Heralds Digest

  ” And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village .“ Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭54‬-‭56‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ As demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of Easter is definitely the spirit of forgiveness and the sharing of love. While on His way to Jerusalem to consummate the love of God for humanity, the disciples John and James had adjourned Jesus to permit the release of their vengeful spirit over the reluctant Samaritans. Little wonder, before this time, they had been pursuing a selfish demand for power and position in the kingdom of God with little or no reference to the plight of other disciples. So, when Jesus responded “ You do not know what manner of spirit you are of ”, it confirms ...

  ” Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me .“ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Another Easter weekend is approaching, especially with an exciting Retreat opportunity to reflect on believers’ perfect possession. Notwithstanding, the desire to follow Jesus does not rule out the desires for perfect jobs, perfect homes, perfect careers, perfect positions, perfect living standards, etc. Even at the Retreat ground, perfectionists are likely to be distracted by their obsession for a change in their status and conditions of living, instead of focussing on the sufficiency of Christ. Whereas, Jesus is every believer’s perfect possession. That’s why He told and still telling His disciples “ If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me ”. Focussing on the sufficiency of Jesus means all other insufficiency in believer’s life, home, career, position, and living...

  ” He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is a common denominator in loyalty and trust. They both attract follower-ship. While loyalty is driven by the achievements of celebrities, irrespective of the quality or the source of their achievement, trust is driven by convincing evidence of honesty and integrity. Particularly, and as evident in the follower-ship of Jesus Christ, true trust begets trust. And as widely reported, of all the people who have ever lived, Jesus Christ has the highest number of followers. Whereas, loyalty to follower-ship will falter in the face of challenges and the season of difficulty. Little wonder, mistrust in the family, workplace relationships, and social circles feeds on dishonesty, fear, and lies, regardless of any previous hype in a...

  ” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The response of Jesus to those who expected the cancellation of His preaching engagement for family relationships does not teach disobedience to parents. Rather, the statement teaches the combined sensitivity to the words of God and sincerity in doing His commandments as the guideline for enforcing right relationships out of all believers’ lifestyles and engagements. This sacred guideline is the antidote to the fear of man; and its consequent call to unrighteousness and sin. The fear of man brings torment, but the fear of God cancels out the fear of man. Unfortunately, when the hearts of men are plagued by the fear of man, they cannot hear the word of God; needless to think of doing it. Whereas, every believer in God is expected to extend his intimate relationship with God to all his work, family, and social relationships, including the isolation o...

  ” Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him. ” Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Humility does not only enhance the art of asking God, it does also improve the skill of receiving from God. The combined art of asking and receiving builds on believers’ careful attention to the word of God. In the parable of the Sower, we learnt that God is always generous with the spreading of His words to all categories of hearts, including wayside, stony, thorny, and humble hearts. Likewise, in all kinds of human relationships, the word of God often struggles with diverse interests in association with the society, community of friends, work associates, and family members. Unfortunately, only those who place the highest premium and attention to the word of God can allow this word to bring forth the desirable fruits. Right from the beginning of creation, words from all these conflicting sources hav...

  ”I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries.“ Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬, ‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Considering the fact that wisdom is personified here, it is easy to ask the question ‘Is wisdom God?’. Wisdom comes from God and not God. Notwithstanding, true wisdom does not generate wealth; but rather, it inherits wealth. While worldly wisdom prides itself in the generation of wealth through the use of material knowledge and human networking, this true and wealthy wisdom prides itself in spiritual knowledge, divine inspiration and discretion. Above the privileges endowed by our academic, political, and professional pursuits, it is expedient for every man with interest in the unliquidated wealth to desire superior and intimate relationship with God. Rather than pursuing wealth, which always comes with the undeniable invitation to wickedness, sin, and all forms of unrighteousness, the...

  ” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me .”“ Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If there is one thing that is profound with troubles and the challenges of life, it is the asking of difficult questions. Where is God in all of these? Why did God allow this thing to happen to me? Did God really care about my commitment to His service? A lot of people have backslidden and lost their faith or confidence in the Lord because of His supposed omission offence. And by using the experience of the offended John the Baptist, Jesus is apparently saying ‘We must focus on the commission calls to overcome the omission offences ”. The ultimate calls of God around believers are directed to the salvation of the whole world; and these calls are more important for individua...