Heralds Digest

“Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall; Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day,” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭ 2:15-17 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/isa.2.15-17.nkjv Throne is not restricted to a traditional palace. It can be attained academically, politically, economically and professionally. But whatever kind of throne it is, throne brings a sense of power, pride, and privileges that must be alien to common man. Unfortunately, almost everyone knows how to aspire for the throne; but very few people know how to step down, when necessary. There are times to crave the worship of people, and there are other times for the heart to worship others in order to keep healthy. And either healthy or unhealthy, the heart of the lofty shall be bowed down and the heart of the haughty shall be brought low in the Lord’s day. Every throne o...

  “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/ecc.11.9-10.nkjv The major challenge of the licence as a free moral agent is the balance of the freedom to enjoy and the fear of examination. Freedom to enjoy without fear of examination creates recklessness. Although recklessness appears enjoyable to irresponsible child, parent, leader, and student at the start, it surely brings shame and disgrace at the end to those who indulge in it. When God says enjoy your licence as a free moral agent responsibly, He expects the conscious understanding that there is no true enjoyment without righteousness. Likewise, fear of examination without freedom to enjoy...

  “He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/ecc.11.4.nkjv The principle of sowing and reaping is naturally a good investment story, until a full disclosure of the level of risk involved is obtained. High risk investors are hard to find, especially when the heart is trained to pay attention to details. Particularly, in a land full of giants in criminality and buoyant in insecurity, people are often careful and reserved to calls for investment of love and expression of generosity.  But then, the scriptures admonished craving for a singlehearted mind: “He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap”. A singlehearted sower must derive pleasure in sowing for the good in the act, irrespective of the open revelation of the risk involved. When the gain attached to the act of sowing is remote, the good in the act of sowing is just sufficient for those...

  “So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭ 8:15 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/ecc.8.15.nkjv Finding justice for victims of violence, brutality, and discrimination is frustrating, especially in a state where the rules of law are far from being sacrosanct. Even intended peace protests get easily hijacked; because criminality index in a nation with bottled up frustration is high. When everyone becomes a crime Corp, especially as an organic #EndSARS remains uncontrolled, good intention can easily become a bad momentum. Whereas, the scriptures teaches the understanding of time and judgment, including the responsibility of everyone as a cool Corp, instead of seeking a forceful licence as a crime Corp. While a crime Corp cannot guarantee a total control of criminality in a state, a cool Corp can c...

  “As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭ 5:19-20 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/ecc.5.19-20.nkjv Whenever prosperity is strictly defined by the accumulation of material riches and wealth, Napoleon Hill’s deception of Think and Grow Rich would serve as a good companion. And many who on the road of prosperity gospel do solemnly keep alive the tenets of self-help and self-confidence in their abilities to make wealth, without sharing the underlying secrets of deceit, darkness, and disappointment. The fact remains that true riches and wealth come from God. Even though the consummation of God’s riches can appear as material riches, it is wider, deeper and richer than the products of the human eyes. And on the trenches of life’s dif...

  “I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭ 3:14 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/ecc.3.14.nkjv Purpose and time are the two parameters that reveal the wholesomeness of God. Finding His purpose in life and understanding the accuracy of God’s timing make the heart relax. However, the fear of man and a focus on their activities does readily distract the heart from the purpose of God. And the prevailing ways, wisdom and wickedness of man are easily feared to override the purpose of God. Whereas, only the wholesome works of God are unchangeable, untarnishable, and unmovable. Therefore, the heart that truly trust in God can sincerely rest assure that the purpose of God in life, family, career and ministry is wholesome and holy. Since whatever God does is forever, whatever man does in the life and affairs of God’s winsome people is submerged within God’s w...

  “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.” ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭ 2:11 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/ecc.2.11.nkjv Self-satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment in life’s preoccupations are not always sustainable, as evident by the experience of the Preacher. Even the much ado about career development or mentoring, family devotions and parenting, and project engagements can start with great enthusiasm and end with great disappointment. The true question is “what differentiates a worthwhile engagement from a worthless expenditure”? And the simple answer is the purpose of God versus the plan of man. Even when we are aliens by our relationship with God, that does not remove the fact we are created for the purpose intended in the heart of God. As long as man operates within the gyration of God’s purpose, his engagement in life will be meaningful...