Heralds Digest

  “ They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. ”  Psalms 106 : 13 - 15 NKJV One of the major sources of backsliding in human history is not challenge management, but it is often wealth management. When Israel was in bondage and under heavy servitude of Pharaoh, she would cry unto the Lord and wait patiently for the works of the Lord. Unfortunately, disobedience, murmuring and rebellion followed the moment after deliverance from Egypt. Likewise, wilful works and unwise strategies for resource management do readily characterize moments of freedom in life. People would probably relate freely with the scriptural reality “ They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel” . Whereas, the expected “ Wise Works ” are not “ Wilful Works ”,; but they consistently engage God and the understanding of His will in all ...

  “ It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.” Isaiah 10 : 27 NKJV Like the Assyrian yoke to the nation of Israel, references to the activities of yokes in life often represent the overwhelming attention of people who should have focussed on the sovereignty of God. Whenever we are burdened by the challenges of life, we become a mere toy or pawn in the hands of our oppressors and appraisers alike. Unfortunately, toys or pawns have no purpose and goals; and believers turned toys or pawns really do not believe in anything. Whereas, prayer does turn the Assyrian yoke to Yahweh yoke….that is the consciousness of the sovereignty of God or His anointing “ And the [Assyrian] yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil” …inspiring wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, might,  and the fear of the Lord. In every situation and circumsta...

  “ And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” II Corinthians 8 : 5 NKJV Gracious gifts are mostly adorable in the eyes of beneficiaries, but God appreciates the gifting grace better. Apostle Paul identified the gifting grace in the church at Macedonia and desired this grace from the Corinthians church because the beneficiary here is God. Every gift to man and an act of philanthropy, without a prior dedication of the heart to God, is mostly motivated by wicked motives or manipulation. Even when the intention is clear at the beginning, idle hands will definitely find themselves as the devil’s workshop for the fabrication of his wicked enterprises. Whereas, as the scriptures rightly posited,  “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him ( I Corinthians 2 : 9 )”. Therefore, the gifting grace is primarily motivated by his lov...

  “ Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands.” I saiah 5 : 11 - 12 NKJV The argument against wine or strong drinks is not about its usefulness; but it is all about the uselessness of its bearer. Those who are intoxicated by wine are truly rendered useless by their use of wine. Wine liquidates the human thought process, and the ability to appreciate the move of God “ But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands .” Unfortunately, whenever we ignore inspiration by the spirit of the Lord, it is merely natural to get intoxicated by our own use of wine or those seemingly useful provisions for human pleasure and preservation. Whereas, true believers are the wise wine in the hands of the Lo...

  “ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God .” II Corinthians 7 : 1 NKJV Every believer as the vineyard of the Lord is planted with great expectations of fruits, including love, kindness, and mercy. And in the absence of the polluting pressures from peers and partners, everyone promises to be full of performance. However, wishes are never horses and there are no provisions for beggars in our world. The pleasant plants of the Lord are made of pushers and not beggars. These are those who have backbones to withstand and pushback the polluting influences in their ecosystem. Meanwhile, genuine conversion and salvation by the grace of God comes with a measure of the spirit of God, for every believer’s comfort from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Unfortunately, many so-called believers do abuse the grace of God by their romance with the polluting influences from the so...

  “ Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!” Psalms 105 : 3 - 4 NKJV There is no doubt that the psalmist’s call to “ Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore! ” is directed to hard-to-find sincere seekers. In our competitive world and ever-advancing performance standards in business, academics, entertainment, and social lifestyles, it is becoming more and more difficult for anyone to seek and serve God without bowing down to the idols of performance. Notwithstanding, the secret of seeking God sincerely remains the emphasis on “ Glory in His holy name“. We cannot revere the glory in our personal pleasure, prosperity, promotion, and preservation, and escape the temptation to bow down to the gods of these performance standards. Whereas, when a sincere seeker glory only in God’s holy name, the beauty of His holiness becomes attracted to the gatekeepers of this world’s performanc...

  “ He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6 : 8 NKJV By reflecting on the fact that grace is the release of something good that someone else doesn’t deserve, while mercy is the withholding of something bad that someone else does deserve, it is easy to underscore why life’s purpose is built on mercy measures. God knows that what can be assigned as ‘good for man ’ is mercy measures and not grace measures, because man cannot give what he desperately needs himself. When we walk humbly and daily with the Lord in pursuit of His grace, it is only natural that this purposeful lifestyle creates an atmosphere of mercy within our social ecosystem. Unfortunately, merciless men are those who are readily distracted from living in pursuit of the indispensable grace of God in relationship with their fellow brethren. Whereas, the mercy measures are simply the evidence of a life where ...