哈該書1:4-6 這殿仍然荒涼，你們自己還住天花板的房屋嗎？ 5 現在萬軍之耶和華如此說：你們要省察自己的行為。 6 你們撒的種多，收的卻少，你們吃卻不得飽，喝卻不得足，穿衣服卻不得暖，得工錢的將工錢裝在破漏的囊中。
有天晚上，LINE傳來一張排水管墊著破布防止滲水的水槽圖片，再加上「請分紅海的上帝保守這個水管順利疏通，水往該去的地方去！」小女兒的呼求。這是她辦公室的水槽，維修人員也束手無策。我回她：「回家吧！天冷了！」
接著，LINE又傳來一張信用卡的帳單，再加上「我剛發現信用卡被盜刷兩筆，請幫我聯絡銀行暫停這張卡！」大女兒的呼求。趕快聯絡銀行信用卡客服人員，再通知在美國的女兒如何用網路電話與銀行取得聯繫。一陣騷動後，自嘲的跟太太說：「小女兒漏水，大女兒漏財，我呢？講話常漏氣。」趕快縮進被窩夢周公。
Anxiety in a limited dose is a good thing. Healthy anxiety prompts us to pay bills, eat right, and stay out of snake pits. A dose of anxiety is helpful. A daily deluge of anxiety? Not so much. God designed our bodies to respond to a spike of stress and then return to normal. Unhealthy anxiety resists the reset. It is the alarm system that never shuts down.
Paul’s prescription for the anxious heart: He wrote, “Be full of joy in the Lord always…The Lord is coming soon. Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7 NCV).
約翰福音 13:34-35 我賜給你們一條新命令，乃是叫你們彼此相愛，我怎樣愛你們，你們也要怎樣相愛。 35 你們若有彼此相愛的心，眾人因此就認出你們是我的門徒了。
《以愛相連》這首詩歌，就是在福賽特牧師和村民的珍貴情感中誕生。為了紀念這件難忘的事，福賽特牧師引用耶穌的勸勉寫下了這首詩，這節經文是：「你們要謹慎自守，免去一切的貪心；因為人的生命，不在乎家道豐富。」（路加福音12:15）
1859年，23歲的慕迪，日後美國的著名佈道家，正滿心掙扎，猶豫著要不要放下年薪五千美金的鞋店老闆身份，轉去服事神。當時，他的理想是成為一名成功的商人。
一天，慕迪負責兒童聚會的一位老師找到他的鞋店，說自己因為肺部問題需要到外地休養，但他有一件事放不下，那就是，他還沒能帶領六年級班上的任何一位學生認識神。
Paul wrote, “Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking” (Colossians 3:15 NCV). How does this happen? The answer appears in the next verse: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16 NKJV).
Don’t treat Scripture like a guest, an occasional visitor, or temporary roommate. His truth sits at the dinner table, lingers in the living room, and is welcome in the bedroom. And it occupies its place richly. It pays dividends. It brings benefits. Ingested Scripture is vitamin C for the inner person.
Satan is allergic to God’s truth. When you speak Scripture, he skedaddles. He hopes you never hear these words spoken by Jesus: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV).
約翰福音 15:12 你們要彼此相愛，像我愛你們一樣，這就是我的命令。
《Blest Be the Tie that Binds》（中譯：以愛相連）是一首甜美的讚美詩，它描述作者約翰·福塞特(John Fawcett)的故事。約翰於1740年出生於英國約克郡的貧困家庭，十二歲就成了孤兒。他曾是裁縫學徒，在十六歲那年因聽了佈道家喬治·懷特菲爾德(Whitefield)的講道，大受感動且獻身成為傳道人。
1765年，約翰成為約克郡瓦恩斯蓋特一所鄉村小浸信會教堂的牧師。教會會友多屬貧窮人家，無法支付傳道人足夠的薪水，每個月不到16元，卻要負擔全家開銷，生活辛苦且委屈。然而，看到會友們愛主的心，愛傳道人的心，約翰不忍心多求或是怨言，也因此更得會友們的愛戴及欽佩。
詩篇131:2-3 我的心平穩安靜，好像斷過奶的孩子在他母親的懷中；我的心在我裡面真像斷過奶的孩子。以色列啊，你當仰望耶和華，從今時直到永遠！
有個週六清晨來到校園，聽到陣陣的警報聲，詢問校門口警衛，明白是火警誤動作，從深夜響到清晨。進入辦公室，牆上廣播器不斷循環播放著，「有火災發生！所有人員請立即疏散！」，房間內的警報聲更形刺耳。
我坐了下來，開啟電腦，開始晨更也準備當天的分享，毫無頭緒的找到二十年前在教會跟主日學孩子們的分享，「不管怎樣(Anyway)，總是要…」，也從YouTube迅速找著「Anyway」詩歌來匹配，我將詩歌音量調到最大，似乎也無法抗衡警報聲。在詩歌和警報聲交響中，我送出了當天的分享。
總算有人關了警報器，我走到室外，感受到大片的寧靜和安詳，我感謝主！
Paul wrote, “Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking” (Colossians 3:15 NCV). How does this happen? The answer appears in the next verse: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16 NKJV).
Don’t treat Scripture like a guest, an occasional visitor, or temporary roommate. His truth sits at the dinner table, lingers in the living room, and is welcome in the bedroom. And it occupies its place richly. It pays dividends. It brings benefits. Ingested Scripture is vitamin C for the inner person.
Satan is allergic to God’s truth. When you speak Scripture, he skedaddles. He hopes you never hear these words spoken by Jesus: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV).
James, the half-brother of Jesus, gave this admonition: “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 ESV). What a grand invitation! It’s not enough to uproot, we must also replant.
Jesus described a demon who had been cast out of a person. It roams about, looking for a new home. Not finding one, it returns to its former place of residence and finds it “spotlessly clean, but vacant” (Matthew 12:43 MSG). The demon sees no barrier, alerts its buddies, and they show up with a keg of chaos.
To clean out the old is wonderful, but to usher in the new—that’s essential. Uprooting weeds of lies is necessary. Replacing them with truth is vital.
約翰福音1:9 那光是真光，照亮一切生在世上的人。
馬太福音11:28 凡勞苦擔重擔的人，可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息。
自由女神像(Statue of Liberty)又名自由照耀世界(Liberty Enlightening the World, La Liberté éclairant le monde)座落於美國紐約港自由島，由法國雕塑家Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi設計，Gustave Eiffel建造，1886年10月28日落成，是法國人民送給美國人民的禮物。
塑像人物是身穿長袍的女子，代表羅馬神話中的自主神，右手高舉火炬，左手冊子上用羅馬數字寫有美國獨立宣言簽署日期：JULY IV MDCCLXXVI（1776年7月4日），腳下還有斷裂的鎖鏈。這座塑像是自由和美國的象徵，也是對外來移民的歡迎信號。
Ephesians 4:23-24 (CEV) reads, “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person.” How? I have a three-word answer to that question: Uproot and Replant.
Your mind is like a lawn. Your toxic thoughts are like grass burrs. They prompt a predictable chain reaction. These are untruths that lead to false narratives that result in overreactions. They stick and they hurt. They sour your mood and embitter your heart. You might mow them down. Give yourself pep talks. Read a book on positive mental attitude. And, for a day or two or ten, the weeds will disappear. But eventually they return.
God has a better plan: Yank ‘em out by the roots. Your Father gives you his Word, and he invites you to treat the lies of hell with the words of heaven.
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