Heralds Digest

  “ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful .”  James‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Oftentimes, we wear disappointment on the call to suffering and patience on our sleeve. Developing faith in God and delay in obtaining deliverance from life’s challenges do not always seem to provide an acceptable explanation of a good, merciful, and compassionate God. Notwithstanding, the scriptural admonition here is “ My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience “. It implies that anyone who cares to ultimately speak in the name of the Lord or operate in the realm of faith must be willing to enroll in the school of suffering and patience. Suffering and patience create a channel that blocks out all interf...

  “ T herefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ” ‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the scriptures say “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked ”, Albert Einstein appears to capture the essence when he said ‘I do not fear the explosive power of the atom bomb. What I fear is the explosive power of evil in the human heart ’. The demon or the ‘D’ in evil is the devil, who superintendent evil through his agents. And since they operate on the ego of the human flesh or the pride of life, their ravaging storms of pleasure spread freely through the influence of peer-pressure towards popularity, prosperity, and possessions. Unfortunately, hardened hearts feed more frequently or easily on the frequency of today’s digital and social platforms, compared with the boring invitations to the lifestyle of sobriety and humility....

  “ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. ” James‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The difference between self-seeking and system-seeking is not the absence of wisdom at all, but the presence of weird wisdom. Of course, meekness is distasteful to the concept of self-seeking in all of human relationships. Whereas, God’s love teaches believers the opposite of the weirdness of wisdom, which is self-sacrificing to promote the glory of God. And where there is agitation for self-centred rights, there cannot be the want of envy, bitterness, and the manipulation of lies in the name of smartness and diplomacy. Unfortunately, we cannot hope to have the best of the world’s evil merchandise and the best of heaven’s riches and righteousness at the same time. Therefore, those who care to retain the presence of God must place...

  “ As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. ” Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The gathering of scattered sheep remains the primary responsibility of Christian workers. But while the primary responsibility is not prioritized, we are easily engaged to advance the scattering agenda of the enemies of God. When workers seek first the matters for stomach infrastructure and societal relevance, the words of hope and spiritual awakening are left unfetched from the throne of grace. This is the dilemma of prayerless and powerless Christians, who cling to the relevance of the office as the Shepherd without the requisite commitment to the responsibilities of soul-winning and spiritual refreshments. Whereas, there are scattered sheep all around the corners of the shepherd who is willing to seek out the flock of the Lord. When the Lord promised “ so...

  “ Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain ”. Psalms‬ ‭127‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The construction responsibility of a solid building structure is readily delegated to the reliable selection of building consultants and contractors. Notwithstanding, all building contracts will still carry the force majeure clause to indemnify against the unforeseen ‘act of GOD ’. It implies that, even in the management of physical, structural, and material projects in our world, we need the blessing of God against accidents. Needless to mention that the physiological development of every human being into the intended manifestation of dreams represents a house to be left under the supervision of God. Based on the personal experience of the psalmist towards his making of a prosperous king in Israel, any wise person can use his principle of success in professional, ministerial, family, social, and business life. It is a...

  “ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The sacrifice of praise to God is only complete in a warm service fellowship or communion within the community. Interestingly, while every human being belongs to and interconnected with another through many fellowships, including church, family, workplace, neighborhood, institutional alumni, social, etc, he is readily tempted to promote racism, partiality, discrimination, and the services of nepotism better than the desirable sacrifice of praise to God. The sacrifice of praise to God is just exactly what it is; the sacrifice of treasure, talent, and time to trust the purpose of God in the lives of others; endeared to everyone by virtue of fellowship. When we open wide our doors to the community through fellowship, and break the...

  “ Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him .” Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The universal law of sowing and reaping is conditionally valid, depending on the readiness of the soil. Uncultivated and fallow ground require additional labour on plowing, sometimes with tears and weeping responses to the apparent instances of unfruitfulness, discouragement, and disparagement. The reality of unproductive engagements in life underscores the irresponsive disposition of many sowers in the field of evangelism, entrepreneurship, and establishment. These realists will readily drop the fight in the face of opposing giants and intimidation. Obviously, without the inspiration by another spirit like that of Caleb of old, there can never be an account of  “ He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing ”. Conversely, the seed for continuous ...