Isaiah 9:1-7

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

4 For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

5 Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

[every stumbling/weakness He uses to add to the fire of God burning in our hearts]

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Mark 11-12

Mark 12:28-44 (The Message)
The Most Important Commandment

29-31Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.' And here is the second: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' There is no other commandment that ranks with these."

32-33The religion scholar said, "A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And loving him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!"

34When Jesus realized how insightful he was, he said, "You're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom."

You're almost there! Right when you realise you have reached the end of yourself, that you can never love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength! For the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), and God will love YOU with all His heart, with all His Soul, and with all His mind, and with all His strength!!!

41-44Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called his disciples over and said, "The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford—she gave her all."


I'm pondering about this verse. I asked Daddy why it's here, especially when the preceding verses talk about loving Daddy with your everything. When I saw the words, "she gave her all", it just hit me!

Could it be, that one sure way to express your love to Daddy is through your offering? I'm not saying that putting money in the offering equates to loving God with your everything, but I'm saying that if you really really love God, you gotta put your money where your mouth is.

Money is so close to everyone's heart, and Pastor teaches us that faithful people are recognised through their tithes. So if you are willing to part with your money and give it to Jesus, that makes a bold statement in the eyes of God. Someone confirm this with me!

fresh anointing

somehow Daddy has been showing me verses on oil and anointing. like how He showed me the verses below when i came home after a really refreshing cg tonight:

Joel 2:18-27 (New King James Version)
18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land,
And pity (compassion) His people.
19 The LORD will answer and say to His people,
“ Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them;
I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.
20 “ But I will remove far from you the northern army,
And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea
And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up,
And his foul odor will rise,
Because he has done monstrous things.”
21 Fear not, O land;
Be glad and rejoice,
For the LORD has done marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;
For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the LORD your God;
For He has given you the former rain faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain,
And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat (increase),
And the vats shall overflow with new wine (freshly squeezed out grape juice) and oil (anointing).
25 “ So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the LORD your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.

come to think of it, i could've put the whole portion in bold. be blessed!

Mark 10

Mark 10:23-31 (Amplified & Message - Raphael Mix)
With God All Things Are Possible

You know what? I'm so blessed by today's quiet time that I'm gonna try something new. I'm going to remix both the Amplified and Message version of verse 29-31 to send home a more impactful message!!

- Note: Blue is Amplified & Red is Message

- v29 Jesus said, Mark my words, there is no one who has sacrificed house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands —whatever— for My sake and for the Gospel's (will lose out)

30 Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, (the bonus of) eternal life!

31 This is once again the Great Reversal: many [who are now] first will be last [then], and many [who are now] last will be first [then].

I was sharing with Cuijing over dinner just yesterday night that among my secular clique of friends, I'm the one with the lowest pay.

Even though, yes, my position would provide me with time to serve the Lord and a generally better quality of life (my other friends either have long working hours or have to standby for emergencies 24 hours a day in their jobs), but when it boils down to dollars and cents, I really lose out big time. And when they entice me to join them in their industries, I tell them that I choose not to go there.

But during this morning's quiet time, Daddy spoke to me with such an impact! He reassures me that whatever I do for Him now, He'll repay me back 100 times! My pay is $2,700/mth right now. Daddy says He's goin to give me back $270,000/mth!!! That makes me a Multi-Millionaire!!!! Can I believe that???? What did I just read yesterday in Mark 9:24? “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

And although I am last now, I will be the first then!!!

God's love and man's love

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Rom 5:7-8 (NIV)

Jesus loved us and died for us inspite of who we are and what we have done...

Mark 9

Mark 9:14-29
A Boy is Healed

- v24. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

As I was shopping around Tecman today, I came across a keychain bearing my name, "Michelle". And it means Godliness, attached with verse 1timothy 4:8. Ain't sure what that exactly means, so decided to check this verse out...


1 Timothy 4:8(Amplified)

8For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.


Remembering wot George mentioned last time. Don't just study 1 verse... expound on the preceding and verses that follows after as well...

So I read further... and I love wot I read...


1Timothy 4:9-16(Amplified)

9This saying is reliable and worthy of complete acceptance by everybody.

10With a view to this we toil and strive, [yes and] suffer reproach, because we have [fixed our] hope on the living God, Who is the Savior (Preserver, Maintainer, Deliverer) of all men, especially of those who believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to Him).

11Continue to command these things and to teach them.

12Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

13Till I come, devote yourself to [public and private] reading, to exhortation (preaching and personal appeals), and to teaching and instilling doctrine.

14Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you [at your ordination].

15Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

16Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

These verses are extremely timely for me!!! For the past few days, it has been "mistakes day" for me. Made alot of mistakes while serving in RSM and leading P n W during RSM outing last Sunday. Doubt myself; doubt my giftings. My heart was pricked by the corrections I got from my leaders and fellow beloveds and I thought... "of all people, why me?"

But I've come to know, the their hearts are for me... for my spiritual growth, that through my life , it shines forth Jesus's glory and my progress shall be evident to everybody around me.

And manx... I'm just so precious to be placed in a ministry where we are encouraged through our mistakes!

