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Setting Up Your Next Generation for Success

2019-02-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 2:1-12.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 2:2-3 (NIV) 
2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man,
3 and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, 

On verses 1-3:  Here David is on his deathbed.  David’s last words to King Solomon his son are “be courageous, be a man, and obey God’s commands.” (v2-3)  After all the experiences David had accumulated over his lifetime — his unprecedented victories, his heartbreaking losses, and all the lessons he learned from both his successes and his mistakes — the most important lesson David could tell Solomon is: trust and obey God.  “Do this,” David says, “so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (v3).

How Do You Know Who Your True Friends Are

2019-02-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:41-53.  How Do You Know Who Your True Friends Are (Plus, Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep)   Let’s go!

On verses 41-49:  Having heard that King David has officially made Solomon king instead of Adonijah, all of Adonijah’s guests — who were supposedly Adonijah’s closest friends and supporters — disperse and flee from Adonijah.

What can we learn from this?  It’s in the tough times when you can especially tell who your real friends are.  When things are going well for you, everyone is happy to be your friend.  But it’s in the tough times that you tend to notice which of your friends are truly loyal and truly love you for you, and which friends are friendly toward you for a more selfish reason.  

進窄門

2019-02-19 in /by

馬太福音7: 13-14_進窄門

13 「你們要進窄門。因為通往滅亡的門是寬的，路是大的，進去的人也多； 14 通往生命的門是窄的，路是小的，找到的人也少。」

有一次有位名廚去紐約某間餐館作秀，我兒子也去拿到一個位置。他非常高興，因為好多人都訂不到位。那個位置價錢不菲，可惜他後來很失望，因為名廚做出來的東西不如宣傳的好吃，也不特別。剛剛過完年，可能有不少人過年時在外面的餐廳吃飯。當你選擇餐廳時，你會選擇一間很少人去，或是很多人去的餐廳？ 大多數人有一種看法，只要排長龍的，就認定那間一定不錯。我們總是喜歡往人多的地方擠，往往擠進去了，卻又覺得早知如此就不花那個時間去擠去排隊去等了。

過年過節時，百貨公司的門特別寬，有各樣的減價向人招手。但是結局往往也令人失望，一來可能選到幾樣減價品，可是付錢時排隊好長；二來是看來看去都沒有真正需要的，浪費時間；三呢，一不小心被價錢所騙，買了一大堆不需要的東西回家變垃圾。所以有很多人去的地方，並不表示他們的選擇也必須是你的選擇。因為我們要選擇的是通往生命的門。

EQ金律

2019-02-19 in /by

馬太福音7: 12_EQ金律

12 所以，無論何事，你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們也要怎樣待人，因為這就是律法和先知的道理。

以前我們都覺得智商IQ很重要，所以很注重知識的灌輸和學習，但是後來發現教育程度高的人不一定會成功，因為他的人際關係不好，所以人家不喜歡和他合作，處處碰壁。有這個發現以後，就有人開始提倡EQ，也就是情緒指數，人際關係。而耶穌的這句教導便是EQ的金律。

主耶穌把祂的教導從理論拉向實際的操作，人和人的關係，第一不要論斷，第二就是你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們也要怎樣待人。假如在生活中你能做到這兩方面，那麼我相信你必是一個很受人歡迎的人。

You Got the King on Your Side

2019-02-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:28-40.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 1:28-31 (NIV) 
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 
29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 
30 I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.” 
31 Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 

A.S.K.

2019-02-18 in /by

馬太福音7:7-11_A.S.K.

7 你們祈求，就給你們；尋找，就尋見；叩門，就給你們開門。 8 因為凡祈求的，就得著；尋找的，就尋見；叩門的，就給他開門。 9 你們中間誰有兒子求餅，反給他石頭呢？ 10 求魚，反給他蛇呢？ 11 你們雖然不好，尚且知道拿好東西給兒女，何況你們在天上的父，豈不更把好東西給求他的人嗎？

在英文裡，祈求是ask， 尋找就是seek，叩門就是knock，這三個字的第一個字母加起來就是A.S.K.，也就是祈求詢問的意思。人在什麼情況下才會祈求，詢問呢？

幾天前我們談到不要為明天憂慮時，說到信徒之所以能不憂慮，不是因為自己很能幹，而是因為我們站在神的應許上，緊緊地抓住神的應許，所以我們有盼望，我們可以不憂慮。今天的經文便是神給我們的應許之一。當我們缺乏時，當我們困惑時，當我們碰到瓶頸時，自己的能力來到盡頭時，主耶穌說：「你們祈求，就給你們；尋找，就尋見；叩門，就給你們開門。 因為凡祈求的，就得著；尋找的，就尋見；叩門的，就給他開門。」

The Best Thing You Can Do When You’re In A Tough Situation

2019-02-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:15-27.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-27:  In response to Adonijah’s actions to exalt himself as the next king, Bathsheba the mother of Solomon boldly gets into David’s presence (v15-16).  Bathsheba reminds David of his previous promise to make Solomon the next king (v17).  She explains how Adonijah has usurped the throne (v18-19), and she looks to David for an answer (v20).  Nathan enters while David and Bathsheba are talking (v22-23).  Nathan similarly lets David know about Adonijah’s actions and looks to the king for clarification on what’s going on (v24-27).
What can we learn from this?  There are three lessons I believe Holy Spirit taught me from this passage:

1. When you’re facing a tough situation, don’t declare war right away or try to solve things by yourself. 

不要把聖物給狗

2019-02-15 in /by

馬太福音7:6_不要把聖物給狗

6 「不要把聖物給狗，也不要把你們的珍珠丟在豬前，恐怕牠踐踏了珍珠，轉過來咬你們。

本節經文和主耶穌在上文所講的話有連帶關係。上文主耶穌說「不要論斷人」， 本節的意思則是補充說明上文所說的不要論斷人，並非對任何事物不必分別好 歹。反之，我們對於曲直善惡應有清楚的認識而予以適當的處理。

「聖物」（就是一切聖別歸神的物如壇上所獻的祭物）與「珍珠」都是神聖而貴 重的。狗和猪都是猶太人視爲不潔淨的動物。它們對於聖物和珍珠並無辨別的能 力，並不知道它的神聖和貴重，把聖物和珍珠丟給它們，當然不會領受，反而把 它們踐踏了，誤會爲惡意的投擲而轉過來咬你了。

Whoever Exalts Himself Will Be Humbled

2019-02-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of 1 Kings.  1 Kings and 2 Kings together chronicle the history of Israel’s monarchs.  The books cover 400 years of history, beginning with Solomon’s ascent to the throne in place of his father David (in approximately 971 B.C.) and ending with the Babylonians’ invasion of Jerusalem and the release of Judah’s king Jehoiachin from prison (in approximately 560 B.C.)  1 Kings and 2 Kings contain some powerful life lessons and leadership insights for us today.