Closer To Heaven
|
|
|
ISLAS SALOMÓN – Los programas evangelísticos en chino producidos durante la iniciativa «Islas Salomón para Cristo» están abriendo nuevas oportunidades para llegar a las comunidades chinas del Pacífico, y los líderes adventistas están considerando ahora un ministerio a más largo plazo entre los residentes chinos de las Islas Salomón y más allá. Según Jesse Herford, […] Source: https://atoday.org/el-ministerio-de-lengua-china-abre-nuevas-oportunidades-misioneras-en-todo-el-pacifico/
Lee la primera parte dandole clic aqui De modo que reducir toda la teología adventista de Apocalipsis 13 simplemente a un tema de “domingo constra sábado”, pierde una parte importante del razonamiento expuesto por los pioneros adventistas. Detrás de la cuestión del día de adoración existía un problema mayor: “¿quién posee autoridad sobre la conciencia […] Source: https://atoday.org/el-cordero-habla-como-dragon-los-adventistas-el-imperialismo-y-apocalipsis-13-parte-2/
En los últimos años nos hemos dado cuenta, con horror, de cuántos hombres ricos e importantes se sienten tan privilegiados que están dispuestos a destruir las vidas de las chicas, aparentemente sin sentir ningún remordimiento. La respuesta de los conservadores a los casos de Epstein —aquellos que proclaman a los cuatro vientos su superioridad moral— […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-como-jeffrey-epstein-cambio-el-mundo/
Heaven isn't far away. It begins the moment you draw close to God. Share this with someone who feels far from eternity today. Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6pAAXK_tEiY
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — Adventist Today previously reported on the detention of five members of the True and Free Reform Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kyrgyzstan. Their cases have now been transferred to Bishkek’s Birinchi May District Court, where they are expected to face trial in September on extremism-related charges. Four of the defendants face charges under […] Source: https://atoday.org/update-five-reform-adventists-face-trial-in-kyrgyzstan-on-extremism-charges/
In Ebrei 9:22 si parla del sacrificio di Cristo come della risposta di Dio al problema del peccato. Non un Dio che chiede un prezzo agli altri, ma un Dio che sceglie di donarsi per amore. 🩵 Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gXYBDm7_NRs
There is an increasingly difficult-to-ignore tension between the prophetic tradition of Sabbath-keeping Adventism and the institutional silence of the Adventist organization on the foreign policies of the current United States administration, which are reviving imperialism, of which the Adventist pioneers were harsh critics. The problem is not that the entire Adventist Church should remain completely […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-lamb-speaks-like-a-dragon-adventists-imperialism-and-revelation-13-part-1/
Can an empty church really be the biggest witness? Can a church survive pouring out, instead of pouring in? Find out on this week's episode of Faith at Work: Stories of Service and Hope. Out now on our YouTube or at the link in bio! #nadadventist #adventist #adventistchurch #pentecost2025 #faithatwork Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yg0VxcpyQ1c
September 1, 2026
BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS
Daily Bible Reading: 
Psalm 25
Show Me Your Ways, LORD
Those who trust God ask for guidance, forgiveness, and a straight path
Read online here
IntroductionPsalm 25 is the prayer of someone who does not want to determine his path alone. David knows distress, guilt, loneliness, and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Therefore, he asks God not only to deliver him from his difficulties, but above all to guide him: “Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.” The psalm connects trust with a willingness to learn, forgiveness with repentance, and hope with patient waiting. It shows that God’s guidance begins when a person becomes willing to let Him reveal the way.
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯◆⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
CommentaryDavid begins by personally turning to God: “To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You.” Even before describing his individual problems, he directs his heart toward the Lord. His trust is not based on already knowing how the situation will turn out, but on knowing the One to whom he entrusts it.
He asks not to be put to shame and not to give his enemies any reason to triumph over him. At the same time, he broadens his perspective and declares that none who wait for God will be put to shame. David’s personal prayer thus becomes a general statement of faith: waiting for God is never pointless, even when His answer is not immediately visible.
Then comes the central request of the psalm: “Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.” David does not merely want to know which path God will bless. He wants to recognize the path that God Himself considers right.
This is an important distinction. People often ask God to confirm decisions they have already made. David, however, submits his own ideas to God’s guidance. He is willing to learn.
“Lead me in Your truth and teach me,” he continues to pray. God’s guidance and God’s truth belong together. The Lord does not lead independently of His revealed will. Those who seek God’s way must therefore also be willing to listen to His Word.
