Heralds Digest

“Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You To speak good for them, To turn away Your wrath from them.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.18.20.nkjv The experience of Prophet Jeremiah and his reaction to persecution on the field provide the challenging reflection of depressing tendencies from purposeful people in life. Most times, and just like Jeremiah reacted to frustration, punches appear to vacate purposeful pursuits in life. Whereas, no one is expected to step into the ring or pit of life for massage therapy. Unfortunately, and in times of persecution, the question ‘Shall evil be repaid for good?’ is not appropriate. Actually, it is a violation of a purposeful pursuit of the will of God. Otherwise, the enemy does sow resentment and retaliation in the heart of supposed priests who are called to the ministry of reconciliation. Whereas, the punch pit may not be the port of repudiation; but a place of rel...

““Because My people have forgotten Me, They have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway,” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.us/114/jer.18.15.nkjv Whenever inspiration wears the regalia of interference at home and in work affairs, the free moral agent in man often finds credibility in his god-given authority. Whereas, human interference is easily tolerated, compared to God’s checks and balances in life. Concerning the matters of Judah and Jerusalem, God lamented ‘Because My people have forgotten Me’. When God’s ideas in how best to run family, business, career, human social life are no longer fashionable, human shorter pathways are considered a useful alternative to God’s ‘hopeless’ highway. Unfortunately, shorter pathways bring different entanglement and pervasiveness in the name of the new age and fashion. And human manipulation is preferred to divine inspi...

““Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” ’ ”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.18.11.nkjv The conscience of a good examiner is clear as long as the students are taught and properly exposed to the material contents of the course before examination. And as long as the examination questions are drawn from the taught materials, the outcome of the students’ performance (good or bad) are not of a concern to any examiner. However, providing the marking scheme of a well-taught material to students is not common. It shows that the examiner is not at all interested or negatively affected by bad performance. When God exposed to Judah and Jerusalem “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and...

““And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully,” says the LORD, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.17.24-25.nkjv In pursuit of prosperity and progress in life, the demand for sacrifices in service to the Lord sometimes come with great care and caution or suspicion. The rational considerations mostly favour the preference for maximizing personal investment to promoting divine investment. Whether in the sacrifice of time, talent, and treasure, the thought always goes ‘God understands....’. To Judah and Jerusalem, God apparently said ‘I don’t understand...I need the Sabbath Sacrifice!’. The understandin...

“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.17.14.nkjv Healing is celebrated with healthy body and salvation is marked by freedom. And a body with the evidence of healing and salvation is assumed delivered from the myriads of earthly concerns. However, when Jeremiah cried to the Lord for healing and salvation, he was more concerned about the state of his heart than the softness of his body. Emotional confusion and uncertainties while aligning the promises of God with the pursuit of godliness are often allowed or pretended to operate on safe mode, especially when man must be seen acting like man. However, and to prophet Jeremiah, honest hearts do not fake moments when emotional disturbance and stress can no longer operate on safe mode. He cried “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved”. This is not a healing for the sick body, neither is it a salvati...

““Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.17.7-8.nkjv Happiness is mostly influenced by merriment and feasible improvements in the standard of living. Therefore, the heart is easily deceived to trust in evident display of affluence and material increase. Unfortunately, many, like Judah, have ended up trading their hopeful heritage for parched places through the lens of ‘show me the evidence!’. Whereas, the scriptures say ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for; and the evidence of things not seen’. It implies that faith in the Lord and His promises does not look for physical evidence. His hope is solely in the Lord and never in ‘bread and butter’ evidence. A...

““Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭16:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.16.21.nkjv The restoration of dignity, health, wealth, and all the benefits that the enemy has stolen is a significant manifestation of the power of God. When God promised restoration of His people with a determination to repay double for their iniquities and sin, the understanding of the desired product that warrant the penalty is necessary. It is not enough for God’s children to be satisfied with the restoration of their position with God; God desires the perfect understanding of God’s position and personality in man. The restoration of man’s position brings confidence in prosperity; but the understanding of God’s position guarantees confidence and comfort both in prosperity and penury. “I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD...