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Don’t Get Stuck in “Preparation Mode”

2022-11-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the Gospel of Mark.  Though the author does not identify himself in this gospel, early church writers unanimously claim Mark (also known as John Mark – see for example Acts 12:12, 25) as the author, which in some respects would be a strange choice if it were not true.  Mark was a close co-worker of Jesus’ disciple Peter, whom Peter even calls “my son” (1 Peter 5:13).  Thus many scholars believe that Mark wrote his gospel based at least in part on the eyewitness testimony of Peter.  It is also believed by many scholars that Mark wrote this gospel while in Rome between approximately 57 and 63 A.D. (although some scholars have suggested an earlier date).  Shortly after this Emperor Nero would begin his severe persecution of the church in Rome, which as tradition holds is where Peter eventually would die a martyr’s death.

Many scholars agree that the gospel of Mark was probably the first of the New Testament gospels to be written and was an important reference book for Matthew and Luke to refer to when they wrote their gospels.

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

亞古珥求兩件事

2022-11-06 in , /by

箴言30:8  求祢使虛假和謊言遠離我；使我也不貧窮也不富足，賜給我需用的飲食。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:7-8

7我求你兩件事，在我未死之先不要不賜給我：8求你使虛假和謊言遠離我；使我也不貧窮也不富足，賜給我需用的飲食。9恐怕我飽足不認你，說：「耶和華是誰呢？」又恐怕我貧窮就偷竊，以致褻瀆我神的名。

托爾斯泰曾經寫了一個寓言收在《呆子伊凡》這本故事集裡，名字叫做〈魔鬼與農夫〉。話說有個老魔鬼看到人的生活實在太幸福了，便想去擾亂一下，盡盡做魔鬼的本份。他派了一個小魔鬼去打一個農夫，因為那個農夫每天殷勤工作，所得卻甚少，卻十分快樂滿足。

小魔鬼就去把農夫的田地變硬，讓農夫挖土挖得很辛苦。但是農夫並未因此而抱怨，只是更殷勤地敲打地，小魔鬼失敗地走了。大魔鬼派第二個小魔鬼去，小魔鬼心想農夫不怕工作辛苦，但是沒有體力就不行了吧？於是牠偷走農夫的麵包跟水。沒想到農夫找不到麵包跟水，說：“不曉得哪個可憐的人比我更需要那塊麵包跟水？如果這些東西就能讓他得溫飽的話，那就好了。”於是小魔鬼又逃走了。

Keep Going to the End

2022-11-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 12:1-13.  (For those of you who own a printed GAME booklet, please note that we will begin the Gospel of Mark 1:1-20 tomorrow.)  Let’s go!

Daniel 12:1 (NIV)
1  “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people–everyone whose name is found written in the book–will be delivered.

On verse 1:  Chapter 12 continues the message that the angel was giving to Daniel in chapter 11.  The angel notes that “at that time” (meaning the end times) there will be great distress unlike anything that has ever been seen, but that “everyone whose name is found written in the book” (likely meaning those written in God’s book of life in Revelation; see for example Revelation 21:27) will be delivered from that time of distress.  Verse 1 suggests that the archangel Michael will play a role in protecting and delivering those people whose names are written in the book.  How does one get their name written in God’s book of life?  By believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

生命在神的話中成長

2022-11-04 in , /by

箴言30:5   神的言語句句都是煉淨的，投靠祂的，祂便做他們的盾牌

閱讀經文：箴言 30:5-6

5神的言語句句都是煉淨的，投靠祂的，祂便做他們的盾牌。6祂的言語你不可加添，恐怕祂責備你，你就顯為說謊言的。

5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.6 Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar..(NKJV)

The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don’t second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.” 《The Message》

你有沒有想過，為何有那麼多人把他們的生命投資在一本《聖經》之上？神的話為何那樣特別？當世人都在為自己的生活汲汲忙碌時，卻有一批神所揀選的人，情願挑燈日攻夜戰，逐字翻譯神的話語，讓他們的青春年華在書桌旁一點一滴地消失。為了使神的話語可以深入到每個族群，這些人必須遠離家鄉和親人，去陌生的環境裡學習適應當地的生活，當地的語言，從而把自己已有的希伯來文、希臘文和英文等學識應用在翻譯上面。這樣的工作，沒有雄厚的經濟報酬，反而都是清茶淡飯，才能維持每日的基本所需。

生命在主手中

2022-11-03 in , /by

箴言30:4  誰升天又降下來？誰聚風在掌握中？誰包水在衣服裡？誰立定地的四極？他名叫什麼？他兒子名叫什麼？你知道嗎？

閱讀經文：箴言 30:1-4

1雅基的兒子亞古珥的言語，就是真言。2 這人對以鐵和烏甲說：我比眾人更蠢笨，也沒有人的聰明。 3 我沒有學好智慧，也不認識至聖者。 4 誰升天又降下來？誰聚風在掌握中？誰包水在衣服裡？誰立定地的四極？他名叫什麼？他兒子名叫什麼？你知道嗎？

