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学习数算自己的日子

2020-10-02 in /by

诗篇九十篇里说：我们一生的年日是七十岁，若是强壮可到八十岁；但其中所矜夸的不过是劳苦愁烦，转眼成空，我们便如飞而去……求主指教我们怎样数算自己的日子，好叫我们得着智慧的心…

摩西在诗篇九十篇提到人一生的年岁，他要我们数算自己的日子，好得着智慧的心。通常这段话是勉励人要爱惜光阴，可是我们也可以借此思想，在我们一生不同的阶段和际遇中，如何让上帝永恒的心意，成全在我们身上，并且使我们能够返璞归真。历史上有一位哲学家说过：「知道怎么变老，是一个智慧的杰作，也是生活伟大艺术中最艰难的篇章。」一个懂得迈向老年的人，通常日子会过得更美好，因为迈向老年和走向永恒有很大的关联，有些人就算老了，却依旧很「美」，他们的美从脸上移到心里，这是对「美」一种新的定义。

古伦神父在《拥抱老年心生活》一书中提到：「老年就像葡萄树枝，秋天悬挂在树枝上的葡萄，不再继续成长；只是接受太阳的照射，逐渐成熟直到被采收酿酒，成为别人喜乐的泉源。」就好像老年人其实不必再追求成功、绩效，也不需要由成果得着别人的肯定与认同。不是因我们做了什么事，而是我们这个人是怎样的一个人，那才是更重要的。

葡萄成长通常有三个时期，第一个时期叫做肥大一期，果实变大的速度很快，大到某个程度后就进入肥大二期，成长速度稍微减缓，经过这两时期葡萄就长成了，接着进入成熟期，葡萄不再变大但还不能吃，需要一段时间成熟，那段时期看起来没有太多变化，而且过程更缓慢。这段成熟期用来形容人老的时候很合适，不是继续长大，也没有什么特别成就，可是非常重要，因为生命变得更甜美，甚至可以酿出香醇的酒。

God Is Patient But He Won’t Wait Forever

2020-10-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 13:1-9.  Let’s go!

Luke 13:1-5 (NIV) 
1  Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 
2  Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 
3  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 
4  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 
5  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 

On verses 1-5:  There are a number of powerful lessons we can learn from this passage. I look forward to sharing them with you at a THRIVE service today.  See you there!

Luke 13:6-9 (NIV) 
6  Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7  So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

和平之子以撒

2020-10-01 in /by

创世记 26章22节    以撒离开那里，又挖了一口井，他们不为这井争竞了，他就给那井起名叫利河伯。他说：「耶和华现在给我们宽阔之地，我们必在这地昌盛。」

亚伯拉罕在迦南地第一次遇到饥荒时，他立刻就去了埃及。以撒这时也碰到饥荒，神很及时地向以撒显现，叫他不要下埃及。神说：「你不要下埃及去，要住在我所指示你的地。」换句话说，神要以撒留在神要他住的地方，是哪里呢？是迦南。环境虽然有问题，但是神没有问题，神要以撒学习在困难中倚靠神。

以撒对神的信心是从亚伯拉罕而来的，他曾经被作为祭物献给耶和华，他也曾为利百加祷告求子。这些都是他对神的经历，但是他和神的距离还是很远，神是高高在上的神，他父亲的神。直到神向他显现，耶和华才成了以撒的神。所以张文亮老师说：「真实的信仰，不是灵验，而是个人与主的关系。」

神对以撒强调三点：1.基拉耳是他的寄居之地，不是应许之地。虽然如此，他那里寄居时，神也要赐福给他，与他同在。这是何等的安慰，以撒和亚伯拉罕不同，他是一个和平之子，他不像亚伯拉罕有那样的勇气，一听到罗得被抓，立刻带领家丁去救人。他一直生活在父亲的荫庇之下，现在却不能不应对周围超强悍的异族人。

2.神要坚定向亚伯拉罕所起的誓，要加增他的后裔，也要把迦南地赐给他的后裔。这表示神的恩典不止与亚伯拉罕同在，也要继续与以撒同在，借此坚定以撒对神的信心。

3.地上万国必因以撒的后裔得福。这是指因信称义的子民，也就是凡是凭著信心相信神所差来的耶稣基督，并且接受祂赎罪的救恩之人，都必为亚伯拉罕和以撒的后裔。

The Price of Peace

2020-10-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:49-59.  Let’s go!

