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得货财的力量

2021-02-09 in , /by

〈申命记〉 8:18  你要记念耶和华─你的　神，因为得货财的力量是祂给你的，为要坚定祂向你列祖起誓所立的约，像今日一样。

曾有一则新闻说到在厦门有座桥上，有许多人跪在那里低头认错。在这些人面前有一张纸，上面写着他们的姓名、年记，以及做了什么错事。有一个43岁的男人说，他没有达到销货的目标；有一个39岁的男人写：我必须在桥上跪一个小时，因为我没有完成我的工作。这些纸上没有说明他们来自哪个公司。但是用这样羞辱的方法来惩罚员工还真是少见。幸好我们的神不因为我们不守祂的诫命，就羞辱我们。圣灵的管教总是在个人的生命里进行，以建造为目的。当然，神也会把隐藏的罪显露出来，免得我们犯罪之后还洋洋得意。但祂的目的是管教，不是羞辱。

在本章的第十节，摩西说：「你吃得饱足，就要称颂耶和华你的神，因祂将那美地赐给你了。」但是事实上，当我们生活平稳，不愁吃穿时，是否记得称颂我们的神？神为何要以色列人时时刻刻记得祂呢？有的人觉得不好意思在人前做饭前祷告。但是摩西告诉我们，当我们有饭吃时，就要称颂神，因为神把这美地赐给我们了。

唐朝李绅写了一首〈悯农诗〉：「春种一粒粟，秋收万颗子；四海无闲田，农夫犹饿死。 锄禾日当午，汗滴禾下土；谁知盘中飧，粒粒皆辛苦。」后半段大家都很熟，不过全诗都是在说明农夫种田之不易，但若不是神赐时雨甘露，农夫再辛苦，也无法有收成，所以我们当存感恩的心。每餐前做饭前祷告，就是感恩的表达。

在过圣诞节之前，有一首歌是唱给孩子们听的：「你要小心囉，你最好别乱叫，也别乱脾气。让我告诉你为什么，因为圣诞老人要进城了。他在写圣诞礼物的单子，不管你是睡着或醒著，他都知道你乖不乖，所以你要做个好小孩….」所以过完圣诞节，这首歌就不灵了。礼物已经到手了，不是吗？可以重新顽皮，让爸妈头痛了。

A Big Reason God Allows That Trouble in Your Life

2021-02-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:43-54.  Let’s go!

John 4:43-45 (NIV) 
43  After the two days he left for Galilee. 
44  (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 
45  When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

On verses 43-45:  After spending two days in Samaria, Jesus heads for Galilee (v43).  Why does John mention here that Jesus said “a prophet has no honor in his own country” (v44), especially if Jesus just left Samaria where many put their faith in Him (v41) and was going to Galilee where the Galileans welcomed him (v45)? Scholars have different theories on why.  Here’s my thought on why: perhaps John mentions Jesus’ famous saying about a prophet having no honour in his own country because no matter how popular Jesus became in one place (like Samaria), Jesus knew he had to move on to the next until his work was done.  In other words, Jesus’ goal wasn’t to build his own kingdom and to chase his own “honor” while on the earth.  Rather his goal was to be faithful to his Father’s will, even if it meant foregoing immediate opportunities to be honored, knowing that the honour and glory would come later.  Like Jesus, may our goal not be chasing our own honour or building our own kingdom, but may it simply to be faithful to what God called us to do on the earth.

