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When You Get Tired of Serving Others

2022-10-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

There are so many lessons we can learn from today’s passage, Romans 15:1-13.  Let’s go!

Romans 15:1-3 (NIV)
1  We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
2  Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
3  For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
 
On verses 1-3:  One of the big lessons of Romans is that we don’t live to please ourselves, but we live to serve others.  That’s the whole point of Romans 14 and now in Romans 15:1-2 says it even more directly.  And why do we live not just to please ourselves but to serve others?  Because that’s how Jesus lived (v3). 

肉體的滿足

2022-10-03 in , /by

箴言27:7  人吃飽了，厭惡蜂房的蜜；人飢餓了，一切苦物都覺甘甜。

閱讀經文：箴言 27:7-8

7人吃飽了，厭惡蜂房的蜜；人飢餓了，一切苦物都覺甘甜。8人離本處漂流，好像雀鳥離窩遊飛。

「人吃飽了，厭惡蜂房的蜜；人飢餓了，一切苦物都覺甘甜」 (箴言二十七：7) 。

肉體的滿足

「人吃飽了，厭惡蜂房的蜜；人飢餓了，一切苦物都覺甘甜」 (箴言二十七：7) 。

今年有許多節日，包括你的生日，你是否收到許多禮物了？你滿意嗎？假如你不滿意的話，想想若是非洲的窮人收到你得到的禮物，他們會怎樣呢？會不會欣喜若狂？所以我們接受的東西，本質上都是好的，但憑收的人的心情和情況來決定那是否討人喜歡的禮物。

在這物質爆炸的時代，收到什麼都不足為奇。因為我們平時擁有的已經太多。就好像以前的人，只有在過年過節才有大魚大肉，所以覺得那就是美食；但是現代人平常吃得已經十分豐富，所以過年過節時，反而想吃得清淡一些，免得自己的身體消化不了。

蜂蜜原本是非常好的食物，但是對於吃飽的人而言，舔一口也嫌多。但是對於饑餓的人，就是苦瓜下飯，也覺味美甘甜。所以當我們感到不滿足時，就要學習付出，免得我們再也無法品嚐到神恩典的滋味。學習饑餓時才進食，才能感覺食物的重要和滋味；學習付出，才能明白自己擁有的是何等珍貴。讓肉體經常勞動，不要一直處在太安逸的情況裡，你才能體會到睡覺的甘甜。所以，缺乏，是神給人最美好的禮物。（舟子）

Getting Along with Those You Disagree With

2022-10-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 14:13-23.  Let’s go!

Romans 14:13-22a (NIV)
13  Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
14  As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
15  If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
16  Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
17  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
18  because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

On verses 13-22a:  We’ve been learning in Romans 14 that there are certain truths in the Bible that are indisputable and that form the foundation of our faith as Christians.  There are other matters where the Bible is not as clear and where Christians are free to have their own opinions and preferences.  These are what Paul calls “disputable matters”.

How to Deal with Controversial Matters that the Bible Isn’t Clear On

2022-10-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 14:1-12.  Let’s go!
 
Romans 14:1-12 (NIV)
1  Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
2  One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
3  The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

On verses 1-12:  In the Christian faith, there are certain core truths that are indisputable – big things such as the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He rose from the dead, that He is fully man and fully God, and that our salvation is not something we can earn by our own good works but is 100% a gift we receive from God when we place our faith in His Son Jesus. 

被責備的有福了

2022-10-02 in , /by

箴言27:5  當面的責備，強如背地的愛情。。

閱讀經文：箴言 27:4-6

4憤怒為殘忍，怒氣為狂瀾，唯有嫉妒，誰能敵得住呢？5當面的責備，強如背地的愛情。6朋友加的傷痕出於忠誠，仇敵連連親嘴卻是多餘。

嫉妒有1000隻眼睛

4憤怒為殘忍，怒氣為狂瀾，唯有嫉妒，誰能敵得住呢？

We’re blasted by anger and swamped by rage, but who can survive jealousy? 《The Message》

猶太人有一句俗語：“戀愛是盲目的，但嫉妒比盲目更壞，因為它連看不到的東西都要看。”猶太人認為：“嫉妒有1000隻眼睛。” 1000隻眼睛代表猜疑。這節經文說：“憤怒為殘忍，怒氣為狂瀾，唯有嫉妒，誰能敵得住呢？”猶太人認為:“因嫉妒而瘋狂的心，是連骨頭都要腐蝕的”。

但是人難免嫉妒，對於自己想要又得不到的，總會嫉妒那些已經擁有的人。因此人若能謙卑，活得低調一些，或許是最好的保護自己的方法。有一次有個朋友通過了一個很難的考試，他的妻子非常高興，想要大大慶祝一番。他卻對妻子說：“但是我有一些朋友，他們和我一起去考，卻還沒有通過。”如此，他逃過了一個很大的考驗，也躲過了一些嫉妒。

天父可能很祝福你，但是我們不必到處張揚，反而要以感謝的心去回報那些幫助過我們的人。因為被嫉妒表示你走在他人前面，也表示你擁有一些他人所渴望的，既然如此，豈能不珍惜天父的好意，保守自己。

Our Response to God’s Love

2022-09-30 in /by

i GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 13:8-14.  Let’s go!

