Heralds Digest

  “ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4 : 6 , 10 NKJV When the scriptures speak about the heart of man as the source of the explosive evil in our world, it decimated all human combats and peace accords against the power of evils. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘I do not fear the explosive power of the atom bomb. What I fear is the explosive power of evil in the human heart.' Unfortunately, pride and unwillingness to submit under the power of God often make believers to champion the course of evil in our homes, workplaces, institutions, and societies. Whereas, what we all need on a daily basis is more grace to be humble; and evil will be completely stamped out from all circles within our sphere of influence. Whenever we get subdued by evil, we make mistakes with our assumptions, suspicions, and accusations; but when more grace comes with ...

  “ T herefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ” ‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the scriptures say “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked ”, Albert Einstein appears to capture the essence when he said ‘I do not fear the explosive power of the atom bomb. What I fear is the explosive power of evil in the human heart ’. The demon or the ‘D’ in evil is the devil, who superintendent evil through his agents. And since they operate on the ego of the human flesh or the pride of life, their ravaging storms of pleasure spread freely through the influence of peer-pressure towards popularity, prosperity, and possessions. Unfortunately, hardened hearts feed more frequently or easily on the frequency of today’s digital and social platforms, compared with the boring invitations to the lifestyle of sobriety and humility....

  “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The major constraint in the concept of goodness is the difference between getting good and doing good. Everyone can do good, as long as it feels or gets good. It just implies that the acceptable form of goodness is simply getting good; and not rarely the sacrifice of personal good for the good of others. But the moment a self-centred man truly encounters the saving grace of Christ, he is expected to learn the basic concept and the uniqueness of gracious goodness. Starting with the understanding of being saved from sin to become an instrument for the salvation of others, he can no longer dream of goodness and the constraint to its service at the same time. Life simply becomes ‘If God will, He will make a way ’; rather than ‘If it feels good, I will make a way’ . Greedy goodness is not just about feeling good…it is mostly a disobedience to the Will of God; but gracious goodness is a...

  “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Truly, the answer to the rhetorical question ‘For what is your life?’ is clearly provided. Although everyone acknowledges that his life is a valued vapour, not everyone is clear about who placed the value on life. When God is removed out of the equation, man and the people within his sphere of influence take the futile charge of placing the value on life, without consideration on its vanity. Unfortunately, this approach to life is always a recipe for a waste, purposeless, and an empty discharge of life here; and also a reward of disappointment in eternity. Whereas, God created every life for a purpose; and He is always looking forward to His engagement to design its relevance for every season and opportunity. While holding onto the fact that our lives are mere vapour, the most rewarding engagement of any man i...

  “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When sinners and evildoers commit sin and unrighteousness, it appears nothing new to talk about. It is only newsflash when sinners show deeds of kindness and generosity, apparently for political gains. Whereas, it is difficult to control the outbursts when believers in righteousness are apparently caught with acts of wickedness and evil. Unfortunately, these outbursts often leave all parties guilty, lawless, and a judge in their own case. Therefore, the scriptures admonished all believers “ Do not speak evil of one another, brethren ”. Those who speak evil of other beneficiaries of grace are boastful and proud; not knowing that the greatest virtue of grace...

  “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:2-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as remote as divine desires are from human desires, true satisfaction is obviously a strange vocabulary in almost all of life’s experiences. Even though the law of economics that ‘human desires are insatiable ’ is naturally true, it is universally wrong. The scriptures say it is only true because of human misplacement of desires. Unfortunately, the pursuit of divine desires starts with a radical denial of self interests, pleasures, and desires. But if we must proceed, we will find true satisfaction at the perfect intersection of divine and human desires. The difference in the two paths is simply the approach. When we pursue human desires, we stack up Human Resources at the expense of divine inspiration. Whereas, the pursuit of divi...

  “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ God is not only good, everything and everyone He create is good. The bad and ugly come from the imposter and the deceiver of mankind. Even after our redemption from the depravity of sin, the redeemed still often struggles with the required consistency in doing good. The struggle is borne out of every attempt at fellowshipping with anything and anyone in this world beside God. Knowing God automatically creates the sense of good in man, but not the power to constantly do good. Doing good and getting good delivered at all of man’s engagements in life requires the unalloyed fellowship with God. Therefore, we must consistently remove the attachment of our emotions from the inevitable fellowship with the elements of this world in order to constantly fellowship with God; and thereafter courageously do good at all times.

  “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The metrics of someone’s influence in other people’s lives can easily be measured when he sneezed, and the people catch cold. We all have people whose will apparently determine our command. Unfortunately, quite a lot of people often failed to underscore the prevailing human perspective and interest as wishful Will, particularly in comparison with the weighty Will of the almighty God. There is no harm in the pursuit of this wishful Will for self and others with passion and determination. The danger only become apparent when the heart becomes oblivious of the sovereign Will of God over all wishful wills. And in certain circumstances when there is a conflict of Will, ignorant people are exposed to fruitless fighting and struggles against promising relationships and a warm system of operations. Even though the we...

  “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The difference between constructive criticism and destructive criticism is clearly not in the noun ‘criticism’, but in its qualifier. Although both qualifiers - constructive and destructive - use the law, the divergent motives always make the difference in the application of the same law. While constructive criticism clearly applies the law with the motive of love, destructive criticism applies the same law with the motive of justice. Unfortunately, no one can love and judge at the same time. In order to actively correct evil doing in the fellowship at home and in relationships among associate, love provides a stronger and more reliable law leveller than j...

  “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James‬ ‭4:2-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Whenever willingness to release matches willingness to receive, asking and receiving will be simple as ABC. Unfortunately, the increasing trend of insecurity, corruption, societal problems and instabilities in family, among friends and between fellowship is an evidence of misplacement between the asking and receiving lines. Unpleasant desires, inordinate ambitions, and self-centred disposition have always created an atmosphere of war, infighting, mistrust, and under-development. The unfortunate part of all aggressive quest and processions in life for selfish consumption is the lack of satisfaction, peace and pleasantries. Whereas, little is always much, when obtained with God and in obedience to His revealed will. Therefore, when receivin...