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With Prayer Comes THIS

2022-12-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 9:24-32.  Let’s go!

Mark 9:24 (NIV)
24  Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

On verse 24:  After realizing that the size of his own faith mattered, the boy’s father declares his faith in Jesus and asks Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief.  That is a legitimate prayer and request you can make to God: “help me overcome my unbelief”.  When you pray that way, you’re coming to God honestly, humbly and with an open mind.  God loves to give grace to those who come before Him with honesty, humility and an open mind.

长寿的虚空

2022-12-14 in , /by

传道书6:6   那人虽然活千年，再活千年，却不享福，众人岂不都归一个地方去吗？

阅读经文：传道书 6:3-6

3人若生一百个儿子，活许多岁数，以致他的年日甚多，心里却不得满享福乐，又不得埋葬，据我说，那不到期而落的胎比他倒好。4因为虚虚而来，暗暗而去，名字被黑暗遮蔽，5并且没有见过天日，也毫无知觉，这胎比那人倒享安息。6那人虽然活千年，再活千年，却不享福，众人岂不都归一个地方去吗？

根据2017年一月份《Mail Online》的报导，有位印尼人Saparman Sodimejo（索迪米约）在2016年圣诞节过146岁生日，他的身份证上注明他出生于1870年12月31日。他的亲友、四任妻子以及所有儿女都已过世，目前由曾孙及玄孙辈照顾。他还能用枴杖自己走路，也几乎什么都能吃。他在122岁时就准备好棺材和墓地，连墓埤都已刻好。他说那时最想要的就是死亡。索迪米约于2017年4月底辞世，五月1 日下葬。

这个报导让我感到十分震撼，因为现代人都讲究饮食和长生之道，几乎人人都想健康的一直活下去。但是这个老人的现状却说明了一个事实，就是有一天即使神允许你一直活着不死，也能吃喝，照顾自己，你也可能像他一样，巴不得死亡早点来临。死亡原来也是出于神的恩典，是个礼物。世人所盼望的长寿，真的是福气吗？

一宗祸患

2022-12-13 in , /by

传道书6:1  我见日光之下有一宗祸患，重压在人身上。

阅读经文：传道书 6:1-2

1我见日光之下有一宗祸患，重压在人身上。2就是人蒙神赐他资财、丰富、尊荣，以致他心里所愿的一样都不缺，只是神使他不能吃用，反有外人来吃用。这是虚空，也是祸患。

“神赐人资财丰富，使他能以吃用，能取自己的份，在他劳碌中喜乐，这乃是神的恩赐”。相反的，若是神赐人资财丰富，却不能吃用，不能取自己的份，不能在劳碌中喜乐，就是祸患了。你在劳碌中可有喜乐？你能否享用神赐给你的资财，你能否取得自己的份？假如你一直在埋怨你的工作，假如你一天到晚舍不得吃舍不得喝，不敢用钱，一用钱就心疼，那么你得好好在神面前思考，究竟你这一生的“份”是什么？

神的恩赐是让人可以享用他的劳碌所赚取的一切，假如你舍不得去享用你劳碌所赚取的，反而要留给外人吃用，那么祝福就变成祸患了。这当中的福与祸，就在于自己的心怀意念。假如你的信心放在钱财之上，你自然不敢花用，因为钱财成了你的安全感。你害怕自己年弱衰老之际没有钱用了，那怎么办呢？所以要把钱抓得紧紧的，像华尔街巫婆Hetty Green，洗衣服要省肥皂，只洗领子或袖子；找医院要找免费医院，至死不敢用钱。她的钱财就留给外人用了。

In the Kingdom of God, the Size of THIS Matters

2022-12-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 9:14-23.  Let’s go!

Mark 9:14-23 (NIV)
14  When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
15  As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16  “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.
17  A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18  Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

On verses 14-23:  At first in verse 19 it seems that Jesus is rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith.  But in verse 23, Jesus turns his attention to the father’s apparent lack of faith (v23).  The father’s words “If you can” suggest that the father did not have strong faith that Jesus could help his demon-possessed son.  So when Jesus says in verse 19 “O unbelieving generation”, perhaps Jesus is not just referring to his disciples but also to those who would come to Jesus for help.

阿嬷的冰箱

2022-12-12 in , /by

传道书 5:19   神赐人资财丰富，使他能以吃用，能取自己的份，在他劳碌中喜乐，这乃是神的恩赐。

阅读经文：传道书 5:18-20

18我所见为善为美的，就是人在神赐他一生的日子吃喝，享受日光之下劳碌得来的好处，因为这是他的份。19神赐人资财丰富，使他能以吃用，能取自己的份，在他劳碌中喜乐，这乃是神的恩赐。20他不多思念自己一生的年日，因为神应他的心使他喜乐。

