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与神相处/不要躲避祂的面

马太福音11:28  凡劳苦担重担的人可以到我这里来,我就使你们得安息。

创世记记载始祖亚当后续第十代子孙挪亚,他父亲拉麦给他起名叫挪亚(字意是休息),说:「这个儿子必为我们的操作和手中的劳苦安慰我们;这操作劳苦是因为耶和华咒诅地。」(创世记5:28-29)

始祖亚当犯罪被逐出伊甸园,自此人们就陷在「终身劳苦才得吃的,汗流满面才得糊口」(创世记3:17-19)的窘境中,休息(挪亚)是那个世代的渴望,「脱离劳苦,得到休息」不也是绵延世代我们每一个人的渴望吗?我们期盼「休息」可以为我们的操作和手中的劳苦「安慰」我们。是吗?

大卫形容耶和华是牧者,他是羊,说:「我虽然行过死荫的幽谷,也不怕遭害,因为祢与我同在;祢的杖,祢的竿,都安慰我。」(诗篇23:4)牧羊人的杖是挂在腰间的短棍,用来赶走豺狼,保护羊群;竿是长的柺杖,用来引导羊群,前端有个钩子,可以勾回走岔、走迷的羊。

大卫形容当他行过死荫的幽谷时,神与他同在,在杖的「保护」、竿的「引导」下,他得「安慰」。「安慰」原文有叹息、遗憾、怜悯、安慰、后悔的意思,大卫描述当他降伏于神的保护和引领下,他得着安慰。

How to Experience God’s Supernatural Provision

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 17:1-16.  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!

1 Kings 17:1-6 (NIV)
1  Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
2  Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:

On verses 1-6:  God is the star of 1 Kings, and here we meet God’s best supporting actor.  He is the prophet Elijah.  Elijah boldly proclaims to Ahab that there would be no dew or rain in the next few years except when Elijah proclaims there to be (of course not by his own power but by God’s).  Knowing that Ahab wanted to coerce, manipulate and harm Elijah, God tells Elijah where to hide, tells him where he can find water to drink and provides ravens who send him food.

It Matters Whom You Marry

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:29-34.  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 16:29-33 (NIV)
29  In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years.
30  Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.
31  He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.

On verses 29-33:  These verses summarize the 22 year reign of Ahab as king of Israel, although we will read about Ahab again in later chapters of 1 Kings.  One can make the argument that Ahab was the most wicked king in Israel’s history.  According to the writer of 1 Kings, Ahab “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (v30) and “did more to provoke the Lord to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him” (v32).  He went even further than his precedent-breaking father Omri.

得安慰、享安息

马太福音11:28  凡劳苦担重担的人可以到我这里来,我就使你们得安息。

创世记记载始祖亚当后续第十代子孙挪亚,他父亲拉麦给他起名叫挪亚(字意是休息),说:「这个儿子必为我们的操作和手中的劳苦安慰我们;这操作劳苦是因为耶和华咒诅地。」(创世记5:28-29)

始祖亚当犯罪被逐出伊甸园,自此人们就陷在「终身劳苦才得吃的,汗流满面才得糊口」(创世记3:17-19)的窘境中,休息(挪亚)是那个世代的渴望,「脱离劳苦,得到休息」不也是绵延世代我们每一个人的渴望吗?我们期盼「休息」可以为我们的操作和手中的劳苦「安慰」我们。是吗?

大卫形容耶和华是牧者,他是羊,说:「我虽然行过死荫的幽谷,也不怕遭害,因为祢与我同在;祢的杖,祢的竿,都安慰我。」(诗篇23:4)牧羊人的杖是挂在腰间的短棍,用来赶走豺狼,保护羊群;竿是长的柺杖,用来引导羊群,前端有个钩子,可以勾回走岔、走迷的羊。

大卫形容当他行过死荫的幽谷时,神与他同在,在杖的「保护」、竿的「引导」下,他得「安慰」。「安慰」原文有叹息、遗憾、怜悯、安慰、后悔的意思,大卫描述当他降伏于神的保护和引领下,他得着安慰。

How God Measures Success

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:21-28.  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 16:21-28 (NIV)
21  Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri.
22  But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
23  In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
24  He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

On verses 21-28:  These verses summarize the 12 year reign of Omri.  From a political and military standpoint, Omri was an impressive king.  Omri outlasted his opponent Tibni in a civil war (v21-22).  Omri built a new capital city for Israel called Samaria.  Ancient Assyrian records even refer to Israel as “the land of Omri” [1].

