Entries by

摩西祝福以色列人

2021-03-22 in , /by

〈申命记〉 33:27   永生的　神是你的居所；祂永久的膀臂在你以下。祂在你前面撵出仇敌，说：毁灭吧。

阅读经文：〈申命记〉 33:1-29

这是《圣经》第一次称摩西为「神人」，英文是the man of God, 可以说是属神的人，也可以说是奉神差遣的人，或有圣灵的人。他形容神在西奈山与百姓的初见，「西奈山」又译为何烈山，神的山。因为神在那里赐下律法。「西珥」的原意是多毛，或长满粗毛，是以东地的山脉。「巴兰山」是旷野地的一座山。「万万圣者」有的人说可能是指众多的天使。在这里唯一的一次，把律法形容为烈火的律法，烈火可以烧尽渣滓，使万物洁净；神的律法也有洁净人心的作用。摩西指出，神把律法传给百姓，是因为神疼爱他们。

摩西的祝福首先提到耶和华神是以色列人的神，祂疼爱以色列人，赐下律法，并且要在以色列人当中为王。这是一个极大的祝福。因为没有好的领袖，百姓就会很辛苦。所以为何每个国家在竞选总统或总理时，竞争都非常激烈。即使选举巿长也是很激烈，因为选民都明白领导者对自己所住地区的影响，他的为人、作风、思想和信仰都会影响到整个地区。因此有耶和华神作王，是一个最大的祝福。一个真正爱以色列百姓的王。

摩西接着讲到以色列十二支派的前途，他的看法和雅各的有些不一样，我们会稍微比较一下。雅各的祝福是从父亲对儿子的观点出发，但是摩西则不再是看个人，而是以支派而言。

老大流便因为和父亲雅各的妾辟拉同寝，他放纵情欲，以至失去长子的名份。但在这里，摩西祝福流便的支派，不致死亡，人数不致稀少。但是他还是得不回长子的尊荣和权力。

犹大本是老四，却升到西缅和利未之上了。雅各对犹大的祝福是出于神，因为他预言君王和弥赛亚都要出于犹大支派。摩西则祝福他，求神帮助他攻击敌人。很简单，但是很实际，哪个君王不需要神帮助他攻击敌人呢？

Enter The Holy Spirit (Plus, To Love Jesus Is To Obey Jesus)

2021-03-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 14:15-21.  Let’s go!

John 14:15 (NIV) 
15  “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

On verse 15:  Loving Jesus is not simply feeling a certain way toward Jesus or having a favourable opinion about Jesus.  It’s doing what Jesus commands.  To love Jesus is to obey Jesus.  If you want to know how well you love Jesus, ask yourself, “How much am I obeying what Jesus is commanding me to do?”

John 14:16-17 (NIV) 
16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever–
17  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

On verses 16-17:   To help us love and obey Jesus, Jesus and the Father together give us access to the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity.  Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (v17).  He also calls the Holy Spirit a “Counselor” (v16), in Greek “parakletos”, which in other English translations has also been translated “comforter”, “advocate”, and “helper”.  Indeed the Holy Spirit is all of those things to Christians. The Holy Spirit counsels Christians to understand and do God’s will.  The Holy Spirit comforts Christians with the presence of God.  The Holy Spirit is our advocate who speaks to the Father on our behalf.  And the Holy Spirit is our helper, who empowers us to do what God wants us to do.

摩西之歌

2021-03-21 in , /by

〈申命记〉 32:29   唯愿他们有智慧，能明白这事，肯思念他们的结局！

阅读经文：〈申命记〉 32:1-52

这一章是摩西之歌，摩西奉神的命令所写的预言歌。预言以色列人将在神的祝福里，越行越远。「耶书仑渐渐肥胖，粗壮，光润，踢跳奔跑，便离弃造他的神，轻看救他的磐石。 敬拜别神，触动神的愤恨；行可憎恶的事，惹了他的怒气。」耶书仑是指神所爱的正直之人，是神为以色列人取的亲蜜之名。

有很多人都很喜欢唱诗歌。在每一首歌的背后大多有一个动人的故事，因为感动，而流露出来的心思。特别是经历过苦难而写下的诗歌，经常成为多人的帮助。例如：哈瑞修..斯彼福在他的妻女都死于海难，他的财产又付诸大火时，他写下了〈我心灵得安宁〉。他说，人生「有时享平安，如江河又平稳，有时忧伤来似浪滚，不论何环境，我已蒙主引领，我心灵得安宁，得安宁。」让我们想起约伯在失去所有的儿女和财产之后，说：「赏赐的是耶和华，收取的也是耶和华。耶和华的名是应当称颂的！」他们认识的神是宇宙的掌权者，因此在失去世上的一切时，仍然充满盼望，有极深的平安。神巴不得以色列人也有如此的信念，知道神是他们的磐石。

