Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 31st)

Ex 12:14-13:17a, Matt 20:29-21:22, Ps 25:12-22, Pr 6:12-15 (MSG)

^{Ex 13:17} It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt."

What God thought was exactly what happened. And also what is happening today. I have really been experiencing this. Start from the first day of my salvation, I asked God not to send me to China because I wouldn’t be able to stand up. And God knew that and he knew I would go back to Egypt. So he led me to the wilderness. Finally, someday, I found my true confidence in Lord by seeing that I am totally useless. And now, if the Lord really lead me to China, I hope the Lord prepares me well and be able to stand by His power and glory.

³³They said, "Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!"

³⁴Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.

Precious. I can still remember when I cried out “Master, I want to see” and the Lord let me see. He is faithful and a living God.

^21-22But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God."

How big the faith and trust here! How marvelous the power of God! Lord, I trust you. I don’t have doubt in you by yourself because I am weak. When I have doubt, please remove them away and restore my faith. And I know you will remove the mountain in my life because you are the almighty God.

¹⁵ If I keep my eyes on God,
   I won't trip over my own feet.
¹⁶ Look at me and help me!
   I'm all alone and in big trouble.

Keeeeep my EYES on GOD!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 29th)

Ex 7:25-9:35, Matt 19:13-30, Ps 24:1-10 Pr 6:1-5

^{Matt 19:25}When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 30th)

Ex 10:1-12:13, Matt 20:1-28, Ps 25:1-11, Pr 6:6-11

^{Matt 20:1}"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ²After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.³And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' ⁵So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' ⁷They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' ⁸And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' ⁹And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹And on receiving it they

grumbled at the master of the house, ¹²saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' ¹³But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first last."

“The last will be first, and the first last”? Is this the main point of this paragraph? I don’t know and maybe. But I feel more on the authority of the owner side. He has absolute authority toward the things belonging to him. Just like this, we belong to our Lord and heavenly Father, so He should have absolute authority over us. However, we still want to follow our own will from time to time. I hope each moment I can remember that I no long have authority over me but He has.

^{Matt 20:25}But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

In the kingdom of heaven, we should not be thirsty for authority and power for ourselves, but thirsty for serving our brothers and sisters. Because all authority and power belongs to our LORD Jesus. And even He died for us, see how great the LOVE in this is.

Psalm 25

Teach Me Your Paths

Of David.

¹To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ²O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
³Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
   they shall be ashamed who are wantonly

treacherous.

⁴ Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
   teach me your paths.
⁵Lead me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are the God of my salvation;
   for you I wait all the day long.

⁶Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
⁷Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
   according to your steadfast love remember me,
   for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

⁸ Good and upright is the LORD;
   therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹He leads the humble in what is right,
   and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
   for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹For your name’s sake, O LORD,
   pardon my guilt, for it is great.

O LORD, I also need to plead: pardon my guilt, for it is great, according to your steadfast love. In You I trust, I know you’ve forgiven my sins and cleansed my conscience, and you will remember me and show me the way I need to know.

Proverbs 6:6-11

⁶ Go to the ant, O

sluggard;
   consider her ways, and be wise.
⁷ Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
⁸she prepares her bread in summer
   and gathers her food in harvest.
⁹ How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
   When will you arise from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
¹¹ and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
   and want like an armed man.

Warnings from the LORD – Don’t be Lazy!

《荒漠甘泉》1月6日

《荒漠甘泉》1月6日
“你从水中经过…水必不漫过你。”(赛四十三章二节)
神并不为我们开路，如果我们尚未起步；神并不给我们帮助，如果我们还不需要帮助；神并不除去我们路上的拦阻，如果我们还没有碰到。可是一等到我们真有需要的时侯，神的手就伸出来了。
许多神的儿女竟把这个原则忘了，终日忧虑前面未来的难处。他们盼望神先把前面几十里的路都铺平了；但是神只肯照着他们的需要一步一步的开路。你必须从水中经过，然后才可求神实现他的应许。有许多人怕死，叹息自己并没有得到神在临终时所给的祝福。当然，他们得不到，因为身体健康，正在作工的时侯，离死还远得很哩。他们没有这种需要。他们需要的是工作的恩典，生活的恩典；等到死期临到，才需要临终的恩典。—— 密勒(J.R.M.)

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 28th)

Ex 5:22-7:24, Matt 18:23-19:12, Ps 23:1-6, Pr 5:22-23

^{Ex 6:3}I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.

I don’t understand this verse. Why God said that he didn’t make himself known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by His name? What’s His name anyway? Is it what was said before “I am I AM”? Or is it “the LORD” in this verse?

^{Ex 6:2}God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. ³I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.⁵Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. ⁶Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ⁷I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'"

After reading the whole speech of God in this paragraph, I sort of understood what God said here. This is the first time that God declares that He is the LORD, with the support of the promise he has given his chosen people. Reading this paragraph again made me think that the promise God gave Israel people is actually God’s promise to everyone of us, since Egypt is the world and the promised land is heaven or more accurately, united with Christ.

Psalm 23

The LORD Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
   for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
   I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

What a beautiful psalm! The LORD really does all those things for us and I am really grateful for everything that He has done and will do on me.

Proverbs 5:22-23

²²The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
   and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
²³ He dies for lack of discipline,
   and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Give thanks to the LORD. He is not only a merciful and loving father, but also with a firm hand of disciplinary. He warns me here that if I don’t obey his discipline, I will be led astray. I know I already am a little astray. So I plead to my heavenly Father that have mercy on me and forgive my sins and lead me back to the right path. I am willing to obey you, dear Father. But I most time am weak and defeated by the evil one and got astray, please, please, break down the devil and lead me back.

Only if you can edit theme

It will be much better if I can find a way to edit my theme more easily. I was expecting this Windows Live Writer to do the trick, however, it doesn’t have the ability. What a pity!

labels / categories don’t work on Preview

When I choose “my life” as a category and then press Preview, I still see “bible, english, my life, reading”

 

And.. the newly posted post doesn’t show in Preview. I guess this software for now is just not doing so well in Preview unless I didn’t use it right.

