Thursday, 2 April 2020

Proverbs 2:1-8
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Good morning brothers and sisters, I thank Pastor Wallace for sharing the devotion yesterday. Today, let us look at Proverbs 2:1-8. Here you see a loving father teaching his son how to reverence or respect and know God. They are like hidden treasures or like mining for silver. You need to do some exploring, prospecting, and digging to find these hidden treasures. He listed 8 prerequisites as to how to learn to fear God and gain wisdom from Him.

Proverbs 2.1-2 “IF YOU”
• Receive or accept God’s Word
• Hide away, store it up, treasure God’s commands
• Give, listen intently, incline, tune your ears to wisdom
• Apply your heart to understanding; think what it means

Proverbs 2.3-4 “IF YOU”
• Cry, call out for wisdom and insight
• Cry out aloud, beg, for understanding
• Search, seek, look for knowledge as though it were silver
• Look for, search for knowledge as though it were hidden treasure

Proverbs 2.5-8 “THEN you will”
• Understand what it means to fear the Lord
• Gain knowledge of God
• Obtain from God his wisdom
• Receive protection from God

The Bible often uses the words ‘knowledge, understanding, and wisdom’ interchangeably, but occasionally they are spoken of as separate and distinct. It may be helpful to attempt to define the differences of meaning.

Knowledge is about storing up of facts, information and memory.
Understanding is the ability to find meaning, principles or reasoning to the knowledge acquired.
Wisdom is the ability to know what to do next; or how to apply the knowledge and understanding in an appropriate manner, time and place.

Our prayer in response to God’s word today:

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for you are Wisdom and source of all wisdom. We come to you with humility to cry out, to beg you to grant us wisdom in this unprecedented time. We admit Lord, we are proud to listen; too lazy to search, too stubborn to submit, too easily distracted by the things of the world, to gain wisdom from you daily. Grant us a desire to know you intimately through your Word daily.

Thank you for the lockdown, so that we can be kept safe. More so Lord, we are grateful that we can have time with you and with our families. We pray for our fathers in the home that they will take up their spiritual leadership to be a wise and responsible father to teach our children to fear God and know the wisdom of God. Lord, help our fathers to lead our families in daily worship. May this be the opportune time to strengthen the walls of our families that we leave no room for the evil one to have no foothold in our homes. Lord, bless our homes.

Lord, our hearts are drawn to the complexity of the pandemic that has shaken the world. The world is being awakened to the fact that all our brilliant health plans, economic strategy, our political shrewdness are falling apart. We are thankful, in the midst of turmoil, you are still the Rock of our Salvation; you are our fortress and you are our present help in times of trouble. We praise you Lord.

We pray for all those who are economically and physically at a disadvantage in this critical time. We pray for those who have contracted the Coronavirus, heal them Lord. We pray for wisdom and strength; protection and provision for all the frontline workers and their families. Give our church leadership wisdom as to how we can be actively reaching out to such people where we are.

We praise and thank you in Jesus Name, Amen

Pastor Isaac Yim

xxx

每日灵粮
2/4/2020
(作者： 严以撒牧师）

箴言 2:1-8

我儿，你若领受我的言语，存记我的命令， 2 侧耳听智慧，专心求聪明， 3 呼求明哲，扬声求聪明， 4 寻找她如寻找银子，搜求她如搜求隐藏的珍宝， 5 你就明白敬畏耶和华，得以认识神。 6 因为耶和华赐人智慧，知识和聪明都由他口而出。 7 他给正直人存留真智慧，给行为纯正的人做盾牌， 8 为要保守公平人的路，护庇虔敬人的道。 9 你也必明白仁义、公平、正直，一切的善道。 10 智慧必入你心，你的灵要以知识为美。 11 谋略必护卫你，聪明必保守你， 12 要救你脱离恶道[a]，脱离说乖谬话的人。

弟兄姐妹们，早上好。我感谢王振威传道昨天与大家分享每日灵粮。今天让我们来看看箴言2：1-8。在这段经文里，你可以看到一位慈爱的父亲教导他的儿子如何敬畏或尊崇和认识上帝。智慧就像是隐藏的珍宝或银子。你需要探索，勘探和挖掘才能找到这些隐藏的珍宝。这段经文列出了8项敬畏上帝和从他那里获得智慧的先决条件。

箴言 2：1-2 ‘你若’
•领受或接上帝的话
•隐藏，储存，珍惜上帝的命令
•给予，专心听，侧耳听来获取智慧
•全心全意去理解；想一想这意味着什么

箴言 2：3-4 ‘你若’

•呼求，扬声求智慧和明哲
•大声呼喊，恳求得聪明
•搜索和寻找知识，就好像她是银子
•寻找和搜求知识，就好像她是隐藏的珍宝

箴言 2:5-8 ’你就’
•明白敬畏主的意义
•认识上帝
•从上帝那里得到他的智慧
•得到上帝的保护

在圣经，‘知识’，‘聪明’和‘智慧’ 经常被互换使用，但偶尔口头上这些词常被区分。定义它们含义上的差异或许对我们有所帮助。

知识是累积事实，信息和记忆。
聪明是一种能力，可以从所获得的知识里找意义，原理或推理。
智慧是知道下一步该做什么的能力。或如何以适当的方式，时间和地点应用知识和聪明。

让我们以祷告回应上帝的话语

我们在天上的父，我们感谢你，因为你是智慧，也是智慧的源头。我们谦卑地来到你面前大声呼求，恳求你在这个史无前例的年代赐我们智慧。主，我们承认，我们因骄傲而不聆听；过于懒惰而不寻求，过度固执而不降服，太容易被世事所困扰，无法每天从你那里得到智慧。让我们每天透过你的话渴慕更深切认识你。

我们感谢你，透过封城使我们受保护。更感恩的是，我们有时间能与你及我们的家人在一起。我们为家里的父亲们祷告，他们将承担属灵的领导，成为一个有智慧和负责任的父亲，教导我们的孩子敬畏上帝并了解属天的智慧。主啊，帮助我们的父亲带领我们的家庭进行每日崇拜。愿这是合适的时机来巩固我们家的墙，以便我们不会让恶者在我们的家中有立足之地。主啊，保佑我们的家园.

主啊，我们都很关注这复杂且震撼世界的大流行病。这世界已彻底惊醒，因为我们所有的保健计划，经济策略，政治正在瓦解。我们很感恩，虽在动荡中，你仍然是我们的救赎盘石；你是我们的堡垒，及患难中随时的帮助。主，我们赞美你。

我们为在这非常时期，经济上和身体上处于不利的人祷告。我们为那些感染了冠状病毒的人祷告。主，医治他们。我们求你赐下智慧，力量及保护在前线的医护人员及家人。赐下智慧于我们教会的领袖，使我们知道如何在所处之地积极地接触他们。

(巫惠如  译）