David calls God “the God of my salvation” and declares that he waits for Him all day long. Guidance is therefore not merely a one-time answer concerning a major decision in life. It is a daily relationship of listening, trusting, and obeying.
David’s focus then changes. As he asks for the right path, he becomes aware of his past. He remembers the sins and transgressions of his youth and asks God not to remember them.
It is significant to consider the basis on which David hopes for forgiveness. He does not say, “Forgive me because I have done better since then.” Instead, he appeals to God’s mercy and goodness. Forgiveness is not based on human merit, but on God’s gracious character.
This is followed by an important declaration about God: “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He teaches sinners in the way.” God’s righteousness does not mean that He simply abandons sinners to themselves. Precisely because God is good, He calls them to repentance and shows them a new path.
He especially guides the humble in justice and teaches them His way. Humility is therefore an essential condition for receiving spiritual guidance. A proud person wants to be affirmed; a humble person is willing to be corrected.
David describes God’s paths as mercy and truth for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. God’s guidance is never separated from His character. Everything He does reflects His faithfulness.
David then returns once more to his guilt: “For Your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.” He does not minimize his sin. Because he recognizes its magnitude, God’s forgiveness becomes all the more precious.
The psalm then asks: “Who is the man that fears the LORD?” The fear of God here means reverent trust and a willingness to submit to His authority. God shows such a person the path he should choose.
The statement “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” is especially profound. God’s guidance is more than the communication of information. It grows out of fellowship. A person learns to recognize God’s ways by coming to know God Himself.
David therefore says: “My eyes are ever toward the LORD.” This image fits beautifully with the entire psalm. Those who want to be guided must keep their eyes fixed on the One who guides them. When our eyes are focused only on difficulties, other people, or our own possibilities, we can easily lose our sense of direction.
Yet David does not conceal his circumstances. He feels lonely and afflicted. The troubles of his heart have increased. Distress, enemies, and inner anguish surround him. Spiritual trust does not mean denying pain.
Instead, David brings every area of his life before God: his loneliness, fear, guilt, enemies, and future. His prayer encompasses his entire life.
In the end, he asks for protection and deliverance and once again confesses: “I put my trust in You.” Integrity and uprightness are to preserve him while he waits for God.
The final verse expands the personal prayer to include the entire nation: “Redeem Israel, O God, out of all their troubles!” David does not remain focused solely on his own concerns. Those who seek God’s help for themselves also learn to pray for others.
From a Christian perspective, the prayer for the way, truth, and forgiveness leads us to Jesus Christ. He forgives sin while also calling people to follow Him. In Him, God’s grace and God’s guidance meet.
Psalm 25 therefore shows that divine guidance does not consist of receiving a complete plan for the future. It means walking with God each day, listening to His truth, accepting correction, receiving forgiveness, and taking the next step in trust.
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯◆⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
SummaryPsalm 25 connects the request for God’s guidance with the confession of personal guilt and trust in His mercy. David desires to know God’s ways and to be guided by His truth. He recognizes that humility, reverence for God, and a willingness to learn are especially necessary. Even in the midst of loneliness, fear, and distress, he fixes his eyes on the Lord and waits for His help.
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯◆⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
Message for Us TodayWhen we seek God’s guidance, we should not ask only, “Lord, what should I do?” but also, “Lord, what do You want to change within me?” Sometimes God’s guidance consists of opening a door; at other times, He first corrects our attitude, motives, or previous course. Psalm 25 invites us to come before God with open hands, accept His forgiveness, and allow His Word to guide us each day. We do not need to know the entire path in advance. What matters is that our eyes remain fixed on the Lord and that we are willing to take the next step with Him.
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯◆⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
Thought for ReflectionDo I ask God only to bless my own plans, or am I truly willing to pray: “Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths”?
The King Is Coming Soon – Hope Beyond the End
September 1 – The Promise Remains: Jesus Is Coming AgainTheme of the Month: The Second Coming of Jesus – The Day of Glory
Theme for 2026: “Soon the King Is Coming – Hope Beyond the End”
Key Bible Passage for Today“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
— John 14:1–3
Devotional for TodaySeptember begins with one of Jesus’ most precious promises: “I will come again.” These words were not spoken during a peaceful and easy moment. Jesus spoke them to His disciples when their hearts were becoming troubled, when His departure was drawing near, and when they still did not understand the depths through which their Lord would pass. Into this very turmoil Jesus spoke: “Let not your heart be troubled.” Before He spoke about the dwelling places in His Father’s house and before He spoke about His return, He first addressed the fear in the hearts of His disciples.
