Heralds Digest

“But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.6.8-9.nkjv Sound sleep is medically proven to affect man’s sound productivity. Unfortunately, even deep sleep does not necessarily suggest true rest. For example, Jesus here exposed the state of psychological unrest of the Pharisees before doing good on the Sabbath. Just as the scriptures posited that Jesus “knew their thoughts”, religious obligations and compliance cannot suggest freedom from spiritual stress. There is always no sitting on the fence with the Saviour’s rhetorical question “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” Put it simply and straight without a reference to any special day, “When you truly...

“And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”...And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:2, 5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.6.2,5.nkjv Without the necessary house or institutional rules, operational systems at home, workplaces, and in the society can be easily compromised for selfish gains. Naturally, it is in man to hunger and thirst for the advancement and promotion of his personal gains, especially at the expense of the general good and the welfare of others. When God instituted the Sabbath, it was envisioned as the operational rule for the welfare of His people, who must rest their body and soul after work. Unfortunately, finding rest for the body has often driven man in the path of dishonest hunger, leaving the soul famished and frustrated. It is absolutely impossible for the soul of man to find rest outside the pursuit of the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus says “Come to Me, all you w...

“And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:34-35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.5.34-35.nkjv There is no pretence in the fact that fast feasting is preferable to feast fasting. When the feasting experiences of the disciples of Jesus Christ were queried, especially when the disciples of John the Baptist and others undergo periodic fasting, Jesus did not pretend to hide the fact. Fasting is never a labour device to rob God of His treasures; it is a love passage that draws seekers into the presence of God. Invariably, whenever you are confident of no-risk to the abiding presence of God, fast feasting is all the needs of diligent disciples. Unfortunately, believers today are often ignorant of these most gracious complimentary services and the need to feast adequately, especially after the period of oc...

“After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.5.27-28.nkjv The irony of a bandwagon following is the continuous swift in the drift without soul satisfaction. Whether in pursuit of friendship, fame, and fun, bandwagon following appears to provide transient happiness only when the wagon is flowing. But at the end of every raid, the soul of man is left to wallow in self-pity, disappointment, and endless search for relief. When Levi encountered the Saviour at one of such moments of desperate search for meaning to the raid of futile following, he didn’t hesitate to leave all (the fruitless friendship, fame, and fun) in order to follow Jesus. Although the call was simply “Follow Me”, grace enabled a reflection on his hopelessness with futile following and the hope of rest with fruitful following. It is always dif...

“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.5.26.nkjv Strange things in the sight of men are always natural occurrences in the sight of God. For example, that Jesus can forgive sins was strange, compared to His ability to heal the paralytic man. Even today, the manifestation of the power of God in challenging circumstances at home, career, and the body of believers are mostly strange, compared to our unwavering conviction in the grace of God that brought salvation down. Whereas, God often wonder: the saving faith of believers qualify them as beneficiaries of all other heavenly gifts. And why we often wonder at pockets of the manifestation of the power of God in our life’s situations, we always approach the throne of grace without boldness and with absolute embarrassment, in spite of our rights as heirs in the kingdom. Unlike strange visitors, the redeemed ...

“And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.5.12-13.nkjv It is common for patients to be more concerned about the physician’s touch instead of his time. But when the leper in our text saw Jesus, he appeared to be more concerned about the Saviour’s plight than the problem that has separated him from the comity of friends and family. The problems of this life have a way deluding man of the possibilities of selfless consideration of the plights of people around, especially when it appears no one cares. “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” appears to suggest “just in case this is not the best time for the Lord’s greatest glory, the healing can wait”. In ...

“But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking...When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:5-6, 8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.5.5-6,8.nkjv One of the burdens of responding to a call to full-time ministry is the risk of financial abandonment. When Jesus said to Peter and his friends “Follow Me; and I will make of you fishers of men”, their conception of the call does not foreclose seeking partial financial support from the business of fishing for fishes. After all, following Jesus is expected to be voluntary and free from caring for the basic necessities of life. Unfortunately, many of the volunteer workers in today’s vineyard of the Lord are retrenched from their casual workforce; and not necessarily recruited...