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The Point of Prophecy

2022-10-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 2:17-30.  Let’s go!

Daniel 2:17-18 (NIV)
17  Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
18  He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

On verses 17-18:  Clearly Daniel was not depending on his own strength and wisdom to overcome this dilemma.  He was looking to God, and to help him do that, he urges his friends to pray to God for help.

There have been many times when the prayer support of others has made such a miraculous, tangible difference in my life and ministry.  Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask people to pray alongside you when you’re facing an especially difficult and pressure-filled situation.

信徒无所争？

2022-10-12 in , /by

箴言28:4  违弃律法的夸奖恶人，遵守律法的却与恶人相争。

阅读经文：箴言 28:4-6

4违弃律法的夸奖恶人，遵守律法的却与恶人相争。5坏人不明白公义，唯有寻求耶和华的无不明白。6行为纯正的穷乏人，胜过行事乖僻的富足人。

信徒无所争？

4违弃律法的夸奖恶人，遵守律法的却与恶人相争。5坏人不明白公义，唯有寻求耶和华的无不明白。

4 If you desert God’s law, you’re free to embrace depravity; if you love God’s law, you fight for it tooth and nail.5 Justice makes no sense to the evil minded; those who seek God know it inside and out.

这经文里指的律法是神的律法，坏人是指那些心里没有神的人，与寻求耶和华的人互相对照。

圣经里的律法细则一共有613条，摩西颁布十诫，而主耶稣则总结出两条诫命。是613条容易守呢？还是十诫或是两条总结的诫命容易守？其实都不容易，因为所有的律法和诫命都直接指的是要合乎神的心意，跟世人所订的法律不一样。

最近网路上沸腾著基督教某间出版社对某间基督教杂志社的控诉，因为后者在没有经过同意下引用了不少前者出版的文物，并且其出版物是销售订阅的。后者在合解后，依然振振有辞，让前者愤而再度出面澄清。我看网友的反应，有许多都是站在息事宁人的立场发言，有少数人则出文支持出版社的抗争。

单纯的信心是狮子的胆量

2022-10-11 in , /by

箴言28:2  邦国因有罪过，君王就多更换。因有聪明、知识的人，国必长存。

阅读经文：箴言 28:1-3

1恶人虽无人追赶也逃跑，义人却胆壮像狮子。2邦国因有罪过，君王就多更换。因有聪明、知识的人，国必长存。3穷人欺压贫民，好像暴雨冲没粮食。

单纯的信心是狮子的胆量

我刚到美国唸书时，有一个傍晚，吹着口哨骑脚踏车回家，在学校附近，有一个人叫我：「台湾来的？」我停下车，对他说：「是啊！」他说：「为什么这么快乐？」我说：「我是基督徒。」他说：「太好了，帮我一个忙。」我说：「什么忙？」

他说：「前面这间店我想买下来，开家餐厅。你能替我祷告，购买顺利吗？」我就为他祷告。几天后，我又经过该处，他兴奋地跑过来说：「太奇妙了，巿政府通过我可以在那里开餐厅了。」我与他握握手，恭喜他。当时我不知道在大学城开一家几乎没有停车位的餐厅，是何等困难的事。

后来这餐厅的老板信了主，还带一大家族的人信主。这家餐厅开放成为我们祷告会的所在。我那时对美国无知，却经历「义人却胆壮像狮子。」(箴言二十八：1)。狮子的胆量是大且确定，不在乎知识的多寡，只在乎所信的主。

Give God a Chance to Show Up

2022-10-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 2:1-16.  Let’s go!

Daniel 2:1-11 (NIV)
1  In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep.
2  So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
3  he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”
4  Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”

On verses 1-11:  Upon hearing the king’s request that they accurately tell him what his dream was in addition to interpreting it, the astrologers understandably exclaimed, “No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.”  The astrologers got it half right.  It’s true that no one except the divine could know and reveal what the king had dreamt.  But it is not true that the divine do not live among us: “And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)  What is too difficult for people is not too difficult for God.  God was about to use this situation to show Nebuchadnezzar, the astrologers and everyone in their circle that God is alive and actively at work among people.

资财不能永有

2022-10-10 in , /by

箴言27:23  你要详细知道你羊群的景况，留心料理你的牛群。

阅读经文：箴言 27:23-27

23你要详细知道你羊群的景况，留心料理你的牛群。24因为资财不能永有，冠冕岂能存到万代。25干草割去，嫩草发现，山上的菜蔬也被收敛。26羊羔之毛是为你做衣服，山羊是为做田地的价值，27并有母山羊奶够你吃，也够你的家眷吃，且够养你的婢女。

详细知道，留心料理

基督徒常会被人质疑，面对生活不够积极、不够实际，遇到事情就说「交给上帝」，没有真正去面对；或许，基督徒本身也会被这样的想法限制住。「交给上帝」，有时候伴随的是拖延、逃避。

