8/28/2011
Shared by J Yang
約 伯 記 28
20 智 慧 從 何 處 來 呢 ？ 聰 明 之 處 在 哪 裡 呢 ？
21 是 向 一 切 有 生 命 的 眼 目 隱 藏 ， 向 空 中 的 飛 鳥 掩 蔽 。
22 滅 沒 和 死 亡 說 ： 我 們 風 聞 其 名 。
23 神 明 白 智 慧 的 道 路 ， 曉 得 智 慧 的 所 在 。
24 因 他 鑒 察 直 到 地 極 ， 遍 觀 普 天 之 下 ，
25 要 為 風 定 輕 重 ， 又 度 量 諸 水 ；
26 他 為 雨 露 定 命 令 ， 為 雷 電 定 道 路 。
27 那 時 他 看 見 智 慧 ， 而 且 述 說 ； 他 堅 定 ， 並 且 查 究 。
28 他 對 人 說 ： 敬 畏 主 就 是 智 慧 ； 遠 離 惡 便 是 聰 明 。
今天, 艾琳颶風狂掃紐約. 大家都在家裡等待風雨過去. 我們窺見神的大能. 祂為風定輕重, 為雨露定命令, 但我們一輩子只能看到祂的智慧的冰山一角. 神的智慧浩瀚無邊, 我們無法從書本上得到, 沒法用錢買得到, 我們心裡也無法揣摩到. 這裡說的好: (神的智慧) 是向一切有生命的眼目隱藏. 敬畏主就是智慧 , 我們常聽到這句經文, 讓我們的生命也充滿了這智慧
08/27/2011
Shared by George
2 Corinthians 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
歌林多后书1:20神的应许，不论有多少，在基督都是是的。所以借着他也都是实在（实在：原文是阿们）的，叫神因我们得荣耀。
此句应翻作“在基督【里】都是是的”。神一切的应许乃是在基督里成就，也成为实际。要抓住神的应许吗？我们必须在基督里。只有在基督里，人生才能活出神的应许，才能荣耀神
Date: August 26, 2011
Shared by: TC Lo
Job 21:14 他們對 神說：‘離開我們吧！我們不願曉得你的道。
Job 22:17 他們向 神說：‘離開我們吧！’又說：‘全能者能把我們怎麼樣呢？’
Sharing:
拒絕相信上帝存在的人有八大 “理由”. 其中之一是: 為何良善的上帝把人送往地獄去使他們永遠受折磨?
這個問題假定上帝強迫人入地獄. 但事實非如此. 神願人人得救 (2 Peter 3:9). 那些不得救的人是他們不願蒙拯救. 耶穌說, “耶路撒冷啊，耶路撒冷啊！你常殺害先知，又用石頭打死那奉差遣到你這裡來的人。我多次願意聚集你的兒女，好像母雞把小雞聚集在翅膀底下，只是你們不願意。(太23:37).
魯益師 (C.S. Lewis) 如此表述, “地獄的門是從裏面鎖的.” 所有入去的人都是他們自願的. 魯益師補充道, “最終只有两類人: 第一類是那些向神說, [願祢的旨意成全,] 和第二類是神對他們說, [願你們的旨意成全.] 凡在地獄的, 都是自己的選擇.” 魯益師相信, “如果沒有自我選擇 (self-choice), 地獄是不會存在的. 沒有一個認真渴望, 恒切追求喜樂的人會錯過他所希望得著的. 因為“尋找的必尋着, 叩門的必為他開門.”
再者, 那些不適合天堂的人, 天堂對他們來說便是地獄. 因為天堂是一個不斷讚美和敬拜神的地方 (啟4-5). 但對那些連一個禮拜一小時的聚會都受不了的人, 你要強迫他在天堂上永遠敬拜, 簡直比地獄更惨!
請再聽魯益師的話,
- “我願意付上任何代價如果我真能誠實地說, [所有人都得救,] 但我的理性會馬上反駁, [照他們的意願, 還是不照他們的意願?]
