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Like Parent, Like Child

2025-03-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:41-53.  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! 

1 Kings 22:41-53 (NIV)
41  Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42  Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

On verses 41-53:  In these verses we see two kings — King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahaziah of Israel.  These two kings were polar opposites. Jehoshaphat loved God, did what was right in God’s eyes and would go onto a long 25 year reign, becoming one of Judah’s greatest kings.  In contrast, Ahaziah worshiped idols, provoked the Lord to anger, and had only 2 years to reign as king in Israel. 

You Can Run But You Can’t Hide from God

2025-03-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:29-40.  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! 

1 Kings 22:29-40 (NIV)
29  So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead.
30  The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

On verses 29-40: King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah get ready to fight the King of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Knowing that the Lord’s prophets had prophesied that he would die instead of the King of Aram (e.g. 1 Kings 20:42 and 22:20), King Ahab thinks he can outsmart God’s Word by disguising himself.  That way no one can readily recognize him as the king.  Despite that, “someone” (we don’t know who — it could have been an Aramean, and it also could have been a newbie Israelite soldier) draws his bow at random and ends up hitting King Ahab, wounding him fatally. 

數算

2025-03-27 in , /by

詩篇90:10-12

10 我們一生的年日是七十歲，若是強壯可到八十歲，但其中所矜誇的不過是勞苦愁煩；轉眼成空，我們便如飛而去。
11 誰曉得祢怒氣的權勢？誰按著祢該受的敬畏曉得祢的憤怒呢？
12 求祢指教我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好叫我們得著智慧的心。

一位年輕的姊妹忙著作孩童語言發展研究，跟ChatGPT訴苦：「統計數據很麻煩！作分析圖表也是！」ChatGPT回應：「真的懂妳！做統計真的很折磨人，尤其是面對一堆數字、檢定、圖表、報告的時候；但是，統計其實也改變過很多人的人生，我分享一個真實故事，希望可以給妳一點力量。」

南丁格爾(Florence Nightingale)是近代護理學的創始人，但很多人不知道，她其實也是統計學的傳奇人物，她是用統計改變世界的護理先鋒。

1850年代，南丁格爾在克里米亞戰爭前線，負責照顧大量傷兵。她發現士兵的死亡率高得驚人，但死因並不是戰爭傷害本身，而是傷口感染、醫療環境惡劣導致的疾病。

她做了什麼?南丁格爾並不是隨便感嘆環境不好，她開始每天記錄死亡人數、死因、環境條件，並把這些數據整理成統計表和圖表。她發明「玫瑰圖(Nightingale Rose Diagram)」，用視覺化的方式，把死亡原因和比例呈現給英國政府看。

Does God Put Deceiving Spirits in People?

2025-03-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:13-28.  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!

1 Kings 22:13-14 (NIV) 
13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” 
14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me.” 

On verses 13-14:  Despite being pressure to say what the king wants to hear, Micaiah the prophet refuses to utter anything as prophecy unless Micaiah truly believes it is from God.  Micaiah had integrity.  He understood his role as God’s prophet was not to please people and to speak whatever they want to hear, but to please God and to communicate God’s heart and mind to the people.

愛帶來改變，帶出盼望

2025-03-26 in , /by

哥林多前書13:7-8

凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。 8 愛是永不止息。先知講道之能終必歸於無有，說方言之能終必停止，知識也終必歸於無有。

正值延退(延後退休)第三年，我依然滿懷教學熱忱和活力，希望能將自己多年來的經驗分享給跟我相差約45歲孫子輩的學生。我明白有代溝的問題，我邀請學生：不要叫我教授，因為你們不理教授；不要叫我老師，因為你們不聽老師的話；最好叫我學長，因為你們都跟著學長走…，期望藉著放下身段，能更貼近這群年輕的孩子。

