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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.  

进窄门

2019-02-19 in /by

马太福音7: 13-14_进窄门

13 「你们要进窄门。因为通往灭亡的门是宽的，路是大的，进去的人也多； 14 通往生命的门是窄的，路是小的，找到的人也少。」

有一次有位名厨去纽约某间餐馆作秀，我儿子也去拿到一个位置。他非常高兴，因为好多人都订不到位。那个位置价钱不菲，可惜他后来很失望，因为名厨做出来的东西不如宣传的好吃，也不特别。刚刚过完年，可能有不少人过年时在外面的餐厅吃饭。当你选择餐厅时，你会选择一间很少人去，或是很多人去的餐厅？ 大多数人有一种看法，只要排长龙的，就认定那间一定不错。我们总是喜欢往人多的地方挤，往往挤进去了，却又觉得早知如此就不花那个时间去挤去排队去等了。

过年过节时，百货公司的门特别宽，有各样的减价向人招手。但是结局往往也令人失望，一来可能选到几样减价品，可是付钱时排队好长；二来是看来看去都没有真正需要的，浪费时间；三呢，一不小心被价钱所骗，买了一大堆不需要的东西回家变垃圾。所以有很多人去的地方，并不表示他们的选择也必须是你的选择。因为我们要选择的是通往生命的门。

EQ金律

2019-02-19 in /by

马太福音7: 12_EQ金律

12 所以，无论何事，你们愿意人怎样待你们，你们也要怎样待人，因为这就是律法和先知的道理。

以前我们都觉得智商IQ很重要，所以很注重知识的灌输和学习，但是后来发现教育程度高的人不一定会成功，因为他的人际关系不好，所以人家不喜欢和他合作，处处碰壁。有这个发现以后，就有人开始提倡EQ，也就是情绪指数，人际关系。而耶稣的这句教导便是EQ的金律。

主耶稣把祂的教导从理论拉向实际的操作，人和人的关系，第一不要论断，第二就是你们愿意人怎样待你们，你们也要怎样待人。假如在生活中你能做到这两方面，那么我相信你必是一个很受人欢迎的人。

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

马太福音7:7-11_A.S.K.

7 你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门。 8 因为凡祈求的，就得着；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。 9 你们中间谁有儿子求饼，反给他石头呢？ 10 求鱼，反给他蛇呢？ 11 你们虽然不好，尚且知道拿好东西给儿女，何况你们在天上的父，岂不更把好东西给求他的人吗？

在英文里，祈求是ask， 寻找就是seek，叩门就是knock，这三个字的第一个字母加起来就是A.S.K.，也就是祈求询问的意思。人在什么情况下才会祈求，询问呢？

几天前我们谈到不要为明天忧虑时，说到信徒之所以能不忧虑，不是因为自己很能干，而是因为我们站在神的应许上，紧紧地抓住神的应许，所以我们有盼望，我们可以不忧虑。今天的经文便是神给我们的应许之一。当我们缺乏时，当我们困惑时，当我们碰到瓶颈时，自己的能力来到尽头时，主耶稣说：「你们祈求，就给你们；寻找，就寻见；叩门，就给你们开门。 因为凡祈求的，就得着；寻找的，就寻见；叩门的，就给他开门。」

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. 

不要把圣物给狗

2019-02-15 in /by

马太福音7:6_不要把圣物给狗

6 「不要把圣物给狗，也不要把你们的珍珠丢在猪前，恐怕牠践踏了珍珠，转过来咬你们。

本节经文和主耶稣在上文所讲的话有连带关系。上文主耶稣说「不要论断人」， 本节的意思则是补充说明上文所说的不要论断人，并非对任何事物不必分别好 歹。反之，我们对于曲直善恶应有清楚的认识而予以适当的处理。

「圣物」（就是一切圣别归神的物如坛上所献的祭物）与「珍珠」都是神圣而贵 重的。狗和猪都是犹太人视为不洁净的动物。它们对于圣物和珍珠并无辨别的能 力，并不知道它的神圣和贵重，把圣物和珍珠丢给它们，当然不会领受，反而把 它们践踏了，误会为恶意的投掷而转过来咬你了。

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.