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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。

Justice, Compassion and Jesus My Kinsman Redeemer

2022-07-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 25:1-10.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 25:1-3 (NIV)
1  When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.
2  If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves,
3  but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes.

On verses 1-3:  Here we see God’s heart for justice when people are charged with crimes.  God wants to make sure that: 

– the innocent are acquitted (v1)
– the guilty are convicted (v1)
– the punishment fits the crime (v2) and 
– the punishment is appropriate and not degrading to the person being punished (v3). 

安全感

2022-07-22 in , /by

箴言19:24   懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。

閱讀經文：箴言19:24-26

24懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。 25鞭打褻慢人，愚蒙人必長見識；責備明哲人，他就明白知識。 26虐待父親、攆出母親的，是貽羞致辱之子。

第24節：懶惰人放手在盤子裡，就是向口撤回他也不肯。

「懶惰人放手在盤子裏，就是向口撤回，他也不肯。」(箴言19:24) 懶惰的人不一定是偷懶，而是貪而無厭，以致錯失判斷。將手放在食物盤子裡，有時是拿多了，還想再拿更多，忘了拿食物的目的，是為了吃。如果嘴巴吃不了那麼 多，手在盤子裡取再多也沒有用，不過是變成垃圾。但是我們經常要抓更多，取更多，而忘了自己吃的量有限。變成看重取的過程，忘記吃的目標。

我們經常在「吃到飽」的餐廳裡，看到有些人一直取肉、拿菜。勸他們吃多少，拿多少，若不肯聽勸，是另類的懶惰。吃東西、賺錢、爭取權力，夠了，就要停。不要成為在爭取上積極；在享有上貧窮。

我也有這弱點，每年愁明年沒錢作研究計劃，總想多爭取些。二十多年來，每年習慣性的發愁，很少享受擁有經費的喜悅。教授的頭銜，像是乞丐的盤子，取這盤子到處向人求食物，自己沒有吃到什麼。這背後就是沒有安全感。（張文亮教授）

God’s Compassionate Heart

2022-07-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 
 
In Deuteronomy we get to see different layers to God’s heart.  Today’s passage, Deuteronomy 24:10-22, lets us in on another big layer to the heart of God.  Let’s go!
 
Deuteronomy 24:10-22 (NIV)
10  When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge.
11  Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you.
12  If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession.
13  Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the LORD your God.
14  Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns.
15  Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
16  Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

On verses 10-22:  Why does Moses say not to go into the house of someone you’re lending money to in order to get what they are offering as a pledge (v10)?  Why instead wait outside and let the borrower bring the pledge out to you (v11)?  It’s to protect the dignity and honor of the person you’re lending to, so as not to embarrass them unnecessarily in front of their family.

The Protecting Heart of God

2022-07-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 24:1-9.  Let’s go!

Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (NIV)
1  If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,
2  and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man,
3  and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,
4  then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

On verses 1-4:  What “indecent” thing could a husband find about his wife that would enable him to divorce her?  It wasn’t adultery or having premarital sex, since both of these meant death (see Deuteronomy 22:20-22).  So the answer to this question is not clear.  That said, whenever you read verses 1 to 4 where Moses allows divorce, always remember what Jesus said about these verses:

計畫永遠趕不上變化

2022-07-21 in , /by

箴言19:21    人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。

閱讀經文：箴言19:21-23

21人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。 22施行仁慈的令人愛慕，窮人強如說謊言的。 23敬畏耶和華的得著生命，他必恆久知足，不遭禍患。

第21節：人心多有計謀，唯有耶和華的籌算才能立定。

最近看到一個朋友的見證，我心裡有很多感慨。她有一個女兒，從小就帶她到教會；她放棄工作，做全職母親；家裡不看電視，每週都有家庭聚會。父母兩人都很愛女兒，以為她將一步步走上“榮（神）耀（父母）之路”。沒想到，女兒在高二時交了男朋友，從此茶不思飯不想，只跟他談話，只聽他說話。眼看大學的學測在即，父母都非常著急。更沒想到，女兒被男友甩了。這時她又開始聽父母的話，在神面前悔改。結果學測放榜時，出乎大家的意料之外，她考上了一間國立大學。原是沒指望的，神卻恩待了。

我們多少有類似的經歷，為自己或為兒女規劃，忙到最後，才發現很多細節不在自己的考量之中。台灣企業家郭台銘曾說：“計畫永遠趕不上變化，變化抵不上客戶一通電話。”

所以大衛說：“當將你的事交託耶和華，並倚靠祂，祂就必成全”（詩37:5）。當我們籌謀時，是憑自己的驕傲在行事；若把計劃放在神的手中，並倚靠祂，便是有自知之明和智慧了。因為神知道明天，祂知道會有怎樣的變化，祂有能力可以掌握一切的變數。