Luke 12:49 (NIV) 
49  “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

On verse 49:  What fire did Jesus come to bring?  Some scholars think the “fire” here refers to Jesus judging the world one day.  Others think that this fire refers to the Holy Spirit whom God the Father would send upon the church later in Acts 2.  Perhaps it’s both.  In any event, in order for that “fire” to happen, Jesus would first have to go through a “baptism”, described in the next verse.

Luke 12:50 (NIV) 
50  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!

On verse 50:  Jesus was baptized in Luke 3, so what other “baptism” would Jesus still need to undergo?  The baptism Jesus is referring to here is his coming suffering and death on the cross.  Here we see the humanity of Jesus and “how distressed” he is as he awaits the time of his betrayal, crucifixion and death.  I appreciate how real and transparent Jesus is as a leader about his feelings and his struggles.

利百加和以撒

2020-09-30 in /by

创世记 24章63-67节     天将晚，以撒出来在田间默想，举目一看，见来了些骆驼。利百加举目看见以撒，就急忙下了骆驼，问那仆人说：「这田间走来迎接我们的是谁？」仆人说：「是我的主人。」利百加就拿帕子蒙上脸。仆人就将所办的一切事都告诉以撒。以撒便领利百加进了他母亲撒拉的帐篷，娶了她为妻，并且爱她。以撒自从他母亲不在了，这才得了安慰。

在夏天炎炎的大太阳底下，思想亚伯拉罕的老仆人，风尘仆仆地赶到美索不达米亚，毫无线索，不知如何去找到亚伯拉罕的本家本族，不禁令人替他担心。万一他找回去的新娘和以撒合不来，那又怎么办呢？

亚伯拉罕的条件很简单：「你要往我本地本族去，为我的儿子以撒娶一个妻子」。没有说要长多高，要胖的还是瘦的，也没有要他去探听女子的性情如何，会不会煮饭缝衣，会不会挤牛奶或羊奶？只要是他本地本族的一个女子就行。比巴西世界杯还容易，巴西世界杯有人找乌龟，有人找章鱼去神算哪国会赢。结果巴西的大头神龟算错了，巴西没赢，德国队赢。

中国腾讯《竞彩世界杯》节目里，竟有嘉宾解惑：「如果我们知道哪边会赢球，我们就不需要桂孟孟了，我们需要桂孟孟的判断来引导我们的思路。」桂孟孟是节目主持人桂斌老师的巴西龟，据说测中了很多次，可惜究竟还是龟。若是我们要龟来引导思路，后悔的机会就多了。想提前知道谁会赢球要靠龟测，可惜多有不中。那么，想要知道将来的路要怎样走，要跟谁结婚，要靠谁才能测对呢？

亚伯拉罕把找媳妇的事押在耶和华神的带领上，他押中了。大卫鲍森牧师说：「在《圣经》中每四节经文，就有一节是在预言未来，而《圣经》里面一共有735件说到未来将发生的事件，已经有596件事确实发生了，也就是超过八成都已经实现。还没实现的预言，大多跟末日有关。《圣经》上的预言，既然已经应验了八成，那么，另外两成应该也会应验，尤其是关于历史和世界末日的事件，因此，我们可以说，到目前为止，《圣经》预言，是百分之百正确的。」所以相信神的带领还是比较可靠。

Ready and Waiting

2020-09-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:35-48.  Let’s go!

On verses 35-48:  Here Jesus shares a parable (or what some may consider to be two parables) about the kind of servant that pleases God.  How do we apply these parables from Jesus to our lives?  Here are four ways we can do so:

1. See yourself as a servant of God.  Until Jesus comes again you want to have the mindset that “God does not exist to serve me.  I exist to serve God.”  No matter what your current occupation is or what season of life you may be in, think of yourself as serving God when you carry out your responsibilities.  As the apostle Paul would say, carry out your daily responsibilities “as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).  See yourself as a trustee of the time, the talents, and the resources that God has entrusted to you, knowing that one day you will be accountable to God for what you did with what He gave you (v48).