To those who r gonna be involved in the orientation, it's gonna be a great project to be involved in, get geared up for growth!!! Events are areas where ur hearts' capacity are gonna be enlarged, a time where u'll established EVEN more kingdom friendships with others. Beyond the CG!!! I treasure the fellowships I had during Woohoo last year and learnt alot from the rest! LOads of restoration of friendships! Share with one another the things u go through in the midst of this event, be it difficulties u faced while participating in the planning, or things u experienced in ur daily life.

It's not about the tasks that you have to complete... Daddy God doesn't give u things/roles for you to slog and struggle.... believe it or not, this event is also YOUR event. At the end of it... U'll be so thrilled as u reflect on ur progress!

BE EGGCITED FOR GREATER THINGS TO COME BELOVEDS!!!

the finished work begins in your mind

“ We have a strong city;
Godwill appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
Open the gates,
That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.

isaiah 26: 1-4

let us fervently guard what we choose to keep in our minds. let us not allow any ounce of pride or self consciousness or lies of the devil to dwell in our minds. let us choose to dwell on Jesus, His finished work, His grace and find strength every single day

Mark 8

Mark 8:22-26
A Blind Man Healed at Bethsaida

- v23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

the anointing

Isaiah 8
Assyria Will Invade the Land
1 Moreover the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 for before the child shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The LORD also spoke to me again, saying:
6 “ Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
8 He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel.
9 “ Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, but it will not stand,
For God is with us.”

reading on...

Isaiah 11
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
6 “ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole,
And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
As the waters cover the sea.
10 “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.”

Mark 7

Mark 7:31-37
Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute

- v36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

all from God for God 2

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

...then...

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue... knowledge... self-control... steadfastness... godliness... brotherly affection... and... love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

-2Peter 1:3-7(ESV)

all from God for God....

...As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ... - 1Pet10:11(ESV)

Mark 6

Mark 6:30-44
Feeding the Five Thousand

- v30-32 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.

Mark 6:45-52 (Amplified)
Jesus Walks on the Sea

- v45-47. And at once He insisted that the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He was sending the throng away.

And after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the hills to pray.

Now when evening had come, the boat was out in the middle of the lake, and He was by Himself on the land.

Mark was written to portray Jesus as a servant. And this chapter is very significant because we see Jesus not as a servant that is continually serving and non-exhaustive. He was still man, and He needed to rest. Are you serving til the point where you are totally sucked dry and exhausted?

But the revelation I have is this: He told the apostles who were sent out two by two earlier to "come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." Immediately after that, they were faced with the multitudes and served in the feeding of the five thousand.

After that, Jesus insisted that He be left alone to pray. And immediately after that, He walked on water.

2 of the greatest miracles ever known to mankind occurred immediately after resting. Go figure!

Luke 5 =)

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples
1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

My name is Jealous...

...you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God...
-Exo 34:14

...do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
-James
4:5

...For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
-2Cor 11:2

Is this good news or bad news...?

Mark 4-5

Mark 4:21-25
Light Under a Basket

- v24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Mark 3

Mark 3:20-27
A House Divided Cannot Stand

- v24-25. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Jesus used this parable to rebuke the scribes who accused Him of using Satan to cast out unclean spirits. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." He could've just stopped there with this one line, and it would have been very direct, clear, and easy to understand.

But He repeats the line again using a "house" as another example. I checked the Greek, and it is really just a house, so I presume that Jesus is now emphasising His point in a general perspective.

Therefore, if a church is divided against itself, that church cannot stand. If a CG is divided against itself, that CG cannot stand. If your project group is divided among yourselves, your project group cannot stand. If your spouse and you are divided among yourselves, your marriage cannot stand.

To Jesus, what is the most important thing you must realise when you are in a context of a group/team/company (i.e. you are not the sole person involved in something)? Your group/team/company must unite and stand together for a common goal/vision/mission. And should anyone not be able to run with this goal/vision/mission, that individual is at risk of bringing everyone down with him.

In the context of a church/CG, if you are unhappy with anything or anyone, bring it up to your leaders, shed light on it, and remove all the darkness. In the counsel of multitudes, there is wisdom to see the truth. Don't sow poison into others. And be prepared for correction as well if you are deemed to be in error.

Think about this: If you really, really love your church/CG, what is there to fear about correction out of love compared to the risk of bringing down the whole house?

Mark 1-2

Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

AMP - v6-8. Now some of the scribes were sitting there, holding a dialogue with themselves as they questioned in their hearts,

Why does this Man talk like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins [remove guilt, remit the penalty, and bestow righteousness instead] except God alone?

And at once Jesus, becoming fully aware in His spirit that they thus debated within themselves, said to them, Why do you argue (debate, reason) about all this in your hearts?

MSG - v8. Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, "Why are you so skeptical?"

Matthew 26-28

Matthew 28:16-20 (Amplified)
The Great Commission

- v20. ... and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

theres psalmthing about psalms

psalm 139: 11-12

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

it may seem like you are going through a really long dark patch, but to your Almighty Daddy, none of these darkness shall prevail in the light of His Presence. so we do not look at the darkness of the circumstances but at the light of His wonderful Presence.

Matthew 24-25

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents

- v15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

- v21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Isaiah 48:17-18

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
"I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.

