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Faith Is Not A Matter of Sight, But of Heart

2022-10-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 5:13-31.  Let’s go!

Daniel 5:13-24 (NIV)
13  So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?
14  I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.
15  The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.
16  Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

On verses 13-24:  Belshazzar knew all about how God had shown up in Nebuchadnezzar’s life.  Belshazzar knew how God had taken away Nebuchadnezzar’s authority and drove him into obscurity when Nebuchadnezzar pridefully attributed all his power and glory to himself.  Belshazzar also knew how God exalted Nebuchadnezzar to an even higher level when Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself and gave praise to God.  Daniel reminds Belshazzar that “though you knew all this” “you have not humbled yourself” (v22).

慎用選擇權

2022-10-20 in , /by

箴言29:2   義人增多，民就喜樂；惡人掌權，民就嘆息。

閱讀經文：箴言 29:1-3

1人屢次受責罰，仍然硬著頸項，他必頃刻敗壞，無法可治。2義人增多，民就喜樂；惡人掌權，民就嘆息。3愛慕智慧的使父親喜樂，與妓女結交的卻浪費錢財。

責罰之外的引導

「人屢次受責罰，仍然硬著頸項。」(箴言二十九：1)

對於剛硬的人，責罰不是使他們改過的教育。這種人做錯不低頭，犯罪不回頭，懲罰不轉頭，稱為硬著頸項。他們常自認是對，責罰他們是別人理虧，他們正直。剛硬的人易引來責罰，但是責罰使他們愈剛硬。

求主給我們智慧，用引導的方法，不是用責罰。外表剛硬的人，常是內在脆弱與自卑的人，他們用意志武裝最後的尊嚴，責罰使他們更容易走入極端。偏激的人格， 常來自幼年不當的責罰，對人產生的不信任。給人責罰，需相當小心，不是生氣下的打罵譏貶，而是用在合宜之處，責罰之後又重新和好。

使人心柔軟，是聖靈的動工，從心裡知道自己是罪人。不是責罰，叫人就範。

賙濟貧窮的不致缺乏

2022-10-19 in , /by

箴言28:25    心中貪婪的挑起爭端，倚靠耶和華的必得豐裕。

閱讀經文：箴言 28:24-28

24偷竊父母的說「這不是罪」，此人就是與強盜同類。25心中貪婪的挑起爭端，倚靠耶和華的必得豐裕。26心中自是的便是愚昧人，憑智慧行事的必蒙拯救。27賙濟貧窮的不致缺乏，佯為不見的必多受咒詛。28惡人興起，人就躲藏；惡人敗亡，義人增多。

24偷竊父母的說「這不是罪」，此人就是與強盜同類。

可能因為從小就吃父母的，用父母的，所以在拿父母的東西時覺得理所當然。即使不經過父母同意就拿，也不以為自己在偷父母的東西。但是這經文告訴我們一個事實，不管父母多麼愛我們，他們的東西還是他們的。兒女若想使用或拿走，都必須經過他們的同意。不然，就是偷竊父母了。

對上帝也是一樣。神把一切都給了我們，但我們卻不可以把神所分別為聖的時間和金錢佔為已有。若是如此，我們便與強盜無異了。

25心中貪婪的挑起爭端，倚靠耶和華的必得豐裕。

貪婪，是因為心裡沒有安全感；總是想要多一點，難免與人發生爭執。因此把倚靠耶和華拿來作比較，人的貪婪是因為倚靠的對象有問題。倚靠耶和華和倚靠自己，便是心裡豐裕和缺乏的表徵。

有的人擁有很多，卻總是不滿足，因為沒有安全感；唯有倚靠神的人，知道神的供應何等信實，一切身外物都將如流雲而逝，才能有真正的豐裕，就是心靈的滿足和喜樂。

The Hand of God

2022-10-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 5:1-12.  Let’s go!

Daniel 5:1-4 (NIV)
1  King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
2  While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3  So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4  As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

On verses 1-4:  After succeeding his father Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon, Belshazzar holds a massive and lavish banquet.  He takes the gold and silver goblets that belonged in the temple in Jerusalem and uses them to drink at his party.  What can we learn from this?  Both the spirit of secularism and the Holy Spirit are in the business of repurposing things, just in opposite directions.  The spirit of secularism wants to take that which belongs in God’s house and use it for purposes that exclude God and that exalt something other than God.  The Spirit of God wants to take that which belongs to the world, sanctify it and use it to bring God glory.

Pride Before the Fall, Humility Before Honor

2022-10-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 4:19-37.  Let’s go!

