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Treasure the People God Gives You

2025-03-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 2:1-12.  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! 

2 Kings 2:1-6 (NIV)
1  When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2  Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

On verses 1-6:   Here we read of how the prophet Elijah is taken from this world.  Presumably in a single day, Elijah and Elisha travel from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then finally to the Jordan.  According to my rudimentary calculations, Gilgal appears to be over 20 kilometres away from Bethel and Bethel is over 20 kilometres away from Jericho.  So unless Elijah and Elisha walked or ran the equivalent of a marathon that day together, I would expect that for most of this trip (other than the part from Jericho to the Jordan – v6), Elijah and Elisha traveled by chariot or on horseback to these various places.

If You Don’t Want God to “Fire” You, Do This

2025-03-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 1:1-18.  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 Kings 1:1-4 (NIV) 
1 After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. 
2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.” 
3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 
4 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!'” So Elijah went. 

On verses 1-4: Ahaziah king of Israel falls and injures himself.  He wonders whether he will recover from this accident or die from it.  He decides to consult Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron on the question.  The Lord’s prophet Elijah brings a message to Ahaziah, stating that Ahaziah’s actions have offended the Lord. 

不要迷失在人群中

2025-03-30 in , /by

路加福音19:1-10

耶稣进了耶利哥，正经过的时候， 2 有一个人名叫撒该，做税吏长，是个财主， 3 他要看看耶稣是怎样的人。只因人多，他的身量又矮，所以不得看见。 4 就跑到前头，爬上桑树，要看耶稣，因为耶稣必从那里经过。 5 耶稣到了那里，抬头一看，对他说：「撒该，快下来！今天我必住在你家里。」 6 他就急忙下来，欢欢喜喜地接待耶稣。 7 众人看见，都私下议论说：「他竟到罪人家里去住宿！」 8 撒该站着对主说：「主啊，我把所有的一半给穷人，我若讹诈了谁，就还他四倍。」 9 耶稣说：「今天救恩到了这家，因为他也是亚伯拉罕的子孙。 10 人子来，为要寻找、拯救失丧的人。」

在广大的世界里，我们常觉得自己只不过是群众中一个微不足道的小人物罢了。世界的趋势驱使我们除去个人的特质，要我们认同周围的人，而且成为与他们相同的一份子。然而，神却以祂独特的方式来爱我们。

耶稣在前往耶路撒冷的路上，群众蜂拥包围祂，矮小的撒该非得爬上一棵树，才看得到耶稣。撒该原想，只要看最伟大的教师一眼，就心满意足，但耶稣居然停下来，抬头直视他！对他说：「撒该，快下来！今天我必住在你家里。」

那时在人群中根本不受注意的撒该，就这样，开始一段与耶稣同处的时光，而这个际遇彻底地改变了他的生命。撒该对主说：「主啊，我把所有的一半给穷人；我若讹诈了谁，就还他四倍。」

我是神甚好且独特的创造

2025-03-28 in , /by

创世记1:27-31

神就照着自己的形象造人，乃是照着祂的形象，造男造女。 28 神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：「要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地，也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟和地上各样行动的活物。」 29 神说：「看哪，我将遍地上一切结种子的菜蔬和一切树上所结有核的果子，全赐给你们做食物。 30 至于地上的走兽和空中的飞鸟，并各样爬在地上有生命的物，我将青草赐给牠们做食物。」事就这样成了。 31 神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。

你曾仔细观看过一棵树吗？一棵树上总有数以百计的叶子，乍看每片叶子都长得相像，但实际上没有两片叶子是真的一样，每片叶子都不同！因为创造叶子的神在意每一片叶子，祂造它们各有自己的特色。你、我也是神独特的创造，我们也都不一样，而且神看着一切所造的都甚好。

神就照着自己的形像造人，乃是照着他的形像造男造女。神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：「要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地，也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟，和地上各样行动的活物。」

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。