Verse from Genesis

女人对蛇说：“园中树上的果子，我们都可以吃；只有园中那棵树上的果子，神曾经说过：‘你们不可吃，也不可摸，免得你们死。’”蛇对女人说：“你们决不会死；因为神知道你们吃那果子的时候，你们的眼睛就开了；你们会像神一样，能知道善恶。”(创世记 3:2-5)

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:2-5)

Satan misapplied God’s words in today’s passage. God’s prohibition against eating applied only to the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:16-17), not to every tree (3:1). Satan’s phrase “You will not surely die” (v.4) was a direct challenge to God’s declaration, “You shall surely die” (2:17). In turn, Eve also modified God’s clear instruction: “nor shall you touch it” (3:3). The story of the fall is a clear warning to us to study and know God’s Word so that we will not be led astray.

Verse from Psalm

在耶和华的眼中看来，圣民的死极为宝贵。(诗篇 116:15)

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. (Psalm 116:15)

What the world views death as, The Lord views it differently. The world sees it as a loss, but it's a gain. Those who believes in Him reunited with The Lord in the heavenly home for eternity, no more sorrow, no more pain. 

Verse from Philippians

我所热切期待和盼望的，就是在凡事上我都不会羞愧，只要满有胆量，不论生死，总要让基督在我身上照常被尊为大。(腓立比书 1:20)

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:20)

In our best moments, it’s easy to expect that we will find ourselves in a good place surrounded by good people who like and affirm us. But life has a way of breaking those expectations. What then?

Paul never expected to be in a great place or to be well liked. His only expectation was that “Christ will be magnified” through him (v.20). He wasn’t disappointed.

If our expectation is to make Christ visible to those around us regardless of where we are or who we are with, we will find those expectations met and even exceeded. Christ will be magnified.

Make it your only expectation to magnify Christ wherever you are and whoever you are with.

Verse from Ephesians

凡事要奉我们主耶稣基督的名，常常感谢父神，(以弗所书 5:20)

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

Lord, so often it’s the little things in life that get to me, and there seem to be so many of them.

Whenever I’m tempted to lose my temper, blame someone, or just give up, help me see You.

What happens to us is not nearly as important as what God does in us and through us.

What happens to us is not nearly as important as what God does in us and through us.

Verse from Luke

“只是我告诉你们听道的人：当爱你们的仇敌，善待恨你们的人。(路加福音 6:27)

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (Luke 6:27)

Not easy but let us depend on God to help us to love the unlovable for God is love

Verse from Psalms

我曾切切等候耶和华；他转向我，听了我的呼求。(诗篇 40:1)

I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. (Psalms 40:1)

“What a chapter can be written of God’s delays!” said F. B. Meyer. “It is the mystery of educating human spirits to the finest temper of which they are capable.” Through the discipline of waiting, we can develop the quieter virtues—submission, humility, patience, joyful endurance, persistence in well-doing—virtues that take the longest to learn.

Verse from Matthew

因此，你们要警醒，因为不知道你们的主甚么时候要来。(马太福音 24:42)

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42)

Jesus warned us not to be deceived by speculations of His return (Matt. 24:4) but to be alert, vigilant, and always ready (v.44)

Verse from Romans

经上说：“所有信靠他的人，必不致失望。”因为“凡求告主名的，都必得救。”(罗马书 10:11, 13)

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:11, 13)

Verse from 1 Peter

你们要把一切忧虑卸给神，因为他顾念你们。(彼得前书 5:7)

casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Though the testings of life may feel like a burden too heavy to bear, we can have full assurance that our heavenly Father loves us deeply and knows our load limits. Whatever we face, He will help us to bear it.

God may lead us into troubled waters to deepen our trust in Him.

Verse from Exodus and Psalm

所以，你要对以色列人说：‘我是耶和华，我要把你们从埃及人的重担底下救出来；我要拯救你们脱离他们的奴役；我要用伸出来的膀臂，并借着严厉的刑罚来救赎你们。(出埃及记 6:6)

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. (Exodus 6:6)

至于我，我是困苦贫穷的；主仍顾念我。你是我的帮助，我的拯救；我的神啊！求你不要耽延。(诗篇 40:17)

But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay. (Psalm 40:17)

He is always at work on our behalf, even if we can’t see what He is doing.

Lord, please help me to trust You despite my discouragement. I invite You to fill me with hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Let my life testify of Your faithfulness.

Times of trouble are times for trust.

Verse from 1 Peter

你们要作神各样恩赐的好管家，各人照着所领受的恩赐彼此服事。(彼得前书 4:10)

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10)

Verse from Mark

但你们中间却不要这样；谁想在你们中间为大的，就要作你们的仆役，(马可福音 10:43)

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (Mark 10:43)

Are we gladly serving, doing tasks that may be unnoticed? Is the purpose of our serving to please our Lord rather than to gain applause? If we are willing to be a servant, our lives will point to the One who is truly great.

Verse from John

耶稣哭了。(约翰福音 11:35)

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

Give me a heart sympathetic and tender like Jesus;

Touched by the needs that are surging around me,

And filled with compassion divine. 

Compassion helps to heal the hurts of others.

Verse from Matthew

你们要先求他的国和他的义，这一切都必加给你们。(马太福音 6:33)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

Verse from 2 Corinthians

我们所顾念的，不是看得见的，而是看不见的；因为看得见的是暂时的，看不见的是永远的。(哥林多后书 4:18)

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Dear God, please help us to see this life from a heavenly perspective. Remind us that our trials, however difficult, will one day fade

from view when we see You face to face.

The way we view eternity will affect the way we live in time.