Romans 13:8a (NIV)
8  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another,…

On verse 8:  Paul is saying two things: (1) we should not stay in debt to others. So if we borrow money, we need to pay it back; and (2) we should always see ourselves as owing a debt to love others. That’s because God showed us the greatest, most incredible love of all, and He asks us in return to live a life of loving others.

Romans 13:8b-10 (NIV)
8…for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
9  The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10  Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

不要為明日自誇

2022-09-30 in , /by

箴言27:1   不要為明日自誇，因為一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。

閱讀經文：箴言 27:1-3

1不要為明日自誇，因為一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。2要別人誇獎你，不可用口自誇；等外人稱讚你，不可用嘴自稱。3石頭重，沙土沉，愚妄人的惱怒比這兩樣更重。

不要為明日自誇

1不要為明日自誇，因為一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。

Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. 《The Message》

在聖經裡經常提醒我們，人是有限的，因此不要為明日自誇，因為一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。耶穌皂弟弟雅各在雅各書的第四章就曾舉例：嗐，你們有話說：「今天、明天我們要往某城裡去，在那裡住一年，做買賣得利。」 其實明天如何，你們還不知道。你們的生命是什麼呢？你們原來是一片雲霧，出現少時就不見了。 你們只當說：「主若願意，我們就可以活著，也可以做這事或做那事。」 

有的人在假期帶著一家出遊，歡歡喜喜上路，悲悲傷傷地結束，因為碰到酒駕，一家四口只留一口，還要住醫院。這種事情不勝枚舉。前些日子有個人回頭一看，年幼的孩子爬上窗戶，被窗簾困住幾乎沒了呼吸。幸好發現得早，馬上做急救，撿回了一條命。

因此當把我們自己交託給神，主若願意，我們就可以活著，也可以做這事或那事。

生活左右銘

2022-09-29 in , /by

箴言26:28 虛謊的舌恨他所壓傷的人，諂媚的口敗壞人的事。

閱讀經文：箴言 26:26-28

26 他雖用詭詐遮掩自己的怨恨，他的邪惡必在會中顯露。 27 挖陷坑的，自己必掉在其中；滾石頭的，石頭必反滾在他身上。 28 虛謊的舌恨他所壓傷的人，諂媚的口敗壞人的事。

劇烈的毒藥

24怨恨人的用嘴粉飾，心裡卻藏著詭詐。25他用甜言蜜語，你不可信他，因為他心中有七樣可憎惡的。26他雖用詭詐遮掩自己的怨恨，他的邪惡必在會中顯露。

Your enemy shakes hands and greets you like an old friend, all the while conniving against you. When he speaks warmly to you, don’t believe him for a minute; he’s just waiting for the chance to rip you off. No matter how cunningly he conceals his malice, eventually his evil will be exposed in public. (vv.24-26) 《The Message》

24-26節是一段連貫的思想，講到敵人用虛偽的表現去遮蓋心裡的苦毒。因此碰到人說甜言蜜語，自己一定要小心，不可輕信人的讚美。就像法利賽人和文士，他們在挑戰耶穌，想要引發耶穌說不敬的話之前，都會虛偽地讚美耶穌，稱祂為夫子。實際上卻是包藏禍心，充滿了欲致之於死地的唇槍舌劍。

約瑟的兒子西緬和利未為了為妹妹底拿報仇時，也是用花言巧語使示劍家族去除戒心，接受他們的建議，全族男人接受割禮。在疼痛時，就被西緬和利未帶人殺得精光。因此若有人專挑好聽的說給你聽時，你千萬不要得意忘形，反而要榮耀歸神，更加謹慎行事為人。因為在撒旦的糖衣之下，都是劇烈的毒藥。

How to Relate to Governing Authorities

2022-09-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 13:1-7.  Let’s go!

Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
1  Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4  For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5  Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6  This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
7  Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

On verses 1-7:  Perhaps you read these verses from Paul telling the Christians in Rome to submit to their governing authorities and a part of you thinks, “Isn’t this being a bit idealistic?”  

When God Painted A Self-Portrait

2022-09-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 12:9-21.  Let’s go!
 
Romans 12:9-21 (NIV)
9  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13  Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

On verses 9-21:  Paul’s advice to the Christians in Rome is just as applicable to us today.  You can even turn these verses into a prayer, asking God to help you to love sincerely, hate what is evil, cling to what is good, etc.  Each of these verses could be a sermon on its own, but here’s one lesson I learn generally from these verses:  God will never ask you to do anything that He Himself isn’t willing to do, or something that He Himself has not already done.   In fact, when you read Romans 12:9-21, don’t see it simply as a list of ways we ought to live. Even more, remember it’s a portrait of Jesus and how He lived his life on earth.