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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).

Don’t Let Bad History Repeat Itself

2025-03-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:1-7.  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 16:1-7 (NIV)
1  Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:
2  “I lifted you up from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you walked in the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to provoke me to anger by their sins.

On verses 1-7:  Because King Jeroboam had turned away from the Lord to worship idols of his own making and led Israel to do the same, God sent a prophet to say that one day the kingship would be stripped from Jeroboam’s family and his family would be eradicated (1 Kings 14:9-11).  In 1 Kings 15, Baasha is the one who kills Jeroboam’s entire family and takes over the throne.  Yet soon after Baasha becomes the new king Baasha commits the very same sins Jeroboam committed. 

树

2025-03-06 in , /by

耶利米书17:7-8    倚靠耶和华、以耶和华为可靠的，那人有福了！他必像树栽于水旁，在河边扎根，炎热来到，并不惧怕，叶子仍必青翠，在干旱之年毫无挂虑，而且结果不止。

河道旁众多大树的荫影下，有棵初冒新芽的年轻杨树，它渴望长成一棵高大的树。然而，它总是感到自己不够强大，羡慕其他高大的树木。

在旁的老落羽杉听见微风中的叹息声，它对焦虑的杨树说：「孩子，你不必羡慕其他树木。你的信心就是你最大的力量。」杨树疑惑地问：「信心？我怎么知道我有信心呢？」

老落羽杉微笑着说：「你看，你的根深扎在河边土壤中，你的叶子总是迎著阳光。你的信心就像你的根一样，深深埋在内心，让你坚持不懈地成长。」

杨树想起自己曾经历风雨，但始终坚持着。它相信用心扎根、迎著阳光，自己就能够长成大树。多年后，杨树长成了一棵高大的树，枝叶遮天蔽日，成为河道旁美丽的风景，成就了自己的梦想。

Don’t Get Blindsided by an Inside Job

2025-03-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:25-34.  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 15:25-28 (NIV) 
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 
26 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit. 
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 
28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king. 

On verses 25-28:  1 and 2 Kings is tale of two kingdoms, Judah and Israel.  After Judah and Israel separate to become separate kingdoms, the author of 1 and 2 Kings tracks the reigns of the kings of Judah as well as the kings of Israel, going back and forth between them.  Verses 25-32 summarize the short 2 year reign of Jeroboam’s son Nadab king of Israel.

交换

2025-03-05 in , /by

路加福音15:21-24   儿子说：「父亲！我得罪了天，又得罪了你；从今以后，我不配称为你的儿子。」父亲却吩咐仆人说：「把那上好的袍子快拿出来给他穿；把戒指戴在他指头上；把鞋穿在他脚上；把那肥牛犊牵来宰了，我们可以吃喝快乐；因为我这个儿子是死而复活，失而又得的。」他们就快乐起来。

用一个盼望，交换破碎的梦想，用一声呼唤，交换满是灰烬的行囊，

用一顶荣美华冠，交换我破烂的衣裳，用喜乐油，交换满怀的忧伤。

用一朝晴朗，交换昨天的遗憾，用一个拥抱，交换叹息的夜晚，

用不责备的目光，交换我铁石的心肠，交换我回转到祢身旁。

是真的吗？以新生换我不堪的模样。是真的吗？以安息换我挣扎和徬徨。

是真的吗？祢倾尽所有换回一粒沙，还如获至宝，放在心上。

Don’t Let Your Past Define You

2025-03-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:9-24.  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 15:9-15 (NIV)
9  In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10  and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11  Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.

On verses 9-15:  These verses summarize the long 41 year reign of Asa king of Judah.  Previously, for three consecutive generations, the kings of Judah (Solomon, Rehoboam and Abijah) fell headlong into idolatry.  So when Asa, Abijah’s son, comes on the scene as king of Judah, he is a breath of fresh air.  Notice that when the author of 1 Kings summarizes Asa’s reign, the author differentiate Asa from his idol-worshiping father by not even mentioning in verses 9-15 that Asa was Abijah’s son.

两件事

2025-03-04 in , /by

箴言30:7-9  我求祢两件事，在我未死之先，不要不赐给我：求祢使虚假和谎言远离我；使我也不贫穷也不富足；赐给我需用的饮食，恐怕我饱足不认祢，说：耶和华是谁呢？又恐怕我贫穷就偷窃，以致亵渎我神的名。

所罗门王在智慧箴言里，道尽了我们在生活与生命中，不断挣扎且无法克服的两大难题：诚实与知足。

我求祢两件事，在我未死之先，不要不赐给我：求祢使虚假和谎言远离我；使我也不贫穷也不富足；赐给我需用的饮食，恐怕我饱足不认祢，说：耶和华是谁呢？又恐怕我贫穷就偷窃，以致亵渎我神的名。（箴言30:7-9）

耶和华所赐的福使人富足，并不加上忧虑。（箴言10:22）

You’re Blessed Because Someone Went Ahead Of You

2025-03-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:1-8.  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 15:1-8 (NIV)
1  In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah,
2  and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
3  He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.

On verses 1-8:  Here we read about Abijah son of Rehoboam and his 3 year reign as king of Judah.  The writer of 1 Kings saw little that was noteworthy about Abijah’s reign other than the fact that he committed all the same sins his father Rehoboam committed (v3).  In fact the only reason God allowed Abijah to continue reigning as king was for his great grandfather David’s sake (v4), because David had followed the Lord.  Because David obeyed, his great grandson Abijah was blessed long after David was gone.

是谁偷走我的快乐？

2025-03-03 in , /by

诗篇16:8-11  我将耶和华常摆在我面前，因祂在我右边，我便不致摇动。因此，我的心欢喜，我的灵快乐；我的肉身也要安然居住。…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。

畅销作家约翰·伊佐(John Izzo)在西班牙朝圣之路的旅程中，发现快乐曾经是人类最自然、容易的一件事，但为何现在费尽心思却不一定能得到？于是，他写下「是谁偷走我的快乐？(The Five Thieves of Happiness)」这本书。这五个偷走快乐的小偷分别是：

第一个名叫「控制」：认为事情必须按照自己的期望走，不愿意单纯接受当下现实，试图控制，汲汲营营，不愿放手，无法真实地活在当下。「控制」偷走我们「交托给神」的心。

第二个名叫「自负」：以自我为中心，认为只有自己最重要，满足自我欲望的同时，反而制造更多不平等和对立。「自负」偷走我们「与人分享」的心。

第三个名叫「觊觎」：认为事事要比别人好，内心不断比较、嫉妒和不满，也失去对自己的认同与肯定。「觊觎」偷走我们「凡事谢恩」的心。

第四个名叫「消费」：骗人如果拥有某物，就会得着快乐，驱使不断追求消费，但却是消耗自己的内心。「消费」偷走我们「知足喜乐」的心。