Heralds Digest

““Thus says the LORD: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place— of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭33:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.33.10-11.nkjv The adage that says “Opportunity knocks but once” or “Opportunity once lost can never be regained” reminds the heart of man the essence of timely preparation for honest engagements in life. Unfortunately, it is difficult to avoid the reality of waste opportunities in precious relationships...

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”...For thus says the LORD: ‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.’” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32:26-27, 42‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.32.26-27,42.nkjv The difference between the conviction of sin or every form of unrighteousness and the assurance of salvation is the admittance of the grace of God. Without the receipt of God’s grace, the convicted soul is perpetually crushed by the heavy load of sin and the consequences of his wrongdoing. Prophet Jeremiah sought the face of God with great burden, after a clear conception of the sin of Judah and Israel or the righteous review of the consequences of God’s judgement. Thereafter, the promise of future restoration from God became inconceivable for the righteous prophet of God. Whereas, just as one trust the power of God’s wo...

“‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.32.17.nkjv The knowledge of science and engineering has enabled the understanding of the formation of matters and the prediction of future events from this understanding. With reasonable sense of accuracy, man can predict weather, forecast the reoccurrence of future events from past experiences, and provide desirable corrections to human physiology. And when the logic of human understanding of these events contradict his future expectations, there is a great burden on the understanding from above. Unlike most human, prophet Jeremiah acted by faith in purchasing the deeds of conveyance for a landed property, which was already besieged by Babylon. When the correlation of God’s past mighty works among the people and their miserable invitation to His wrath does favour the endless captivity in B...

“‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” ’” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32:14-15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.32.14-15.nkjv The state of hopelessness in an individual makes an hopeless city in no time, unless a definite recovery plan is proposed and proclaimed. The city of Jerusalem or the nation of Judah was perplexed during the reign of king Zedekiah. And while prophet Jeremiah was privileged to be the carrier of the undiluted words of God with the prophecy of devastation and captivity, he demonstrated empathy in his state of emptiness. Sequel to his awful fate in the Lord, Jeremiah was empty of fellowship with friends, family and fellow citizens for his faithfulness to the Lord. Notwithstanding, he empath...

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:33, 38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.31.33,38.nkjv Services anchored on contractual agreements are maintained by shared responsibilities. While the burden of imperfection draws the unfortunate experiences of frequent termination of contracts, relationships built on covenant relationships equally struggle from the same burden. Under the old covenant relationship between God and His people, God revealed His counsels and walked the people through the path of service and consecration. Unfortunately, the world and all its attractions and affection could readily draw human attention away at different interceptions. And w...

“And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.31.28.nkjv In human economy, it is much easier to destroy than to build. Whenever things go wrong in life’s projects, the fear of an appreciable rebound is understandable. Whereas with God, there is no abandoned project. Like the experience of Job, He does not go to sleep while the discharge of the assigned cruelty and calamity is allowed. Unfortunately, the sense of pain and punishment in moments of difficulty often prevents the appreciation of God’s priceless watch. Knowing that God is watching when darkness appears to prevail over the light consistently invites the righteous’ waiting upon the Maker and Giver of light. Just as Job’s latter end was blessed more than his beginning, God promises to watch over the reconstruction of peace ...

“Thus says the LORD: “Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.31.16.nkjv One of the most fruitful throwbacks in a Father-Son relationship is a special time commitment and a periodic engagement in fun zones. Informal sharing of affection, exchange of funny skill sets, and exposure of individual assets and limitations during a consistent break from regular activities have a positive impact on a good Father-Son relationship. But when life’s tragedy strikes, it is often difficult to find the silver lining in times of suffering and loss. For example, Ephraim refused to be comforted with material fellowship for the loss of her children. Obviously, fruitfulness is not always guaranteed with fun fellowship. However, an engagement of our Heavenly Father always introduce an effective layer of intimacy and intensity to al...