Verse from Matthew

所以我告诉你们，不要为生命忧虑吃甚么喝甚么，也不要为身体忧虑穿甚么。难道生命不比食物重要吗？身体不比衣服重要吗？ (马太福音 6:25)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25)

As we begin a new year, do we have faith in God’s provision?

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. —Corrie ten Boom

Leaving our struggles in God’s hands is a key to peaceful living.

Verse from Psalm

我必平平安安躺下睡觉，因为只有你耶和华能使我安然居住。(诗篇 4:8)

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

Give me a spirit of peace, dear Lord,

Midst the storms and the tempests that roll,

That I may find rest and quiet within,

A calm buried deep in my soul. —Dawe

Even when we cannot sleep, God can give us rest.

Verse from 1 Thessalonians

所以弟兄们，我们在这一切困苦患难中，因着你们的信心就得了安慰。 (帖撒罗尼迦前书 3:7)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:7)

Difficult circumstances may thwart even our best intentions, separating friends from each other for a season. But God is growing His church through every difficulty. We need only be faithful and leave the results to Him.

Lord, we are so prone to be fearful when we face opposition, yet so often we want to take credit for every little success. Help us see that You are the One who blesses and builds Your church.

Verse from Acts

所有信的人都在一起，凡物公用，(使徒行传 2:44)

All the believers were together and had everything in common. (Acts 2:44)

We all need Christian fellowship to build us up and hold us up.

Verse from Psalm

求你教导我们怎样数算自己的日子， 好使我们得着智慧的心。(诗篇 90:12)

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

So often we look up and time has passed us by. The things we promised ourselves we'd accomplish and the deeds we told others we'd do get left undone. Before we know it, days have become weeks, and weeks months, and months years. We find ourselves unable to do what we once assumed we could do any time we want. We must ask the Spirit of God to help us see and seize the opportunities the LORD places in our path.

Verse from James

你们也应当忍耐，坚定自己的心；因为主再来的日子近了。(雅各书 5:8)

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:8)

What is most difficult about being patient during stressful times? 

Ask God for the grace to help you live by faith and to live for the long run.

The way to great patience is through great trials.

Verse from Luke

我要使我父的应许临到你们身上，你们当在城里等候，直到得着从上面来的能力。”(路加福音 24:49)

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

The Roman paganism of Jesus’ day taught that the actions of gods in the heavens above affected the earth below. If Zeus got angry, thunderbolts shot out. “As above, so below,” went the ancient formula.

Jesus, though, sometimes inverted that. He taught: As below, so above. A believer prays, and heaven responds. A sinner repents, and the angels rejoice. A mission succeeds, and God is glorified. A believer rebels, and the Holy Spirit is grieved.

Verse from Colossians

所以，你们既然是神所拣选的，是圣洁、蒙爱的人，就要存怜悯的心肠、恩慈、谦卑、温柔和忍耐。如果有人对别人有嫌隙，总要彼此宽容，互相饶恕；主怎样饶恕了你们，你们也要照样饶恕人。在这一切之上，还要有爱心，爱心是联系全德的。(歌罗西书 3:12-14)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Verse from Matthew

所以你们要这样祈祷： ‘我们在天上的父， 愿你的名被尊为圣， 愿你的国降临， 愿你的旨意成就在地上， 如同在天上一样。 我们每天所需的食物， 求你今天赐给我们； 赦免我们的罪债， 好象我们饶恕了得罪我们的人； 不要让我们陷入试探， 救我们脱离那恶者。’ (马太福音 6:9-13)

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’ (Matthew 6:9-13)

Verse from Matthew

马太福音6:1-7

Matthew 6:1-7

Whether our “deeds,” mentioned in Matthew 6, are works of art or acts of service, we should keep in mind that they’re really between us and God. Whether or not anyone else sees does not matter. He is our audience.

Verse from Ephesians

就如创立世界以前，他在基督里拣选了我们，使我们因着爱，在他面前成为圣洁，没有瑕疵。 他又按着自己旨意所喜悦的，预定我们借着耶稣基督得儿子的名分，(以弗所书 1:4, 5)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— (Ephesians 1:4, 5)

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. —Augustine

Verse from Philippians

弟兄们，我愿意你们知道，我所遭遇的反而使福音更加兴旺了，(腓立比书 1:12)

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. (Philippians 1:12)

Sometimes in life’s battles we can feel as if we are losing on every front. Family discord, business setbacks, financial woes, or a decline in health can put a pessimistic spin on the way we look at life. But the believer in Christ can always find a way to conclude: “Situation excellent.”

Look at Paul. When he was thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, he had an unusually upbeat attitude.

Paul saw his prison situation as a new platform from which to evangelize the Roman palace guard. In addition, other Christians became emboldened by his situation to preach the gospel more fearlessly (vv.13-14).

God can use our trials to work good in spite of the pain they bring (Rom. 8:28). That’s just one more way He can be honored.

Comfort us, Lord, when life’s trials assail—we fail and stumble so often. Renew us, and help us to grow so that others may also know Your goodness and comfort.

Trials can be God’s road to triumph.

Verse from Micah

世人哪！耶和华已经指示你甚么是善，他向你所要的又是甚么；无非是要你行公义，好怜悯，谦虚谨慎与你的神同行。(弥迦书 6:8)

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Verse from 1 Corinthians

我若有先知讲道的恩赐，也明白各样的奥秘，各样的知识；并且有全备的信，叫我能够移山，却没有爱，我就算不得甚么。 (哥林多前书 13:2)

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Verse from Psalms

你们要称谢耶和华，因他本是良善的， 他的慈爱永远长存。 (诗篇 136:1)

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalms 136:1)

Let's start off a new year by giving thanks to our Lord!

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