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洗腎蒙恩記

2022-07-24 in , /by

箴言19:27    我兒，不可聽了教訓而又偏離知識的言語。

閱讀經文：箴言19:27-29

27我兒，不可聽了教訓而又偏離知識的言語。 28匪徒做見證戲笑公平，惡人的口吞下罪孽。 29刑罰是為褻慢人預備的，鞭打是為愚昧人的背預備的。

張文亮教授最近寫了一篇 [洗腎蒙恩記]：

有一天，我在校園遇到S.教授，他興奮的握著我的手說道：「我要告訴你一個好消息，我信耶穌了。」。S.教授是很好的老師，二次擔任系主任，經常關心農村，在那領域是非常著名的學者。我看他笑得愉快，不禁問他：「怎麼信主呢？」

他說：「我的母親腎臟病，每星期到醫院洗腎三次，每次躺在那裡數小時，很無聊。不去又不行，洗了幾年之後，意志低沈。」「噢。」我靜靜的聽。「有次洗腎時，旁邊有位洗腎的老婦人，就對她傳福音。母親聽久了，決心去教會，我陪她去。我在聚會時，受到感動，就成為基督徒。母親也是如此。」他喜悅的說道，說到後面，還流下眼淚，完全不在乎下課時候，許多學生從旁經過。

「現在，我參加教會的主日聚會，也每星期參加主日學，週四的查經班，很有趣又很得幫助。我應該早一點信主，早一點讀聖經。」他熱情的說道。我的心裡很感動，上帝的作為奇妙，能藉由一個洗腎的老姐妹，將福音傳給人，使人的一家都蒙恩得救。

「信耶穌之後，我的專業又有新的意義。我可以幫助許多的人。」他眼中閃著亮光，雄壯的說道。

Justice, Compassion and Jesus My Kinsman Redeemer

2022-07-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 25:1-10.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 25:1-3 (NIV)
1  When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.
2  If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves,
3  but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes.

On verses 1-3:  Here we see God’s heart for justice when people are charged with crimes.  God wants to make sure that: 

– the innocent are acquitted (v1)
– the guilty are convicted (v1)
– the punishment fits the crime (v2) and 
– the punishment is appropriate and not degrading to the person being punished (v3). 

安全感

2022-07-22 in , /by

箴言19:24   懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。

閱讀經文：箴言19:24-26

24懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。 25鞭打褻慢人，愚蒙人必長見識；責備明哲人，他就明白知識。 26虐待父親、攆出母親的，是貽羞致辱之子。

第24節：懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。

「懶惰人放手在盤子裏，就是向口撤回，他也不肯。」(箴言19:24) 懶惰的人不一定是偷懶，而是貪而無厭，以致錯失判斷。將手放在食物盤子裡，有時是拿多了，還想再拿更多，忘了拿食物的目的，是為了吃。如果嘴巴吃不了那麼 多，手在盤子裡取再多也沒有用，不過是變成垃圾。但是我們經常要抓更多，取更多，而忘了自己吃的量有限。變成看重取的過程，忘記吃的目標。

我們經常在「吃到飽」的餐廳裡，看到有些人一直取肉、拿菜。勸他們吃多少，拿多少，若不肯聽勸，是另類的懶惰。吃東西、賺錢、爭取權力，夠了，就要停。不要成為在爭取上積極；在享有上貧窮。

我也有這弱點，每年愁明年沒錢作研究計劃，總想多爭取些。二十多年來，每年習慣性的發愁，很少享受擁有經費的喜悅。教授的頭銜，像是乞丐的盤子，取這盤子到處向人求食物，自己沒有吃到什麼。這背後就是沒有安全感。（張文亮教授）

God’s Compassionate Heart

2022-07-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 
 
In Deuteronomy we get to see different layers to God’s heart.  Today’s passage, Deuteronomy 24:10-22, lets us in on another big layer to the heart of God.  Let’s go!
 
