Heralds Digest

  “ Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes .” Psalms 119 : 67 , 71 NKJV In the words of the psalmist and almost all instruments of great usefulness in the hands of the Lord, ‘ afflicted’ in “ Before I was afflicted I went astray“ is synonymous to ‘ assisted’ . While God is never the author of the righteous’ affliction and adversity, the instrument is always relevant in divine parlance to align every believer’s perception and the pursuit of divine purpose. The earth and its multiple resources are fully loaded with great distractions to the extent that no one is capable of walking straight without the assistance of an instrument of affliction. Therefore, if all agents of affliction are useful instruments in the hands of our sovereign God, why should any beneficiary of this benevolence and divine insight cry foul in the theatre of affliction?  Not just for the psalmist and m...

  “ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” I Timothy 4 : 8 , 16 NKJV Two major characteristics of believers’ conduct can be summarized as manliness and godliness. While manliness is defined as “ we ought to obey men rather than God ”, godliness is defined as “ we ought to obey God rather than men ”; hypocrisy merely disguises sitting on the fence of manliness as godliness. Manliness or goodliness prides itself in the use of human intelligence,  political sagacity, and financial prowess to design and navigate the course of life’s actions and inaction, especially at the expense of obeying the counsels of the Lord. Unfortunately, the implication of manliness is always disobedience to God and most often than not, outright rebellion again...

  “ You are my portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Your words. I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.” Psalms 119 : 57 - 58 NKJV By reflecting on the downplay of strategy in the words of General Norman Schwarzkopf (the commander of the coalition forces of the Gulf War of 1991) on leadership, that “ Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy “, it becomes easier in retrospect to relate with the frustration of the princes in Jerusalem about Jeremiah’s devotion to the words of the Lord: “ Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm (Jeremiah 38 : 4 )””. Despite the fact that Jeremiah was heavily persecuted for sa...

  “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;” I Timothy 2 : 8 NKJV Holiness and honesty in a haughty and hostile environment are perfect definitions of quality-prone quietness that God desires from all His children: “ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy 2 : 3 - 4 )”. It is the type of quietness that invites the presence of God into all affairs of men. Whereas, protest against evil and unrighteousness with placards and picketing is usually the only safe haven for prayer-less Christians. It is like hand-twisting evil minds with strong hands. Meanwhile, an effective pulling down of strongholds is not possible without the lifting up of holy hands. Most often than not, believers’ holy hands are the Master’s battle axes and the weapons of warfare that God uses to bring down the strongholds of evil and wickedness; an...

  “ 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...