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Mirror, Mirror

2019-12-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is James 1:19-27.  Let’s go!

James 1:19-20 (NIV) 
19  My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 
20  for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

On verses 19-20:  Jesus came to give us life to the full (John 10:10), especially in our relationships.  If we want to experience the full and “righteous life that God desires” for us, we need to follow God’s way of handling relationships.  That includes being “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (v19).  Often it is our failure to manage our anger in appropriate and healthy ways that causes destruction in our relationships.

詩篇一百十九篇49-56節

2019-12-19 in /by

ז Zayin (第七段)

49求祢記念向祢僕人所應許的話，叫我有盼望。
50這話將我救活了，我在患難中因此得安慰。
51驕傲的人甚侮慢我，我卻未曾偏離祢的律法。
52耶和華啊，我記念祢從古以來的典章，就得了安慰。
53我見惡人離棄祢的律法，就怒氣發作，猶如火燒。
54我在世寄居，素來以祢的律例為詩歌。
55耶和華啊，我夜間記念祢的名，遵守祢的律法。
56我所以如此，是因我守祢的訓詞。

當一個人高興到文字和言語都不足以表達內心感受的時候，會情不自禁地開口歌唱，甚至手舞足蹈地跳起來。但是，當一個人面臨死亡威脅、苦不堪言的時候，還能開口唱歌嗎？

1910 年的某一天，美國衛理公會牧師卜理杰前往主持福音聚會，師母帶著三個孩子回娘家探親。聚會結束，卜理杰牧師接到通知，妻兒四人全都命喪火窟。聽到噩耗的當下，他在神面前跪下禱告說 : 「主啊，我才剛向世人傳講福音，述說祢的安慰如何醫治傷心的人。求祢現在也來安慰我！」

雖然卜理杰牧師不明白這樣的慘劇，為什麼會發生在忠心事奉主的僕人身上，但他選擇相信神，用讚美感謝代替抱怨自憐；雖然面臨全家罹難、唯我獨活的痛苦，他選擇用歌唱頌揚代替哀痛悲鳴，以進行曲節奏寫下〈耶穌使我歌唱不停〉的讚美詩，訴說愛慕耶穌、有耶穌同在的甜蜜。上帝應許我們，無論是患難、困苦、逼迫、危險，靠著愛我們的主，都已經得勝有餘了，因為沒有任何事物能夠隔絕我們與神之間的愛。

What Helps Me Persevere

2019-12-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of James.  Possibly the earliest of all the New Testament writings, the book of James is estimated by scholars to have been written in approximately 45-48 AD.  James is one of the hardest-hitting and most easily applicable books you will find in the Bible. 

Today’s passage is James 1:1-12.  This passage has special significance for me.  When I was a new Christian, James 1:2-12 was the first passage I ever tried to memorize.  Almost 25 years later, it’s still a passage I come back to over and over again in my heart. 
 
James 1:1 (NIV) 
1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

On verse 1:  The author of James is most likely Jesus’ half-brother James.  In other words, after Jesus was born, Jesus’ parents Joseph and Mary finally consummated their marriage and had other children.  One of those children was James.  James grew up in the same home and family as Jesus, but did not believe that his half-brother was the Son of God (John 7:5).  His heart remained hardened and unbelieving until Jesus rose again from the dead and appeared to James.  After that, James became a believer and started referring to his half-brother as “the Lord Jesus Christ”.  James would go on to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem before being martyred for his faith in 49 AD. 

You Remember What You Take the Time to Celebrate

2019-12-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 9:20-10:3.  Let’s go!

Esther 9:20-22 (NIV) 
20  Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 
21  to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 
22  as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. 

On 9:20-32:  It might sound incredibly trite and obvious to say, but I’ll say it anyway: when we don’t take a moment to remember, we forget.  That is, when we don’t take the time to recall and celebrate the great things God has done in our lives, we can just as easily forget that He did anything for us at all.  That is why here in these verses Mordecai and Esther use their influence to require every Jewish family in every province and city and in every generation to take the time to remember and celebrate how God turned the Jews’ sorrow into joy when He protected them from Haman’s genocide plan.  This two day festival would become known as the Jewish Feast of Purim.

