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Grace That Sustains

2026-05-03 in /by

Paul wrote, “There was given me a thorn in my flesh, from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

The cancer in the body. The sorrow in the heart. The child in the rehab center. The craving for whiskey in the middle of the day. The tears in the middle of the night. The thorn in the flesh. “Take it away,” you’ve pleaded. Not once, twice, or even three times. You’ve out-prayed the Apostle Paul and you’re about to hit the wall. But what you hear Jesus say is this, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Sustaining grace. The grace that meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage, wisdom, and strength. Sustaining grace! It doesn’t promise the absence of struggle. But it does promise the presence of God.

潔淨和不潔淨的動物(之一)

2026-05-01 in , /by

利未記11章44節   我是耶和華─你們的　神；所以你們要成為聖潔，因為我是聖潔的。

曾經有位做餐飲業的從業人員，為了要研究知名人物的用餐習性，特別花精神去了解個別人物的愛好。她發現當年的國務卿，猶太裔的季辛吉的習性：「不喝酒，愛喝沛綠雅﹝Perrier﹞ 礦泉水，不吃有殼的海鮮，不吃豬肉。」因而若季辛吉到她服務的餐廳，她總是特別為季辛吉準備沛綠雅礦泉水，並且避免向他介紹有殼的海鮮或豬肉方面的菜單。這就是猶太人在飲食方面的堅持，因為這是神給他們的規定。

在〈利未記〉11章裡，神教導以色列人怎樣分別潔淨和不潔淨的動物，潔淨的可以食用，不潔淨的就不可以食用。其中大部份是為了食用的安全和人體的健康。例如：死了的爬物，掉在甚麼東西上，這東西就不潔淨，無論是木器、衣服、皮子、口袋，不拘是做甚麼工用的器皿，須要放在水中，必不潔淨到晚上，到晚上才潔淨了。若有死了掉在瓦器裡的，其中不拘有甚麼，就不潔淨，你們要把這瓦器打破了。其中一切可吃的食物，沾水的就不潔淨，並且那樣器皿中一切可喝的，也必不潔淨。(利11:31-34)

Confession Offers Freedom

2026-05-01 in /by

Confession! It’s a word that conjures up many images—some not so positive! Confession isn’t telling God what he doesn’t know. That’s impossible. It’s not pointing fingers at others without pointing any at me. That may feel good, but it doesn’t promote healing.

Confession is a radical reliance on grace—a trust in God’s goodness. The truth is, confessors find a freedom that deniers don’t! Scripture says “If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done” (1 John 1:8-9 NCV).

Tell God what you did. Again, it’s not that he doesn’t already know, but the two of you need to agree! Then let the pure water of grace flow over your mistakes!

Confession Reveals our Hearts

2026-05-01 in /by

We can’t live with foreign objects buried in our bodies, or our souls. What would an X-ray of your interior reveal? Remorse over a poor choice? Shame about the marriage that didn’t work, the temptation you couldn’t resist? Guilt lies hidden beneath the surface. Festering, irritating, sometimes so deeply embedded you don’t even know the cause of your pain.

And you can be touchy, you know. Understandable, since you have a shank of shame lodged in your soul. Would you like an extraction? Here’s what you do: confess. Ask God to help you. Psalm 139:23-24 is a model prayer. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Confession. You see, confessors find a freedom that deniers do not. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins! He will cleanse us. Not might, could, would, or should. He will.

大喜大悲的一天

2026-04-30 in , /by

利未記10章3節    於是摩西對亞倫說：「這就是耶和華所說：『我在親近我的人中要顯為聖；在眾民面前，我要得榮耀。』」亞倫就默默不言。

那是非常喜樂的一天，萬里晴空。在西乃山剛造好不久的會幕前，摩西按著神的吩咐，揀選亞倫和他的四個兒子供祭司的職份。

在〈出埃及記〉28章裡，神己經安排一切心中有智慧的人為亞做衣服，胸牌、以弗得、外袍、雜色的內袍、冠冕、腰帶。這祭司和大祭司的衣服所用的材料是：金線和藍色、紫色、朱紅色線，並撚的細麻。再用巧匠的手工做以弗得，以弗得就是大祭司胸前的那塊布袋，它有兩條肩帶可以相連，又取兩塊紅瑪瑙，在上面刻以色列兒子的名字，六個名字在這塊寶石上，六個名字在那塊寶石上，都照他們生來的次序；

又用刻寶石的手工，彷彿刻圖書，按著以色列兒子的名字，刻這兩塊寶石，要鑲在金槽上。再把寶石安在以弗得的兩條肩帶上，為以色列人做紀念石。亞倫要在兩肩上擔他們的名字，在耶和華面前作為紀念。

