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Who Will You Listen To and Who Will You Ignore

2022-11-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 5:35-43.  Let’s go!

Mark 5:35 (NIV)
35  While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”
 
On verse 35:  For everyone else in Jairus’ home, death meant the end, nothing more that can be done.  But for Jesus, when someone dies, that’s when his work is only just beginning.

Mark 5:36-37 (NIV)
36  Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37  He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
 
On verses 36-37:  Here Jesus models this important truth:  Who you let you in and who you keep out is crucial to your destiny.  That is, who you choose to listen to and who choose you ignore will determine your direction in life.  More on this in just a bit.  First look at verses 38-40.

天下萬務都有定時

2022-11-25 in , /by

傳道書 3:1   凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時。

閱讀經文：傳道書 3:1 

1凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時。

台北前巿長柯文哲曾經在臉書上分享了一個小故事：“兩週前，我擔任‘一日社區醫師’，探視幾位獨居長者，了解他們醫療和生活上的需求。其中一位林先生，中風15年來，他的世界只剩下小小的房間內那幾坪空間，因為他住在2樓，又沒有電梯，他只能坐在輪椅上在房間內轉來轉去。他最大的心願，就是下樓到公園散散步、唱卡拉OK。

為了幫林先生圓夢，台北市立中興醫院的‘壯丁’自告奮勇，背著林先生下樓，再推著輪椅到公園透氣，還到斯文里里長辦公室，唱他最喜歡的‘愛拼才會贏’。看著林先生激動掉下的眼淚，也讓我想起行醫三十年的體悟：醫師其實只是生命花園的園丁，園丁不能改變春夏秋冬，只是讓花草在四季之間開得燦爛一些。同樣的，醫師也無法改變生老病死，只是讓人在生老病死之間活得快樂一些、舒服一些而已”。

Fall at Jesus’ Feet and Experience His Power

2022-11-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 5:21-34.  Let’s go!

Mark 5:21-23 (NIV)
21  When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.
22  Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet
23  and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”
 
On verses 21-23:  Had the people living in the region of the Garasenes welcomed Jesus to stay, Jesus may not have crossed over to the other side of the lake and met Jairus and his dying daughter so soon.  The Garasene people’s rejection of Jesus actually opened the door for Jesus to do other and greater miracles elsewhere.  When one door closes, another door opens.  In all things God works for good.

吃用享福致虛空

2022-11-24 in , /by

傳道書 2:24  人莫強如吃喝，且在勞碌中享福，我看這也是出於神的手。

閱讀經文：傳道書 2:24-26

24人莫強如吃喝，且在勞碌中享福，我看這也是出於神的手。25論到吃用享福，誰能勝過我呢？26神喜悅誰，就給誰智慧、知識和喜樂，唯有罪人，神使他勞苦，叫他將所收聚的、所堆積的歸給神所喜悅的人。這也是虛空，也是捕風。

你對人生有沒有一個結論？人生最重要的事是什麼？偉大富有如所羅門王，對人生下了一個結論：“人莫強如吃喝，且在勞碌中享福”。這個結論真是令人大吃一驚？吃喝誠然重要，而且是人生的必須，這跟保羅說的：“神的國不在乎吃喝，只在乎公義、和平並聖靈中的喜樂”（羅14:17）。有何等大的差別！

所羅門王覺得吃喝最重要，在勞碌中享福，就是人生的最高境界。但是保羅說，在神的國度裡，也就是對信主的人而言，吃喝真的不是最重要的，更重要的是行公義和平，擁有在聖靈中的喜樂。因為“人飢餓非因無餅，乾渴非因無水，乃因不聽耶和華的話”（阿摩司8:11）。換句話說，不是有吃有喝，人的心靈就會得到滿足；人的滿足來自行在神的話語當中。

人的勞碌換得什麼

2022-11-23 in , /by

傳道書 2:22  人在日光之下勞碌、累心，在他一切的勞碌上得著什麼呢？

閱讀經文：傳道書 2:18-23

18我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。19那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。這也是虛空。20故此，我轉想我在日光之下所勞碌的一切工作，心便絕望。21因為有人用智慧、知識、靈巧所勞碌得來的，卻要留給未曾勞碌的人為份。這也是虛空，也是大患。22人在日光之下勞碌、累心，在他一切的勞碌上得著什麼呢？23因為他日日憂慮，他的勞苦成為愁煩，連夜間心也不安。這也是虛空。

