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How’s Your “Miracles Memory”?

2025-03-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 17:17-24.  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 17:17-18 (NIV)
17  Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
18  She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

On verses 17-18:  A mother experiences her worst nightmare: the death of her child.  In this case it wasn’t a sudden death but an illness which took her son’s life, one where his sickness got worse and worse until he was gone.  It’s not clear why the woman would blame her son’s death on Elijah, the prophet who was staying as a guest in her house.  Sometimes when we can’t understand why something is happening to us, we can be tempted to blame God for what we’re going through. 

勇於承認犯錯

2025-03-12 in , /by

創世記3:14-19    耶和華神對蛇說：「你既做了這事，就必受咒詛，比一切的牲畜野獸更甚！你必用肚子行走，終身吃土。 15 我又要叫你和女人彼此為仇，你的後裔和女人的後裔也彼此為仇，女人的後裔要傷你的頭，你要傷他的腳跟。」 16 又對女人說：「我必多多加增你懷胎的苦楚，你生產兒女必多受苦楚。你必戀慕你丈夫，你丈夫必管轄你。」 17 又對亞當說：「你既聽從妻子的話，吃了我所吩咐你不可吃的那樹上的果子，地必為你的緣故受咒詛，你必終身勞苦，才能從地裡得吃的。 18 地必給你長出荊棘和蒺藜來，你也要吃田間的菜蔬。 19 你必汗流滿面才得糊口，直到你歸了土，因為你是從土而出的。你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土。」  

面對神的詢問，亞當將罪責推給夏娃，夏娃又推卸給蛇，這就是我們常經歷的犯罪三部曲：人犯罪、逃避神、推諉卸責。人犯罪違背神，人與神間有了裂痕，逃避神和推諉卸責更加深人神間的鴻溝，使得人離神愈來愈遠，因此，神的懲罰隨即依序臨到蛇、夏娃、亞當（創世記3:14-19）。

耶和華說：「誰告訴你赤身露體呢？莫非你吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那樹上的果子嗎？」那人說：「你所賜給我、與我同居的女人，她把那樹上的果子給我，我就吃了。」耶和華神對女人說：「你做的是甚麼事呢？」女人說：「那蛇引誘我，我就吃了。」（創世記3:11-13）

與神相處/不要躲避祂的面

2025-03-11 in , /by

馬太福音11:28  凡勞苦擔重擔的人可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息。

創世記記載始祖亞當後續第十代子孫挪亞，他父親拉麥給他起名叫挪亞（字意是休息），說：「這個兒子必為我們的操作和手中的勞苦安慰我們；這操作勞苦是因為耶和華咒詛地。」（創世記5:28-29）

始祖亞當犯罪被逐出伊甸園，自此人們就陷在「終身勞苦才得吃的，汗流滿面才得糊口」（創世記3:17-19）的窘境中，休息（挪亞）是那個世代的渴望，「脫離勞苦，得到休息」不也是綿延世代我們每一個人的渴望嗎？我們期盼「休息」可以為我們的操作和手中的勞苦「安慰」我們。是嗎？

大衛形容耶和華是牧者，他是羊，說：「我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷，也不怕遭害，因為祢與我同在；祢的杖，祢的竿，都安慰我。」（詩篇23:4）牧羊人的杖是掛在腰間的短棍，用來趕走豺狼，保護羊群；竿是長的柺杖，用來引導羊群，前端有個鉤子，可以勾回走岔、走迷的羊。

大衛形容當他行過死蔭的幽谷時，神與他同在，在杖的「保護」、竿的「引導」下，他得「安慰」。「安慰」原文有嘆息、遺憾、憐憫、安慰、後悔的意思，大衛描述當他降伏於神的保護和引領下，他得著安慰。

How to Experience God’s Supernatural Provision

2025-03-11 in /by

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

2025-03-10 in /by

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

2025-03-10 in , /by

馬太福音11:28  凡勞苦擔重擔的人可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息。

創世記記載始祖亞當後續第十代子孫挪亞，他父親拉麥給他起名叫挪亞（字意是休息），說：「這個兒子必為我們的操作和手中的勞苦安慰我們；這操作勞苦是因為耶和華咒詛地。」（創世記5:28-29）

