Entries by

A Heart Like His

2026-05-04 in /by

What if, for one day—24 hours—Jesus were to become you? Imagine. Your heart gets the day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ. His priorities govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.

Would people notice a change? And how would you feel? What effect would this have on your stress level? Would you still do what you had planned to do? Obligations. Appointments. Would anything change?

God’s plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. Ephesians 4:23-24 (NCV) says, “But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy.” God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.

不洁的源头

2026-05-04 in , /by

利未记 12:6 满了洁净的日子，无论是为男孩是为女孩，她要把一岁的羊羔为燔祭，一只雏鸽或是一只斑鸠为赎罪祭，带到会幕门口交给祭司。

当我们思考洁净不洁净的动物时，有的人会从实际的情况去理解神的条例。例如，有人研究分蹄的动物不洁，是因为蹄一旦分开比较容易有病毒或病菌进去动物的身体；也有人认为因为某些动物专吃死尸或腐肉，人若没有把牠的肉煮熟，就会被那些病毒或寄生虫所害。但是从犹太人的眼光来看，这不洁还不止是指作为食物，即使连妇人怀孕时也要避免看不洁净的动物，免得胎儿受到影响。犹太人认为人的灵魂是洁净的，因为是神赐下的灵，所以每个人出生时都是纯洁的。

〈利未记〉12:1-8耶和华对摩西说：「你晓谕以色列人说：若有妇人怀孕生男孩，她就不洁净七天，像在月经污秽的日子不洁净一样。第八天，要给婴孩行割礼。妇人在产血不洁之中，要家居三十三天。她洁净的日子未满，不可摸圣物，也不可进入圣所。她若生女孩，就不洁净两个七天，像污秽的时候一样。要在产血不洁之中，家居六十六天。」

但是从这段经文里，我们看到《圣经》指出人类生命源头的不洁。根据犹太人的说法，产妇不洁的日数是从生产时见到第一滴血，或是感到即将分娩时开始算起，直到洁净，这称为niddah的阶段。女人产后流血需要一段时间才会洁净，所以在这不洁净的日子里，她需要休息，使身体各方面都能恢复。

洁净和不洁净的动物(之二)

2026-05-03 in , /by

利未记11章44节   我是耶和华─你们的　神；所以你们要成为圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。

神的圣洁和以色列人吃东西有关系吗？神的圣洁和基督徒的饮食有关系吗？很想说怎么会有关系，主耶稣不是说：「入口的不能污秽人，出口的乃能污秽人。(太15:11)」又说：「岂不知凡入口的，是运到肚子里，又落在茅厕里吗？惟独出口的，是从心里发出来的，这才污秽人。因为从心里发出来的，有恶念、凶杀、奸淫、苟合、偷盗、妄证、谤讟。这都是污秽人的。(太15:18-20)」

但是入口的真的不能污秽人吗？这里的污秽代表什么呢？我相信旧约和新约的污秽有一字之别。主耶稣的意思是凡入口的不能污秽「别」人，出口的才会污秽「别」人；和旧约的意思是相似的，入口的会污秽「自己」。假如你吃坏了东西，就会拉肚子；假如你长期喝酒，就会伤肝；痛风、糖尿病、高血压、胆固醇，过敏，等等，有许多病是吃出来的，不是吗？

Grace That Sustains

2026-05-03 in /by

Paul wrote, “There was given me a thorn in my flesh, from Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

The cancer in the body. The sorrow in the heart. The child in the rehab center. The craving for whiskey in the middle of the day. The tears in the middle of the night. The thorn in the flesh. “Take it away,” you’ve pleaded. Not once, twice, or even three times. You’ve out-prayed the Apostle Paul and you’re about to hit the wall. But what you hear Jesus say is this, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Sustaining grace. The grace that meets us at our point of need and equips us with courage, wisdom, and strength. Sustaining grace! It doesn’t promise the absence of struggle. But it does promise the presence of God.

洁净和不洁净的动物(之一)

2026-05-01 in , /by

利未记11章44节   我是耶和华─你们的　神；所以你们要成为圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。

曾经有位做餐饮业的从业人员，为了要研究知名人物的用餐习性，特别花精神去了解个别人物的爱好。她发现当年的国务卿，犹太裔的季辛吉的习性：「不喝酒，爱喝沛绿雅﹝Perrier﹞ 矿泉水，不吃有壳的海鲜，不吃猪肉。」因而若季辛吉到她服务的餐厅，她总是特别为季辛吉准备沛绿雅矿泉水，并且避免向他介绍有壳的海鲜或猪肉方面的菜单。这就是犹太人在饮食方面的坚持，因为这是神给他们的规定。

