生的走向。弥迦告诉我们，在床上时也要很小心，不要尽想不好的事情，因为到了早上，那些思想就会影响你的行为或行动。

你有没有这样的经历：白天有人得罪你，晚上入睡前你就一直在想如何报复，第二天早上起来就按著昨晚所想的方法去行动？或是夜里突然想到有个发财的捷径，第二天一早就着手行动了。圣经里形容得何等传神：“那些在床上图谋…的，天一发亮，因手有能力就行出来了”。当然，图谋什么自己知道，神也知道。

When Things Go From Bad to Worse

2023-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Joel.  Not much is known about Joel.  We do know that he was a prophet living in Jerusalem and his name means “Jehovah is his God”.  His dad’s name was Pethuel meaning “vision of God”.  It is not clear when the book of Joel was written.  In fact, there is quite possibly no book in the Bible whose date of composition is more widely debated than the book of Joel, with various scholars proposing dates as early as approximately 900 B.C. to as late as 200 B.C.  As Robert B. Chisholm, Jr. of the Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, given the lack of clear historical clues, “it is impossible to be dogmatic about the date of the writing of Joel”[1].  Though overall preferring a 7th century B.C. date, D.A. Garrett from the New American Commentary also concludes that “[a]ny suggested time frame for the book should be tentative, and the interpretation of the book should not depend upon a hypothetical historical setting.”[2]  That said, Joel is a powerful book with some important lessons for us today. 

Today’s passage is Joel 1:1-12. Let’s go!

无法医治的伤痕

2023-12-15 in , /by

弥迦书  1: 8 先知说：因此我必大声哀号，赤脚露体而行；又要呼号如野狗，哀鸣如鸵鸟。

读经文: 弥迦书 1:5-16

5 这都因雅各的罪过，以色列家的罪恶。雅各的罪过在哪里呢？岂不是在撒马利亚吗？犹大的丘坛在哪里呢？岂不是在耶路撒冷吗？ 6 「所以，我必使撒马利亚变为田野的乱堆，又作为种葡萄之处；也必将她的石头倒在谷中，露出根基来。 7 她一切雕刻的偶像必被打碎，她所得的财物必被火烧，所有的偶像我必毁灭，因为是从妓女雇价所聚来的，后必归为妓女的雇价。」

神从祂的圣殿见证雅各家的不是，神出了祂的居所，所行过的各处，众山都消化，诸谷必崩裂，如蜡化在火中，如水冲下山坡。雅各家究竟犯了何罪，让神如此大作？先知直指罪的根源来自两国的首府，一是撒玛利亚，一是耶路撒冷。因为它们是雅各家罪恶的根源，所以有一天，撒玛利亚要变为田野的乱堆，或种葡萄之处；它那些美丽辉煌的建筑必成乱石，露出根基，人再也看不到它的美丽和辉煌。想像现在美丽的东方之珠香港或大苹果纽约，或台北、北京、上海成为田野的乱堆，倒塌露出根基，是怎样的情况？纽约的双子楼在911事件中倒下时，我们都看到了，那是一个很悲惨的状况。

来自乡村的先知弥迦

2023-12-14 in , /by

弥迦书  1: 3  看哪，耶和华出了祂的居所，降临步行地的高处。

读经文: 弥迦书 1:1-4

1 当犹大王约坦、亚哈斯、希西家在位的时候，摩利沙人弥迦得耶和华的默示，论撒马利亚和耶路撒冷。

2 万民哪，你们都要听！地和其上所有的，也都要侧耳而听！主耶和华从他的圣殿要见证你们的不是。 3 看哪，耶和华出了祂的居所，降临步行地的高处。 4 众山在他以下必消化，诸谷必崩裂，如蜡化在火中，如水冲下山坡。

先知弥迦来自一个称为摩利沙的小镇，此镇位于离耶路撒冷约有33公里的肥沃高原地带，靠近迦特（非利士城镇），因此又称为摩利沙迦特；也因为此地位于犹大和非利士的边境，对两国均有重大的军事意义，故犹大王常常来此地巡视，看看此地有没有受到威胁。也因为犹大王常来巡视，因此地方虽小，却经常有大人物出入。

弥迦原在犹大的农村工作，蒙召后多半在民间传扬神的话，被称为“乡村的先知”。与他同时代的先知有以赛亚，他是个大学者，和弥迦一起主要向犹大发预言；阿摩司是牧羊人出身，和何西阿（神叫他去娶淫妇）则主要对以色列发预言。弥迦刚奉差遣出来事奉时，北国以色列由耶罗波安二世执政，国势富强，他的儿子撒迦利雅做王六个月后就被篡位；此后政局非当不稳，国势一落万丈。

Live Again Through Jesus

2023-12-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 13:10-25. Let’s go!

