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圭必不离犹大

2020-10-14 in /by

创世记49章8-12节     犹大啊，你弟兄们必赞美你，你手必掐住仇敌的颈项，你父亲的儿子们必向你下拜。犹大是个小狮子。我儿啊，你抓了食便上去。你屈下身去，卧如公狮，蹲如母狮，谁敢惹你？ 圭必不离犹大，杖必不离他两脚之间，直等细罗来到，万民都必归顺。犹大把小驴拴在葡萄树上，把驴驹拴在美好的葡萄树上。他在葡萄酒中洗了衣服，在葡萄汁中洗了袍褂。他的眼睛必因酒红润，他的牙齿必因奶白亮。

在〈创世记〉38章里说了一个有关犹大的故事。犹大是利亚生的第四个儿子。利亚怀孕生流便(鲁本)时说：「耶和华看见我的苦情，如今我的丈夫必爱我。」 她又怀孕生西缅，就说：「耶和华因为听见我失宠，所以又赐给我这个儿子。」她第三子叫利未，因为：「我给丈夫生了三个儿子，他必与我联合。」 第四次怀孕生子时，她说：「这回我要赞美耶和华。」因此给他起名叫犹大。所以犹大本来是最好的一个名字，意思是「赞美」；可惜被卖耶稣的犹大把这个名字给污染，没人再敢用此名。

但是当我们看到雅各在最后的祝福里，他把将来出弥赛亚的支派福份给了犹大。就像神给亚伯拉罕的祝福，亚伯拉罕把祝福传给以撒，以撒又把祝福传给雅各，雅各又把祝福传给了犹大。这条线在旧约里一直主导下去，直到主耶稣的降生，所以我们来看看犹大的家庭。

犹大年轻时跟一个迦南人的女儿结婚，所以我们可以想见，神若没有让雅各把全家人带到埃及，他们的后代一定都是和迦南人混交的混血儿了。犹大和妻子生了三个儿子，珥，俄南和示拉。犹大为珥娶妻她玛，但是珥行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，他就死了。在犹太人中有个习俗，哥哥死了若没留后，弟弟要为了哥哥留后，与嫂子结婚。

Don’t Try to Justify Yourself

2020-10-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 16:15-31. Let’s go!

Luke 16:15 (NIV) 
15  He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

On verse 15: What does it mean to “justify yourselves in the eyes of men”? To justify yourself means to do things or say things with the goal of showing God or others how good, righteous and godly you are. 

The Pharisees were famous for justifying themselves. They would boast about the things they had done as a way to show how spiritual they were. They would even point to their wealth as evidence that they were righteous in God’s sight. That is why just prior to this verse Jesus speaks against the Pharisees’ love of money.

Today people try to justify themselves also, whether they realize it or not. For example, when I ask people whether they think they will go to heaven when they die, the conversation will often go like this:

雅各家欢聚一堂

2020-10-13 in /by

创世记46章3-4节     神说：「我是神，就是你父亲的神。你下埃及去不要害怕，因为我必使你在那里成为大族。我要和你同下埃及去，也必定带你上来。约瑟必给你送终。」

自从约瑟的哥哥们把那件染血的彩衣送到雅各手上，雅各的悲哀就一发不可收拾，因为他失去了和拉结的爱情结晶，那个美好的孩子约瑟。约瑟的哥哥们看到老父苍然隐泣多年，他们的心里也不好受。一个隐瞒了十四年的秘密，谁也不敢说。若是被雅各知道他们卖了约瑟去做奴隶，雅各会不会就这样一路下埃及去找他？雅各怎么舍得让约瑟去受做奴隶之苦？

十四年，自从约瑟被卖，没有一个人过得舒畅，被罪辖制的日子实在苦不堪言。幸好，接着有七年谷物的丰收；但是七年的干旱也接踵而至。丰收时，谁也不知道苦日子在前面；正好像我们在2019年开心的计划时，没有人晓得全球的人在下一年会被一只病毒禁足。丰收时日容易过，饥荒的时候度日如年。埃及的情形代表了她附近地区也都有类似的气候。雅各家在迦南也开始担心粮食的不足，因为迦南地也有饥荒。

听到埃及有粮，雅各便叫儿子们下埃及买粮。但是雅各留下了便雅悯，拉结产难时生的儿子，怕他和约瑟一样遭到不幸。

约瑟的哥哥们到了埃及，见到约瑟，他们脸伏于地，向约瑟下拜。约瑟认得他哥哥们，他们却不认得他。约瑟想起从前所做的那两个梦，这梦真的应验了。他抑制满心的激动，预备试试他们，便说他们是奸细，来窥探埃及的虚实。这是很可怕的指控，于是他们招出了家里还有一个弟弟。约瑟原是要知道便雅悯如何。接着约瑟把他们全部下到监里，又偷听他们的对话。

The Taming of the Shrewd

2020-10-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 16:1-14. Let’s go!

