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Before You Make a Big Decision

2019-03-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 12:1-15.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 12:1-5 (NIV) 
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:
4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.

On verses 1-5:  Israel is about to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam the next king of Israel.  While in Egypt, Jeroboam hears about this, returns to Israel and rallies all of Israel behind him, perhaps with promises that if he was made king instead of Rehoboam, he would make sure that the Israelites’ load is lighter. 

靈巧如蛇，馴良如鴿

2019-03-19 in /by

馬太福音10: 16靈巧如蛇，馴良如鴿

16 看哪！我差你們出去，如同羊進入狼羣，所以你們要機警如蛇，純真如鴿。 

16 我差你們去，如同羊進入狼群，所以你們要靈巧像蛇，馴良像鴿子。

16 現在，我差派你們出去，好像羊進到狼群中間；所以你們要像蛇一樣機警，像鴿子一樣純潔。

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.(NIV)

16 “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.(MSG)

這段經文有幾種翻譯，都很接近。但我仍然覺得「馴良」如鴿最為貼切。因為純真給人有一種不懂世故的誤解；純潔又好像太標榜了，誰不犯罪？誰能純潔無瑕？「靈巧」或「機警」如蛇，您覺得哪個形容得更貼切？可能要找對蛇比較有認識的人來分析才行。我覺得「靈巧」是一種變通的能力，「機警」是對危險的查覺。英文裡譯為shrewd精明或cunning狡滑，您以為呢？

By God’s Sovereignty You Are Royalty

2019-03-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:26-43.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:26 (NIV) 
26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. 

On verses 26-30:  Here we read of Solomon’s greatest human adversary, Jeroboam.  Jeroboam came from a tough background.  His mother Zeredah was a widow, probably meaning that Jeroboam’s father Nebat was not around for significant parts of Jeroboam’s life (v26).  Nonetheless, Jeroboam was a leader, becoming one of Solomon’s officials (v26).  He was a man of standing, meaning he may have been rich or had a good reputation among his peers (v28).  He excelled in his work, so much so that Solomon promoted him to be in charge of the entire labor force of the tribe of Joseph (v28).  

服侍的信心

2019-03-17 in /by

馬太福音10: 9_15 服侍的信心

9 腰袋裏不要帶金銀銅錢； 10 途中不要帶行囊，不要帶兩件內衣，也不要帶鞋子和手杖，因為工人得飲食是應當的。 11 你們無論進哪一城、哪一村，要打聽那裏誰是合適的人，就住在他家，直住到離開的時候。 12 進他家時，要向那家請安。 13 那家若配得平安，你們所求的平安就臨到那家；若不配得，你們所求的平安仍歸你們。 14 凡不接待你們，不聽你們話的人，你們離開那家，或是那城的時候，要跺掉你們腳上的塵土。 15 我實在告訴你們，在審判的日子，所多瑪和蛾摩拉地方所受的，比那城還容易受呢！

耶穌對門徒的教導一直影響著每個真心服侍祂的人。現在我們若在公司上班要出差，就可以領車馬費，伙食費，甚至住旅館的錢，等等福利。因為是公司派我們出去，所以公司要負責我們的食住和行。但是耶穌的作法何等不同，祂說：「腰袋裏不要帶金銀銅錢；途中不要帶行囊，不要帶兩件內衣，也不要帶鞋子和手杖，因為工人得飲食是應當的。」

我不知道你如何，但是叫我出門不帶錢，我是不敢出門的。萬一車子壞了，萬一要買菜，萬一…….，我會有很多顧慮。當然信用卡也要帶著，萬一現金不夠。現在有些地方不用現金，只要用信用卡；可是也不太保險，聽說一停電，還是只有現金才能交易。總之，不帶錢不敢出門。那麼，耶穌叫門徒什麼都不要帶，甚至不帶替換的內衣，鞋子和手杖；然後來一句：「因為工人得飲食是應當的。」不是很奇怪嗎？

Don’t Give The Enemy a Foothold through Unconfessed Sin

2019-03-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:14-25.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:25 (NIV) 
25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel. 

On verses 14-25:  In these verses we see various enemies rising up against Solomon. One is King Hadad of Edom (v14-22) and Rezon of Aram (v23-25).   Notice that the arrival of these enemies comes immediately after the writer of 1 Kings describes how King Solomon repeatedly disobeyed God’s command not to get romantically involved with women who do not worship the Lord (v1-13).  The enemies came after Solomon refused to repent.

What can we learn from this?  The Bible says that we too have an enemy — Satan  — and that Satan’s agenda is to steal, kill and destroy our lives (Ephesians 6:12; John 10:10).  When we persist in sin and refuse to repent, we give room for our enemy Satan to work in our lives.   When I keep sinning and refuse to repent, I effectively give Satan a foothold to work and to cause trouble in the territory God has given me.  

事工的方向和內容

2019-03-15 in /by

馬太福音10: 5_8 事工的方向和內容

5 耶穌差這十二個人去，吩咐他們說：「外邦人的路你們不要走，撒馬利亞人的城你們不要進， 6 寧可往以色列家迷失的羊那裡去。 7 隨走隨傳，說『天國近了』。 8 醫治病人，叫死人復活，叫長大痲瘋的潔淨，把鬼趕出去。你們白白地得來，也要白白地捨去。

這是耶穌門訓的摘要，也是可以讓我們學習的。在門徒跟了耶穌一段時間後，耶穌開始做栽培的工作。第一就是裝備，給他們趕污鬼和醫治各樣病症的權柄。這就是很實際的能力。所以宣教士不能只會傳福音，還要具備一些服侍人的能力。趕污鬼需要有信心和權柄，醫治病症在以前是主給的權柄，現在有些醫生就做醫療傳道。這兩樣對人都有實質的意義。

主要他們工作的範圍只在以色列。那時門徒算是實習吧，主不要他們去外邦人或撒瑪利亞人的城。這就給了我們一個很確實的概念，想做主工，要從自己的家裡做起。先在自己的家裡，自己的教會學習，失敗了也沒關係，都是自己人好說話。不要好高鶩遠，第一步都要從腳下走起。

第三是工作的內容，隨走隨傳：「天國近了」。這也是主耶穌傳福音的主要內容。這簡單四個字，含有幾個深意：1,有個天國，人死不是百了，有得永生上天國的機會，人是有盼望的。2,要上天國，要知道上天國的律。就像移民到哪個地方，都要按著那個地方的律和要求。所以要先與神和好，因為那是神的所在。

Christian, What Are You Doing Dating a Non-Christian?

2019-03-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:1-13.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:1-3 (NIV) 
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter–Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 
2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

On verses 1-13:  As wise and as rich as Solomon had become by God’s grace, here we see Solomon’s fatal flaw: his insistence on being romantically involved with women who did not worship the same God as he did.  In doing so, over and over Solomon disobeyed God’s command to not intermarry with unbelieving women.  This sin would lead him to worship other gods (v5, 7-8), and would ultimately lead to the downfall of his faith and the removal of his kingdom (v9-13).

Jesus’ Splendour > Solomon’s Splendour

2019-03-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 10:14-29.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 10:23-25 (NIV) 
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift–articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

On verses 14-28: Previously Solomon had prayed for a wise and discerning heart.  God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He decided to grant Solomon not only a wise and discerning heart but riches and honor as well, such that in terms of wisdom there would never be anyone like Solomon and in terms of riches Solomon would have no equal in his lifetime (1 Kings 3:12-13).