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3 Reasons Why Staying Bitter Is Short-Sighted

2024-12-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 3:17-39.  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 3:17-39 (NIV)
17  Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king.
18  Now do it! For the LORD promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'”
19  Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin wanted to do.
20  When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men.

On verses 17-39:  Here Abner uses his substantial political connections to campaign for David to become king over all of Israel.  Abner speaks with key influencers in the country like the elders of Israel (v17-18) and the Benjamites (Saul and Ish-Bosheth’s own tribe) (v19), all in an effort to rally support for David.  David thanks Abner with a feast (v20).  Abner responds by saying that next he will assemble all of Israel before David and have them publicly declare David as their king (v21). 

爱在伯利恒

2024-12-02 in , /by

弥迦书 5:2-5  「伯利恒以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小，将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我做掌权的。祂的根源从亘古，从太初就有。」 3 耶和华必将以色列人交付敌人，直等那生产的妇人生下子来。那时，掌权者其余的弟兄必归到以色列人那里。
4 祂必起来，倚靠耶和华的大能并耶和华祂神之名的威严，牧养祂的羊群。他们要安然居住，因为祂必日见尊大，直到地极。 5 这位必做我们的平安。当亚述人进入我们的地境，践踏宫殿的时候，我们就立起七个牧者、八个首领攻击他。

爱在伯利恒：因着爱，为着我们，祂愿意卑微，成为人的样式，屈生在马槽里。（路2:1-17）

祂要牧养祂的羊群，他们要安然居住；祂必日见尊大，直到地极；祂必作我们的平安。

伯利恒的以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小，将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我作掌权的；祂的根源从亘古，从太初就有。

…祂必起来，倚靠耶和华的大能，并耶和华─祂　神之名的威严，牧养他的羊群。他们要安然居住；因为他必日见尊大，直到地极。这位必作我们的平安。…（弥5:2-5）

将身心献给耶稣的英国女王

2024-12-01 in , /by

申命记 6:5  你要尽心、尽性、尽力爱耶和华你的神。

马可福音 12:30  你要尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力爱主你的神。

将身心献给耶稣的英国女王伊丽莎白二世

英国女王伊丽莎白二世(Elizabeth II)的一生，以及70年辉煌的在位期间，都是以耶稣作为她长期治理的磐石和明灯。

在每年圣诞节的全国转播中，女王会分享她个人的基督信仰，也是她一切行为的关键力量。某一年，她曾引用了著名圣诗〈在萧瑟的隆冬〉(In the bleak midwinter)当中的一段歌词：「贫穷似我，当献何物。若是牧人，当献羔羊。若是智者，当献所有。我所能献，仅我身心。」

她鼓励数百万名观众将身心献给耶稣。南非出生的犹太裔基督徒作家查尔斯．加纳(Charles Gardner)最近为文透露一段女王与亲近友人之间的对话，女王说：「我希望耶稣能在我有生之年再来。」当被问到原因时，她回答说：「因为我想将我的王冠放在祂的脚下。」

Let Christ’s Kingdom Take Over

2024-12-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 3:1-16.  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! 

2 Samuel 3:1 (NIV) 
1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. 

On verse 1:  For 7.5 years after Saul’s death, the house of David and the house of Saul (represented by Ish-Bosheth) continued to war against one another.  But over time, the house of David would “grow stronger and stronger” (v1).  Likewise, as a follower of Jesus, you will find that there is an ongoing war between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, between God and Satan, for the territory in your life (Ephesians 6:12).  That war will continue until the day you see Jesus face to face and Jesus wins the war once and for all.  But my prayer for you is that over time, as you learn to trust Jesus more and more, and as you develop the attitudes, the habits and the skills necessary to grow in Christ and give the Holy Spirit more room, may the kingdom of the Son of David — Jesus Christ — grow stronger and stronger in you, and may Satan’s strongholds in your life grow weaker and weaker.

看见那不能看见的

2024-11-29 in , /by

马太福音 25:34-40   
于是，王要向那右边的说：『你们这蒙我父赐福的，可来承受那创世以来为你们所预备的国。 35 因为我饿了，你们给我吃；渴了，你们给我喝；我做客旅，你们留我住； 36 我赤身露体，你们给我穿；我病了，你们看顾我；我在监里，你们来看我。』 37 义人就回答说：『主啊，我们什么时候见你饿了给你吃，渴了给你喝？ 38 什么时候见你做客旅留你住，或是赤身露体给你穿？ 39 又什么时候见你病了或是在监里，来看你呢？』 40 王要回答说：『我实在告诉你们：这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。』

希伯来书谈到信心的本质：「信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据（11:1）。」（现代中文译本2019版：信心是对所盼望的事有把握，对不能看见的事能肯定），这是一节不易让人领会的经文；于是，作者在第11章中列举历代信徒跟随神的经历，来见证：「这些人都是因信得了美好的证据（或译为赞许），却仍未得着所应许的；…（11:39-40）」。

其中，作者提到摩西说：「他因着信，就离开埃及，不怕王怒；因为他恒心忍耐，如同看见那不能看见的主（原文没有「主」这字）（11:27）。」这节经文描述摩西年少时躲避法老，逃往米甸牧羊，凭著信心忍耐40年；最后，神在燃烧的荆棘中呼召摩西，差遣他开始承担年轻时渴望「拯救族人」的使命。