- 如果我說 [不照他們的意願,] 我馬上察覺到矛盾; 一個至高的自願把自己屈服的行為 (supreme voluntary act of self-surrender) 怎能是非自願的呢?
- 如果我說 [照他們的意願,] 我的理性會馬上回答 [但他的意願豈是不要進天堂嗎?]
- 神是公義的, 衪必懲罰罪惡 (Habakkuk 1:13; 啟20:11-15). 但衪也是愛 (I John 4:16), 但衪的愛不能強迫別人愛衪. 愛不能強制地施行, 只能用說服的方法去吸引人. 強迫的愛是一個矛盾的名詞.
因此, 神的愛要求地獄的存在好讓那些不願愛神的人能够與神一刀兩斷, 神就尊重他們的意願, 可對他們說, [願你們的旨意成全吧!]
地獄是個永遠痛苦的地方. 如果地獄不會有痛苦就不叫地獄了. 地獄當然是痛苦的地方, 聖經告訴我們, 在那里要咬牙切齒. 我們是可以選擇不進去的
Date: Aug 25, 2011
By ELiza
1 Corinthians 16 13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love
8/24/2011
By Wai
Psalm 39 1-5; 7
1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.
3 My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath.
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
Sharing:
David wrote this psalm and he tried very hard to keep his mouth shut in the mid of conflict. Even though he can but he could not quiet his heart. Out of his anguish, he only asked God to show how feeble his life was and remind us that our lives are just a breath.
Life is short. Let us turn our eyes to God. Let us not being pull down by the frustration and all the negativity surround us. Let focus on God and give our lives for Him and his kingdom only because just like King David said: "My hope is in you."
There will be light at the end of the tunnel
08/23/2011
Shared by Chunming
歌 林 多 前 書 15
14 若 基 督 沒 有 復 活 ， 我 們 所 傳 的 便 是 枉 然 ， 你 們 所 信 的 也 是 枉 然 ；
15 並 且 明 顯 我 們 是 為 神 妄 作 見 證 的 ， 因 我 們 見 證 神 是 叫 基 督 復 活 了 。 若 死 人 真 不 復 活 ， 神 也 就 沒 有 叫 基 督 復 活 了 。
1 Corinthians 15
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
Sharing:
Apostle Paul once again reminded us that Christ’s resurrection is the central theme of our belief. Without the resurrection of Christ, our faith is useless and we would bear false witness about God. What a powerful reminder
8/23/2011
By Ling Yin
Job: 8:20-9:4
約 伯 記 8
1: 书 亚 人 比 勒 达 回 答 说:...20 神 必 不 丢 弃 完 全 人 ， 也 不 扶 助 邪 恶 人 。 21 他 还 要 以 喜 笑 充 满 你 的 口 ， 以 欢 呼 充 满 你 的 嘴 。 22 恨 恶 你 的 要 披 戴 惭 愧 ； 恶 人 的 帐 棚 必 归 於 无 有 。
約 伯 記 9
1 约 伯 回 答 说 ： 2 我 真 知 道 是 这 样 ； 但 人 在 神 面 前 怎 能 成 为 义 呢 ？ 3 若 愿 意 与 他 争 辩 ， 千 中 之 一 也 不 能 回 答 。 4 他 心 里 有 智 慧 ， 且 大 有 能 力 。 谁 向 神 刚 硬 而 得 亨 通 呢 ？Sharing: 正如约伯所说的,若不是神的恩典,人在神面前无法站立得住. 在患难之中我们所应该做的就是继续地抓住神. 神会赐下他的平安和安慰
8/22/2011
By Yiheng
歌 林 多 前 書 14
26 弟 兄 们 ， 这 却 怎 麽 样 呢 ？ 你 们 聚 会 的 时 候 ， 各 人 或 有 诗 歌 ， 或 有 教 训 ， 或 有 启 示 ， 或 有 方 言 ， 或 有 翻出 来 的 话 ， 凡 事 都 当 造 就 人 。 sharing: 有些时候,有些事我们不知该不该做, 也不知如何做, 有些话不知当不当说, 也不知道怎么样说. 这个时候, 我们就要想想我们做的事,说的话是否能够荣神益人. 我想当我们明白了这一点后,我们就有了真正的行事准则
Date 8/21/2011
By Zhongshi
Psalms 8:1-9
1: 耶和华我们的主啊, 你的名在全地何其美! 你将你的荣耀章显于天.
