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You Got The King On Your Side

2025-01-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:28-40.  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 1:28-31 (NIV)
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.
29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,
30 I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 
 
On verses 28-31:  Despite the fact that many people had already sided with Adonijah, David decides to install Solomon as the new king in place of David.  By doing this, David was fulfilling a promise he had made to his wife Bathsheba to make Solomon the next king (v29-30). In response, Bathsheba bows before David and blesses him.

我心切切渴慕祢

2025-01-23 in , /by

诗篇 42:1-2

1 神啊，我的心切慕祢，如鹿切慕溪水。
2 我的心渴想神，就是永生神，我几时得朝见神呢？

诗人说他的心渴想神，切慕神，渴想神的院宇，渴想神的救恩和应许，如同在干旱疲乏无水之地盼雨一样。

耶稣说：「人若喝我所赐的水就永远不渴。我所赐的水要在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生。」（约翰福音4:14）

我的心渴想神，就是永生神；我几时得朝见神呢？（诗篇42:2）

神啊，祢是我的神，我要切切地寻求祢，在干旱疲乏无水之地，我渴想祢；我的心切慕祢祢。（诗篇63:1）

我羡慕渴想耶和华的院宇；我的心肠，我的肉体向永生神呼吁。（诗篇84:2）

How to Approach Jesus Your King

2025-01-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:1-14.  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 1:1-4 (NIV) 
1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 
2 So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” 
3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 
4 The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her. 

On verses 1-4:  By this time King David is almost 70 years old and is not in good health.  To help keep him warm, they find a beautiful girl called Abishag to lie beside him and to serve him as his nurse, but not to have sexual relations with him. 

「赐平安」的意念

2025-01-22 in , /by

耶利米书29:11-14

11 耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。 12 你们要呼求我，祷告我，我就应允你们。 13 你们寻求我，若专心寻求我，就必寻见。 14 耶和华说：我必被你们寻见，我也必使你们被掳的人归回，将你们从各国中和我所赶你们到的各处招聚了来，又将你们带回我使你们被掳掠离开的地方。这是耶和华说的。

先知耶利米从耶路撒冷寄信给被掳到巴比伦，饱受屈辱且深陷危难的以色列百姓，说：耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。你们要呼求我，祷告我，我就应允你们。你们寻求我，若专心寻求我，就必寻见。耶和华说：我必被你们寻见，我也必使你们被掳的人归回，将你们从各国中和我所赶你们到的各处招聚了来，又将你们带回我使
你们被掳掠离开的地方。这是耶和华说的。（耶利米书29:11-14）

信主的人应该明白，人陷在「降灾祸」事实的背后是神所怀「赐平安」的意念，为叫我们未来有盼望。而这盼望来自我们亲近祂，向祂呼求、祷告，且专心寻求祂；祂也欢然应允，必然让我们寻见。我们亲近神，神就必亲近我们（雅各书4:8）。

Whoever Exalts Himself Will Be Humbled

2025-01-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:1-14.  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 1:1-4 (NIV) 
1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 
2 So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” 
3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 
4 The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her. 

On verses 1-4:  By this time King David is almost 70 years old and is not in good health.  To help keep him warm, they find a beautiful girl called Abishag to lie beside him and to serve him as his nurse, but not to have sexual relations with him. 

在祢光中

2025-01-21 in , /by

约翰福音3:19-20

19 「光来到世间，世人因自己的行为是恶的，不爱光倒爱黑暗，定他们的罪就是在此。 20 凡作恶的便恨光，并不来就光，恐怕他的行为受责备；

人在光中无法隐藏自己的影子，或是达官显要、或是市井小民、或是穷凶恶煞，众人皆有自己的影子。影子大小会因胖瘦高矮而有差异，然而不变的事实是，距离光愈远，人的影子一定被拉长，距离光愈近，影子自然就会缩短。

从另个角度来看，影子或许可代表人的阴影，不为人知的黑暗面；人因自己的行为是恶的，不爱光，倒爱黑暗，因为可以将影子隐藏在黑暗中，阴影不被人发现，而免于罪责（约翰福音3:19-20）。

信主的人需要面向光，定睛前方，让影子落在后面，我们因此可以忘记背后，努力就光；愈靠近光，背后的影子愈小，当光正照我们头上，影子就缩到最小。

Is Your Worship of God Convenient or Costly?