在网上流传着一个很有趣的问题，为什么老人家的冰箱总是满的？因为老人家总是要保留剩菜。假如今天红烧肉没吃完，明天红烧豆腐没吃完，后天香肠没吃完，就把它们都放在一起。每天用大同电锅蒸，没吃完再把新的剩菜放进去。有人说他的祖母92岁了，只要食物还能咽下去，基本上都不会丢。到外面吃不完的，一定要打包，有时放到发霉还舍不得丢。你跟她说，这样吃对健康不好啦，她说她这样吃都活到92岁了，有什么不好？你说这样的老人家是有福气还是没福气？

The Transfiguration of Jesus

2022-12-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

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

Mark 9:1-2 (NIV)
1  And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
2  After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
 
On verses 1-2:  It’s not too much of a stretch to say that when Jesus lived on earth, His glory was under cover, veiled by human flesh.  For while Jesus came to the world revealing God’s glory, in some ways by being limited to a human form Jesus was also concealing God’s glory.  For if Jesus came to us in all the glory that He had in heaven, we would not be able to take it.  Like Moses who came down from Mount Sinai with a radiant face and at the people’s bidding had to cover himself with a veil, so Jesus’ heavenly glory would be too much for us to take on earth.  That is why this scene that Mark 9 describes – the transfiguration of Jesus – is so precious.  To transfigure means to change in appearance.  Here, for a moment, God takes the cover off of Jesus’ glory and gives Peter, James and John a glimpse at the kind of glory Jesus had in heaven.   John would see a vision of Jesus’ glory again later in life, which prompted him to write the book of Revelation.
 

Who Are You Living For?

2022-12-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 8:31-38.  Let’s go!

Mark 8:31-33 (NIV)
31  He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
32  He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33  But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
 
On verses 31-33:  Peter rebuked Jesus for talking about how Jesus must suffer many things, be rejected by the religious establishment, be killed and rise again after three days.  So why did Jesus respond by saying “Get behind me, Satan”?  It’s because Jesus knew that he had to (“must”) suffer and die.  Jesus didn’t think Peter was Satan, but Jesus saw how Satan could use Peter’s words to distract Jesus from doing what the Father had called him to do. 

积存资财的虚空

2022-12-11 in , /by

传道书 5:15  他怎样从母胎赤身而来，也必照样赤身而去，他所劳碌得来的，手中分毫不能带去。

阅读经文：传道书 5:13-17

13我见日光之下有一宗大祸患，就是财主积存资财，反害自己。14因遭遇祸患，这些资财就消灭，那人若生了儿子，手里也一无所有。15他怎样从母胎赤身而来，也必照样赤身而去，他所劳碌得来的，手中分毫不能带去。16他来的情形怎样，他去的情形也怎样，这也是一宗大祸患。他为风劳碌，有什么益处呢？17并且他终身在黑暗中吃喝，多有烦恼，又有病患呕气。

有钱是虚空，是祸患吗？即便知道，人依旧像飞蛾一样，不停地向它扑去。有一位在香港住的浙江人，从小跟着父亲学做生意，克勤克俭，以成为巨富为人生的目标。那时正香港的房地产起飞，他从事开发和建筑，很快就成为香港巨富之一，据说当时他的财产最少也有十亿美元。但他为富不仁，一毛不拔，从不捐助那些有求于他者；他锱铢必较，精打细算，惟求在原有的数目上加多几个零。

我为钱狂

2022-12-09 in , /by

传道书 5:12   劳碌的人不拘吃多吃少，睡得香甜；富足人的丰满，却不容他睡觉。

阅读经文：传道书 5:8-12

8你若在一省之中见穷人受欺压，并夺去公义、公平的事，不要因此诧异。因有一位高过居高位的鉴察，在他们以上还有更高的。9况且地的益处归众人，就是君王也受田地的供应。

10贪爱银子的不因得银子知足，贪爱丰富的也不因得利益知足。这也是虚空。11货物增添，吃的人也增添，物主得什么益处呢？不过眼看而已。12劳碌的人不拘吃多吃少，睡得香甜；富足人的丰满，却不容他睡觉。

马丁路得曾经说过：「当一个人信了耶稣后，他一定要有三变：一是心的改变，二是意志的改变，三是『荷包』的改变。」三者之中最难的似乎是「荷包」的改变了！

事实上，金钱的力量真的十分广大，既可收买人心，也可以控制别人的命运。我的儿子凯颂还在念小学二年级的时候，我和太太决定每个月给他二十元零用钱。怎料，他拿着二十元，一天就花光了，回家后更扬扬得意告诉我们他的经历。他拿二十元在学校买了雪糕雪条请同学吃，尤其是那些平日没有与他来往的同学。这一天他顿时成为最受欢迎的人物，每个同学都争着与他打交道，令他感到十分自豪。

It Takes More Than One Touch

2022-12-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 8:22-30.  Let’s go!

Mark 8:22-26 (NIV)
22  They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
23  He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24  He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25  Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
26  Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t go into the village.”
 
On verses 22-26:  I appreciate Mark’s honesty here.  Here we have a case where it took not one but two touches from Jesus for this blind man to be healed.  Some might see this as an embarrassing fact for Jesus.  I don’t.  To me there are some important lessons we can learn from this miracle:
 
–  Sometimes the healing God wants us to experience does not have instantaneously but is a process that takes time.