Heralds Digest

“Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, And the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭7:14-15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.7.14-15.nkjv There is a popular idiom that says “He who pays the piper calls the tune”. Literally, the people’s perception of the risk of conflicts of interest influences compromises in the call to adhere to righteous practices at home, workplace, and the society at large. For Amaziah the priest in Israel, loyalty to king Jeroboam forbids sincerity to the publishing of divine prophecy. What shall the righteous do when he is caught in a conflict of interest between obeying God and following man’s instructions? Everyone knows that the right answer is always difficult to embrace, especially when the grave consequences of a call to righteous actions stare us in the face. However, Amo...

“And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭7:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.7.8.nkjv Just like a plumb line sets and maintains the vertical direction, the flow of mercy and favour in life is straight from above. However, Israel as God’s peculiar people has always taken the blessings of God for granted. Likewise, it is often easy for believers to abuse the mercy and favour of the Lord with their lascivious lifestyles. But when the Most High God decides “I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel”, He is actually emphasizing the true and sincere extension for intimate relationships. The scriptures declare “Acquaint yourself with God, and good will come unto you”. It implies that when the righteous people of God truly desire the abundant mercy and favour of God, they know how to engage the plumb pas...

“Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes! Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭6:1, 12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.6.1,12.nkjv The sound of ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ is delightful and represents the desires of all pilgrims in the race to the kingdom of God. But for the reality of rough roads and uneasy heads in life, calls for rest from stress can be more frequent than necessary. More likely, shepherds are tempted to get distracted with the carnal calls for refreshments and relaxation. For the shepherds in Judah and Jerusalem, the Most High declared ‘Woe’ instead ‘Well done’ for being at ease in Zion. It does appears that only the Giver of Grace in the race of life knows the points of rest for all His pilgrims. Personal assessment of comparative achievements ...

“Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:20-21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.5.20-21.nkjv With the hiring of a good lighting expert, the mixture of both light and darkness will provide an excellent entertainment to almost all assemblies of people. Human creativities have developed several ways of presenting the variety of dread, horror, and darkness with a mixture of sound and light to produce amazing entertainment and fun zones for different stages of kids and adults. Unfortunately, the illusion in carnal creativity is the possibility of an underplay of the effect of the Lord’s judgement over sin and unrighteousness, especially when morality, religious feasts, freewill services and activities are assumed to offer a good offering to God. Whereas God emphasized “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred asse...

“Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel—Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭5:6, 14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.5.6,14.nkjv There is no doubt that everything that God created is good and nothing evil. And as God’s Ambassadors, we are designed to reproduce the good creativity in God; and not necessarily produce another god in the created good. To the erring Israel, God said “Seek the LORD and live”. Today, we live in mansions, love by methods and learn with machines...and these dominate our thoughts and control our sense of purpose. Whereas, the good in the works of our hands is stamped out of the hall, when the pursuit of God is stamped out of our hearts. But for the returning believers in God’s mercy and grace, as we seek advanced innovation in all intelligent and intellectual designs, the pursuit of God as the...

““I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me” Says the LORD. “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭4:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.4.11-12.nkjv For a child who is observed to become obsessed with certain social or worldly attractions and entertainment, a time-out strategy appears to encourage a return to a good family relationship. Whereas, in some extreme circumstances like in the relationship between God and Israel in the days of prophet Amos, a time-out strategy did not work. There are something specially refreshing in a good firebrand fellowship with the Father - the burning closeness, affection, and communication - that gets withdrawn with every time-out strategy. However, when stubbornness and disobedience develop a coping strategy with the entertainment of this world turned rel...

““That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/amo.3.14.nkjv Every concerned parent, pastor, and principal of family, fellowship, and firm, where people are expected to be influenced by the charisma of leadership, understands the frustration in the stance against the negative impacts of today’s social world. And in the subtle sense of conceding defeat, it is easier to draw comfort in the fact that the flight to the heavenly city is a personal race. However, when God would punish the people of Israel for their transgressions, the scriptures declare the line of judgement as “I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel”. Whereas, in the days of Jacob and Elijah, the altar at Bethel and the altar at Carmel were known as the altars with powerful and life-changing influence. When revival was needed i...