2. Give your best when you work.  Whether you’re serving at church, or serving at home, or serving at school or work, be known as someone who gives their best.  Don’t be a mediocre servant who gives half-hearted, half-baked service.  Others and God can smell a mediocre effort from far and away whether or not they call you on it. As Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart”.

麦比拉洞

2020-09-29 in /by

创世记 23章19-20节   此后，亚伯拉罕把他妻子撒拉埋葬在迦南地幔利前的麦比拉田间的洞里，幔利就是希伯仑。从此，那块田和田间的洞，就借着赫人定准归于亚伯拉罕做坟地。

在撒拉出生时，她的父亲他拉给她取名「撒莱」，意思就是「我的公主」。相信在许多父亲的心中，女儿便是他心中的公主，从小疼爱、呵护着长大的。撒莱跟同父异母的哥哥亚伯兰结婚，在当时是很平常的事，即使是现在，在阿拉伯人当中堂兄妹结婚也很正常。但是，是否近亲结婚的原因，以致撒莱迟迟不育？

不能生育，等于是当时女人最大的失败。虽然耶和华神应许亚伯兰的后裔将如星星和海沙那么多，可是，是经由她吗？一个不能生育的女人？撒莱以为那应许是给亚伯兰的，跟她没有关系；却没想到在〈创世记〉时，神就说过男人要离开父母，与妻子联合成为一体(创2:24)，一体就是同命的，自然领受同样的应许。

3 Reasons You Don’t Need to Worry

2020-09-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:22-34.  Let’s go!

Luke 12:22-23 (NIV) 
22  Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 
23  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.

On verses 22-23:  God gave us life not just so that we could eat.  God gave us a body not just so that we fret about clothing it.  God gave you life and a body so that you would live for a purpose that is much greater than material things alone, that you would know God and have a loving relationship with Him that spills over into the way you live life and love people.

你爱我吗？

2020-09-28 in /by

创世记 22章16-18节    耶和华说：『你既行了这事，不留下你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，我便指著自己起誓说：论福，我必赐大福给你；论子孙，我必叫你的子孙多起来，如同天上的星，海边的沙；你子孙必得着仇敌的城门；并且地上万国都必因你的后裔得福，因为你听从了我的话。』

神要试验亚伯拉罕，便叫亚伯拉罕带着以撒到摩利亚山上，把他献为燔祭。燔祭的意思便是全然献上，要把祭牲杀了，放到柴上，全部烧在祭坛上，只留下一堆灰烬的祭(利1:3-9)。

在亚伯拉罕住的迦南地，便有献婴的习俗。为了向天上的神明求助，献祭者要献上自己最重要的倚靠，也就是长子，因为长子是人老了以后的倚靠，表明他单单信赖神明。因为在他们的看法里，儿子是神明所赐，所以神明有权取回。考古学家在巴勒斯坦一带挖掘，在异教神坛附近的墓地发现大量新生婴儿的骸骨和骨灰，可见以儿童为祭这种残酷的宗教仪式十分普遍。可能因为受到当地习俗的影响，因此亚伯拉罕对神的这要求，并没有作出任何抗议。

〈希伯来书〉11章记载：「亚伯拉罕因着信，被试验的时候，就把以撒献上；这便是那欢喜领受应许的，将自己的独生的儿子献上。论到这儿子，曾有话说：『从以撒生的才要称为你的后裔。』他以为神还能叫人从死里复活，他也仿佛从死中得回他的儿子来。」

Don’t Waste Your Breath

2020-09-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 12:13-21.  Let’s go!

Luke 12:13-14 (NIV) 
13  Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 
14  Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”

On verses 13-14:  Though this man in the crowd called Jesus “Teacher” in verse 13, the way he makes this demand of Jesus in verse 14 suggests that this man was not that serious about following Jesus or his teachings (such as what Jesus says in Luke 6:30) and simply wanted to use Jesus to get money.

What can we learn from this?   When we have the right perspective on money, we will use money and love people. But when we have the wrong perspective on money, we will use people and love money.