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When Daniel Saw Jesus

2022-10-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 7:1-14.  Let’s go!

Daniel 7:1 (NIV)
1  In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

On verse 1:  Chapter 6 of Daniel concerned a time when the Medes and Persians had already succeeded the Babylonians as the dominant empire.  But here in chapter 7 Daniel goes backward in time to describe a dream that Daniel had while the Babylonians were still in power, before the events of even Daniel 5.  Why didn’t Daniel order everything chronologically?  We don’t know for sure, but notice this: chapters 1-6 describe very public, high drama events where Daniel and his friends are dealing with the kings in power at that time, while chapters 7-12 concern private visions and dreams that Daniel had.

怒气与言语

2022-10-24 in , /by

箴言29:11  愚妄人怒气全发，智慧人忍气含怒。

阅读经文：箴言 29:10-12

10好流人血的，恨恶完全人，索取正直人的性命。11愚妄人怒气全发，智慧人忍气含怒。12君王若听谎言，他一切臣仆都是奸恶。

提防政治的陷阱

「好流人血的，恨恶完全人，索取正直人的性命。」(箴言二十九：10)

恐怖世代的背后，常有好杀戮的领袖。危险国家的前提，是人民将主权交给好流人血的管理者。

在政治操作的开始，喜好杀戮的领袖常以开明者出现，让完全人接近他；或先以正义者现身，招聘正直人。他先用完全人与正直人巩固地位，等到权力稳固，就杀害 完全人与正直人。上帝告诉我们，要提防这种灭命的陷阱，这种领袖用人，是有不好的目的；高举人，是他找时机索取他们生命。

权力里的黑暗面，是人性里邪恶的投射；政治里的杀戮，常落在完全人与正直人身上。善良的人，要看清邪恶者的多面。人要有高尚的表现，要看谁在使用你。你的贡献，不该是你生命的奉献；你的给予，不该是落入灭命下的网罗。

分辨正义的人

2022-10-23 in , /by

箴言29:7  义人知道查明穷人的案，恶人没有聪明就不得而知。

阅读经文：箴言 29:7-9

7 义人知道查明穷人的案，恶人没有聪明就不得而知。8亵慢人煽惑通城，智慧人止息众怒。9智慧人与愚妄人相争，或怒，或笑，总不能使他止息。

分辨正义的人

「义人知道查明穷人的案，恶人没有聪明就不得而知。」(箴言二十九：7)

真正能够为穷人伸冤，不是穷人翻身的社会改革，而是福音所结的果子。义的工作，要有义人在其中。从事社会的正义，改革者必须是义人。改革不单是程序正义、方法正义、理想正义、口号正义，而是改革者为义。

这是上帝给义人的能力，他们能够了解穷人，体会贫穷的原因，能够替穷人辩白，为穷人发声。有这种能力的人，自己还需要有装备、思考、调查，才能「查明」穷人的案。

有义的本质，才能胜任义的工作。义的工作，还需要靠主学习、头脑清楚。求主给这世代，有这种年轻人，能在穷人之中见证主恩，预备自己蒙主用。

The Lion On Your Side

2022-10-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 6:15-28.  Let’s go!

Daniel 6:15-20 (NIV)
15  Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, O king, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
16  So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
17  A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.
18  Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
19  At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.
20  When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

On verses 15-20:  Daniel was sentenced to death in the lion’s den because he had broken the king’s law. The king was distressed because he wanted to save Daniel but had no power to do so.

公平与贿赂

2022-10-21 in , /by

箴言29:4   王藉公平使国坚定，索要贿赂使国倾败。。

阅读经文：箴言 29:4-6

4王藉公平使国坚定，索要贿赂使国倾败。5谄媚邻舍的，就是设网罗绊他的脚。6恶人犯罪自陷网罗，唯独义人欢呼喜乐。

公平与贿赂

「王藉公平使国坚立，索要贿赂使国倾败。」(箴言二十九：4)

权力与金钱常连在一起，但是权力的公平性会与金钱的贿赂分开。一个有权力的人，过著朴实的生活，是令人尊敬的典范。一个有权力的人，过著奢华的生活，早晚 会身败名裂。偏偏有些人以权力，当成换取不法利益的捷径。他们忽略权力的本质来自上帝，自陷于权力的迷恋，忘了权力的所托来自全民，只为自己谋利，是辜负 了职权。

有权力，是让我们有服务别人的机会；有金钱，是让我们有帮助别人的机会。权力是给出，不是垄断；金钱是付出，不是占有。一个国家真正的权力在公平施予百姓，不是少数人。一个家庭真实的财富，是一家人共同拥有珍贵的回忆，不是帐户。

上帝，愿我的公平是以祢为基准，所得的金钱是祢给予，而非贿赂。

No Matter What Put God First

2022-10-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 6:1-14.  Let’s go!