事與願違，修課的學生翹課的翹課、課堂上打瞌睡的打瞌睡、滑手機的滑手機…，面對一大半坐在教室後面的學生，我不斷的分析他們不專心學習的原因：我的教學方法不對？學生的基礎或資質不夠？國高中課綱有問題？高三下課程荒廢了？外在社會的影響太大？…這些疑惑和失望纏繞我相當長的時間，讓我不禁思考真該退休了，氣餒了，不想教書了。

有一天，我終於找到問題的癥結，發現這一代的孩子在他們的字典裡找不到「盼望」兩個字。因為，他們已經擁有優渥的家庭資源，未來的路大家都是(進)台積電(工作)，那是他們既有的命定，似乎一無所缺的命定，又何需努力學習來尋得「盼望」。課堂上問學生，他們會覺得自己沒有「盼望」嗎？他們不置可否，好像是。

When You Need to Make an Important Decision

2025-03-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 22:1-12.  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!

1 Kings 22:1-3 (NIV) 
1 For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 
2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. 
3 The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?” 

On verses 1-3:  For years Israel and Aram had been at war with one another.  Then God gave Israel an amazing victory over Aram.  However, in the heat of victory, instead of executing Ben-Hadad King of Aram and disabling the Arameans as a future threat, King Ahab signed an economic treaty with the Arameans and let their king go free (1 Kings 20:30-34).

被更新的我們

2025-03-25 in , /by

詩篇 51:10-15

10 神啊，求祢為我造清潔的心，使我裡面重新有正直的靈。
11 不要丟棄我，使我離開祢的面，不要從我收回祢的聖靈。
12 求祢使我仍得救恩之樂，賜我樂意的靈扶持我。
13 我就把祢的道指教有過犯的人，罪人必歸順祢。
14 神啊，祢是拯救我的神，求祢救我脫離流人血的罪，我的舌頭就高聲歌唱祢的公義。
15 主啊，求祢使我嘴唇張開，我的口便傳揚讚美祢的話。

我們為神所創造，在基督裡，我們被赦免、被挽回，也被更新，成為新造的人。

祂為我們造清潔的心，使我們裡面重新有正直的靈；教導我們不效法世界，惟心意更新而變化，而能察驗且跟隨神的善良、純全、可喜悅的旨意；因此，我們更認識神，漸漸被更新，而成為擁有神的形象的新人。

若有人在基督裡，他就是新造的人，舊事已過，都變成新的了。（哥林多後書5:17）

更新的神

2025-03-24 in , /by

以賽亞書65:17-19

「看哪，我造新天新地，從前的事不再被記念，也不再追想。 18 你們當因我所造的永遠歡喜快樂，因我造耶路撒冷為人所喜，造其中的居民為人所樂。 19 我必因耶路撒冷歡喜，因我的百姓快樂，其中必不再聽見哭泣的聲音和哀號的聲音。

耶和華是創造的神，也是更新的神。祂向歸回的百姓宣告：祂將再造新天新地，不再記念、不再追想從前的事；祂要用清水潔淨，使他們脫離污穢，棄掉偶像，並且賜下新心、新靈，使他們能順從律例、謹守典章；祂必在曠野開道路，在沙漠開江河；他們必不哭泣、哀號，要因祂新造的永遠歡喜快樂。

我必用清水灑在你們身上，你們就潔淨了。我要潔淨你們，使你們脫離一切的污穢，棄掉一切的偶像。我也要賜給你們一個新心，將新靈放在你們裡面，又從你們的肉體中除掉石心，賜給你們肉心。我必將我的靈放在你們裡面，使你們順從我的律例，謹守遵行我的典章。（以西結書36:25-27）

Life When Who Humble Yourself Before God

2025-03-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 21:15-29.  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! 

1 Kings 21:15-29 (NIV)
15  As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.”
16  When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.
17  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite:

On verses 15-29:  Having murdered Naboth, Jezebel urges her husband Ahab to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.  God sends Elijah to speak a word of retribution against Ahab for the way he and Jezebel murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard.  Elijah prophesies that as punishment for Ahab’s and Jezebel’s sins, God would cut off every male from Ahab’s line (v21-22) and cause the dogs to eat Jezebel’s flesh (v24).