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生命中必須破除的五種謊言

2023-01-06 in , /by

傳道書9:4  與一切活人相連的，那人還有指望，因為活著的狗比死了的獅子更強。

閱讀經文：傳道書9:4-6

4與一切活人相連的，那人還有指望，因為活著的狗比死了的獅子更強。5活著的人知道必死，死了的人毫無所知，也不再得賞賜，他們的名無人記念。6他們的愛、他們的恨、他們的嫉妒早都消滅了，在日光之下所行的一切事上，他們永不再有份了。

最近在台灣有位清潔工作人員因為開後門，讓朋友入垃圾掩埋場倒垃圾，在接受廉政署調查前燒炭死亡。普通人會一時想不開而自殺，不普通的名人也會，例如美國著名作家海明威用雙管獵槍結束自己的生命；希臘著名哲學家亞里士多德跳海自殺；日本名作家川端康成在一個深夜含媒氣管自殺。自殺彷彿是解決問題最容易的方法，但是肉體死了，還有靈魂要向神交帳，問題未了啊！為何會有取自己性命的想法呢？在水深之處網站有位作者提出了他的看法，很值得我們思考。以下便是：〈生命中必須破除的五種謊言〉。

在這一生當中，你會遇到很多謊言，其中最可怕的謊言不是別人說的，而是自己說給自己聽的。其實，那也不算是自己說的，因為主耶穌告訴我們，魔鬼從起初就是殺人的，同時，他也是說謊者的父。換句話說，魔鬼為了殺害我們，使我們的人生無效，會在我們裡面鼓動我們，用許多謊言欺瞞我們。這裡列出五個令人沮喪的謊言，當你聽見腦海裡浮現這些話時，趕快找主耶穌，祂能驅逐它們！

Don’t Overestimate Yourself

2023-01-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 14:26-31.  Let’s go!

Mark 14:26-31 (NIV)
26  When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27  “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
28  But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
29  Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30  “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today–yes, tonight–before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
31  But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
 
On verses 26-31:  Peter was so sure and passionate about his commitment to Jesus that he acted as if nothing could possibly shake him.  Not even Jesus’ Scripture-based prophecy that all the disciples would fall away (v27) seemed to affect Peter’s confidence that he would remain faithful to Jesus till the end.  “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you”, Peter says in verse 31.  But that was more Peter’s own pride speaking.  Peter underestimated his own weakness and how on his own, without Jesus’ help, he didn’t stand a chance of hanging onto his faith.  Peter wasn’t the only disciple who made this mistake.  All the other disciples made the same mistake.  Peter was just the most vocal about it.

人的結局都一樣嗎？

2023-01-05 in , /by

傳道書9:3a   在日光之下所行的一切事上，有一件禍患，就是眾人所遭遇的都是一樣。

閱讀經文：傳道書9:1-3

1我將這一切事放在心上，詳細考究，就知道義人和智慧人並他們的作為，都在神手中。或是愛，或是恨，都在他們的前面，人不能知道。2凡臨到眾人的事都是一樣：義人和惡人都遭遇一樣的事；好人、潔淨人和不潔淨人，獻祭的與不獻祭的，也是一樣。好人如何，罪人也如何；起誓的如何，怕起誓的也如何。3在日光之下所行的一切事上，有一件禍患，就是眾人所遭遇的都是一樣。並且世人的心充滿了惡，活著的時候心裡狂妄，後來就歸死人那裡去了。

在這忙碌的人生中，我們每天都有許多安排，天天都在忙。有何事會讓你的腳步暫停一下呢？所羅門王查看之後，他發現義人和智慧人，還有他們所做的事，都在神的手中；即使如此，不管是將要發生在他們生活中的愛或恨，他們也不能預先知道。義人或智慧人，都該算是敬畏神的人。義人是指在神的眼中不以為有罪的，屬神的人；而敬畏神是智慧的開端，所以有智慧的人應該是敬畏神的人。

What Kept Jesus Going

2023-01-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 14:12-25.  Let’s go!

Mark 14:12-16 (NIV)
12  On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
13  So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.
14  Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
15  He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16  The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
 
On verses 12-16:  Before his disciples made any preparations for the Passover, Jesus was already prepared and had a plan.  Great leaders don’t just rise to the occasion.  Great leaders also anticipate and plan ahead.

Worship is…

2023-01-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 14:1-11.  Let’s go!

Mark 14:1-9 (NIV)
1  Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.
2  “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.”
3  While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4  Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?

On verses 1-9:   In Matthew 14:1-11 we see three groups of people: (1) those who have never been with Jesus, don’t understand Jesus and are looking to eliminate him (e.g. the chief priests and teachers of the law – v1-2); (2) those who are closer to Jesus and committed to honouring Him (v3-8); and (3) those who have committed their lives to Jesus before but end up leaving him (v10-11).  It’s from this second group, in particular the woman with the alabaster jar, that we learn some important truths about what worship is.

