yesterday's journal entry...

In John 15:16, Jesus said "You did not choose Me, but I chose you..."

Today at church we were reminded that the reason we have salvation in Christ is not merely because we made the choice to believe in Him, but it is more the reason that God Himself deliberately chose us to be a part of His kingdom. If we truly study the Word, we find that there is nothing we could have done or could ever do on our own to obtain salvation. Apart from Him, we are hopeless and loss--we are nothing. But because of Him, we are counted as righteous and are co-heirs with Christ in His kingdom!

Tonight I experienced a short moment while leading worship at Vibe...a moment o thankfulness and gratefulness for what Christ did on the cross. He paid the price for our sin, redeemed us from the curse of death, and positioned us as righteous in the sight of God. What love! What mercy! WHAT GRACE!

In moments like these, I find the strength and inspiration to carry on and keep believing. I find Christ, my Saviour, my Lord, and friend.

"...and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit will remain..."

My Lord and my God, grant me this legacy for the generations after me. Amen.

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

Benjamin Netanyahu

Now, this is what I call a world leader. This man is:

Resolute and righteous in defending his country.
Espousing truth in his claims.
Not ashamed in calling out hypocrites, liars, and false accusers.
Firm, confident, and authoritative in challenging the world towards virtuous causes for all of humanity.
And doing all this with dignity and pride for those you represent.

Mr Prime Minister of Israel, you have my honor and respect.


Speech at the UN General Assembly, 2009, part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44HkjBDQz_k


Speech at the UN General Assembly, 2009, part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofIwsB7xDm8

Speech at the UN General Assembly, 2009, part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gkjEUjK4as


Speech at the UN General Assembly, 2009, part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPEdIWa5H9k

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

Haggai 2:10-23

Blessings for a Defiled People

¹⁰ On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: ¹¹ "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says: ¹² If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' "
The priests answered, "No."

¹³ Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?"
"Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."

¹⁴ Then Haggai said, " 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.

¹⁵ " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on ^a]">[a] —consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple. ¹⁶ When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. ¹⁷ I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD. ¹⁸ 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought: ¹⁹ Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
" 'From this day on I will bless you.' "

Zerubbabel the LORD's Signet Ring

²⁰ The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: ²¹ "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. ²² I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

²³ " 'On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty."

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

Prayer of St Francis

This is, by far, one of the most articulate, touching, and powerful prayers ever uttered. Thank you, St. Francis of Asisi.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

Healer

OK. I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time now. So finally I have decided to put into words about how I feel about the following.

Much has been said about the song ‘Healer’ by Mike Guglielmucci. When I first heard the song, my heart was so moved because its lyrics were so declarative and powerful. Almost everyone I knew was singing it and talking about it. And then when the truth about Guglielmucci’s condition was revealed, the popularity of this song dwindled quickly. I can understand the hurt, pain, and betrayal felt by so many people when they realized that his condition was a big con. I, too, felt cheated, but nevertheless, the song remained just as powerful for me as when I first heard it.

The more I listen to and play and sing this song, the more it continues to grow on me. Sure, the songwriter had a big fall, but I still believe in the truth conveyed in this song. And I have come to believe that God used this song to heal Guglielmucci, however ‘ugly’ the truth was. I believe now that God put this song in Guglielmucci’s heart so that he could cry out for help, so that God can use it to restore him and heal him of his ‘condition’.

For the long while, I was afraid of what people might think, or how it might offend other people if I sang this song in public. But I am coming to see that the truth of the Gospel heals some, and offends others. For some, the truth that God is Healer sets them free and restores them. For others, it is like fairytales, and for some others, a total ridiculous notion.

Nevertheless, we are not called to judge others for what they think. That is God’s job. We are called to love. We are called to faithfully proclaim His truth, that God sent His Son to die in our place. That whoever believes in Him who was risen three days later, would be saved from an eternity of death, darkness and ultimate hopelessness. That God is Healer, Redeemer, Restorer, Deliverer, and Saviour.

I think we’ve got it wrong when we say, hastily or even with much thought, that this song shouldn’t be sung because of the controversy surrounding it. I think we’ve got it wrong when we think about how it would offend others. Instead, we should think about how God can use even a song, written in such unfavourable circumstances, to mend broken hearts, to calm raging seas, to bring assurance that God has not left us alone nor forsaken us, to heal our sickness, illness and disease. We should think about how this song can remind us to trust in God, that He is all we need, that He is our portion, that He is more than enough for us.

If we believe that God can do miracles and has the power to raise the dead, and if we believe that He has given us this power through His Holy Spirit, then we should be singing this song. It’s about time that we remove the barriers and walls we’ve built that we use to try to shield ourselves from hurts and offenses. It’s about time we stand up in worship and declare the truth that God is who He says He is. It’s about time we sing this song again.

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

at DFW...

so it's been February since i last blogged! lol

I dont even know how many people visit my blog anymore, but hey, I wanna at least keep it alive with a few blogs every once in while.

So right now I'm at the airport waiting for my flight...Yep. Going back to my hometown in Malaysia for three weeks. It's gonna be smashing. We got Lynn's sister's wedding to attend, family and friends to meet, and beaches to hang out at. Well, I hope we get to at least spend some time at any beach at all...*sigh* waterfalls, even better.

Oopss...just found out that the flight will be delayed. I hope I get enough time to check out at LAX...it's just something that I'm required to do whenever I leave the country. I have to 'log out' officially with the immigration department, like i'm some kind of a threat to this country lol. Well i do appreciate and understand their work in keeping the country's borders safe...if only they can streamline the process and make it a lot easier than it is.

Gonna go get something to eat. Till next time...!

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*

O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in--behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths,
You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the dar side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say surelythe darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,
even the darkness will not be dark to You;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.

For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would 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.

~ Psalm 139

*If you're reading this on Facebook or on another site, please comment on the blog at www.thomasleong.net*