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真智慧如蜂蜜

2022-09-05 in , /by

箴言24:10  你在患難之日若膽怯，你的力量就微小。

閱讀經文：箴言 24:10-14

10你在患難之日若膽怯，你的力量就微小。11人被拉到死地，你要解救；人將被殺，你須攔阻。12你若說「這事我未曾知道」，那衡量人心的豈不明白嗎？保守你命的豈不知道嗎？他豈不按各人所行的報應各人嗎？13我兒，你要吃蜜，因為是好的。吃蜂房下滴的蜜，便覺甘甜。14你心得了智慧，也必覺得如此。你若找著，至終必有善報，你的指望也不致斷絕。

10你在患難之日若膽怯，你的力量就微小。If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.

台灣的同運人士曾經很努力地爭取婚姻重新立法，要求平等人權；另一方面，宗教團體組成一個愛護家庭大聯盟，簡稱「護家盟」，努力想維護緍姻一夫一妻的現狀。「護家盟」的秘書長張守一（一貫道）屢次代表發言，卻被妻子上告，他在外面不僅有小三，還育有一女。可想而知，對方立刻毫不留情地攻擊，以其人之道還治其人之身。

我們在挑戰面前，能不能站立得直，能不能面對困難，實在都要看自己是否已經有準備。我們之所以膽怯，往往是因為我們知道自己的軟弱或過失。我們面對困難時的能力，決定於平時的努力和準備。所以假如平時隨波逐流，不能拒絕誘惑，當重任在身時，也會像張守一一樣，被人抓住把柄，再也不能發揮能力。

我想，這也是為何神要我們過聖潔的生活。我們若不聖潔，撒旦隨持可以拆穿我們的假面具，化解我們的能力。所以平時就要保守自己，才能面對挑戰。在患難之日能不膽怯，是因為平常己經拒絕罪惡，凝聚了正義的心態和力量，那樣發揮出來的力量才能迎向黑暗。

Do You Know How Blessed You Are in Jesus?

2022-09-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 5:1-11.  Let’s go!

Romans 5:1 (NIV)
1  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
 
On verse 1:  Paul has spent the past chapter and a half (Romans 3:21-4:25) declaring the good news that God has made it possible for all people to be justified (that is, declared righteous in God’s sight) by faith in Jesus Christ.  Now in Romans 5 Paul begins to describe some of the benefits that we experience because we are justified by faith.  The first benefit we experience “since we have been justified through faith” is that we have peace with God.  In other words, our relationship with God is not filled with insecurity where we worry whether or not we have done enough to earn God’s approval.  Instead, we have peace with God knowing that Jesus Christ has done it all for us.  Also,  we have peace with God in that our relationship with God is not one of animosity but peace.  For we were once enemies of God, but now through Jesus’ blood we have become His family, His friends.  The first benefit of justification by faith is peace with God.

選擇智慧

2022-09-04 in , /by

箴言24:5  智慧人大有能力，有知識的人力上加力。

閱讀經文：箴言 24:5-9

5智慧人大有能力，有知識的人力上加力。6你去打仗，要憑智謀，謀士眾多，人便得勝。7智慧極高，非愚昧人所能及，所以在城門內不敢開口。8設計作惡的，必稱為奸人。9愚妄人的思念乃是罪惡，褻慢者為人所憎惡。

5智慧人大有能力，有知識的人力上加力。6你去打仗，要憑智謀，謀士眾多，人便得勝。It’s better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need a lot of good counsel.

從英譯的經文來看，這是一個比較，智慧和勇力哪個比較重要？惡人靠的是勇力，但是人若有智慧，便可化解許多紛爭。尤其是打仗的時候，若只靠兵多將猛，沒有足智多謀的軍師，也很容易一敗塗地。三國時代的諸葛亮便是歷史上十分著名的軍師，他憑著上通天文，下達地理，可以把戰況掌握得瞭若指掌。

奇怪的是，在聖經裡沒有讓我們看到有諸葛亮這一類軍師，反而是很多英雄人物都是求神的幫助而度過難關。例如，士師記裡，以色列人屢戰屢敗，但何時他們轉向神，神就讓他們得勝。神教導摩西用禱告托住約書亞的手跟亞瑪力人爭戰，神教導約書亞怎樣攻下耶利哥、取艾城，教導大衛怎樣攻打非利士人，在神的國度裡似乎看不見軍師，因為神就是他們的元帥。