詩篇一百十九篇41-48節

2019-12-18 in /by

ו Waw (第六段)

41耶和華啊，願祢照祢的話，使祢的慈愛，就是祢的救恩，臨到我身上。
42我就有話回答那羞辱我的，因我倚靠祢的話。
43求祢叫真理的話總不離開我口，因我仰望祢的典章。
44我要常守祢的律法，直到永永遠遠。
45我要自由而行〔或譯：我要行在寬闊之地〕，因我素來考究祢的訓詞。
46我也要在君王面前論說祢的法度，並不至於羞愧。
47我要在祢的命令中自樂，這命令素來是我所愛的。
48我又要遵行〔原文是舉手〕祢的命令，這命令素來是我所愛的，我也要思想祢的律例。

在這一段經文裡，你最喜歡哪一節經文呢？哪一節經文可以成為你今天的力量和祝福？在這一段經文裡，詩人提到被人羞辱。在新約裡，主耶穌說，若有人打你的右臉，連左臉也轉給他打；若有人強迫你走一里路，你就陪他走兩里路（太5:39）。但是在舊約裡，詩人一直強調因神而得勝。所以我們明白，主耶穌並不是要羞辱我們，反而是提出一種更高明的得勝之道。因為壞人也是人，當他發現你以愛回報他的惡時，他的心就會軟化，然後被神得著。就像主耶穌不因我們的惡懲罰我們，反而為我們被釘上十字架，從此我們就明白何謂愛，並且因著愛而放棄在罪中的生活，轉而過神所喜悅的生活。

因此詩人求神按著祂的應許，賜下祂的憐憫慈愛和救恩，如此我們便能因為倚靠神來回答羞辱我們的人。主耶穌說：咒詛你們的，要為他祝福；凌辱你們的，要為他禱告（路6:28）。保羅說：逼迫你們的，要給他們祝福，只要祝福，不要咒詛（羅12:14）。

詩篇一百十九篇33-40節

2019-12-17 in /by

ה He (第五段)

33耶和華啊，求祢將祢的律例指教我，我必遵守到底。
34求祢賜我悟性，我便遵守祢的律法，且要一心遵守。
35求祢叫我遵行你的命令，因為這是我所喜樂的。
36求祢使我的心趨向祢的法度，不趨向非義之財。
37求祢叫我轉眼不看虛假，又叫我在祢的道中生活。
38祢向敬畏祢的人所應許的話，求祢向僕人堅定。
39求祢使我所怕的羞辱遠離我，因祢的典章本為美。
40我羨慕祢的訓詞，求祢使我在祢的公義上生活。

北宋黃庭堅說過：「士大夫三日不讀書，則義理不交於胸中，對鏡覺面目可憎，向人亦語言無味。」這句話後來簡化成：「三日不讀書，便覺語言無味，面目可憎」。對基督徒而言，這句話要改成：「三日不讀聖經，便覺心情軟弱，離主甚遠」。

猶如我們的身體，每天都需要補充養份；我們內在的生命，也需要時時獲取智 慧與啟迪。蘇東坡曾說：「腹有詩書氣自華」。一個人若有內涵，他的生命自會散發出生命的光采。基督徒能否散發出生命的光采，便決定於他心裡存有多少神的話語。倘若「腹有詩書氣自華」，那麼「心懷天道人自正」。

在這詩篇裡，大衛教導我們要尋求一些值得一生堅持的東西。但要找到這些東西，需要神的恩典賜予。否則因為人的貪慾，往往使我們迷路，找不到正路。因此我們不只要讀神的話，還要求神賜下悟性，否則讀來讀去只會感到乏味。哪有意志去遵行，還會感到喜樂?

When the Tables Turn

2019-12-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 9:1-18.  Let’s go!

