Heralds Digest

  ” But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.“ Psalms‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of my favourite topics in Technical Drawing (a high school subject) is called True Length; because it draws out the students’ world of imagination, rather than direct measurement. Just like true length is not rendered by what the eyes measure, but imagined out of the comparative study of other views, true trust cannot be measured by prevailing circumstances of life. The prevailing circumstances around the psalmist had been overwhelming, leading to consistent querying the theme ‘How Long…? ’. Unfortunately, many believers are tempted to shift their trust in God to bow down to the pressure to serve other gods in times of difficulties. Going by the experiences of the psalmist and many other patriarchs of faith, it is clear that no one can truly trust God with his head and what the senses can measure. Only ...

  ” The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever .“ Psalms‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬ The revelations during the reunion of the brothers of Joseph and himself in Egypt distinguish between the beauty of tried truth and the anguish of twisted tongue. Then the twisted tongues said to one another, “ We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us “ (‭‭Genesis‬ ‭42‬:‭21‬). Lies and deception do not truly have a protective cover from the reality that God is all-knowing and His judgement is inevitable. Unfortunately, those who engage in this fake protection often still seek its unreliable cover at the expense of the tried truth with bold faces. Whereas, Joseph’s experiences showed the undeniable victory in the tried truth, i.e., the revealed...

  ” Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him .“ ‭Genesis‬ ‭40‬:‭21‬, ‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Anyone can readily expect favour from man as the best remuneration for good works; but sometime, the absence of human favour can be the best favour from God. Unfortunately, in times of human disfavour, the heart of man can be easily cracked up with bitterness, discouragement, and all kinds of negative emotions. At any of such instances, human disfavour or mistreatment is readily blamed as being responsible for the eventual misfortune and a possible negative occurrence; but they are not ultimately responsible. The heart of man is always the architect of its own failure, by replacing the favour of God with human favour. Even while the butler forgot the goodness of Joseph, God was busy turning the human disfavour to His own favour through Pharaoh. Likewise, it was the same act of favou...

  ” Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “ Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The adage ‘the root of wealth is corrupt or all evil ’ simply agrees with the scripture that says ‘the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’ . It implies that there are tares in the treasure called money, riches, promotion, and prosperity to which believers must be wary of establishing relationships with. These treasures are simply currencies that must remain under our control; and never should they be allowed to control us. Unfortunately, there is a spirit that is resident in all worldly treasures that no carnal man can stand against, unless the man sincerely finds the tare-less treasure in Christ; and he completely surrenders to His lordship. In Christ’s parable of the tare-less treasure, He provides the evidence of every believer’s genuine relationship with the riches of s...

  ” Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams !”“ ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Considering the fact that the referendum to kill the dreams of Joseph was supported by the majority, believers can understand why the first prayer request in the Lord’s Prayer is ‘Let your kingdom come !’. Our depraved world is ridden by the tare of sin, unrighteousness, wickedness, and all kinds of evil. Even the redeemed of the Lord has to struggle daily to follow and keep the revealed dream from the Lord, as he grows among the tares within his sphere of influence. And when the world confidently say “ We shall see what will become of his dreams !”, what can believers do to keep the tareless territory alive? They should ask God intentionally for Joseph’s kind of grace when they pray “ Let your kingdom come! ”. Even in the world filled by tares, the kingdom of God supplies the grace and...

  ” But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. “ Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When Dinah the daughter of Jacob desired aimlessly to explore the land of Shechem, and then got defiled in the process, her ambition became the destructive delights of the people of Shechem. Even the whole land of Shechem wasn’t spared, as the destructive consequences led to the emigration of the Israelites from Shechem to Bethel. Likewise, we are all created for something higher and bigger than what we mostly would put in focus as a clear perspective. Unfortunately, no one can uncover the essence of his existence until a fruitful engagement with the Creator is pursued. We are easily distracted by the pursuit of higher living standards, esteemed social influences, and professional accomplishments, until the souls begi...

  ” For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly ;“ ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The reason why many people are skeptical about the rewards for following the path of righteousness is the deceptive dividends for cutting corners, the fun with worldly riches, and the fancy of fraudulent advancements. Smart intelligence and worldly wisdom play a significant role in almost all of today’s pursuit of political relevance, business development, and career advancement. Unfortunately, like Jacob of old adopted these shortcuts to supplant his brother Esau, our world and even many kingdom citizens have been bought over by the temporary rewards from this worldly wisdom. Thankfully, Jacob settled his score with God at Peniel and thereafter restituted his ways with Esau. It is important to note that there is no lasting and peaceful reward in unrighteousness and worldly wisdom. Ev...