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Ask God for a Wise and Discerning Heart

2019-02-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 3:1-15.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 3:7-9 (NIV) 
7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 
8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 
9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 

On verses 1-15:  Instead of asking for wealth or honor, Solomon asks for a wise and discerning heart so that he can govern the people of Israel (v.9).  The fact that in verse 9 Solomon says, “For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” shows that at this stage Solomon did not see the people of Israel as his own, but God’s.  

帶著權柄的教導

2019-02-23 in /by

馬太福音7: 28-29_帶著權柄的教導

28 耶穌講完了這些話，眾人都稀奇他的教訓， 29 因為他教訓他們正像有權柄的人，不像他們的文士。

在今年的2月19日，有一位搭機要去昆明的乘客，為求保平安，在登機過程中把兩枚一元硬幣扔向機身方向。結果真的很平安，因為飛機不能起飛了。工作人員在繞機檢查時在左發動機區域附近發現兩枚硬幣，為防有硬幣落進發動機，只好停航檢查幾個小時。在去年也有一位80歲的老婦在飛往廣州之前，朝著飛機引擎狂投擲硬幣，導致引擎內裝滿了異物，必須停下重新檢察，該航班就這樣延誤了5個小時。她投硬幣的原因也是為了祈福。

在一些有水池的地方，人都可看到池底滿是硬幣，因為人都以為這樣做可以祈福保平安，但是主耶穌說什麼是福呢？虛心的人有福了！哀慟的人有福了！溫柔的人有福了！ 飢渴慕義的人有福了！真正的福氣和平安，不是到處投擲硬幣可得，乃是要在主耶穌的救恩裡才能得到。所以當耶穌講完登山寶訓時，人人都稀奇祂的教訓，因為祂的教導像有權柄的人。

Don’t Think “God Will Let Me Get Away With Anything”

2019-02-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 2:28-46. Let’s go!

On verses 28-35:  For many years Joab was the ruthless commander of King David’s army.  Joab’s ruthlessness was never more manifest than when he unsuspectingly murdered two high ranking Israelite officials, Abner (in 2 Samuel 3) and Amasa (in 2 Samuel 20:9-10), possibly for fear that they would one day replace him.  Joab also killed Absalom, David’s son, specifically against David’s orders.  Yet for some reason David always spared Joab’s life.  David literally let Joab get away with murder.  (Why?  Some scholars believe it’s because Joab was one of the few who knew the secret that David had ordered the murder of one of his own brave soldiers, Uriah the Hittite, and that David was scared that Joab would expose him.) 

Be Alert Against The Enemy’s Underhanded Tactics

2019-02-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

There are many lessons we can learn from today’s passage, 1 Kings 2:13-27.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 2:17 (NIV) 
17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon–he will not refuse you–to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 

On verses 13-18:  Here Adonijah goes to Bathsheba the king’s mother with a request: he asks for Abishag the Shunammite as his wife.  Why?  It’s not because Adonijah was in love with Abishag, as beautiful as she was.  Rather it was a political move.  Remember that Abishag was effectively David’s last concubine.  Abishag lived with David, took care of David, slept in the same bed as David, though she never had sexual relations with David (see 1 Kings 1:3-4). Back in David’s time, whoever controlled the king’s harem was viewed as controlling the kingdom.

夢想成真

2019-02-21 in /by

馬太福音7: 24-27_夢想成真

24 「所以，凡聽見我這話就去行的，好比一個聰明人，把房子蓋在磐石上。 25 雨淋，水沖，風吹，撞著那房子，房子總不倒塌，因為根基立在磐石上。 26 凡聽見我這話不去行的，好比一個無知的人，把房子蓋在沙土上。 27 雨淋，水沖，風吹，撞著那房子，房子就倒塌了，並且倒塌得很大。」

在這世界上有許多人希望自己的夢想成真。有的人靠著白手起家，有的人想走捷徑發財，有的人天天去買彩票，希望只要有錢在手就可以夢想成真。但是真的有錢就能使夢想成真嗎？輕易得來的錢財雖然可以使一個人的夢想成真，但是那種夢也破滅得特別快。

有一位愛爾蘭婦人在六年前中了彩票，一夕之間搖身一變為三間公司的老闆。但是因為不善經營，不但公司倒閉，之後的她比先前更加潦倒。我有時也夢想一朝醒來，手指彷彿被點了神仙水，可以在鋼琴鍵盤上飛翔奔跑，所過之處都蹦跳出美麗的音樂。幸好我的夢想沒有成真，不然很多鋼琴老師都要氣壞了，沒有學生上門，大家都作夢去了。

神不給我們這樣的滿足，靠著暴財或夢想或短暫的努力就可以夢想成真。祂要我們腳踏實地，經過艱難和持續的努力，才能夢想成真。為何說，小時了了，大未必佳呢？為何說，起初速得的產業，終久卻不為福(箴20:21)？

假牧者和教師

2019-02-21 in /by

馬太福音7: 15-23_假牧者和教師

15 「你們要防備假先知。他們到你們這裡來，外面披著羊皮，裡面卻是殘暴的狼。 16 憑著他們的果子就可以認出他們來。荊棘上豈能摘葡萄呢？蒺藜裡豈能摘無花果呢？ 17 這樣，凡好樹都結好果子，唯獨壞樹結壞果子。 18 好樹不能結壞果子，壞樹不能結好果子。 19 凡不結好果子的樹就砍下來，丟在火裡。 20 所以，憑著他們的果子就可以認出他們來。 21 凡稱呼我『主啊，主啊』的人不能都進天國，唯獨遵行我天父旨意的人才能進去。 22 當那日，必有許多人對我說：『主啊，主啊，我們不是奉你的名傳道，奉你的名趕鬼，奉你的名行許多異能嗎？』 23 我就明明地告訴他們說：『我從來不認識你們。你們這些作惡的人，離開我去吧！』

最近不僅是天主教的神父和聖職人員多有性醜聞，基督教的牧者也不遑多讓。更可怕的是在這些領袖做了惡事之後，其他的領袖知道後不但不嚴懲，反而包庇掩蓋，要求當事人原諒了事。讓受害者承受諸多方面的壓力和痛苦，得不到公義的對待。而那些戴著羊面具的狼就繼續吞噬可憐，不受保護的羊。

耶穌在這裡警告我們，不是每一個牧者或教師都是屬祂的人。有一位性侵教友長達數年的牧者，甚至在受訪時宣稱終止教內性騷擾是他的第一要務。這些牧者或教師都是大聲奉主名傳道，有的還奉主名趕鬼，行異能，表現得很有能力，彷彿是神重用的僕人，使人不敢不聽他的話。但是他們暗中所行的，主都知道。保羅說像這樣的人暗中所行的，提起來也是可恥的(弗5:12)。

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).