Heralds Digest

  “ Truth shall spring out of the earth; And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; And our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; And shall set us in the way of his steps .” Psalm 85 : 11 - 13 KJV While there is no hiding in the place of God’s grace in relation to the affairs of man, God’s grace is readily mistaken for gifts. Just as rain falls on the wicked and the godly alike, God’s gifts of good health, material wealth, and social worthfulness can abound without commensurate riches in God’s grace. His dealings for grace are often measured by the people's exposure to the challenges of life, wilderness experiences, and precarious circumstances. For example, when God responded back to Apostle Paul’s struggle with infirmities that “ My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12 : 9 )”, it wasn’t because of God’s weakness but His wisdom towards the apportio...

  “ Excellent speech becometh not a fool: Much less do lying lips a prince. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.” Proverbs 17 : 7 , 14 KJV One of the greatest surprises to fools is that long life is not synonymous to lying lips. Also, a fool can be fooled into believing that wealth is the same as health. No, they are not the same. Unfortunately, lying lips can fit the rooms of political diplomacy, the arsenal of business savvy, and the pride of administrative authorities. For example, Ananias and Shapphira would have had long life, if they didn’t agree together to adopt the lying lips for popularity and polarization. Likewise, those who previously ply the road of deceit could have seen the benefits of duplicity, without considering the ends of the means. Short fame and transient recognition at the most, coupled with eternity of shame, suffering, and separation from God, is always the end of lying lip...

  “ And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. ” Jonah 1 : 9 - 10 KJV The understanding of God as someone who goes after the righteous for compliance and spare the wicked in their complicity is no doubt the story of Jonah. Unfortunately, this story is the foundation of fruitless fears exhibited by many believers today. Whereas, God is love who goes after both the righteous and wicked with compassion; and He does not delight in the destruction of any of His creatures. That we can safely disobey God and run away from His revealed counsels is nothing else but false and fruitless. Unfortunately, instead of delivering the message of repentance to the people of Ninevah, Jonah was staged to deliver the gospel message to the mariners enroute Tar...

  “ And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. ” 2 Kings 25 : 24 KJV Like political campaign promises and manifestos, Gedaliah shared and pleaded for the slavish submission of his constituency with “ Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees”. Unfortunately, anyone that scorned the fear of the Lord the Creator of Heaven and the earth is bound to fear the craftiness of the lords of his world. Whereas, the slavish submission had never brought lasting peace and prosperity to those who patronized its strategy and anchor. While Gedaliah was hoping for the support of the servants within his slavish submission, he was executed by the same people under his leadership. Likewise, it is only a pity that it seems easier for the heart of man to prefer slavish submission to saints’ services. The facts behind the call to be servants of the Chalde...

  “ Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. Selah .” Psalm 84 : 3 - 4 KJV The test of peace is not in the provision of serenity, but in the serving of provocation and frustration. It is not enough to cast aspersions and blame on trouble makers at home, workplaces, and in our social circles. Those who are troubled by external agents of wickedness and evil haven’t actually found true peace within themselves. This is because the source of peace is the dwelling of the heart in the presence of God. Therefore, when the psalmist declared “ Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young“ , he speaks of the sourcing of the true peace in God’s presence. And to be still praising God is to dwell in the practice of the knowledge of the peace of ...

“ And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him .” Acts 28 : 30 - 31 KJV The closing of the Acts of the Apostles, which is accurately called the Acts of the Holy Ghost, with the scriptural model for every believer’s professional practice is instructive. Jesus Christ admonished the disciples elsewhere “ And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 10 : 7 )”, supporting the fact that professional practices are meant to be synonymous to preaching practices. When believers intentionally model purity in project management, righteousness in relationships with friends and associates, excellence in all engagements and extracurricular activities, attentiveness towards agreeable alignments, courtesy in characters and charisma, and honesty in hospitality and harmonious services, they h...