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掣籤能止息爭競

2022-07-11 in , /by

〈箴言〉18:18 掣籤能止息爭競，也能解散強盛的人。

閱讀經文：箴言18:16-18

16 人的禮物為他開路，引他到高位的人面前。 17 先訴情由的似乎有理，但鄰舍來到，就察出實情。18 掣籤能止息爭競，也能解散強盛的人。

第16節：人的禮物為他開路，引他到高位的人面前。A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people. 《The Message》

有解經家說，這節經文的Gift 禮物在原文其實是恩賜或技能的意思。假如從一般的禮物去理解，在高位的人會因為怎樣的禮物去注意到送禮物的人？除非是很特別的禮物，所以要用禮物開路。但是因為有恩賜或技能而引起高位的人注意，這種事情就比較常見了。

沒有手和腳的佈道家力克‧胡哲昨天提到，在他這次的佈道旅程中，斯洛文尼亞共和國Slovenia的總統Borut Pahor親自來把他介紹給會眾。為何一個總統會親自來為這個佈道家捧場呢？實在是因為力克的故事感動了成千上萬的人，也鼓勵了許多絕望的人。因著耶穌基督，一個殘障的人竟然成了神國大使，使許多高位的人都願意接見他，並且支持他的事工。

耶和華神是高高在上的造物者，卻以自己的獨生子為禮物，送給世上的人。為了讓世人認識祂，願意“接見”祂！至高的神竟如此謙卑在世人面前，而世人竟敢趾高氣揚地拒絕！可見人的驕傲、自大和無知，到了一個怎樣的地步。神卻不和人計較，依然在尋找，要把祂所愛的帶回家中。有什麼禮物能為我們開路，引我們到至高的神面前呢？

Safe in Jesus

2022-07-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 19:1-10.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 19:1-10 (NIV)
1  When the LORD your God has destroyed the nations whose land he is giving you, and when you have driven them out and settled in their towns and houses,
2  then set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.
3  Build roads to them and divide into three parts the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that anyone who kills a man may flee there.
4  This is the rule concerning the man who kills another and flees there to save his life–one who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without malice aforethought.
5  For instance, a man may go into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and as he swings his ax to fell a tree, the head may fly off and hit his neighbor and kill him. That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life.
6  Otherwise, the avenger of blood might pursue him in a rage, overtake him if the distance is too great, and kill him even though he is not deserving of death, since he did it to his neighbor without malice aforethought.

On verses 1-10:  Here Moses tells the Israelites that when God leads them into the land He has promised them, they are to set aside three cities as “cities of refuge”.  What was a city of refuge?  It was a place where an individual who had killed someone by accident could flee for safety until they were given a fair trial.  By staying in the city of refuge, that individual could not be killed by the “avenger of blood” (v16), that is, the person who was assigned the task of executing anyone who was guilty of murder.

尊重自己和別人

2022-07-10 in , /by

〈箴言〉18:14 人有疾病心能忍耐，心靈憂傷，誰能承當呢？

閱讀經文：箴言18:13-15

13未曾聽完先回答的，便是他的愚昧和羞辱。 14人有疾病心能忍耐，心靈憂傷，誰能承當呢？15聰明人的心得知識，智慧人的耳求知識。

第13節：未曾聽完先回答的，便是他的愚昧和羞辱。 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. 《The Message》

看完這節經文，知道自己有這個壞習慣的人，請舉手。雖然我看不見你，但是聖靈看得見。我也有這樣的壞習慣，雖然知道這是一種禮貌，但是討論到熱烈時，往往就搶著說話了。現在外子和我都會彼此提醒，讓別人把話說完，不要搶話頭。當然，你可能看不見我們在桌子底下踢來踢去。

學習等待，讓人家把話說完，不僅是一種禮貌，也是一種風度，更是一種體貼的心態。但是最常聽到搶話的：“我知道，我知道，我也曾經這樣……”或是“我知道，我知道，你是不是這樣……”。要學習等待，讓人把話說完，這是《聖經》教導我們的，言語上的彼此尊重，要有禮貌，要有風度。因為，我們是神的兒女，是大君王家的公主和王子。所以，尊重別人，就是尊重自己。

A Healthy Approach to Prophecy

2022-07-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 18:14-22.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 18:14-22 (NIV)
14  The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
15  The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.
16  For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17  The LORD said to me: “What they say is good.
18  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
19  If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
20  But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.”
21  You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?”
22  If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
 
On verses 14-22:  In Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Moses tells the Israelites that they don’t need to resort to things like divination and fortune telling to discern the will of God.  That’s because God has given His people something greater that divination and fortune telling: He has given His people prophets and the gift of prophecy (v14-15).  

Loving Your Church Staff Well

2022-07-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 18:1-13.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 18:1-8 (NIV)
1  The priests, who are Levites–indeed the whole tribe of Levi–are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the offerings made to the LORD by fire, for that is their inheritance.
2  They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them.
3  This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts.
4  You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep,
5  for the LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD’s name always.
6  If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the LORD will choose,
7  he may minister in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the LORD.
8  He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.
 
On verses 1-8:  In Deuteronomy 18:1-8, Moses tells the Israelites to care for the Levites – that is, their priestly leaders and those who dedicated their careers to serving in the house of God.  He tells them to remember that their priestly leaders have a unique responsibility in life (v1), that they don’t get to enjoy all the privileges that the other Israelites enjoy (v2), that they are dependent on the offerings of the people for their livelihood (v3), that God has chosen them to minister to Him in a way that requires all of their working hours (v5) and thus the other Israelites are to treat them well (v6-8). 

