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我宁愿有耶稣

2024-11-14 in , /by

马太福音 16:26      人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？

「我宁愿有耶稣」诗的作者密勒夫人（Rhea F. Miller, 1894-1966）生平不详，但作曲者谢伯伟（George Beverly Shea, 1909-2013）却是现代著名的福音圣诗歌唱家。

谢伯伟出生在加拿大，父亲是卫理公会牧师，母亲虔诚爱主，他虽生长在基督化家庭，常在教会献诗，却不肯接受耶稣为救主。大学毕业后在保险公司工作，他有一副嘹亮的歌喉，经常被邀演唱，颇享盛名。

他的母亲不住为他灵命祷告，1933年某日，谢伯伟在家练琴时，母亲将密勒夫人的诗交给他，希望他能为它谱曲。谢伯伟诵读后，心受感动，就在琴上记写曲调，一面弹，一面唱，内心深处自问：「我终日忙碌，到底是为了什么？我若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命有什么益处呢？」那一刹那，是他人生的转捩点，就此决心将自己奉献。

Don’t Take God’s Grace for Granted

2024-11-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 25:1-22.  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 Samuel 25:1 (NIV) 
1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon. 

On verse 1:  Chapter 25 begins with the death of Samuel.  It was fitting that all Israel assembled and mourned for their leader Samuel, whom they bury in his hometown of Ramah.

1 Samuel 25:2-11 (NIV)
2  A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
3  His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.
4  While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.
5  So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name.

Forgiving and Trusting Are Not the Same Thing

2024-11-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 24:1-22.  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 Samuel 24:1-4 (NIV)
1  After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
2  So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3  He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
4  The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

On verses 1-4: What was the significance of David cutting the corner of Saul’s robe?  It showed how easily David could have killed Saul if he wanted to.  This grace and mercy David showed Saul foreshadows the grace and mercy God would show us.  God could easily have killed us in His wrath, yet in His loving self-control, He withheld and instead laid His wrath upon His own Son Jesus so that we could be forgiven and set free.

祂为我开路

2024-11-13 in , /by

但以理书 6:21-22     但以理对王说：「愿王万岁！ 我的神差遣使者封住狮子的口，叫狮子不伤我，因我在神面前无辜，我在王面前也没有行过亏损的事。」

近代印度的大传道人孙大信（1889-1933）有次到西藏的拉隆，这个充满喇嘛教徒市镇的教长不欢迎基督教，他无法在那里传道。但孙大信依著惯例，无论到何处、遇到什么逼迫，都把传福音当做他的使命。因此，他马上被抓并带去见教长，经过询问，竟然非法地被判应受极刑。

在旧约时代，耶利米被投入泥水井里，但以理被投入狮穴，现在孙大信也被投进一口放尸体的空井里面。刑吏押他到井口，剥去他的衣服，将他推进井里，因为颠落下去，右臂受到挫伤，在井里黑天暗地，只有等待着死。井穴里尸臭扑鼻，骸骨累累，充满了恶臭与死毒，手足所触摸，莫非腐肉与朽骨，真像一个活狱。在此时此境，他如同十字架上的耶稣，呼求神说：「我的神，我的神，为什么离弃我？」

Jesus Is the Rock Between You and the Enemy

2024-11-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 23:15-29.  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 Samuel 23:15-18 (NIV)
15  While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.
16  And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.
17  “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”
18  The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

On verses 15-18:  When David was hiding from Saul in the desert, Jonathan went to David and helped him find strength in God.  He spoke encouraging words to David and reminded David of God’s calling on his life (v17).  

怜悯

2024-11-12 in , /by

出埃及记 31:18    耶和华在西奈山和摩西说完了话，就把两块法版交给他，是神用指头写的石版。

出埃及记 34:6-7    耶和华在他面前宣告说：「耶和华，耶和华，是有怜悯有恩典的神，不轻易发怒，并有丰盛的慈爱和诚实。 7 为千万人存留慈爱，赦免罪孽、过犯和罪恶；万不以有罪的为无罪，必追讨他的罪，自父及子，直到三四代。」

耶和华在西乃山与百姓立约，把律法和诫命颁布给摩西，且刻在两块石版上（出31:18）。因着百姓拜金牛犊的大罪，摩西一怒之下摔碎这两块石版，但是神又重新作了两块，赐给摩西；同时，神在摩西面前宣告祂的属性：「耶和华，耶和华，是有『怜悯』有恩典的神，不轻易发怒，并有丰盛的慈爱和诚实，为千万人存留慈爱，赦免罪孽、过犯，和罪恶，万不以有罪的为无罪，必追讨他的罪，自父及子，直到三、四代。」（出34:6-7）

祭司撒迦利亚预言耶稣的诞生：「…因我们神『怜悯』的心肠，叫清晨的日光从高天临到我们，要照亮坐在黑暗中死荫里的人，把我们的脚引到平安的路上。…」（路1:67-80）

The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Discern God’s Will

2024-11-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 23:1-14.  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 Samuel 23:1 (NIV) 
1 When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,”

On verse 1:  The name Keilah probably means “fortress”.  Yet the Philistines seemed to have no problem attacking and looting this Israelite city.  This tells me 2 things.  First, the only truly unbeatable fortress is God.  Just as Keilah needed David’s help, all of us, no matter how strong we think we are, need the help of Jesus, the Son of David, to save us.  Jesus alone is the true Keilah, the only impenetrable fortress.  

看不见的看见

2024-11-11 in , /by

约翰一书 5:1      凡信耶稣是基督的，都是从神而生；凡爱生他之神的，也必爱从神生的。

哥林多后书 4:18    原来我们不是顾念所见的，乃是顾念所不见的，因为所见的是暂时的，所不见的是永远的。

约翰福音 20:29  耶稣对他说：「你因看见了我才信，那没有看见就信的有福了！」

「爱」让我们看见（经历）那不能看见的神。做在最小的弟兄身上，就是做在主身上，「爱人」可以让我们观察、体验那看不见的神；在无助、穷乏的时候，「那双看不见的手」是我们的安慰、满足，「被爱」也可以让我们观察、体验那看不见的神。

「凡信耶稣是基督的，都是从神而生，凡爱生他之神的，也必爱从神生的。（约壹5:1）」

神奇妙的恩典不仅让「看得见的」能看见「那不能看见的」，也让「看不见的」同样能看见「那不能看见的」；且让我们领受视障者的心灵分享：

多数人依赖视觉的经验习惯，或许唯有黑夜才能体会何谓「看不见」；但对一群视障者来说，却在看不见中「看见」不同黑夜的风景。

The Damage that Deceit Can Do

2024-11-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 22:11-23.  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!

For context, let’s start at verse 9.

1 Samuel 22:9-23 (NIV)
9  But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
10  Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11  Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father’s whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.

On verses 9-23:  To understand what led to the murder of Ahimelech the priest, his family, 84 other priests as well as the entire town of Nob, we must first go back to verses 9-10 and understand who Doeg was and his role in this situation.

On paper Doeg was Saul’s head shepherd (v7), but his real role was as Saul’s personal assassin, his “closer”.  To me Doeg fits the mold of a classic James Bond henchman, a heartless killer who speaks few words and flexes a lot of muscle, a one-man wrecking crew.