Yap, you know what? You have to refresh the theme on view to get newly posted posts showing on your Preview. Not that exciting.

Hey, new blog writing tool

After the natural instinct of trying new things, I am using Windows Live Writer to post a test post on my blog.

Hope it looks ok, if it is I will use it from now on:)

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 27th)

Ex 4:1-5:21, Matt 18:1-22, Ps 22:19-31, Pr 5:15-21

24At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. 25Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" 26So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.

Don't understand. Why all the sudden the Lord tried to kill Moses? And because he didn't circumcise his sons? What's the connection here, seems too sudden for me.

Matt 18:4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matt 18:20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

Ps 22: 21Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 26th)

Ex 2:11-3:22, Matt 17:10-27, Ps 22:1-18, Pr 5:7-14

Matthew 17:24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" 25He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?" 26And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

Two main points: 1) we are free! 2) in order not to offend them, we follow the rules in this world.

Proverbs 5:7And now, O sons, listen to me,
and do not depart from the words of my mouth.
8Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
9lest you give your honor to others
and your years to the merciless,
10lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
11and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12and you say, "How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.

Don't wait until that day! Be disciplined and obey.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 25th)

Gen 50, Ex 1:1-2:10, Matt 16:13-17:9, Ps 21:1-13, Pr 5:1-6

Gen 50:15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him." 16So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died, 17'Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." 19But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph really saw the work of God. As we believing that God means everything in our life for good, we won't have fear for tomorrow. Because He takes care of everything.

Matthew 16:15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Yes, our salvation is depend on our father's mercy and grace. Only He can reveal to us who our Lord Jesus is. I am so thankful for he choosing me before the foundation of the world.

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
24Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Peter's reaction I thing is naturally I will react. However, this is from flesh, which is from the evil one. Because the Father's will is to let Jesus die on the cross and raise again. However, we human beings have our own assumption of what God should do. Unfortunately, the assumptions we usually make are usually wrong. I am such a person good at making wrong assumptions. May Lord have mercy on me and make this evil thing behind me.

诗篇十八篇背景及查考

诗篇18篇

诗篇背景：

大卫是人当中为神所喜悦的，下面是他在写这篇诗篇前的主要生活经历：

大卫是一家12个孩子中年纪最小的，幼年在家中担任牧羊的工作。 有一天，神派先知撒母耳（这个先知写了两本书，撒母耳记上和下，想知道更多关于他的故事，可以参看那两本书）到大卫的父亲家中，膏（用油脂浇在头上，是一种荣耀和祝福的象征）大卫，并且预言他将来要做以色列的王。
后来因为大卫善于弹琴，被推荐服侍当时以色列的王--扫罗。大卫的琴声赶走了索罗身上的魔鬼，是扫罗舒畅爽快。
后来菲利士人（以色列的邻国）来攻打以色列。他们有历史上著名的巨人之一--歌利亚。他拥有无穷的力量，所有人看到他都要退避三舍，不敢应战。在举国惊慌失措之际，大卫勇敢赴战场，用甩石器甩石杀死了歌利亚，打败了非利士人。

这一仗使得大卫成了以色列当时的国家英雄，民间对他有这样的称颂“扫罗杀死千千，大卫杀死万万”。这些民谣传到扫罗的耳中，引起了他的嫉妒，于是想要杀死大卫。大卫不得不逃离扫罗，扫罗随后追杀，于是之后的很长时间大卫都是四处逃难，几经危机关头，有时甚至要装疯以避难。
但正是在这样危险的环境里，大卫得以经历神，他多次向神求救，神都救他。也因此坚固了大卫的信心。
诗篇十八篇是扫罗死后，大卫得以从这些危难中脱离时他所写的。

诗篇点解：

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。

大卫经历过很多艰难，几次死里逃生，这里的“岩石，山寨，救主，磐石”都跟他逃亡时候的经历有点关系，在旷野逃亡时他正是靠着这些逃离扫罗的手。（可以参看撒母耳记上22到24章的内容，以及撒母耳记下5章和17章的内容）。从这里可以看出，其实祂的信仰不是空洞的，他所信的神真的是听他呼求并帮助他，是实在的。

4 曾 有 死 亡 的 绳 索 缠 绕 我 ， 匪 类 的 急 流 使 我 惊 惧 ，
16 他 从 高 天 伸 手 抓 住 我 ， 把 我 从 大 水 中 拉 上 来 。

看，这两节是对应的。我们查的时候分开了，所以好像16节不是很清楚在讲什么。但是放在一起就很清楚了。想象湍流的河水，若只身其中，必然被它冲走、吞没。匪类的急流，一方面是突然，一方面是剧烈，巨大，使人惊惧。
而这个危急的时候，神从高天伸手将大卫抓住，从水中拉上来。这就是在危机关头救他一命的例子。

17 他 救 我 脫 離 我 的 勁 敵 和 那 些 恨 我 的 人 ， 因 為 他 們 比 我 強 盛 。

诗人大卫深深的领略到这个我们经常视而不见的真理：神的刚强正是在我们软弱的时候得以显现。我们经常为自己的软弱苦恼，甚至愤恨。但是，有没有一个时候想到，这也是我们当感恩的呢？正因为此，我们才能更领略神的救恩和大能。

19 他 又 領 我 到 寬 闊 之 處 ； 他 救 拔 我 ， 因 他 喜 悅 我 。

神不单只救了大卫，祂更领大卫到一个宽大的地方。因为神喜悦他，就把美好的东西赐给他。我们的救恩也是一样，神不单只救了我们，祂更要领我们到一个更荣美，更宽大的地方，他要我们不单只得救，还要得胜。