2025-01-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 24:18-25.  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 Samuel 24:18-19 (NIV)
18  On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19  So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad.
 
On verses 18-19: Earlier the Lord had sent the prophet Gad to tell David about the punishment for his sin.  3 days later the Lord sends the prophet Gad to tell David how to make things right again. He instructs David to build an altar to the Lord at the very place where the plague would stop: the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (v18). 

就光行真理，靠神行事

2025-01-20 in , /by

约翰福音3:1-8

有一个法利赛人，名叫尼哥迪慕，是犹太人的官。 2 这人夜里来见耶稣，说：「拉比，我们知道你是由神那里来做师傅的，因为你所行的神蹟，若没有神同在，无人能行。」 3 耶稣回答说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不重生，就不能见神的国。」 4 尼哥迪慕说：「人已经老了，如何能重生呢？岂能再进母腹生出来吗？」 5 耶稣说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不是从水和圣灵生的，就不能进神的国。 6 从肉身生的就是肉身，从灵生的就是灵。 7 我说你们必须重生，你不要以为稀奇。 8 风随着意思吹，你听见风的响声，却不晓得从哪里来，往哪里去。凡从圣灵生的，也是如此。」

拥有正统宗教和社会地位的法利赛人尼哥底母夜里来见耶稣，耶稣对他说：要重生，要从水和圣灵生才能进入神的国，且要顺从圣灵的引领（约翰福音3:1-8）。风随着己意吹向它想要的地方，我们听见风声，但不知道它来自何方，又吹向何处；圣灵的引领也是如此，我们虽不知祂来自何方且吹向何处，但是我们可以领受，且要顺服，这就重生的生命。

尼哥底母属于自诩遗传和坚守律法的法利赛人，耶稣向他说明祂来是要叫一切信祂的都得永生，有如摩西在旷野举蛇，让人得医治，祂说：「神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不致灭亡，反得永生。…但行真理的必来就光，要显明他所行的是靠神而行。」（约翰福音3:16-21）

影响力

2025-01-19 in , /by

约翰福音2:23-25

23 当耶稣在耶路撒冷过逾越节的时候，有许多人看见他所行的神蹟，就信了他的名。 24 耶稣却不将自己交托他们，因为他知道万人， 25 也用不着谁见证人怎样，因他知道人心里所存的。

在我们的世代里，影响力是个人价值的最高指标，政治人物需要选票，网红需要粉丝，网购需要访客流量，实体店面需要排队人潮，议题评论要看声量，论文发表要看影响因子，甚至教会兴旺、圣灵充满也看建筑、看人数。

当耶稣在耶路撒冷过逾越节的时候，有许多人看见祂所行的神蹟，就信了他的名。耶稣却不将自己交托他们；因为祂知道万人，也用不着谁见证人怎样，因祂知道人心里所存的。（约翰福音2:23-25）

耶稣的时候，人要看神蹟，但是耶稣舍弃宣扬自己、寻求个人利益的影响力，反而选择牺牲自己、带给他人好处的影响力。

耶稣面对希律王正在兴建中的圣殿（当时已建了四十六年），祂说：「你们拆毁这殿，我三日内要再建立起来。」（约翰福音2:19）

The Gift of a Conscience

2025-01-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 24:10-17.  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 Samuel 24:10 (NIV) 
10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 

On verse 10:  In the previous verses we looked at why David calling a census was a foolish thing to do.  Now, after the census is over, David is conscience-stricken and confesses his sin to God.  Your conscience is a great gift from God.  Without a conscience, we would persist hardheartedly in our sin and never turn back.  But when the Holy Spirit touches our conscience, as He did here with David, we can quickly confess our sin and get back on the right track.  It’s no wonder Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:19 to hold on to a good conscience.