在〈利未记〉11章里，神教导以色列人怎样分别洁净和不洁净的动物，洁净的可以食用，不洁净的就不可以食用。其中大部份是为了食用的安全和人体的健康。例如：死了的爬物，掉在甚么东西上，这东西就不洁净，无论是木器、衣服、皮子、口袋，不拘是做甚么工用的器皿，须要放在水中，必不洁净到晚上，到晚上才洁净了。若有死了掉在瓦器里的，其中不拘有甚么，就不洁净，你们要把这瓦器打破了。其中一切可吃的食物，沾水的就不洁净，并且那样器皿中一切可喝的，也必不洁净。(利11:31-34)

Confession Offers Freedom

2026-05-01 in /by

Confession! It’s a word that conjures up many images—some not so positive! Confession isn’t telling God what he doesn’t know. That’s impossible. It’s not pointing fingers at others without pointing any at me. That may feel good, but it doesn’t promote healing.

Confession is a radical reliance on grace—a trust in God’s goodness. The truth is, confessors find a freedom that deniers don’t! Scripture says “If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done” (1 John 1:8-9 NCV).

Tell God what you did. Again, it’s not that he doesn’t already know, but the two of you need to agree! Then let the pure water of grace flow over your mistakes!

Confession Reveals our Hearts

2026-05-01 in /by

We can’t live with foreign objects buried in our bodies, or our souls. What would an X-ray of your interior reveal? Remorse over a poor choice? Shame about the marriage that didn’t work, the temptation you couldn’t resist? Guilt lies hidden beneath the surface. Festering, irritating, sometimes so deeply embedded you don’t even know the cause of your pain.

And you can be touchy, you know. Understandable, since you have a shank of shame lodged in your soul. Would you like an extraction? Here’s what you do: confess. Ask God to help you. Psalm 139:23-24 is a model prayer. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Confession. You see, confessors find a freedom that deniers do not. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins! He will cleanse us. Not might, could, would, or should. He will.

大喜大悲的一天

2026-04-30 in , /by

利未记10章3节    于是摩西对亚伦说：「这就是耶和华所说：『我在亲近我的人中要显为圣；在众民面前，我要得荣耀。』」亚伦就默默不言。

那是非常喜乐的一天，万里晴空。在西乃山刚造好不久的会幕前，摩西按著神的吩咐，拣选亚伦和他的四个儿子供祭司的职份。

在〈出埃及记〉28章里，神己经安排一切心中有智慧的人为亚做衣服，胸牌、以弗得、外袍、杂色的内袍、冠冕、腰带。这祭司和大祭司的衣服所用的材料是：金线和蓝色、紫色、朱红色线，并撚的细麻。再用巧匠的手工做以弗得，以弗得就是大祭司胸前的那块布袋，它有两条肩带可以相连，又取两块红玛瑙，在上面刻以色列儿子的名字，六个名字在这块宝石上，六个名字在那块宝石上，都照他们生来的次序；

又用刻宝石的手工，仿佛刻图书，按著以色列儿子的名字，刻这两块宝石，要镶在金槽上。再把宝石安在以弗得的两条肩带上，为以色列人做纪念石。亚伦要在两肩上担他们的名字，在耶和华面前作为纪念。

五祭

2026-04-29 in , /by

利未记6章9-13节  你要吩咐亚伦和他的子孙说，燔祭的条例乃是这样：燔祭要放在坛的柴上，从晚上到天亮，坛上的火要常常烧着。祭司要穿上细麻布衣服，又要把细麻布裤子穿在身上，把坛上所烧的燔祭灰收起来，倒在坛的旁边。随后要脱去这衣服，穿上别的衣服，把灰拿到营外洁净之处。 坛上的火要在其上常常烧着，不可熄灭，祭司要每日早晨在上面烧柴，并要把燔祭摆在坛上，在其上烧平安祭牲的脂油。在坛上必有常常烧着的火，不可熄灭。

当神住在人的中间，却因为人的罪，成为了人与神之间的隔阂，有如万丈高墙，难以攀越。因此神设立了五祭，使以色列可以借着这五祭来亲近祂。一般在人所创立的宗教里，都尽量给人不食烟火的感觉，好让人幻想在天界是何等地清静无瑕。但是耶和华神却有不一样的想法，因为祂知道真正的天堂是怎样的，祂更知道谁才能去那里。所以在耶和华的殿里，祭是最原始的敬拜。

神设立了五祭，虽然我们不是犹太人，不必献祭；即使是犹太人，现在也没了献祭的地方。但是理解这五祭，可以帮助我们要怎样敬拜神，亲近神。现在我们要用复习的方法来看这五祭，答案都在《圣经》〈利未记〉1-7章里。这些有的是多选题，有超过一个的答案。