每日读经

弥迦书 第五章(英文)

More than two thousand years ago, He was born on earth; Soon, He’ll be returning.

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“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is be
ruler in Israel, […]
And he shall stand and
shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.”
(Micah 5:2, 4)

Centuries later, this prophecy would be fulfilled as our Shepherd-King, Jesus, was born (Mt 2:1, 6).

Until then, what the Israelites needed to endure: the “labour pains” of captivity and being kingless (Mic 5:3), because of their sin of idolatry (Mic 1:7).

Just like how the Israelites waited for the coming of the Shepherd-King, today we believers also await the second coming of Jesus.

While waiting for His second coming, our responsibility: muster our troops (Mic 5:1). 🪖

Wait for Jesus like good faithful soldiers: patiently enduring sufferings, not entangled in worldly pursuits, but focused on pleasing the Shepherd-King who enlisted us (2 Tim 2:3-4).

As good soldiers of Christ, we shepherd the world with the sword of God’s word (Mic 5:5-6), leading them to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:4-5).

As good soldiers of Christ, we also submit to Jesus’ detoxification of our hearts, by letting the Holy Spirit remove all sin and idols from our hearts (Mic 5:12-15).

What does God promise His soldiers who faithfully wait and fight for Him?

They shall dwell secure” in God’s land and kingdom (Mic 5:4).

He (Jesus) shall be their peace” (v5).

God’s deliverance shall “delay not for man nor wait for the children of man” (v7).

Therefore, may we live as good faithful soldiers of Christ everyday of our lives,

So that we can eagerly look forward to the return of our Shepherd-King with this refrain:

“O the King is coming,
The King is coming!
Praise God, He’s coming for me!”
(Hymn 512, The King Is Coming)

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撒迦利亚书 第十一章 — 被定价三十块银子的牧人

撒迦利亚书 第十一章 — 被定价三十块银子的牧人

在撒迦利亚书11章中,神吩咐撒迦利亚扮演牧人的角色。特别是撒迦利亚书11:13节令人震撼:他被估价为三十块银子,被丢给了陶匠。这清楚地预示了犹大以同样的金额出卖耶稣,而这笔钱后来被用来买了一块陶匠的田。 虽然在之前的章节中提到耶稣是将要来临的好牧人,前来看顾他的羊群(撒9:9,撒10:2-3),但在第11章中语气发生了转变。这一章描绘了耶稣被犹太人背叛和拒绝的情景。这种拒绝带来了后果,撒迦利亚象征性地折断了两根杖:“荣美”,代表神与万民的约;“联合”,代表犹大与以色列之间的弟兄情谊。这可以理解为犹太人自己拒绝了耶稣所立的新约,而在公元70年耶路撒冷被毁时,他们被分散到世界各地。 这让我反思,拒绝主的代价是多么沉重。耶稣被卖三十块银子,不只是犹大的行为,也是那些拒绝祂的祭司、文士与犹太人所促成的结果。 他们拒绝牧人的后果是极其严重的。而圣经清清楚楚地将这件事记载下来,成为今天我们可以引以为鉴的教训。 我们可能觉得自己绝不会做出像钉死耶稣那样可怕的事。但当我们在心里拒绝祂的时候,后果是同样严峻的。就像那两根杖的折断,当我们拒绝基督时,我们与神的关系也破裂了,也破坏了我们与神子民之间的团契。 接着,神吩咐撒迦利亚扮演一个愚昧的牧人,取代之前的好牧人。这个愚牧不看顾羊群,反倒吞吃肥羊的肉,撕裂牠们的蹄子(撒11:16)。 以色列拒绝了好牧人基督,结果成了瞎眼的(罗马11:7-8),跟从那些不顾羊群的愚昧牧人。 当我们拒绝基督时,也会在生活中去寻找其他的“牧人”来依靠。这些可能是我们过度信赖的人,或是我们以为可以带来满足的偶像,比如金钱。但这些牧人就像撒迦利亚所说的无用牧人,并不真正关心我们的益处。 今天就让我们省察自己的心。有没有哪些地方,是我们在拒绝耶稣和祂的话语——也许是为了短暂的好处,如同犹大?或是出于骄傲,如同文士和法利赛人? 让我们记住耶稣在约翰福音3:16-18中的话语:

但以理书 第四章(英文)

但以理书 第四章(英文)

