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摩西回到埃及

2020-10-21 in /by

出埃及記四章29-31節   摩西、亞倫就去招聚以色列的眾長老。亞倫將耶和華對摩西所說的一切話述說了一遍，又在百姓眼前行了那些神蹟。百姓就信了。以色列人聽見耶和華眷顧他們，鑒察他們的困苦，就低頭下拜。

雅各和神的使者摔跤，直到他的大腿窩被摸了一把，他的腳扭了；他還是不放神的使者走，直到神的使者祝福他，才放他走。摩西也有這個較勁的性情。耶和華神把祂的計劃全盤告訴摩西，卻換來摩西的推三阻四。

摩西回答說：「他們必不信我，也不聽我的話，必說：『耶和華並沒有向你顯現。』」

耶和華對摩西說：「你手裡是什麼？」他說：「是杖。」

耶和華說：「丟在地上。」

他一丟下去，就變做蛇，摩西便跑開。

耶和華對摩西說：「伸出手來，拿住牠的尾巴，牠必在你手中仍變為杖。如此好叫他們信耶和華他們祖宗的神，就是亞伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神，是向你顯現了。」

耶和華又對他說：「把手放在懷裡。」他就把手放在懷裡，及至抽出來，不料，手長了大痲瘋，有雪那樣白。

耶和華說：「再把手放在懷裡。」

他就再把手放在懷裡，及至從懷裡抽出來，不料，手已經復原，與周身的肉一樣。

又說：「倘或他們不聽你的話，也不信頭一個神蹟，他們必信第二個神蹟。這兩個神蹟若都不信，也不聽你的話，你就從河裡取些水，倒在旱地上，你從河裡取的水必在旱地上變做血。」(出4:1-9)

神給摩西三個特異功能，為了向百姓證明他是奉耶和華神的差遣來救他們。平常人有了這三個特異功能應該欣喜若狂，摩西卻不然。

How to Approach God like a Child

2020-10-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 18:9-16, but we’ll add verse 17 in there too, since it fits the context. Let’s go!

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV) 
9  To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 
10  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 
11  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. 
12  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 
13  “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 
14  “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

On verses 9-14: Through this parable Jesus shows us the difference between those who justify themselves before God and those who look to God for justification. On one hand, those who try to justify themselves, like the Pharisee, take a position of pride and boasting before God. They list their resume of good deeds to show God how good they think they are and why they deserve God’s approval.

摩西遇見神

2020-10-20 in /by

出埃及記三章14節    神對摩西說：「我是自有永有的。」又說：「你要對以色列人這樣說：『那自有的打發我到你們這裡來。』」

懷抱著拯救同胞的熱情，卻絲毫沒有得到同胞的理解，反而被嗆：「誰立你做我們的首領和審判官呢？難道你要殺我，像殺那埃及人嗎？」知道法老聽見這事後必要殺他，摩西一路逃到了米甸。心理的創傷遠勝過肉體的饑渴，離開了埃及王宮，他還剩下什麼？在沙漠的日子裡，他渴望有人的陪伴，也需要食物和水的補充。因此他來到了一口井旁，坐下，準備為自己打水。

正好有七個女孩來，為羊群打水，打滿了槽，卻被剛來的一批牧羊人趕走。一旁的摩西義憤填胸，拿出做王子時學的十八般武藝，把那些牧羊人打得落花流水。那些牧羊人平常覇道慣了，這次被修理得夠嗆，馬不停蹄，全跑了。

這七個女孩不是別人，正是米甸祭司的七個女兒，可說是沙漠中的七仙女。她們飲完了羊就回家了，父親看見她們早早回家，不禁奇怪。女兒們便把事情七嘴八舌說了一遍。這個父親一聽很高興，便要請摩西吃飯。幸好那時沙漠中沒有旅館，摩西也沒地方去，還是在井旁沉思，究竟要喝多少水才會不餓。所以七仙女很快找到摩西，就把他帶回家了。

短話長說，摩西吃過飯，這父親就把他留下了。看這年輕人儀表不凡，雖然風塵僕僕，鬍鬚也幾天沒剔，談吐也很有風度，這王室教出來的可不一般，就決定把女兒西坡拉嫁給他了。西坡拉是不是最小的七仙女，這就不知道了。摩西一不小心，就在米甸成家立業了，雖然這業和他的雄心大志無關，但也是他安身落地之處，就是去幫老丈人牧羊去了。西坡拉生了一個兒子，摩西給他起名叫革舜，意思說：「因我在外邦做了寄居的。」所以摩西的心一直沒有到米甸，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.