Daniel 4:19-27 (NIV)
19  Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!
20  The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth,
21  with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air–

On verses 19-27:  In Daniel 1 we saw how God gifted Daniel with the ability to understand visions and dreams of all kinds (Daniel 1:17).  In Daniel 2 we saw how God gifted Daniel with the ability to know what King Nebuchadnezzar was dreaming, which might be called a prophetic gift or a word of knowledge.  Here in Daniel 4, we see Daniel not only being able to understand and interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream; even more we see evangelist Daniel calling Nebuchadnezzar to repentance. 

關說不關說

2022-10-18 in , /by

箴言28:21    看人的情面乃為不好，人因一塊餅枉法也為不好。

閱讀經文：箴言 28:21-23

21看人的情面乃為不好，人因一塊餅枉法也為不好。22人有惡眼想要急速發財，卻不知窮乏必臨到他身。23責備人的後來蒙人喜悅，多於那用舌頭諂媚人的。

關說不關說

「看人的情面乃為不好，人因一塊餅枉法也為不好」(箴言二十八:21)。

這是在人的社會裡極為尋常的一件事。有位外科醫生說在醫院裡，經常病人才排了開刀日期，就會有好多人打電話來，說病人的兒子是警官、女婿是議員、姪子是里長，等等，讓他煩不勝煩。到醫院關說的事很多，例如：希望早一點入病房、排第一台刀、掛早一點的號、早一點出院，也有人希望晚一點出院，有人希望住健保房，當然也有人希望住頭等房，所以什麼願望都有。很多人都說要打倒特權，要求平等；但是關說最厲害的，也就是提倡要打倒特權的人。

你知道後來這件事怎樣解決嗎？一個老醫生教他“一口答應”，但是“刀還是照樣開，藥還是照樣用”。有很多地方是用“錢”來做情面。但是不管看什麼情面做事，都是偏心，對另一些人就造成了傷害。所以即使為一塊餅而枉法也不好，因為這法是神所立的。所以寧可把事情交在神的手裡，讓祂成全；因為你以為關說一定有幫助，但是很可能人家只是跟你虛與偽蛇。

God’s Love Is Pursuing You

2022-10-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 4:1-18.  Let’s go!

Daniel 4:1-18 (NIV)
1  King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly!
2  It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
3  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.
4  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous…

On verses 1-18:  We’ll get to the lesson behind King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream when we look at verses 19-37 tomorrow.  In the meantime, with my wild imagination I could imagine King Nebuchadnezzar sharing this testimony from the stage of Thrive Church.   The fact that this is the second dream that God gave Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in the book of Daniel really highlights for me how much God pursued Nebuchadnezzar. 

都是為了急速發財

2022-10-17 in , /by

箴言28:18    行動正直的必蒙拯救，行事彎曲的立時跌倒。

閱讀經文：箴言 28:18-20

18行動正直的必蒙拯救，行事彎曲的立時跌倒。19耕種自己田地的必得飽食，追隨虛浮的足受窮乏。20誠實人必多得福，想要急速發財的不免受罰。

外子曾經提及，他在大學時參加的團契，有次為了某種需要而不斷求神幫助。你猜猜看，神怎樣回應他們的禱告呢？在他們去抽獎時，給他們抽中一個存錢筒。天父的幽默感令人莞爾。有時候我們想到有需要就向神呼求，卻忘了自己也有努力的責任。生活裡總會有金錢的需要，那麼我們有什麼責任呢？

今天的三節經文看起來像是分開的，實際上卻都一致地指向一個教導：要以誠實正直的方法取得所需，不要想急速發財，因為走捷徑，難免誤入歧途。看看新聞，便知道那些行事彎曲的人，莫不為了急速發財，以致身敗名裂，賠了夫人又折兵。

想急速發財，行事必然彎曲，追隨虛浮的做法。例如，有很多人喜歡買名牌。在台灣有位商人魚目混珠，自己一身真的名牌，但是貨品裡卻真假參雜，十年來騙了約卅名以上的經銷商。也有人去淘寶買一堆假貨，再到網路上說是真貨便宜賣。很多人受騙而不自知。但是這種作法遲早會被發現，就像那位不法商人被抓一樣。這便是想要急速發財，行事彎曲的後果，難免受罰。

God Is With You In The Fire

2022-10-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Daniel 3:16-30.  Let’s go!

Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)
16  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
17  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.
18  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

On verses 16-18:  Despite King Nebuchadnezzar threatening to throw them into blazing furnace, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down to the image the king had set up.

What can we learn from this?  When the commands of human leaders directly conflict with the command of God, we must courageously choose to obey God.