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Since Jesus Gave Up Everything For Us

2022-06-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 14:22-29.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (NIV)
22  Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
23  Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.
 
On verses 22-23:  In Deuteronomy 14:22-29, we learn five reasons why it is important for us to tithe (i.e. set aside a tenth of our income and give it to God at the place – that is, the house of God – where we worship Him).  The first reason we learn from verse 23: By tithing we “learn to revere the LORD your God always” (v23).  Tithing trains us to have an attitude of worship toward God no matter what our circumstances are like.  Tithing is a tool for our own spiritual maturity, training us to put God first in our lives.

It Matters What You Feed On

2022-06-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 14:1-21.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 14:1-2 (NIV)
1  You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead,
2  for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

On verses 1-2:  In Canaanite culture, when a person died, their family would mutilate themselves out of grief and hopelessness, cutting themselves and shaving the fronts of their heads.  Moses told the Israelites that they do not need to grieve this way because “you are the children of the Lord your God” (v1), chosen to be “His treasured possession” (v2). In other words, because the Israelites could have confidence that those who trust in Him will be with Him in eternity, they could grieve with hope.  Similarly, as Christians we are God’s treasured possession.  When a Christian friend dies, we do not need to grieve hopelessly because we have assurance that our friend is now in heaven with God, happier and healthier than they’ve ever been.  Instead of mourning hopelessly, we can grieve with hope, celebrating the fact that through faith in Jesus Christ that person who died has not left home, but gone home.
 

水门打开的时候

2022-06-29 in , /by

〈箴言〉17:14   纷争的起头如水放开，所以在争闹之先必当止息争竞。

阅读经文：箴言17:8-14

8贿赂在馈送的人眼中看为宝玉，随处运动都得顺利。9遮掩人过的寻求人爱，屡次挑错的离间密友。10一句责备话深入聪明人的心，强如责打愚昧人一百下。11恶人只寻背叛，所以必有严厉的使者奉差攻击他。12宁可遇见丢崽子的母熊，不可遇见正行愚妄的愚昧人。13以恶报善的，祸患必不离他的家。14纷争的起头如水放开，所以在争闹之先必当止息争竞。

贿赂与公务员

国家的法条愈多，收贿赂的公务人员就会愈多。因为解释法条的权力，在他们的手中。法条要如何执行，在他们的意愿。法条要什么时候执行，在他们的解释。百姓权力的保障，取舍之间，在公务人员心态的健康。

许多人喜欢当大官，当总统，因为行政架构是他们定，行政权是他们给。

Jesus Took The Fall For Us

2022-06-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 13:1-18.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 13:1-18 (NIV)
1  If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,
2  and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,”
3  you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.
4  It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
5  That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you…….

On verses 1-18:  In ancient Israel, leading a person to worship anyone other than the LORD was considered a capital offense punishable by death.  What are we as Christians to do with a passage like this today?  It’s worth remembering that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for all our sins – including all the ways we have ever led others astray, and all the ways we ourselves have been led astray.  When we deserved to die for our sins, Jesus Christ, who was innocent, took the fall for us all.  That way God could turn His fierce anger away from our sins and instead show us mercy and compassion.

父亲是儿女的荣耀

2022-06-28 in , /by

〈箴言〉17:6   子孙为老人的冠冕，父亲是儿女的荣耀。

阅读经文：箴言17:4-7

4行恶的留心听奸诈之言，说谎的侧耳听邪恶之语。 5戏笑穷人的是辱没造他的主，幸灾乐祸的必不免受罚。 6子孙为老人的冠冕，父亲是儿女的荣耀。7愚顽人说美言本不相宜，何况君王说谎话呢？

大家都知道“近朱者赤，近墨者黑”这句俗谚；可能也都听过you are what you eat, 吃啥变啥。我们会注意交什么朋友，吃什么东西，但是很少人会警觉自己听的东西，会直接影响我们的心。眼神会流露出我们的心意，喜欢听什么则让我们明白自己是怎样的人。所以作者说：“行恶的留心听奸诈之言，说谎的侧耳听邪恶之语”。Evil people relish malicious conversation; the ears of liars itch for dirty gossip.（The Message）意思是，假如有人喜欢奸诈之言，那么你要小心，那人可能有时喜欢使诈，做些损人不利己的事。假如有人喜欢听八卦，听闲言闲语，那么他可能不喜欢说真实的话。所以要小心听的东西，因为它显出了人内心的真相。说来有趣，偏偏这个社会上卖的最好的就是八卦类的杂志，每份报纸都有八卦新闻，这也显示了大多数人的心性。