2: 你因敌人的缘故, 从婴孩和吃奶的口中建立了能力, 使仇敌和报仇的闭口无言.
3: 我观看你指头所造的天, 并你所陈设的月亮星宿.
4: 便说, 人算什么,你竟顾念他? 世人算什么, 你竟眷顾他?
5: 你叫他比天使微小一点. 并赐他荣耀尊贵为冠冕.
6, 7,8: 你派他管理你手所造的,使万物.就是一切的羊牛.田野的兽. 空中的鸟, 海里的鱼. 凡经过海道的, 都服在他的脚下.
9: 耶和华我们的主啊. 你的名在全地何其美.
Psalms 8:1-9.
1: O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory about the heavens,
2: Out of the mouths of babes and intants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger
3: When i look at your heavens the work of your fingers. the moon and the starts that you have established;
4: what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
5: Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
6: You have given them dominion over the works of you hands; you have put all things under their feeet.
7: all sheep and oxen, and also the beats of the field,
8: The birds of the air and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9: O Lord our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
08/21/2011
By Fenlan.
Job 2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
2:9-10 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
約 伯 記 2:3 耶 和 華 問 撒 但 說 ： 你 曾 用 心 察 看 我 的 僕 人 約 伯 沒 有 ？ 地 上 再 沒 有 人 像 他 完 全 正 直 ， 敬 畏 神 ， 遠 離 惡 事 。 你 雖 激 動 我 攻 擊 他 ， 無 故 地 毀 滅 他 ， 他 仍 然 持 守 他 的 純 正 。
2:9-10 他 的 妻 子 對 他 說 ： 你 仍 然 持 守 你 的 純 正 麼 ？ 你 棄 掉 神 ， 死 了 罷 ！約 伯 卻 對 他 說 ： 你 說 話 像 愚 頑 的 婦 一 樣 。 噯 ！ 難 道 我 們 從 神 手 裡 得 福 ， 不 也 受 禍 麼 ？ 在 這 一 切 的 事 上 約 伯 並 不 以 口 犯 罪 。
Sharing: If someone lost all his possessions, it could be a great distress to him. Then what a big trauma it would be if someone lost all his love ones? It is so easy for someone who's in such situation to complain or speak with negative or curse words. Yet, Job did not sin in what he said when Satan incited God against him to ruin him without any reason. What a person who feared God that Job was! May we all learn from Job that we fear God no matter we accept good from God, or in time of trouble. We'll be sure to experience "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love," (Ps.33:18)
August 20, 2011
Sharing by Jonathan
Esther 9
20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes, 21 calling on them to celebrate an annual festival on these two days.[i] 22 He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.
1 Corinthian 13
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthian 12
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.
Psalm 37
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun..
