Heralds Digest

  “ A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. ” Psalms 22 : 30 - 31   There is no doubt that the essence of all human relationships in life is fruitfulness and productivity. People readily sever unproductive and unfruitful relationships as detestable. Unfortunately, human judgement on almost all relationships, including partnerships, marriages, and collaborations, are always wrong with transient potency as fame fizzles, favour falls, and fashion fades. Needless to say that relationships built on falsehood do not always stand the test of time. But the story with every believer’s relationship with the words of God is different. Using the illustration in the parable of the sower, relationships built on the interaction of the word of God with open, sincere, and hungry hearts is always fruitful with ever abounding bounties. Whereas, wrong re...

  “ And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach ” Mark 3 : 13 - 14 NKJV These are the days when follower-ship of social media influencers are the reigning vibes. People now readily follow YouTubers, podcasters, music creators for hypes with high hypocrisy, makeup standards, and fake lifestyles. Unfortunately, these are the tales of fake followers who are nowadays called to man leadership positions in our homes, workplaces, institutions, and the large society, without the requisite dignity and character to arrest the twist and turns in our challenging world. Even in the ministry of the world’s best Leader Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot still fell into the ranks of these fake followers. Notwithstanding, the characteristics of faithful followers include (1) faithfulness to Christ’s call to follower-ship; (2) fondness in Christ’s camp for f...

  “ They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog .” Psalms 22 : 18 - 20   Although this prophetic proclamation of the psalmist expresses the neater nearness of God surrounding the suffering, crucifixion and death of Christ, it establishes the priority of believer’s focus on the nearness of God at all times. The normal nearness in life is bound to bring the mixture of anxiety, excitement, disorientation, and disorderliness. And those who want to specialize in creating orderliness out of the chaotic disposition of men with diverse interests have so much to wrestle with. Whereas, Jesus Christ demonstrated the secret of sanity in our chaotic world by starting each day in the presence of the Lord. Therefore, the orderliness of Heaven comes down with God to human’s disorderliness, when God is invited to come down...

  “ All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”” Psalms 22 : 7 - 8 NKJV While the psalmist’s encounter with faithless forces in the days of his wilderness experience was personal, it represented the general phenomenon for the expression of frustration at our faithlessness in God. It is a typical act of transferring aggression to the reachable others in our relationships, when actually we aim at complaining to a supposedly unreachable, uninterested, and unconcerned God. For example, when the Israelites in the wilderness with no water to drink cried out to Moses “ Give us water, that we may drink (Exodus 17 : 2 )”, Moses knew they were actually frustrated by the thought “ Is the Lord among us or not? (Exodus 17 : 7 )”. So, he was able to handle the faithless forces at Massah and Meribah. Unfortunately, Moses was stretched beyond his meek tolera...

  “ For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power. ” Psalms 21 : 11 - 13   While the love of God is demonstrated by the cross of Jesus Christ, His power is manifested by the resurrection of the Lord. Notwithstanding, even 2,000 years after the resurrection of Christ, the conspiracies against ‘He is risen! ’ have never subsided, as vividly demonstrated by the lifestyle of believers in the power of God’s grace. Although what the scriptures says concerning this grace is “ teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age ( Titus 2 : 12 )”, believers often make mockery of the power of God’s grace by dancing in unrighteousness with arrogance and pride. Meanwhile, even in the...

  “ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. ”” Exodus 14 : 13 - 14 NKJV Sweet submission to the Lord and His promises are words and opposite to the people’s stubborn stance and hardness of hearts. While the former is borne out of love for the Lord’s mighty hands, the latter is borne out of hatred for divine counsel. When the Lord told Moses and the Israelites “ Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so (Exodus 14 : 4)”, it was made so the Israelites may be convinced of their call to a sweet submission to the Lord. Unfortunately, and like many believers today, the Israelites couldn’t stand still with sweet s...

  “ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross. ”” Matthew 27 : 39 - 40 NKJV It is no longer news that the Passover story of the Israelites from Egypt presents the sacrifice of lambs, for “ when I see the blood, I will pass over you” . Just as the lamb without blemish must sacrifice its blood for the adopted household to escape the angel of destruction, Jesus Christ offered His blood on the cross of Calvary for the world who believes to escape eternal destruction. Unfortunately, on the day of the sacrifice, “ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!“ ”. Likewise today, sinners who passed by often blasphemed the Saviour, wagging their heads and bragging with their mouths saying, “ Save yourself! ”. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t respond...