Heralds Digest

"You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?" (Romans 2:21 NKJV) Selfishness is a natural trait of the heart of man, but it is scarcely deplored for moral mentoring. It is always easier to care for the moral needs of others, at the utmost neglect of the moral decadence of self. An untaught professor of moral science can be versed with letters, while his words is void of life-transforming message. Except a heart-cry for mercy in moral aptitude is conscious, the best mentoring effort can only boost of one hypocrite - the teacher. Therefore, effective moral mentoring starts with generous self modelling.

"...who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them." (Romans 2:15 NKJV) The heart of man provides the best check for all forms of unrighteousness and ungodliness. Although the bible offers good references to the detail of God's commandments, ignorance of the letters of the law is not a tenable excuse for offenders because of the innate ability of human conscience. When the heart accuses self of wrong doing, making immediate amendment is better than seeking excuses to exonerate self from guilty conscience. There is a deep sense of consistent relief for those who always pay attention to their hearts.

"...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." (Romans 1:25 NKJV) The holiday spirit is in the air; and many gift cards are getting wrapped and unwrapped. No matter the divergence in beliefs, everyone accepts this season of love. However, the truth of God (the Creator) is that this holiday is about the perfect gift He gave to us (the creatures). It makes sense to always emphasis the convenient story of love in all our relationships and avoiding conflict; but the reason for the season cannot be successfully exchanged. A convenient story of love without the theme of Christ is like a box of lies in a wrapper of truth.

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV) Allegiance of service is often based on subjective considerations of individual's priority and perception of the camp with best overall opportunities. Joshua's presentation of choices to the Israelites among the Euphratian god, Amorite god, and the living God of Israel is a call to consider reason as a significant drive toward their allegiance. Changes in life comes too soon and sometimes pretty fast, but allegiance is not expected to be treated as a piece of apparel. While the temptation to shift allegiance is real, there is nothing more real than knowing the One who does not and would not change. A service to God represents the most reasonable allegiance for a liv...

"When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.” (Joshua 23:16 NKJV) No student of the account of Israel's possession of the land of Canaan would stop to wonder the essence of Joshua's valedictory message, warning the Israelites against idolatry. By observing the exploits by which God dispossessed the Canaanites before the Israelites, how could anyone imagine Israel will later desire the worship of the gods of Canaan? It all depends on how far the heart of man can resist the pressure of love. The most important note in romance is the fact that whoever gives love give life, irrespective of the quality of life. We cannot share the love of an unequal breed and expect to retain an unadulterated brand of life.

"The children of Reuben and the children of Gad[d] called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”" (Joshua 22:34 NKJV) The construction of an altar in the western province of the land of Canada, which is shared among the children of Reuben, children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, represents a reasonable commitment to the service of the Lord. The only problem seem to be that there is no reference to God's commission ahead of the project. References to God's services are commendable, especially when God's presence is not excluded. Otherwise, all non-commissioned commitments often lead to the worship of idols. No reference is reasonable in the absence of God's presence.

"Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." (Joshua 1:45 NKJV) Within the period of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises, there are several words from people of influence, resulting in myriad of voices with their twist and turns. Israel, at one point or the other, had faced people like Pharaoh, Balaam, Moses, Joshua, etc. Not a word failed, out of the sample of good pronouncements on the people, no matter how long it takes to manifest. And although there were many occurrences of wasted people, time and material possessions during the waiting period, God's word endures to the end. It is better to endure and get passed, than to pass ahead of God's enduring word.