OUR STILL LIFE POSED LIKE A BOWL OF ORANGES

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Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib's house to the end of it. - Nehemiah 3:21

the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall - it took an incredulously short period of time.
it was a miraculous feat only possible with God.

this reminds me of a story:
not so long long ago, in a galaxy not so far far away, 10,000 people who called themselves warriors embarked on a campaign. it was called the Hundred Kay.

it may have officially ended, and you might be asking yourself if it was just another campaign, or if it had actually made any significant impact.
let the story of Nehemiah and the rebuilders encourage you, then.


the rebuilding of the wall was undertaken by many people. each was assigned their portion to rebuild, and the effort of each participant contributed to the miraculous success of the entire wall's restoration. every participant counts.
your effort counted.

the names of every rebuilder were documented carefully. each participant became a hero, and brought glory to their father's name. their names were recognised and honoured in the book of Nehemiah.
God remembers you.

the enemies of the rebuilders were afraid. when they witnessed the miraculous feat, they lost their self-confidence, because they realised that God was supreme. the victorious campaign of rebuilding made a statement; it struck fear in the enemy.
we are victors.


thank you, Lord, for the Hundred Kay.

MUSIC IS INFINITE

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Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. - Mark 5:14

sometimes we think we need to tell the world that Jesus lives,
when sometimes it is easier to just show it, and the people will tell it for us.

in fact, when we run helter-skelter to preach the gospel, it becomes hardsell and the people back away.
Jesus' attitude was simply to meet real needs, and more than that, demonstrated miracles in the marketplace.
that sparked the talk of the town - it did the talking, it did the showing; no need for preaching.
it was a life changed.


DO we have an attitude of meeting others' needs?

CAN we believe God for miracles in the marketplace?

WORMS VERSUS BIRDS

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After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest froom their enemies around them, Joshua, by then old and well advanced in years, summoned all Israel...and said to them, - Joshua 23:1-2a

the Lord gives rest.
and Joshua, before he moved on, gathered the leaders of Israel and instructed them as to how to maintain their victory and peace they currently enjoyed.
so HOW?

"Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. - Joshua 23:6

we know 100% obedience is humanly impossible.
but just as the Law brings death, so Jesus came to bring us life, to redeem us!
so it is not about trying our best to be holy, it is only by relying on God's grace and love that we can break free from sin.

But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now. - Joshua 23:8

have no rival thrones before God.
if God is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all.

So be very careful to love the Lord your God. - Joshua 23:11

those that love God will experience His favour in their lives.
but we love Him just because He is God, not because we want His favour. be very careful.


God's promises did not fail Israel, every one was fulfilled; not one has failed.
so hold fast to the trustworthy God.

HALF-BOILED EGGS ARE EVIL AND WANT TO BURN YOUR FINGERS

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Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Colossians 3:13

it is so easy to say yet so hard to carry out.
humanly, we all have grievances with one another. even the slightest of things can get on our nerves. and even the closest of friends have their annoyances.

we nitpick. we criticise. we label. we judge.
person A is dao. person B is too self-indulgent. person C has an ego problem. person D is too unspiritual. person E is just plain ugly. person F is irritating and he doesn't know it.
we may not confess it verbally, but some of these thoughts are definitely running around in our head, and, as I have discovered, it does show up in our attitude or the way we treat the said persons.

in my current season of getting acquainted with new people, I find myself particularly at risk in this area of judgement-via-thought, or condemnation-via-attitude.
I reconsider the fact that everyone has their imperfections, and we can only love because God first loved us. thus we forgive others' grievances as God forgave us.


it is difficult to love the unlovable, so Lord, help me. give me the supernatural strength I need. it is only through You that I can love the unlovable. thank You for reminding me of Your unecessary love for me. You didn't need to forgive me, but You did.

CONDEMNED CONTENTS CONDENSE COMMENTS

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I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. - Philippians 4:11

humans love to grumble. no matter the circumstance.
if things were bad, we grumble. if things were good, we grumble as well.
the problem isn't with the situation, the problem is with us -
we need to learn to be content.

instead of looking at how things ought to be, why not be thankful for the things that already are.
instead of blaming God for every sick person, why not rejoice over every healthy one?
we need to count our blessings. the fact that we are able to grumble is enough reason to be thankful.
be content whatever the circumstances.

HOW is it possible?
Paul says,

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13

rely on His strength, not ours.
it is a supernatural feat not to grumble, we cannot rely on our own might.

INSTEAD of grumbling, we need to go one step higher - share in someone's troubles.
or, simply, be a blessing; meet his needs.
AND there is a promise:

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

wow.
amen.

I need your Grace

The last time my Dad came back from Hongkong, he brought back many free gifts that his business partners gave him. Thumb drives, computer mouse, mp4 player. Lacking a music device myself, I fought for the mp4 player with my sister who already has a ipod mini. And I got it!

