創世記13:1-13

13:1 亞伯蘭帶著他的妻子與羅得，並一切所有的，都從埃及上南地去。
13:2 亞伯蘭的金、銀、牲畜極多。
13:3 他從南地漸漸往伯特利去，到了伯特利和艾的中間，就是從前支搭帳棚的地方，
13:4 也是他起先築壇的地方；他又在那裡求告耶和華的名。
13:5 與亞伯蘭同行的羅得也有牛群、羊群、帳棚。
13:6 那地容不下他們；因為他們的財物甚多，使他們不能同居。
13:7 當時，迦南人與比利洗人在那地居住。亞伯蘭的牧人和羅得的牧人相爭。
13:8 亞伯蘭就對羅得說：「你我不可相爭，你的牧人和我的牧人也不可相爭，因為我們是骨肉（原文是弟兄）。
13:9 遍地不都在你眼前嗎？請你離開我：你向左，我就向右；你向右，我就向左。」
13:10 羅得舉目看見約旦河的全平原，直到瑣珥，都是滋潤的，那地在耶和華未滅所多瑪、蛾摩拉以先如同耶和華的園子，也像埃及地。
13:11 於是羅得選擇約旦河的全平原，往東遷移；他們就彼此分離了。
13:12 亞伯蘭住在迦南地，羅得住在平原的城邑，漸漸挪移帳棚，直到所多瑪。
13:13 所多瑪人在耶和華面前罪大惡極。

So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. ² Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

³ From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier ⁴ and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.
⁵ Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. ⁷ And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
⁸ So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
¹⁰ Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. ¹³ Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

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    亞伯拉罕是一個追求和睦的人，雖然他和羅得是親戚，他也不佔羅得的便宜，寧可讓羅得選好的地方，自己往不好的地方去，於是叔姪兩人就此分開，而這一分開就帶來不同的命運。

    羅得雖然選了富饒之地，卻是充滿罪惡的地方，就是後來被上帝降火所滅的所多瑪、蛾摩拉。而羅得最後與亞伯拉罕越來越遠竟然定居到所多瑪。聖經描述這兩個地方如下：「那地在耶和華未滅所多瑪、蛾摩拉以先如同耶和華的園子，也像埃及地」、「所多瑪人在耶和華面前罪大惡極」。

    所以，我們不可以用人的眼光來判定什麼是「正面」？什麼是「負面」？而是要我們用與上帝的關係來判定，不然會像羅得一般，雖然往人所認為「正面」的方向來走，以至於最後落到上帝所看的「負面」，後悔莫及！

箴言23:4-5

23:4 不要勞碌求富，休仗自己的聰明。
23:5 你豈要定睛在虛無的錢財上嗎？因錢財必長翅膀，如鷹向天飛去。

⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
    do not trust your own cleverness.
⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
    for they will surely sprout wings
    and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

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    在世上生活大家會感覺金錢是多麼重要，努力的做事就是要得到金錢，好讓自己可以有許多得享樂。若是沒有錢，通常會感到擔憂，因為許多的事情都需要靠金錢去換取，由其是商業發達之後！

    然而，對基督徒而言，我們若是為錢所綑綁，我們就不敢將錢用在福音的事工上，認為那是無意義的事情，花再多的經歷和時間都看不見果效，於是手就縮短了，心思只放在自己覺得賺錢的事上。

    其實有錢不能為上帝效力那是很可惜的事情，有許多若小的教會牧者無法得著合理的謝禮來生活，長期靠家人的支持更是不可能！而小教會為了成長，需要更多的福音行動，所以希望有錢得基督徒可以出錢支持，有恩賜的基督徒可以投入時間來一起服事，使更多人得救，靈魂是無價的，花再多的金錢與時間都是值得的，這就是借給耶和華，主必償還的！

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箴言23章

           箴言23:1-3 ,  箴言23:4-5 , 箴言23:6-8 , 箴言23:9 , 箴言23:10-11  ,

          箴言23:12 , 箴言23:13-14 , 箴言23:15-16 , 箴言23:17-18 ,

          箴言23:19-21 , 箴言23:22-25 , 箴言23:26-28 , 箴言23:29-35 ,

箴言23:1-3

23:1 你若與官長坐席，要留意在你面前的是誰。
23:2 你若是貪食的，就當拿刀放在喉嚨上。
23:3 不可貪戀他的美食，因為是哄人的食物。

When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what is before you,
² and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
³ Do not crave his delicacies,
    for that food is deceptive.

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    世上的統治者對待人的方式通常是「威脅」和「利誘」，通常是利誘先，然後再是威脅。也因此，當我們受到這些人招待時，我們要小心應對，不要為眼前的利誘而忘記背後的威脅。

    我們在許多的狀態下會遇到這樣的事情，不管是工作或是政治場合皆是如此，也因為這樣，我們要小心利誘的事情，不要隨便取別人的好處，要有所分辨，不可以起貪念的心。

    求主保守，讓我們不要受到這些「威脅」和「利誘」來影響我們對上帝的敬畏，失去與上帝同行的心，我們寧可不要世上的權勢和金錢，也不要失去基督！若是有世上的權勢和金錢，要照主的心意來使用，不可以用來害人滿足自己的私慾，因為這樣的是上帝必追討的！

創世記12:10-20

12:10 那地遭遇饑荒。因饑荒甚大，亞伯蘭就下埃及去，要在那裡暫居。
12:11 將近埃及，就對他妻子撒萊說：「我知道你是容貌俊美的婦人。
12:12 埃及人看見你必說：『這是他的妻子』，他們就要殺我，卻叫你存活。
12:13 求你說，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。」
12:14 及至亞伯蘭到了埃及，埃及人看見那婦人極其美貌。
12:15 法老的臣宰看見了她，就在法老面前誇獎她。那婦人就被帶進法老的宮去。
12:16 法老因這婦人就厚待亞伯蘭，亞伯蘭得了許多牛、羊、駱駝、公驢、母驢、僕婢。
12:17 耶和華因亞伯蘭妻子撒萊的緣故，降大災與法老和他的全家。
12:18 法老就召了亞伯蘭來，說：「你這向我做的是甚麼事呢？為甚麼沒有告訴我她是你的妻子？
12:19 為甚麼說她是你的妹子，以致我把她取來要作我的妻子？現在你的妻子在這裡，可以帶她走吧。」
12:20 於是法老吩咐人將亞伯蘭和他妻子，並他所有的都送走了。

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

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    亞伯蘭真是的！竟然像台語說的：「賣妻做大舅」！他為了自保竟然出賣自己的妻子，讓她的妻子被送入埃及的王宮當法老的嬪妃，還得到許多的財富，還算什麼男人啊！

    你或許會驚訝，上帝為什麼呼召或揀選這樣的人，來做祂救贖大工的起始點呢？為甚麼選這樣一位道德上有瑕疵的人呢？還好上帝的保守，不然這下子亞伯拉罕真的成了千古罪人了！

    但是，我們從亞伯拉罕的受揀選看見，上帝呼召人是沒有條件的！也就是說，上帝揀選人只看見人需要被拯救，因為人本來就是完全敗壞了，在上帝面前是乏善可陳，完全是出於上帝的大愛，不是我們合不合條件或資格！

創世記12章

           創世記12:1-9  ,

           創世記12:1-3 ,

          創世記12:10-20  ,