五祭

2026-04-29 in , /by

利未記6章9-13節  你要吩咐亞倫和他的子孫說，燔祭的條例乃是這樣：燔祭要放在壇的柴上，從晚上到天亮，壇上的火要常常燒著。祭司要穿上細麻布衣服，又要把細麻布褲子穿在身上，把壇上所燒的燔祭灰收起來，倒在壇的旁邊。隨後要脫去這衣服，穿上別的衣服，把灰拿到營外潔淨之處。 壇上的火要在其上常常燒著，不可熄滅，祭司要每日早晨在上面燒柴，並要把燔祭擺在壇上，在其上燒平安祭牲的脂油。在壇上必有常常燒著的火，不可熄滅。

當神住在人的中間，卻因為人的罪，成為了人與神之間的隔閡，有如萬丈高牆，難以攀越。因此神設立了五祭，使以色列可以藉著這五祭來親近祂。一般在人所創立的宗教裡，都盡量給人不食煙火的感覺，好讓人幻想在天界是何等地清靜無瑕。但是耶和華神卻有不一樣的想法，因為祂知道真正的天堂是怎樣的，祂更知道誰才能去那裡。所以在耶和華的殿裡，祭是最原始的敬拜。

神設立了五祭，雖然我們不是猶太人，不必獻祭；即使是猶太人，現在也沒了獻祭的地方。但是理解這五祭，可以幫助我們要怎樣敬拜神，親近神。現在我們要用複習的方法來看這五祭，答案都在《聖經》〈利未記〉1-7章裡。這些有的是多選題，有超過一個的答案。

The Value of Confession

2026-04-28 in /by

One day it dawned on me. I had become the very thing I hate. A hypocrite. A pretender. Two-faced. I’d written sermons about people like me. Christians who care more about their appearance than integrity.

I knew what I needed to do. I’d written sermons about that, too. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right.” I needed to confess.

What is confession? Well, confession is not complaining. If I just recite my problems and rehash my woes, I’m whining. Confession is a radical reliance upon grace. Maybe you need to do what I’ve done in the last few days. You just need to confess. God will hear your confession. And in your confession you will find a wonder of God’s grace. You see grace creates an honest confession. And then great grace, receives it.

神在呼叫

2026-04-28 in , /by

利未記一章1-3節     耶和華從會幕中呼叫摩西，對他說：你曉諭以色列人說：你們中間若有人獻供物給耶和華，要從牛群羊群中獻牲畜為供物。他的供物若以牛為燔祭，就要在會幕門口獻一隻沒有殘疾的公牛，可以在耶和華面前蒙悅納。

從〈創世記〉一開始，神創造這個世界，賜給人生命氣息，然後人犯罪，獻祭就開始了。亞當和夏娃吃了善惡果樹的果子之後，就看見自己赤身裸體，並感到羞恥，便拿無花果樹的葉子，為自己編做裙子。神知道以後，為亞當和他妻子用皮子做衣服給他們穿。哪裡來的皮子呢？當然是動物的皮了，這便是獻祭的開始，神為他們的罪殺了動物，動物的血遮蓋他們的罪，也遮蓋他們的祼體。因為罪的工價就是死。

在亞當的家裡，孩子們都懂得獻祭，該隱獻素祭，亞伯獻燔祭。為什麼他們都知道要獻祭呢？因為罪使人與神隔絕，當他們想親近神時，就要先獻祭除罪，才能親近神。

〈創世記〉結束時，以約瑟的死為結束。一開始是生命的賜予，結束時，神收回生命，人不再享有永生。在〈出埃及記〉的開始，也是一個生命的誕生，原是該死的，卻在神的恩典中活了下來。正代表以色列人這個民族，原是該滅亡的，卻因著神的大能，起死回生，脫離奴隸生涯，成為神揀選的子民，建立起自己的國度。更美的是，在〈出埃及記〉的結束是神用雲彩每天的帶領，使以色列人成為一支充滿希望的隊伍。〈出埃及記〉，是一本從絕望到充滿希望的過程。

Christ Covers Us

2026-04-27 in /by

We are poor. Spiritually for sure; monetarily, perhaps. We’ve buried our dreams, desires, and aspirations. Like the mother with Lupus or the businessman in the unemployment line, we’re out of options. Yet Christ approached us while we were yet sinners. “Will you cover us?” we asked him, and grace smiled. He gave us grace.

Not just mercy, mind you, but grace. Grace goes beyond mercy. Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance, but grace threw him a party. Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim, but grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim’s care. Mercy forgave the thief on the cross; grace escorted him into paradise. Mercy pardons us; grace woos and weds us. Grace does this. God does this. Grace is God walking into your world with a sparkle in his eye and an offer that’s hard to resist.