Deuteronomy 24:10-22 (NIV)
10  When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge.
11  Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you.
12  If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession.
13  Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.
14  Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns.
15  Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
16  Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

On verses 10-22:  Why does Moses say not to go into the house of someone you’re lending money to in order to get what they are offering as a pledge (v10)?  Why instead wait outside and let the borrower bring the pledge out to you (v11)?  It’s to protect the dignity and honor of the person you’re lending to, so as not to embarrass them unnecessarily in front of their family.

The Protecting Heart of God

2022-07-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 24:1-9.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (NIV)
1  If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,
2  and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man,
3  and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,
4  then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

On verses 1-4:  What “indecent” thing could a husband find about his wife that would enable him to divorce her?  It wasn’t adultery or having premarital sex, since both of these meant death (see Deuteronomy 22:20-22).  So the answer to this question is not clear.  That said, whenever you read verses 1 to 4 where Moses allows divorce, always remember what Jesus said about these verses:

計畫永遠趕不上變化

2022-07-21 in , /by

箴言19:21    人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。

閱讀經文：箴言19:21-23

21人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。 22施行仁慈的令人愛慕，窮人強如說謊言的。 23敬畏耶和華的得著生命，他必恆久知足，不遭禍患。

第21節：人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。

最近看到一個朋友的見證，我心裡有很多感慨。她有一個女兒，從小就帶她到教會；她放棄工作，做全職母親；家裡不看電視，每週都有家庭聚會。父母兩人都很愛女兒，以為她將一步步走上“榮（神）耀（父母）之路”。沒想到，女兒在高二時交了男朋友，從此茶不思飯不想，只跟他談話，只聽他說話。眼看大學的學測在即，父母都非常著急。更沒想到，女兒被男友甩了。這時她又開始聽父母的話，在神面前悔改。結果學測放榜時，出乎大家的意料之外，她考上了一間國立大學。原是沒指望的，神卻恩待了。

我們多少有類似的經歷，為自己或為兒女規劃，忙到最後，才發現很多細節不在自己的考量之中。台灣企業家郭台銘曾說：“計畫永遠趕不上變化，變化抵不上客戶一通電話。”

所以大衛說：“當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠祂，祂就必成全”（詩37:5）。當我們籌謀時，是憑自己的驕傲在行事；若把計劃放在神的手中，並倚靠祂，便是有自知之明和智慧了。因為神知道明天，祂知道會有怎樣的變化，祂有能力可以掌握一切的變數。

趁有指望管教你的兒子

2022-07-20 in , /by

箴言19:18    趁有指望管教你的兒子，你的心不可任他死亡。

閱讀經文：箴言19:18-20

18趁有指望管教你的兒子，你的心不可任他死亡。 19暴怒的人必受刑罰，你若救他，必須再救。 20你要聽勸教，受訓誨，使你終久有智慧。

第18節：趁有指望管教你的兒子（女），你的心不可任他死亡。Discipline your children while you still have the chance; indulging them destroys them.《The Message》

聖經新譯本把這節經文譯為：“趁著還有指望的時候，要管教你的兒子；不可存心使他死亡。”換句話說，你不管教兒女，是存心的問題，是故意的，故意使兒女無法得知正路。這是何等大的指責啊！但也有幾分貼切。

因為當我觀察一些父母帶兒女的方式時，發現有些人真的是故意，以放任的心態去讓孩子成長。孩子做錯事根本不教導，總是覺得他好可愛，長大就懂事了，惹他生氣了才罵幾句。這樣的孩子長大之後，必使父母的心無法安息和喜樂，這叫咎由自取。以懶惰和不負責任的心態去帶領兒女，卻希望他們長大後能明白事理，這是何等愚昧和一廂情願的想法。

所以我們若不想兒女朝著毀滅的路上走，就要帶領他們走向得生命之路。因為你不教他們，他們好像海棉，看到什麼就吸收什麼，終會把社會上的垃圾拉一堆回來。那時後悔已經來不及了。所以父母要先把正確的觀念放到兒女心中，使他們懂得怎樣分辨。因為神是先把兒女放到你懷中的，就是期望你能把好東西教給他，好讓他在面對這個社會時，能以自保，知所取捨。所以，做父母的也要先在神面前領受，才能有信心地教養兒女。

Getting to Know God’s Heart

2022-07-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 23:15-25.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (NIV) 
15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. 
16 Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him. 

