Heralds Digest

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.12.32.nkjv Shepherds understand the concern of the flock more than the sheep. And when the field is subject to variable forces that can threaten the provision of good pasture, shepherds often take the burden of worry away from the sheep. Little wonder the confidence of the psalmist in the sufficiency of provision is the fact that the Lord is his Shepherd. When Jesus Christ addressed the issue of worry with His disciples, He wanted the disciples to keep their focus on the sufficiency of the Heavenly Father as the Shepherd of the flock. And when believers are faced with the concern of balancing the call to seek the kingdom of God and the care for the supply of the basic needs of the body, it shows that worry and anxiety have become part of the ingredients of a real life. However, Jesus commands His disciples “Do not fear, little flock...

“And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.12.15.nkjv In our world of competition, genuine efforts are easily contaminated with covetousness. Since carnally-influenced needs for the basic things of life are not satiable, wicked and immoral schemes and greedy manipulation of influences often dominate the heart of man. When a man should approach the presence of the Giver of life for a genuine thirst for the satisfaction of his soul, there was a carnal petition for equality in the distribution of earthly inheritance. Unfortunately, the consuming passion of many would-be instruments in the hands of God is the struggle for equality at home, institutions and the society; while the course of the kingdom of God is completely ignored. However, Jesus who always see the root of the problem in the life of man warned everyone “Take heed and...

“But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.12.5.nkjv The conception of life is often erroneously interpreted as the provision of all the needs of the body - known as the basic things of life. Anything that threatens this supply create fear in the heart of man. Unfortunately, the need of the soul of man is mostly left out of the consideration of the basic things of life. In one of His relationships with the disciples, Jesus simply warned His followers about this type of unfriendly fear, calling it the leaven of the Pharisees. The worst of violating the unfriendly fear of man is the deprivation of the needs of the body, possibly leading to the destruction of the body. However, it is a fearful thing for anyone to ignore the friendly fear of God; and lose his soul eternally in the lake of fire. Meanwhile, the friendly fear of God promi...

““Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:52‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.11.52.nkjv Custom and tradition dictate the norms of the people, in spite of the written codes. For the Pharisees during the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, the custom and tradition of the Pharisees are laws in themselves. In this particular instance, the concern of the Pharisees is the offensive attempt of the guest Jesus to eat without the customary washing. Beyond the simple cleaning of hands as a call to hygiene, the customary washing appears to have been elevated to a level of religious practice and a sacred necessity for godliness. Whereas, the understanding and pursuits of the will of God in salient matters that guarantees access of man into the kingdom of God are relegated to the background. Therefore, Jesus had to vehemently rebuke the Pharisees and the tea...

“The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.11.34.nkjv Whenever magicians say “the more you see, the less you discover”, they mostly allude to their game of deception. It takes a desperate effort in the science of discolouration and the shedding of details for magic tricksters to rob the innocent audience of their right to the truth. In an effort to save the innocent listeners of the gospel message from the likes of tricks from the Pharisees, Jesus Christ pointed to the importance of the honest use of the human eyes. Instead of acknowledging the evidence of the glory of God in the signs and wonders through the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Pharisees had deceptively asked for ‘sign from heaven’. Whereas, the main intention in their request is sign shedding and a deliberate effort to ignore the approp...

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.11.23.nkjv In almost all the matters of life, the struggle between the thrust of political correctness and the truth in pure conviction has always been the beggarly life-wire of every institution or society. In the days of our Lord Jesus Christ, the battle was between the blind defence of the Mosaic law with the hypocritical lifestyles of the Pharisees and the beautiful defence of the faith in Christ that brings salvation from dead works and freedom from sin. The power of God had just delivered a man afflicted by demons, which was a sufficient demonstration of the authority of Jesus Christ over the demons and a clear testimony of His mission on earth from God the Father. Whereas, the scriptures say concerning the disturbed Pharisees “in order to test Him, they asked for a sign from heaven”. While the request sounded politically correct to t...

““So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/bible/114/luk.11.9.nkjv The freelist of a Friend in the illustration of the privilege of prayer has no constraint of timing, treasury, and trust. The only constraint is “you”: who is asking, seeking or knocking? You must be a ‘friend’ in order to get to access the presence of the Lord. Unfortunately, many friends readily shortchanged themselves with invisible constraints to the freelist. Wasted opportunities can be moderately mourned; but the season of grace and the glory of the Lord is here only for good. Anything good gifts are open for grab at anytime from the throne of grace and in the presence of a good Father. And by His goodness, bad gifts are never released to His obedient children. So, as you keep the friend’s freelist afresh, Jesus say to you [friend], ask [good gifts] today, and it will be given to you; seek [goo...