Heralds Digest

  “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it, ” When you have it with you.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.3.27-28.nkjv The concept of favour from man is freaky because anything from man is mostly subject to hoarding, harassment, and humiliation. Unfortunately, most owners of freaky favour have a price tag which must be respected. “Give me your trust, time, treasure, or talent in exchange for my favour”, they seem to say. Whereas, God is the true Owner of favour in life; and His favour is absolutely free. Therefore, the wise word admonishes “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due”. In all of man’s relationships in search of favour, there is always something that God has empowered the hand to give. Consequently, true partners in the business of free favour will ask God for what to give rather than man.

  “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.3.3-4.nkjv While mercy sustains the relationships with fellow men, truth strengthens the believers’ relationship with God. Notwithstanding, the pursuit of favour, prosperity and promotion in life is mostly treated solely as the products of human relationships, rather than being powered by divine interaction. Fake mercy for favour, either with man or from man, is often pursued through the compromise of a sincere and absolute truth in the heart. However, to find [full] favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man, the Spirit says “Let not mercy and truth forsake you”. Full favour brings both riches and rest or the peace of mind to enjoy the riches; and it provides both promotion or privileges and the relevance or the positive impact of the position in t...

  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/pro.1.7.nkjv The mystery context of “ The Devil All the Time ” captures the concept of “ the beginning”   painted   in a world without form and void, where darkness covers the face of the deep.  But then, the light appears by the word of God. Much later, the scriptures revealed the Word as God, setting out the inevitability of the Word towards the desired form and orderliness in the world. Little wonder, the wise king was inspired to declare that “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge ”. Unfortunately, family, career, business, and the social life of most of the inhabitants of the present world still remains without form, because people would rather fear anything else instead of God. Whereas, the sincere fear of the LORD, not just the knowledge of His Word, is the beginning of knowledge, wisdom and underst...

  “Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭142:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.142.6.nkjv Naturally, the content of the captives’ cry in the cave of life is the LOAD of disappointment, pain and anguish. And the enemies are always happy and fulfilled when the captives respond to the LOAD. But whenever the captives choose to focus on the LORD, instead of the LOAD, the enemies get frustrated by their weapon of war. And like the Psalmist acknowledged, although the persecutors of the righteous are stronger than him, the LORD is stronger than strongest of them. In their work, career and life’s affairs, the persecutors may appear mostly the wiser. The LORD of the righteous is always wiser than the wisest of them. And whenever the righteous is brought low by the LOAD of life, the presence of the LORD in the captives’ cry always turns their valley of disappointment into the vintage of discoveries.

  “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.141.4.nkjv Evil acts do not often start with the wilful engagement of hands and legs into the activities of wicked workers. It starts with the subtle entrapment of the heart with evil desires and affection, even though the body, hands and legs appear sane and sincere. Therefore, it is important for the righteous to watch out for the onset of the conducive environment for evil entrapment, like idleness, wishful thinking, envy, ungrateful disposition,   blame game, etc. Since this evil-prone environment attracts men who practice wicked works, the righteous would rather remove himself from this environment than engaging in the business of sanitizing the environment. When the Psalmist declared “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing”, it was a prayerful engagement between him and th...

  “I know that the LORD will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭140:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.140.12-13.nkjv Life is a game of either grease or grace. Even mechanical machinery cannot function without active lubrications, less the workings of all components become the destructive game of wear and tear. Where the gods of this world dictate the pace of the game, evil manipulation, wickedness, violence, and destruction are smartly packaged as grease. Then, the unwilling or ignorant players are left on the fray to either frost or roast in self-pity, complaints and marginalization. And without the sustaining grace of God, even the righteous does get discouraged in the race of life, when his continuous actions and contributions are consistently frustrated. Therefore, the eyes of the righteous (like the psalmist) in all of life’s daily a...

  “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/psa.139.23-24.nkjv Searching for useful exhibits to prosecute a suspect depends on the expertise and experience of the warrant officer. Incriminating evidences are usually kept away and all efforts towards covering up any known source of evil are usually deplored. However, if someone is truly made to realize that the all-seeing God is the warrant officer against all forms of unrighteousness in life, he is apt to open up; rather than exploring the intent to cover up. Therefore, when the Psalmist asked God to search his heart, he simply expressed his willingness to pay attention to what the all-seeing Warrant Officer already knew. This openness was needed in order to guarantee a fruitful fellowship with God. Unfortunately, many religious activities, like prayer fellowship, the stud...