20 耶 和 華 按 著 我 的 公 義 報 答 我 ， 按 著 我 手 中 的 清 潔 賞 賜 我 。

21 因 為 我 遵 守 了 耶 和 華 的 道 ， 未 曾 作 惡 離 開 我 的 　 神 。

22 他 的 一 切 典 章 常 在 我 面 前 ； 他 的 律 例 我 也 未 曾 丟 棄 。

23 我 在 他 面 前 作 了 完 全 人 ； 我 也 保 守 自 己 遠 離 我 的 罪 孽 。

24 所 以 ， 耶 和 華 按 我 的 公 義 ， 按 我 在 他 眼 前 手 中 的 清 潔 償 還 我 。

这一段可能比较费解，我刚信主时读起来还有点受挫的感觉。因为我是知道自己的罪的。那么是不是神就不会“报答”和“赏赐”我呢。
有这样的感觉是因为我当时还没有很好的理解“因信称义”这四个字。
神是掌管一切的主，祂的洞察和智慧也是超乎一切的。又怎么会不知道我们的罪性，怎么会对我们有不切实际的奢望呢。所以主早在亚伯拉罕的时候就说了他以亚伯拉罕的信心为他的义（创世纪15：6）。之后的罗马书中（Romans 3:23-25，5:1-2）也很清楚地表明我们的“称义”是“本乎恩，也因着信”的。注意这里我们是“称义”，也就是被神称为“义”的，不是说我们自己就真的是公义，正义的，而是因为主的宝血遮蔽，神赦免，不看，忘记我们的罪了。
所以神其实是以主耶稣的义来“报答，赏赐”我们的。
23节提到的“完全人”在圣经中第一次出现是创世纪6：9，诺亚在这世代是个完全人。要是看了诺亚的故事我们就知道，诺亚是蒙了神的恩典才能完全，绝不是他自己好，然后上帝赐给他恩典，而是他先蒙恩，才能成为完全。这与我们得救，称义，得胜的路也是符合的。因着神爱我们，他让我们”蒙神的恩典，因基督耶稣的救赎，就白白的称义“，在蒙恩，因信，称义之后，下一步就是得以完全，也就是得胜。从大卫和诺亚我们也看到说靠着我们自己我们是无法得以完全的。我们的完全在乎神的恩典，而这个恩典其实祂已经降下，就是主耶稣。所以我们要让主的生命在我们身上成长，代替我们原先有罪的生命，使我们最终达到完全。至于如何让主的生命成长，这是圣灵的工作，而且就像一个人丛小婴孩长成健康的大人，是需要时间的，也要我们肯顺服圣灵的教导和指引，就像我们儿时顺服父母的管教一样。

25 慈 愛 的 人 ， 你 以 慈 愛 待 他 ； 完 全 的 人 ， 你 以 完 全 待 他 。

26 清 潔 的 人 ， 你 以 清 潔 待 他 ； 乖 僻 的 人 ， 你 以 彎 曲 待 他 。

神以我们的长成待我们。因神已经赐下恩典给我们（对于当时的以色列人也是一样，他们领受了神的恩典，当时还有乖僻的，要不然大卫也不会受到追杀了），若我们成长为基督的样式，有慈爱，并且完全且清洁，神必以最好的待我们。也看到神不是溺爱孩子的父亲，对待乖僻的人，祂就以弯曲待他。

29 我 藉 著 你 衝 入 敵 軍 ， 藉 著 我 的 神 跳 過 牆 垣 。

对了，这里的“藉着”是个关键词，你看它是个在一节中出现了两次的实词就要注意。这就是大卫战斗生活的真实写照。当他面对歌利亚，一个巨人和善战的将军，就是靠着神的力量才打败他的。他也是靠着神，跳过墙垣逃跑的。 而我们今天的生活也是一样，我们每天的生活都像是一场战役，面对困难，面对敌军，我们当怎样做？是靠着自己的能力横冲直撞，还是被吓破了胆，掉头逃跑呢？都是不对的。我们要靠着主的力量和指引，祂让我们冲入敌军的时候，我们毫不犹豫，祂让我们逃离的时候我们也不逞匹夫之勇。

30 至 於 神 ， 他 的 道 是 完 全 的 ； 耶 和 華 的 話 是 煉 淨 的 。 凡 投 靠 他 的 ， 他 便 作 他 們 的 盾 牌 。

神，祂有个特点：完全的道路和炼净的话语。神的这个特点在圣经中是被反复强调的（同样可见撒母耳记下22：31，箴言（Proverbs）30：5，诗篇12：6，）。这里的道在英文版本中一般翻译成“way”，就是道路的意思。当然，在解经学者中，也有说道也就是话语的。这个我目前还没有真正的理解，通过我们在祂的话语上有更多学习，希望祂将这也许是更深的意思启示给我们。完全的道路是我们的一个定心丸，因为我们知道神不会把我们拯救出世界然后就放在半途中了，祂一定会把我们带往那荣耀的终点。炼净的话语是我们平日生活的依据，因为我们了解祂的旨意，遵循祂的道的依据就是祂的话语。若神不说话，我们就没有方向和指引了。若神说的话不是炼净的，而是像人一样左右摇摆，似是而非，甚至有错漏的，那我们也会不知所措。所以感谢神，祂一直提醒我们这点，不用怕，因为祂的道是完全的，要时刻学习祂的话语，因为它们是炼净的。这样我们就是那些投靠祂的，祂也是我们的盾牌。

31 除 了 耶 和 華 ， 誰 是 　 神 呢 ？ 除 了 我 們 的 　 神 ， 誰 是 磐 石 呢 ？

大卫经过了这么多苦难，很多事情都会变，像扫罗开始喜悦他的琴声，后来仰仗他打败敌人，到最后变成要千里追杀他。但是大卫在这些苦难中深深地体会到：耶和华是神，是磐石，是屹立不变的，是他可以依靠的。

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 24th)

Genesis 48-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Gen 49: 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
or the staff from between his feet,
until He whose right it is comes
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to Him.
11 He ties his donkey to a vine,
and the colt of his donkey to the choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine,
and his robes in the blood of grapes.
18 I wait for Your salvation, LORD.

