Heralds Digest

  “ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it .” Matthew 13 : 45 - 46 KJV Life is definitely a puzzle filled with pearls; and without purpose, priorities on the pursuit of these pearls are readily misappropriated. And since Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to the pursuit of one pearl of great price, it implies that without a guided focus on the kingdom of heaven, earthly agenda and its deceitfulness can easily rob anyone of the required dedication on the pursuit of the pearl of great price or heaven. Inspired by the character Joseph in the Old Testament, Joseph’s relationship with God was his pearl of great price. And for this, he traded fleshly pleasure with Potiphar’s wife, rightly deemed as great wickedness against God. Little wonder, he could relate with earthly circumstances and challenges without losing his precious pearl or the abiding pr...

  “ But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty .” Matthew 13 : 23 KJV The parable of the sower teaches the acceptable responsibilities of the citizens of the kingdom, without questioning the acknowledged reliability of the King. The sower, who is the King, and the seeds that represent His word capture the reliable authority of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Therefore, the responsibilities of children of God in His kingdom do not start with fruitfulness. “ But he that received seed into the good ground“ would have opted for friendship, fellowship, forthrightness, and faithfulness ahead of fruitfulness. It implies that fruitful influences must start with a decision to be a friend of the King by repentance from old practices with the enemies of the King. Amazingly, friends of this King are saved by grace and totally delivered fr...

  “ And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went .” Genesis 35 : 1 - 3 KJV Since the family altar provides a sacred and united meeting of family members with God, it is usually the first target of attack in the enemies’ strategy for family invasion. Like the people usually say, a family that prays together stays together. And while the family altar in this age can either be physical or virtual, Jacob in the Old Testament age was asked to go back to Bethel for a refreshing recollection of God’s faithfulness and Jacob’s consecration. It is...

  “ Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, And equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, And knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee :” Proverbs 2 : 9 - 11 KJV The pride of substantial souls is the use of carnal wisdom and intelligence to accumulate wealth, material affluence and social influence. Jacob, with the use of his pre-Penuel strategies, could afford to throw up his deceitfully accumulated wealth to appease Esau; but he quickly realized the limitations of carnal wisdom and intelligence in vacating the vengeance of Esau. It is always pathetic that king Solomon here knew about the sacredness of sound souls, but still got distracted and deceived by the avalanche of substantial souls. Obviously, the secret of retaining sound souls is simply the continuous reverence of the fact that “ For the LORD giveth wisdom: Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2...

  “ Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: Let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: That the nations may know themselves to be but men . Selah.” Psalm 9 : 19 - 20 KJV Before the Lord says to His children “ Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee ( Isaiah 60 : 1 )”, wickedness and unrighteousness do often steal the show in the affairs of the people of God. It implies that there are always moments of darkness when heaven waits for believers’ cry for judgment over the wickedness of men. And when the Lord tarries, both the wicked and the righteous often are tempted to misjudge the uniqueness of the intersection of the mercy and judgment of God in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The wicked do readily pride in their arrogance and sophistication, while the mercy of God knocks at the door; and the righteous do frustratingly plead for revenge and retaliation, while the judgment of God tarries at the do...

  “ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: For thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee .” Psalm 9 : 10 KJV Since knowledge is power, the knowledgeable in our world are readily regarded as powerful. Unfortunately, with increase in knowledge according to divine revelation, many people have denied the existence of God. Even among those who practically claim the worship of God, the sovereignty of God is usually ignored. It does seem that life is simply a wrestling ground between the knowledge of God and human knowledge. Until there is a knockout of the knowledge of our financial capabilities, political sagacity, social influences, etc, we often cannot submit to the sovereignty of God. Knowing the name of the Lord implies living daily with practical acknowledgement of His superiority and sovereignty over principalities and powers, especially when it appears the pride of these principalities and powers is becoming domineering. And by the practical exposure...

  “ And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. ” Genesis 28 : 15 - 16 KJV Just as leadership expects follower-ship, leadership suggests companionship. Meanwhile, while follower-ship falters on the account of trust, leadership fails with time for sustainability constraints. For example, even while Rebekah and Isaac’s leadership on Jacob promises amazing blessings and companionship while encouraging his internship with Ladan, they both couldn’t wait for Jacob to return home after the internship. It just shows that the best of human promises of companionship, be it the affection of parenthood, appreciation of stewardship, and attraction of partnership, cannot endure the test of time. Whereas, the love and the companionship...