Heralds Digest

  “ Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm .” I Timothy 1 : 5 - 7 NKJV “ That the law is not made for a righteous man ” presupposes the freedom of honest hearts from vices, unrighteousness and the general relational evils. Against the backdrop of the nuances from the dos and dons of the commandments, hearts that have genuinely experienced the grace of God are actually knitted in love, faith, honesty and humility. Whenever a supposedly redeemed heart struggles with the nuances of the dos and dons in this broken world, it should seek the refreshing dose of God’s grace rather than yielding to the cheap retaliatory gimmicks. And since honest hearts are principally holy, obedient, new natured, exceptional, sincere and truthful, they are simply unp...

  “ But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. ” II Thessalonians 3 : 13 - 14 NKJV Since the scriptures admonished elsewhere “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5 : 16 )”, it does suggest that ‘good works ’ are some special kind of fruits to be cultivated from a fallow ground of evil, wickedness, and darkness. If Apostle Paul could observe the discouraging impact of unruly brethren and bad influencers among the Thessalonians, believers in this age of social media influencers, celebrities, and political gurus can relate well with the challenges of holding up unto ‘good works ’ in today’s churches, assemblies, institutions, societies and homes. Growing good is like working in a field of thorns and walking barefooted on broken bottles. If we really and truly bel...

  “ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.” II Thessalonians 2 : 16 - 17 NKJV Considering the reality of an exchange of good hope by grace, life is filled with bad and unstable hope by race. As long as homes, life’s projects, institutions and societies are governed by unstable economics, insecure borders, and fragile health systems, hope in human abilities is bound to be equally shaky. How can the human hearts survive the threat in a race confronted by a system of conspiracy, corruption, and conflagration? While the Thessalonians have their own share of wicked confrontations and challenges, Apostle Paul’s prayer was focussed on divine intervention for good hopeful hearts. With the grace of God in the heart, there is no disturbance by the activities and actions of the enemies. For the counsels of the Lord are est...

  “ Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” II Thessalonians 1 : 11 - 12 NKJV When Apostle Paul said to the Philippians “ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death ( Philippians 3 : 10 )”, he makes ‘fellowship of His sufferings ’ appears like medals. Now to the Thessalonians, he is praying for them to have grace to pass the call and be worthy of the same ‘fellowship of His sufferings’ . Obviously, not everyone who is called is eventually counted worthy. Unfortunately, many believers would do everything including compromise to escape being counted. Whereas, persecutions at the centre of God’s calling are necessary working tools ...

   “ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5 : 7 - 8 , 16 - 18 NKJV Night is symbolic of a loss of consciousness; and agents of darkness often sedate their victims with unconsciousness to carry out their acts of evil and wickedness without restraint. Unfortunately, believers wilfully encourage self-sedation through worldliness and the pursuit of worldly riches. The night norms are simply the adoption of societal lifestyles, professional practices, and social relationships that are antithetical to divine inspiration. And the rule of the thumb is for believers to dissociate themselves from any association or engagement where prayer and consistent fellowship with God are discourag...

  “ Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.” Proverbs 24 : 27 NKJV Against life’s common desires for fast food, fun, friendship, and everything, proper foundation for a worthwhile project is mostly laid on solid grounds that require rigour and perseverance. “ Prepare your outside work“ is a symbolic expression for unfriendly navigation, wilderness experiences, and the frustrating challenges that represent the props for solid business development, friendly partnerships, fruitful marital relationships, and successful ministerial accomplishments. For example, the prosperity of Joseph in the palace of Egypt was built on the foundation of his pit expenditure among brethren, Potiphar’s household experience with a sex abuser, and prison’s exposure to the palace gatekeepers. If Joseph had not prepared to make honesty, humanity, and humility out of the pit and prison experiences, he wouldn’t have been ready to take up the responsib...

  “ And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” I Thessalonians 3 : 12 - 13 NKJV If the psalmist in the midst of his wilderness experience and affliction of life could pray “ With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! ( Psalms 119 : 10 )”, little wonder that Apostle Paul in his chains wasn’t burdened by his personal affliction. Therefore, the concern of holy hearts is singularly the abundance of love and fellowship with God and His holiness, and less and less of the care for convenience and comfort. Most often than not, the primary agenda of every desire for convenience and comfort in life is the compromise of the believer's relationship with God. Therefore, with every desire for pleasure and prosperity, there can be no wants for hurt...