Heralds Digest

  “ Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. ” Luke 8 : 22 - 23 NKJV The divine instruction “ Let us cross over to the other side of the lake ” suggests the indispensability of a lake lane over which every life’s successful project must transverse to fully engage with all resources toward implementation and completion. Unfortunately, the activities within the lake lane often present intimidating obstacles and discouraging influences that turn the lake lane into burial grounds for the fearful. For the disciples on the ride with Jesus, the lake lane was overtaken by a windstorm that threatened the lives of the disciples. Since the divine instruction equally suggests that the real assignment is at the other side of the lake...

  “ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses .” Numbers 27 : 22 - 23 NKJV The transition from Moses to Joshua was smooth and seamless because Joshua has been prepared by the cultivating influence of the 40 years wilderness experiences. Walking past several moments of the Israelites’ murmuring and consequences, the challenges of invasions from the enemies and how Moses responded by receiving guidance and deliverance from the Lord, and numerous manifestations of God’s provision to the needs of the people. And where many of his contemporaries had failed, Joshua had stood firm on the promises of God to get into the land filled with milk and honey. So, when Moses “ took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation ”, he was already a soft soil for God’s sowing of His heaven...

  “ Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth .” Proverbs 8 : 14 - 16 NKJV Injustices in the world’s justice system are inherited from its wobbling wisdom. That’s why only a case with either the ability to produce evidence or the ingenuity to suppress evidence wins. Fortunately, this wobbling wisdom falls like a pack of cards before the winning wisdom from the Lord for those who truly have faith in God. While the wobbling wisdom thrives on horizontal knowledge from human intelligence gathering, the winning wisdom depends on vertical knowledge or divine revelation. Little wonder the scriptural digest for today says “ Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength “. Whenever God is sincerely allowed to step into the affairs of His beloved, injustices are dealt with decisively through His gracious manoeuvring of kings, rule...

  “ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. ”” Luke 7 : 22 - 23   The major source of discouragement in life and ministry is the misplacement of the value of the messages received from God with the vicissitudes of messes encountered in the world. For example, John’s discouragement by his incarceration in prison and eventual death for defending the truth made him doubt the messages he has affirmed by the Holy Spirit about Jesus Christ. Whereas, the right value of the messages in every believer’s ministry was given in Christ’s response “ Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard“ . Invariably, what John preached in his messages about Jesus was literally coming to manifestations; giving the supposed bedrock of believer’s confidence a...

  “ Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. ” Psalms 37 : 37 , 40 NKJV It is always logical for the human heart to accept the wise way as the path to peace, but No! The scriptures say that the path to peace is the wait way, i.e., waiting upon the Lord and His righteousness. To ‘Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright’ , the heart of the redeemed must be occupied by the WAIT way of the Lord: (1) His Word, to ensure consistent delights in God’s commandments; (2) His Assurance, to ensure contentment in the midst of confrontation; (3) His Integrity, to maintain the boldness to stand before God always in holiness and righteousness; and (4) His Truth, to remain blameless and upright always before the throne of grace. Unfortunately, the WISE way will never appreciate the WAIT way, because of its entanglemen...

  “ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. ” Psalms 37 : 23 - 24 NKJV The experience of Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor on divine guidance shows that the difference between sincere steps and strategic steps in life is the Saviour’s sun and shield. Strategic steps are readily guided by human intelligence, administrative manoeuvring, political sagacity, and financial muscles; and there would have been nothing wrong with these steps, if insincerity, insensitivity, and iniquities are not embedded as the strategic partners. For Balaam, he actually started well with the mindset of checking God’s consent with the proposed alliance with king Balak of Moab; and God responded with a sincere and straightforward ‘No’!. But when Balak threw in the gifts of riches and privileges from Balak in consideration, Balaam quickly switched from God’s sincere steps to his ow...

  “ Receive my instruction, and not silver, And knowledge rather than choice gold; For wisdom is better than rubies, And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her .” Proverbs 8 : 10 - 11 NKJV Life is made of human deals, including marriage, career, business, friendship, and relationships. Unfortunately, while almost all of the metrics (e.g., net worth, social media likes, political profiles, administrative power and privileges, etc) for desirable deals in life are fake, we are readily wired to make life’s decisions, commitments, and contributions on the basis of these empirical metrics. Little wonder why marriage covenants are usually treated like contracts that can readily hit the rocks when the metrics become unfavourable or wear the tag ‘irreconcilable differences ’. People get together in assemblies, work, public, and social relationships for the wrong reasons and in pursuits or actualization of desirable deals. Whereas, God calls us all into our every relatio...