This is important. For us, the second coming of Jesus begins not with speculation, but with comfort. It begins not with calculations, but with trust. Jesus directs His disciples’ attention away from the darkness of the coming hours and toward the faithfulness of God. “You believe in God, believe also in Me.” Those who wish to understand the second coming of Jesus correctly must hear it from the heart of Jesus: as the promise of the Redeemer to people whom He loves.
Jesus does not say, “Perhaps I will come again.” He says, “I will come again.” This promise is certain because it comes from His own lips. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Therefore, our hope does not depend on human emotions, visible circumstances, or how strong we may feel today. Our hope rests on Christ, who has promised to return.
The disciples needed to understand that Jesus’ departure did not mean abandonment. He was going to the Father, but not to forget His church. He was going to prepare a place, and He would return to take His own to be with Him. The primary purpose of the Second Coming is not merely an event, but an encounter. Jesus is coming so that His redeemed may be where He is. This is the heart of the Christian hope: not merely to be rescued from a lost world, but to be brought home to Christ.
Many hearts today need this very assurance. The world is unsettled, the news can be disturbing, personal burdens can become heavy, and sometimes the future seems like a locked room. Yet Jesus says: “Let not your heart be troubled.” The second coming of Jesus is God’s answer to a world that will not remain as it is forever. The King is coming. Separation will end. Faith will become sight. Hope will become reality.
A Promise from the Heart of JesusThe words of Jesus in John 14 are neither cold nor theoretical. They are pastoral, personal, and filled with love. He knows how deeply troubled His disciples are, and instead of first giving them an explanation for everything, He gives them a promise to which they can hold fast. Their hearts do not need to remain troubled, because His word is certain.
Ellen G. White wrote:
“Soon the heavens will be opened, and our Redeemer will appear. No human eye will miss this sight.”
— Maranatha, p. 287
This hope is not invisible, hidden, or uncertain. The Redeemer who departed will appear. The heavens will open, and the promise of Jesus will become visible before the entire world. For God’s children, that day will not be the end of hope, but its fulfillment.
He Goes to Prepare a PlaceJesus speaks of His Father’s house. In doing so, He shows that the future of the redeemed is not uncertain. God’s children have a home that Christ Himself is preparing. This home is not a human dream, but a divine reality. It belongs to those who trust Christ, hear His voice, and place their hope in Him.
The Father’s house also reveals something about the heart of God. God is preparing not only deliverance from distress, but a home in His presence. He does not merely want to take His children out of this world, but to bring them to Himself. The second coming of Jesus is therefore deeply personal: Christ is coming for His own. He does not come as a stranger, but as Redeemer, Bridegroom, Lord, and King.
Hope That Calms the HeartJesus begins with the words: “Let not your heart be troubled.” This does not mean that believers will never be shaken. It means that fear does not have to have the final word. Those who trust Christ can possess a steadfast hope even in the midst of uncertainty. The future is not empty. It belongs to the Lord.
The promise of His return transforms the present day. It brings comfort in sorrow, courage in trials, patience while waiting, and direction in our decisions. If Jesus is coming again, then no faithful step is in vain, no prayer is lost, no tear is forgotten, and no hope is futile.
September therefore begins with this firm foundation: Jesus is coming again. Not because people wish for it, but because He has promised it. Not because the world deserves it, but because God’s plan of redemption will be completed. Not because we are strong, but because Christ is faithful. Therefore, our hearts can find peace today and believe: the promise remains.
PrayerDear Father in Heaven,
Thank You for Jesus’ promise that He will come again.
Help me not only to know this hope as a doctrine, but also to treasure it as comfort for my heart.
When fear, uncertainty, or weariness troubles my heart, turn my eyes once again toward Christ and His certain Word.
Help me to live faithfully, watchfully, and with complete trust as I await His return.
Prepare my heart for the day when Jesus comes and takes His own to be with Him.
Amen.
Thought for TodayThe second coming of Jesus is certain because it rests upon Christ’s promise: “I will come again.”
Personal Application
Closing Verse“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
— Revelation 22:20
Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]
