Heralds Digest

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints". (Ephesians 1:17-18 NKJV) The parade of the riches of this world is obviously a compelling and consistent strategy of the enemy to distract the righteous from the incomparable glory of heavenly riches. If the Lord Jesus Christ was not exempted from this temptation, no one can win the battle without the recommended spiritual weapon of prayer. Apostle Paul's foresight of the danger of spiritual complacency among saints in Ephesus imposes the burden of intercession, for the revelation of the inexplicable riches. The secrets about the riches of saints' inheritance are hidden from those who cannot find solace in sacred romance with the Lord.

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world". (Galatians 6:14 NKJV) The hustle for appreciation in the standard of living, accumulation of wealth and promotion from any position in life is always a personal bustle whenever self-glory is at stake. Rather than getting involved in personal struggle for recognition, Apostle Paul would glory in the readiness of self to gladly bear the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Could anything be more appropriate for any mortal to be counted to suffer for the course of righteousness? God is glorified when His likeness is appreciated within us.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart". (Galatians 6:9 NKJV) Fair compensation discourages bad services farther than encourages good services. Anyone who has been converted into good services needs little motivation from humans. Good reward comes from the God of heaven, who makes nothing other than good. The search of reward from elsewhere naturally discourages commitment to good services. For those who cannot be distracted, good reward has a unique season for maximum compensation.

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5:25-26 NKJV) Living in the Spirit does not necessarily mean being dead to fleshly demands. Only a comatose body is free from any demand for self gratification. Without a consistent spiritual exercise, as admonished by Apostle Paul, even a spirit-filled individual will protest the denial of deserved dignity and respect. We would fare well with living in the Spirit, when we operate within our comfort zone. A daily walk through hostility requires extra sensitivity to Spirit-leading for sustenance of every godly virtue.

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love". (Galatians 5:6 NKJV) Being delivered from the rule of dos and dons , everyone in Christ Jesus is expected to therefrom operate under the frame of trust and love. A completely different mental picture of obedience is captured by those who walk in love, compared to those who are governed by the law. Obedience through a sincere love relationship between the Saviour and His saints is powered by faith; whereas, obedience through the law is powered by moral force that cannot be consistently sustained. Sincerely, we start living when faith comes alive.

"Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”" (Galatians 4:30 NKJV) Unless where trust becomes sacred, all human relationships within home and work institutions can only function with certain regard to some form of bond. Even after Hagai became the mother of Abraham's son, she wasn't free from the bond as Sarah's maid. Relationships under a bond environment is based on give and take; whereas God respects only love-based relationships. Just as God freely gave us His Son because of love, we can only trust and obey Him because of love. However, unlike in an atmosphere of free and pure love, trust is a treacherous phenomenon in every bond relationship.

"But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?" (Galatians 4:9 NKJV) In most religious climes, everyone is godly; or rather, everyone claims the knowledge of God. Until human knowledge of God equals God's knowledge of man, religion remains a mental exercise with inconsequential moral transformation. In which case, fellowship in religious houses remains a social gathering of people with merely recognized denominational dogma. As long as members are willing to abide by these dogmas, recognition of their relevance is guaranteed. Unfortunately, fellowship with man does not guarantee the righteousness of God. The heart must thrive more to retain recognition by God than to attain membership of human social gatherings.