Oh, that you have heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like waves of the sea.

Matthew 23

Hmm... I find it quite intriguing that a passage on Jesus rebuking the scribes and Pharisees can speak to me....

Matthew 23:1-36
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees

- v2-3. ... The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it...

Nothing wrong with the Law, something wrong with following the wrong people...

- v4. Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals.

Ahhhh.... I never saw the Law in this way before!! Hence, all the parables about the kingdom of God as wedding banquets???

- v8-10. ... You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven....

Again, follow God, don't follow people.

- v11. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

I've seen this in earlier chapters but it's only here where I heard the Spirit speak to me that when your leaders ask you to start serving in church, they are setting you up for greatness!!!

- v13. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

If they had entered into the kingdom themselves, I don't think they would be the way they are! Hence, if you have truly experienced God's love for you, you will be transformed supernaturally!

-v15. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

In other words, hai ci nang!!!!

- v23. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.

Justice, mercy and faith...

- v27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

For some reason, this verse speaks to me that there is no point buying a nice (white) car but inside I'm dead and dry in paying it off...

Matthew 20-22

Matthew 20:17-34 (The Message)
To Drink From The Cup

- v24-28. "When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."

Matthew 18-19

Matthew 18:21-35 (The Message)
A Story About Forgiveness

- v32-33. The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?'


I have been asking God about where to draw the line between generosity and people abusing your generosity. In other words, when is it neow to ask back for even $1? Is it with regards to the dollar amount, or with regards to principles? If someone owes you $1,000, I'm sure you'll wanna get the money back. But if someone owes you $1, do you still not ask for it back?

I'm not saying that we nitpick about who owes you money. I'm talking about cases whereby the person who is paying the money is not giving it out of generosity, but rather is lending the money/paying first to be paid back later.

I believe Pastor preached before that if you wanna lend someone money, then be prepared to not take it back, else don't lend. But in a case of sincere forgetfulness on the borrower's end, and you ask for your money back, wouldn't you agree with me that there is a sense of "condemnation/smallness of heart" especially when the amount owed is a small sum?

And I've observed that this is why some people don't bother to ask for their money back, in the event that they might be paiseh or give the wrong impression to others that they are being miserly. And in such cases, it isn't fair to the person who lends and it might lead to abuse in future.

My personal stand is this. If the borrower continuously forgets/refuses to pay back what he owes me, then I won't waste time chasing him down. I'll take it as a gift that I bless him with and in future, I won't lend him money liao lor.

And I think God has confirmed this to me in this passage, because the king (a person of higher authority) actually chased for the debt owed by his servant (a person of lower authority), and only cancelled the servant's debt when the servant begged for mercy. And the king compelled the servant to do the same to his fellow servants who asked for mercy. So in essence, it is with regards to the principle, and not the dollar amount, since the fellow servant owed the servant ($20) much much less than what the servant owed the king ($10,000)!


Matthew 19:13-30 (The Message)
To Enter God's Kingdom

- v23 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom?"

- v28-30 Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."

we are tight with God

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90: 17

Genesis 18-19
Genesis 18 starts with God telling Abraham that he is going to have a child in his very very old age (an impossibility from man's point of view. isaac was a result of pure grace). then as it goes on, God doesnt want to keep His plans from Abraham. the God who is King of Kings, wants to tell mere mortal Abraham His plans. this is the kind of relationship righteousness and grace gives us. God is so tight with Abraham, He doesnt want to keep things from Him. then Abraham goes on to boldly ask God not to destroy the whole of Sodom and Gomorrah just for 10 people. Pastor said that even if Abraham went down to 1, God would have given him a positive response because Lot was there and i think so too. its a very nice picture of the relationship we can have with Jesus today. God will never withhold anything that we need to know from us. if Abraham didnt know that God was gonna destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he wouldnt have negotiated and Lot wouldnt have been saved. take this chapter as something you can hold on to to know that God will take whatever it takes to get through to you what you need to know in every situation just so you can do the right thing.

Genesis 19
this is where the angels of God literally had to drag Lot out of Sodom and they said they cant do anything to those places until he was gone. notice Lot was still lingering around and slowly negotiating where to escape to? but simply because of His word to Abraham, He made sure that Lot was out and safe before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.

go read these 2 chapters carefully. pretty good stuff in them

meditation of the day - food for the inner man

went swimming in the morning, but the amazing thing was before and after i swam it rained. and while i was swimming for that hour and a half God made the sun shine that i may spend time with Jesus. praise Jesus, He puts me in the right place at the right time. =) wanted time alone with Him, and He brought me to yesterday's verse during the zone, romans 5:17, where He led me to the verses before and after it:

romans 5:16-18

16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one
man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

i like how the message puts it:

"There's no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift... Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, He got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right."

o death, where is your sting? praise Jesus, for He has given us a higher life! go on, RECEIVE the abundance of grace and gift of righteousness from Him. we throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open his door to us.

Matthew 17

Matthew 17:14-21
A Boy is Healed

- v20. So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

food for the inner man

pastor mentioned a booklet by george muller on Soul Nourishment, and after angela emailed us the document, i was thankfully reminded to read it. here it is (the link's above), and it i believe it will bless you too, with a greater revelation of His Word.

Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the Word of God, while meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experiential communion with the Lord.
-george muller (one of the paragraphs which spoke to me)

let's always remember to do the one thing needful - take from Jesus in all His fullness ("I have food that you do not know of"), be strengthened, refreshed and restored, and profit your inner man.

Matthew 16

Matthew 16:5-12
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

- v8-10. "But Jesus, aware of this, asked, Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? O you [men, how little trust you have in Me, how] little faith!

Do you not yet discern (perceive and understand)? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many [small hand] baskets you gathered?

Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many [large provision] baskets you took up?"

I just found out that parking at my workplace costs only $20/mth. That is ridiculously cheap considering that HDB parking is already $65/mth!!! And with an office that's less than 5km from where I live, I think a full tank of petrol a month is about roughly how much I need to utilise to go to work every month!!

The only thing I need now is..... a car!!!! And my Heavenly Father knows I need all these things. (Matt 6:32)

A 2nd hand Subaru R1 (small 4-seat cute car) costs ~$30,000
A 2nd hand Honda Integra (4-seat sports car) costs ~$70,000
A 2nd hand BMW Z4 (2-seat convertible) costs ~$130,000

And we're not even talking about brand new cars here. The R1 would take be about 3 years to save up just to buy it, 7 years for the Integra, and 13 years of the Z4. And we're not even factoring in petrol, maintenance and insurance costs, or even savings for retirement and investments... and what if I wanna get married and buy a condo/house????

Now I'm not intending to buy a car right now at this moment. I will only consider getting a car when I have the cash on hand. What I want to say is this - when I look at the whole big picture, it is impossible for me to afford ANY car anytime soon based on my current circumstances and abilities. But with God, all things are possible! I really don't know how, and I don't see any solution or way out. But I know Jesus fed 5,000 ppl with 5 loaves and 2 fish, and He fed 4,000 with 7 loaves and some fish - all with plenty leftover to spare.

And this is the only time where Jesus says, "O you men, how little trust you have in Me, how little faith!" (All the previous verses are simply "O you of little faith.") It was Jesus who gave me this position I have now. Why wouldn't He give me the car, and the house too? And He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Matthew 15

Oh today's quiet time is awesome! I have multiple revelations just in one short chapter compared to previous chapters that are so long!!! Isn't it like God to do exactly the opposite of what man might expect? Haha But I'll share the biggest revelation here. =)

Matthew 15:1-20
Defilement Comes from Within

- v3-6. But Jesus put it right back on them. "Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands? God clearly says, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' But you weasel around that by saying, 'Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I've given to God.' That can hardly be called respecting a parent. You cancel God's command by your rules.

I heard this teaching before but I never saw this another way. I always thought that the scribes and Pharisees taught this "teaching" to the people so that those who don't want to honour their parents can use this as an excuse not to honour them. But then, I realised that for this reason alone, it does not benefit the scribes and Pharisees at all. So what is the true motive that the scribes and Pharisees taught this twisted "teaching" to the people? They wanted the people's MONEY! They're misleading people's good and sincere intentions of honouring their parents by telling the people that you can "honour" your parents by giving everything that is meant for your parents to the temple, and they make it seem like it's "honouring" God at the same time! Notice the use of subtle persuasion by them saying "whoever wants to..." so it doesn't seem pressurising at all.

For more than a year since I've come to New Creation, I've been thinking about what some people in my previous church are doing. I've heard of students who empty their bank accounts to give to church building funds. And I'm stumbled because I do not know whether to consider this an act of faith or an act of stupidity.

Now, one of the people I know who did this was somehow still supernaturally provided for, and she claims that her family has been even more blessed since she did it. But I asked her, "Did your parents know about it when you gave everything to the church?" She said, "No."

Now, don't get me wrong, if I'm God, and I see this young woman of God give up everything to me, of course I would surely bless her everything back and more! But my point here is this, I felt like she shouldn't have done it because the money is not hers. Her parents gave it to her for her own living expenses, and she should be a responsible steward over it. I did ask a leader in NCC about this before and she told me that I shouldn't judge other people's intentions, maybe she really did have a revelation to give. So my question is this, where do I draw the line between an act of faith and an act of stupidity?

Then it was only during the recent pre-Zone briefing by Pastor Daniel and Pastor Lian where God revealed it all to me. Because of the way I have been taught in my previous church, I have tendencies of "expressing my faith" by doing things that might be a little pushing the limits of common sense and accountability, such as I even told a sister once that it is ok to come to church despite her parents' objections because in this way, she is putting God first. Zeal without knowledge, so they say. I have since repented and told that sister what Pastor Lian shared, that it is Christ-exalting for people who are still depending on their parents to be subject to them - she said it specifically, "God doesn't want you to lie to come to church."

So based on this same principle that you are still subject to your parents if you are still under their care , I feel that the money that they give you should also be used responsibly and wisely. If I found out that my child had given all that she had to the church and now has nothing left to spend on food, I'd be mighty angry!!! Such irresponsible acts only put God and the church in a negative light!!! If my child is a grown adult and is earning his/her own income, he/she can choose to do whatever she wants with his/her money and I would respect that.