仰望天空

诗篇 19   

1 诸天述说神的荣耀,穹苍传扬他的手段。
2 这日到那日发出言语,这夜到那夜传出知识。
3 无言无语,也无声音可听。
4 他的量带通遍天下,他的言语传到地极。神在其间为太阳安设帐幕,
5 太阳如同新郎出洞房,又如勇士欢然奔路。

英国的首席研究员艾力克斯.史曼利(Alex Smalley)希望每个人都能早点起床,或在太阳下山时放慢脚步。为什么呢?这是为了欣赏日出和日落。

史曼利研究自然界对心理健康的影响,他发现这些稍纵即逝的景色,是一天中最美丽、最令人赞叹的时刻。与万里晴空或璀璨夜空相比,令人赞叹的日出或日落更能让人心情变好,增加正向情绪和减少压力。

史曼利说:「当你看到广阔无垠的景象,或令你心生敬畏感的情景,你会觉得自己的困难变得微不足道,也不再那么担忧了。」

爱的管教

希伯来书12:4-11   你们又忘了那劝你们如同劝儿子的话,说:我儿,你不可轻看主的管教,被祂责备的时候也不可灰心;因为主所爱的,祂必管教,又鞭打凡所收纳的儿子。…生身的父都是暂随己意管教我们;惟有万灵的父管教我们,是要我们得益处,使我们在祂的圣洁上有分。凡管教的事,当时不觉得快乐,反觉得愁苦;后来却为那经练过的人结出平安的果子,就是义。

苏格兰作家乔治.麦克唐纳(George MacDonald)在他所著的一本寓言故事书(The Wise Woman)中,讲述一位满有智慧的妇人帮助两位自私自利的女孩,让她们经历重重考验而变得「可爱」。

女孩们每次考验都失败,因而感到羞愧和无助,其中一个名叫萝莎蒙的女孩,最终明白无法改变自己,就问那位智慧的妇人说:「妳能帮助我吗?」妇人回答:「既然妳问我,也许我能。」在智慧妇人的帮助下,萝莎蒙开始改变。接着,她问妇人能否原谅她过去所犯的过错。妇人说:「若我不原谅妳,就不会费心管教妳,让妳接受考验。」

有时上帝会管教我们,明白背后的原因是很重要的。祂的管教不是处罚,而是慈父对孩子的关爱。祂也希望我们能「在祂的圣洁上有份。…结出平安的果子,就是义的果子」。圣洁会使我们能像上帝那样完全、喜乐与「可爱」。

The Dangers of Drunkenness and Sedition

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:8-20.  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 16:8-14 (NIV)
8  In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.
9  Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the man in charge of the palace at Tirzah.

On verses 8-14:  Elah son of Baasha takes over his father’s throne and becomes king of Israel.  However, Elah’s reign comes to an end when Elah gets drunk in his administrator’s house and is killed by Zimri, one of Elah’s officials.  Zimri goes on to destroy Elah’s entire family, fulfilling Jehu’s prophecy earlier about what would happen to the house of Baasha (1 Kings 16:1-4).

Don’t Let Bad History Repeat Itself

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:1-7.  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 16:1-7 (NIV)
1  Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:
2  “I lifted you up from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you walked in the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to provoke me to anger by their sins.

On verses 1-7:  Because King Jeroboam had turned away from the Lord to worship idols of his own making and led Israel to do the same, God sent a prophet to say that one day the kingship would be stripped from Jeroboam’s family and his family would be eradicated (1 Kings 14:9-11).  In 1 Kings 15, Baasha is the one who kills Jeroboam’s entire family and takes over the throne.  Yet soon after Baasha becomes the new king Baasha commits the very same sins Jeroboam committed. 

耶利米书17:7-8    倚靠耶和华、以耶和华为可靠的,那人有福了!他必像树栽于水旁,在河边扎根,炎热来到,并不惧怕,叶子仍必青翠,在干旱之年毫无挂虑,而且结果不止。

河道旁众多大树的荫影下,有棵初冒新芽的年轻杨树,它渴望长成一棵高大的树。然而,它总是感到自己不够强大,羡慕其他高大的树木。

在旁的老落羽杉听见微风中的叹息声,它对焦虑的杨树说:「孩子,你不必羡慕其他树木。你的信心就是你最大的力量。」杨树疑惑地问:「信心?我怎么知道我有信心呢?」

老落羽杉微笑着说:「你看,你的根深扎在河边土壤中,你的叶子总是迎著阳光。你的信心就像你的根一样,深深埋在内心,让你坚持不懈地成长。」

杨树想起自己曾经历风雨,但始终坚持着。它相信用心扎根、迎著阳光,自己就能够长成大树。多年后,杨树长成了一棵高大的树,枝叶遮天蔽日,成为河道旁美丽的风景,成就了自己的梦想。