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Before It Became History, It Was Prophecy

2022-11-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 11:1-16, but for completeness of thought we’ll start from Daniel 10:20.  Let’s go!

Daniel 10:20-11:1 (NIV) 
20  So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
21  but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
1  And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

On Daniel 10:20-11:1:  Notice that the chief angel Michael helps this other angel (some scholars believe it is Gabriel) in his fight against the Prince of Persia (v21).  In turn, this angel helps Michael in his fight.  There is cooperation in the kingdom of God, even among angels.  The kingdom of God thrives on teamwork.

有所不為

2022-11-01 in , /by

箴言29:25  懼怕人的陷入網羅，唯有倚靠耶和華的必得安穩。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:23-25

23人的高傲必使他卑下，心裡謙遜的必得尊榮。24人與盜賊分贓是恨惡自己的性命，他聽見叫人發誓的聲音，卻不言語。25 懼怕人的陷入網羅，唯有倚靠耶和華的必得安穩。

23人的高傲必使他卑下，心裡謙遜的必得尊榮。

有一位電腦博士畢業後，拿著證書到處找工作，可是沒有一個公司敢聘請他，都說他資歷太高(over qualified)。後來沒辦法，他只好放下證書，用最起碼的高中學歷去找工作，終於有一間公司錄用他，讓他當程序輸入員。他很認真工作一絲不苟，不久老板就發現他和一般輸入員不同。這時他才亮出了學士的證書。老板便給他換了一個高一點的職位。

過了一段時間，老板又發現他有獨特的見，非一般大學生可比，這時他才拿出碩士證書。老板便提升他的職位。再過一段時間，老板發現他才幹出眾，此時他才亮出博士證書。老板終於明白他是一個不可多得的人才，便提升他，予以重用。

勝過憤怒

2022-10-31 in , /by

箴言29:22  好氣的人挑起爭端，暴怒的人多多犯罪。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:22

22好氣的人挑起爭端，暴怒的人多多犯罪。

有一個顯而易見的事實：不是你學會控制你的脾氣，就是任憑你的脾氣控制你。有多少人在關鍵時刻本應保持沉默，然而卻情緒失控，勃然大怒，過後又後悔不當初。

我們都知道憤怒是一種非常強烈的情緒。它既可以表現美善也可以表現罪惡。憤怒，並不總是錯的，比如我們知道憤怒是上帝的屬性之一，你是否知道《聖經》中記載了一百多次上帝的憤怒？我們確信上帝絕對不會犯罪，雖然聖經一再講到他對罪和悖逆的憤怒，我們也懂得在某些時候憤怒是正當甚至是公義的。〈以弗所書〉4:26“生氣卻不要犯罪。”

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

2022-10-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 10:1-21.  Let’s go!

Daniel 10:1-3 (NIV)
1  In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.
2  At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks.
3  I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

On verses 1-3:  The third year of Cyrus king of Persia would be approximately 536 B.C.  By this point, it would have been about a couple years since King Cyrus first started allowing Jewish exiles, starting with Ezra and other Jews, to return to Jerusalem.  For some reason, Daniel didn’t go back, maybe because Daniel was now an old man (about 85 years old) or maybe because he thought he would be of better service by staying.

The God Who Hears When You Call

2022-10-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 9:15-27.  Let’s go!

Daniel 9:15-18 (NIV)
15  “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
16  O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17  “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
18  Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

On verses 15-18:  Why is Daniel not afraid to bring His requests before God?  It’s because though Daniel is acutely aware of God’s holiness as well as his and his people’s sin, Daniel also knows that God is full of mercy.  I love Daniel’s statement in verse 18: “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”

為主而做，敬主而行

2022-10-30 in , /by

箴言29:21  人將僕人從小嬌養，這僕人終久必成了他的兒子。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:21

21人將僕人從小嬌養，這僕人終久必成了他的兒子。

在舊約和新約時代裡，奴隸制度是一直存在的社會結構。作者在這裡闡明主僕應有的界限。例如在第19節裡說：“只用言語，僕人不肯受管教，他雖然明白，也不留意”。僕人的職份原是聽命於主人，按著主人的命令去行事；倘若一個僕人不肯聽命，處處違抗主人的命令，甚至轄制主人。這樣的僕人就成了主人的禍患。