Matthew 14

Matthew 14:13-21
Feeding the Five Thousand
Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus Walks on the Sea

- v13-14. "When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."

- v22-23. "Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there."

Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, just got beheaded by Herod. Isn't it comforting to know that Jesus can emphatise with our griefs? Jesus is also fully man as He is fully God. He wanted to be alone by Himself, some time to Himself, and despite his sadness, He was still so selfless and ministered to the multitudes that came to him with their own problems.

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Hey Beloveds,

I thought I'd take some time to pen down, share and boast of how much Jesus loves me!!

The last few months prior to my final exams has been an amazing journey for me, one that has been laced with challenges and important decisions, one where I have grown and matured a lot, and one where I have learnt to cast everything aside and look to Jesus alone. And I can say that Jesus has been faithful indeed. He never fails, and those who put their hope in Him are never put to shame (Psalm 71:1).

What I'm about to share isn't so much a testimony on just one aspect of His goodness in my life, but multiple facets of His providence, faithfulness, correction and leading. All in all, I just want to say that I've learnt how to live life according to the unforced rhythms of grace, to let Him teach me and lead me, to carry His yoke which is light and easy (Matt 11:20-30). There's so much to share, but let me just share two things with you this time.

Let me begin with a revelation of the importance of health over wealth. I've heard Pastor preach that many times in so many sermons before but I never fully understood why health is more important than wealth. I always thought, "Never mind what, I don't mind living a shorter life so long as i'm rich." But I missed the point totally. That could be true, if you're living life all alone by yourself.

On my birthday, all of you threw me a most undeservingly big birthday party. I had a double portion celebration both from Life Science CG and Computing/PR CG. The Ferrari was awesome, those who chose it had the anointing on them, it's one of the few Ferraris that look good from all sides - btw I love the rear view best with the huge GT wing (aka spoiler). But alas, that day I was extremely sick. It's an affliction which I had been bearing with for a very long time throughout my life. And on that day, I would say it was at its worst condition ever. It was so disabling and the pain was so excruciating that in the day I could not think straight, and at night I could not sleep well. And for the first time I truly experienced the health-giving properties of the Holy Communion (because I was desperate and nothing else worked!). The good news is that Selene laid hands on me prior to the birthday party, and I almost recovered fully by the next morning miraculously. The bad news is, I was in such pain that night that I, excuse the pun, literally had my cake and could not eat it. And seeing all the love that all of you showered on me, I felt extremely regretful that I could not fully receive it. That night the Lord showed me why health is more important than wealth, and my priorities have changed ever since - Jesus first, then health, then wealth.

Then comes the next trial. Is Jesus really first in my life? Do I really stand by my life's verse that those who "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all shall be added unto you" (Matt 6:33)?

While serving as an ambassador in Arrow, I've had the very, very honourable privilege of interacting with Coach Maddy, Coach Louis, Lynne, and especially Coach Sian Hwa. To be frank, joining ambassadors was initially a non-event for me. I was continuously questioning God whether is this really for me, and I didn't really care much for the interview, but because of the grace of God, the position was still given to me, and yet I still questioned God why. Today, I look back and I see that I am what I am today by the grace of God alone. I could have really screwed myself up and I wouldn't have experienced what I experienced, and know what I know today. My life would have turned out really different.

Joining ambs is one thing, but having the opportunity to befriend Coach Sian Hwa is another thing altogether. Fresh out of university, I wanted to find a job that I love doing. Isn't that what Pastor preached? Do what you love, and you will surely do well and prosper. So a no-brainer choice would be to sell cars - I love cars, and the money is extremely good if you can sell well. "But I have favour of God with me mah! No worries!" That's what I thought, despite finding out all the challenges of the job (meeting quotas etc) and the long hours required. However, this job had one problem - all my weekends and weekday nights would be burnt, and naturally I would have to step down from ambassadors (after having joined for just 2 months).

I was really hell-bent on this job. I thought, "Well, that's not fair to me what. I read before a testimony on church website about a lady who sold Toyotas and she shared about how God helped her in meeting her sales quota. If I serve ambs, then like that my career options very limited mah. Cannot be our church don't have people in car sales, real estate and insurance?" I shared this with Coach Sian Hwa, and he told me that yes, there are people in church in these professions, but at the end of the day, the only church event we should not miss is Sunday service, and no excuse since we have 4 of them!

When I heard that, I calmed down immediately and felt such peace. That arrested my heart and I questioned my priorities again. Isn't this how Jesus works? He gives us grace instead of trying to bind us with laws, and that grace transforms us supernaturally. This is where they say, the rubber meets the road.

So yeah, I had to make a stand. Whatever job I go for, I don't want to miss Sunday service, Arrow service, Bible Study (then it was still on) and Caregroup. More importantly, I want to be able to continue serving as an ambassador. I'll put Jesus first. Yes, my options are now limited, but that's where you really cast all your cares aside and take that leap of faith.

So with car sales striked off my list of potential jobs, I decided to base my job selection on 3 criterias - schedule, distance and pay. The nearer the work location, the better. I have to admit that pay is still important to me to an extent that I feel I should be paid according to my qualifiations. I can't say money isn't important too right? Somehow I knew that God would answer my prayers because I felt exactly the same way when I trusted Him for a downgrade and a clerk position in the Army. And miraculously, I got both, and MORE!!!

