Heralds Digest

  “ Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. ” Titus 3 : 1 , 8 , 14 NKJV The challenge before good citizens or workers on the disparity between subjection to rulers and authorities and submission to good works emphasizes the indispensability of scriptural recommendation as the best maintenance manual. Little wonder why God recommended the same Book of the Law to Joshua as his maintenance manual towards good success. This biblical principle of success underscores the indispensability of consistent fellowship between God and all good citizens or workers to maintain good works in life’s projects and all relationships. Unfortu...

  “ But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you .” Titus 2 : 1 , 15 NKJV If Titus had encountered the challenge of dismissive doctrines in his days of ministry, it is understandable why these challenges are high with professional practices, preaching and parenting in today’s perilous times. Notwithstanding, there is always the power of discreetness in the “ But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine” . Discreet doctrine does not come through the letters or oratorio declarations of the words; it comes through the demonstration of the power of the Spirit in the words. The receptiveness of the people to words of instruction, correction, and admonition from any man of God has always been proven to depend solely on his attentiveness to the God of the man in the place of prayer and supplication. Therefore, rather than getting distracted, disturbed, and d...

   “ Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end .” Psalms 119 : 111 - 112 NKJV If performance is driven only by perspiration, diligence, discipline and determination will suffice for career and professional progression. Unfortunately, those in the trade of any professional field for acquisition can attest to the pressure to join secret cults and get initiated before progression can be guaranteed. In the actual sense, anyone who fails to hide under the inspiration of the scriptures or God’s statutes will get exposed to the initiation of secret cults. Therefore, when the psalmist says “ Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever“ , it merely reveals the secret of scriptural inspiration as a reliable escape from performance pressure. Unlike performance pressure, inclining the heart to perform the instruction and commandment of the Lord is rather a p...

  “ Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” II Timothy 4 : 2 NKJV Life is full of sentences in season and out of season; and it is normal to expect seasoned and unseasoned responses of men to varying sentences, depending on personal assessment of convenience. But considering the fact that “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ( John 1 : 1 )” and Christ is the Word, it implies that Christians as well are expected to be the embodiment of the word in Christ’s season-less sentence. In a practical demonstration of himself as an embodiment of the season-sentence through suffering, Apostle Paul charged young Timothy and today’s believers “ Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching ”. While we are readily tempted to be distracted by the senses in our season and out of season affairs, believe...

  “ Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction .” Psalms 119 : 89 , 92 NKJV By reference to the experience of the psalmist, David’s affliction in the hands of his enemies can be regarded as the collection and conflagration of scattered sentences. Starting with the sentences of Goliath like “ Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field ! ( I Samuel 17 : 44)”, the counsel of Ahithophel to Absaloam “ Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king ( II Samuel 17 : 1 - 2 )”, and many other sentences that accompany his wilderness experiences, it is evident that life is a compendium of scattered sentences. These sentences primarily promote unsettled dispositions, like fe...

  “ This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” II Timothy 2 : 11 - 13 NKJV While the understanding of a righteous reign suggests the reality of unrighteous reign, the latter is transient, twisted, and tragic at the end. Mostly unattractively, righteous reign requires faith to endure pain, problems and persecution from the system of the prevailing culture and circumstances. From the tragic example of afar-following Peter, those who must follow facts and figures have no withholding order to the option of betrayal, compromise and denial of the truth. Whereas, “ For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him” requires an abiding faith in God’s promises, even if our call to His service implies the sacrifice of lives on the stakes. Unfortunately, those who choose unrighteous reign prefer to liv...

  “ Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ” II Timothy 1 : 6 - 7 NKJV While appreciating and celebrating the excellent achievements of men are commendable, adoring the gift of man often leads to the suppression of the gift of God. It takes an absolute faith in God for anyone to stir up the gift of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, especially in an environment surrounded by carnal achievers, frontline performers, etc. For example, Timothy would have been intimidated by the effrontery and opposition of Apostle Paul’s oppressors and persecutors to the extent he could no longer preach the gospel with conviction. When believers’ concerns about the state of affairs at home, workplaces and the society are expressed with ‘what else can we do? ’, it often shows that solace in the gift of men is overriding the soundness of th...