Sharing: This morning, God led me to these passages. I didn't know why at first, but now I know. God's love to the Jewish people was demonstrated in Esther and Mordecai (Esther 9:22-23), and I was so touched today to find out in my old schoolmate's wife funeral that she was saved on July 31,2011. God testifies to me that God's love will last forever (1 Corinthian 13:13). During my drive to NJ, I sang the song from 1 Corinthian 13:4-7 "Love is patience and kind....." all the way there, now I know God is explaining to me what love really means. At night, we met Pastor Huang and Pastor's wife talking about her mother passing to be with the Lord in July this year was another testimony to me that "All of us together are Christ's body, and each of us is a part of it" (1 Corinthian 12:27), and God's love is the most important glue that links us all together from birth to death, and from now to eternality. With such Almighty love, Psalm 37 points out to me that I have to, and I can commit everything I do to the Lord. Trust Him, He will help us, and will make our innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of our cause will shine like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:3-6). I praise God and my Lord Jesus Christ for such an eventful and abundant day
08/19/2011
By George
歌林多前書12
7聖靈顯在各人身上，是叫人得益處。
11這一切都是這位聖靈所運行、隨己意分給各人的。
1 Corinthians 12
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
每一個信主的人皆有聖靈給的恩賜，這恩賜是聖靈照著祂的智慧所給的，為得是使身體得益處。肢體不看或輕看或不依賴彼此的恩賜，就是辜負聖靈的安排，身體就會受損。我們要主動發掘，重視，操練彼此恩賜使叫人得益處，使神得榮耀。
Every one of God's people was given different spiritual gifts according to the Holy Spirit's perfect wisdom for the good of the body. We will disappoint the work of the Holy Spirit if we ignore, neglect, and fail to rely on each other's gifts, in turn the body will suffer. We each must take a proactive role to discover, value and exercise one another's gifts to bring good to the body and bring glory to God
2011/8/18
shared by J yang
歌 林 多 前 書 11:17-34
23 我 當 日 傳 給 你 們 的 ， 原 是 從 主 領 受 的 ， 就 是 主 耶 穌 被 賣 的 那 一 夜 ， 拿 起 餅 來 .........
我要感謝保羅給我們的教導. 我是常見忘的人. 我如不記念主耶穌的受難, 他的愛,他為我們贖罪, 那我就有禍了. 我們要每日感謝神, 經歷神, 在聖餐時更要記念這一切恩典是多麼的可貴
Date: August 16, 2011
Shared by: TC Lo
Ps 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
Ps 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Ps 34:19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;
Devotional Sharing:
These three verses (also verses 7 and 8 altogether) carry two important points:
- Even a righteous man encounters troubles (v.19) in his life. Our Lord is a supreme example when we realize that there was a sinless man who died for the sinners and endured afflictions.
- Psalm 34 contains an overarching message: In our times of tribulation, our God will never forsake us but walk closely with us.
Peter Kreeft, the author of Making Sense Out of Suffering, gave the following illustration:
Let’s say Romeo and Juliet have a much deeper and more mature love than in Shakespeare’s play. Let’s say that what Romeo wants most in all the world is Juliet. And let’s say that he has lost all friends and possessions, and he’s bleeding and he thinks Juliet is dead.
Then he sees Juliet rise up and say, ‘Romeo, where are you? I’m not dead; are you?’ Is Romeo completely happy? Yes. Completely happy? Yes. Does he mind at all that he’s bleeding and tattered and poor? Not at all!! He would much rather be in love in the South Bronx then divorced in Honolulu.
Lovers don’t want explanations, but presence. If we really love our Lord Jesus, in the midst of suffering, we won’t ask ‘Why?’ but are satisfied with His presence.
Thought Provoking Sharing:
詩篇34篇的標題是: 大衛在亞比米勒面前裝瘋，被他趕出去，就作這詩。
此 “裝瘋” 事件大概是指 (1 Samuel 21:12-13) 的記載:
1Sa 21:12 大衛將這話放在心裡，甚懼怕迦特王亞吉 (Achish king of Gath).
1Sa 21:13 就在眾人面前改變了尋常的舉動，在他們手下假裝瘋癲，在城門的門扇上胡寫亂畫，使唾沫流在鬍子上。
究竟是亞比米勒 (Abimelech) 還是亞吉 (Achish)? 文士抄錯? 同一人但有二名? 一個是名, 一個是王朝名號
Sharing: When my children did something wrong, their father looked at them and they knew they were wrong. This is because they have close relationship. I pray that our Lord will counsel me with this loving eye on me so that I know what is right that I should do and what is wrong that I should not do