Heralds Digest

“But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭4:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.4.10-11.nkjv The major conflict of interest in Jonah against absolute submission to the will of God is his misconception about the God of justice. In today's world, society, and institution with diverse culture, convictions, and conflict in correspondences, God's warning about any impending judgement is difficult to attract a uniform level of selfless service from men. From Jonah's perspective of his subjective interest, Nineveh's sin and wickedness attract nothing less than God's judgement, irrespective of the difficulty in his personal sacrifice to the 120,000 populatio...

“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭3:4-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.3.4-5.nkjv The phase of challenges and difficulties in life and ministry is often designed to a transient moment of useful character formation, rather than a perceived means for useless character deformation. Otherwise, divine partnership is mostly a call to celebration of success and breakthrough, especially for those who are called according to God's purpose. For example, what is spectacular in Jonah's message presentation "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"? Obviously, the most significant part of the message is the partnership between God and Jonah, especially after a turbulent period of character formation in the belly of whale. Although ...

““Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.2.8-9.nkjv The undeniable access of a worthless mortal into the merciful pavilion of the Creator of heaven and earth is the greatest privilege that any man should preserve. While sin and trespasses shut the door to a sinner and the unregenerate man into the presence of the Lord, the grace of God bestows salvation and restores access into the mercy seat. But like Jonah, conflict of interests to the will of the Master of the soul of the redeemed drive man into the state of unreasonable forgetfulness. The material riches and superficial conveniences from position, places, and properties - the worthless idols - are subtly given priority over the pursuits of the will of God. Why does the soul of man easily forget the meaningful mercy of God, while embracing the ...

“Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them....Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1:10, 16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.1.10,16.nkjv The initial fear of the mariners merely relates the consequences of Jonah's disregard for the presence of his God, without acknowledging the consequences of their own seclusion. But after enjoying the privilege of their forced relationship with the Lord, it suddenly dawned on them that God is not just the God of the Hebrews, but the God of all flesh. Then, they offered sacrifice to the LORD and apparently make a commitment to keep sacred the presence of the Lord. There is no sincere visit to the presence of the Lord without a definite encounter with the Porter of the soul. The true mark of a thorough access to the Lord's presence is the desire to r...

“So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.1.9.nkjv An induction into the company of dependable servants of the Lord is the greatest of all achievements on earth. It enables the privilege of prosecuting a purpose-driven life, against any prevailing conflict of interest. Jonah's conflict of interest had imagined the possibility of wasting the privilege of living to pursue the absolute will of God. He had embarked on a foolish flight away from the dry land into the sea, in absolute disobedience to the commandment of the Lord. Obviously, Jonah's flight exposed the challenge of an empty religious fear. True fear obeys the commandments of the Lord, without minding the consequences; but a flight from the commandments of the Lord is an invitation to storms in life. By a forceful conviction however, Jonah finally acknowledged that the God of heaven made both the se...

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.1.1-3.nkjv The flesh is readily comfortable in the presence of affluence, reverence and preference, but the soul of man enjoys more the preservation of the Spirit of God. The only evidence of the Spirit in any environment is the unceasing communications between the soul and its Creator. Obviously, Jonah was in the presence of the Lord, where His Word came down with clarity of expression and instruction. Unfortunately, like it was with Jonah the son of Amittai, God's expressions and instructions are often at variant with human exp...

“Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭28:30-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.28.30-31.nkjv Besides the material or emotional inconvenience on its inmates, the prison wall appears to produce more tremendous or attractive impacts on the kingdom of God than the overall forthrightness from the free world Christian workers. For example, Paul's bound of prison walls in Rome received visiting sympathizers turned parishioners, in fulfillment of the divine purpose for the adventurous mission to Caesar's palace. Many other churches outside Rome benefited from the prison ministry, including the revelation of the several epistles for the establishment and expansion of the work of the kingdom of God. Even in contemporary times, it is evident that the soul is inspired to deliver its maximu...