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Praise God BEFORE the Miracle Happens

2022-04-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 16:25-40.  Let’s go!

Acts 16:25-36 (NIV)
25  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26  Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
27  The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28  But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29  The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.”
32  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
33  At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34  The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family.
35  When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”
36  The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

On verses 25-36:  Here we see why God allowed Paul and Silas to be flogged and imprisoned. It wasn’t because God was cruel, distant or indifferent. Rather God allowed this painful situation so that Paul, Silas and everyone in the prison with them could witness God’s incredible saving power. Not only did God save his servants from prison, but even more God used the situation so that a jailer and his family could receive Jesus and be saved from hell.  (By the way, notice also that the jailer and his family got baptized immediately after they placed their faith in Jesus. They didn’t wait or delay to obey Jesus’ command to get baptized. Have you gotten baptized in obedience to God’s command?)

智慧人必承受尊荣

2022-04-24 in , /by

〈箴言〉3:35  智慧人必承受尊荣，愚昧人高升也成为羞辱。

阅读经文：〈箴言〉3:30-35

30人未曾加害于你，不可无故与他相争。31不可嫉妒强暴的人，也不可选择他所行的路。32因为乖僻人为耶和华所憎恶，正直人为他所亲密。33耶和华咒诅恶人的家庭，赐福于义人的居所。34他讥诮那好讥诮的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。35智慧人必承受尊荣，愚昧人高升也成为羞辱。

所罗门王说：“人未曾加害于你，不可无故与他相争”。毕德生牧师在The Message里的译文是：Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,  always spoiling for a fight.　意思是不要老是脸长长的，好像有人对不起你，跟你过不去，或是欠了你好多钱，动不动就生气的意思。我们虽然不可能见人就笑，但是也不要常常给人看脸色。学习和颜悦色的方法，最好是每天早上洗脸时，对着镜中人说：“耶稣爱你，我也爱你”。连说三次，你的表情就会松弛下来，不再那么紧张，甚至笑得出来了。说话的声音调低一点，非必要时，不要大声叫。这样对你的血压有好处，也比较不会喉咙痛。可以在说话前先深呼吸再讲，慢慢就会习惯了。

“不可嫉妒强暴的人，也不可选择他所行的路” 。Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.   Why be a bully? 可能很多人说他不会做这样的傻事，强暴的人值得嫉妒吗？实际上，对于那些比我们强，不断被老师欣赏或升职的同事，经常有人在背后说他们的坏话，很少人他们是凭本事，反而更多人会说那些人会旁门走道，以致得到师长或上司的青睐。毕德生牧师认为那是一种霸凌的现象，借着自己的力气或强势或财富，夺走原不属于他的。这样的人，虽然大家口头上诋毁，但也有人会非常羡慕，进而嫉妒，以致学习。以为世间就是这样，不横行霸道，就得不到想要的。所以有人说，要先学做人，才能把事情做得好。因为不懂怎样做人，只想借着一些方法或势力拿到自己所要的，却往往会失去更多。

与人相处的智慧

2022-04-22 in , /by

〈箴言〉3:27   你手若有行善的力量，不可推辞，就当向那应得的人施行。

阅读经文：〈箴言〉3:27-29

27你手若有行善的力量，不可推辞，就当向那应得的人施行。28你那里若有现成的，不可对邻舍说：「去吧，明天再来，我必给你。」29你的邻舍既在你附近安居，你不可设计害他。

「你手若有行善的力量，不可推辞，就当向那应得的人施行」（27节）。当我们未与耶稣建立关系时，罪性使我们以自我中心，不懂施予。唯有基督十字架的原则雕塑我们，教我们倒空，懂得舍己和施予。与人建立关系最重要的是懂得帮助人。在不义的管家的比喻里（路16：1－13），虽然那管家用了不正确的方法去帮助人，说到底他是想借着帮助人结交朋友的。圣经也常教导我们肯施予是基督徒的记号，爱便是立志将好处给别人，若果人人有爱而又肯施予，社会便得享太平。

乐善好施也是成熟品格的记号。「你手若有行善的力量」提醒我们施予时要量力而为。若自己没有钱，却想办法借钱予人替人还债；或长时间废寝忘餐地帮朋友，以致疏忽家人或自己的需要，均不是符合圣经原则。我们很多时是「好心做坏事」，我们应求天父赐智慧，去分辨哪些人应该帮忙，哪些人不值得帮忙的便不要帮。好像对于那嗜赌、吸毒的人，我们便不应借钱给他们，因为这样帮他等于害他。

Have a Healthy Approach to God and Money

2022-04-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Acts 16:13-24.  Let’s go!

Acts 16:13-24 (NIV)
13  On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
14  One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
15  When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
16  Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling……

On verses 13-24:  Paul, Silas and their team are now in the city of Philippi.  Here Luke describes two incidents where, while on the way to pray, Paul, Silas and their team have memorable encounters with different people.  The two encounters Luke describes in these verses show us two very different approaches to God and money.

First they meet Lydia, a new convert to Christianity. Lydia was probably a wealthy businesswoman. The fact that she specialized in selling purple cloth suggests that her clients may have been members of royalty. When Lydia receives Jesus Christ into her life, her first inclination is to use the resources she has to serve the church and its leaders.  She opens up her home to them (v15) as well as to other Christians (see v40).