The story in Daniel Chapter 4 is perhaps not unfamiliar to many of us. King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the great Babylonian empire, the king of kings, being turned into a beast, how spectacular is that? It's not until we read through this chapter for ourselves that we realise something even more spectacular: this whole chapter is told by King Nebuchadnezzar himself. Daniel Chapter 4 is King Nebuchadnezzar's own personal testimony! Isn't King Nebuchadnezzar the infamous evil king? How is it that in this chapter he gives praise to the almighty God? Perhaps the first thing that should catch our attention from today's chapter is the repeated phrase in verses 17 and 32. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He wills. This phrase can even be said to be the theme of the whole Book of Daniel. This book is mostly set in the time of exile, when there seemingly was no longer any king over the people of God. Yet, in the Book of Daniel we see that though there was no earthly king ruling over Israel, God made it clear to these foreign kings that He is the almighty God. He was still the one who was truly the King. The outcome of this is that the evil king Nebuchadnezzar, probably the greatest and most powerful man during his time, writes this testimony for all peoples, nations, and languages to hear (Daniel 4:1-3). Imagine being a subject in the Babylonian empire, and receiving this declaration from king Nebuchadnezzar praising and glorifying the God of Israel. Though God's people sin against Him and are punished by being taken into exile, the name of God is still magnified. God is not put to shame. Today through baptism we have entered into the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is key for us to consider whether God truly is the King of our lives. It's natural to make many plans for our future, out of a desire to lead our dream lives. But for us Christians, the sovereignty and authority of God is something that we must be well-aware of and fully willing to submit to. If God doesn't let me get that job, are we able to accept it? If God closes the path towards our dreams, are we will to say "Let Thy will be done"? If God takes away all that we have, are we able to be like Job and say "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? If all this is causing us to struggle, remember this: God loves us. He knows what's best for us, He knows what we need. He has already given His life for us, and given us His precious Spirit to dwell within us. Having faith in God's love towards us gives us strength to submit to our King with full assurance that this is the best path for us, this is the way to blessing and to eternal life. Since our God is the highest and rules over the kingdom of man, what then should our response ought to be? Nebuchadnezzar begins and ends his testimony by praising and glorifying God. Giving praises to God is something that we have been often taught but perhaps we have not given enough thought to or taken seriously enough. Yet, throughout the Bible, it's clear that praises are a key part of our worship to God (just read the Book of Psalms). What might we praise God for? Like Nebuchadnezzar, we can praise God for His greatness and His almightiness. Just consider the stars, or the intricacies of the human body. We can praise God for His love and wisdom as seen in His creation as well as in His word. The more we study into the holy scriptures, the more we are filled with awe at how complete, connected, and wonderful these life-giving words are. We can also glorify God for His salvation which He has so freely given to us. Imagine how different our lives might be today if not for His grace and mercy! It's when we decide to finally take the importance of praising God seriously and intentionally set aside some time in our daily prayers to praise God, that we truly experience the blessing that comes along with it. We go through life being filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we have such a great and powerful Heavenly Father who loves us. In fact, it was when Nebuchadnezzar took the glory for Himself rather than giving all glory to God, that the infamous transformation into a beast took place. This brings us nicely to the final point of reflection for this devotional. Pride - when we take glory for ourselves rather than giving glory to God. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony serves as a stark warning for us. Even just a sentence or thought of pride can greatly displease God. How often have we unknowingly taken credit for ourselves for any achievements we have, or for any divine work that we do? Being puffed up with pride and not keeping to one's proper domain is precisely the sin of satan (1 Tim 3:6, Jude 6-7). If we are filled with pride, what difference is there between us and satan? In fact, while satan exalted himself, God on the contrary lowered Himself, coming in the likeness of man and humbling Himself even to the point of death (Phil 2:5-8). Whose example do we want to follow, that of God or of satan? Let us take warning from the story of Nebuchadnezzar and carefully consider who's example we want to follow. Indeed, God opposes the proud while giving grace to the humble. He blesses the meek, that they might inherit the earth .

关于本会

我们是真耶稣教会,一间建立在耶稣与使徒们的教导上的全球性非宗派教会。藉由圣灵创立,我们的使命是把全备的救恩真理传向地极/世界尽头。

关于本会

We have four places of worship, and we gather for Sabbath and night worship services. We welcome you to join us for any of our in-person services!

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