Heralds Digest

  “ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord .” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ A Christian home, work and society life has greater struggles against diver sources of influence in this age of information technology than the preceding ages. Even sincere minds often query the logic behind some scriptural precepts, unless the intervention of the Spirit of God is embraced. And like it was in the garden of Eden, the battleground between God’s word and information from the pit of hell is the heart of man. Gone are the days when anyone can physically prevent the access of corrupting information over self and others within one’s sphere of influence. The scriptural admonition therefore is ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom... ’. It implies that even when the eyes, ears, and human senses unintentionally feed on words from the Prince ...

  “ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him ” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ is not merely a stereotypical narrative, it is the reality of our polluted world. The new world of corrupt politics, compromised administration, dishonest partnerships, and disloyal services is strong enough to determine the steady-state attitudes of any honest man. Therefore, putting off the regalia consisting of the list of anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of the mouth can just be a right reformation without the righteous repository. Unfortunately, self-help cannot attain the price for the righteous repository. It is obtained by the work of grace, being the imposition of God’s righteousness at Christ’s expense. Thereafter, even in the blackness of the darkest of corruption, compromise, and carnality, the redeemed of the Lord can constantly reflect the righteousness of God, being the ...

  “ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians‬ ‭3:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without an inner strength and determination, productive services in a toxic environment is generally abhorrent and almost impossible. Unfortunately, whether at home, workplaces, and in the society, people often proceed into the business of service offering with the mindset of shifting the responsibilities of creating the conducive environment for good services to someone else other than self. Whereas, in spiritual services, people do not just expect to come to a conducive environment for service. We proceed to spiritual service and fellowship with God with our conducive inner environment. Otherwise, the scriptures say our religious, professional and family services become simply idolatry. This is because we are expected to be actively engaged in spiritual service when we physically serve our family members, p...

  “ So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ .” Colossians‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As the global world evolves into a village, liberal minds understand the battle against cultural identity. Even in the biblical timeline among the ancient cities that bounded the Lycus valley, the concept of cultural identity does create strong social vibes and determine an individual’s social relevance. Likewise today, ‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle ’ stereotypes readily receive more recognition, instead of the doctrines of Christ. Unfortunately, the conviction on the subjects of scriptural identity is gradually being lost from the family or corporate narratives. When believers are afraid to stand up for their faith and conviction on doctrinal issues (or simply explain away the truth on the basis of the supremacy of ‘acceptable’ cultural or social norms), they are quiet...

  “ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross .” Colossians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Restoring peace in strained relationships requires more than mental intelligence. Many peace accords have been executed with the sacrifice of collateral on the altars of good human relations, without the embrace of a lasting peace. Even in a religious relationship with God, human sacrifices have failed to fully atone for the punishment of sin. The sacrifice of all things on earth or things in heaven, that are equally subject to the influence of the depravity of sin and unrighteousness, is not acceptable before God. Therefore, God offered His only begotten Son - Jesus Christ - for the redemption of humanity from the captivity of sin. Little wonder the scriptures declared a special beatitude on peacemakers, saying ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God ’. Unlike the political ...

  “ I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life’s experiences, especially in our moments of pain and difficulty, are no doubt the best teacher. Successful men have risen to fame and great accomplishments by relishing on the accounts of their difficulties and challenges of life. For example, the development of intellectual property, building of a business empire, and the establishment of successful institutions for human governance are just a few out of the countless stories of life’s experiences. Unfortunately, success to many is accomplished with a misunderstanding of the true source of their strength. While it is true that success mostly follows dogged and creative utilization of the life’s experiences with determination, life is miserably doomed without the acknowledg...

  “ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Barring the diversity in degree, medical science claimed that everyone struggles with insanity. Perhaps, some may choose to measure wellness with the human ability to respond appreciably to emotional disturbances in relationships. For example, any object of pain , provocation , and poverty represents a balanced source of emotional disturbances in every supposed healthy relationship. And everyone can relate with his different level of insanity and struggles with these emotional disturbances at home, society and workplace. Whereas, after Paul admonished rejoicing always in pain , consistent gentleness with provocation , and absence of anxiety in handling poverty , he finally provid...