Esther 9:1 (NIV) 
1  On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 

On verses 1-10:  The thirteenth day of the twelfth month was supposed to be a day of great weeping and destruction for the Jews, a day when their enemies had legal authority to annihilate them.  But due to a new edict that Mordecai helped put into effect, the legal situation changed, allowing the Jews to assemble, defend themselves and attack their attackers.  Due to this change in the law, “the tables were turned” and now the Jews go on the offensive and “attack those who determined to destroy them.”  Mordecai himself also grows in prominence, while the ten sons of Haman are killed so as not to eliminate any further threat from Haman’s family.

Sow in Tears, Reap in Joy

2019-12-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 8:1-17.  Let’s go!

Esther 8:8 (NIV) 
8  “Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring–for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”

On verses 1-13:  Now with Haman dead, Esther once again pleads with King Xerxes to do something to save the Jews from annihilation.  But according to the law of the Persians and Medes, any edict sealed with the king’s signet ring could not be revoked. Unable to overturn the edict he had previously sealed to have the Jews annihilated, King Xerxes does the next best thing:  he gives Mordecai his signet ring to approve any law Mordecai wants to counteract the first edict (v8).  So Mordecai uses King Xerxes’ signet ring to seal a new edict that allows the Jews to assemble and defend themselves, to annihilate any armed force that might attack them, and to plunder their property.

詩篇一百十九篇25-32節

2019-12-16 in /by

ד Daleth (第四段)

25我的性命幾乎歸於塵土，求祢照祢的話將我救活。
26我述說我所行的，祢應允了我，求祢將祢的律例教訓我。
27求祢使我明白你的訓詞，我就思想祢的奇事。
28我的心因愁苦而消化，求祢照祢的話使我堅立。
29求祢使我離開奸詐的道，開恩將祢的律法賜給我。
30我揀選了忠信的道，將祢的典章擺在我面前。
31我持守祢的法度，耶和華啊，求祢不要叫我羞愧！
32祢開廣我心的時候，我就往祢命令的道上直奔。

曾經患過鼻咽癌的賴建鵬牧師在〈如果我能唱— 聽後感〉一文裡分享，在廿年前要接受化療的前一晚，師母提醒他，作了化療很可能會失去聲音，不能再唱聖詩，因此他們決定那晚由兒子司琴，一起留下了美好的聲音。逾廿三年後的今天，賴牧師在今年12月13日剛剛被主接去，結束了在世上的勞苦。我們在記念他時，同時感謝他把這首詩歌介紹給我們。

〈如果我能唱〉這首詩是一個殘障者所寫。她的名字叫黃美廉，出生時因為醫生的疏忽，腦部神經受到嚴重傷害，以致顏面和四肢肌肉都失去正常的功能。但是她認為“別強求生活順利平易，應祈求成為一個堅強的人”，因此藉著倚靠上帝，她走出了醫生宣判可能只有的短暫生命，以及一生無法正常行動，一生無法與人溝通的局限，不但在加州州立大學洛杉磯分校獲得藝術博士，曾獲得1993年中華民國十大傑出青年，並多次舉行畫展，著有《心靈的顏色》、《畫家畫話-黃美廉的彩筆世界》等書，現任藝術工作室負責人。

How Jesus is Like Haman

2019-12-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Esther 7:1-10.  Let’s go!

Esther 7:10 (NIV) 
10  So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

On verses 1-10:  Here Esther risks her life and stands in the gap on behalf of her people, pleading with King Xerxes for the deliverance of the Jews from sure destruction.  Similarly, Jesus would later stand in the gap for us as our advocate in the presence of God the king.  He would sacrifice His life so that we could be delivered from sure destruction for our sin.  Like Esther was to the Jews, Jesus is the hero of our story.

Here we also see Haman being accused and convicted of doing evil.   As punishment Haman is publicly killed by being hung from the crosspiece of a gallows for all to see.  Only then did the king’s fury subside (v10).  This will sound shocking, but in certain ways Jesus is like Haman.  For like Haman, Jesus would be accused, convicted, and punished by being hung from a crosspiece for all to see.  Only upon Jesus’ death would God’s wrath against sinners subside.