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Repenting Starts with “Amen” + Jesus Turns Your Curse into a Blessing

2022-07-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 27:11-26.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 27:11-26 (NIV)
11  On the same day Moses commanded the people:
12  When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.
13  And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
14  The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:
15  “Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol–a thing detestable to the LORD, the work of the craftsman’s hands–and sets it up in secret.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

On verses 11-26:  Here Moses tells half the Israelite tribes to stand on Mount Gerizim to pronounce blessings on the people (v12).  He tells the other half of the Israelite tribes to stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses on the people (v13).  Then he tells the Levites to pronounce 11 curses and have all the people say “Amen!” after each one (v14-26).
What can we learn from this?

Your ‘Altar’ Ego

2022-07-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 27:1-10.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 27:1-10 (NIV)
1  Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: “Keep all these commands that I give you today.
2  When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster.
3  Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.

On verses 1-10:  Here Moses tells the Israelites that when they enter the Promised Land, they are to take some large stones (v1), bring them up to Mount Ebal, coat them with plaster (v2, 4) and write on them the words of the law (v3, 8).  There they are also to build an altar of undressed stones to worship the Lord (v5) by offering burnt offerings (v6) and celebrate by offering fellowship offerings (v7).  (Click HERE for what burnt offerings and fellowship offerings are.)

睜開你的眼睛

2022-07-28 in , /by

箴言 20:12  能聽的耳，能看的眼，都是耶和華所造的。

閱讀經文：箴言20:11-13

11孩童的動作是清潔，是正直，都顯明他的本性。12能聽的耳，能看的眼，都是耶和華所造的。13不要貪睡，免致貧窮；眼要睜開，你就吃飽。

第11節：孩童的動作是清潔，是正直，都顯明他的本性。Young people eventually reveal by their actions if their motives are on the up and up.《The Message》

有個人做過一個測驗，要曉得種族歧視是否與生俱來的。於是她把自己的嬰兒帶到超巿，故意去和不同種族的嬰兒或孩子附近。她發現自己的白人嬰兒和黑人嬰兒彼此伸手碰觸，對東方人的孩子也伸手，跟他們咿咿阿阿。於是她得了一個結論，種族歧視是後天形成的。

有個朋友做了祖母，告訴我一個故事：有一次她去兒子家吃飯。兩歲的孫子哭哭啼啼，不肯好好吃飯。於是她說他不乖。沒想到小傢伙把這話記在心裡。飯後她坐在客廳後面，孫子的小姐姐坐在客廳看電視。小孫子拿了一根棍子，走過去打姐姐。姐姐哭起來。他回過頭跟我朋友說：“姐姐不乖。”

孩童很可愛，但有時也會彰顯罪性。神給人的善良和老祖宗遺傳下來的醜惡，往往都會顯露，慢慢表明出他們的性格。你相信教育能改變一個人嗎？這個社會上多的是高級貪官，都是最高學府出來的。但是我相信，神給人的新生命，才能在聖靈的影響下，遠離罪惡。

Because You Are God’s Treasured Possession

2022-07-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 26:12-19  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 26:12 (NIV)
12  When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
 
On verse 12:  To tithe means to give one tenth of your income to the church.  A “tithe” literally means “one tenth”.  This verse tells us two of God’s purposes for tithing: to supply the needs of those who have dedicated their working careers to serving in the church – “that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied” – and to enable the church to reach people in need – “the alien, the fatherless and the widow”.   There are other good reasons to tithe: tithing is a reminder that every good gift ultimately comes from God, it’s a practical way to put God first, and it’s us giving God room to bless us even more.