我們或許像劉備一樣，希望能找到一個像諸葛亮一樣的朋友，但其實神已經讓我們看見，祂是智慧的源頭，只要我們倚靠祂，將每一件事都交託給祂，祂比諸葛亮還厲害，更有智慧。諸葛亮再有智慧和知識，終究有限；神卻是無限，且永存。要倚靠人或是倚靠智慧的源頭，便是失敗和成功的選擇了。

What God-Pleasing Faith Looks Like

2022-09-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 4:17-25.  Let’s go!

Romans 4:17 (NIV)
17  As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed–the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
 
On verse 17:  God called Abraham a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5) even when Abraham and Sarah had no success bearing even a single child.  God specializes in doing the impossible and speaking the possible out of impossible situations.  That’s why Paul calls him “the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” 

Romans 4:18 (NIV)
18  Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Who’s Your Daddy?

2022-09-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 4:9-16.  Let’s go!

Romans 4:9-12 (NIV)
9  Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
10  Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!
11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
12  And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
 
Verses 9-12:  To show that righteousness by faith is a gift that God makes available to everyone and not only to Jews, Paul goes back to the example of Abraham.  Paul notes that Abraham received his righteousness by faith before he was circumcised (v10).  In this way, Abraham is a father of faith (that is, a great example and a forerunner of what it looks like to receive righteousness by faith) for all of us who are not circumcised, i.e. who do not come from a Jewish background (v11). 

以智慧建造人生

2022-09-02 in , /by

箴言24:3   房屋因智慧建造，又因聰明立穩。

閱讀經文：箴言 24:1-4

1你不要嫉妒惡人，也不要起意與他們相處。2因為他們的心圖謀強暴，他們的口談論奸惡。3房屋因智慧建造，又因聰明立穩，4其中因知識充滿各樣美好寶貴的財物。

1你不要嫉妒惡人，也不要起意與他們相處。2因為他們的心圖謀強暴，他們的口談論奸惡。Don’t envy bad people; don’t even want to be around them. All they think about is causing a disturbance; all they talk about is making trouble.

什麼是惡人呢？就是那些心裡圖謀強暴，口裡談論奸惡的人。這樣的人有什麼值得人嫉妒，並且還起意想跟他們相處？你會發現，在日常生活裡，有不少人很羨慕這樣的惡霸。似乎跟他們在一起，自己也有了存在感。

他們似乎是具有特權的人，因為凶惡，令人害怕，不敢得罪，以致於常常佔別人的便宜。大部份人成為被恐嚇的對象。也因此，超人電影往往受人喜愛，因為我們常常感到自己的軟弱，無法和惡勢力對抗。所以惡霸後面總跟著一群人，為了要沾他的光。為了離開自己的軟弱，而成為惡人的手下，卑躬屈膝，成為走狗，大有人在。

例如同性婚姻的訴求，同運人士的操作，即使有很多人心裡不以為然，表面上卻很積極地支持，因為怕被同伴嘲笑落伍，怕被人說有歧視，等等。我們心裡害怕被擠出去，不敢說出心裡真正的看法。因為忘記了，我們有一位耶和華神，是全能的主宰，是看顧我們的天父。我們總是害怕眼所能見的，不敢相信眼見不到的。我們的信心建立在自我之上，所以不敢過分別為聖的生活。

求天父幫助我們，開我們的眼睛，讓我們看到，那與我們同在的，比與他們同在的更多。讓我們明白，不要怕那只能傷害身體的，反而要怕那有能力轄制身體和靈魂的。

You Are Righteous Because of Jesus

2022-09-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 3:21-31.  Let’s go!