Luke 16:1-8 (NIV) 
1  Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 
2  So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 
3  “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg– 
4  I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 
5  “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 
6  “‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ …..

On verses 1-8:  Is Jesus telling this story to encourage us to lie and be dishonest? Not at all. Rather Jesus is highlighting the importance of being shrewd – that is, street smart, wise, strategic, and proactive – when dealing with problems. Often times I find that the reason why an individual, a team, a ministry or an organization is not as effective as they could be is not for a lack of heart, but a lack of wisdom, a lack of what Jesus calls “shrewdness”.

美梦成真

2020-10-13 in /by

创世记41章39-41节   法老对约瑟说：「神既将这事都指示你，可见没有人像你这样有聪明有智慧。你可以掌管我的家，我的民都必听从你的话，唯独在宝座上我比你大。」法老又对约瑟说：「我派你治理埃及全地。」

约瑟从一个奴隶升到了管家的位置，又从管家跌到了囚犯的地位。问题是，他真的不知道自己究竟错在哪里？一个没有犯错的人也会被神责罚吗？他不明白。被兄长们出卖的哀痛还在心里，又被波提乏不问青红皂白地下到监牢里，兄长的绝情无义，波提乏妻子的诬告，主人的黑白不分，让约瑟哭诉无门。一个没有身份的奴隶，谁来为你开脱？

有不少艺人被网路覇凌就自杀了，也有人被婆家欺负就自杀了，也有学生在学校被欺负就跳楼了，约瑟比他们都更有自杀的理由，但是他没有自杀。命运想把他压榨到社会的最底层，他却总是努力而爬到最高的地方。

护卫长府里的监狱都是关王的囚犯，因为神与约瑟同在，他就在司狱的眼前蒙恩，司狱就把监里所有的囚犯都交在约瑟手下，他们在那里所办的事都是经他的手。凡在约瑟手下的事，司狱一概不察，因为耶和华与约瑟同在，耶和华使他所做的尽都顺利。(创39:21-23)

因为耶和华与他同在，这是回头之后的体会。在苦难中，一点恩惠都会给人活下去的勇气。神就借着司狱，让约瑟慢慢又站起来。当我们在逆境时，是否也能体会到神借着人或环境向我们彰显的美意？有位在中国被抓的传道人曾做见证，当他沮丧到觉得无法再撑下去时，神借着一朵小花让他体会到神的同在，因而重新有了勇气。因为耶和华与我们同在，这思想是我们在黑暗中的灯塔。

约瑟在王的监狱里碰到的都是侍候王的人，因为犯错所以被关进来。所以他有很多机会可以知道王宫里的大小事情。接着又有两个人被关进来，一个是王的酒政，一个是膳长，都是最亲近王的人。司狱把这两个人交给约瑟去伺候，当约瑟看见他们面有愁容时就问候他们。原来他们各做一梦，却不知何解。

What Happens Next in The Most Famous Story Ever Told

2020-10-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 15:25-32.  Let’s go!

Luke 15:25-32 (NIV) 
25  “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 
26  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 
27  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 
28  “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 
29  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 
30  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 
31  “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 
32  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'”

On verses 25-32:  What an awesome time we had at Thrive yesterday looking at this passage together. If you missed the message yesterday, I hope you’ll catch it on our THRIVE Podcast, Facebook or Youtube channel. 

约瑟的美梦和噩梦

2020-10-11 in /by

从人的眼光来看，神的应许之子和选民都应该比其他人更兴旺才对，但是历史却不是如此记载。亚伯拉罕生了两个儿子，以实玛利一生就十二个族长，而以撒很辛苦才生出以扫和雅各。以扫的子孙在以东都做王了，而雅各的子孙还在牧羊。神一点都不急，祂也不要我们心急，只要我们专心仰望，事情就会成就。快跑的不一定赢，力大的不一定得胜，因为一切都在神的掌管之中。

雅各一家在迦南定居了，表面看起来一切都安稳了。但是雅各对拉结的一往情深，似乎并没有因着岁月的流逝而减少，他把对拉结的爱转移到约瑟身上。拉结生了两个儿子：约瑟和便雅悯，但是看到便雅悯就让雅各想到拉结是为了生他而死，所以他对约瑟的爱就更深了。他为约瑟做了一件彩衣，根据当时的习俗，那是给王子或公主穿的，看在其他哥哥们眼中，真的令人生气嫉妒，因此不跟他说和气的话，也就是处处和他作对。

