Heralds Digest

  “ Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant. Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. ” Psalms 86 : 16 - 17 NKJV It is a lame ideology for anyone to attempt the show of life with just his physical strength. When bullies strike, they understand their checks and bounds. Otherwise, they get easily run down, disgraced and disregarded by stronger bullies. But when prophet Amos responded to his bully in the veil of priest Amaziah “ I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel (Amos 7 : 14 - 15 )”, he attested to the authority behind his mandate. Unfortunately, most bullies are often too proud to recognize the stronger strength in the almighty God, even when the mercy...

  “ Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. ” Amos 5 : 23 - 24 NKJV If justification before God is achievable by works, there can be no doubt in the expectation of sanity in hell than in heaven. With the countless robbery in this world’s justice system with bags of money,  position influence, and the shunting lifestyle by the status of men, smart and influential people would be readily prepared to bribe God with sacrifices of works and donations, leaving the truly righteous people begging for space. Thankfully, the just has lived and shall live by faith in God alone, leaving the truly righteous child of God with his pursuit of righteousness by the grace of God. Even when injustices extend like a pendulum on a free fall in this world’s system of administration and adjudication, God’s justice system remains juicy for those who choose to l...

  “ Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy? ” Amos 3 : 7 - 8 NKJV From times immemorial, fainting fist or the lack of forthrightness has never been based on the loss of physical strength. Fainting fist is mostly due to discouragement and emotional disturbances. Particularly, as regards consistent confidence in the promises of God, we often see our physical constraints, financial incapabilities, and social instabilities more than the sovereignty, omnipotence, and the infallibility of God. Whereas, whatever is truly revealed by God stands the test of time, twists, threats and turns, in spite of any man’s fainting fist. Unfortunately, the human brain is wired to respond to the five senses (taste, smell, hear, touch, and sight) more than to the divine callout of God’s saints with faithful fists. Little wonder, His two rhetorical questions to prophe...

  “ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. ” Romans 2 : 28 - 29 NKJV “ My son, give me your heart, And let your eyes observe my ways (Proverbs 23 : 26 )” implies the Father’s understanding that the feet cannot be hard if the heart is not soft. The circumcision of the flesh, leaving the heart untouched, makes anyone merely religious and rebellious against the commandments of the Lord. But when the heart is truly circumcised, it becomes responsive to the Spirit of God, sensitive to the commandments of God, and very hostile to the ways of the world and all forms of unrighteousness. Unfortunately, many religious people prefer the practice of humility or loyalty to the plight of worldly influencers, political godfathers, and business or project financiers, at the expense of a ...

  “ So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish .”” Jonah 1 : 6 NKJV Like Jonah did, ignorance of the permanent presence or omnipresence of God is the cause of man’s slipping away or sleeping off from the inescapable reality. Whereas, the permanent presence of God was dominant throughout the ordeals in the Book of Jonah, including the voyage from Joppa to Tarshish, the ride in the belly of the whale, the speedy commute from the dry seaport to Ninevah, and the eventual delivery of the news in Ninevah. Unfortunately, whenever we engage in our sleepy escapades, even sinners and aliens to the commonwealth of mercy often cry out “ What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God “, because everyone gets severely punished for all wrongs against the permanent presence of God. Whereas, just the understanding and practice of the permanent presence of God is sufficient to li...

  “ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly .” Psalms 84 : 10 - 11 For His preference to be a doorkeeper in the house of God, everyone knows that David has a mastery of the dividends from the wiles of wicked ways. Unfortunately, for many people, the back doors have sufficient handouts to live by. Truthfully, the back door has the throne without trust for king Saul; it has the position without peace for Ahithophel; and it has the money without the mercy of God for Judas Iscariot. Whereas, the waiting way is mostly lonely; because it is plied only by those who are comfortable with the strength of the Lord. Although a doorkeeper in God’s house is tendered a humble position, it offers the understanding of secrets to true prosperity, promotion, and ...

  “ How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah” Psalms 84 : 1 , 4 NKJV Before the depravity of sin, the only and satisfactory inheritance of the human race is an intimate relationship with God. And while man struggles with sin and God’s plan of redemption, the only reliable measure of satisfaction with God’s inheritance is still the establishment of right relationship with God. Of course, there is no resting place in human pursuit of material riches, worldly positions, and social status. The litmus test for a wrong relationship with these achievements is the lack of satisfaction within the hearts of their bearers. And like Martin Luther discovered, right relationship with God, which leads to right relationships with others, is a gift made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Little wonder in Apostle Paul’s reference to this amazing inheritance, “ Through Him we have r...