小小的螞蟻

2023-01-04 in , /by

傳道書8:16  我專心求智慧，要看世上所做的事，有晝夜不睡覺，不合眼的。

閱讀經文：傳道書8:16-17

16我專心求智慧，要看世上所做的事，有晝夜不睡覺，不合眼的。17我就看明神一切的作為，知道人查不出日光之下所做的事。任憑他費多少力尋查，都查不出來，就是智慧人雖想知道，也是查不出來。

所羅門的時代和我們現在所處的世代實在有很多的不同，但是也有很相似之處。所羅門日不上床，夜不能寐，為了查看世上之事。現代人的好奇心也不亞於他，只是所羅門沒有現代人的自由。他在耶路撒冷查看，而現代人滿世界跑。前美國總統歐巴馬的女兒瑪亞上大學之前，申請延後入學一年，到南美玻利維亞的蒂基帕亞（Tiquipaya）小鎮旅行；而英國威廉王子十八歲中學畢業到中美洲國家接受皇室陸軍的軍事訓練，也到智利山區擔任志工。

現在的年輕人存了錢就是去旅行，為了擴大自己的視野，對這世界有更多的認識。美國的常春藤盟校更設了空檔年Gap Year，讓學生被錄取之後可以延遲一兩年再入學。因為他們相信通過豐富自己的人生，學生可以對自己有更深的認識，也能比較清楚自己要走的方向，以致有更好的學習。總括而言，都是尋求智慧之旅。所以不管是所羅門或現代的教育，都明白智慧於人生之重要。

4 Ways to “Watch” for Jesus

2023-01-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 13:28-37.  Let’s go!

Mark 13:28-29 (NIV)
28  “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
29  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.

On verses 28-29:  “When you see these things happening”, Jesus says, “you know that it is near” (v29).  What things?  What’s near?  For us today the significance of these words are this:  When you see Jesus coming in the clouds in power and glory (v26) and God’s people being gathered to him (v27), you know the end is near. 
 
Mark 13:30 (NIV)
30  I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
 
On verse 30:  “This generation” can be interpreted narrowly to mean the disciples and their contemporaries living at that time (see for example, Mark 8:12 and 9:19).  Or “this generation” can be interpreted broadly to mean a group of people who come from one common ancestor, and thus “generation” here is sometimes translated “race” as in the human race.  

痛苦中的選擇－饒恕

2023-01-03 in , /by

傳道書8:14  世上有一件虛空的事，就是義人所遭遇的反照惡人所行的，又有惡人所遭遇的反照義人所行的。我說，這也是虛空。

閱讀經文：傳道書8:14-15

14 世上有一件虛空的事，就是義人所遭遇的反照惡人所行的，又有惡人所遭遇的反照義人所行的。我說，這也是虛空。 15 我就稱讚快樂，原來人在日光之下，莫強如吃喝快樂。因為他在日光之下，神賜他一生的年日，要從勞碌中時常享受所得的。

您可能覺得奇怪，我是否用錯了經文。不是的，因為昨天採用ERV的譯文後，覺得有未盡之處，希望用另一個角度來看這段經文。因為它有一個很令人心痛的主題：為什麼當惡人做壞事時，好人卻受罰？惡人卻逍遙法外？所以有“因為斷定罪名，不立刻施刑，所以世人滿心作惡”（傳8:11）的感嘆。還可以改為“因為把罪名加在好人（無辜者）身上，讓好人受苦，所以世人滿心作惡”。那我們怎樣來面對這種世道呢？

在好消息電視台有一個廖文華牧師說，在他國中的時候，父親因為做生意的關係，可能跟別人產生了一些誤解，而那一群人就直接到他們家來要錢，但是當時廖文華的父母正好都不在國內，所以有一段時間他都沒有辦法上學，因為他看到那一群人拿刀子，也就非常害怕被找到，直等到他的父親回國。之後，父親就到法院告這些想用武力得到金錢的人，換句話說，是那一群是要來勒索的人，而在這個過程中，廖文華隔壁家的孩子就被綁架了，並且事實上，當廖文華聽見被綁者的特徵時，就發現他們想要綁的人可能是自己，也因此那個孩子隔一天就被放了回來，這樣的恐懼感就持續在廖文華的心中，但是，由於他的父親覺得自己是有道理的，對方是完全沒有道理的，所以在法院起訴的時候，不僅沒有請律師，也不懂法律和蒐集證據，最後輸了這場官司。

Why Must The End Times Be So Terrifying?

2023-01-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 13:14-27.  Let’s go!

Mark 13:14-27 (NIV)
14  “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15  Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.
16  Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
17  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
18  Pray that this will not take place in winter,

On verses 14-27:  Many scholars believe that verses 14-23 are referring to two periods of time: first, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and second the end times when Jesus comes again.

To the extent that these verses deal with the end times, what can we learn from these verses?  While we don’t need to obsess over trying to figure out when exactly the end times will happen, Jesus does want us to be alert and aware of what the end times will look like.  Jesus describes the end times as “days of distress unequaled from the beginning…and never to be equaled again” (v19).