Inside Story for Friday 13th of February 2026

Rene Tucaldo is chief financial officer of the 1000 Missionary Movement, whose headquarters in Silang, Philippines, were constructed with the help of a 1996 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Read more next week.

Image © Pacific Press

Little Rene liked everything about Seventh-day Adventists. In his native province in the Philippines, all rich people seemed to be Adventist. They had big rice farms and a good standard of living. Rene wanted a similar lifestyle.

One day, several Adventist children invited him to read the Bible with them. Then the son of his father’s employer, an Adventist rice farmer, invited him to Sabbath School and church.

For the first time, Rene heard about the Sabbath. It sounded logical. He also noticed that the Adventist children dressed well. He liked that they didn’t swear. He wanted to be like them.

When he was 12, he was baptized and joined the Adventist Church.

He didn’t become rich, and his life seemed to grow worse. His family despised him for his faith and stopped supporting his studies. He was forced to quit school. After four years, he had had enough. At 16, he left the church and joined his father in the rice fields of the Adventist farmer. Soon he was drinking, smoking, gambling, and eating all kinds of unclean food.

Two years passed, and a 17-year-old named Rodel knocked on the door.

“I’m a missionary,” he told Rene’s mother. “Can I come in?”

“What kind of missionary?” she asked.

“1000 Missionary Movement,” he said.

“What’s that?” she said.

“I’m a Seventh-day Adventist missionary,” he said.

“Ahh,” Mother said. “My son is an Adventist, but he has backslidden.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s sleeping.”

As a hardworking farmer, Rene was exhausted. Mother led Rodel to him.

“My friend, why have you stopped being an Adventist?” Rodel said.

Rene was surprised but made it clear that he wouldn’t return to the church.

“My family hated me as an Adventist.”

“Can I invite you to church?”

“I don’t think so. I can’t go.”

Rodel left. But a year and a half later, when Rene was 20, he returned.

“My friend, come fishing with me,” he said.

Rodel didn’t try to convince Rene to go to church. He simply befriended him. They went fishing together. After a while, Rene found himself back in church on Sabbaths.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-07-inside-story-becoming-a-rich-adventist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-07-inside-story-becoming-a-rich-adventist

Daily Lesson for Friday 13th of February 2026
Further Thought

“Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace, will have power proportionate to their daily need and their ability to use that power.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Instead of looking forward to some future time when, through a special endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a miraculous fitting up for soul winning, they are yielding themselves daily to God, that He may make them vessels meet for His use. Daily they are improving the opportunities for service that lie within their reach. Daily they are witnessing for the Master wherever they may be, whether in some humble sphere of labor in the home, or in a public field of usefulness.

“To the consecrated worker there is wonderful consolation in the knowledge that even Christ during His life on earth sought His Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace; and from this communion with God He went forth to strengthen and bless others. . . .

“Every worker who follows the example of Christ will be prepared to receive and use the power that God has promised to His church for the ripen­ing of earth’s harvest.”—Ellen G. White, God’s Amazing Grace, p. 117.

“God knows our wants, and has provided for them. The Lord has a treasure house of supplies for His children, and can give them what they need under all circumstances. Then why do we not trust Him? He has made precious promises to His children on condition of faithful obedience to His precepts. There is not a burden but He can remove, no darkness but He can dispel, no weakness but He can change to power, no fears but He can calm, no worthy aspiration but He can guide and justify.

“We are not to look at ourselves. The more we dwell upon our own imperfections, the less strength we shall have to overcome them.”—Ellen G. White, That I May Know Him, p. 224.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-07-further-thought-a-heavenly-citizenship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-07-further-thought-a-heavenly-citizenship