Heralds Digest

“And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it? ’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:29-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.19.29-31.nkjv Anyone would wonder how the colt that Jesus rode on His triumphant entry to Jerusalem was prepared and reserved from birth. However, it is certain that the owner must have had divine encounter somehow, showing that the Lord’s use of the colt was not a news to him. Apparently, it was an event hoped for and an assignment in anticipation. After this first use, there is no doubt that every other use of the colt will be on special assignment, special order, or even just the special recognition of riding a privileged colt. Today’s...

“‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.19.26.nkjv When God said to man in the beginning “Be fruitful and multiply”, it implied that faithfulness is the only expectation from man as value-addition to the divine endowment after creation. Even after the fall of man and his redemption from the captivity of sin, it is obvious that faithfulness remains the bedrock for human productivity in the sight of God. Using the parable of the minas, Jesus debunked the misconception of fruitfulness without faithfulness. With faithfulness in any situation and circumstance of life, there is always value-addition to the system (home, workplace, and society) that generates fruitfulness. However, without faithfulness, all that is left in any man is fault-finding as a justification for unfruitful disposition. Whereas, everyone with breadth is preserved f...

“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.19.9-10.nkjv Familiarity is a well-known robber of the people’s privileges with the Saviour Jesus Christ. Therefrom, the concept of religion gets easily mixed up with the desire for communion and relationship. While Zacchaeus sincerely sought to see who Jesus was, religious people would have offered to help him with a comprehensive download of Jesus’ persuasive personality, penchants for parables, and power over principalities. But such documentaries would fail to address the concern of a man who truly desire a change to the lack of satisfaction in the privileges of sin. Because Jesus was more interested in a relationship than a religion, He could connect with the sincere heart of Zacchaeus. Even today, sincere sinners get easily connected to the Saviour tha...

“Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”...Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:39, 42‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.18.39,42.nkjv The desperate outburst of the blind man indicates that he was not fully satisfied by the business of begging for alms, even if those alms appears to supply the basic needs of life. Therefore, he took the risk to offend the sensitivity of those who felt their mercies should provide a sufficient sustenance. Most times, the looking up unto fellow men for help prevents the lifting up of holy hands to the hill of God. Whereas, real and satisfying help comes from God, who often positions fellow men as helping tools to deliver His errands in the affairs of those who truly seek His face. When Jesus finally said “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well”, it implies that the faith to perpetually receive alms ...

“But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.18.34.nkjv How many good-intentioned relationships in life have been sacrificed on the altar of complete misunderstanding or the understanding of a relative truth? If a clear expression of an absolute truth from the Lord Jesus Christ was completely misunderstood by the disciples, anyone can be excused for failure to comply with the basic rules of man. Obviously, the lack of human understanding of the true things prevents the expected coordination of actions along the perfect will of God. But while the grace of God enables His patience with man, man often grope under the darkness of his own misunderstanding. Unfortunately, man is often impatient with his fellow men, based on a relative understanding of the assumed true things in life. Whereas, patience with God towards a perfect understanding of true th...

“And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?” But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:26-27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.18.26-27.nkjv When it is discovered that the height of human pursuits of relevance in life is irrelevant for the salvation of his soul, anyone would understand the burden behind the question “Who then can be saved?”. Because human needs are insatiable, the drive for affluence and relevance in life is commonly calibrated with the accumulation of position, riches and wealth. But if the drive for relevance in this life can only produce a drop into irrelevance in eternity, “Who then can be saved?”. Then, Jesus responded with the fact that salvation is a gift of grace from God alone. Accumulation of riches and wealth, which drives the provision of the needs of the body, merely attempts to distract man from the concern for the needs of the soul; it does not foreclose the possible focus of anyone ...

“Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”...So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:18, 22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.18.18,22.nkjv If the kingdom of God or eternal life had been a commodity for the price of good works, the likes of the young rich ruler who visited Jesus Christ would have paid it off. But thankfully, it is even free of good works and all of God’s grace. However, grace demands what most people are often unwilling to giveaway: accepting Jesus Christ, not just as the Saviour, but as the Lord. It is always easier to come to the altar with the desire to get pardon from sin than to freely accept the lordship of Christ over life’s pursuits and possessions. When Jesus told the rich young ruler to go sell his possessions and give to the poor, the in...