「看见」的原文可译为观察、体验、注意，「那不能看见的」指的是看不见的神；「看见那不能看见的」意思就是观察、体验那看不见的神。摩西凭著信心忍耐40年，让他得以观察、体验那看不见的神。

Have the Wisdom to Call a Truce

2024-11-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 2:12-32.  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 2:12-32 (NIV)
12  Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.
13  Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14  Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.” “All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15  So they stood up and were counted off–twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

On verses 12-32:  Here we see a showdown between David’s men led by Joab and Ish-Bosheth’s men led by Abner.  After a dramatic and bloody standoff between 24 men at the Pool of Gibeon (v13-16), Joab’s side ends up fighting and defeating Abner’s side (v17).  Abner’s side lost 360 men (v31) while Joab’s side lost only 20 soldiers (v30).

Among all the men that died in battle that day, the most noteworthy was Joab’s brother Asahel.  Verse 18 says that Asahel was fast (“fleet-footed as a wild gazelle”).  

Don’t Despise Small Beginnings. Trust God.

2024-11-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 2:1-11.  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 2:1-4 (NIV)
1  In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The LORD said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the LORD answered.
2  So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

On verse 1-4a:  David is considering what his first move should be after the death of Saul.  He does the wisest thing anyone can do: he inquires of the Lord.  The Lord tells David to go to Hebron.  Why Hebron?  We don’t know for sure, but reasons could include: (1) it was the largest city of refuge in the region; (2) it was a city that had belonged to Caleb, an ancestor of David’s wife Abigail; and (3) it was given to the priests of Israel, the sons of Aaron, and David’s pastor Abiathar the priest was a son of Aaron. 

古旧十架

2024-11-28 in , /by

诗篇 18:2  耶和华是我的岩石，我的山寨，我的救主，我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高台。

奥地利位处中欧内陆，依着阿尔卑斯山脊发展，高低起伏，轮廓多变，多湖是奥地利的地理特色；位于萨尔斯堡附近的「盐湖区」(Salzkammergut)有76个宝石般的冰河湖泊，深藏在群岳山峦，若隐若现，如玉如璞。

盐湖区中的圣沃夫冈湖，于1997年被列入联合国世界自然遗产，整个湖由12个大小湖泊串连，宛若翡翠项链，周围被茂密林带、绿地和陡峭高山环抱。圣沃夫冈小镇最吸睛的是全镇最高的「圣沃夫冈教堂」，又称「朝圣教堂」。传说在一千多年前，圣人沃夫冈(St. Wolfgang)来此地修行，有一天他听到神谕，叫他手掷斧头，并在斧头落下处建一座教堂。在中世纪，这间湖边小教堂成为很多基督徒远赴千里来朝圣的教堂圣地。

从西元972年圣诞节到去世，圣沃夫冈一直担任巴伐利亚州雷根斯堡的主教。他是天主教和东正教教会的圣人，被视为10世纪德国三大圣人之一，另外两位是奥格斯堡的圣乌尔里希(St. Ulrich)和康斯坦斯的圣康拉德(St. Conrad)。

自夸与骄傲

2024-11-27 in , /by

箴言 11:2  骄傲来，羞耻也来，谦逊人却有智慧。
箴言 16:18  骄傲在败坏以先，狂心在跌倒之前。
箴言 18:12  败坏之先，人心骄傲；尊荣以前，必有谦卑。
雅各书4:6  神阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。

萧伯纳是英国现代杰出的戏剧家，也是擅长幽默与讽刺的语言大师。下面几则小故事，他用幽默的话语回应了人的自夸与骄傲。

有一次，在巴黎名流人士聚集的沙龙上，萧伯纳在那里沉思，一名美国的亿万富翁说：「先生，如果你告诉我你在想什么，我就付你一美元。」萧伯纳看了他一眼说：「我思考的内容不值一美元。」亿万富翁怔了一下，摸不清这句话的意思。接着萧伯纳话锋一转，说：「因为我脑中思考的是你。」

一天，瘦削的萧伯纳碰到一位大腹便便的商人，商人讥讽道：「看见你，人们会以为英国发生了饥荒！」萧伯纳回击道：「看见你，人们就会明白饥荒的原因。」

一位以美貌驰名欧美的舞蹈家对萧伯纳说：「你若与我结婚，生下小孩，相貌像我而头脑像你，这孩子岂不是世上最美丽最有思想的人了！」「妳的想像很美妙！不过，假如生下的孩子，外貌像我，而智慧又像你，那该怎么办呢？」萧伯纳回应。

Focus on the Good + The Most Wonderful Love You Will Ever Know

2024-11-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 1:17-27.  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 1:17-24 (NIV)
17  David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,
18  and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
19  “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!

On verses 17-24:  Saul had caused so much trouble for David personally.  But notice that David did not treat Saul’s death as an occasion for rejoicing.  Rather he led all of Israel in mourning for Saul and Jonathan.  David even pens a lament (a song of mourning) for Saul and Jonathan and orders everyone in the nation to learn it (v18-19).  When you read David’s lament for Saul, notice that David doesn’t mention a single bad thing about Saul.  Rather, he speaks about Saul in only positive ways: