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The Dangers of Worshiping an Idol

2025-03-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 14:21-31.  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 14:21-31 (NIV)
21  Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.
22  Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done.

On verses 21-31:  These verses summarize the 17 year reign of Rehoboam, David’s grandson and Solomon’s son, over the tribe of Judah.  Judah (together with Benjamin) was the one tribe out of the tribes of Israel that the Lord did not tear away from the house of David.  While Rehoboam ruled over Judah, Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord by worshiping idols (v22).

柔和谦卑

2025-03-02 in , /by

马太福音11:28-29   耶稣说：「…凡劳苦担重担的人可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。我心里柔和谦卑，你们当负我的轭，学我的样式；这样，你们心里就必得享安息。因为我的轭是容易的，我的担子是轻省的。」

新约希腊文「温柔」的词意是温柔、谦卑、体谅、柔和、友好，耶稣是个代表人物，祂心里柔和（与希腊文「温柔」同字）谦卑（低下的、不显著的、无名的）；保罗在歌罗西书勉励神的选民，要存怜悯、恩慈、谦虚、温柔、忍耐的心，也归结于「温柔」一词。

耶稣时代的拉比惯用「律法的轭」来要求跟随者「顺服」律法的典章。耶稣所说的「轭」，代表着「顺服」的意思，耶稣教导我们顺服神是容易的轭、轻省的担，顺服神也让我们得享从神赐下的安息。

在争竞掠夺的社会环境里，信主的人当学习耶稣的样式，心里柔和谦卑，顺服神的旨意（容易的轭、轻省的担），因此我们得享安息。

Don’t Pretend. Be Real With God.

2025-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 14:1-20.  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 14:1-6 (NIV)
1  At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill,
2  and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there–the one who told me I would be king over this people.

On verses 1-6:  Jeroboam’s son Abijah is sick, so Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself and consult the prophet Ahijah to find out what will happen to the boy.  Up in years, Ahijah was physically blind, but the Spirit of God helped him to discern that the woman coming to see him was Jeroboam’s wife.

What can we learn from this?   Here are three lessons I believe the Holy Spirit taught me from these verses:

我是大罪人,基督是大救主

2025-02-28 in , /by

提摩太前书1:15-16 「基督耶稣降世，为要拯救罪人。」这话是可信的，是十分可佩服的。在罪人中我是个罪魁！16 然而我蒙了怜悯，是因耶稣基督要在我这罪魁身上显明祂一切的忍耐，给后来信祂得永生的人做榜样。

约翰·牛顿是耳熟能详「奇异恩典」圣诗的作者，小时候母亲曾经教导他圣经，但长大后他却忘记了神。20岁时牛顿成为奴隶船船长，当时他的目标是让船的每个角落都塞满黑奴；在高度不到70公分的船舱里，250位黑奴带着枷锁，无法转动或站立，空气中混杂着排泄物、食物发臭与尸体腐烂的味道。从非洲到英国的航程，有四分之一的奴隶会因疾病或营养不良死亡，他将尸体直接抛进大海。

23岁时，牛顿在一次出海时遇到狂风暴雨，他感觉死亡就在眼前，想到母亲曾告诉他有一位神，于是他开始呼求：「神啊，饶恕我，怜悯我，如果祢在，请给我这个罪人一次生命，我将重新活着！」那一夜，牛顿逃脱了风暴的死劫，他明白是神的手抓住了他。此后，牛顿成为一名牧师，不再贩卖黑奴，并把废除奴隶制度作为毕生努力的目标。

Protect Yourself and Your Family Against the Lion’s Attack

2025-02-27 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 13:23-34.  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 13:23-32 (NIV)
23  When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him.
24  As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

On verses 23-32:  Earlier in verses 21 and 22, the older prophet gives the younger prophet a word from God that the younger prophet has defied God’s command by eating and drinking when God specifically told him not to eat and drink during his trip (v21-22).  Notice the younger prophet’s response in verse 23: there is no indication that the younger prophet repented or felt remorse for what he did.  It seems like he just got on his donkey and proceeded to go home as if everything was normal. 

谁能使你满足永久

2025-02-27 in , /by

诗篇16:10-11    因为祢必不将我的灵魂撇在阴间，也不叫祢的圣者见朽坏。11  祢必将生命的道路指示我，在祢面前有满足的喜乐，在祢右手中有永远的福乐。

「奇异恩典」这部真实历史改编的电影，除了描写18世纪英国议员威廉·威伯福斯提倡废除黑奴法案的历程，也描写了威伯福斯与小威廉·皮特之间深刻的友谊。

皮特来自于政治世家，从大学时代开始和威伯福斯成为挚友。皮特24岁时就成为英国有史以来最年轻的首相，也是英国历史上任期最长的首相之一。在威伯福斯推动废奴法案的过程中，也仰赖皮特长时间的支持。

1806年，在废除奴隶贸易法案通过的前一年，皮特过世。电影中描绘皮特病危时威伯福斯前往探视他的一幕，身居高位的皮特，在面临死亡时对好友倾吐：「威伯，我害怕，我真希望能有你的信仰(I am afraid. I wish I had your faith.)」。

二十年来掌握英国最高权力的皮特，和二十年来每次提出废奴法案都失败且被舆论挞伐、受逼迫威胁的威伯福斯，相较之下，世人都羡慕拥有名利权势的皮特，但皮特在面对死亡的那一刻却觉得恐惧空虚，反而羡慕拥有坚实信仰的威伯福斯。

弯曲悖谬世代的明光

2025-02-26 in , /by

腓立比书2:13-15  因为你们立志行事都是神在你们心里运行，为要成就祂的美意。凡所行的，都不要发怨言，起争论，使你们无可指摘，诚实无伪，在这弯曲悖谬的世代作神无瑕疵的儿女。你们显在这世代中，好像明光照耀。

「奇异恩典」这部2006年由真实历史改编的电影，描写的是18世纪英国议员威廉·威伯福斯提倡废除黑奴法案的历程。

威伯福斯21岁就成为国会议员，是个前途无量的政治人物；但是，威伯福斯26岁时信主，对他往后生涯产生了巨大改变。他曾好几次思考，是否要放弃从政而成为传道人？但最终决定回到议会，在有影响力的位置上实践信仰。而神也给了他奋斗一生的目标，受到曾为奴隶船船长的约翰·牛顿牧师的启发，威伯福斯决心投入推动废奴法案。然而，这条路非常漫长与艰难。

28岁时，威伯福斯第一次提出废奴法案的前身─道德提升法案，以失败告终。此后，他一次又一次提出法案，但一次又一次惨败。他提倡的废奴主张，影响了庞大利益，因此他受到英国舆论的声讨，曾被人殴打，收到死亡威胁，被迫带上武装保镖出门。尽管如此，当所有人都认为奴隶制是必要之恶时，他仍坚守自己的信仰，不断向大众呼吁：「上帝造人，生而平等」。

When Someone Claims to Have a Word from God for You

2025-02-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 13:11-22.  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 13:11-19 (NIV)
11  Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king.
12  Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken.
13  So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it

On verses 11-19:  In these verses the man of God from Judah is on his way home when he is met by a “certain old prophet living in Bethel” (v11).  Having heard from his sons about the impressive feats this younger prophet from Judah was involved in, the old prophet finds this younger prophet and invites him to come to his house and eat.  Initially the younger prophet refuses, saying that God has told him not to eat or drink (v16-17). 

变与不变

2025-02-25 in , /by

希伯来书1:11-12   天地都要灭没，祢却要长存；天地都要像衣服渐渐旧了。 12 祢要将天地卷起来，像一件外衣，天地就都改变了；唯有祢永不改变，祢的年数没有穷尽。」

雅各书1:17-18 各样美善的恩赐和各样全备的赏赐都是从上头来的，从众光之父那里降下来的，在祂并没有改变，也没有转动的影儿。 18 祂按自己的旨意，用真道生了我们，叫我们在祂所造的万物中好像初熟的果子。

主爱不变，我因祂而改变。

我们有一位永不改变的神，用真道生了我们，厚恩给我们各样美善的恩赐和各样全备的赏赐；在剧变动荡的环境里，我们察验神的善良、纯全、可喜悦的旨意，心意更新而变化，改变我们卑贱的身体，和祂荣耀的身体相似。

天地都要灭没，祢却要长存。天地都要像衣服渐渐旧了；祢要将天地卷起来，像一件外衣，天地就都改变了。惟有祢永不改变；祢的年数没有穷尽。（希伯来书1:11-12）