耶和华熬炼人心

2022-06-27 in , /by

〈箴言〉17:3   鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，唯有耶和华熬炼人心。

阅读经文：箴言17:1-3

1设筵满屋大家相争，不如有块干饼大家相安。 2 仆人办事聪明，必管辖贻羞之子，又在众子中同分产业。 3 鼎为炼银，炉为炼金，唯有耶和华熬炼人心。

筵席的原则坚守

「设筵满屋，大家相争」(箴言17:1)。

1990年，我回台湾教书。我兼某研究单位的主管，需要争取许多的研究计画。做有些研究案要靠关系，要有关系就要靠喝酒。有次，我去拿某水库单位的研究案，前提之一，是当几位主办人面前，喝下一瓶高粱酒。我勉强喝下那一瓶，案子也没拿到。

当时植物学系有位基督徒老师，叫潘秦美，她给我许多帮助。她告诉我国家最高研究单位，与药厂关系紧密，利益纠葛。有次，她陪药厂主管与对方吃饭，研究所长 强迫她喝酒，说：「来，妳喝这一杯，从此我们是朋友。」潘老师说；「如果要喝这杯，才能做朋友，这种朋友不要也罢。」这句话回的很绝，生意没了，也少去一 个试探。

潘老师已经安息十多年了，我走过植物系馆，远看她过去的实验室，替她的家人祷告。近年，那个单位不断被媒体刊载，在财务上与药厂有不当往来。其实，说喝这一杯才是朋友时，早已在埋下日后的伏笔。

Food, Finances and Faith

2022-06-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 12:15-32.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 12:15-16 (NIV)
15  Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing the LORD your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it.
16  But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.
 
On verses 15-16:  Why were the Israelites prohibited from eating blood?  For more on this see the section below called “On verses 20-27”.
 
Deuteronomy 12:17-19 (NIV)
17  You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.
18  Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns–and you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to.
19  Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

白发是荣耀的冠冕

2022-06-26 in , /by

〈箴言〉16:31    白发是荣耀的冠冕，在公义的道上必能得着。

阅读经文：箴言16:26-33

26劳力人的胃口使他劳力，因为他的口腹催逼他。27匪徒图谋奸恶，嘴上仿佛有烧焦的火。28乖僻人播散纷争，传舌的离间密友。29强暴人诱惑邻舍，领他走不善之道。30眼目紧合的图谋乖僻，嘴唇紧闭的成就邪恶。31白发是荣耀的冠冕，在公义的道上必能得着。32不轻易发怒的胜过勇士，制伏己心的强如取城。33签放在怀里，定事由耶和华

假如我们的肚腹不催促我们，有没有人会去工作呢？《信息圣经》这样译第26节：“Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder. 食欲促使人们去工作，饥饿使你工作得更卖力。”在创始的开始，工作本身有可能是很愉快的。因为神叫亚当为野地各样走兽和空中各样飞鸟取名字。换成是你的话，你觉得这个工作好不好？这工作看起来容易，其实一点都不简单。

你只要看看每个父母亲为孩子取一个名字都要绞尽脑汁，何况那么多走兽和飞鸟取名，真是不容易。但也很有趣，可以根据其性情、颜色或形状去取名字，也很不错。那时的亚当，脑子里充满了创意，也不用担心肚子饿，伸手就有果子吃。工作本身应该是令人愉快而兴奋的。但是在亚当违背了神旳话之后，工作的性质就改变了，是为了满足肉体的需要而不得不做的事情。饥饿，成为人去工作的动力。为了养活一家人，工作就变成沉重的负担和压力。

Holy Ground

2022-06-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 12:1-14.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 12:1-3 (NIV)
1  These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess–as long as you live in the land.
2  Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods.
3  Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.

On verses 1-3:  Moses tells the Israelites that when they oust out the nations occupying the Promised Land, they are to completely destroy their altars and places of worship.  This sounds harsh and is certainly not a politically correct statement in Western culture today. The lesson for us here is this:  we are to give God uncompromising worship.  Later in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 23, we read of King Josiah who does exactly what Deuteronomy 12:3 is talking about.  With all the breaking, smashing and tearing down that Josiah does in 2 Kings 23, you’d think that Josiah was a playable character in a Super Mario Bros. video game. 

God’s Call to Give Your All Is Rooted in Love

2022-06-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 10:12-22.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NIV)
12  And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
13  and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
 
On verses 12-13:  When you love someone, naturally you want to give all of yourself to that person, and you desire for that person to give all of themselves to you.  That’s why we get pop standards like, “All of me, why not take all of me?  Can’t you see, I’m no good without you”.  That’s why John Legend sings, “Give your all to me, I’ll give my all to you.”  That’s why in Phantom of the Opera, Christine and her lover sing to each other, “Love me…That’s all I ask of you.” 
 
The same goes for God.  Because God loves us, He wants to give all of Himself to us, and in return He wants us to give all of ourselves to Him.  That’s why verse 10 says, “what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.  God’s call to give your all is rooted in love.