I decided earlier on that I will not apply for banks again, despite their high pay, because of their long hours. But I had this friend working in a bank in Tampines. She tells me the pay is high but the work is s*itty and the hours are quite long. But I thought again, "Hey! I got the favour of God with me and I don't mind working hard. God is not against us working hard, He's against us slogging for money right? After all, that bank is so near my home. Why not give it a try?" Sounds familiar? I was trying to reason myself out again. Obviously the money is one of the biggest motivations.

So I sent out 6 resumes, 5 to companies in the east and 1 to that bank. I waited for about 3 weeks with no reply from anyone. I was starting to feel a bit uneasy. So I got Jiawei to pray for me. Guess what? The next day, one company got back to me, and it was a company that didn't exactly pay very well. I went for the interview and got through to the second round. The job was ok, but I was still gunning for the bank. Usually what some people would do right now is that they would tell God to shut the door if this was not the job for them. But for me, I told God that I believe He won't shut doors in my face and make me go through rejection to prove a point. Even if this position wasn't for me, I believe He will still give me an awesome interview where I would not be put to shame!!! In the end, I believe I would still have the power to choose!!

Then 2 weeks ago, after 4th service, some of the Science ppl requested for prayers. So we prayed for each other before going home. And Angela prayed for me spontaneously over my career. Guess what? The next day, this company offered me a position. The miracle is this - there was a last minute pay rise one week before the offer, and now I'm paid similar to what I would be paid at the bank. I have an enormous number of days of leave, and I have some interesting perks that no other companies can offer. Most importantly, I have a 5-day work week with no OT; my weekday nights and weekends are all FREE!! I would only start work on 15 July, how nice of God to plan my schedule to start work only after the Zone is over! =)

The choice was obvious. Praise the Lord! God answers exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ever ask or think!!!!

And to show His abundance, the bank also called me up for interview, and I had to reject them instead!

I hesitated about sharing this openly because I've not started work yet. I've seen all too many a times of ppl who praise God when they get a job offer, only to find that the job sucks and they quit later on. But Cecilia shared with me something which boosted my faith in Jesus' goodness even further. I asked her if she felt nervous about accepting the miracle temp job that she's working in now. She told me, "No, because I know that if it's from Jesus, it has to be good!" Such child-like faith!!!

You know, I just want to say that when you put Jesus first, it might seem at first that you are losing out or you are making compromises. You cannot see how He will reward you, but the fact of the matter is, when you take that step of faith, He will never never never never never never never ever shortchange you!!! I hope that this sharing has blessed you. Thanks for reading!

Himself

This is a hymn by A. B. Simpson... the melody isnt very nice, but the lyrics is good...
...a man who did not know the Lord well and journeyed to become a man who understands great things about the Lord... think he was writing about himself... here is a sermon from him.

Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.
Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast.

Once 'twas busy planning, Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.
Once 'twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.
Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.
Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;
And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the vail.

Matthew 13

Matthew 13:18-23 (Amplified)
The Parable of the Sower Explained

- v21. Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary (inconstant, lasts but a little while); and when affliction or trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, at once he is caused to stumble [he is repelled and begins to distrust and desert Him Whom he ought to trust and obey] and he falls away.

You know, we always joke about how some of our actions might stumble our brothers and sisters in Christ, but what does "stumble" really mean? To me I thought it was just falling down and getting up again. Nope, highlighted in bold above is how serious are the consequences of "stumbling" someone.

Later on in v57-58, where Jesus returns to Nazareth and was rejected in his hometown,

- v57-58. And they took offense at Him [they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus).

I guess you can stumble yourself too when you do not see the authority of Jesus in your leaders. Does it matter if the person who prays over you is a pastor, a leader or even a new believer who just joined your CG? For God has already ordained that by the foolishness of preaching, whether the person who prays for you is really speaking forth something for real or by fluke, you are still sozoed! (1 Cor 1:21)

Matthew 12:9-50

Matthew 12:38-45 (The Message)
Jonah-Evidence

- v39-40. Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you're going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah-evidence. Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish's belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave.

how does the branch abide in the vine...?

...a branch does not grow and attach itself onto the vine, the branch grows out of the vine. ...totally and completely a work of the vine itself...

The above quote was taken from Paul Washer’s sermon, "the vine and the branches", when he was talking about abiding, and it struck me.

Reviewing wot Pastor Joshua preached today.

I'm thankful with wot Selene shared yday at the dinner table. "...in the days towards this Friday, lets' prepare our hearts to hear Daddy God, allow Him to equip us with HIS words and be prepared, be ready to share the good news to those that Jesus is bringing to In the Zone concert."

Love wot Wendy, my RSM leader shared yesterday too.

"In the Zone concert is one where we are in a better/best position, better avenue to touch and impact the others. That people will feel so home and warm in the concert, that people will see Jesus through us as we take on the pro-active role to approach them."

As I was reading this verse which Pastor Joshua mentioned today...

Luke4:18-21(Amplified bible)

18The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],

19To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.

20Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him.

21And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.

which ties in with this...


