Heralds Digest

  “ Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully. ” II Kings 12 : 15 NKJV In human economy, the scorecards for faithfulness start with the commencement of big offices, assignments, and engagements; but God starts counting from the beginning of every man’s commissioning. For example, David waited approximately 15 years from the time he was first anointed by Samuel to the time he became king over Judah. It was another seven years before he was anointed king over all of Israel. Therefore, David waited for 22 years to become king of all Israel. Notwithstanding, God requires the faithfulness of David immediately after his anointing in the response to Goliath’s threat, patience with king Saul’s oppression, leadership in the wilderness, etc. If the stonecutters, carpenters, builders, and the temple repair workers in the days of king Jehoash were found faithful in their apparently inconseq...

  “ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.” Psalms 80 : 14 - 15 NKJV Vardyard visitation started at the garden of Eden. It is a fundamental fellowship of God, the Creator and Chief vineyard Keeper, with man - the created Being. But the fall of man changes everything…and the fallen vine was thrown outside to choose either to rot or receive the Keeper’s plan of redemption. And throughout the dispensations, spanning from Old Testament to New Testament, the story of vineyard visitation remains the only relevance of life’s reality and restoration from repudiation. And unlike the dread and death in the deceitfulness of riches, fame and worldliness, this vine has never survived without the worth, warmth, and wellness of the vineyard visitation. Notwithstanding, while the psalmist’s plea “ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts “ is a...

  “ Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! ” Psalms 80 : 7 NKJV Genuine salvation is the first work of grace and the fundamental foundation of every believer’s relationship with God. So, it is instructive to emphasize that grace remains God’s righteousness at Christ’s expense; and can never be equated with good religion at carnal expressions. Unfortunately, we struggle for the salvation of either self or associates with smartness and carnal expressions in several of life’s engagements, like parenting, pastoring, and partnership. Whereas, the work of grace cannot be handed over to the brilliance of reformation and eloquent instructions, with the attendant frustration on failures of scripture to produce the expected transformation of life. The problem is the absence of inspiration; for all scriptures must be given by the inspiration of the almighty God for the desired salvation to be experienced. Therefore, true disciples, Christian workers, l...

  “ But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome .”” Acts 23 : 11 NKJV John Bunyan’s allegory ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress ’ is probably a perfect reflection of Apostle Paul’s good cheer experience of every follower of Christ. The only problem is that what most people often see is incarceration, suffering, imprisonment, and affliction…not even gleam cheer. Whereas, the actual progress in all of life’s experiences and engagements is the consistent entertainment by God’s presence and appearances in believers’ moments of trials. Most often than not, these appearances of the Lord bring heavenly inspiration and revelation of eventful authorship, innovative creativity, and noble ideas for the good of humanity. Just as The Pilgrim’s Progress became a global map and a must-read literature for every Christian in the global world, Apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testamen...

  “ Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard .” Acts 22 : 14 - 15 NKJV Before Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus, his ‘worship Will ’ was acknowledged the best. Life is a compendium of different shapes and sizes of Will, including the (1) wicked Will, for those who are fully possessed by the devil and assigned for the extension of the kingdom of darkness; (2) worldly Will, for those who claimed deliverance from wicked Will but clearly committed to carnality rather than absolute submission to Christ; and (3) worship Will, for those who are religiously committed to serving God on their own terms, understanding, etc. And by the benefit of hindsight, Paul was a staunch disciple of the worship Will, prior to his encounter on the road to Damascus. Thereafter, the wholesome Will appeared with the rev...

  “ He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; From following the ewes that had young He brought him, To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. ” Psalms 78 : 70 - 72 NKJV Without a consistent inspiration of the Almighty God, the collaboration of an honest heart and hardworking hands will remain the greatest of life’s challenges. Even David, the chosen servant after God’s own heart, messed up the testimony of his honest heart with adultery in unguided hours. The reality is that an honest heart is not allowed to celebrate hardworking hands, with a loss of consecration to the inspiration of God. That was the unguided hours that led to the sin of David, save the mercy of God after his confession and forsake of the unrighteousness. Even today, honest heart and hardworking hands remain the two sides of a genuine collaboration coin. Un...

  “ But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20 : 24 NKJV The distinction between ministration and manipulation appears to be the differentiation of “who is moving?” from “what is being moved?”. When moveable men initiate movements, those who are moved by the immovable God are rather focussed on His mighty ministry and need no alarm. And like Elisha of old told the series of rudderless sons of the prophets “ Yes, I know; keep silent! ”, Apostle Paul’s “ But none of these things move me“ response to manipulating movements is inspiring. Just like Elisha focussed on the mighty ministry ahead of him and got the double portion of the auction to function in the room of Elijah, believers today can equally follow the footsteps of those who were determined to finish their race with joy, and the ministry which th...