Heralds Digest

  “ that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory .” ‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The glory from man or the glory obtainable by human recommendation is open to all and overtly celebrated by everyone. Luckily, in all of man’s career, family and ministerial engagements, the pursuit of God’s glory is also possible within the setup of human organization. In ‘the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea ’, we know that this holy pursuit is the Will of God. Unfortunately, in conflict management and the inevitable manoeuvring of the crisis of life, the pursuit of a divergent glory of men often takes preeminence. These are the days or moments when the glory of righteousness and peace with God is laid on the altar of material riches and earthly positions. Therefore, apostle Paul had to comfort, exhort, and encourage the believers in Thessalonica to retain their pursuit of God’s glory, by walking worthy of His calling...

  “ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Contentment is not really the absence of complaints. It is just the presence of confidence in Jesus Christ and His promises, especially in the midst of disappointment or discouragement. Unfortunately, whenever believers are influenced by the spirit of complaints against a partner at home or workplace and principals in the society or institutional system, personal focus on the regular calls for productivity and progress in life is jeopardized. Therefore, believers with the character of a new man are admonished to focus on contentment in the name of the Lord Jesus, rather than getting sapped by carnal complaints. Little wonder the scriptures encouraged the beloved elsewhere that ‘ all things work together for good to those who love God; and to those who are the called according to His purpose ’. The moment the heart is stayed on di...

  “ 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 ...