Isaiah 61:1(amplified bible)

1THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

2To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,


In all, both verses speaks of us (ALL of us), as ambassadors of Jesus, that we are the chosen ones whom others shall see Jesus through us, as we come into contact with the youths whom Jesus is bringing to the concert.

But FIRST, the one thing needful.... TO SEE JESUS, to seek HIS word and hear HIM with our hearts (as what Luke 4:21 says) and/to prepare to see a GREAT revival in this concert.

Another thing which just revealed to me(as I typed this) is verse Isaiah 61:2. I wondered why proclaim the year of favour, then comfort all who mourn?

With this unmerited favour (Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is on me...") with those whom Jesus shall touch in the concert, then are we in a better position to speak forth words of wisdoms to their hearts' desire, share the good news and touch their hearts. Favour (which we cannot earn with our efforts, but shall be provided for by our Daddy God) is also needed...

Like wot Pastor Joshua says, the most valuable thing we can bring to heaven is people. With HIS favour, we can reach out to them, tell them of the good news where they know they no longer lack but blood bought into the kingdom of peace and eternal life.

Thus I come to realise that as we prepare ourselves this few days for the impacting Friday to come, lets' also ask for favour too, favour with these people. (Favour is something which Wendy also shared as the most important thing to her heart).

Thanks Selene for allowing me to know the need to prepare... I never thought of this and I never dare to see this concert as for each of us too (all along thought it's for others, the yet-believers). I guess wot Daddy God yearns is for us to accept Jesus into our hearts, by opening up our doors in our hearts to allow HIM in; to hear HIM with our hearts.

a tree

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

“ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope IS the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

think about some things. what is the difference between saying that your hope is IN the Lord and your hope IS the Lord.

i love the part that says " and will not be anxious in the year of the drought". i have always wondered what it means to fight FROM victory ground and this verse tells me something. it tells me that even when my circumstances are unfavourable, when everything is hardpressed against me, i will not be anxious or fearful because i have already won. only people who know that they have already won the battle can afford to be restful and not be anxious when everything seems to be going against them. lets be like the tree not the cursed man.

Matthew 12:1-8

Matthew 12:1-8 (The Message)
In Charge of the Sabbath

- v6-8. "There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge."

Remember "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Matt 9:13)? Or "I desire mercy, not religion" (Matt 9:13 MSG)? Here's one more variation of the same verse.

psalm 104:14-16

14 He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
15 And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.
16 The trees of the LORD are full of sap,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

felt kind of dry lately, but praise Jesus, He showed me this psalm today, and i really thank Him for it. we are like trees planted by rivers of living water, which means that the feeling of dryness is something which only the accuser is trying to put in our mind. Daddy gives freely; let's go for arrow expecting the wine, oil and bread that HE is going to provide!

Matthew 11

Matthew 11:20-30 (The Message)
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

- v28-30. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

And the "unforced rhythms of grace" is....?

- AMP v28-30. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

29Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

30For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne."

Matthew 10

In Matthew 10, Jesus gives his instructions for bringing in the harvest, briefs us on the authority & power given to us, how to handle persecutions, reassures us of His love for us, and what our rewards are.

It's a big mouthful, so give it a read!

Sweet revelation in HIS time.

Have been meditating on this verse when I experienced crunch time for my project which ULTIMATELY, Daddy God brought me through it with his sweetness! It's a sweet victory as I submitted the 57 page project to the lecturer.

Eccles 3:11-12
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Looking back on the goodness of Daddy God, I reallie wonder why I experienced so much difficulties in this project work, at first. I tot, wah Daddy, this is my first proj module leh, should be a smooth journey right. Why liddat? But in HIS time, HE set things supernaturally right, in HIS time. And I dunno how HE did JUST that! My group received so much favour with the lecturer during our presentation. I tot my group's teamwork is the worst, but it turned out to be one of the best. ALL these goodness seen on the presentation day.

If my module is to start out JUST RIGHT, i wun lean on Jesus. I wun let go and talk to Jesus.

Indeed... like wot George Muller says: " Trials are the food of faith. We are never losers from doing the will of the Lord."
"Our heavenly Father never takes anything away from His children unless He means to give them something better."

Was reading through this book, Moving Mountains by Paul L.King which includes many stories featuring how great evangelical leaders like George Muller and Charles Spurgeon exercise their faith. These verses captured my heart.

Now I know why I go through wot I go through. Trials/challenges are bread for me to feed on, chances for me to see Jesus and to rid my self-righteousness at His feet.

Indeed, Daddy God has revealed another thing for me to learn in HIS time. =)

Matthew 9:35-38 (The Compassion of Jesus)

Matthew 9:35-38
The Compassion of Jesus

- v37-38. "Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

This verse is just so true right now for The Zone concert. The harvest is so huge but the no of harvest hands are so few. In this case, we don't want to say "enough" and then the supply stops, neither do we want the harvest to be so huge that we can't handle it and we lose some souls in the process.

And do you know the Amplified for v38 says "So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest."? Haha maybe all of us need a little push from the Lord. =)

Matthew 9:18-34

Matthew 9:18-26 (Amplified)
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

- v24. "He said, Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed and jeered at Him."

Can you just imagine how Jesus felt? But yet He was so cool.

