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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？

詩篇一百十九篇113-120節

2019-12-29 in /by

ס Samek（第15段）

113心懷二意的人為我所恨，但祢的律法為我所愛。
114祢是我藏身之處，又是我的盾牌，我甚仰望祢的話語。
115作惡的人哪，祢們離開我吧，我好遵守我神的命令。
116求祢照祢的話扶持我，使我存活，也不叫我因失望而害羞。
117求祢扶持我，我便得救，時常看重祢的律例。
118凡偏離祢律例的人，祢都輕棄他們，因為他們的詭詐必歸虛空。
119凡地上的惡人，祢除掉他，好像除掉渣滓，因此我愛祢的法度。
120我因懼怕祢，肉就發抖，我也怕祢的判語。

提起藏身之處，你可記得那位頂頂有名的大先知以利亞？在以色列最污名昭彰的亞哈王和耶洗別王后任期時，所有的百姓都跟著他們去拜偶像巴力和亞舍拉，神卻興起以利亞去對抗惡王和王后。以利亞最著名的事蹟就是迦密山上，一個人和450個巴力先知、400個亞舍拉的先知比賽，看看誰所敬拜的是真神。

當850個拜巴力和亞舍拉的先知們又唱又跳，使盡各種法寶，卻始終喚不醒他們所拜的“神”來悅納他們的獻祭時，他們終於累得倒下來了。輪到以利亞上場，一個禱告，神就從天上降火燒盡祭壇上的供物、木柴、石頭、塵土，又燒乾溝裡的水。以利亞有效地證明了誰是真神，他帶領以色列人抓住巴力的先知到河邊，全部殺了。神又降下大雨解除以色列的乾旱，以利亞在雨中奔跑，竟奔在亞哈王的馬車前面。那一天，以利亞何等威風！

Don’t Make Money Your Master

2019-12-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is James 5:1-11.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-11:  I believe there are two things that are possibly going on in this passage.  The first is that James is speaking against those who have put their hope in their wealth or in getting rich.  James is casting a scary vision of what their ultimate destiny will look like when they meet God face to face, a destiny where all their wealth and material possessions have rotted and have no lasting or eternal value (v2-3a), how God will bring to justice those who have hoarded wealth by oppressing and mistreating their employees (v3b-4) and other innocent people (v6), and how God will bring to account those who have lived in luxury and self-indulgence but have not lived for God’s purposes (v5).  It’s a similar picture to Jesus’ parable about the rich fool in Luke 12:13-21 — “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)  This passage shows how foolish and short-sighted it is to be obsessed with gaining material wealth.

The second thing I think may be going on in this passage is that James is speaking to those who are persecuting the church.  James is writing at a time in history when persecution of Christians was widespread and vicious across the Roman empire.  James himself would later be martyred for his faith .  James’ words in verses 1-6 may also be a diatribe against persecutors of Christians.  James is saying that although at this time Christians are weeping, wailing, being eaten alive by animals in coliseums, and set on fire, it is their persecutors who will suffer in the end.

詩篇一百十九篇105-112節

2019-12-27 in /by

ן Nun（第14段）

105祢的話是我腳前的燈，是我路上的光。
106祢公義的典章，我曾起誓遵守，我必按誓而行。
107我甚是受苦，耶和華啊，求祢照祢的話將我救活。
108耶和華啊，求祢悅納我口中的讚美為供物，又將祢的典章教訓我。
109我的性命常在危險之中，我卻不忘記祢的律法。
110惡人為我設下網羅，我卻沒有偏離祢的訓詞。
111我以祢的法度為永遠的產業，因這是我心中所喜愛的。
112我的心專向祢的律例，永遠遵行，一直到底。

這是一個性命常在危險之中的人所寫的。性命常在危險之中的人會讓你想起誰呢？是不是007？還是詠春拳的發揚者、李小龍的師父葉問？或是耶利米先知？還是大衛？或是你自己？在詩篇119篇裡，詩人經常強調神是他所倚靠的，他要求自己要對神有信心，要堅守神的律例和典章。他是在逆境之中求生存，並不是在順境裡享榮華富貴的人，他在苦難之中發現金銀財寶於他都無用，唯有神的話可以做他腳前的燈，路上的光。

因為他發現他好像是一個在黑暗之中行路的人，不知道惡人的網羅設在何處，只要一不小心，就會遭害。因此他的心是謹慎的，他的腳步是猶疑的，他需要指引，需要有燈有光來照亮前面要走的路。就好像一個人走在佈滿地雷的戰區，需要步步為營，不然就死無葬身之地了。