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摩西遇见神

2020-10-20 in /by

出埃及记三章14节    神对摩西说：「我是自有永有的。」又说：「你要对以色列人这样说：『那自有的打发我到你们这里来。』」

怀抱着拯救同胞的热情，却丝毫没有得到同胞的理解，反而被呛：「谁立你做我们的首领和审判官呢？难道你要杀我，像杀那埃及人吗？」知道法老听见这事后必要杀他，摩西一路逃到了米甸。心理的创伤远胜过肉体的饥渴，离开了埃及王宫，他还剩下什么？在沙漠的日子里，他渴望有人的陪伴，也需要食物和水的补充。因此他来到了一口井旁，坐下，准备为自己打水。

正好有七个女孩来，为羊群打水，打满了槽，却被刚来的一批牧羊人赶走。一旁的摩西义愤填胸，拿出做王子时学的十八般武艺，把那些牧羊人打得落花流水。那些牧羊人平常覇道惯了，这次被修理得够呛，马不停蹄，全跑了。

这七个女孩不是别人，正是米甸祭司的七个女儿，可说是沙漠中的七仙女。她们饮完了羊就回家了，父亲看见她们早早回家，不禁奇怪。女儿们便把事情七嘴八舌说了一遍。这个父亲一听很高兴，便要请摩西吃饭。幸好那时沙漠中没有旅馆，摩西也没地方去，还是在井旁沉思，究竟要喝多少水才会不饿。所以七仙女很快找到摩西，就把他带回家了。

短话长说，摩西吃过饭，这父亲就把他留下了。看这年轻人仪表不凡，虽然风尘仆仆，胡须也几天没剔，谈吐也很有风度，这王室教出来的可不一般，就决定把女儿西坡拉嫁给他了。西坡拉是不是最小的七仙女，这就不知道了。摩西一不小心，就在米甸成家立业了，虽然这业和他的雄心大志无关，但也是他安身落地之处，就是去帮老丈人牧羊去了。西坡拉生了一个儿子，摩西给他起名叫革舜，意思说：「因我在外邦做了寄居的。」所以摩西的心一直没有到米甸，留在了埃及。

Pray Persistently

2020-10-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 18:1-8. Let’s go!

Luke 18:1-8 (NIV) 
1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 
2  He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 
3  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 
4  “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 
5  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!'” 
6  And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 
7  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 
8  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

On verses 1-8: Jesus’ parable about the persistent widow teaches us an important lesson about prayer: that praying with faith means praying with perseverance. If we want to see God move powerfully in response to our prayers, we must learn to be persistent and persevering in prayer. Persistence shows that we’re serious.

从水里拉出来的孩子

2020-10-19 in /by

出埃及记二章10节     孩子渐长，妇人把他带到法老的女儿那里，就做了她的儿子。她给孩子起名叫摩西，意思说：「因我把他从水里拉出来。」

在一个清朗的早晨，十岁的米利暗被啜泣的声音吵醒了，睁眼一看，是母亲约基别在做一个蒲草箱，蒲草通常被视为是杂草，但也被用来作为织绳、织席、制作草鞋之用，甚至可以被用来制船。她在箱子内外涂上沥青和石漆。米利暗揉揉眼睛，问：「妈妈，你在做什么？」三岁的亚伦也好奇地学姐姐：「妈妈，那是什么？」

约基别擦掉眼泪，小声地说：「小弟三个月了，哭声太大了，妈妈得想个办法。不能让法老发现，叫人把他丢到河里弄死。」米利暗吓得抱住了胸，亚伦没听懂，看着姐姐，说：「怕怕」。

约基别对米利暗说：「妈妈需要你的帮忙。今天下午妈妈要把弟弟放在这箱子里，放在河边的芦苇丛中。平常法老的女儿会在那时到河边洗澡，你要帮妈妈留意，看看公主会不会注意到这个箱子。然后，她抬头望天，仿佛在祷告：「神啊，救救这个孩子吧。」他们为了保护这个刚出生三个月的儿子，己经尽量不让他哭；三个月了，儿子的哭声越来越响亮，怕再也隐瞒不了，若被埃及人发现，他只有死路一条。除了耶和华神，还有谁能保护他呢？那天下午，约基别带着米利暗，趁没人注意时，把箱子搁在河边的芦荻中。约基别先回家，米利暗远远站着，要知道他究竟怎么样。

Keep Your Life and Lose It, Lose Your Life and Keep It?

2020-10-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 17:31-37. Let’s go!

Luke 17:31-32 (NIV)
31  On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 
32  Remember Lot’s wife!

On verses 31-32: What happened to Lot’s wife? In Genesis 19:26, when Lot and his family were fleeing from the city of Sodom as it was being destroyed, against God’s command Lot’s wife looked back. In focusing too much on the material things that she left behind, she was stopped in her tracks and became a pillar of salt. Similarly, Jesus warns that when he comes again, material possessions should be the least of our concerns.

