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住在祢的院宇

2025-05-08 in , /by

诗篇27:4   有一件事，我曾求耶和华，我仍要寻求，就是一生一世住在耶和华的殿中，瞻仰祂的荣美，在祂的殿里求问。

小时候的主日清晨，母亲总是特别忙碌，因为需要迅速的把五个孩子梳洗干净、穿戴整齐，好让他们跟着父亲准时到教会上主日学。那时父亲的脚踏车是孩子们唯一的交通工具，一车载三个孩子是常见的事，如果我们家有博物馆的话，父亲的老爷脚踏车一定会放在最显眼之处，因为那是我们家孩子们最深层的记忆。

从小在教会长大，自然投入团契生活，主日清晨是少年人学习晨祷的时候，教会前庭棕榈树下常是我们清晨聚集的地方。记得有天清晨我负责带领晨祷，排了四张长板凳在树下，时间到了，却只我一个人，没人哪！我低头为伙伴们的平安来到祷告，祷告完后抬头一看，前面三张长板凳坐满了刚到的伙伴们，那时我开始学习信心的功课。

教会鼓励年轻人参与服事，我在大学时期开始教主日学，曾经带领一群小三的孩子一直到他们小学毕业。那段时间我跟孩子们相约在主日清晨早祷，在教堂前侧小小的准备室围在一起，大家开口轮流祷告，祷告会完后再带他们到教会附近的市场吃早餐。在服事的过程，我看着、也跟着这群小萝卜头，一起在教会成长。

日子久了，不仅要照顾小萝卜头，也开始学习带领主日学同工。主日清晨，我们全家一起到教会，我和妻子惠吟教主日学，两个孩子当主日学学生。来到教会，习惯的打开一间间主日学教室门窗，接着进主日学办公室和同工们一起祷告，再走到教会门口欢迎一个个来参加主日学的孩子们，这是一段充满学习和感恩的日子。

Blaze the Trail

2025-05-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 18:1-16 (NIV)
1  In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2  He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

On verses 1-16:  After Judah had been led by a handful of spiritually rotten, idol-worshiping kings, Hezekiah bursts onto the scene.  Hezekiah courageously breaks with his predecessors’ idol worshiping traditions.  He begins to use his authority as king of Judah to remove idolatry from his land.  Hezekiah also courageously stands up to the king of Assyria, even while Hezekiah’s counterpart Hoshea king of Israel was being defeated by Assyria.

上帝使万事互相效力

2025-05-07 in , /by

「万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处。」（罗马书8:28）这句话常被理解为，不管发生了甚么，无论是好事、坏事，爱上帝的人都会在其中得到好处。这句常出现于安慰告白失败、失恋被甩的人，或求职工作不顺利。

最后一次用到这句，是在数年前。我维持读书、打电脑的姿势太久，没有起来走走，做一下伸展运动，结果肩膀沾黏。这是坏事。那阵子全世界COVID-19肆虐，我们家打疫苗，丈夫和孩子们都肩膀肿痛哀哀叫。这也是坏事。我就用了这句话：「肩膀沾黏的徒手治疗更痛，打疫苗的痛真是小菜一碟。真是万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处啊。」说自己更倒楣，多了肩膀沾黏的坏事，但负负得正，坏坏变好。

这句话被节录，然后滥用、乱用。直到我阅读希腊文圣经罗马书第八章，才知道自己对这句话理解错误三十多年。

首先，「万事都互相效力」是不正确的翻译。「万事」成为主词，具有泛灵论或古代斯多葛主义的思想，以为事情有它自己的力量。许多中文圣经都做了修订。《现代中文译本》2019版「…上帝使万事互相效力…」、《中文标准译本》「…神使万事相辅相成…」。

「万事」πάντα是直接受格，主词「上帝」被隐藏了。这种句法是犹太人的习惯，因为上帝太伟大了。事实上，有些古代抄本有「上帝」ὁ θεὸς。所以，不是「万事」自己有甚么想法意念，而是上帝使万事互相效力。

God Is Our Deliverer and Strength

2025-05-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:34-41.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:34-41 (NIV)
34  To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
35  When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.

On verses 34-41:  We see some of the main lessons of 2 Kings reiterated here in these verses:

1.  We were made to worship the Lord alone (v36).  Three times in this short passage it says “Do not worship other gods” (v35, 37, 38).

