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The Biggest Key to Leading Your Loved Ones to Christ

2022-01-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 18:1-12.  Let’s go!

Exodus 18:1-12 (NIV)
1  Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2  After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her
3  and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become an alien in a foreign land”;
4  and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5  Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the desert, where he was camped near the mountain of God.

On verses 1-12:  Here Moses reunites with his wife Zipporah, his two sons Gershom and Eliezer, and his father-in-law Jethro. Jethro was a priest from the land of Midian where Moses met his wife.  As for what God Jethro and the Midianites worshiped, it is not clear.  Since the Midianites were descendants of Abraham (see 1 Chronicles 1:32), it is likely that Jethro and the Midianites had heard of the LORD, but it is not clear whether Jethro and the Midianites actually worshiped or believed in the LORD.  What is clear is that as Jethro hears more and more about what the LORD had done for Moses and the Israelites (v1), when he saw the change in Moses and how the LORD rescued not just him but the Israelite people too (v8), Jethro responds by expressing faith in the LORD. 

Keys to Winning Your Battle

2022-01-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage, Exodus 17:1-16, is full of powerful lessons, so many in fact that there’s probably one lesson for every hour of your workday today.  You may want to read this message in pieces, taking it in bit by bit throughout the day.  Get ready!  Let’s go!

Exodus 17:1-5 (NIV)
1  The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2  So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”
3  But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4  Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5  The LORD answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

On verses 1-5:  Once again the Israelites grumble against Moses, complaining about a lack of water.  Moses asks God what he should do with these angry, grumbling people, and I like the LORD’s response to Moses.  The LORD tells Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people.” (v5) When people are grumbling, walk ahead of them.  Don’t become their follower, moving forward only when they move forward or going only when they tell you to go.  Walk ahead of them and you’ll see things that they don’t see and be better positioned to lead them.  

但以理得啟示

2022-01-09 in , /by

〈但以理書〉10:19a 他說：「大蒙眷愛的人哪，不要懼怕，願你平安！你總要堅強！」

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉10:1-21

在波斯王居魯士三年，也就是西元前536年，在那之前近五萬的猶大子民從巴比倫回到耶路撒冷。居魯士不僅已經釋放在巴比倫的以色列民回國，而且更為他們重建聖殿。但是在這期間，可能因為所羅巴伯領導猶太人從流亡中回歸，遭到撒瑪利亞人反對，回歸的猶太人遭遇到極大的爭戰（拉4:1-5）。消息傳來，引起但以理極大的悲傷。在但以理的悲傷中，神再差遣天使幫助但以理明白將來要發生的事情。但以理沒有跟眾人回耶路撒冷，可能因為年事已高，不適合長途跋涉；也可能因為位居要職不能離開，但是他對於猶大人回歸的事卻非常上心，時時等待他們的消息。

但以理因悲傷而不吃美味，不喝美酒，也不用油抹身。在不能經常洗澡，又沒有現代的止汗除臭劑的地方，使用香油抹身是個人修飾和保健的重要步驟。漠視這些細節表示哀悼。但以理在剛到巴比倫時拒絕王膳，但是有了官職之後，必然有自己的住處和廚房，可以按著猶太人的律法去準備飲食。所以平常會有酒肉，只是此時悲傷，因而不進任何美食，以粗糙簡單的飲食代表心中的難過。

那年的正月二十四日，但以理在底格里斯大河邊看到有一人，和〈啟示錄〉中約翰所見的人子有很多相似之處。但以理見到“有一人身穿細麻衣，腰束烏法精金帶。他身體如水蒼玉，面貌如閃電，眼目如火把，手和腳如光明的銅，說話的聲音如大眾的聲音。＂約翰見到“燈臺中間有一位好像人子，身穿長衣，直垂到腳，胸間束著金帶。他的頭與髮皆白，如白羊毛，如雪，眼目如同火焰，腳好像在爐中鍛煉光明的銅，聲音如同眾水的聲音。”但以理看到異象時是清醒的，也有人和他在一起，那些人雖然看不見人子，卻可以感受到祂的能力，因而大大戰兢，逃跑隱藏；而但以理看到異象後就渾身無力，聽到聲音就面伏在地沉睡了。

Grace for Each New Day

2022-01-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 16:19-36.  Let’s go!

Exodus 16:19-21 (NIV)
19  Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20  However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
21  Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

On verses 19-21:  What can we learn from this?  This is not to say that we shouldn’t plan ahead or keep leftovers in the fridge.  But the lesson here is that God’s grace is enough for each day.  Instead of worrying that we won’t have enough tomorrow, trust God that He will have new grace to give us for each new day.  His grace is always sufficient for us.

Also, when we ignore God’s commands for living and working, our lives begin to decay and smell.

Exodus 16:22-26 (NIV)
22  On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much–two omers for each person–and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.
23  He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'”
24  So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.