The Place Jesus Has Prepared for You

2021-03-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

John 14:1-3 (NIV) 
1  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

On verses 1-3:  These words from Jesus to his disciples can also be taken as his words to us today.  Jesus has prepared a place for you in heaven, in his Father’s house.  The question is: do you trust Jesus (v1) to take you to his Father’s house when you die, or are you trusting in something else, trying to build your own place in heaven?  Praise God that if you have placed your trust in Jesus, on the day you die you don’t leave home; you go home.  For the Christian, home is where Jesus and the Father are.

进窄门、走小路 (下)

2021-03-19 in , /by

〈马太福音〉7章13-14节 你们要进窄门。因为引到灭亡，那门是宽的，路是大的，进去的人也多；引到永生，那门是窄的，路是小的，找著的人也少。

祈求、寻找与寻见

　　门是要进入的，路是要行走的。如果要进宽门、走大路，不用寻找就可进入；但如果要进窄门、走小路，一定要寻找才能进入。进宽门、走大路的人很多，进窄门、走小路的人很少。耶稣的意思是，要进入永生的人，就要寻找那永生的门，走那永生的路，用心追求、辨别，找到之后要走进去。这扇通往永生的窄门要殷切寻找，才能寻到。耶稣说：「你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门」，这祈求与耶稣要人进窄门有关。

耶稣基督：「我就是门，我就是路。」

　　除了耶稣基督，未曾有人说过：「我就是门」这句话。《约翰福音》第十章提到耶稣说：「我就是门」（约10:9），接着《约翰福音》第十四章提到耶稣说：「我就是路」（约14:6）。大凡孔子、释迦摩尼、穆罕默德、大小先知皆未曾说过「我就是门」这句话，这句话唯有耶稣基督说过，「我就是门；凡从我进来的，必然得救，并且出入得草吃」（约10:9）。耶稣是那独一的门，人唯有透过基督才能来到上帝面前，从这门找到真正的路。「我是」（I am who I am），这是上帝的自称，这一位从永恒到永恒的「我是」，就是你所要找的那扇门。耶稣说：「我就『是』道路、真理、生命」，这个「是」是永恒的「是」，这个「是」也是现今的「是」。摩西问上帝：「祢名叫什么？」上帝回答：「我是自有永有的。」（参：出3:13-14）「我是」是上帝的自称，没有任何位格像上帝一样把自己的存在与自己是谁连在一起讲。

How Do You Know If You’re a True Disciple of Jesus

2021-03-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 13:31-38.  Let’s go!

John 13:31-32 (NIV) 
31  When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.
32  If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

On verses 31-32:  With Judas now on his way to betray Jesus, Jesus sees Judas’ betrayal as triggering the important process by which Jesus will be handed over to the authorities, crucified, killed, buried, and finally resurrected and glorified.  So Jesus is looking past the betrayal to what the betrayal would lead to, ultimately Jesus being glorified.

What can we learn from this?  Instead of focusing only on the current or soon coming pain or problem you are facing, like Jesus, learn to look past that current or soon coming pain and see that the current or soon coming pain is part of something greater that God is doing down the road.  Like Jesus, though your current lot may be pain and trouble, may you have eyes to see that if you persevere through this difficult time, there will soon be glory waiting for you in the end.

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loves

2021-03-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 13:21-30.  Let’s go!

John 13:21-22 (NIV) 
21  After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” 
22  His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.

On verses 21-22:  Here we once again see Jesus’ humanity.  Jesus is emotionally impacted – “troubled in spirit” (v21) – by the fact that someone he has loved and invested in for 3 years is going to betray him.  From this I learn that God is not stoic and emotionless.  God is full of emotion and has an emotional response to the things we do and say.

John 13:23 (NIV) 
23  One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

On verse 23: “[T]he disciple whom Jesus loved” was John’s way of referring to himself, not to boast of his status as compared to other disciples, but to refer to himself, as if to say, “If I’m anything at all, I’m loved by Jesus”.  Rather than pointing to his accomplishments and what he had done, John pointed to the fact that Jesus loved him. 