我很訝異，充滿智慧的所羅門王，也有如此狹窄的一面，和秦始皇想要長生的意念差不多。他們想的都是：這是我的、我的、我的。都是一國之君，但是不能接受人生的有限，無法面對將來的失去。現在大多數人都會考慮到將來，如何交棒，如何把自己的心血傳給後代，好讓他們可以做得更好，讓社會或人類得到更大的益處。但是，所羅門王擔心的，竟然是他個人的“失去”。

“我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌”，所羅門從他的勞碌上因為看見收穫就快樂，但是這快樂在一轉念之中就消失了。因為他擔心他自己用不完這些勞碌得來的，將來不知要給哪個敗家子敗光了，他的心裡就覺得不值！在這裡，我們看到《聖經》再一次顯露了人最真實的一面，毫無遮掩地，把人的貪婪和無知暴露出來。讓我們看到，即使智慧如所羅門，在心的最深處，也是平凡不過的俗人。

Don’t Entertain Evil Spirits, but Welcome Jesus

2022-11-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 5:11-20.  Let’s go!

Mark 5:11-13 (NIV)
11  A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
12  The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.”
13  He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
 
On verses 11-13:  Notice a couple things here.  First, notice the authority of Jesus.  When Jesus confronted the demons, the demons could only beg for mercy and plead that they take refuge in the pigs instead of the man they had possessed.  Jesus is far greater than evil spirits, both in power and in authority.  So if you have Jesus in your heart, you don’t need to be afraid of evil spirits; evil spirits need to be afraid of you, not because you are anything, but because the Name Above All Names lives in you.

智慧人和愚昧人一樣

2022-11-22 in , /by

傳道書 2:14  智慧人的眼目光明，愚昧人在黑暗裡行，我卻看明有一件事，這兩等人都必遇見。

閱讀經文：傳道書 2:12-17

12我轉念觀看智慧、狂妄和愚昧。在王以後而來的人還能做什麼呢？也不過行早先所行的就是了。13我便看出智慧勝過愚昧，如同光明勝過黑暗。14智慧人的眼目光明，愚昧人在黑暗裡行，我卻看明有一件事，這兩等人都必遇見。15我就心裡說：「愚昧人所遇見的，我也必遇見，我為何更有智慧呢？」我心裡說：「這也是虛空。」16智慧人和愚昧人一樣，永遠無人記念，因為日後都被忘記。可嘆智慧人死亡，與愚昧人無異！17我所以恨惡生命，因為在日光之下所行的事我都以為煩惱，都是虛空，都是捕風。

你有沒有發現，人的哲學和對人生的領悟是何等可怕的學問。當所羅門完全以人為本，以自我為重心時，他走進了一條沒有出路的窄胡同。這就是沒有神的人生，所面臨的困境。當所羅門對這世上的享受和擁有做了實驗之後，他開始去思考，究竟什麼算是智慧？什麼是狂妄和愚昧？

在第12節的下半句有兩種譯文：第一種就是“在王以後而來的人還能做什麼呢？也不過行早先所行的就是了”。所羅門在當時的世代已經很確定，沒有人比得上他了，不管是智慧、財富、榮華，等等，他都是世上第一人。在現在，他當然算不得是第一人了，他連摩托車都沒坐過，也沒汽車，又沒搭過飛機，也不會用電腦，更沒有手機，等等。所以我們知道，在他之後的人，還可以做很多他想不到的事。但是在他的心裡，沒有人能做他沒做過的事了。人的心就是這麼小，被自己的背景和社會所局限。

Jesus is Greater Than Evil Spirits

2022-11-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 5:1-10.  Let’s go!

Mark 5:1-5 (NIV)
1  They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.
2  When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
3  This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
4  For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5  Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

On verses 1-5:  Notice what happened when Satan got a hold of this man’s life: the man had unusual strength (v4) and yet he spent his days among dead people, hanging among the tombs (v3), cutting himself with stones (v5) and desperate for help.  Similarly, those who play around with the occult or who allow Satan to take hold of their life may from time to time experience unusual strength, but that strength also comes with a haunting emptiness, a depression, a loneliness, great fear and a lack of peace.  The fact that the word “tombs” keeps getting repeated (v2, v3, v5) suggests this:  Satan will never lead you to a place of life but a place of death.