《聖經中各種審判》17 — 亞倫家受審：事奉者受審

2022-01-07 in , /by

在上帝主權統管下的意志

　　聖經說：「我要使法老的心剛硬」，我們怎麼理解？上帝的主權超越人的意志，人心能否順從都在神主權的統管下。聖經說：「耶和華說：『我要顯我一切的恩慈，在你面前經過，宣告我的名。我要恩待誰就恩待誰；要憐憫誰就憐憫誰。』」（出 33:19）一個人的生命要敗壞下去，不是他決定就可以，也要上帝的許可。

有關上帝的主權與旨意，我分成四大階層：一、上帝計劃中的旨意，二、上帝許可中的自由，三、上帝引導人的轉變，四、上帝任憑人的滅亡，這四樣都在神的主權之下。你說：「我自己決定，所以我有這樣的地步」，你沒有想到你所打的主意有上帝的主權在你身上的彰顯，如果你能好，是因為上帝施恩給你，如果你不好，是上帝任憑你硬著你的心，因著上帝的主權與施恩決定一個人能領受多少恩典，如果上帝沒有施恩，我們只能抵擋上帝，剛硬著心。聖經說：「我要使法老的心剛硬」，這不是指硬心是上帝的決定，而是說這其中有上帝的許可，甚至是上帝的任憑。人自己本意的敗壞是上帝的任憑，不讓你悔改，繼續硬心下去。人以為他的抵擋連上帝都束手無策，把上帝的干涉當作是對自己的攪擾，在蒙蔽之中不知道自己犯了什麼錯，不知道如果上帝不施恩，他也無法悔改。

聖經說：「我使法老的心剛硬，要在他身上顯出我的榮耀」，因為法老的剛硬，人看見上帝憑己意行萬事 ，上帝行事使祂的百姓得恩典，祂施行審判使祂的仇敵受災殃。

十災顯明埃及諸神非真神

　　上帝降下十災最大的目的只有一個：顯明埃及人所敬拜的是假神，不能造福人群，解救百姓。在降災的事上，術士可以模仿先知所做的事 ，無論是杖變蛇或水變血，假先知所做的事情與神的僕人好像一樣，但在結局上，你看見法老的術士只能降災，顯明邪惡的能力無法施行拯救，這是聖經記載正邪之間真正的分別。

When You’re Tempted to Grumble and Complain

2022-01-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Exodus 16:1-18.  Let’s go!

Exodus 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.
2  In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

On verses 1-3:  When we’re having a tough time with life today, sometimes we can be tempted to idealize and even worship the past.  Have you ever done that before?  It’s when we speak in exaggerated terms about the past versus the present:  “Before life was so happy and perfect; now everything sucks.  Things were so good back then.  Today things are so bad.”   That’s what the Israelites were doing: in their hunger, they grumbled against their leaders Moses and Aaron.  The Israelites idealized their lives in Egypt when they apparently “sat around pots of meat and ate all the food they wanted” (v3).  Of course, in their worship of the past, they conveniently left out the fact that when they were slaves in Egypt they were crying for deliverance.  They also seemed to ignore the fact that whenever you start a new season, there will be new things to learn, new skills to develop, and new systems to create and get used to.  To expect that life would be perfect as soon as they stepped out of Egypt would be unrealistic.

生命中必須破除的五種謊言

2022-01-06 in , /by

傳道書9:3a   在日光之下所行的一切事上，有一件禍患，就是眾人所遭遇的都是一樣。

閱讀經文：傳道書9:1-3

1我將這一切事放在心上，詳細考究，就知道義人和智慧人並他們的作為，都在神手中。或是愛，或是恨，都在他們的前面，人不能知道。2凡臨到眾人的事都是一樣：義人和惡人都遭遇一樣的事；好人、潔淨人和不潔淨人，獻祭的與不獻祭的，也是一樣。好人如何，罪人也如何；起誓的如何，怕起誓的也如何。3在日光之下所行的一切事上，有一件禍患，就是眾人所遭遇的都是一樣。並且世人的心充滿了惡，活著的時候心裡狂妄，後來就歸死人那裡去了。

在這忙碌的人生中，我們每天都有許多安排，天天都在忙。有何事會讓你的腳步暫停一下呢？所羅門王查看之後，他發現義人和智慧人，還有他們所做的事，都在神的手中；即使如此，不管是將要發生在他們生活中的愛或恨，他們也不能預先知道。義人或智慧人，都該算是敬畏神的人。義人是指在神的眼中不以為有罪的，屬神的人；而敬畏神是智慧的開端，所以有智慧的人應該是敬畏神的人。

但以理的禱告

2022-01-06 in , /by

〈但以理書〉9:17 我們的神啊，現在求你垂聽僕人的祈禱懇求，為自己使臉光照你荒涼的聖所。

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉9:1-27

當但以理被擄到巴比倫時，他還未曾聽過耶利米先知的預言。但是他雖然身在巴比倫，心裡卻無時無刻掛念著遙遠的故鄉。因此當他讀到耶利米有關耶路撒冷的預言時，心情一定非常激動。他一定沒有想到還有回去祖國的一天。他知道猶大百姓所犯下的無數罪過，他知道猶大人是怎樣地得罪神，他知道猶大百姓是罪有應得，但是他依然忍不住要為他們祈求赦免，要為家國祈求復興。耶利米的預言給了他何等的盼望和喜悅!

