Heralds Digest

  “ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” I Timothy 4 : 8 , 16 NKJV Two major characteristics of believers’ conduct can be summarized as manliness and godliness. While manliness is defined as “ we ought to obey men rather than God ”, godliness is defined as “ we ought to obey God rather than men ”; hypocrisy merely disguises sitting on the fence of manliness as godliness. Manliness or goodliness prides itself in the use of human intelligence,  political sagacity, and financial prowess to design and navigate the course of life’s actions and inaction, especially at the expense of obeying the counsels of the Lord. Unfortunately, the implication of manliness is always disobedience to God and most often than not, outright rebellion again...

  “ You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.” Psalms 119 : 57 - 58 NKJV By reflecting on the downplay of strategy in the words of General Norman Schwarzkopf (the commander of the coalition forces of the Gulf War of 1991) on leadership, that “ Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy “, it becomes easier in retrospect to relate with the frustration of the princes in Jerusalem about Jeremiah’s devotion to the words of the Lord: “ Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm (Jeremiah 38 : 4 )””. Despite the fact that Jeremiah was heavily persecuted for sa...