Heralds Digest

  “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Before the fall of man, God said man is good; but the testimony changes immediately after the fall. Goodness is a unique attribute of God; and no man can attain unto it without the grace of God. The deceptive goodness of man is manipulative, and his mercy is temporary. When the deceiver launches his goodies of comfort and convenience in exchange of believers’ confidence in God, many are tempted to see the temporary goodness in the created things rather than the everlasting goodness in the true Creator. Whereas, as soon as the understanding of man is revived, his soul is lifted up with praise like the psalmist: “ Know that the ...

  “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua‬ ‭1:7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Anyone can use the word of God occasionally; but a consistent usage, particularly against emotional disturbances and distraction, requires strength and courage. For Joshua, the guidance of Moses was all sufficient as the commandments of the Lord. But after the passing of Moses, strength was needed to commence the finding of all the written law of God; while courage was needed to continue the pursuit of the revealed will of God. Like with Joshua, life can sometimes be wired with the provision of pri...

  “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” ‭‭I John‬ ‭3:21-22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Confidence in relationship towards a man requires smartness and the ability to satisfy his desires. Everyone knows that this head game often trample on the red flags of God’s inner police - the conscience, especially when man’s desirable pleasure is at variance to God’s instructions. But for the beloved of God, the pursuit of clear conscience is given the highest premium in all relationships. Rather than seeking the uncontrollable confidence toward man, the righteous can simply rest on the pursuit of clear conscience with confidence towards God. Eventually, the pursuit of clear conscience often attract the desirable confidence towards both God and the men who are brought to appreciate the essentials of the keeping the commandments of the Lord and the doi...

  “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” ‭‭I John‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One major setback in the line of argument from the critics of the cross is how can someone undertake to pay the supreme price of death for ‘unknown’ people. While the ‘unknown’ narrative is a misunderstanding, the undertaking is truly unreserved. Truly, all was given for all. Unfortunately, even the redeemed from the unreserved undertaking of the Lord often struggle with this lifestyle of love. When the heart is pained or embittered, the mind becomes crowded with subtle recline from the fellowship of love. Yet, just as Christ gave Himself for all at the Cross, He is willing and waiting to give Himself freely through the redeemed at every situation and circumstance. Whereas, believers’ frequent reservations have become the ‘unknown’ clogs in the wheel of Christ’s unreserved undertaking.

  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” ‭‭I John‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While sincere fellowship with the natural man can reveal the sin of commission, revelation of the sin of omission is not possible without divine connection. Whereas, sincere fellowship with God through His word always reveals the corruption in the heart of man. Even after the assurance of salvation and the inner witness of the Spirit as the redeemed child of God, sincerity of heart and openness to the word of God retain the divine connection through a daily revelation of the truth. Unfortunately, if we say that we have no sin, we buy the deception of the natural man and disown the revelation of the truth through divine connection. Salvation from the sin of commission is obviously not a license to subscribe for the sin of omission. As long as the flesh wears the regalia of the old nature, the heart of man constantly needs the truth in God’s word to retain the divine connectio...

  “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;” ‭‭II Peter‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Even while standing on the promises of the Lord, the prevailing circumstances in our social, political, or present life are strongly persuasive. Unfortunately, it is difficult for anyone to focus on these present things without getting unsettled emotionally, and with at least little compromise and corruption. Therefore, comes the timely admonition to the beloved, ‘looking forward to these [future] things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless’ . Irrespective of the turbulence in a believer's prevailing circumstances at home, workspaces and social life, there is always an access to peace for minds that are forward focussed. This promise is not accessible to those who must struggle with the forces that take pride in the manipulation of the present things, particularly with unclean hands and filthy hearts...

  “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” ‭‭II Peter‬ ‭3:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In the human economy, rewards have a significant time value which must be respected by all parties in any business enterprise. This economy makes the time value of promises to be taken seriously by all. But after a believer has done the will of God and probably held onto His promises with apparent violation of this time value, he often get discouraged and more likely to accuse God for slackness. Whereas in God’s economy, promises operate on a grace gauge rather than with time value. God’s dealing with all of His children does not focus on individuals and the isolated treatment of promises. Even after the limit of a human's time value, whatever grace ...