Heralds Digest

  “ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ” I Corinthians 9 : 26 - 27 NKJV Yesterday’s Paris 2024 Olympic events witnessed lots of medal winning and disqualification. So refreshing was a particular moment when Andre De Grasse of Canada finished the 400m x 4 men’s race in gold. The celebration by himself, the team, the Canadian runners across categories, and viewers was exhilarating because Andre has pursued medals in previous races all to no avail, including the 100m and 200m races. Also, it was all victory at last because his running in a race for gold for himself and Canada wasn’t in vain. Unfortunately, this joy and celebration will soon become obsolete as soon as the race for another Olympic begins; and likewise all earthly races for excellence and distinction. This makes the race for heaven and rig...

  “ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time— For strength and not for drunkenness! A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything .” Ecclesiastes 10 : 17 , 19 NKJV While it is true that the fear of wine is the beginning of freedom from intoxication, there is no doubt that wine truly makes the heart merry. The only problem is that the actual merriment is influenced by the brain or intelligence that regulates the provision and moderation of the services. This is simply leadership by positive influence or intelligence, rather than leadership for intoxication or incitement. When a leader becomes a great manager of resources and not a user of resources, or a producer and not a consumer, he will influence the citizens into a culture of productivity and creativity. And when the scriptures declare blessings on everyone whose princes, kings, presidents, ministers, managers, supervisors, and p...

  “ Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes .”” Ecclesiastes 7 : 29 NKJV Without any doubt, Solomon was uniquely blessed by God with the combination of wealth-measured success and knowledge-driven distinction. Therefore, he is qualified to declare the vanity of both metrics of success. In either of the different schemes towards excellence and distinction in life, human findings outside God have always lead every man into foolishness (Solomon inclusive). Like Solomon, life can present either the pursuit of material prosperity or the attainment of intellectual sagacity with its consequences of proud disposition and disobedience to the Creator. Little wonder, we have experienced dissatisfaction and emptiness in the accumulation of all these resources, which were originally created for full enjoyment of man. This is because the full findings in life are primarily focused on knowing God and His purpose for our existence. It impl...

  “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.” Proverbs 20 : 3 - 4 NKJV Anyone who has been to a quarry understands how easy it is to find stones for throwing at anyone and anything in the quarry. Therefore, the throwing of stones in a quarry is a no-brainer exercise or expenditure. But, unfortunately, many people’s lives and responses to its circumstances are symbolically locked up in a ‘quarrel quarry’ . Whereas, intelligence, innovation, and inquisitiveness have always driven the making of beautiful architectural structures out of stones from quarries. Through these precious expeditions, quantum quarry is exploited instead of quarrel quarry. Likewise, the ongoing incitement of citizenry and wanton protests across the landscapes could have been directed into innovative discoveries, if some people can deploy more resourcefulness than what any fool can ...

  “ Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, And teach out of Your law, That You may give him rest from the days of adversity, Until the pit is dug for the wicked. ” Psalms 94 : 12 - 13 NKJV The natural response to consistent adversity is a calculated aggression. Our world has been witnessing a series of aggression, conflicts, confrontations, and protests across different climates of economy and political landscapes of recent; and there is no assurance of rest to this inspired insurrection. But when the psalmist declares “ Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord “, it exposes the blessedness of an inspired instruction from God in the midst of this world’s inspired insurrection. This is the fundamental reason why it is absolutely impossible for anyone who is genuinely taught by the law of the Lord or inspired by His instructions to get inspired by insurrection or protests against the worldly system at the same time. Days of adversity, aggression, and agitation are liter...

  “ Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours? ”” II Chronicles 1 : 10 NKJV While God’s blessings on Solomon with wisdom and knowledge laid a solid foundation of the Jewish judicial system, it still underscores the principle of a fair or just justice system today. Corruption and injustices in the world’s legal system are major challenges across all jurisdictions, where the highest bidders can explore the vulnerability of judges and their desires for carnal compensation and unfair favouritism. It is instructive to know that conflict of interests in the outcome of any legal system can never breed justice. Therefore, Solomon wanted nothing more than what can guarantee God’s just justice is served within his monarchical system. “ Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but ...

  “ The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea. Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever. ” Psalms 93 : 3 - 5 NKJV Greatness has acceptable metrics on the basis of human responses to floods or the challenges of life. The French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, spoke about three orders of greatness, including (1) the superficial ‘physical greatness’ , which is measured on the basis of riches, strength, and beauty; (2) the second and higher level of greatness is the ‘intellectual greatness ’, which is measured on the basis of genius, science, and art; and (3) the third level of greatness is in the order of holiness. And by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the psalmist, we understand that only the third level of greatness - which is in the order of God’s gift of holiness - can withstand an...