正當冰

2022-07-27 in , /by

箴言 20:7   行為純正的義人，他的子孫是有福的！

閱讀經文：箴言20:7-9

7行為純正的義人，他的子孫是有福的！8王坐在審判的位上，以眼目驅散諸惡。9誰能說：「我潔淨了我的心，我脫淨了我的罪」？10兩樣的法碼，兩樣的升斗，都為耶和華所憎惡。

第7節：行為純正的義人，他的子孫是有福的！God-loyal people, living honest lives, make it much easier for their children.《The Message》

信息聖經的譯文：“忠心於神的人，因為行事為人誠實度日，他的兒女們在各方面就比較容易。”我想這主要有兩個原因，因為誠實的人已經建立信用，不僅為兒女設立了榜樣，同時也讓他們容易取信於人。這就是為何坊間的老字號都比較有吸引力，因為大家相信他們已經建立起來的信譽。

好像台灣的“義美”食品就是如此，屢經食安風暴而不受影響，以後的接班人要繼續做也比較容易。在花蓮有一位賣冰人，因為看到一些財團不顧良心，生產3小時不融化的冰淇淋，他放棄百萬年薪的工作，只為了能透過一己之力，宣揚食安理念，讓更多人吃到純天然的食品。所以他的冰叫做“正當冰”。因此，我們生活在世不要只想到自己或眼前利益，要堅持信仰，守住誠實，後人便能因而蒙福了。

How to Multiply a Blessing

2022-07-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 26:1-11.  Let’s go!
 
Deuteronomy 26:1-2 (NIV)
1 When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name
 
On verses 1-2:  Here Moses teaches the Israelites to give God a thank offering when they enter the land that God promised them.  This thank offering was to be in addition to the regular tithes that the Israelites were to give in Deuteronomy 14:22-27.  Similarly, I encourage you to give a thank offering to God when you enter into something good.  Whether it’s getting a new job, a new home, a promotion, closing a deal, getting into a new school, or some new blessing, I believe it pleases God when you take the first fruit of a benefit you have received and give it to God as a thank offering at the house where you worship Him.

三面鏡子

2022-07-26 in , /by

箴言20:4  懶惰人因冬寒不肯耕種，到收割的時候，他必討飯而無所得。

閱讀經文：箴言20:4-6

4懶惰人因冬寒不肯耕種，到收割的時候，他必討飯而無所得。5人心懷藏謀略好像深水，唯明哲人才能汲引出來。6人多述說自己的仁慈，但忠信人誰能遇著呢？

第4節：懶惰人因冬寒不肯耕種，到收割的時候，他必討飯而無所得。A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall. 《The Message》

今天這幾節經文好像一面面鏡子，要照出人心中的隱情。在這裡說到懶惰人以寒冷為藉口而不去耕種，因此到收割時就沒得吃了。就是去討飯，人家也不給他。喜歡抱怨的人有幾種特性：一是覺得別人都比他幸運，二是自怨自艾，卻不肯做實質的努力去改善，三是覺得人人都不可信任，最好什麼都不做，四覺得努力也沒用，社會不給他機會，所以乾脆不做。

耶穌說過一個比喻，有一個貴胄往遠方去，要得國回來。便叫了他的十個僕人來，交給他們十錠銀子，叫他們去做生意。他得國回來後召聚僕人，要看他們生意做得如何。有一個僕人拿了一錠銀子賺了十錠銀子，另一個賺了五錠銀子。貴胄便分十座城、五座城給他們管理。有一個僕人用手巾把銀子包起來，什麼都沒做。他的藉口是：“我原是怕你（主人），因為你是嚴厲的人，沒有放下的還要去拿，沒有種下的還要去收。” 貴胄很生氣，就把銀子奪過來，什麼也不給他了。（路19:11-27）

懶惰人的藉口很多，把一切責任都推到別人身上，結果自己一事無成，只能不停地羨慕別人。所以，假如你羨慕或嫉妒別人時，就努力去使自己變得更有能力，不要找藉口限制自己了，動工吧，動手吧！

遠離紛爭是人的尊榮

2022-07-25 in , /by

箴言20:3   遠離紛爭是人的尊榮，愚妄人都愛爭鬧。

閱讀經文：箴言20:1-3

1酒能使人褻慢，濃酒使人喧嚷，凡因酒錯誤的，就無智慧。 2王的威嚇如同獅子吼叫，惹動他怒的是自害己命。 3遠離紛爭是人的尊榮，愚妄人都愛爭鬧。

第1節：酒能使人褻慢，濃酒使人喧嚷，凡因酒錯誤的，就無智慧。 Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome— a staggering drunk is not much fun. 《The Message》