结出圣灵的果子-节制

2025-05-06 in , /by

加拉太书5:22-23  圣灵所结的果子，就是仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信实、温柔、节制；这样的事没有律法禁止。

哥林多前书9:25-27  凡较力争胜的，诸事都有节制。他们不过是要得能坏的冠冕，我们却是要得不能坏的冠冕。26 所以，我奔跑不像无定向的，我斗拳不像打空气的。 27 我是攻克己身，叫身服我，恐怕我传福音给别人，自己反被弃绝了。

「节制」是保罗在加拉太书5:22-23谈到结出圣灵的果子的最后一项，它常被忽略，却是极其重要的基督徒品格。节制的原文意思是「自我控制」或「自律」，它不在于压抑欲望，而是靠着圣灵的能力，在思想、情绪、行为上有智慧的选择与克制。

本应上战场的大卫王留在宫中，睡到太阳平西，眼目看到拔示巴后，没有节制自己的情欲，结果犯了奸淫，为掩盖罪又谋杀她丈夫乌利亚（撒母耳记下11章）。这悲剧的开端，就是他没有节制自己的眼目与情欲。

以扫因一时饥饿，卖掉了神所赐的长子名分，他说：「我将要死，这长子的名分于我有什么益处呢？」（创世记25:29-34）他没节制口腹之欲，轻看属灵福分，后来想要承受父所祝的福，竟被弃绝，虽然号哭切求，却得不著门路使他父亲的心意回转（希伯来书12:16-17）。

Keep It Simple

2025-05-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:24-33.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:24-26 (NIV)
24  The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
25  When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
26  It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
 
On verses 24-26:  Shalmaneser king of Assyria has deported the Israelites from Samaria (Israel’s capital city) and replaces them with people from foreign lands.  These foreigners do not worship the Lord in Samaria and are attacked, and in some cases killed, by lions. 

结出圣灵的果子-温柔

2025-05-05 in , /by

撒迦利亚书9:9  锡安的民哪，应当大大喜乐！耶路撒冷的民哪，应当欢呼！看哪，你的王来到你这里，祂是公义的，并且施行拯救，谦谦和和地骑着驴，就是骑着驴的驹子。

约翰福音8:1-11

于是各人都回家去了。耶稣却往橄榄山去。 2 清早又回到殿里，众百姓都到他那里去，他就坐下教训他们。 3 文士和法利赛人带着一个行淫时被拿的妇人来，叫她站在当中， 4 就对耶稣说：「夫子，这妇人是正行淫之时被拿的。 5 摩西在律法上吩咐我们把这样的妇人用石头打死，你说该把她怎么样呢？」 6 他们说这话乃试探耶稣，要得着告他的把柄。耶稣却弯著腰，用指头在地上画字。

加拉太书5:23谈到「温柔」是圣灵所结的果子之一，这里的「温柔」（希腊文原文为prautēs）指的是谦卑、温顺，但并非懦弱无能，而是刚柔并济，一种受控的力量，在真理与爱中表现出来的谦和态度。

柏拉图在《理想国》(Republic)中，利用守卫犬(guardian dog) 来比喻勇猛与温柔并存的理想品德；对敌人凶猛、果断（勇敢、具有攻击性），对熟悉的人亲切、和善（温柔、友好）；而这看似矛盾行为的核心，就在于这种犬只能辨别敌人与朋友。

2 Kings in a Nutshell

2025-05-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:14-23.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 17:14-23 (NIV)
14  But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God.
15  They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do,” and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

On verses 14-23:  These verses summarize the overall story of 2 Kings, which is that despite the Lord warning His people about the consequences that would result if they kept on sinning, the Israelites both in Israel and in Judah persisted in all forms of sinning against the Lord (v14 to 19). 

结出圣灵的果子-信实

2025-05-04 in , /by

你要知道耶和华─你的神，祂是神，是信实的神；向爱祂、守祂诫命的人守约，施慈爱，直到千代。（申命记7:9）

因为耶和华本为善。祂的慈爱存到永远；祂的信实直到万代。（诗篇100:5）

我们的天父是守约、施慈爱，信实的神，祂的儿女因为相信祂，就拥有延续到永远的慈爱，而这「信实」（可信、可靠）的确据则一直延伸到万代。

使徒保罗在加拉太书5:22谈到「信实」是圣灵所结的果子之一，它的原文就是「信心」一字。天父的儿女相信天父是信实的神，这信心让圣灵改变我们的生命，也让我们能承载天父的「信实」属性，成为「信实」的人。

一个信实的人要在日常生活中表现忠诚、信实、可靠，这不仅仅是对神的信靠，也体现在与他人的关系中。信实的表现包括对家庭的忠诚、对工作的责任感、对朋友的真诚，无论在顺境还是逆境中，保持对神的信心和倚靠，且和他人都能持守忠诚和真诚。

God Is So Much More Merciful Than People

2025-05-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:1-13.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 17:1-13 (NIV)
1  In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years.
2  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3  Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal and had paid him tribute.

On verses 1-13:  One thing that strikes me as I read this passage is how much more merciful and gracious the Lord is compared to Shalmaneser king of Assyria.  King Hoshea of Israel had been Shalmaneser’s vassal.