祂是信实的神

2021-02-08 in , /by

〈申命记〉 7:9-11所以，你要知道耶和华你的神，祂是神，是信实的神：向爱祂守祂诫命的人守约施慈爱，直到千代；向恨祂的人当面报应他们，将他们灭绝——凡恨祂的人，必报应他们，决不迟延。所以，你要谨守遵行我今日所吩咐你的诫命、律例、典章。

2004年，有一个六岁的美国男孩发生了一宗可怕的车祸。当他从昏迷状态中醒过来之后，他告诉家人，他去过天堂，见到了耶稣、撒旦和天使，等等。在2009年，他的父亲帮他出了一本书：《The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven》（从天堂回来的男孩），这本书被热卖到上百万本，成为当时的畅销书之一。但是在出书后五年，也就是2009年一月13日，他亲自写一封信给美国基督教出版商和书店：「请原谅我因为身体的限制，只能简略地说明，我并没有死去，也没有去过天堂。我说去过天堂，因为我想引起人们对我的注意。当我说我去过天堂时，那时我根本没读过《圣经》。

很多人从谎言中获利，并且还会有更多人这样做。人们应该去读《圣经》，因为那就足够了。《圣经》是真理唯一的来源，任何人写的东西都不可能万无一失。唯有悔改和相信耶稣是神的儿子，祂为你的罪死在十字架上（虽然祂并没有犯罪），你才能够得到神的赦免。你需要从《圣经》去明白何谓天堂，而不是从人写的书去明白天堂。我希望全世界都知道，只要有《圣经》就足够了。卖这类书的人都应该悔改，并且只要有《圣经》就够了。在基督里，亚历斯。 」

亚历斯在车祸后因为伤到脑部、脊柱和颈而四肢瘫痪，在2009年他接受了一个像克里斯托弗·里夫（演超人的演员，因受伤而四肢瘫痪）那样的手术，让他可以自由地呼吸，不必使用助吸器；同年，他开始使用支撑架站起来，并且可以在别人的帮助下，开始在跑步机上走路。从他的信里，很明显的，他信主了，也读了《圣经》，因此才会有这样的悔过和自白。在他没有读过《圣经》时，他可以编谎言编得很自得其乐，但是信主后，读了《圣经》，圣灵就不允许他继续让这个谎言存在了。他希望让全世界的人知道，《圣经》是唯一真理的来源。人若想要认识天堂，就要明白神说的天堂，而不是人写的天堂。这也是为何神要摩西一次又一次地，向以色列人复述律例和典章的原因，因为人是何等容易被迷惑啊！

Enjoy the Fruit of Jesus’ Labour

2021-02-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:31-42.  Let’s go!

John 4:31-34 (NIV) 
31  Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32  But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33  Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34  “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

On verses 31-34:  I could see the disciples coming to Jesus with food already in their mouths and casually inviting Jesus to eat something (v31).  Yet Jesus’ response confuses them (v32-33).  When Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (v34), what does he mean?  Jesus means that what drives him, satisfies him and empowers his life is doing his Father’s will and completing the assignment he has been given.  Jesus would say something related in Matthew 4 in the desert: “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)  Take John 4:34 and Matthew 4:4 together and we get a powerful truth: Jesus fed on two things – meditating on God’s Word and doing God’s work.

信仰的传承

2021-02-07 in , /by

〈申命记〉 6:13 你要敬畏耶和华你的神，侍奉祂，指着祂的名起誓。

每次在公路上飞驰，我总忍不住要感谢那些造路的人，以及那些工程师们。不管是不是高速公路，每条公路可以让大家如此畅通无止地奔驰，实在不容易！尤其细看那些捷运系统的连接，若不是非常细密的计算和谨慎地工作，很容易失之毫厘，差之千里。每一个转弯和连接都是那么完美，让人不能不感谢。否则高速快铁在上面运行，将是可等危险？

每次看到外子，我也是心里充满感谢。凭什么，我的公婆千辛万苦把他养育成为一个正人君子，而我就这样把他接收到我的生活中，让他成为照顾我的人？上帝很慷慨，在我们尚未懂得种树时，祂已经让我们享受到树的各样好处；在我们尚未能分辨美丑时，祂已经把闪烁的星星、柔媚的月娘挂在天上，让玫瑰花芬芳扑鼻，让悠扬的琴声使我们在母腹中跳跃，这世上有哪一件美好，是我们的成就呢？有时感到很惭愧，发现自己每天生产最多的，竟是垃圾。天天都要倒垃圾。