I was at NUS business canteen today. When I left my clear folder at the seat to buy food, I was thinking, shall I take the mp4 player with me? ‘Based on my past experiences in NUS, it’s a safe place with no thefts, so many times I have left my valuables alone and they stay in tact, furthermore the mp4 player is free, whoever want to steal just steal la, its free anyway’ I thought.

The day passed on and I was in my Translation lecture. The professor gave us a 10min break and I decided to just relac one corner by listening to some music..
My mp4 player was GONE!!!!! It was impossible that I dropped it because I did not open the folder at all, someone MUST have stole it.

As I sat in the lecture theatre, I was just asking GOD, ‘What are you trying to teach me from this incident??’ The word ‘GRACE’ was what he revealed to me. Have we all taken God’s grace for granted? Sometimes it gets into us that Grace is free, and because its free, we take it for granted. We fail to intentionally guard our heart against SIN. Just like the incident, because my mp4 player was given to me free, therefore, I couldn’t be bothered to guard it. My friends, lets not take GOD’s grace for granted, but guard our lives against sin intentionally.

I repented before GOD by the end of the lecture because I was guilty. The story ended with me finding my mp4 player in my car at the NUS carpark at the end of the day. Muddled-headed me.

Take The City Walk Video

Check out this video clip on the TCS Walkathon at the NDP main website. Or just watch it here. Ha ha.



Joshua Teo

THE FLOWERS ARE SLEEPING IN THEIR BEDS

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But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, - Ephesians 5:13

do not hide sin. expose it.
the more paiseh the better for eradicating it.


it has been 01 day of purity.

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE SIXTY-SIX

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While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. - 1 Thessalonians 5:3

this talks about the end times.
we know that it will come suddenly, when people least expect it.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. - 1 Thessalonians 5:4

believers in the light should be expecting it.
SO WHAT should we do?

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

be ALERT and SELF-CONTROLLED.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SPACESHIPS OR ANYTHING EXCEPT YOU AND ME OKAY

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"They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not increase, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the understanding of my people. - Hosea 4:10-11

true satisfaction and fruitfulness comes only from God.

old wine and new wine causes a lack of understanding.

NO WONDER YOU HAVE NICE EYES

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second day of school.

He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. - Leviticus 16:19

the Israelites, like any human, sinned, and someone had to make atonement for them.

HAVE YOU EVER felt unclean or unworthy of God?
well, someone has already made atonement for us - Jesus Christ!

blood has to be shed for atonement, and it was Jesus' blood on the cross that made us clean again! therefore, we can now come before God with boldness, unlike the early days where anyone unclean would be struck down.

so don't let your sin burden you any longer.
understand that you are FORGIVEN.

CREATIVITY IS A LIKENESS OF GOD

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Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? - Isaiah 2:22

HAVE YOU EVER been awed by great inventions, or marvelous technology, or splendid contraptions, or just awesome feats performed by man? Then stop awhile and ponder, how little man is compared to our infinite God.

DO WE TRUST in man? We certainly do - We use their contraptions everyday; even live by them.
BUT DO WE TRUST in God? Hrmm..
If we truly believe in a God that is real and big, we won't have trouble trusting in Him.
Therefore, the problem lies with our unbelief. We do not truly believe.

You will not see things you have never seen before until you have done things you have never done before.

Application: Ask God for something unbelievable, and trust that He will bring it to fruition.

TARDINESS IS AN EPIDEMIC

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That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. - Joshua 7:12

1. disobedience/sin makes us liable to destruction.
2. God is the only one who can deliver us from destruction.
3. we need to destroy whatever sin that is in our lives.

IS THERE a sin, or a remnant of it, in your life?
stop holding on to it. give it up to the Lord.
and then you will be on the run no more.

if there is something that causes you, or makes you liable, to sin, then get rid of it!
we need to deal with sin completely; destroy it entirely. leave no trace of it; give no chance for the devil to gain a foothold.

be free!

Yolanda Adams - Be Blessed

If there was ever song for 100k of blessing... I guess it would be this song. Lets not stop praying for the people that God has given us... Someone asked me 'what do i pray for them? Is standard or the deep kind' But after watching this song - My answer would be that I would cry for them.

Yes, i believe they really do need a miracle. 'Open heavens'.

WHAT IF TELEVISION WERE NEVER INVENTED?

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And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. - Malachi 2:18

it is not futile to serve God.

IS anyone saying, "Why are we doing so much? What have we to gain by obeying all these commands?"

take heart, for the Lord sees, and the servants of God who fear Him will be treated as His sons.

CITY OF HIM-POSSIBILITIES

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"Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!" - Jeremiah 4:18

How often we put the blame on God.
But have we ever considered that we in fact deserved none of His blessings?

Someone asked me, "If there is a God, why does he allow so much suffering in this world?"
Answer: He left the world to our own conduct and actions.
Someone asked me again, "You mean my actions could cause someone else to suffer? Where is the justice?"
Answer: The justice was paid 2000 years ago now. All the bad stuff were paid for through one man.

