Heralds Digest

  “ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ” John 5 : 6 , 15 NKJV Wellness experts are expected to be knowledgeable in the area of practice. When a medical consultant meets a sick man with the question “ Do you want to be made well?”, it is almost certain the expected sense of hope for healing and restoration. However, the expectation will naturally be different if the question is raised by a carpenter. Likewise, when Jesus asked the impotent man “ Do you want to be made well?”, the man had to vent out the frustration about his failed hope in the acknowledged wellness way. Life is filled with numerous frustrations and disappointments about the wellness way, including several changes to medication that will not take away our sickness and pains, frequent changes to project and business strategies that ...

  “ In God (I will praise His word), In the Lord (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Psalms 56 : 10 - 11 NKJV Oftentimes, the story of deliverance is limited to news of freedom from oppression, bondage, and wickedness. More often than not, God allows believers’ passage through the valley of the shadow of death for branding, through faith in the revealed words of the Lord. The words of the Lord (either through scriptural revelation, flash of the words of wisdom, inspirational dreams, etc) are precious, especially in lonely hours and in moments surrounded by the words or ways of threat from the enemies. When the psalmist says “ I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”, it speaks more of an experience of standing on the infallibility of the words of the Lord in the midst of the madness of man; and not really the mindfulness of man. And it is those who merely seek deliverance from the Lord (and not the privi...

  “ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. ”” John 4 : 23 - 24 NKJV While every Sunday worship service offers worshippers with the privilege of starting a New Week with the understanding of God’s purpose for the week, most worshippers often do not see beyond the calibration of sermons, singing, and substances. It is this sense of calibration that lead many people who move from mountains to mountains in search of prophetic pronouncements without any evidence of heart transformation. When the woman of Samaria finally met Jesus, she became capable of seeing beyond the superiority of the well of Jacob and denominational segregation. And like she later exclaimed, worthwhile worship always leaves the true worshippers with a better understanding of God’s purposes in personal life, family life, and mi...

  “ Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55 : 22 NKJV It is not an overstatement that the work of our hands, the quality of networks we keep, and the friendliness of the societies we belong to can be a reliable shield against oppression and invasion in the family, workplace, and the society. No doubt, people join the different cults and available secret societies because of this concept of shield against economic, emotional, and social bullies. Unfortunately, the embodiment of man-made shields is unsustainable in the light of the advances in knowledge, and the burden of change in our ever-growing world. For example, if we build our shield on financial resources, we will get moved when these resources are threatened by change in government policies, change in the financial market driven by moneybags and competitors, etc. Whereas, when the righteous cast the financial burden (and all burdens for that matt...

  “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3 : 16 NKJV The love of God does not only teach that the greatest gift is love, it admonishes that there is no love without sacrifice. The so much love of God translates to the so much sacrifice of His only begotten Son. It implies that the greatest gift is the sacrifice of the best ever possession without reservation. It is a risk of the greatest proposition for anyone to dream of presenting the greatest gift to salvage an undesirable relationship. Unfortunately, skilful men in their self-centredness and abuse of love would prefer to sacrifice other people’s possessions to demonstrate some kinds of gifts. Since these Greek’s gifts are rooted in wickedness and unrighteousness, they are not the same as the demonstration of the love of God. Whereas, these Greek gifts only lead their recipients into slavery and shame rather than freedom a...

  “ For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah” Psalms 54 : 3 NKJV God’s surprises are not restricted to the salvation and deliverance of His beloved from the enemies’ danger and destructive plots, they are always overwhelming to the camp of the enemy. That is why the scriptural digest for the day describes the enemies and oppressors of David as strangers. By contemplating on the strength and position of king Saul, the Ziphites who were children of Israel from the same tribe of Judah couldn’t have been referred to as strangers on the basis of physical, tribal, or blood relations. They became strangers because “ They have not set God before them. Selah” . God is always full of surprises; but only those who are undistracted from His promises and faithfulness can refuse the temptation of being turned into strangers by the enemies’ manipulation and deception. For example, the children of Israel took a 7-d...

  “ The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.” Proverbs 11 : 3 , 5 - 6 NKJV In organized clime and performance-driven establishments, there are reliable metrics for policy guidance, distribution of remuneration, and recognition of services. Even in our society, leaders emerge mostly through systems regulated by the people’s consciousness and commendation of variable metrics. Therefore, it is understandable when and why people engage in rat race at home, institutions, workplaces, and our communities. Unfortunately, this legitimate rat race often produces costly blind spots on integrity, uprightness, and righteousness. When we aim for remuneration and recognition at the expense of righteousness, the return is alwa...