These verses seem to refer to Jesus

Matthew 16: 6 Then Jesus told them, "Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
...
12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the yeast in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Although it just seems to be one sentence, it's very important and I think the Lord has been reveal this to me since yesterday. The teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees focus on the outward worship and the traditions instead of having a real relationship with God. From the history of Christianity, we can see that people often made that mistake. Deep down to an extend, these teaching wants praises and power from men more than from God. So it is very dangerous. May God have mercy on me because I think sometimes I fell into the same pit. I thank Him for bring this up and let me see how bad I can be. And really I need to WATCH OUT!

Psalm 20

Deliverance in Battle

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 May the LORD answer you in a day of trouble;
may the name of Jacob's God protect you.
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.

3 May He remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.

Selah

4 May He give you what your heart desires
and fulfill your whole purpose.

5 Let us shout for joy at your victory
and lift the banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD fulfill all your requests.

6 Now I know that the LORD gives victory to His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
with mighty victories from His right hand.

7 Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the LORD our God.

8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.

9 LORD, give victory to the king!
May He answer us on the day that we call.

This is a very profound chapter for me. First of all, who is that "you" in the psalm? And who is "the king" in verse 9, and we are "we"? The king is king David or maybe also Jesus?

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 23rd)

Gen 46:1-47:31, Matt 15:1-28, Ps 19:1-14, Pr 4:14-19

Matt 15:17 "Don't you realize that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies. 20 These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

Watch our lips! And more important -- our heart!

Ps. 19: 7 The instruction of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making the inexperienced wise.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
making the heart glad;
the commandment of the LORD is radiant,
making the eyes light up.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are reliable
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more desirable than gold—
than an abundance of pure gold;
and sweeter than honey—
than honey dripping from the comb.

11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.

12 Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

13 Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule over me.
Then I will be innocent,
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,
LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Amen! May the Lord also cleanse me my hidden faults and keep me from willful sins.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 22nd)

Gen 44:1-45:28, Matt 14:14-36, Ps 18:35-50, Pr 4:11-13

Matt 14: 28 "Lord, if it's You," Peter answered Him, "command me to come to You on the water."

29 "Come!" He said.

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, "Truly You are the Son of God!"

Do NOT doubt. Because when we have doubts in God, we fall short on faith and the devil will attack us at that time. So stay close to the Lord and trust Him with all our hearts.

Ps 18: 36 You widen [a place] beneath me for my steps,
and my ankles do not give way.

37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.

38 I crush them, and they cannot get up;
they fall beneath my feet.

39 You have clothed me with strength for battle;
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.

40 You have made my enemies retreat before me;
I annihilate those who hate me.

What should be our attitude toward enemies (evil ones, devil)? We should not turn back until they are wiped out! Don't give a breath to the evil one! Why are we enabled to do that? Because God has clothed us with strength for battle and He has subdued the evil one beneath us. How encouraging! And also sober! Don't turn back! We should never compromise with the devil.

“圣灵…禁止他们在亚西亚讲道。”《荒漠甘泉》1月10日

《荒漠甘泉》1月10日


　　“圣灵…禁止他们在亚西亚讲道。”（徒十六章六节）

　　在圣经中研究圣灵怎样引导以前的十字架先锋，是很有趣味的一回事。他的引导大半是禁止，因为他们顶容易走错误的路。这次保罗和西拉想向左，到亚西亚一行，圣灵禁止他们。他们想向右，到庇推尼去，圣灵又禁止他们。再过一时保罗将在那里兴起他生平最大的工作；可是目前圣灵在那里还未替他开传道之门。在那里攻破撒旦城堡的时机尚未成熟。亚波罗必须在那里先起开垦的工作。况且当时别的地方更需要他们去工作；他们也必须受更深的造就，然后才能到亚西亚和庇推尼一带去建立神的教会。

　　亲爱的，当你茫然不知前途的时侯，你就该完全让圣灵替你定规，求他封闭一切左道，开启唯一的正路。你该说：

　　“神的灵阿，我把选择的责任完全交托给你，求你封闭左道，不让我的脚步走在一切不是神命定的路上。当我偏左倾右的时侯，求你让我听见你的声音。”

　　同时，在你没有清楚圣灵的指引之先，你应当继续站在你原来的路上。守在你原有的呼召中，除非你得了新的清楚的呼召。哦，旅客哪，耶稣的灵今日等着要启示你，好似他当日启示保罗一样。在你这方面，只须小心顺服，连一个顶小的禁止也须顺服；信心的祷告之后，如果圣灵没有拦阻，你只管放胆前进。可是也不要希奇，圣灵的答应仅可以是禁止。若是左右的路是关闭的，前面的路是开启的，那条路顶清楚是通到特罗亚去的。在那里有路加等着，在那里有异象会指引我们当走的路，在那里有“敞开的门”和机会，在那里也有忠心得朋友们等着。——梅尔

《荒漠甘泉》1月4日

《荒漠甘泉》1月4日


　　“耶稣对他说：回去罢！你的儿子活了。那人信耶稣所说的话，就回去了。”（约四章五十节）

　　“你们祷告祈求…只要信…。”（可十一章二十四节）

　　如果这里有一件事需要专一的祷告，就该祷告直到你能信神，直到你能发出无伪的赞美来感谢神的答应。如果神的答应一时还在中途，切勿重新求神答应你的祈求，因为这表示你没有信神。这种不信的祷告非但不能帮助你什么，反能减少或消灭你的信心。献上这种祷告的催促，定是出乎撒但或是自己。这也许不能算错：当神还放你在一个等候的地位，你再去向他申说，可是切记你必须带着信心。不要把你自己祷告得失了信心。你可以告诉他你仍然等着他、相信他，因此仍然赞美感谢他的答应。你如果确信答应必将来到，你能够先为着尚未来到的答应感谢赞美神。我告诉你：没有一件东西比这更能坚固你的信心。把我们祷告得失了信心的祷告，是否认神在经上给我们的应许，也否认神在我们心中给我们的一声“是。”这种祷告不过表示我们的心没有安息，没有安息就是不信祷告的答应。

　　“但我们已相信的人，得以进入那安息。”（来四章三节）这种把我们自己祷告得失了信心的祷告，常是因为我们的思想集中在难处上过于在神的应许上。亚伯拉罕“不想到自己的身体…不疑惑神的应许。“（罗四章十九节至二十节，直译）让我们儆醒祷告，免得入了迷惑，以致把我们自己祷告得失了信心。－C.H.P.