主前597年，先知耶利米寫信給被擄的人:“耶和華如此說：為巴比倫所定的七十年滿了以後，我要眷顧你們，向你們成就我的恩言，使你們仍回此地。（耶29:10）”在耶利米的信裡提到神的話：“耶和華說：我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們末後有指望。你們要呼求我，禱告我，我就應允你們。你們尋求我，若專心尋求我，就必尋見。耶和華說：我必被你們尋見，我也必使你們被擄的人歸回，將你們從各國中和我所趕你們到的各處招聚了來，又將你們帶回我使你們被擄掠離開的地方。這是耶和華說的。（耶29:11-14）”

在大約主後1980年左右，中國大陸開放，讓海外的同胞可以回去探親或旅行時，台灣有許多老兵賣了家產，不顧一切地回去了。卅幾年的離別，有很多人從1949年之後就無法和親人聯繫上，那時巴不得有翅膀可以飛回去。此時但以理已經是八旬老翁，真是少小離家，何等盼望可以回去。因此看到耶利米的信，該是何等歡喜，神竟然應允他們被擄的人可以回耶路撒冷！猶大國在主前586年滅亡，大約也有五十幾年了。但以理想到神的恩典和猶大子民的敗壞，便禁食，披麻蒙灰，定意向主神祈禱懇求。

公綿羊和公山羊的異象

2022-01-05 in , /by

〈但以理書〉8:19 我要指示你惱怒臨完必有的事，因為這是關乎末後的定期。

閱讀經文：〈但以理書〉8:1-27

在伯沙撒王的第三年，但以理在以攔省書珊城中再次見到異象。

“以攔”位於今日的伊朗境內，本是一個獨立的國家，後為亞述打敗，成為亞述的附屬國；後再為波斯併吞，變成波斯的一省。“書珊城”原是以攔的首都，波斯王因其風景秀麗，以它作為全國的首都和寒宮。〈以斯帖記〉的第一章第2節就記錄了：亞哈隨魯王在書珊城的宮登基。烏萊河是書珊城的一條人工運河，運河本身十分寬闊，兩岸相距九百尺。

在第八章裡，但以理看到一隻前後角不一樣長的公綿羊，牠往西、往北、往南去攻擊，無堅不摧。天使告訴但以理：“你所看見雙角的公綿羊，就是瑪代和波斯王”。瑪代原屬亞述，後來瑪代傾覆亞述；波斯本是巴比倫的屬國，推翻巴比倫之後逐漸強盛，瑪代卻日漸衰弱，此時兩國組成一個聯合王國，雙方君王輪流統治。公綿羊的前後角高矮不一樣，代表兩國勢力的不均等。波斯雖比瑪代較後才崛起，卻在古列王的領導下，變得比瑪代更為強大，後來還克制了瑪代。所以後長的角可代表波斯王古列，後來居上。相傳波斯王出征時喜戴上精金造的羊頭頭盔；考古學家也掘出這些羊頭狀的冠冕。綿羊是瑪代波斯的國徽，曾出現在古錢幣及其他古物上。

在瑪代和波斯征服呂底亞之後，波斯為了擴張版圖，便向希臘進軍，雖然敗翼而歸，但在侵犯的過程中，曾經火燒雅典護衛城，並做出一些褻瀆希臘神明的作為，使希臘人非常憤恨。亞歷山大廿歲繼承王位，半年後便出軍波斯，雖然他只有三萬五千精兵，軍勢遠不如波斯；但是他精通戰略，屢屢以寡敵眾，遍行全地，腳不沾塵，不到廿五歲時就滅了波斯，成為當時的霸主。

From Bitter to Better

2022-01-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

There are so many good lessons we can learn from today’s passage, Exodus 15:19-27.  Let’s go!

Exodus 15:19 (NIV)
19  When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

On verse 19:  The Israelites were looking just to escape the Egyptians, but God was looking to defeat them completely.  That way the Israelites would never have to worry about ever being enslaved by the Egyptians again.

God did the same when Jesus died on the cross and rose again.  God’s goal was not simply to help us escape the clutches of sin and death.  God wanted to defeat sin and death completely so that sin and death would no longer control us.  God didn’t just provide a temporary escape.  He provided a permanent victory.

Exodus 15:20-21 (NIV)
20  Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.
21  Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”