酒實在是令人又愛又恨的飲料。從挪亞喝醉，赤身露體睡覺，後被小兒子含看見。含不為父親遮掩，反而講給哥哥們聽，所以兩個哥哥就拿衣服，倒退進挪亞的帳棚，為父親蓋上。挪亞醒來後，便咒詛含的兒子迦南。從此因酒生事就沒有斷過了。

有的人覺得喝啤酒不會有事。但是來看看畢德生牧師的譯文：（濃）酒會讓你變得卑鄙骯髒，啤酒會讓你喜歡和人爭吵，跟一個喝到腳步踉蹌的人在一起，一點意思也沒有。

很多家暴源於家裡有個酒鬼老公或老婆，很多不應該發生的性關係，也都是因酒而起。更別說現在有多少車禍，是因為醉酒駕車，以致許多無辜的家庭受害。人喝酒後就會失控，說不該說的話，做不該做的事，好像被魔鬼附身。

雖然因為提摩太的胃不好，所以保羅勸提摩太要喝點酒（提前5:23），並不是鼓勵他喝酒，而是把酒當成藥物，稍微使用。這與酗酒是全然兩回事，酗酒是把酒當作飲品，或麻醉自己的方法，不僅傷身，也會傷害到別人。

The Strangest Verses in the Bible?

2022-07-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 25:11-19.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 25:11-12 (NIV)
11  If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts,
12  you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.

On verses 11-12:  To us today, verses 11-12 might sound like two of the strangest verses you have ever read in the Bible.  Was it common in Moses’ time for a wife to intervene in a fight between her husband and another man by grabbing the other man’s private parts?  We don’t know, but you would think that it probably happened at least once for Moses to mention it.  Moses probably laid down this law to communicate to the Israelites what fair fighting looks like.  One should not try to “low blow” another so that it affects his ability to have children.  

How can we apply these strange sounding verses?  Unless it’s your job to intervene, try not to get involved in the fights and arguments that go on between two other people.  Otherwise, you might complicate the matter and get hurt in the process.

洗腎蒙恩記

2022-07-24 in , /by

箴言19:27    我兒，不可聽了教訓而又偏離知識的言語。

閱讀經文：箴言19:27-29

27我兒，不可聽了教訓而又偏離知識的言語。 28匪徒做見證戲笑公平，惡人的口吞下罪孽。 29刑罰是為褻慢人預備的，鞭打是為愚昧人的背預備的。

張文亮教授最近寫了一篇 [洗腎蒙恩記]：

有一天，我在校園遇到S.教授，他興奮的握著我的手說道：「我要告訴你一個好消息，我信耶穌了。」。S.教授是很好的老師，二次擔任系主任，經常關心農村，在那領域是非常著名的學者。我看他笑得愉快，不禁問他：「怎麼信主呢？」

他說：「我的母親腎臟病，每星期到醫院洗腎三次，每次躺在那裡數小時，很無聊。不去又不行，洗了幾年之後，意志低沈。」「噢。」我靜靜的聽。「有次洗腎時，旁邊有位洗腎的老婦人，就對她傳福音。母親聽久了，決心去教會，我陪她去。我在聚會時，受到感動，就成為基督徒。母親也是如此。」他喜悅的說道，說到後面，還流下眼淚，完全不在乎下課時候，許多學生從旁經過。

「現在，我參加教會的主日聚會，也每星期參加主日學，週四的查經班，很有趣又很得幫助。我應該早一點信主，早一點讀聖經。」他熱情的說道。我的心裡很感動，上帝的作為奇妙，能藉由一個洗腎的老姐妹，將福音傳給人，使人的一家都蒙恩得救。

「信耶穌之後，我的專業又有新的意義。我可以幫助許多的人。」他眼中閃著亮光，雄壯的說道。