　　信心不是感觉、不是眼见、不是理由，乃是在神的话语上抓住神。——伊文思（Evans）

　　焦急的开始就是信心的约束，信心的开始就是焦急的约束。——莫勒（Geo.Mueller）

　　在舒适的环境中你绝不会学到信心的功课。神常在我们孤单的时候给我们应许；然后用他恩典的话语当作印盖在所给我们的约上，便暂时退后去看我们究竟相信多少；他又让那诱惑人的来试探我们，让我们的遭遇似乎与他所说的完全相反。这时候就是信心赢得冠冕的时候。这时候就该在黑云之下、风波之中，发出胜利的欢呼来：“我信神他怎样对我说，事情也要怎样成就。。”（徒二十七章二十五节）——选

Psalm 18:16-34

Psalm 18:16-34

16 He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
He pulled me out of deep waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.

18 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out to a wide-open place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.

20 The LORD rewarded me
according to my righteousness;
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

22 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind
and have not disregarded His statutes.

23 I was blameless toward Him
and kept myself from sinning.

24 So the LORD repaid me
according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;

26 with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.

27 For You rescue an afflicted people,
but You humble those with haughty eyes.

28 LORD, You light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.

29 With You I can attack a barrier,
and with my God I can leap over a wall.

30 God—His way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is a rock? Only our God.

32 God—He clothes me with strength
and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the heights.

34 He trains my hands for war;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 21th)

Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:13; Psalm 18:16-34; Proverbs 4:7-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Gen 43: 11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift—some balsam and some honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds. 12 Take twice as much money with you. Return the money that was returned [to you] in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also, and go back at once to the man. 14 May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived."

Even Jacob, the man born to "grasp", had to give up his most valuable things -- his two sons when he started follow God and became Israel. This is the truth. We can not serve two masters, we cannot serve ourselves and God. If we decided to follow God, we have to deny ourselves. But remember, God always prepares before us and what he returns us will be the honor and glory of eternity. I am thankful for that.

Matthew 13: 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind [of fish], 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good [fish] into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Here is what confuses me. What's the "every kind of fish" mean -- all people/all Christians? If we are considered righteous because of our faith, then every kind of fish should mean all people and good fish should mean Christians. However, I also feel something further intended in this parable. But I don't know what's that. Just may Christ grows in me and eventually I will be the righteous people because Christ has conformed me to Himself.

52 "Therefore," He said to them, "every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old." 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

Another parable I don't really understand. Does this mean the apostles will be counted for the souls that has been led to the Lord by them? Or something else?

Psalm 18: 18 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the LORD was my support.

19 He brought me out to a wide-open place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.

20 The LORD rewarded me
according to my righteousness;
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.

Amen! This is exactly what is happening right now to me. I am in a lot of troubles in my life, some of them are caused by my bad judgement and fault. And now the devil is confronting me and accusing me. But thank the Lord, He is my support and shield. I know he will bring me to a wide-open place and rescue me from all these distress and attack. He is always rewarding me according to my righteousness which is obtained by faith in our Lord Jesus. And verse 21 also reminds me no matter what bad situation I am in, don't ask for help from the evil one, keep the ways of the Lord, only ask for help from Him!

29 With You I can attack a barrier,
and with my God I can leap over a wall.

Amen! That's the same belief I am holding on to right now!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 20th)

Gen 41:17-42:17, Matt 13:24-46, Ps 18:1-15, Pr 4:1-6

Matthew 13:24 He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The landowner's slaves came to him and said, 'Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?'
28 " 'An enemy did this!' he told them.

" 'So, do you want us to go and gather them up?' the slaves asked him.

29 " 'No,' he said. 'When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I'll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn. ' "

37 He replied: "The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and 39 the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Therefore just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Anyone who has ears should listen!

Thank God He chose me before the foundation of the world. I am not the son of the evil one. But the evil one keeps bothering me and makes my eyes fall into darkness. Oh, Lord, please shed light on my eyes and thunder around my ears. I would like to see the light of righteousness and hear the voice of kingdom of heaven. I don't want to end up weeping and gnashing of teeth in eternity.

Matthew 13: 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.

Very profound parable. Think about it, the kingdom of heaven is not an accessory, but something worth all the treasure we own.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 19th)

Genesis 39-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Matthew 13: 18 "You, then, listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times [what was sown]."

Every time I read this passage, I ask myself, which one is me? Till now, the only thing I am sure is I am not the first one. However, am I the last one with fruit? I don't know yet. But may Lord has mercy on me and let Holy Spirit grow in me to make me the last one.

Psalm 17: 14 With Your hand, LORD, [save me] from men,
from men of the world,
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what You have in store,
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.

15 But I will see Your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.

Amen! It's also my crying. But I think it's even harder for King David to say so than me because he was a king and has almost everything to lose in the world. But he don't love them, the only thing he loves is God.

Proverbs 3:33-35

33 The LORD's curse is on the household of the wicked,
but He blesses the home of the righteous;

34 He mocks those who mock,
but gives grace to the humble.

35 The wise will inherit honor,
but He holds up fools to dishonor.

Be humble because humble is also our Lord's character.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 18th)

Genesis 37-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 35 A good man produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil man produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. 36 I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Also said in Psalm 15 I read yesterday, we need to watch our tongue.

Matthew: 12:43 "When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn't find any. 44 Then it says, 'I'll go back to my house that I came from.' And when it arrives, it finds [the house] vacant, swept, and put in order. 45 Then off it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man's last condition is worse than the first. That's how it will also be with this evil generation."

This proves how much we need Holy Spirit dwelling and occupying our heart (house) so that the evil spirits cannot go in.

Psalm 16

Confidence in the LORD

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You."

