Heralds Digest

  “ So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. ” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The response of Jesus to the atmosphere charged with the exchanges of miracles, signs, and wonders to the needs of His followers showed that the greatest gift must connect God to relate love with life. As the multitude seek for more of the appearance of Jesus, ‘ He himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed ’ in fellowship with God. After all, God is the genesis of the greatest gift, inspired by love for the depraved world and giving eternal life to all who accept His gift. Unfortunately, today, while we rush to open our gift under the Christmas tree, or dress up to unveil the Christmas attire, souvenir, and special menu, not many are concerned about the desirable fellowship with God in appreciation of the greatest gift to humanity. It is not enough for believers to struggle with the world for the replacement of Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays; let the world first see the renewa...

“ So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him .” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When people say ‘don’t change a winning strategy ’, the emphasis is always based on the productivity of comparative strategies with the previous events or enterprises; and nothing more. For the prospective disciples of Jesus Christ and their comparative strategies on fishing, entertaining Jesus’ preaching engagements at the end of every work shift will pull the magic wands on their productivity targets. And many ambitious followers in our fast-paced world would have frown at the request to shift strategy from fishing fishes to fishing men . But when these disciples ‘had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him ’ because the request came from the Chief Strategist (Jesus). Following Jesus requires nothing like the productivity assessment of comparative strategies; it simply takes living by faith. Whenever the heart finally finds the Chief Strategist, he can s...

  “ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased .”” Luke‬ ‭3:21-22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the greatest assets or liabilities in project management and control is understandably the people or the system’s human resource. Even in the management of the divine assignment, John the Baptist had to deliberate on the responses of people, Pharisees, and politicians of his days in order to deliver the message of repentance from sin. By reflecting on the discouraging resistances he experienced to his discharge of the truth, we can appreciate the relevance of Christ’s inspiration; and the motivation of securing open operations through believer’s consistent fellowship with God. Even while the fulfillment of all righteousness and the finding of acceptance with the peo...

  “ And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen .” Mark‬ ‭16:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If the events at the crucifixion weekend could be time-shifted to these days, the trending newsflash from Friday to the end of Saturday would vary, e.g., #TempleCurtailSplitting, #HorribleDarknessInTheSky, #JesusBledToDeath, etc. No one would have carried the miraculous redemption of one of the two thieves who was crucified along with Jesus, like #NarrowEscapeToParadise. Even the disciples that heard the news of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday didn’t believe until they had a personal encounter with the risen Lord. Thereafter, they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Likewise, the only difference between those who are consumed with the gospel of salvation from sin slavery is a personal encounter with the Lord. It is not enough to have an encounte...

  “ And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will .”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭14:36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ To those who may be inspired by the Gethsemane prayer hour, the concept of sweet hour of prayer is merely an encouragement; and not a sincere experience. The three associates to that throne of grace slept heavily throughout the session; and Jesus Himself wished the hour could pass quickly, so He can proceed to the Cross without the agony of bleeding the sweat of blood on a prayer altar. Notwithstanding, the prayer altar remains the source of strength for the weak Will in man against falling into the traps of the wicked wiles of the enemy. It is always not enough for children of God to wait patiently for the understanding of the Will of the Father. Doing the wise Will of the Father from the beginning to the end requires the strengthening of our weak Will (the flesh) consistently by a true prayer session. Therefore, ...

  “ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me .”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ High school knowledge of physics teaches the conversion of potential energy into different forms of useful energy; and the possible wastage arising from failure to coordinate focus on a simple conversion process. When the young man met with Jesus in relation of his concern for peace, joy, satisfaction, and the conversion of his riches and earthly achievements to eternal rest in heaven, Jesus revealed the basic principle of the simple conversion process to him and all His disciples: “ One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me ”. Invariably, everything we have in life (properties, privileges, and opportunities) are potential ...

  “ Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it .”” Mark‬ ‭10:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In kingdom business, carefulness about ‘what is up for grab’ versus ‘what is down to risk’ is more about the recipients’ status and state of mind than the Giver’s simplicity and sincerity. Little wonder Jesus started the sermon on the mount with ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ’. Unlike men and those who readily claim maturity or independence in knowledge, understanding, wealth of experience, and position of authority, little children are concerned about sincere answers to their honest questions (even when they mostly sound stupid) about every call for action or inaction. And there are always many questions about the kingdom of God on the minds of those who are truly poor in spirit. Unfortunately, as we grow older in status, an unholy seed of indifference with the horrible hardness of heart will begin to...