尊榮以前，必有謙卑

2022-07-08 in , /by

〈箴言〉18:12  敗壞之先，人心驕傲；尊榮以前，必有謙卑。

閱讀經文：箴言18:11-12

11 富足人的財物是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。 12 敗壞之先，人心驕傲；尊榮以前，必有謙卑。

第11節：富足人的財物是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。The rich think their wealth protects them;  they imagine themselves safe behind it. 《The Message》

在溫哥華西區有個地區，據說都是大官或很有錢的人居住的，那裡的房子都有很厚的圍牆，很深的院子。我有個朋友曾在那地區買了一棟房子，她邀請我們去參觀。從門口到內室，都裝了閉路電視，每一個去的人都難免要“上鏡頭”。朋友從她的臥室裡就可以看到屋內外的每個地方。這句經文使我聯想到朋友的住家，富人的財物可以為他自己築起堅城和高牆，卻也讓人感受到眾多財富下的不安和驚惶。

當然，這些豪宅不算什麼，在印尼有錢的人不僅有城有牆，還雇了軍人佔崗。表面看很威風，實際上很害怕。財富可以幫人解決不少問題，尤其在可以行賄的地方。所以有人說，錢不是萬能，但沒有錢就萬萬不能。

耶和華的名是堅固臺

2022-07-07 in , /by

〈箴言〉18:10   耶和華的名是堅固臺，義人奔入便得安穩。

閱讀經文：箴言18:10   耶和華的名是堅固臺，義人奔入便得安穩。

在你的一生當中，當你有危險或心裡困擾時，有何名字可以讓你心裡得安穩，問題得解決？你可能會覺得這像是天方夜譚，有哪個名字這麼有效，如此有能力？簡直不可能！但是耶和華神的名字卻如此真實有權能。本月2日中東地區24位前穆斯林，在「中東聖經」地下事工組織26位同工協助下，前往阿拉伯海接受歸信基督洗禮。

他們一行搭上巴士出發前往施洗地點，包括受洗會友24位及服事同工共50人，在受洗服事結束、禱告後，他們全都上了巴士，欲返回家庭教會進行之後的崇拜聚會、領聖餐，未料在行進之間，卻突然遇到3、4輛伊斯蘭軍車自後方追趕上來，並開槍射擊。

3 Traps to Avoid and 3 Ways to Grow Spiritually

2022-07-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 17:14-20.  Let’s go!

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Moses foresees the day when the Israelites would want to be like other nations and have a king of their own.  While God’s original plan was that He alone would be Israel’s king, God was sensitive to Israel’s desire for a human king (see 1 Samuel 8). So in these verses Moses lays out some of the requirements that the king would be expected to meet: 3 things that the king must not do (v14-17), and 3 things that the king must do (v18-20).  As we study Deuteronomy 17:14-20, we’ll find that this passage is very much a discipleship passage, one that teaches us how to grow our relationship with God and become Christ-like disciples. 

Deuteronomy 17:14-17 (NIV)
14  When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,”
15  be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.
16  The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”
17  He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

Don’t Be Quick to Throw Stones, But Be Quick to Learn and Understand

2022-07-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 17:1-13.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 17:1 (NIV)
1  Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.

On verse 1:  God alone is perfect and worthy of the perfect offering.  Praise God that when we were unable to give God the perfect sacrifice because of our sin, God sent His Son — without flaw or defect — to be the perfect sacrifice for us.  

Now that God has given us His best in Jesus Christ, let’s give Him our best as well.  Whenever you serve or offer God anything, don’t give God the scraps or the leftovers.  Give Him your best.  God made you and saved you so that you could give your best to Him.

Deuteronomy 17:2-7 (NIV)
2  If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant,
3  and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky,
4  and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,

分辨你的需要

2022-07-06 in , /by

〈箴言〉18:8   傳舌人的言語如同美食，深入人的心腹。

閱讀經文：箴言18:5-9

5瞻徇惡人的情面，偏斷義人的案件，都為不善。6愚昧人張嘴啟爭端，開口招鞭打。7愚昧人的口自取敗壞，他的嘴是他生命的網羅。8傳舌人的言語如同美食，深入人的心腹。9做工懈怠的，與浪費人為弟兄。

不知道有多少人在信主後感到迷茫，既然已經得救，那麼再來的人生應該怎樣走呢？經常聽到要順服神的旨意，在現實生活中卻很難看到什麼是神的旨意。在新約裡，對生活的指點也都是原則性的，什麼可行，什麼不可行？最近在讀《箴言》時，我發現這真是一本神向我們顯明祂心意的書信，要讓我們明白怎樣行事為人才是智慧之子，怎樣的為人是愚妄和行惡之道。不管是在言語上或處理事情的風格，神都藉這書信讓我們看見，神希望祂的兒女們有怎樣的生活心態。

所以本書的一開始就告訴我們：“敬畏耶和華是知識的開端，愚妄人藐視智慧和訓誨”，點出一個敬畏神的人和不敬畏神的人的心態之兩極和結果，然後再來才舖細節，讓人知道如何遵循。所以智慧和愚妄，行義和行善，不是從人的角度去判斷，而是從神的角度去判斷。人的判斷都是自以為正，卻不免隨著潮流和喜惡而定，變幻不定；但是神的判斷卻是公平正直，永遠不會改變。