灵修的时候，读到箴言这一段话，注意到一些词句──「详细知道」、「留心料理」、「因为赀财不能永有，冠冕岂能存到万代」。人的一生拥有许多宝贵的事物和情感，包括钱财、房屋、书籍、回忆、感动、那些爱过或被爱过的人……，这些都是上帝交给我们的产业，我们岂能不尽心去管理呢？

这里提到的羊群或牛群，或指一般人在生命中认为最放心、被祝福的部分，同样也是上帝托付的负担，包含感情或物质。

Feed on the Word, not the World

2022-10-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Daniel.  While you will always find people positing other theories, there is good reason to believe that the book of Daniel was written by Daniel himself starting in approximately 605 B.C.   Many Bible scholars believe that Daniel lived around the same time as the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, was born of noble birth in Judah and spent his first 15 years or so there.  Growing up in Judah, Daniel probably heard the prophet Jeremiah preach about how one day because of their persistent rebellion against God, the king of Babylon would take over Jerusalem and send its people into exile.  When Jerusalem in fact fell to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was among the young Jewish men who were taken to Babylon, to be educated in the Babylonian system in service of the Babylonian king.  Daniel would spend the rest of his life living outside of Jerusalem, serving in the administration of various foreign kingdoms, including Babylon and Persia, while holding fast to his faith in the LORD.

Today’s passage is Daniel 1:1-21.  Let’s go!

人的称赞也试炼人

2022-10-09 in , /by

箴言27:21  鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，人的称赞也试炼人。

阅读经文：箴言 27:21-22

21鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，人的称赞也试炼人。22你虽用杵将愚妄人与打碎的麦子一同捣在臼中，他的愚妄还是离不了他。

21鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，人的称赞也试炼人

一、经文要义

这节圣经有三个「炼」字，「鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，人的称赞也试炼人」，我们借这节圣经，了解天上的父亲对我们每一个人的期望是甚么。若我们过分注意鼎如何炼银，炉如何炼金，就会失去这节经文的真正意义。因为圣经不是要讲出用甚么工具和材料炼金银，而是要指出用不同的试炼工具得着不同价值的产品。这经文暗示了一个目的，就是这位天上的父亲在我们每一个人身上有一个期望──期望我们是被炼成像金银一般贵重的器皿。

「在大户人家，不但有金器银器，也有木器瓦器；有作为贵重的，有作为卑贱的。人若自洁，脱离卑贱的事，就必作贵重的器皿，成为圣洁，合乎主用，预备行各样的善事。」（提后2:20-21）这就是天父让我们在人生中遭遇各种试炼的原因。我们怎样成为大户人家贵重的器皿呢？必须经过试炼。

试炼大致上有两种：一是经过火的试炼，就是苦难、不如意、遭陷害糟蹋等等，都是负面的。「人的称赞也试炼人」却是另一类，不但没有火烧，反而是非常舒服的。有人对你称赞、讨好、奉承、另眼相看，这些事也试炼人。这两类的试炼都可以使你成为大户人家里面贵重的器皿。

Part of Something Greater

2022-10-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 16:17-27.  Let’s go!

Romans 16:17-19 (NIV)
17  I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.
18  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
19  Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

On verses 17-19:  Treating people with love, honour and respect does not mean that we must put up with behaviour that damages, divides or diverts the body of Christ off course.  That’s why Paul warns the Christians in Rome to watch out for those who cause divisions and who try to turn them away from sound Biblical teaching. 

Because EQ Matters

2022-10-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 16:1-16.  Let’s go!

Romans 16:1-2 (NIV)
1  I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
2  I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.

On verses 1-2:  It would still be some time before Paul would be able to visit Rome.  In the meantime, Paul asks the church in Rome to welcome Phoebe.  Many believe that Phoebe was the one delivering this letter to the church in Rome on Paul’s behalf.  If that is the case, here’s a lesson for us:  Just as the church in Rome was to treat Phoebe the messenger with honour, we want to treat with honour those who bring God’s Word to us, whether it’s in the way we welcome them, speak to them, speak about them or otherwise treat them.

满足感

2022-10-07 in , /by

箴言27:20   阴间和灭亡永不满足，人的眼目也是如此。

阅读经文：箴言 27:18-20

18看守无花果树的必吃树上的果子，敬奉主人的必得尊荣。19水中照脸，彼此相符；人与人，心也相对。20阴间和灭亡永不满足，人的眼目也是如此。

看守无花果树的

If you care for your orchard (the fig tree), you’ll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you’ll be honored. 《The Message》

在信息圣经里，毕牧师把无花果树译为果园orchard，或许是觉得果园更符合一般工人所做的事情。18节说：“看守无花果树的必吃树上的果子，敬奉主人的必得尊荣”。若译为看守果园的必得吃树上的果子，敬奉主人的必得尊荣。想来一看就明白了。

在圣经里神把以色列家比喻为无花果树，那必然是一片大林子，而不只是一两棵树。忠诚为神守住这个果园的工人，必然也从树的果子得到供养，就像在神的家中服事，也当得到会众的供养。因为会众所得的收获和祝福，莫忘了是牧者辛勤的后果。

牧者的主人便是神，牧者若尊神为大，神也必祝福他的工作，赐给他恩宠。