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2 Things That Help Me When I’m In Pain

2020-01-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 3:1-26.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-26:  Job is now in emotional, physical and spiritual anguish, so much so that he curses the day he was born.  In our culture we tend to celebrate people on their birthday.  In cursing the day of his birth, Job was basically saying, “After all the trouble and pain I have experienced, I wish I had never lived.  I wish I could die right now.”  If I had to break it down even more, verses 1 to 20 are Job asking the question, “Why did I have to live?” while verses 21 to 26 are Job asking the question, “Why can’t I die right now?”   For Job, death seems to be the only rest he can look forward to (v13-19).

What can we learn from all this?

Notice that Job finally opens up after 7 days of sitting in silence with his friends (see Job 2:13).  Imagine if Job’s friends had given up on the 6th day and said, “Job’s never going to talk.  Let’s just go.”  It shows that when a person is in great pain, you need to give them time to open up.  Also, when they finally do open up, don’t be surprised if their words are difficult to hear. 

The Worst Thing and the Best Thing You Can Do For a Friend In Pain

2020-01-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-8:  In chapter 1, Job passed his first test with flying colours.  Now a second test is coming.  God continues to boast of Job’s steadfast faith in Him, while Satan believes that if Job’s own health is taken away, Job will turn away from God and curse Him.  So, with the Lord’s permission, Satan afflicts Job with painful sores from head to toe all over his body.  The closest thing Job experiences to relief is scraping himself with a piece of broken pottery (v8).

What can we learn from this?  God has a good purpose in allowing sickness.  Once Jesus and his disciples met a blind man.  The disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned – this blind man or his parents – to cause him to be blind?”  Jesus said, “Neither, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3).  Then Jesus would go on to heal the man’s blindness in a most interesting and gradual way.  Though sickness is not God’s original plan for us, I believe God allows sickness and disease ultimately so that we would learn to trust Him and so that in His time He can display His redeeming, healing, resurrecting work in our lives.

詩篇一百十九篇145-152節

2020-01-02 in /by

ק Qoph（第19段）

145耶和華啊，我一心呼籲祢，求祢應允我，我必謹守祢的律例。
146我向祢呼籲，求祢救我，我要遵守祢的法度。
147我趁天未亮呼求，我仰望了祢的言語。
148我趁夜更未換，將眼睜開，為要思想祢的話語。
149求祢照祢的慈愛聽我的聲音，耶和華啊，求祢照祢的典章將我救活。
150追求奸惡的人臨近了，他們遠離祢的律法。
151耶和華啊，祢與我相近，祢一切的命令盡都真實。
152我因學祢的法度，久已知道是祢永遠立定的。

在2020年的年初三，我們來看看可以從神的話語裡得到怎樣的提醒。這段經文若用英文來看，我們很快就會有感受了，我來列出幾句經文的前一小節：

I call out at the top of my lungs,我一心呼籲祢
I called to you, “Save me 我向祢呼籲，求祢救我
I was up before sunrise, 我趁天未亮呼求
I stayed awake all night, 我趁夜更未換，將眼睜開

這些經文讓我們看到大衛和神的關係，還有大衛的行動(action)。你平常會向誰呼求？你半夜時會想起誰呢？在新年之際，我們看到有很多人天未亮就去廟前排隊，為了想取得頭香，拿到發財籤；甚至也有人當黃牛去排隊，這些人為的都是錢，除了錢之外，還有什麼可以讓你心動到天未亮就起來？夜更未換就將眼睜開？

詩篇一百十九篇137-144節

2020-01-02 in /by

ץ Tsadde（第18段）

137耶和華啊，祢是公義的，祢的判語也是正直的。
138祢所命定的法度是憑公義和至誠。
139我心焦急，如同火燒，因我敵人忘記祢的言語。
140祢的話極其精煉，所以祢的僕人喜愛。
141我微小被人藐視，卻不忘記祢的訓詞。
142祢的公義永遠長存，祢的律法盡都真實。
143我遭遇患難愁苦，祢的命令卻是我所喜愛的。
144祢的法度永遠是公義的，求祢賜我悟性，我就活了。

新年2020的第二天，我們還是希望新酒裝在新皮袋裡，能有一個嶄新的人生。有人說：如果連你自己都不喜歡你自己，你就不會對你自己很好，因為我們通常不會對不喜歡的人太好。所以你不喜歡你自己，你就不會做對自己有幫助的事情，你同意嗎？

那怎樣才能喜歡自己，對自己好，做對自己有幫助的事呢？

作者大衛在這段經文裡講到他微小被人藐視，大衛的身才材確實不是又高又有型的。在博物館裡，大衛王年輕時的雕像都是比較矮小的。現在的男孩子若長得矮小一點，上學有時會被欺負，被覇凌。大衛說到，他也是因為微小，所以被人渺視。

你有沒有被人渺視的經歷呢？大衛被人渺視，遭遇患難愁苦，但是他懂得抓緊神的話，緊緊地倚靠神。

In Your Pain, Surrender to God

2020-01-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Job 1:13-22.  Let’s go!