Daniel 6:1-2 (NIV)
1  It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2  with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.

On verses 1-2:  Daniel has outlasted the Babylonian empire and now he is serving while the Medes and Persians are in power.  King Darius is now at least the third king that Daniel has served as a top political advisor.

Faith Is Not A Matter of Sight, But of Heart

2022-10-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 5:13-31.  Let’s go!

Daniel 5:13-24 (NIV)
13  So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?
14  I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.
15  The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.
16  Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

On verses 13-24:  Belshazzar knew all about how God had shown up in Nebuchadnezzar’s life.  Belshazzar knew how God had taken away Nebuchadnezzar’s authority and drove him into obscurity when Nebuchadnezzar pridefully attributed all his power and glory to himself.  Belshazzar also knew how God exalted Nebuchadnezzar to an even higher level when Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself and gave praise to God.  Daniel reminds Belshazzar that “though you knew all this” “you have not humbled yourself” (v22).

慎用选择权

2022-10-20 in , /by

箴言29:2   义人增多，民就喜乐；恶人掌权，民就叹息。

阅读经文：箴言 29:1-3

1人屡次受责罚，仍然硬著颈项，他必顷刻败坏，无法可治。2义人增多，民就喜乐；恶人掌权，民就叹息。3爱慕智慧的使父亲喜乐，与妓女结交的却浪费钱财。

责罚之外的引导

「人屡次受责罚，仍然硬著颈项。」(箴言二十九：1)

对于刚硬的人，责罚不是使他们改过的教育。这种人做错不低头，犯罪不回头，惩罚不转头，称为硬著颈项。他们常自认是对，责罚他们是别人理亏，他们正直。刚硬的人易引来责罚，但是责罚使他们愈刚硬。

求主给我们智慧，用引导的方法，不是用责罚。外表刚硬的人，常是内在脆弱与自卑的人，他们用意志武装最后的尊严，责罚使他们更容易走入极端。偏激的人格， 常来自幼年不当的责罚，对人产生的不信任。给人责罚，需相当小心，不是生气下的打骂讥贬，而是用在合宜之处，责罚之后又重新和好。

使人心柔软，是圣灵的动工，从心里知道自己是罪人。不是责罚，叫人就范。

赒济贫穷的不致缺乏

2022-10-19 in , /by

箴言28:25    心中贪婪的挑起争端，倚靠耶和华的必得丰裕。

阅读经文：箴言 28:24-28

24偷窃父母的说「这不是罪」，此人就是与强盗同类。25心中贪婪的挑起争端，倚靠耶和华的必得丰裕。26心中自是的便是愚昧人，凭智慧行事的必蒙拯救。27赒济贫穷的不致缺乏，佯为不见的必多受咒诅。28恶人兴起，人就躲藏；恶人败亡，义人增多。

24偷窃父母的说「这不是罪」，此人就是与强盗同类。

可能因为从小就吃父母的，用父母的，所以在拿父母的东西时觉得理所当然。即使不经过父母同意就拿，也不以为自己在偷父母的东西。但是这经文告诉我们一个事实，不管父母多么爱我们，他们的东西还是他们的。儿女若想使用或拿走，都必须经过他们的同意。不然，就是偷窃父母了。

对上帝也是一样。神把一切都给了我们，但我们却不可以把神所分别为圣的时间和金钱占为已有。若是如此，我们便与强盗无异了。

25心中贪婪的挑起争端，倚靠耶和华的必得丰裕。

贪婪，是因为心里没有安全感；总是想要多一点，难免与人发生争执。因此把倚靠耶和华拿来作比较，人的贪婪是因为倚靠的对象有问题。倚靠耶和华和倚靠自己，便是心里丰裕和缺乏的表征。

有的人拥有很多，却总是不满足，因为没有安全感；唯有倚靠神的人，知道神的供应何等信实，一切身外物都将如流云而逝，才能有真正的丰裕，就是心灵的满足和喜乐。

The Hand of God

2022-10-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 5:1-12.  Let’s go!

Daniel 5:1-4 (NIV)
1  King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
2  While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3  So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4  As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

On verses 1-4:  After succeeding his father Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon, Belshazzar holds a massive and lavish banquet.  He takes the gold and silver goblets that belonged in the temple in Jerusalem and uses them to drink at his party.  What can we learn from this?  Both the spirit of secularism and the Holy Spirit are in the business of repurposing things, just in opposite directions.  The spirit of secularism wants to take that which belongs in God’s house and use it for purposes that exclude God and that exalt something other than God.  The Spirit of God wants to take that which belongs to the world, sanctify it and use it to bring God glory.