耶和华─你的　神领你进祂向你列祖亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓应许给你的地。那里有城邑，又大又美，非你所建造的；有房屋，装满各样美物，非你所装满的；有凿成的水井，非你所凿成的；还有葡萄园、橄榄园，非你所栽种的；你吃了而且饱足。(申6:10-11)

因此摩西提醒以色列人，神要带领他们进去的迦南地，那些城邑，又大又美，但不是以色列人建造的，神却让他们享用；有装满各样美物的房屋，那些美物是别人装满的，不是他们装满的。正如我们在父母家长大，享受父母在屋子里所装满的一切，却不是我们去赚来的。有凿成的水井，却不是他们出力去凿成的，而是别人的努力。还有葡萄园、橄榄园，非他们所栽种，却由他们享用其中的果实和一切。所以当他们吃得饱足时，要记得那是耶和华神的恩典。当我在享受生活里的丰富时，也要记得，都是神的供应。

Before You Receive Living Water

2021-02-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:15-30.  Let’s go!

John 4:15-18 (NIV) 
15  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 
16  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 
17  “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 
18  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 

Verses 15-18: The Samaritan woman’s curiosity for the living water Jesus offers turns into a real desire for it. She asks Jesus for this living water, but Jesus responds by saying “Go, call your husband and come back.” Why does Jesus do that? It’s because Jesus knew that this woman had been in a handful of failed marriages, and now she was living with someone she was not married to. Subtly Jesus was telling the woman that in order to experience the living water that Jesus makes available, she needed to repent of sin.  

更丰盛的生命(4b)

2021-02-05 in , /by

从两件事，你可以看见一个人的量度多少

　　从两件事，你可以看见一个人的量度多少：当你结婚的时候，多少人参加你的婚礼，可以看见你的份量；当你死的时候，多少人送你到坟墓，可以看见你的量度。我以后死的时候，多少人到我的坟墓来埋葬我，我现在不知道，但是我结婚的时候，一个只能容纳六百人的礼拜堂，来了一千二百人。为什么？因为太多人曾经听过我讲道，他们从传道人的身上领受上帝的恩典、感动，传到他们的生命，他们相当纪念、非常喜欢我，所以当我结婚的时候，他们都来了。

　　我没有请他们吃饭，因为我没有那么多钱，但我送每位来宾一包巧克力，我要送放很久也不会坏的东西，作为结婚的回礼，每位来的宾客，我们也送一本圣经给他们，圣经内页有我和我太太的签字，所以他们带着一包巧克力、一本圣经回家，可以吃地上的东西，也可以享受上帝的话语。一千多本圣经，在一天之内分完了。以后，我死了，我就不知道来的人有多少，特别如果是在新冠疫情的时代死去，很少人会到坟墓。

　　青年人在教会结婚的时候，有一种青年人结婚时，一定很多人来，就是那些参加诗班的青年人，他们常常为主献诗，常常在台上服事上帝，所以很多朋友来看他们。我们的诗班有一、两百人，有一个人结婚，很多人就来参加。分享自己与人的生命，当有需要的时候，就有很多人供应他们的生命给你，这是人际交往的公义原则。从来不服事别人的人结婚，没有人理睬。这是生命的原则。

　　我今天要从另一个方面来看谁的生命是丰盛的生命，成为我们今天重要的信息：

一、 一个人生命丰不丰盛，看他做人在困难中怎样奋斗：

　　在困难中站得住的人，他的生命是丰盛的；在困难中倒下去的人，他的生命不是丰盛的。现在，我要推倒他（编按：唐牧师所指的，是站在旁边的翻译员），那么，他站得好好的，我能够把他推倒的话，就表示我的生命比他更有力量。现在，我要推倒你，你要怎么预备？你要站马步，两脚要开一点。两脚太近，很容易跌倒，两脚分开，不容易跌倒。你看那些争战的人，中国人说：站马步，你两脚分开来，你的两个腿就变成你上面的根基了，根基稳固的人，不容易跌倒。

The Answer to Your Deepest Longing

2021-02-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:1-14.  Let’s go!