约瑟的处境很危险，然而天真的他并没有丝毫查觉，反而像个小侦探一样，常常去向父亲打小报告，说这个哥哥做了什么不好的事，那个哥哥又犯了什么错，搞得哥哥们也不敢得罪他，有时还得讨好他，封他的口才行。

有一天醒来，约瑟很高兴地向大家宣布他做了一个奇特的梦，梦到他们在田里捆禾稼，他的捆起来站着，哥哥们的捆来围着他的捆下拜。哥哥们本来己经很讨厌他了，这下更恨他了，因为约瑟将来还要管辖他们？受他一辈子的气？

大家的气都还没消掉，约瑟又宣布他做了另一个梦，梦见太阳、月亮与十一个星向他下拜。这下连雅各都受不了，责备他：「你做的这是什么梦！难道我和你母亲、你弟兄果然要来俯伏在地，向你下拜吗？」 骂归骂，雅各却把这事放在心里。谁也不知道将来如何，但是有些梦却是未来之事的预兆。

The Most Famous Story Ever Told (Part 1)

2020-10-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 15:11-24.  It is the first part to one of the most famous stories ever told.

Luke 15:11-24 (NIV) 
11  Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 
12  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 
13  “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 
14  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 
15  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 
16  He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 
17  “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ….

On verses 11-24:  This parable is one of the greatest, most powerful pictures of God’s amazing, unconditional love for us.  It is such a well known story that people sometimes assume they already know everything there is to learn concerning it.  At a THRIVE service today I’ll be sharing some lessons I’ve been learning from this passage that I hope will give you a fresh revelation of God’s love for you.   Hope to see you there!

真基督徒的三大记号

2020-10-09 in /by

我们要省察自己

我们是基督徒，是谁说的呢？是谁承认的呢？自己说我是基督徒的人，若上帝不承认有什么用呢？「当那日必有许多人对我说：『主啊，主啊，我们不是奉祢的名传道，奉祢的名赶鬼，奉祢的名行许多异能吗？』我就明明的告诉他们说：『我从来不认识你们，你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧！』」（太7:22-23）

一个人做了传道人，用主的名行了神蹟、赶了魔鬼、医治疾病、说了方言，他以为他已经做了上帝要他做的工作，当他到主面前，他想：「我一生已经做了那么多上帝的工作，讲道、赶鬼、行神蹟、说预言，这样有能力的传道人，上帝一定非常欢喜、接纳」，所以他对主说：「主啊，我不是奉祢的名赶鬼、医病、行神蹟、说预言吗？」主却对他说：「我从来不认识你。」「主啊！我认识祢，我是为祢工作的。我是著名的牧师，我是著名的传道，我做了赶鬼、医病、传福音的工作。」主说：「你这作恶的人，离开我去吧！」

除了《圣经》，从来没有一本书讲比这更可怕的事，自以为是基督徒的，自以为是上帝的仆人，自以为是传福音的，自以为有大能、行神蹟、赶鬼的，而且是奉主的名做这些事，主一个都不认可。不仅如此，主甚至斥责：「你这作恶的人，离开我去吧！」如果这件事临到我们身上，你只能凄凄惨惨、跺脚搥胸、流下眼泪离开耶稣。这什么都放下归向耶稣基督的人，却不得耶稣基督的认可，他的人生还有什么意义？

我们要深思：「如果我不是真基督徒、不是真传道人，却是一个连耶稣都不认可的人，我要怎样度过我的永恒？当我走完世上的日子，进入永恒却不被耶稣所承认，我该怎么办？岂不是要进入地狱，永远受苦吗？」不要等到那一天，因为到了那一天已经太迟了。如果这句话是从主的口里说出来，我们就无法修改自己的命运了，因为耶稣的宣告是最高的权柄、最后的权威，你就要永远离开天父，你的命运就是进到地狱、捶胸顿足。

Because You Are Precious to God, God Searches for You

2020-10-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 15:1-10.  Let’s go!

Luke 15:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 
2  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

On verses 1-2:  Jesus’ biggest critics, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, taught that to be truly holy and pleasing to God, you must separate yourself from people who were known to be habitual sinners.  That is why the Pharisees and teachers of the law found it puzzling, disgusting and also a basis for accusing Jesus when they saw that Jesus was hanging out with the very people that the Pharisees and teachers of the law shunned.    Knowing what the Pharisees and teachers of the law were thinking, Jesus will tell, in the verses that follow, some of his most famous parables to show why He the Son of God welcomes sinners and eats with them. 

Luke 15:3-4 (NIV) 
3  Then Jesus told them this parable: 
4  “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?