Matthew 9:27-30 (Amplified)
Two Blind Men Healed

- v29-30. "Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you;

And their eyes were opened. And Jesus earnestly and sternly charged them, See that you let no one know about this."

I was asking God why Jesus would always tell people not to go and tell other people of their miracle and glorify God. And here, the Amplified Bible says that Jesus "earnestly" told them not to tell others.

Then I realised that even Jesus was sincerely not out to glorify Himself, even though He is the One who truly deserves all the credit. Previously, a healed leper was asked to show Himself to the priest to prove a point and fulfill scripture and not to spread the news too.

But in the end, the testimonies still get spread across all everywhere, and God is glorified. Because you don't purposely tell people to spread good news!!! It happens naturally!!! You cannot contain testimonies!!!

of heavenly voices that bring the touch of God

been meditating on psalm 139 for the past few days, after rirong's posting of deb fung's 'for you created'. been singing to Him during work, and indeed, He is constantly thinking of me. for I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

how precious (and weighty [amplified]) to me are Your thoughts o God!
how vast is the sum of them!
were i to count them they'd outnumber the grains of sand
when i awake i am still with You.

search me, o God, and know my heart
test me and know my anxious thoughts
see if there is any offensive way in me
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Matthew 9:14-17 (Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting)

Matthew 9:14-17
Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting

- v14. Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

For a moment I thought this was really funny. I have been asking God for a long time, "Why do Christians in other churches fast so much while we don't?"

Then I read this - "Your disciples do not fast". Hahahahaha Don't get me wrong. There is a time and place for everything; to do the right time at the right time. The following verses will show:

- v15. And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

- v16. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

- v17. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

In the other words, don't do the wrong thing at the wrong time!!!! Jesus is not against fasting - He is against doing it at the wrong time. The disciples of John came to ask him a question about "whether to do it or not". Jesus replied them with "what's the reason for you doing it?"

And just before this in v.13, Jesus says "I desire mercy, not religion." (The Message)

Matthew 9:1-13

Matthew 9:9-13
Matthew the Tax Collector

- v13. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Matthew 8:18-34

Matthew 8:16-17 (Amplified)
Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset

- v17. "And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases."

Jesus started mass healing people after He preached the Sermon on the Mount, and He mass healed on a Sabbath. And it is at this point where the Bible says He fulfills Isaiah 53:4.

Therefore, does that mean, your healing manifests together with spending time in/listening to the Word, and worshiping God (from earlier post on v7), and with physical/spiritual (inward) rest?

God's love

"may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ," -Ephesians 3:18

I have come across this passage several times but only today I saw that power though the Spirit(vs.16) was needed to understand the love of Christ because this love surpasses knowledge(vs.19). Oh how great is the love the Father has lavished on us!

I was reading an article about God's passion for His people by John Ortberge and its says:

"God loves us not beacause we are beautiful; He loves with a love that makes us beautiful."
"It may be a very bad thing that I needed God to die for me. But it is wonderful thing that God thinks I'm worth dying for."

Woah..

Matthew 8:1-13

Matthew 8:1-4 (The Message)
Jesus Cleanses a Leper

- v3-4. Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done."

Matthew 8:5-13
Jesus heals a Centurion's Servent

- v7. And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

- v13. Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

When Jesus cleanses a leper, and the leper is cleansed, the same Greek word - katharizo - is used. The definition for this is:

1. to make clean, cleanse
   1. from physical stains and dirt
      1. utensils, food
      2. a leper, to cleanse by curing
      3. to remove by cleansing
   2. in a moral sense
      1. to free from defilement of sin and from faults
      2. to purify from wickedness
      3. to free from guilt of sin, to purify
      4. to consecrate by cleansing or purifying
      5. to consecrate, dedicate
2. to pronounce clean in a levitical sense

But when Jesus heals someone and the person is healed. The Greek words used are different!

When Jesus heals someone, the Greek word used is therapeuo.
When someone is healed, the Greek word used is iaomai.

There MUST be something here!!! But argh I can't read the Hebrew!!!! I dun understand it!!!

But there's a clue to what it might mean in their definitions...

The definition for iaomai is:

1. to cure, heal (literally or figuratively)
   
2. to make whole
   1. to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one's) salvation

Check this out! The definition for therapeuo is:

- to wait upon menially, i.e. (figuratively) to adore (God), or (specially) to relieve (of disease):--cure, heal, worship.

Matthew 7:15-29

Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You

- v21. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Checked out the meaning of "will". It's the Greek word, thelema, which means:

"what one wishes or has determined shall be done
- of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ"

Matthew 7:25-29
Build on the Rock

- v25. “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."

Interesting that "the" rock is used in NKJV and AMP. In the KJV, it says "a" rock. But when you check the Greek, rock here is "petra". And we all just heard Pastor teach recently about Matthew 16:16-18, where Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (v16), and

- v17-18. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros - little stone), and on this rock (petra) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The same rock here refers to Peter's confession that Jesus Christ is the Messiah! So build your "house" (referred to as "life" by MSG) on Jesus, and when the winds come (btw, isn't it amazing that this is the same Greek word used for winds - anemos - used when Jesus walked on water), you will be unshakable in the midst of the storm!