埃及新王朝

2020-10-18 in /by

出埃及记一章17节    但是收生婆敬畏神，不照埃及王的吩咐行，竟存留男孩的性命。

以色列人在埃及享福的30年，随着约瑟的过世而走下坡了。「有不认识约瑟的新王起来，治理埃及」，这里的「新王」指的是新的王朝。这个新王朝的法老对他的百姓说：「看哪，这以色列民比我们还多，又比我们强盛。来吧，我们不如用巧计待他们，恐怕他们多起来，日后若遇什么争战的事，就联合我们的仇敌攻击我们，离开这地去了。」他的想法和别人不一样，一般应该是担心外族起来「统治埃及」，他却担心外族「离开埃及」？不过假如我们看过埃及的大型建筑，就不难理解劳动力对法老的重要性。

在约瑟的时代，由于荒年，约瑟先是以粮易畜，用粮食换走了百姓的牲畜；再来又用粮食买他们和他们的地，百姓和他们的地就都属于法老了，人和地都要给法老效力。百姓又求约瑟给他们种子去种地，使他们得以存活。后来约瑟立下规矩，百姓打粮食的时候，要把五分之一纳给法老，四分可以归百姓做地里的种子，也做百姓和他们家口孩童的食物。惟有祭司因有从法老得的常俸，所以不用卖身也不用卖地(创47)。这种规矩流传下去，强迫劳役，也就是每年要无偿为政府做一段时期的工作，变成税收的一种形式。

Don’t Be So Future-Focused That You Miss God’s Will For Today

2020-10-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 17:20-30. Let’s go!

Luke 17:20-21 (NIV) 
20  Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 
21  nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”

On verses 20-21: When the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come (v20), what they were referring to was the end times when God would judge the world. In response, Jesus warns the Pharisees against thinking that the kingdom of God was just some future event, when in fact the kingdom of God is already here and is working. As Jesus says, “the kingdom of God is within you” (v21). 

Faith Unlocks God’s Power in Your Life

2020-10-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 17:11-19.  Let’s go!

Luke 17:11-14 (NIV) 
11  Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 
12  As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 
13  and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 
14  When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

On verses 11-14: Notice that Jesus doesn’t touch the lepers or command their healing out loud. Instead, Jesus simply tells them to go show themselves to the priests. Why? It’s because when a leper was cleansed of his leprosy, he would show himself to a priest who would examine him and if satisfied that the leprosy was gone, would announce that the leper was now reinstated back into society. So when Jesus tells the ten lepers here to go and show themselves to the priests without having touched them or prayed for them, Jesus was expecting these ten lepers to go in faith and rely simply on Jesus’ word alone to heal them. And as they went, they were healed. 

什么是「上帝的旨意」？

2020-10-16 in /by

当一个人什么都说：「这是上帝的旨意」，就证明这个人不大懂上帝的旨意。上帝的旨意是除了上帝之外，最大的事。上帝的旨意是永恒的、不变的，连《圣经》里的使徒及先知们都不敢随便用这个词。「上帝的旨意」这几个字在《圣经》用的数量很少，因为十分严谨，我相信一个真正敬畏上帝的人，不会随便开口闭口讲「上帝的旨意」。

「上帝的旨意」与「上帝的引导」

「上帝的旨意」与「上帝的引导」有不同的地方。「上帝的引导」是上帝特别赐给祂的儿女，借着引导把上帝的儿女带到上帝的计画里，这就是上帝的旨意。上帝的旨意要我们遵行祂的话，上帝的旨意是透过圣灵引导我们，引我们进入上帝的计画里。凡被圣灵引导的，都是上帝的儿女（罗8:14-16）。

「永恒的谕令」与「动性的过程」

这样，「上帝的引导」因人而异，每个时代不同，「上帝的旨意」是每个时代相同的。旨意是在永恒里面定的，而引导则在时代中执行。我个人把这两个归人这两个名称：「永恒的谕令」（eternal decree）及「（上帝的旨意）在历史过程中有效能的运行」（dynamic process）。

上帝永恒的谕令展现了上帝永恒不变的旨意，上帝在历史之中展开祂的行动，在历史的程序里成就祂永恒的旨意。上帝在永恒里预定在历史中借着福音彰显出谁是祂的儿女，上帝差遣基督进入历史成全这个计画，上帝在永恒中要从我们身上得着完全的荣耀，因而在这世界雕塑管教我们，使我们可以成为荣耀祂的器皿。

神的意思原是好的

2020-10-15 in /by

创世记50章19-21节     约瑟对他们说：「不要害怕，我岂能代替神呢？从前你们的意思是要害我，但神的意思原是好的，要保全许多人的性命，成就今日的光景。现在你们不要害怕，我必养活你们和你们的妇人孩子。」于是，约瑟用亲爱的话安慰他们。

我相信很少有人看到这个故事的结尾而不动容的。在七个荒年未到以前，安城的祭司波提非拉的女儿亚西纳给约瑟生了两个儿子。约瑟给长子起名叫玛拿西，因为他说：「神使我忘了一切的困苦和我父的全家。」他给次子起名叫以法莲，因为他说：「神使我在受苦的地方昌盛。」(创41:50-52)

当约瑟看到可爱的婴儿时，他终于可以忘记一切的困苦和他的父家。神用这个儿子安慰了约瑟，使曾经笼罩他的黑暗和痛苦都像翻过了一页，给他有力量去面对光明的前景。这就是玛拿西的意义。翻页了，人生翻页了，约瑟的生命里再度有了欢笑。第二个儿子的来临，使约瑟深深感受到神的祝福，神让他在埃及昌盛。他曾在埃及受苦，但是也在此昌盛。这两个名字都使他想到「神使我…」，他深深体会到神是他生命的主宰，每一步，每一个环境都是出于神的美意。

Serve with an Attitude of Gratitude and a Heart of Humility

2020-10-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 17:1-10.  Let’s go!

Luke 17:1-3a (NIV) 
1  Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 
2  It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 
3  So watch yourselves…

On verses 1-3: From Jesus’ words here we can know that God watches the way we influence others, especially the generation coming after us. Do we encourage others to obey God or to sin against Him? God will hold us accountable for the way we affect the next generation, so let’s be careful to set the best example we can and to offer the best leadership we can by God’s grace.