Heralds Digest

  “ Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.” Amos 1 : 11 NKJV One of the greatest poison in human relationships is the lack of forgiving spirit and the holding on to past wrong doings. Unfortunately, forward movement is always impossible with backward looking. And while Jacob wrestled with God at Jabbok to obtain forgiveness for his past wrong doings and get turned to Israel, Esau kept the poison of the wrong doings to the generations of his children’s children and remained Edom. Little wonder while the children of Israel were on their way to the promised land, Edom was busy chasing shadows to cook up the wrath of God. Obviously, the only right wrath is the hating of sin to release the love of God upon sinners and backsliders. And since we all need soft heart and hard feet for the unlim...

  “ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows .” Jonah 1 : 15 - 16 NKJV It is highly instructive that the same life’s experiences that brought foolish fear out of Jonah made fruitful fear out of the mariners enroute Tarshish (needless to underscore the prompt repentance of the city of Nineveh). And like most people are perpetually devoted to running away from the presence of the Lord, Jonah’s foolish fear recommended (1) disobedience to the commandment of the Lord; (2) soliciting the assistance of the mariners to commit suicide; (3) annoyance with the extension of the mercy of God to Ninevah; and (4) soliciting the assistance of God to commit suicide. He was probably thinking “ What else can I do to get emphasis on the POWER of God (i.e., presence, obedience, will, enterprise, and righteousness) out of my affairs? ”. Whereas, God is everywhere...

  “ For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! ” Psalms 84 : 11 - 12 NKJV Gift can either be a bribe or blessing, depending on the source. No doubt, a bribe is a bad gift with the intention of manipulating the beneficiary into evil commits and disobedience against the counsel of God. Little wonder the scriptures say “ And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous ( Exodus 23 : 8 )”. If the soldiers that guarded the tomb of Jesus were quieted from the truth about His resurrection by the influence of bribe, needless to mention the cause of the destruction of Apostle Judas, who can ever escape the poison of bribe? Unfortunately, in moments of discomfort, disappointment, and discouragement, the heart of any man is vulnerable to the misleading counsels and manipulative controls. Fo...

  “ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. ” Psalms 84 : 4 - 5 NKJV King’s palace and the presidential Whitehouse are celebrated as places for fun and fair; but everyone knows that earthly power houses are usually not free from internal rancour and reckless strategies against the enemies. Clearly, power houses are not necessarily peace palaces, especially when their occupants are gracelessly intoxicated by the excesses of human achievements in the absence of the influence of grace. Therefore, the only peace palace in the whole wide world is the presence of God. And amazingly, there is no need for a physical commuting into this peace palace, as long as the heart is set on pilgrimage through prayer and meditation on the counsels of God. Even in the deepest of troubles from their makers and the weirdest of wickedness by their peddlers, there is always the sweete...

  “ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts. An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. ” Proverbs 17 : 3 - 4 NKJV The endless question in almost all of life’s challenging situations and circumstances as always is “ Why would God allow these injustices, oppression, wickedness, conspiracy and unfaithfulness? ”. The subjective responses to this question, depending on the variation of personal application, underscore the basis of many people’s life philosophy and disposition. But then, the singular response of the scriptures is “ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts “. Whatever the painful impacts of the refining pot of malice, hatred and wickedness or the furnace of injustice, physical attacks, racial profiling, and slander, God is always interested in the prospect of producing holy hearts. And while it is the calling of unholy hearts to engage in...

  “ Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth .” Psalms 83 : 16 - 18 NKJV Without a consistent lifestyle of grace and absolute submission to the Will of God through prayer, everyone is wired by nature to live in arrogance.  But for God to respond to Sennacherib of old “ ‘Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israe l ( II Kings 19 : 22 )”, Hezekiah had to intercede for Israel before God. Even today and like the prayer of the psalmist, praying men are needed in our homes, churches, institutions, and societies to bless arrogant stewards with shame. Otherwise, our human financial, material, and political achievements do readily hinder the reverence of God as the only “ O Lo...

  “ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. ” Acts 27 : 23 - 25 NKJV Since reporting is now made easier and faster in this digital age, it isn’t surprising why faith in God is failing readily even in the household of faith. Unfortunately, our enemies often use advances in communication and networking tools for greater manipulation of supposed believers in the promises of God. But like the experience of Paul amidst the dark nights of tempestuous storms on the sea of Euroclydon, the presence of God in the midst of every believer’s life challenges provides the most reliable report. Amidst the temptation to fall for the overwhelming threats of social insecurity, economic instability, medical health challenges, career difficul...