“雅基的兒子亞古珥的言語，就是真言”這節經文在《呂振中譯本》譯為：“雅基的兒子亞古珥的話、是神託之言”。《思高譯本》譯為：“瑪撒人雅刻之子阿古爾的格言”。瑪撒人是以實瑪利的後裔（創25:13-14），以智慧著稱。“以鐵和烏甲”（1下），不知何許人也，很可能是亞古珥的朋友或是他的學生。這兩人是亞古珥寫作的對象。

亞古珥的自謙：“我比眾人更蠢笨，也沒有人的聰明。我沒有學好智慧，也不認識至聖者。  誰升天又降下來？誰聚風在掌握中？誰包水在衣服裡？誰立定地的四極？他名叫什麼？他兒子名叫什麼？你知道嗎？”

The King Who Will Reign Forever

2022-11-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 11:34-45, but we’ll include Daniel 11:33 in our discussion as well.  Let’s go!

Daniel 11:33-35 (NIV)
33  “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.
34  When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.
35  Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

On verses 33-35:  According to scholars, “those who are wise” are those Jews that helped and encouraged the Jewish people during the time when Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria was severely persecuting the Jews and killing tens of thousands of them in the process.

人的幫助與上帝的主權

2022-11-02 in , /by

箴言29:26  求王恩的人多，定人事乃在耶和華。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:26-27

26求王恩的人多，定人事乃在耶和華。27為非作歹的被義人憎嫌，行事正直的被惡人憎惡。

人的幫助與上帝的主權

「求王恩的人多，定人事乃在耶和華。」(箴言二十九：26)

上帝不是要我們拒絕別人的幫助，而是尋求人幫助，先將事交託給上帝，祂會透過別人幫助我們。有人說他只要上帝的幫助，不用人幫助。這種人無法存活，因他吃的飯是農夫種的，他喝的水是有人淨化的，他穿的衣服有人編織，他走的馬路是別人鋪的。

在這經節，上帝沒有說求王恩的人不對，而是最後的決定權在祂。上帝可以透過好的領袖，有恩典的主管，有遠見的企業家，有經驗的老師，有能力的執行者幫助我們，這些幫助的手，後面是上帝，如同亞拿尼亞對保羅的幫助，約瑟對兄弟的接待等。

但是，我們不要將盼望，放在幫助我們的人身上。人的幫助，有時令我們失望，有時要我們聽話，有時沒有回應，人總有限，盼望在上帝。

All Our Days Are In God’s Hands

2022-11-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 11:17-33.  Let’s go!

Daniel 11:17 (NIV)
17  He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.

On verse 17:  Just as verse 17 predicts, in 195 B.C. the “king of the North” Antiochus III of Syria tries to gain additional control of Egypt by giving his daughter, Cleopatra, to the “king of the South” Ptolemy V of Egypt.  Antiochus’ real intent was that Cleopatra could spy on the Egyptian king Ptolemy and give Syria an upper hand.  However, Cleopatra refused, for she truly loved Ptolemy V.

Before It Became History, It Was Prophecy

2022-11-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 11:1-16, but for completeness of thought we’ll start from Daniel 10:20.  Let’s go!

Daniel 10:20-11:1 (NIV) 
20  So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
21  but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
1  And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

On Daniel 10:20-11:1:  Notice that the chief angel Michael helps this other angel (some scholars believe it is Gabriel) in his fight against the Prince of Persia (v21).  In turn, this angel helps Michael in his fight.  There is cooperation in the kingdom of God, even among angels.  The kingdom of God thrives on teamwork.

有所不為

2022-11-01 in , /by

箴言29:25  懼怕人的陷入網羅，唯有倚靠耶和華的必得安穩。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:23-25

23人的高傲必使他卑下，心裡謙遜的必得尊榮。24人與盜賊分贓是恨惡自己的性命，他聽見叫人發誓的聲音，卻不言語。25 懼怕人的陷入網羅，唯有倚靠耶和華的必得安穩。

23人的高傲必使他卑下，心裡謙遜的必得尊榮。

有一位電腦博士畢業後，拿著證書到處找工作，可是沒有一個公司敢聘請他，都說他資歷太高(over qualified)。後來沒辦法，他只好放下證書，用最起碼的高中學歷去找工作，終於有一間公司錄用他，讓他當程序輸入員。他很認真工作一絲不苟，不久老板就發現他和一般輸入員不同。這時他才亮出了學士的證書。老板便給他換了一個高一點的職位。

過了一段時間，老板又發現他有獨特的見，非一般大學生可比，這時他才拿出碩士證書。老板便提升他的職位。再過一段時間，老板發現他才幹出眾，此時他才亮出博士證書。老板終於明白他是一個不可多得的人才，便提升他，予以重用。