Hebrews 13:10 (NIV) 
10  We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

On verse 10:  Who are “those who minister at the tabernacle”?  The writer of Hebrews is referring to priests who served under the old covenant and who would sacrifice bulls and goats according to the law of Moses.  These priests would sacrifice animals at an altar and would in certain circumstances be allowed to eat some of the sacrificed animals.  So what does the writer of Hebrews mean when he says that “we have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat”?   Here the writer of Hebrews is saying that we as believers in Christ living under the new covenant have an altar – that is, a way to worship, connect with God and be in God’s presence – that the old covenant priests could not access by merely sacrificing bulls and goats.  As Hebrews 10:20 says, “a new and living way [to God] opened for us” when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  Once again it’s the theme that through Jesus Christ we have something incredibly precious and unique that priests under the old covenant did not have.

约拿发怒

2023-12-13 in , /by

约拿书 4:4 耶和华说：「你这样发怒合乎理吗？」

读经文: 约拿书 4:1-11

1 这事约拿大大不悦，且甚发怒， 2 就祷告耶和华说：「耶和华啊，我在本国的时候，岂不是这样说吗？我知道你是有恩典有怜悯的神，不轻易发怒，有丰盛的慈爱，并且后悔不降所说的灾，所以我急速逃往他施去。 3 耶和华啊，现在求你取我的命吧！因为我死了比活着还好。」 4 耶和华说：「你这样发怒合乎理吗？」 5 于是约拿出城，坐在城的东边，在那里为自己搭了一座棚，坐在棚的荫下，要看看那城究竟如何。

这一章里的约拿充份反映出人的本性：“我发怒以至于死，都合乎理”。最近在台北，有一个老翁上了巴士，走到博爱座前看到有一位年轻的女人坐着，没有起来让位给他。就恶狠狠地骂她，还给了她一巴掌。那位年轻的小姐哭了，因为她那天月事来，肚子疼痛不舒服，才坐到博爱座上，没想到那个老翁如此无理，还动手打人。可见老翁本身是有力气站一下的，只是认为博爱座是给老人坐的，别人都不可以坐。老翁觉得他发怒很合理啊，等知道真相时，他岂不感到羞愧？

当人发怒时，其实已经被情绪所制，没有理智可言了。所以雅各说：“人的怒气并不成就神的义”（雅1:20）。

7 Practical Ways to Live Out God’s Word

2023-12-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Hebrews 13:1-9. Let’s go!

Hebrews 13:1-9 (NIV)
1  Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.
2  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
3  Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
4  Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

On verses 1-9:  While the book of Hebrews contains more doctrine than most other New Testament books, it also contains some of the most important teaching on how to practically live out your life as a Christian.  In these verses, the writer of Hebrews gives us 7 actions he wants his readers to take in light of all that Jesus has done for us:

五个字的布道

2023-12-12 in , /by

约拿书 3:4 约拿进城走了一日，宣告说：「再等四十日，尼尼微必倾覆了！」

读经文: 约拿书 3:1-10

1 耶和华的话二次临到约拿说： 2 「你起来，往尼尼微大城去，向其中的居民宣告我所吩咐你的话。」 3 约拿便照耶和华的话起来，往尼尼微去。这尼尼微是极大的城，有三日的路程。 4 约拿进城走了一日，宣告说：「再等四十日，尼尼微必倾覆了！」

神没有改变初衷，也没有改变人选。祂第二次叫约拿去尼尼微大城宣告神吩咐的信息。所以不管约拿经历了多少的艰难，都是出于他自己的不顺服。但是人的不顺服只会为自己带来灾难；受苦之后，神的旨意还是要成全。我们若看透这点，就不要和神讨价还价，或是做逃避的傻事。顺服神的人最有福。

2000年前的希腊历史家狄奥多罗斯，形容尼尼微是个四角形的城市，四边共长480斯达地，周长相等于96公里！与圣经约拿书里的记载完全符合：“这尼尼微是极大的城，有三日的路程(3:3)”。在当时来说，这是一座极大的城，要走三日才能走完，但是约拿只走了一日。布道只用了一句话，在原文只是五个字：“再等四十日，尼尼微必倾覆了！”

From Old Covenant Fear to New Covenant Joy

2023-12-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage, Hebrews 12:12-29, is full of many powerful lessons, so much so that you may want to read my GAME sharing today in parts (read a bit in the morning, another bit in the midday, and finish the rest at night!).  Let’s go!

Hebrews 12:12-13 (NIV) 
12  Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 
13  “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

On verses 12-13:  Continuing with the theme that God is our personal trainer who allows pain and pressure to make us stronger, the writer of Hebrews tells his readers to “strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees” (v12).  When you allow pressure and pain to make you stronger, you “make level paths for your feet”, says the writer of Hebrews quoting Proverbs 4:26.  Even more, God can use you to help others “so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” (v13)