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# 2005-8-11 星期四(Thursday) 晴
O LORD, you will keep us safe
'Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,' says the LORD. 'I will protect them from those who malign them.' And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times. O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men. Psalm 12:5-8 NIV
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# 2005-8-4 星期四(Thursday) 晴
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV
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# 2005-8-2 星期二(Tuesday) 晴
Encouragements to Pray
Author: Warren Wiersbe
Read Psalm 86:1-10
"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (v. 5). What a promise to claim today! Just two verses later the psalmist says, "In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me" (v. 7).
The psalmist gives a number of encouragements to pray. First, remember who God is. Never forget His attributes. The better we know Him, the better we are able to pray. What kind of God are we praying to? One who is good, merciful and ready to forgive. You may say, "I can't pray to God. My hands are dirty. My heart is dirty. I'm not what I ought to be." Then come to Him and say, "I know You are ready to forgive; You are abundant in mercy." And God will forgive you. He hears all who cry out to Him.
Second, remember what God does. "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God" (v. 10). "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jer. 33:3).
Third, remember what God promises. He promises to answer us. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you" (Matt. 7:7). "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2).
Remember who God is, the kind of God to whom you are praying. Remember the great and wonderful things He does. He can do the impossible for you today. And remember, He promises to answer.
* * *
These are wonderful encouragements to pray. When you pray, keep them before you. Contemplate God's character. Remember what He has done in your life. Recount His faithfulness to you. And be sure to claim the promises of the Bible.
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant
who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O LORD;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
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# 2005-8-2 星期二(Tuesday) 晴
Brian小组 7月28日课程 God Placed Adam in Eden
Firm Foundations (6): God Placed Adam in Eden (Genesis 2:1-9,16,17)
Q: Darwin made me do it: an evolutionist looks as murder.
Q: This is my body so I can do whatever I want with it.
1. Introduction/Objective:
• To learn that God is the sovereign and loving Creator and owner of man.
• To establish that the penalty for sin is death.
2. God finished making all He had planned and rested
Genesis 2:1-3
a. How many days did it take God to make everything?
b. Did God rest from His work because He became tired after all the work He had done? (Isaiah 40:28)
c. What’s special about the seventh day? (He blessed and made it holy.)
3. God recapping what had happened
Genesis 2:4-6
a. What was the name used for God now? (The Lord – the eternal one, totally independent and never change; God – great and mighty God)
b. How was the ground watered? (stream (mist) came up from the earth, not rain)
4. God planted a garden and put Adam in it
Genesis 2:7-9
a. What did God do in the garden? (planted and put Adam in it) Why? (His love)
b. Why could God put Adam there? (He is the owner)
c. Recall: what was entrusted to Adam by God? (to manage the earth)
d. What were in the middle of the garden? (the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)
5. God communicated with man
Genesis 2:16,17
a. Did Adam know anything that was evil or bad? (everything was good)
b. Did God instruct Adam clearly what was right and what was wrong to do?
c. Was Adam allowed to make his choice?
d. What was the consequence of disobeying God’s command? (death)
e. What did God mean when He told Adam that he would die?
• Separation from God – death of a relationship
• Separation from the body – death of the physical body
• Separation forever in the Lake of Fire – death of future joys which God had planned for Adam (Matthew 25:41; Rev 20:10)
6. Conclusions
• God is sovereign: our Creator and owner (Psalm 119:73)
• God is love and all-knowing. (Psalm 32:8-10; Proverbs 1:7)
• God is holy and righteous (He demands death as the payment for sin.)
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# 2005-7-31 星期日(Sunday) 晴
Wives 为人妻的
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
3:11 Peter 3 (NIV)（这则文字写作于公元四世纪60年代早期，当时的背景是一个男权主宰的社会。）我想：以上这段文字不仅适于妻子与丈夫，也可用以培养尚未结合的男女青年的心灵。
为人妻的，要顺服自己的丈夫
不要因着言语，而要因着你们敬畏和纯洁的生活
不要但注重外表的装饰，却要在心里面存着温柔安静的心灵，做不能毁坏的装饰
为人夫的，要体谅她比你软弱，要尊敬她，因为她是和你一同承受生命的恩典的。
这个社会在前进，人们的意识形态在变化，那个等级森严的社会制度似乎已经远去。我常常思考：作为一个女性，在这个社会里、在自己的人生中，应当充当什么样的角色。
谈到女性，总是会联想到时尚。如今装扮与时尚已经不仅是潮流而已。对于很多国家而言，时尚产业甚至已经成为GDP总量的重要来源之一。我们在包装上的花费是这个社会所鼓励的，不知不觉中它成了我们的一种生活追求。
某天，当我们突然听见一对老夫妇的谈话，先生握着太太的手，对她说：“You are still beautiful, attractive to me”，我们一定都会很感动。太太已经年过八十，眼袋下垂、沟壑纵横，岁月的痕迹掩饰不住，先生眼中的美丽一定不是就外貌而言的。何况婚姻的经验告诉我们，美丽的外形或许只在相识之初燃起感动，而共处一段时间以后，天仙般的美女在丈夫看来也变得ordinary了。再加上不可避免的岁月的冲刷 美女也会衰老，在任何一个人的身上 美丽的永恒是不存在的。
“在里面存温柔安静的心灵，作不能毁坏的装饰”一句对女性提出了两个要求，温柔并且安静。显然，这二者都以顺从为前提。可是要求当今社会中同样接受教育，同样在事业中竞争权利的女性放弃争辩，安静地顺从另一方，实在不是容易的决定。此外，尽管女性在社会上的地位与日俱升，绝大部分的女性在成立家庭以后仍然要扛起照顾家庭的重担。这是一个极大的挑战，兼顾个人事业与照顾家庭几乎是不可能的。为了所爱的人，和下一代的未来，女性在选择时不能不重新定位自己的角色。
敬畏和纯洁是理想的女性形象，然而随着时代的前进，这背后需要的努力不但不会减少，反倒将面对越来越大的挑战——来自整个社会的反鼓励。
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# 2005-7-30 星期六(Saturday) 晴
For wisdom will enter your heart
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. Proverbs 2:9-15 NIV
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# 2005-7-30 星期六(Saturday) 晴
he saved us, because of his mercy
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:3-6 NIV
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# 2005-7-28 星期四(Thursday) 晴
Dear Lord， I am loving you !
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:1-8 NIV
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# 2005-7-28 星期四(Thursday) 晴
had responded to my rebuke
'How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you.' Proverbs 1:22-26 NIV
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