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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.

Jesus Will See You Through The Storm

2022-11-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 4:30-41.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:30-32 (NIV)
30  Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
31  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.
32  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

On verses 30-32:  Whenever the kingdom of God starts in any heart, in any city, in any place in the world, it always begins the same way: as the tiniest seed.  Over time, however, it can become the biggest thing you see and strong enough to give protection and shelter to others.  So don’t despise small beginnings.  God doesn’t.

所羅門的實驗

2022-11-21 in , /by

傳道書 2:9  這樣，我就日見昌盛，勝過以前在耶路撒冷的眾人。我的智慧仍然存留。

閱讀經文：傳道書 2:4-11

4我為自己動大工程，建造房屋，栽種葡萄園，5修造園囿，在其中栽種各樣果木樹，6挖造水池，用以澆灌嫩小的樹木。7我買了僕婢，也有生在家中的僕婢；又有許多牛群羊群，勝過以前在耶路撒冷眾人所有的。8我又為自己積蓄金銀和君王的財寶，並各省的財寶；又得唱歌的男女和世人所喜愛的物，並許多的妃嬪。9這樣，我就日見昌盛，勝過以前在耶路撒冷的眾人。我的智慧仍然存留。10凡我眼所求的，我沒有留下不給它的；我心所樂的，我沒有禁止不享受的。因我的心為我一切所勞碌的快樂，這就是我從勞碌中所得的份。11後來我察看我手所經營的一切事和我勞碌所成的功，誰知都是虛空，都是捕風，在日光之下毫無益處。

所羅門王從幾方面開始他的實驗：一是動大工程，造房建屋；二是修造園囿，栽種各樣果樹；三是買足僕婢；四是買牛和羊；五是努力賺錢存錢，買樂隊，娶妃嬪。換是在今日，可能還要買私人飛機和遊艇，加上環遊世界。他提供了很多工作的機會，相對的，錢也賺回來了。所以他日見昌盛，勝過以前在耶路撒冷的眾人。但是他的智慧仍然存留，意思是他沒有迷失在他的成功裡，他的心依然在尋找。

Don’t Be Afraid to Share What God Has Given You

2022-11-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 4:21-29.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:21-23 (NIV)
21  He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
22  For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
 
On verses 21-23:  Remember that Jesus is talking here with his disciples, to whom he has revealed the secrets of God’s kingdom (see v11).  As a disciple of Jesus, you’ve been entrusted with the light of His truth not just for your benefit but for the benefit of others.  God doesn’t give you this light so that would hide it (“put it under a bowl or a bed” – 21).   He wants you to share it, disclose it, bring it out into the open (v22). 

所羅門的追尋

2022-11-20 in , /by

傳道書 2:1 我心裡說：「來吧，我以喜樂試試你，你好享福。」誰知，這也是虛空。

閱讀經文：傳道書 2:1-3

1我心裡說：「來吧，我以喜樂試試你，你好享福。」誰知，這也是虛空。2我指喜笑說：「這是狂妄」，論喜樂說：「有何功效呢？」3我心裡察究如何用酒使我肉體舒暢，我心卻仍以智慧引導我；又如何持住愚昧，等我看明世人，在天下一生當行何事為美。

在所羅門尋找日光之下有何值得他把握的事情時，他以尋樂為第一目標。世人都喜歡快樂，不是嗎？喜樂和享福，是許多人心中的第一志願。父母叫我們小時候要好好讀書，就可以有好成績，才能考上好大學，畢業後才能找到好工作，才能賺大錢。有了錢，就可以買大房子、豪華轎車、請得起佣人，結婚有排場，孩子上名校，等等。所以人生以賺錢為目的，賺錢是為了享福，享福是為了讓自己看起來有面子，不必動手做事。到處旅遊，享受榮華富貴。

在溫哥華有很多移民都已經達到這樣的水準了，要什麼有什麼。結果，你知道嗎？有很多這樣的達人和貴夫人，天天往賭館跑，最後把什麼都輸光了。他們有很多錢，買到了幾百萬的房子，最名貴的轎車，家裡佣人三班制，兒女上不上得了名校又是另一回事。但是享福的結果是只想找刺激作樂。快樂是在找刺激時來那麼一下，立刻又走了，因為輸錢了；快樂在贏錢時也會過來一下，也很快就走了，因為一下子就輸光了。

Keep a Soft Heart Toward God

2022-11-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!  

Today’s passage is Mark 4:10-20.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:10-12 (NIV)
10  When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11  He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12  so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'”
 
On verses 10-12:  Yesterday we learned one reason why Jesus taught in parables: to make truth about the kingdom of God easier for his disciples to understand and remember.  But here we learn a second reason why Jesus taught in parables and, paradoxically, it’s the opposite of the first reason: Jesus taught in parables in part to make it difficult for those whom God had not chosen to understand what Jesus was saying.