John 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,
2  although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
3  When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

On verses 1-3:  Notice that Jesus was intentional and careful in his movements.

John 4:4-6 (NIV)
4  Now he had to go through Samaria.
5  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

On verses 4-6:  On his way from Judea to Galilee, Jesus goes through Samaria.  The people living in Samaria, called Samaritans, were a people of mixed Jewish and Gentile blood.  The fact that Jesus was tired from the journey speaks to his humanity.  Interestingly, it was Jesus’ humanity that led him to this divine encounter in the verses that follow.

经文护符匣Tefillin

2021-02-04 in , /by

〈申命记〉 6:5 你要尽心、尽性、尽力爱耶和华你的神。

假如你搬新家，或是新租了一个住处，家俱和必需品之外，你一定得放什么东西在新住处呢？对于比较敬虔的犹太人，在搬到新家的卅天之内，一定得在家里的每一个门上摆设一个Mezuzah，一个放经文的漂亮盒子。当然，洗手间的门和厨柜的门就不用放了。这个盒子里装有依照犹太人的诫律做成的羊皮卷，上面写着两处经文〈申命记〉六章4-9节：「以色列啊，你要听！耶和华我们神是独一的主。你要尽心、尽性、尽力爱耶和华你的神。我今日所吩咐你的话都要记在心上，也要殷勤教训你的儿女。无论你坐在家里、行在路上，躺下、起来，都要谈论。也要系在手上为记号，戴在额上为经文。又要写在你房屋的门框上，并你的城门上。」

第二处经文在〈申命记〉11章13-21节：「你们若留意听从我今日所吩咐的诫命，爱耶和华你们的神，尽心、尽性侍奉祂，祂必按时降秋雨春雨在你们的地上，使你们可以收藏五谷、新酒和油，也必使你吃得饱足，并使田野为你的牲畜长草。你们要谨慎，免得心中受迷惑，就偏离正路，去侍奉敬拜别神。耶和华的怒气向你们发作，就使天闭塞不下雨，地也不出产，使你们在耶和华所赐给你们的美地上速速灭亡。」

以色列人按著摩西所说的，在他们各人的家里都摆放了神的话语，听说这个放经文的盒子价值不菲。因为按著犹太人的诫律作成的羊皮卷已经很耗时，又要请人在羊皮上抄写经文，那不是一般的手艺。至于放经文的盒子，因为要彰显神的荣耀，所以都做得十分精美，当然就不便宜了。这个盒子要放在门的右边，靠近右肩之处，他们每天进出时都要触摸一下，表示记得神的话。大约从十六世纪开始，有人认为不止要触摸，还要亲吻盒子，以表示对神话语的爱慕。这个经文盒子对以色列人而言，不止有洁净住处的作用，并且相信它会带来神的祝福和保护，有的人把它看成护身符。

Let Jesus Get the Glory

2021-02-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 3:22-36.  Let’s go!

John 3:22-30 (NIV) 
22  After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 
23  Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 
24  (This was before John was put in prison.) 
25  An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 
26  They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan–the one you testified about–well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” 
27  To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
29  The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 
30  He must become greater; I must become less.

On verses 22-30:  I absolutely love and admire the humility of John the Baptist.  Instead of envying Jesus because Jesus was baptizing more people than he was and becoming more popular than he was (v26), John the Baptist displays incredible humility.  First, John says, “A man can only receive what has been given to him from heaven.” (v27)  In other words, instead of worrying about he didn’t have, John the Baptist simply focused on what he did have because of God’s grace and was thankful for it.  Likewise, may you not worry and fret about what you don’t have but be thankful for what you do have.