3 As for the holy people who are in the land,
they are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who take another [god]
for themselves multiply;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
and I will not speak their names with my lips.

5 LORD, You are my portion
and my cup [of blessing];
You hold my future.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me
in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I will praise the LORD who counsels me —
even at night my conscience instructs me.

8 I keep the LORD in mind always.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad,
and my spirit rejoices;
my body also rests securely.

10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol;
You will not allow Your Faithful One to see the Pit.

11 You reveal the path of life to me;
in Your presence is abundant joy;
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.

What a beautiful song! What confident we have in the Lord! It is so encouraging!

Proverbs 3: 27 When it is in your power,
don't withhold good from the one to whom it is due.
28 Don't say to your neighbor, "Go away! Come back later.
I'll give it tomorrow"—when it is there with you.

29 Don't plan any harm against your neighbor,
for he trusts you and lives near you.

30 Don't accuse anyone without cause,
when he has done you no harm.

31 Don't envy a violent man
or choose any of his ways;

32 for the devious are detestable to the LORD,
but He is a friend to the upright.

Don't hesitate to do good. Don't tend to do bad. Sometimes in our life, we feel the things are so unfair because the evil wicked people get their way and become rich and powerful on the earth. But here, God explicitly says here: Don't envy them because what they have done are detestable to the Lord. Stay upright, the Lord is our friend.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 17th)

Gen 35:1-36:43, Matt 12:1-21, Ps 15:1-5, Pr 3:21-26

Matt 12: 3He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

This story is great! It tells us what to focus on, not the temple or laws or traditions, but the Lord Jesus Himself which is also God Himself. It's like in the daily life, we get trained, disciplined, taught on all kinds of stuff, and we follow rules and laws and tradition. But those things themselves are not the reason why we are doing them. We are doing them for a higher reason -- God Himself. That's a whole higher perspective that may we keep in mind when we face daily challenges and routings.

Pr 3:21 My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment,
do not let them out of your sight;

22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.

23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

26 for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being snared.

How awesome is this! We just got a gunshot yesterday near school at 40th and walnut. I was frightened for the moment I read the news. However, this verse is now comforting me and assuring me. Sudden disaster happens, however, with the Lord looking after us, we don't need to be scared. Thank you Lord!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 16th)

Gen 32:13-34:31, Matt 11:7-30, Ps 14:1-7, Pr 3:19-20

Matt 11:20Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Not repent is a big problem after hearing and seeing the miracles. I have some confession to make here: even though our Lord has performed lots of miracles on me, sometimes I still do evil deeds such as being lazy and addicted to watching tv. I need to repent because I know He is there and alive and watching me. I don't want to live like this. I just confess and repent and ask for His forgiveness. May the Lord give me strength in Him to fight against the evil one and get me out of the addiction. Amen!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 15th)

Gen 31:17-32:12, Matt 10:27-11:6, Ps 13:1-6, Pr 3:16-18

Matthew 10:27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

I don't have to live in fear because I have my heavenly Father who has my back.

Ps 13: 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

Amen! This psalm is my prayer today. I trust in your unfailing love, I am sure you will save me from the evil one.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 14th)

Gen 30:1-31:16, Matt 10:1-26, Ps 12:1-8, Pr 3:13-15

Matthew 10: 5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

11"Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

17"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

26"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.

These instructions for the apostles are actually instructions for us, too. We need to refresh in our mind the instructions daily to remind us how to live a life our Lord Jesus commanded. Although I don't quite understand the relation between verses 24-25 and the rest of the instructions. What's the connection? update on Jan. 18th: I kinda understand the connection between 24-25 and the following verse. Because at that age the Lord was called Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons by some pharisees, so he prepared his apostles to the situation and ask them not to be afraid because what He really is will be disclosed.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 13th)

Gen 28:1-29:35, Matt 9:18-38, Ps 11:1-7, Pr 3:11-12

Gen 28: 10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Indeed we are blessed even today through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their offspring. God had already planed everything far before that and we can see how faithful the Lord is.

Psalm 11: 7 For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
upright men will see his face.

Proverbs 3: 11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.

Both Psalm 11:7 and Proverbs 3:11 teaches me one thing: Lord is righteous and he loves us. Don't be afraid of his discipline because that is the way we growing up in spirit.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 12th)

Gen 26:17-27:46, Matt 9:1-17, Ps 10:6-18, Pr 3:9-10

Matthew 9: 1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"

4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." 7And the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

Remember, our Lord is given the authority of forgiving sin.

Matthew 9: 10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

14Then John's disciples came and asked him, "How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
15Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

I don't understand the parable of garment and wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 11th)

Gen 24:52-26:16, Matt 8:18-34, Ps 10:1-5, Pr 3:7-8

Gen 25: 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom. )

31 Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

32 "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

33 But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.

Birthright? Big deal? Yes! It's the order made by God, an glorified title, it shouldn't be abandoned or traded for anything, not saying just a bow of soup. But this is what we usually do. It's a warning from God to all of us. Trust and obey! If we trust with our whole heart, then we know we should really cherish the fact that we are children of God.

Gen 26: 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?"
Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her."

10 Then Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."

Question about this quoted passage: why Isaac had the same response as his father regarding to his wife? Why God tells us these two stories here? Only to show how powerful He is and the gentiles are afraid of Him? I feel there are some deeper meaning here, just don't know why.
And one thing to mention, Abraham said Sarah was his sister was partially true because Sarah was his sister. But as to Isaac, that's a total lie, because Rebekah was his niece.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 10th)

Gen 23:1-24:51, Matt 8:1-17, Ps 9:13-20, Pr 3:1-6

Matthew 8: 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases."

Trust in Him, he took up all these. What a love!

