Heralds Digest

  “ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. ” Romans 11 : 33 , 36 NKJV There is no doubt about the fact that advances and innovation rule our world; and these advances in knowledge phenomenon is the will of God. Unfortunately, great discovery of men often leads men away from the deep discovery, i.e., the knowledge of God. How come advances in knowledge readily lead men into cultism, secret cults, sorcery, and the possession of familiar spirits? Little wonder that the sacrifices required for our deep discovery of the wisdom and knowledge of God are our lively lifestyles, humble holiness, and notable newness before the Lord. For example, the discovery of space shuttle has enabled extraterrestrial transportation, but it hasn’t delivered the hearts of men from their depression and disappointment; and the d...

  “ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested .” I Chronicles 4 : 10 NKJV Reflecting on why Jabez passionately requested the helping hands of God, it was observed that he could no longer cope with both his hurtful existence and the hurt from the supposed helping hands of his mother and brethren. No doubt, the painful experiences from Jabez life existence made the mother christened him ‘sorrow’ , apparently to warn many of his few associates and save them from preventable damages. Thankfully, Jabez never took these ugly reactions from family and friends personal…because he knew the source of the true helping hands. Many times, when we mourn only over the pains caused on us by our associates and acquaintances, we are totally oblivious of the pains from our existence and the embarra...

  “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” ” Romans 10 : 15 - 16 NKJV It is no longer news that the good news is not limited to the speaking of great words, but rather includes the spreading of good feet. The preaching of the gospel of peace is enshrined in the practicing of the lifestyle of peace in the neighborhood, workplaces, and in the society. It is natural for sinful men and rebellious sinners to scorn the evangelist’s great words. But those who truly carry good gifts are not deterred by the people’s opposition to great words; because good feet are recognized by their commitment to the preaching of peace, even in troublous circumstances. And since the good gift is all about the presentation of the Prince of peace, the revelation of the beautiful ...

  “ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.” Psalms 89 : 14 - 15 NKJV One of the best ways of sustaining the memory of a relationship is the establishment of a foundation. Even with memory screwed by unfruitfulness and injustice, people nowadays have developed the penchant for deception by violating the scriptural injunction “ If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?” ( Psalms 11 : 3 ). Notwithstanding, the foundation that is truly free from deception and manipulation has a self-sustaining legacy. It is the one favoured by the Almighty God for righteousness and justice. When the heart of man is blessed by God’s righteousness at Christ’s expense, it becomes a pleasant source of goodness, mercy, and truth to people within its sphere of influence. Unfortunately, besides Christ the solid Rock, there is n...

  “ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. ” Romans 9 : 16 , 18 NKJV The subject of predestination appears to be a thorny scriptural revelation because of human preference on the divine offer of mercy. When the scriptures say “ He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy ( Proverbs 28 : 13 ), it implies that mercy is everyone’s preferred predestination. Since the choice to confess and forsake our sins and all forms of unrighteousness is an irrevocable gift of creation, God’s mercy becomes subject first to human preference and then to God’s predestination. Notwithstanding, it is natural for the flesh to boast of its ability to will and the agility to run, by exploring the divine gift as a free moral agent. But the mercy of God is only accessible by those who choose to lay down their will on the altar of God’s pu...

  “ For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. ” Psalms 89 : 6 - 8 NKJV It is always true that much familiarity and unpleasant romance with the activities of mighty men do readily destroy the confidence of believers in the excellency of the Almighty God. Consequently, we abrogate our hope and faith in God’s promises in the face of problems and wilderness experiences, thinking where is the love of God in the midst of these compelling looseness? Whereas, believers’ unpleasant exchanges are the best theatre for the unveiling of God’s excelling exploits…the compelling callout into divine fellowship through groaning. And with the psalmist, these endless callouts with rhetorical questions around looseness and failure ...

  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8 : 14 NKJV Literally, it is understandable to expect that the opposite of sons of God is enemies of God. However, scripturally, there are categories in the opposite of sons of God, including spectators of God, stubborns of God, and sinister of God. The only yardstick that distinguishes sons of God from these categories of opposites is the outright leading of the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, spectators of God are readily present in the assemblies of God’s people and consistently open to the discharge of God’s words and commandments; but they are sometimes painfully deprived of the grace to stay under the leading of the Spirit of God. And while the stubborns of God and the sinister of God share the common denominator of scorning the leading of the Spirit of God, the stubborns are proudly deprived of the spirit-leading grace and the sinister of God are purposefully deprived. Whereas, sons of God are co...