Heralds Digest

  “ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4 : 6 , 10 NKJV When the scriptures speak about the heart of man as the source of the explosive evil in our world, it decimated all human combats and peace accords against the power of evils. As Albert Einstein once said, ‘I do not fear the explosive power of the atom bomb. What I fear is the explosive power of evil in the human heart.' Unfortunately, pride and unwillingness to submit under the power of God often make believers to champion the course of evil in our homes, workplaces, institutions, and societies. Whereas, what we all need on a daily basis is more grace to be humble; and evil will be completely stamped out from all circles within our sphere of influence. Whenever we get subdued by evil, we make mistakes with our assumptions, suspicions, and accusations; but when more grace comes with ...

  “ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace .” James 3 : 17 - 18 NKJV Wise works are usually misrepresented as proud works until they are proven otherwise. This is because carnal wisdom does nothing better than self-projection and image laundering, through the building of personal profiles by breaking down peaceful participation. Whereas, the actual wise works do exactly the opposite of the deliverables of carnal wisdom. Truth be told, there is no way the true wise works can operate with purity, peace, gentleness, submission, mercy, and goodness in our polluted world, without the divine connection of the heart of man and the spirit of God. Little wonders why our works and social interactions are readily polluted by envy, malice, and wickedness, whenever the heart is left to take care of...

  “ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord .” Psalms 128 : 3 - 4 NKJV By mere reflection over the functional fear of performance, one can hardly help trembling over the daily challenge with the daily meal plan during every frequent season of being away from home. And while the meal plan is really the least of life’s myriad of functional fears at home, workplaces, and societies, the reasons behind the insecurity, insanity, and inadequacies in our world are not far fetched. Thankfully, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, wholesomeness, and worthiness. With this godly fear, decency, discipline and discretion at home, workplaces, the society and life’s daily engagements are no longer heavily dependent on man’s performances, but on God’s promises and providence. Thoughtfully, the only fruitful fear in our world of functional fe...

  “.. knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing .” James 1 : 3 - 4 NKJV Just as the difference between a producing economy and its consuming counterpart requires patience and perseverance, a believer's faith in the promises of God requires patience as a vital ingredient. While pressure puts men and their mercenaries in action, patience in any man relies absolutely on God and relays God’s reliance in man. In the school of patience, the hearts are blessed with wisdom, faith, righteousness, and the deeper revelations on the subject matter. Unfortunately, a deceived heart often thinks that patience implies indolence and the absence of intelligence. Like Gehazi, those who have ever dropped out of the school of patience have always fallen from grace into the grave with leprosy, lukewarmness, and looseness. But with the productive patience comes the perfect work of grace, where...

  “ Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds ” Proverbs 27 : 23 NKJV A focus with self-centred assessment on personal welfare, sense of belonging, and social development often contributes to the problem of insecurity, underdevelopment, and instability in the state. Unfortunately, human beings are naturally selfish; but there cannot be a flourishing community without a conscious devotion to pastoral partnership. Little wonders, the scriptures admonish every member of any community to “ Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds ”. A pastoral mindset to fellowship and partnership will always treat personal needs as secondary, while primarily focusing on assessing the needs of the community, institution, and state. While the risks in this selfless disposition is daunting, there are enormous benefits to the state (including personal needs) at the end, like sustainability, security, and sufficiencies. After all, a diligent focu...

  “ Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. ” Psalms 126 : 5 - 6 NKJV The expectation of most sowers is speedy satisfaction on every sowing expedition, but life sometimes does happen to the act of seed sowing. Life is usually like a FEAST service, composed of diverse shapes of unpleasant fellowship, unmerited experiences, unattractive assignments, uninspiring statutes, and unwarranted tribulations. But those who are called according to God’s purpose know that all sowers in tears shall end up as reapers in joy. Therefore, this great expectation invites believers into the atmosphere of pleasant fellowship, meritorious experience, attractive assignments, inspiring statutes, and warranted tribulations with rejoicing. The act of sincere satisfaction in all of life’s experiences promotes a continuous service of sowers in tears, even in the seeming...

  “ As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity. ” Psalms 125 : 2 - 3 NKJV The natural instinct for everyone is to quack in front of mountains, especially the intimidating ones. For example, the mountains of sickness, financial crises, professional failures, economic instability, and social insecurity create fear and loss of confidence in the promises of the Lord. Invariably, whenever we are surrounded by mountains, the tendency for all of God’s people is to completely forget that they are equally surrounded by the mover of mountains. Therefore, we need to constantly be reminded like the psalmist that “ As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people From this time forth and forever “. Guess what? While our God is immovable and His promises are irrevocable, believ...