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6 Results of Rebelling Against God

2019-01-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hosea 9:1-17.  Let’s go!

Here in verse 10 we see a picture of God as being so excited and overjoyed when He first chose the Israelites to be His people.

Hosea 9:10a (NIV) 
10 “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree…

However, as we hear about over and over in the book of Hosea, the Israelites lived in persistent rebellion against God and repeatedly broke God’s heart.  

一粒麥子的事奉

2019-01-15 in /by

馬太福音5:11-12_一粒麥子的事奉

11 人若因我辱罵你們，逼迫你們，捏造各樣壞話毀謗你們，你們就有福了。12 應當歡喜快樂，因為你們在天上的賞賜是大的。在你們以前的先知，人也是這樣逼迫他們。

讀了這兩節經文之後，你會不會覺得耶穌的要求太高了？被辱罵、受逼迫，被人捏造各樣壞話毀謗時，不生氣不反擊就不錯了，怎麼還要歡喜快樂？怎麼可能？

沒有人喜歡受苦，但是有許多人都樂苦而不疲。我記得在我小時，家父為了家計要兼好幾份工作，還要帶副印紙回家抄寫，因為他寫得一手好字，可以賺點外快。那時也沒有洗衣機，母親經常為我們洗衣服到三更半夜。但是他們從不叫苦，每天都非常喜樂地帶我們上學，回家後做家課，等等。現在做了父母，才知道因為只要看到孩子開心，他們就覺得再苦也值得。

Are You Sowing the Wind?

2019-01-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hosea 8:1-14.  Let’s go!

Hosea 8:7 (NIV) 
7 “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind…”

What does it mean when verse 7 says, “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind”?  In this case “the wind” represents vain pursuits,  anything that doesn’t have any eternal value.  When I sow the wind, it means I’m chasing after vain things that don’t last.  Are you sowing the wind?

為義受逼迫的人有福了！

2019-01-14 in /by

馬太福音5:10_為義受逼迫的人有福了！

10 為義受逼迫的人有福了！因為天國是他們的。

10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

上一節經文說使人和睦的人有福了，因為他們必稱為神的兒子。因此有許多時候我們都做縮頭烏龜，有事都隱忍著，什麼都不敢講，任何事都不去爭。但是在這節經文裡告訴我們，為義受逼迫的人了，似乎把信徒推到一個更絕望的角落。事實是不是如此呢？

假如信主是如此絕望，還有誰要信呢？溫柔講的其實是為人處事的方法，為義受逼迫則是講到值得我們挺身而出的目標。溫柔是一種執著和修養，絕不提高聲調，有事好好講。若住在北美，做父母的聲調一提高，孩子很可能就會說：“你需要那麼大聲嗎？”溫柔是一種生命的品質，不必用聲調來強迫人就範，好好地說反而能使聽的人冷靜下來講道理。受逼迫便是用從神來的溫柔和勇氣去面對敵對神的勢力，雖然經常是講不通的。

Two Crowds You Should Not Let Influence You Too Much

2019-01-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hosea 7:1-16.  Let’s go!

Hosea 7:1 (NIV) 
1 “Whenever I would restore the fortunes of my people, whenever I would heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets; 

On verses 1-2: These verses describe how every time God would restore and heal Israel, Israel (also known as Ephraim) would go back to its same old sins again.  Examples of those sins include crime, thievery, robbery (v1), lying (v3), adultery (v4), and one more sin we will describe below.   

使人和睦的人有福了！

2019-01-14 in /by

馬太福音5:9_使人和睦的人有福了！

 9 使人和睦的人有福了！因為他們必稱為神的兒子。

9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

使人和睦的人在英文又叫Peacemaker, 製造和平的人。畢牧師的譯文是：當你教人怎樣合作而不是因競爭而產生糾紛時，你就有福了。當你真正地認識自己時，就會發現自己在神家裡的位置。

因為只有當我們認識自己時，我們待人處事的方向才會不一樣。我有個朋友在兩個加拿大的大銀行工作過，最近她很有感觸，因為以前的上司只看他們的業績，他們必須不停地趕業績，連吃飯的時間都很緊張。但是現在的上司很注重團隊的合作，並且注意到他們的情緒和需要，她非常感恩，因為她的健康也因而有了起色。

Let’s Press On to Acknowledge the Lord

2019-01-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hosea 6:1-11.  Let’s go!

Hosea 6:1-2 (NIV) 
1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

On verses 1-2:  For the rest of our lives on earth, we can be sure that whenever God allows us to go through difficulties or defeats, it’s not because He is cruel or indifferent.  It’s because His ultimate purpose is to revive us, to restore us, to make us stronger than we were before, and to know Him more intimately, “that we may live in His presence” (v2).

清心的人有福了！

2019-01-12 in /by

馬太福音5:8_清心的人有福了！

8 清心的人有福了！因為他們必得見神。 

8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

清心是什麼意思？我們不如從反面來思考。不清心是什麼意思？很快你就有答案了，不清心就是心裡亂七八糟的，被一大堆俗事雜事給堵住了。不清，或者還有骯髒的意思，也就是在心裡罵人、看不起他人，性幻想，嫉妒或是苦毒，甚至想謀害人。不清就是濁，當我們的心好像污水那樣混濁時，我們連自己都看不見了，更別說要看見神了。

A New Spirit In You

2019-01-11 in /by

Today’s passage is Hosea 5:1-15. Let’s go! Here are 3 short points to share with you from Hosea 5:1-15.
 
Hosea 5:3 (NIV)  I know all about Ephraim; Israel is not hidden from me. Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution; Israel is corrupt. 
 
On verse 3:  In case you’re wondering who Ephraim is, Ephraim here is another name for the nation of Israel.  Ephraim was one of the 12 tribes of Israel, but later was often used by the Old Testament prophets to refer to Israel as a whole.