Heralds Digest

  ” But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves .“ ‭‭Malachi‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ With reference to the revelation of the Lord in the book of Psalm as the Sun and Shield (Psalms 84:11), it is not far-fetched the revelation of Jesus Christ in the book of Malachi as the Sun of Righteousness. And with the understanding of healing in His wings, He is also no doubt our Shield for Restoration. The storms of life do not only threaten the emotional stability of man; they shake the foundation of believers’ faith in God. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand what the likes of Polycarp (AD70-156) did differently, compared with the three Hebrew children (Shedrach, Messach, and Abednego), to get burnt up at the age of 86 for his faith in God. Notwithstanding, “ But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings”… implies an accurate application of the pr...

  ” Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You .“ Psalms‬ ‭143‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Everyone knows that healthy and productive relationships are built on the pillar of trust. Whenever trust wears off in any relationship, there is almost nothing left on the workbench that is worth salvaging. And when the psalmist approached the Lord with the prayer “ Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning ”, he was solemnly approaching the presence of the Lord with deep understanding of His position as a trusted Testator. This mindset presupposes a sad reflection of his disappointing experiences with other relationships in the world. Captured vividly elsewhere, ” From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalms‬ ‭61‬:‭2‬). Outside the Rock of Ages are twisted testators, whose promises are unreliable and self-...

  ” For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen .“ Esther‬ ‭10‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ By reflecting and contrasting on the final advancement of Mordecai the Jew with the revelation of the eternal reign of Jesus Christ in Revelation 5:13 “ And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever !”“, it teaches that it pays to live for the true God instead of the pursuit of temporary throne. Like the Lamb of God who was slain, humiliated, and crucified on the rugged Cross for the sin of humanity, Mordecai had his moments of trials and travesties under the temporary reign of Haman for his faith in God against human worship. Unfortunately, the p...

  ”“ You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created .”“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without absolute faith in the prevalence of the will of God, man is bound to either live to worship the will of man or get totally crushed by the wile of man. The story of Haman and Mordecai of old in the kingdom of Ahasuerus gave a vivid picture of the avarice between the will of man and the will of God. Mordecai’s absolute faith in the God of heaven made him triumphant, existed, and created in agreement to the divine creation, even at the vintage of human plot for his extinction, and the annihilation of his people. Even today, all that the enemies of God’s people care about is the worship of their will; and the jettisoning of God’s counsels. But only those who can exercise their faith in God to stand against the calls to bow down and worship the pseudo gods in their lives can truly say “ You are worthy, O Lo...

  ” I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see .“ Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ A purpose-driven life is sometimes guided by counsel laden with risks to personal ambition for promotion, pleasure, and prosperity. While these are mostly correct counsels, those who are attracted to quick fame, fun, and frivolity are easy buyers of convenient counsels. That was the same mindset of Queen Esther in the palace of Ahasuerus until she was correctly counseled by Mordecai “ For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? ” ‭‭(Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬). While convenient counsels are focussed on personal interests, correct counsels a...

  ” I know that the Lord will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. “ Psalms‬ ‭140‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Most of the popular celebration and the offering of thanksgiving are targeted to honour the bravery and skilfulness of man, and not usually the glory of God. Unfortunately, this same mindset of a twisted thanksgiving is driving the motivation for more unrighteousness, betrayal, and dishonesty in human relationships in the family, social circles, and our societies. And when the wicked celebrates and offers his twisted thanksgiving, the righteous is tempted to often ask ‘why is the cause of the afflicted and the poor always the victim of twisted thanksgiving in this world?’ . But the psalmist here provides a different story from personal experience, with a valid evidence of triumphant thanksgiving. Besides, if the Lord maintained the cause of the afflicted Joseph, D...

  “ Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar .” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭30‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The privilege to enter into partnership with the Creator of heaven and earth is one of the greatest privileges any man can ever have. And this privilege is bestowed on any redeemed child of God, who is then called into a daily life of fellowship with God through His words. Of course, this privilege does not make the compelling interaction with the world through all its polluting influences and channels go away. Unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why there are many believers, who claim partnerships with God, and even acclaimed preachers of the words of God, add and subtract from the word of God through their words and lifestyles. But the scripture declares “ Every word of God is pure! ”. No matter the challenges of life, the compelling attacks from persecutors, and the competitive influences...