Heralds Digest

  “ Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. ” Psalms 30 : 6 - 7 NKJV It isn’t a clueless coincidence that affluence and prosperity do not readily promote faith in God, compared to the way problems and the challenges of life do. Therefore, if faith in God grows with the mountain of problems in every believer’s life, it does implies that God often presents His faceless favour in life through the strength and arrogance of mountains. Otherwise, believers are tempted to be buzzy, proud, and self-conceited with promotions and prosperity, thinking they can do all things by their own intelligence and power. And by this positive perspective of seeing the mountain of problems as the faceless favour from God, believers often stay humble, grateful, and unperturbed in the face of adversity. Yes, it is always possible to be sincerely grateful for the activities of the enemies of ou...

  “ The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, And the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. ” Psalms 29 : 10 - 11 NKJV “ Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? ” is always the reality of life struggling with its apparently silent Lord in the midst of storms or floods. Unfortunately, we are readily distracted by the raging storms or flood and the bragging bullies, wailing ‘where is the Lord when calamities keep crawling in like captains? ’. Whereas, the peace of God and the peace with God enjoy the best of fellowship in the midst of storms or floods. The authority of the Lord’s peace is more profound at the centre of the flood, as peace is less valued in the absence of storms. Therefore, what the Lord gives to His children in the midst of their storms is more valuable, compared to what the enemies take away. And when the psalmist say “ The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His p...

  “ and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” ” Mark 11 : 2 - 3   Beyond the usefulness of the colt tied for Jesus’ triumphant ride to Jerusalem, freshness and fruitfulness in life and ministry are related to the relevance of being regularly tied up for cleanliness and currency before God. Life’s activities and associations are full of loads and garbage, requiring constant reset in God’s presence for purging. “ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work ( II Timothy 2 : 21 )” remains God’s verdict for believers today. Today is the beginning of a new day, new week, and new worship in God’s presence; and there is the possibili...

  “ And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ” Mark 10 : 36 - 38 NKJV For access to God’s promised glory in life and ministry, it is understandable why believers often prefer the Greek gift to the gracious gift. Patience mostly seems painful, rather than gainful. Here, James and John wanted the glamorous glory from their fellowship with Jesus; but they overstepped the requisite grace for an undeniable access. So, Jesus said to them, “ You do not know what you ask “; and we still do not readily know what life package or present to us as a Greek gift, attracting the sense of impatience. There is nothing wrong in the pursuit of glory in life, career, family, and ministry, but a sustainable glory alway...

  “ I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalms 27 : 13 - 14 NKJV One can only imagine the devastation in the psalmist’s reflections on the goodness of men, until “ unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living” reverberated. For example, what can anyone say about the goodness of Joab, the over-zealous commander of David’s army? In spite of Joab’s loyalty and dedication to David from his days of wandering in the wilderness to the moment of triumph on the throne, the goodness of Joab often create panic attacks and a betrayal of divine counsel, up to the outcry “ What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” ( II Samu...

  “ One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. ” Psalms 27 : 4 NKJV Full fraternity in our world of diverse interests is a recipe for boredom. Notwithstanding, the concept can be adopted loosely for addiction to vices to which subjects can never get enough. How about the psalmist’s desire to perpetually behold the beauty of the Lord…beautiful boredom, isn’t it? Obviously, to seek after full fraternity with the Lord is the whole sacrifice of self for the fullness of God’s holiness. A little more beholding of the beauty of the Lord through meditation in His words and the praise of His presence through prayer can be an endless pursuit. Why wait to get to heaven before experiencing the beautiful boredom of beholding the presence of God, when a full fraternity in fellowship is possible on earth? It comes with the wholesome dedication of onese...

  “ Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. ” Mark 9 : 5 - 6 NKJV The exclamation of Peter at the mount of transfiguration in the New Testament, and the experience of Moses with the overhanging clouds of glory at the tent of Tabernacle in the Old Testament, shows that the presence of God always comes with the realms of awe. Even today, when believers practice the presence of God in their relationships with people and their engagement with work assignments, the glory of God is made to hover and shine with greater amazement than the mundane glories of wealth, status and position. When Peter said to Jesus “ Rabbi, it is good for us to be here“ , he wasn’t courting the presence of Jesus because of His position as Rabbi. He knew so well how the status of Jesus as Rabbi does readily intimidate the scr...