始祖亞當犯罪被逐出伊甸園，自此人們就陷在「終身勞苦才得吃的，汗流滿面才得糊口」（創世記3:17-19）的窘境中，休息（挪亞）是那個世代的渴望，「脫離勞苦，得到休息」不也是綿延世代我們每一個人的渴望嗎？我們期盼「休息」可以為我們的操作和手中的勞苦「安慰」我們。是嗎？

大衛形容耶和華是牧者，他是羊，說：「我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷，也不怕遭害，因為祢與我同在；祢的杖，祢的竿，都安慰我。」（詩篇23:4）牧羊人的杖是掛在腰間的短棍，用來趕走豺狼，保護羊群；竿是長的柺杖，用來引導羊群，前端有個鉤子，可以勾回走岔、走迷的羊。

大衛形容當他行過死蔭的幽谷時，神與他同在，在杖的「保護」、竿的「引導」下，他得「安慰」。「安慰」原文有嘆息、遺憾、憐憫、安慰、後悔的意思，大衛描述當他降伏於神的保護和引領下，他得著安慰。

How God Measures Success

2025-03-09 in /by

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

2025-03-09 in , /by

詩篇 19   

1 諸天述說神的榮耀，穹蒼傳揚他的手段。
2 這日到那日發出言語，這夜到那夜傳出知識。
3 無言無語，也無聲音可聽。
4 他的量帶通遍天下，他的言語傳到地極。神在其間為太陽安設帳幕，
5 太陽如同新郎出洞房，又如勇士歡然奔路。

英國的首席研究員艾力克斯．史曼利(Alex Smalley)希望每個人都能早點起床，或在太陽下山時放慢腳步。為什麼呢？這是為了欣賞日出和日落。

史曼利研究自然界對心理健康的影響，他發現這些稍縱即逝的景色，是一天中最美麗、最令人讚嘆的時刻。與萬里晴空或璀璨夜空相比，令人讚嘆的日出或日落更能讓人心情變好，增加正向情緒和減少壓力。

史曼利說：「當你看到廣闊無垠的景象，或令你心生敬畏感的情景，你會覺得自己的困難變得微不足道，也不再那麼擔憂了。」

愛的管教

2025-03-07 in , /by

希伯來書12:4-11   你們又忘了那勸你們如同勸兒子的話，說：我兒，你不可輕看主的管教，被祂責備的時候也不可灰心；因為主所愛的，祂必管教，又鞭打凡所收納的兒子。…生身的父都是暫隨己意管教我們；惟有萬靈的父管教我們，是要我們得益處，使我們在祂的聖潔上有分。凡管教的事，當時不覺得快樂，反覺得愁苦；後來卻為那經練過的人結出平安的果子，就是義。

蘇格蘭作家喬治．麥克唐納(George MacDonald)在他所著的一本寓言故事書(The Wise Woman)中，講述一位滿有智慧的婦人幫助兩位自私自利的女孩，讓她們經歷重重考驗而變得「可愛」。

女孩們每次考驗都失敗，因而感到羞愧和無助，其中一個名叫蘿莎蒙的女孩，最終明白無法改變自己，就問那位智慧的婦人說：「妳能幫助我嗎？」婦人回答：「既然妳問我，也許我能。」在智慧婦人的幫助下，蘿莎蒙開始改變。接著，她問婦人能否原諒她過去所犯的過錯。婦人說：「若我不原諒妳，就不會費心管教妳，讓妳接受考驗。」

有時上帝會管教我們，明白背後的原因是很重要的。祂的管教不是處罰，而是慈父對孩子的關愛。祂也希望我們能「在祂的聖潔上有份。…結出平安的果子，就是義的果子」。聖潔會使我們能像上帝那樣完全、喜樂與「可愛」。

The Dangers of Drunkenness and Sedition

2025-03-07 in /by

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).