保羅在〈以弗所書〉六章5-9節裡說：“你們做僕人的，要懼怕戰兢，用誠實的心聽從你們肉身的主人，好像聽從基督一般。不要只在眼前侍奉，像是討人喜歡的，要像基督的僕人，從心裡遵行神的旨意，甘心侍奉，好像服侍主，不像服侍人。因為曉得各人所行的善事，不論是為奴的，是自主的，都必按所行的得主的賞賜。你們做主人的，待僕人也是一理，不要威嚇他們。因為知道，他們和你們同有一位主在天上，祂並不偏待人”。

行事急燥的都必缺乏

2022-10-28 in , /by

箴言29:20  你見言語急躁的人嗎？愚昧人比他更有指望。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:20

20你見言語急躁的人嗎？愚昧人比他更有指望。

行事急燥的都必缺乏

有一次某政黨提名縣市議員候選人的前夕，某有意參選者不知從何處得到消息，說他未被提名，極為生氣，於是召開記者會，聲明退出該黨，並當眾撕毀黨證。但次日發現他的名字仍在被提名名單中，未被提名的消息是錯誤的。這下子麻煩大了，真是後悔，如果能稍等一下，在次日名單發表後，如確未被提名，再召開記者會亦不遲嘛。

聖經箴言書說：「你見言語急躁的人麼，愚昧人比他更有指望。」意思是說，言語急躁的人比愚昧的人還不如。言語急躁的人，常常語急不能清楚傳達意思；語急思考時間不夠，易生錯誤，說錯話收不回來；語急態度就差，容易產生誤會。這些都會造成溝通不良，常會惹出許多不必要的困擾。說錯一句有時會難過一輩子，往往花千百倍的口舌，都不能收回一句令人傷心的話，所謂禍從口出就是這個意思。

Interceding for Others

2022-10-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 9:1-14.  Let’s go!

Daniel 9:1-2 (NIV)
1  In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom–
2  in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

On verses 1-2:  Daniel had been reading the book of Jeremiah where Jeremiah predicts that the Jews of Jerusalem would be exiles and would only return to Jerusalem after 70 years.  See Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10.  Jeremiah had given this prophecy found in Jeremiah 25:11-12 back in approximately 605 B.C. when Daniel would still have been a teenager.  Cyrus, king of Persia, would let the Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem in 538/537 B.C., which is approximately 68 years later.  How remarkable it is that Jeremiah’s prophecy was right.

Gabriel (A Discussion about Angels)

2022-10-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 8:15-27.  Let’s go!

Daniel 8:15-27 (NIV)
15  While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man.
16  And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.”
17  As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
18  While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.
19  He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.
20  The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia.

On verses 15-27:  Yesterday in discussing verses 1-14 we addressed the meaning of the visions that Daniel had seen about the two-horned ram, the shaggy goat, the large horn on the goat’s head as well as the little horn that would later rise up in power.  What strikes me here is WHO tells Daniel the meaning of these visions.  It was the angel Gabriel, who goes to Daniel, at the instructions of a voice from the Ulai River (presumably, the voice of the LORD).

有福的人生

2022-10-27 in , /by

箴言29:18   沒有異象，民就放肆；唯遵守律法的，便為有福。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:18-19

18沒有異象，民就放肆；唯遵守律法的，便為有福。19只用言語，僕人不肯受管教，他雖然明白也不留意。

異象與使命

「沒有異象，民就放肆。」(箴言二十九：18)

「異象」是看見的意思，「放肆」是軍事用詞，表示作戰時軍隊鬆懈、管理一盤散沙，容易在危險中暴露行蹤。

領袖若沒有美好的看見，沒有到道德的持守，沒有做事的原則，百姓就會亂，會悖逆、會叛變。單單給予太多的自由，百姓將是無所適從。沒有要求，就沒有跟從。 太多的意見，就沒有看法。沒有選擇的法則，選擇將是虛擲。講一切都是相對，是拒絕真理的教導。若沒有好的看見，任何團體、組織、學校、班級、公司、家庭， 都會放肆。

放肆之時，不要責怪領袖，自己要為自己的行為負責。因此，我們需要讀聖經。求主耶穌給我們亮光，明白祂的旨意。否則我們的思想、行為、話語、決定也會放肆、茫無所從。就像一個人在踩油門、開快車，卻不知道要往哪裡去。或像荒野上的小草，風往哪裡吹，就向那邊倒。

不要把年輕的日子，交給放肆，回頭一場亂。交給上帝，按真理而行。在教會裡學習與人配搭，在社會裡努力盡職，在家裡有見證。我們至今仍堅持真理，期待不讓放肆來掌權。