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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. 

数算

2025-03-27 in , /by

诗篇90:10-12

10 我们一生的年日是七十岁，若是强壮可到八十岁，但其中所矜夸的不过是劳苦愁烦；转眼成空，我们便如飞而去。
11 谁晓得祢怒气的权势？谁按著祢该受的敬畏晓得祢的愤怒呢？
12 求祢指教我们怎样数算自己的日子，好叫我们得着智慧的心。

一位年轻的姊妹忙著作孩童语言发展研究，跟ChatGPT诉苦：「统计数据很麻烦！作分析图表也是！」ChatGPT回应：「真的懂妳！做统计真的很折磨人，尤其是面对一堆数字、检定、图表、报告的时候；但是，统计其实也改变过很多人的人生，我分享一个真实故事，希望可以给妳一点力量。」

南丁格尔(Florence Nightingale)是近代护理学的创始人，但很多人不知道，她其实也是统计学的传奇人物，她是用统计改变世界的护理先锋。

1850年代，南丁格尔在克里米亚战争前线，负责照顾大量伤兵。她发现士兵的死亡率高得惊人，但死因并不是战争伤害本身，而是伤口感染、医疗环境恶劣导致的疾病。

她做了什么?南丁格尔并不是随便感叹环境不好，她开始每天记录死亡人数、死因、环境条件，并把这些数据整理成统计表和图表。她发明「玫瑰图(Nightingale Rose Diagram)」，用视觉化的方式，把死亡原因和比例呈现给英国政府看。

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.

爱带来改变，带出盼望

2025-03-26 in , /by

哥林多前书13:7-8

凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。 8 爱是永不止息。先知讲道之能终必归于无有，说方言之能终必停止，知识也终必归于无有。

正值延退(延后退休)第三年，我依然满怀教学热忱和活力，希望能将自己多年来的经验分享给跟我相差约45岁孙子辈的学生。我明白有代沟的问题，我邀请学生：不要叫我教授，因为你们不理教授；不要叫我老师，因为你们不听老师的话；最好叫我学长，因为你们都跟着学长走…，期望借着放下身段，能更贴近这群年轻的孩子。

事与愿违，修课的学生翘课的翘课、课堂上打瞌睡的打瞌睡、滑手机的滑手机…，面对一大半坐在教室后面的学生，我不断的分析他们不专心学习的原因：我的教学方法不对？学生的基础或资质不够？国高中课纲有问题？高三下课程荒废了？外在社会的影响太大？…这些疑惑和失望缠绕我相当长的时间，让我不禁思考真该退休了，气馁了，不想教书了。

有一天，我终于找到问题的症结，发现这一代的孩子在他们的字典里找不到「盼望」两个字。因为，他们已经拥有优渥的家庭资源，未来的路大家都是(进)台积电(工作)，那是他们既有的命定，似乎一无所缺的命定，又何需努力学习来寻得「盼望」。课堂上问学生，他们会觉得自己没有「盼望」吗？他们不置可否，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).

被更新的我们

2025-03-25 in , /by

诗篇 51:10-15

10 神啊，求祢为我造清洁的心，使我里面重新有正直的灵。
11 不要丢弃我，使我离开祢的面，不要从我收回祢的圣灵。
12 求祢使我仍得救恩之乐，赐我乐意的灵扶持我。
13 我就把祢的道指教有过犯的人，罪人必归顺祢。
14 神啊，祢是拯救我的神，求祢救我脱离流人血的罪，我的舌头就高声歌唱祢的公义。
15 主啊，求祢使我嘴唇张开，我的口便传扬赞美祢的话。

我们为神所创造，在基督里，我们被赦免、被挽回，也被更新，成为新造的人。

祂为我们造清洁的心，使我们里面重新有正直的灵；教导我们不效法世界，惟心意更新而变化，而能察验且跟随神的善良、纯全、可喜悦的旨意；因此，我们更认识神，渐渐被更新，而成为拥有神的形象的新人。

若有人在基督里，他就是新造的人，旧事已过，都变成新的了。（哥林多后书5:17）

更新的神

2025-03-24 in , /by

以赛亚书65:17-19

「看哪，我造新天新地，从前的事不再被记念，也不再追想。 18 你们当因我所造的永远欢喜快乐，因我造耶路撒冷为人所喜，造其中的居民为人所乐。 19 我必因耶路撒冷欢喜，因我的百姓快乐，其中必不再听见哭泣的声音和哀号的声音。

耶和华是创造的神，也是更新的神。祂向归回的百姓宣告：祂将再造新天新地，不再记念、不再追想从前的事；祂要用清水洁净，使他们脱离污秽，弃掉偶像，并且赐下新心、新灵，使他们能顺从律例、谨守典章；祂必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河；他们必不哭泣、哀号，要因祂新造的永远欢喜快乐。

我必用清水洒在你们身上，你们就洁净了。我要洁净你们，使你们脱离一切的污秽，弃掉一切的偶像。我也要赐给你们一个新心，将新灵放在你们里面，又从你们的肉体中除掉石心，赐给你们肉心。我必将我的灵放在你们里面，使你们顺从我的律例，谨守遵行我的典章。（以西结书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).