摩西临终之劝勉

2021-03-18 in , /by

〈申命记〉 31:8 耶和华必在你前面行，祂必与你同在，必不撇下你，也不丢弃你；不要惧怕，也不要惊惶。

阅读经文：〈申命记 〉31:1-29 

想像一个120岁的老人，还可以孜孜不倦地训诲上37天，这需要多大的精力和清醒的头脑啊！摩西之后，我再也找不到第二个像他那样蒙神祝福的人了。虽说人越老，耳越聋，因此讲话声音必然变大，但也不可能像摩西那样有中气，可以传令给两三百万人。教过书的人都知道，有时讲得口干舌燥，力气久久不能恢复，声音都会变得沙哑，甚至咽喉发炎说不出话来。摩西连续讲了37天，可见神若呼召人做事，也必然将足够的能力赐给他。

但是摩西的体力也不像往昔，他说他不能照常出入了。以前健步如飞，上山下山有如家常便饭，现在只能拄杖缓缓而行。神告诉摩西，他的死期临近了。伟大如摩西，也要面对人生肉体的终结。但是当耶稣在变像山上看见摩西和先知以利亚时，我们就记起神说过的，祂是活人的神，不是死人的神。摩西的肉体会结束，化为尘土，但是他的灵在神那里，永远活着。并且有一天，神也会赐给他一个复活的身体，就像主耶稣复活的身体一样，不会朽坏，可以来去自如，穿墙越壁，不再受时空控制的身体。信主的人也有同样的盼望。

摩西不怕面对死亡，他一步步地把神交给他的工作做好。他召了约书亚，鼓励他，也在众人面前鼓励他：「你们当刚强壮胆，不要害怕，也不要畏惧他们，因为耶和华你的神和你同去，祂必不撇下你，也不丢弃你。」耶稣要面临十字架的酷刑之前，也告诉门徒：「我留下平安给你们，我将我的平安赐给你们。我所赐的不像世人所赐的，你们心里不要忧愁，也不要胆怯。（约14:27）」不要畏惧，不要胆怯，要刚强壮胆，因为主必同行。这就是基督徒的人生，虽然有许多挑战，但是我们必须刚强壮胆地跟随神。因为神永远与倚靠祂的人同在，不会丢下属祂的人，也不会撇下信祂的人。

拣选生命

2021-03-17 in , /by

〈申命记〉 30:19  我今日呼天唤地向你作见证；我将生死祸福陈明在你面前，所以你要拣选生命，使你和你的后裔都得存活。

阅读经文：〈申命记〉 30:1-20

摩西在摩押平原用了37天的时间，把他生平从神得来的律例、典章和教导全部告诉以色列人。虽然知道他们的子孙终有一天会去拜偶像，以致惹动耶和华的怒气，被神抛到万国之中，但是他的话语里依然充满鼓励和盼望。即使，当所有的咒诅都临到他们身上，也不要失了志气，只要尽心归向耶和华神，不管他们在哪里，即使是在天涯海角，神也必将他们从那里招聚他们回来，再次领他们进入迦南地，并且要善待他们，使他们的人数再次多起来。

摩西让我们看到神的性情，在管教里依然有剪不断的深情。但是神也不允许他们随随便便地归向祂，必须要尽心归向神，神就重新把他们招聚回来。这点让我们明白，只是做表面的信徒，是演戏给自己看，对自己的生命一点都没有帮助。神要的是尽心、尽性归向祂的子民，尽心和尽性的表现则在于听从耶和华神的教导，并遵行祂的话。所以人若说自己爱主，相信耶稣，就要看他是口里说说而已，还是真的在生活中力求按著神的教导去做。我们虽然无法一下子就达到神的要求，但是神看的是我们是否有心去做，做得不好，神总是有耐心等我们的。

例如，神说不要以貌取人，也不受贿赂，那么若有人想贿赂你时，能不能拒绝？看到人家长得不好看，是否也要给人一个机会？神说，不可雕刻神像，也不可敬拜假神或天象，我们可以做到吗？不可吃血，奉献十分之一，守安息日，借给穷人，这些可以做到吗？所以摩西说：「我今日所吩咐你的诫命不是你难行的，也不是离你远的。」不是什么难事，问题是我们愿不愿意尊重神而已。

Master and Servant

2021-03-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 13:12-20.  Let’s go!

John 13:12-15 (NIV) 
12  When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 
13  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 
14  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 
15  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

On verses 12-15:  Usually washing the feet of guests was what the lowest servant or slave in the house was expected to do.  Thus it was inconceivable and shocking for the disciples that Jesus, their Lord and Teacher, would bend down and wash their feet.  What was Jesus teaching his disciples in doing this?  Jesus says it himself: “Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (v14-15)  Because Jesus, the name above every name and the king above every king, was willing to bend down and take on the role of a servant in the lives of people he loved, so Jesus calls us to do the same.  Humility is putting others ahead of ourselves, all the while being secure in our own worth and value.