Proverbs 3: 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

A lesson we need to learn everyday: don't depend on our own understanding but trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts, let Him lead us.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 9th)

Gen 20:1-22:24, Matt 7:15-29, Ps 9:1-12, Pr 2:16-22

Gen 22: 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

No wonder Abraham is the father of faith! He truly had faith in God and willingly gave up the most precious thing in his life for God. We should all ask ourselves "can I"? I confess that I failed on this question in the past. But thank the Lord, he has mercy on me and took away the things I wouldn't give up and made peace in my heart so that I know all things I thought were precious were nothing compare to Him.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 8th)

Genesis 18:20-19:38; Matthew 6:25-7:14; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 2:6-15 (New Living Translation)

Genesis 18: 20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”

22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”

And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”

29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”

And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”

30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?”

And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”

31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.

I can still remember when first time I read the story of Sodom, I was still an unbeliever and thought "wow... this 'God' was so cruel. why cannot he just destroy the evil people and spare the other living things such as animals and plants, and maybe the building in the city?"
But after I really got to know God, I started to taste the agony and unwillingness of God out of this story. It appears in the above verses I quote here. He would love to spare all if only there were 10 righteous people. See how mercy God was, and still is! Look back to us, we cry out around saying this is unfair, that is unfair. And we want to punish all the people that did wrong things. Forgive me, I am not saying wrong deeds shouldn't be punished or people shouldn't be disciplined. But what we lack is the heart of God. Not saying that, we don't even have the heart of Abraham.

And this several verses also reminds me that our Lord Jesus is not praying for us, "bargain" with the Father to spare us. Because of our faith in Him, we can be considered righteous. What a mercy and grace! There is nothing left to say but thank the Lord and our Heavenly Father!

Gen 19: 16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful.

The angel seized his hand...
See, our God won't give up saving us. He always seizes our hands when we are on the edge of destruction. How thankful we can be!

Matthew 6: 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Keep this in mind: Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

The Lord said to us, keep on asking and seeking and knocking. He didn't say just ask once and you will get your answer in any translation. He meant us to keep on. I like the translation here because it makes it clear. Yes, often the time, our prayers are not answered immediately, but keep in mind, the Lord is faithful and he knows our every needs, physically, mentally and spiritually. Most time, it just needs a little persistence and the door will open for you.

Psalm 1: 1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.

Hallelujah!

Proverb 2:6 For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
8 He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.

9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
and you will find the right way to go.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy.
11 Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe

Very important, I made unwise choices all the time. Result: put myself in a very unsafe place. What's the reason? Not walking in the light of God. We will get to that later.

转载：等候耶和华的必不至羞愧

转载自：http://ctestimony.org/2004/20040607.htm

等候耶和华的必不至羞愧

天婴

　　有人靠车，有人靠马，但我们要提到我们神耶和华的名。（诗20：7）

　　十几年以前，当经济危机席卷北美大陆，中国城一份洗碗的工作有上百人申请，而且要有经验，再加上不会广东话免谈。就在那个时候，我们刚结婚，刚信主四个月，我的英语除了会Hi就是Bye，我先生就失业了。因为我们是在北美结的婚，又刚买了新车，没有太多的积蓄，又因我先生前一份工作是自雇性的“做单”（Contract），不可以领失业金。我，整个儿一个废物坐在家里，上学无门，找工无望。而我的这位老公，不好好发简历，天天在家读《圣经》，气得我天天气不打一处来。有一天，我终于忍不住了，逼着他必须先发简历，再读《圣经》。“我告诉你，打开黄页，一家一家地找，挨家挨户地发，天天祷告有什么用？天上也不会掉馅饼！”我像狮子一样地吼着。

　　我先生看看我，平静地说：“我没有感动发简历。”“什么？发简历还要感动？真是说胡话！”我简直快疯了。
　　就这样，他天天读经祷告，我天天发誓赌咒，四个月过去了，交完房租、汽车保险、帐户上只剩下175元加币。就在这时，教会组织退休会，一个人75元报名费，如果我们两个人去就是150块。我先生非要去，他说：“先去吃天上的粮食。”我坚决反对，“交完报名费，只剩下25块，回来喝风啊！”教会当时是可以给有困难的人补助的，一是碍于面子，二是，我先生坚持“神一定会开路的”，我就被连拉带扯地带去了退休会。

　　到了退休会的营地，迎面见到讲员，是当时台湾中华福音神学院的教导主任康来昌弟兄，我们第一次见面，他就对我说：“姊妹，神说：向谁多给，就向谁多要，神给你这么多，你要好好地为主所用。”我一下炸了，心想：神给我什么了？你知不知道我们的情况就胡说？（感谢主对我的怜悯，康弟兄成为神给我们这一生的一个祝福）从退休会回来，对着只有凉水的冰箱，用所有的25元买了一箱方便面，一天，两天，三天，四天，我是一边吃，一边心痛，上帝，你睡醒了没有？我烦到极处，尤其看到我先生依然天天读经祷告，真的，到今天我也说不清楚当时的感觉，觉得我先生很可笑，都什么时候了，还来虚的？但心里又不得不敬佩，我也号称信上帝，我的“神”好无能！

　　第五天，我们收到一封信，是一张支票。很久以前，我先生给别人做了一单（contract），对方一直没付钱，就在这时，在我们吃方便面到第五天的时候，带着上帝的祝福来了。就在接到支票的下一个星期，神赐给他了一份在花旗银行的工作。他总是坚持说：“我不要发一千份简历找工作，也不要把找工作当全职工作（full time job），神给我预备的，不需要我花这么大的代价。”我的心虽有一丝的不甘，但还是羞愧。因我当时心里一直鄙视像我先生这样的“愚忠”，凡事都得向上帝“请示汇报”。我当时只有一个想法：先顺着他，等到他对“空气”的祷告化为乌有时，我就可以让他心服口服地知道，“上帝不可以当饭吃”！

　　在过去的十几年里，上帝把我这样一个不清心的罪魁，放在我先生这样一个在我眼里愚拙的人面前，让我看一个最大的神迹，那就是：等候耶和华的必不致羞愧！

摘自[渥太华国语宣道会]，特此鸣谢！

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 7th)

Genesis 16-18:19; Matthew 6:1-24; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5 (New Living Translation)

Gen 17 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, 4 “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! 5 What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

God is so faithful. This statement is still true even today after thousands years.