從水裡拉出來的孩子

2020-10-19 in /by

出埃及記二章10節     孩子漸長，婦人把他帶到法老的女兒那裡，就做了她的兒子。她給孩子起名叫摩西，意思說：「因我把他從水裡拉出來。」

在一個清朗的早晨，十歲的米利暗被啜泣的聲音吵醒了，睜眼一看，是母親約基別在做一個蒲草箱，蒲草通常被視為是雜草，但也被用來作為織繩、織席、製作草鞋之用，甚至可以被用來製船。她在箱子內外塗上瀝青和石漆。米利暗揉揉眼睛，問：「媽媽，你在做什麼？」三歲的亞倫也好奇地學姐姐：「媽媽，那是什麼？」

約基別擦掉眼淚，小聲地說：「小弟三個月了，哭聲太大了，媽媽得想個辦法。不能讓法老發現，叫人把他丟到河裡弄死。」米利暗嚇得抱住了胸，亞倫沒聽懂，看著姐姐，説：「怕怕」。

約基別對米利暗說：「媽媽需要你的幫忙。今天下午媽媽要把弟弟放在這箱子裡，放在河邊的蘆葦叢中。平常法老的女兒會在那時到河邊洗澡，你要幫媽媽留意，看看公主會不會注意到這個箱子。然後，她抬頭望天，彷彿在禱告：「神啊，救救這個孩子吧。」他們為了保護這個剛出生三個月的兒子，己經盡量不讓他哭；三個月了，兒子的哭聲越來越響亮，怕再也隱瞞不了，若被埃及人發現，他只有死路一條。除了耶和華神，還有誰能保護他呢？那天下午，約基別帶著米利暗，趁沒人注意時，把箱子擱在河邊的蘆荻中。約基別先回家，米利暗遠遠站著，要知道他究竟怎麼樣。

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

出埃及記一章17節    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，隨著約瑟的過世而走下坡了。「有不認識約瑟的新王起來，治理埃及」，這裡的「新王」指的是新的王朝。這個新王朝的法老對他的百姓說：「看哪，這以色列民比我們還多，又比我們強盛。來吧，我們不如用巧計待他們，恐怕他們多起來，日後若遇什麼爭戰的事，就聯合我們的仇敵攻擊我們，離開這地去了。」他的想法和別人不一樣，一般應該是擔心外族起來「統治埃及」，他卻擔心外族「離開埃及」？不過假如我們看過埃及的大型建築，就不難理解勞動力對法老的重要性。

在約瑟的時代，由於荒年，約瑟先是以糧易畜，用糧食換走了百姓的牲畜；再來又用糧食買他們和他們的地，百姓和他們的地就都屬於法老了，人和地都要給法老效力。百姓又求約瑟給他們種子去種地，使他們得以存活。後來約瑟立下規矩，百姓打糧食的時候，要把五分之一納給法老，四分可以歸百姓做地裡的種子，也做百姓和他們家口孩童的食物。惟有祭司因有從法老得的常俸，所以不用賣身也不用賣地(創47)。這種規矩流傳下去，強迫勞役，也就是每年要無償為政府做一段時期的工作，變成稅收的一種形式。

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. 

什麼是「上帝的旨意」？

2020-10-16 in /by

當一個人什麼都說：「這是上帝的旨意」，就證明這個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。上帝的旨意是永恆的、不變的，連《聖經》裡的使徒及先知們都不敢隨便用這個詞。「上帝的旨意」這幾個字在《聖經》用的數量很少，因為十分嚴謹，我相信一個真正敬畏上帝的人，不會隨便開口閉口講「上帝的旨意」。

「上帝的旨意」與「上帝的引導」

「上帝的旨意」與「上帝的引導」有不同的地方。「上帝的引導」是上帝特別賜給祂的兒女，藉著引導把上帝的兒女帶到上帝的計畫裡，這就是上帝的旨意。上帝的旨意要我們遵行祂的話，上帝的旨意是透過聖靈引導我們，引我們進入上帝的計畫裡。凡被聖靈引導的，都是上帝的兒女（羅8:14-16）。

「永恆的諭令」與「動性的過程」

這樣，「上帝的引導」因人而異，每個時代不同，「上帝的旨意」是每個時代相同的。旨意是在永恆裡面定的，而引導則在時代中執行。我個人把這兩個歸人這兩個名稱：「永恆的諭令」（eternal decree）及「（上帝的旨意）在歷史過程中有效能的運行」（dynamic process）。

上帝永恆的諭令展現了上帝永恆不變的旨意，上帝在歷史之中展開祂的行動，在歷史的程序裡成就祂永恆的旨意。上帝在永恆裡預定在歷史中藉著福音彰顯出誰是祂的兒女，上帝差遣基督進入歷史成全這個計畫，上帝在永恆中要從我們身上得著完全的榮耀，因而在這世界雕塑管教我們，使我們可以成為榮耀祂的器皿。