On verses 15-16:  These verses show God’s heart of compassion toward slaves who have run away from an oppressive master.  Similarly, we were all slaves to sin. but God rescued us and became our refuge, not wanting us to return to our previous master who oppressed us.  

Deuteronomy 23:17-18 (NIV) 
17 No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. 
18 You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both. 

You Are Worthy Because of Jesus

2022-07-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 23:1-14.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 23:1-3 (NIV)
1  No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.
2  No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.
3  No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation.

On verses 1-3:  Moses lists different conditions that would disqualify a person from entering the assembly where people worship God.  Notice that all these conditions were things that were generally beyond a person’s control — if a man’s genitals were mutilated (v1), or he was born out of wedlock (v2), or he was an Ammonite or Moabite (v3-5).  Similarly, the Bible says that all of us have a condition that disqualifies us from God’s presence: our sin (see Romans 3:9 and Isaiah 59:2).   But praise God that in love He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the price for all our sins.  Because of Jesus, regardless of our backgrounds or past history we all are invited to draw near to God.  All because Jesus’ blood cleanses us of our sin, we are qualified to enter God’s presence and worship with His people.

憐憫貧窮的就是借給耶和華

2022-07-19 in , /by

箴言19:17    憐憫貧窮的就是借給耶和華，他的善行耶和華必償還。

閱讀經文：箴言19:15-17

15懶惰使人沉睡，懈怠的人必受飢餓。16謹守誡命的保全生命，輕忽己路的必致死亡。17憐憫貧窮的就是借給耶和華，他的善行耶和華必償還。

第15節：懶惰使人沉睡，懈怠的人必受飢餓。Life collapses on loafers; lazybones go hungry.《The Message》

有的朋友問我，“信主之後，是不是只要倚靠主，其他什麼都不必做了？”大有信主之後，是不是耶穌就會負責我的食衣住行，不愁吃不愁喝的意思！這是有一點奇怪的想法，假如上帝什麼都幫你做，那你的四肢或嘴巴，等等，留著裝飾用嗎？其實，這個社會上真的有一些人什麼都不用做，都是倚靠別人幫他做。可是你希望做那樣的人嗎？

我家附近有一間教會，租借給殘障人士敬拜。每個星期天早上都會看到有人推著輪椅，送一些殘障人士去做禮拜。我想，就是給你再多的錢和福利，你也不會和那躺坐在輪椅上的人交換位置吧。所以保羅說，要親手做工（帖前4:11）、總要勞力，親手做正經事/或譯為：留心做正經事（弗4:28）。他更強調：若有人不肯做工，就不可吃飯（帖後3:10）。

因為有能力工作是一種福份，也是極大的恩典。你可能會發現，骨折後在休養期間，那部份的肌肉會萎縮。我們身上的器官大多是如此，你不用它，它就萎縮沒用了。大腦也是如此。有人說琴很無情，只要幾天不練，手法就生硬退步了。其實每件事情都是如此，喜歡寫作而不寫的人，筆會生鏽，筆是靈感和文思的代表。

勤勞，是人對神的恩賜所表示的感謝；工作，是生命的脊椎骨。沉睡，是一種心靈的懈怠；懶惰，是對自己最大的鄙視，也是對神的不敬，因為浪費神給的一切恩典。讓我們看重神賜予我們的一切，好好地使用，過榮神益人的生活。