On verses 13-22:  In one day, four messengers come to Job, one after another, each delivering horrifying news: Sabeans attack and carry off Job’s donkeys and oxen (v13-15), fire from God (possibly lightning) falls and destroys his sheep (v16), Chaldeans attack and steal Job’s camels (v17), and by far most tragically of all, a hurricane-like wind causes the house in which Job’s children are partying to collapse, killing all of Job’s children (v18-19).  Notice that in two cases, the loss came as a result of attacks by people.  In the other two cases, the loss came as a result of “an act of God”.

In response, Job tears his robe and shaves his head in mourning.  Rather than cursing God or accusing God with wrongdoing (v22), Job falls to the ground in worship and speaks some of the most famous words in the book of Job:

Job 1:21 (NIV) 
21  …”Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
 

詩篇一百十九篇129-136節

2019-12-31 in , /by

Pe（第17段）

129祢的法度奇妙，所以我一心謹守。
130祢的言語一解開，就發出亮光，使愚人通達。
131我張口而氣喘，因我切慕祢的命令。
132求祢轉向我，憐憫我，好像祢素常待那些愛祢名的人。
133求祢用祢的話使我腳步穩當，不許什麼罪孽轄制我。
134求祢救我脫離人的欺壓，我要遵守祢的訓詞。
135求祢用臉光照僕人，又將祢的律例教訓我。
136我的眼淚下流成河，因為他們不守祢的律法。

在2020年的第一天，我們可以用這句經文作為開始，何等美好: 「祢的法度奇妙，所以我一心謹守。」在新年的第一天，我們若能認定今年要持守神的話語，我相信這便是一個非常美好的開始。

因為「祢的言語一解開，就發出亮光，使愚人通達。」神的話語一解開，就能使我們的愚鈍變通達，有智慧啦! 你希望在今年的一開始就成為一個有智慧的人嗎？

當我們切慕神的話語時，神就轉向我們，憐憫我們。

神的話使我們的腳步穩當，別人不能用罪孽轄制我們。很多人被逼著去幹壞事或做自己不願意做的事，是因為有把柄落到人家手裡，不得不被轄制，神的話可以保守我們，遠離惡人惡事的轄制,得有真正的平安。

3 Reasons God Tests You

2019-12-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Job.  It tells one of the most famous stories in the Bible about a man who experiences incredible suffering and loss despite being a seemingly moral and upright man.  It deals head on with the question “how could a loving God allow people to suffer?”  In terms of date, a good argument can be made that when you consider the names, cultural references and the lack of any mention of Mosaic law or Jewish transitions in the book of Job, a good argument can be made that the book of Job was written around or before 2000 B.C., relatively close to the time of the Old Testament patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (The Bible Knowledge Commentary).  The book of Job is likely one of the oldest books in the Bible.

Some have suggested that Job himself wrote the book, but the fact is that very little is known about the human author who wrote the book of Job.  Still the book of Job has been heralded as one of the greatest literary works of ancient or modern times.  Believing the Holy Spirit inspired its writing, we will look into the book of Job and find valuable lessons for us today.

Today’s passage is Job 1:1-12.  Let’s go!

The Key to Praying Powerful Prayers

2019-12-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is James 5:12-20.  Let’s go!

James 5:12 (NIV) 
12  Above all, my brothers, do not swear–not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

On verse 12:  Years before James wrote verse 12, Jesus would say something similar:

Matthew 5:34-37 (NIV) 
34  But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 
35  or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 
36  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 
37  Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

詩篇一百十九篇121-128節

2019-12-30 in /by

ע Ayin（第16段）

121我行過公平和公義，求祢不要撇下我給欺壓我的人。
122求祢為僕人作保，使我得好處，不容驕傲人欺壓我。
123我因盼望祢的救恩和祢公義的話，眼睛失明。
124求祢照祢的慈愛待僕人，將祢的律例教訓我。
125我是祢的僕人，求祢賜我悟性，使我得知祢的法度。
126這是耶和華降罰的時候，因人廢了祢的律法。
127所以我愛祢的命令勝於金子，更勝於精金。
128祢一切的訓詞，在萬事上我都以為正直，我卻恨惡一切假道。

今天是2019年的最後一天，在今天這段經文的開始是: 我行過公平和公義，求祢不要撇下我給欺壓我的人。最後一句是：我卻恨惡一切假道。這是不是我們今年的寫照呢？

在119篇裡，我們反反復復地讀到作者對神的話之看重。在每一天的生活中，因為有神的話語在心中，他自覺比有智慧的人更通達。因為甚渴慕神的話，他的眼睛盼到失明；他求神賜下悟性，一再地祈求。

我們也都曾祈求悟性去明白神的話，希望從神的話中看到將來，得到指引。在過去的一年裡，你可曾因為遵守神的話語而得到神的祝福？