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
21  But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
 
On verses 21-24:  In the Bible, to be “righteous” means to be blameless, acceptable and worthy in God’s eyes to be in His presence because we are holy like He is.  In Romans 3:9-20 Paul explained that we could never be righteous by trying to obey God’s laws.  That’s because no matter how hard we try, we will never meet God’s perfect standard.  Because of our sin, we are separated from God’s holy presence.  As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

流連飲酒的後果

2022-09-01 in , /by

箴言23:34   你必像躺在海中，或像臥在桅杆上。

閱讀經文：箴言 23:27-35

27妓女是深坑，外女是窄阱。28她埋伏好像強盜，她使人中多有奸詐的。29誰有禍患？誰有憂愁？誰有爭鬥？誰有哀嘆？誰無故受傷？誰眼目紅赤？30就是那流連飲酒，常去尋找調和酒的人。31酒發紅，在杯中閃爍，你不可觀看，雖然下咽舒暢，終久是咬你如蛇，刺你如毒蛇。33你眼必看見異怪的事，你心必發出乖謬的話。34你必像躺在海中，或像臥在桅杆上。35你必說：「人打我我卻未受傷，人鞭打我我竟不覺得，我幾時清醒，我仍去尋酒！」

根據2016年12月英媒《都市報》報導，波蘭一名25歲男子卡密爾（Kamil）日前參加一個狂飲派對，在過程中他喝下大量伏特加酒，當場喪失意識，經送醫後宣告不治，被送進太平間停放。然而當晚醫院的警衛聽到奇怪的聲音從停屍間傳出，推開門後赫然發現一具冰冷、全裸的「屍體」望著他，並開口要一條毛毯，令警衛嚇到直接報警。警方到場後協同院方人員進行身分比對，確定這具復活的「屍體」是已被宣判死亡的卡密爾，在進行一連串健康檢查後，醫師認為他健康狀況良好，隨即送他出院。不過，死裡逃生的卡密爾出院後目的地竟不是家中，而是另一間酒館。

將心歸我

2022-08-31 in , /by

箴言23:26   我兒，要將你的心歸我，你的眼目也要喜悅我的道路。

閱讀經文：箴言 23:19-26

19我兒，你當聽，當存智慧，好在正道上引導你的心。20好飲酒的，好吃肉的，不要與他們來往。21因為好酒貪食的必致貧窮，好睡覺的必穿破爛衣服。22你要聽從生你的父親，你母親老了，也不可藐視她。23你當買真理，就是智慧、訓誨和聰明也都不可賣。24義人的父親必大得快樂，人生智慧的兒子，必因他歡喜。25你要使父母歡喜，使生你的快樂。26我兒，要將你的心歸我，你的眼目也要喜悅我的道路。

不管是以前或現在，最讓父母傷腦筋的孩子，便是身體長大，心卻長不大的孩子。好吃好玩，就是不工作。在網路上有個親子專欄，裡面有篇文章的作者認為，要想讓一個人殷勤度日而不致於終日閒懶，便要在0-6歲期間幫孩子建立起良好的生活習慣。

在0-6歲期間，一般父母習慣讓孩子過著張口就吃，伸手就給的生活，各方面照顧得非常週全，因此養成孩子五體不勤，好吃懶做的習性。加上華人有“萬般皆下品，惟有讀書高”的偏見，因此一昧把孩子往名校擠，只要孩子成績好，替孩子拿書包，準備一切，什麼都為孩子做。等孩子長大了，還不必交上好飲酒和好吃肉的朋友，自己就已經成為好逸惡勞，貪睡愛享受的一族了。

No One Is Good Except Jesus

2022-08-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Romans 3:9-20.  Let’s go!

Romans 3:9a (NIV)
9  What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all!…

On verse 9:  Given Paul’s Jewish heritage and his international upbringing outside of Jerusalem, Paul has the unique ability to relate to and identify with both Jews as well as Gentiles.  So after talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome and warning them not to take their rich spiritual heritage for granted (Romans 2:17-3:8), Paul in verse 9 speaks to the Gentiles and says, “What shall we conclude then?  Are we any better?”  Paul is using his unique shape to serve God (“shape” meaning his Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences).

Likewise, you are uniquely shaped to serve God.  There is not a single aspect of your background, your experiences, your gift set or your personality that God accidentally allowed.  Rather you are a custom-made creation built for the glory of God.  God wants to use you just the way that He shaped you to make a positive difference in the lives of others.