Gen 18: 10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”

Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Is anything too hard for the Lord? No! He is almighty. We should just simply trust Him, and obey what He says.

Matthew 6: 1“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Watch out! The purpose of our good deeds is not to be admired by others, but by the will of God.

Matthew 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This is really a best prayer we can ever pray. It includes everything we ever need to pray in it!

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Proverbs 2

The Benefits of Wisdom

1 My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.
2 Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
3 Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
4 Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.
5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.

Notice the object of knowledge we eager for is the knowledge of God.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 6th)

Genesis 13:5-15:21; Matthew 5:27-48; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 1:29-33 (New Living Translation)

Gen 15: 4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.

See, the Lord Almighty counts heart more than deeds. So don't fake nice, the Lord can see through you, but have faith in Lord, do good according to His will. This is also our relief because we often do wrong things from a good will. Confess before Him and have faith in Him, He will count us RIGHTEOUS.

Psalm 6

For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by an eight-stringed instrument.

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.

That's the hope: the Lord will answer my prayer. All the grief, all the weeping, all the agony and all the struggle will be put aside since we have the faith in our Lord. He WILL answer! Thank you Lord and praise you!

"Every step we take is a step of Love."

-- Brian.
Love this prayer. Thank the Lord.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 5th)

Genesis 11-13:4; Matthew 5:1-26; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 1:24-28 (New Living Translation)

Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Highlights: need for God!!! Don't be afraid of people's mock as long as you are following God.

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

When doing a good deed, don't have to hide it, but do give praise to God.

Psalm 5 7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

Amen! Thank you God for giving this encouraging passage to me. I also cry for your lead, your lead, I will follow.

Proverbs 1: 25 You ignored my advice
and rejected the correction I offered.
26 So I will laugh when you are in trouble!
I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone,
and anguish and distress overwhelm you.

28 “When they cry for help, I will not answer.
Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.

What a warning! I think I've got myself into such a situation. I cry for help from God to get me out of the horrible situation I got myself into, but God didn't answer. I know that was because I ignored his advice. Lord, I confess in front of you, I was wrong and I am sorry for all my iniquity. Lord, please forgive me and continue advise me. Thank you Lord because I know you are forgiving me. I know you will continue leading me. I have full faith in your faithfulness and all mighty. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 4th)

Genesis 8-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23 (New Living Translation)

Gen 8:13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. 14 Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry! 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”

18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.

This maybe the oldest example of "waiting before God". Even though Noah had already seen the land was dry. However, he didn't just get off the boat until God told him so. We also need to learn how to wait before God, listen to his instruction instead of depending on our own judgement.

Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”

Our Lord Jesus is really the light that has shined!

Psalm 4: 4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.
Interlude

5 Offer sacrifices in the right spirit,
and trust the Lord.

Yes, think about it overnight and remain silent.

23 Come and listen to my counsel.
I’ll share my heart with you
and make you wise.

God is willing to share His wisdom with us. Ask for it!

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 3rd)

Gen 5:1-7:24, Matt 3:7-4:11, Ps 3:1-8, Pr 1:10-19

Gen 5: 21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

Gen 6: 9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

See how important it is to "walking in close fellowship with God"! That's actually the source of our righteousness and holiness. This is the way to please God. I think to please God is my ultimated goal. This is a goal that compatible with my personality. I am always a person looking forward to pleasing other people. But in the past year, I found struggling to please others was just something in vain, but to please God is something real. Thank you God, for giving me these precious verses so that I can know HOW I can start on the rail of pleasing you.

Matthew 4: 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
3 During that time the devil[f] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[g]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[h]”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[i]”

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’[j]”

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Oh dear Lord, you're really my role model, totally! I always failed in front of temptation. I will read back this chapter whenever in the future I face temptation if I can realize. Lord please help me realize when I am in temptation.

Psalm: 1 O Lord, I have so many enemies;
so many are against me.
2 So many are saying,
“God will never rescue him!”
Interlude[a]
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
4 I cried out to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy mountain.
Interlude

5 I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies
who surround me on every side.

7 Arise, O Lord!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people.

I always feel the same way.

Bible Reading of the day (Jan. 2nd)

Genesis:

3: 1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike[b] your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.[c]”

17 And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.[d] 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings[e] have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

I quote Brian Hardin: In the book of genesis, sin entered the world through mankind and we are fallen people ever since. The bible is that story, today, the mankind is kicked out of the Garden of Eden with tree of life was available to them. They were created perfectly. And it is interesting to know that we were not created to have the knowledge of good and evil. We were created as people to only fellowship with God. Our perfect state is not to have an awareness of anything else. But Eve reached out and taking the fruit and taking a bite and giving to her husband and he took a bite. And now the knowledge of good and evil and disobedience and rebelling enters into the world. So we got what we've choose, the knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. We traded that, for the tree of life. We traded life for knowledge and we tried to figure out life ever since with this knowledge never needed in the first place. What we need is what we were created to have -- a relationship, intimately, with God, no second guessing, no demanding control from time to time believing we know better, nothing but an eternity, in beauty, with God as a father. the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings[e] have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” I (God) cannot leave mankind in a sinful state separate from me, going ever further from me for eternity. So He kicked them out of the Garden.
In revelation, there will be a new Garden with a new tree of life. The book is a journey where everything is restored.

I thank the Lord let me listen to the daily bible from Brian. His explanation of this chapter is what's in my mind vaguely. He put it in a very nice way and I believe this is what this chapter wants to tell us. I am also alerted by this chapter. Even though this thing is done by our ancestors, I see I was doing this everyday -- trading life for knowledge. Sad, really sad. But thank the Lord, he makes me realize it today. And I know I cannot pretending I know better and try to return from this status by my own power. But I pray to God and may he bring me back to what I am supposed to be.

Proverbs:

1:7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Fear of the Lord! I often fear of a lot of stuff, especially disappointing others. However, I often forgot the ultimate, actually only fear I should have is FEAR OF THE LORD! I live my life so pitiful.