The moral of the story is: Our actions have consequences, and it is not because there is no God. Even though there is absence of judgement thanks to His mercy, we cannot escape the fact that the devil wishes to destroy us. But through it all, we must remember that before Jesus, they had it much, much worse. So give thanks for all the blessings that you did not deserve, instead of blaming God for every nitty-gritty inconvenience.

100 000

The 100k i believe has caused a positive change in the lives of many. I for one testify to that. When Pastor Ed Silvoso shared about the 4 levels of christians in the marketplace i knew i would have fallen into the 1 - 2 maybe 1/2 level category. 100k has caused us to rise the levels to be one that is involved in the transformation of the marketplace.
Another wonderful thing it has done is that it subtly molds us to know what it means to be a salt and light of the world full of darkness. When we take effort to go to our colleagues/classmates/army mates to bless them we inevitably become conscious of our behavior and the way we portray ourselves as marketplace ministers. So it changes us for the better even in our character to an extent.

Today i completed blessing my entire platoon in army with the 100k. Though it may sound easy but to me i never ever tot i'll be able to do that. i thank God.
I thank God for the times i went out in search of people to bless and got rejected countless times and how at the end of the day when we do our count we still meet our targets..

I realized that when we go in the name of Jesus, He will never fail us. Somehow. As one of my favorite verses clearly expresses in Isaiah 55:5 that His ways are always higher than ours. We just have to step out on the water and WALK.

I am very encouraged also to know how God really remembers our faithfulness in the small things we do. Maybe some of us ponder at times if 100k is making any changes in the lives of those we blessed.
Its too early to tell. Lets be patient and see how God turn the tides for us.

Meanwhile we just have to...

"Hi have you heard of the hundred K k k challenge? *wink wink*"


Proud of you guys! Kudos!

Be Impressed with God of the How Much More!

192 BLESSINGS since Saturday night.

580 BLESSINGS since 8 July 2007.

Am I impressed by the numbers? No. It was never just about the numbers. What am I impressed by? When I saw us coming together on Sunday helping each other out to be a blessing to people in Singapore. When i witnessed each other fumble a little as some of us approached strangers for the first time, yet we pressed on, not giving up, knowing that in the security of God's family, we can be bold to try again. When we hung in there, making sure that each of us were able to bless 5 before we called it a day. When we allowed ourselves to be a fool for Christ, pressing on even though we experienced many rejections.

I believe our faith has been built up. Not just personally and individually, but as JT tribe. I believe that God has enlarged our capacity to love the people around us. I have heard many of you share about how each time you go out, you are more aware of the people around you who need God and how you went forth in boldness to help and be a blessing to them. I believe that we have understood a little more what it means to make blessing our lifestyle and that God has engineered this little exercise to soften our hearts to give us new freedom to go forth and bless.

I believe too that God has used the 100k Campaign to soften the ground in Singapore and caused many to be drawn to Him.

That's what I am impressed about. That's WHO I am impressed with - God.
I'm reminded again about the 2 verses that have guided us through this campaign and this Year of Victory.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

I believe these 2 verses clearly exemplified our experiences during the 100K. Truly the Lord has remained faithful to His word. Truly He is God who is real and who desires to bless His people. Let us take a minute to praise Him for give honour to Him. Amen.


Joshua Teo

WHAT CAUSES MOLECULES TO PRODUCE SMELL AND VIBRATIONS TO PRODUCE SOUND AND ENERGY TO PRODUCE LIGHT?

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wah, seriously we have all lost the habit of blogging our devotions..
i think the struggle is uphill, i can't imagine what will happen when i start school.

oskay, for now a devotion i had,

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. - Philemon 1:4-5

whenever Paul thinks of Philemon, he will give thanks to God for such a faithful disciple.
Philemon lived in a way that brought joy to Paul. he was a blessing, not a burden.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. - Philemon 1:6

Paul was thankful for Philemon. however, he still indicated his desire for him to progress one level higher - to be ACTIVE IN SHARING HIS FAITH. it was just satisfactory that Philemon was faithful and demonstrated love for all the saints, but Jesus has demonstrated that love was meant to be shared with everyone, including non-saints. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, His greatest miracles were performed for the pre-believers in the marketplace.
it is good to love our spiritual family, it is better to love the unlovable.

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. - Philemon 1:7

love has a multiplier effect, one's faith can encourage many others to follow suit.
the importance of community - one's simple faith benefits all.


the crux of the matter is to be ACTIVE IN SHARING YOUR FAITH.
WHY? u ask.
3 reasons to share your faith actively:

1. the lost need it - we are called to reap the harvest.
   
2. the believers need it - we are to spur on one another.
   
3. you need it - we are promised a full understanding of every good thing in Christ.

the 100K campaign is pushing us to BE ACTIVE, and that is precisely how we are supposed to be!
it's grrreat!