Closer To Heaven
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by Melissa Brotton | 12 January 2023 | “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NKJV) There is something called the science of forgiveness, which my colleague Dr. Lourdes Morales-Gudmundsson and I teach through La Sierra University’s general studies program. The science of forgiveness is wonderful. It tells […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-art-of-forgiveness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-art-of-forgiveness
Dmitry Bagal, a student from Russia, ran out of money several months after enrolling in the master’s in theology program at Friedensau Adventist University in Germany. His options seemed limited. He could work on-campus or in a nearby retirement home, but the income would only partially cover his tuition. As a foreigner, he could not take out a state loan like the German students. But he could apply for a scholarship, which was smaller than the loan but did not require repayment.
As Dmitry prayed over the dilemma, he felt impressed to make a deal with God. “Lord,” he prayed, “if you bless me with this scholarship, I promise to set aside a second tithe to support mission work.”
Dmitry applied for the scholarship and, to his joy, it was approved. He began setting aside a second 10 percent of his gross income for mission work. As the semesters rolled by, he was approved for the scholarship again and again, and he kept giving a second tithe to mission work. Despite the second tithe, he still somehow always had enough money to cover tuition and other expenses. He even was able to set money aside for an emergency.
Then Dmitry’s five-year-old laptop began to act up as he worked on his master’s thesis. Twice he had to buy spare parts to self-repair it. One day, he found that he could no longer close the laptop’s screen. The hinges refused to budge. A new laptop was needed if he hoped to finish his thesis, and he was glad to have the small emergency fund.
But as he prayed about the situation, he remembered a friend, also from the former Soviet Union, who was serving with his family of five as missionaries in the South American jungle. High humidity had ruined his friend’s tablet, and a robust device was desperately needed to continue his work. Dmitry couldn’t understand why he was thinking about his friend in South America when he was the one in need of a laptop to graduate. But he bought a waterproof, dustproof laptop and mailed it to his friend.
Shortly after sending the package, an online advertisement popped up on Dmitry’s laptop screen that offered the very hinges that he needed for the laptop. He ordered the hinges and, after installing them, the screen opened and closed like new. Amazingly, the laptop still works today, eight years later.
Dmitry has no doubt that God blesses those who put mission first. “The Lord has prolonged the life of the laptop,” Dmitry says. “Truly it is written in the Bible, ‘Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done’ [Proverbs 19:17, NIV].”
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
(0)The post Inside Story: Making a Deal With God appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-making-a-deal-with-god/
“Whenever God’s people, in any period of the world, have cheerfully and willingly carried out His plan in systematic benevolence [tithing] and in gifts and offerings, they have realized the standing promise that prosperity should attend all their labors just in proportion as they obeyed His requirements.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
When they acknowledged the claims of God and complied with His requirements, honoring Him with their substance, their barns were filled with plenty. But when they robbed God in tithes and in offerings they were made to realize that they were not only robbing Him but themselves, for He limited His blessings to them just in proportion as they limited their offerings to Him.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 395.
The Bible is very clear that we are saved through faith alone, a gift of God’s grace. Our obedience to God’s commands is a response to God’s grace; it doesn’t earn it (after all, if it were earned, it wouldn’t be grace: see Romans 4:1-4).
Indeed, when we look at God’s bilateral covenant with us, we can see both our blessings and our responsibilities. By our responses to what God offers to us, we establish our relationship with Him and, to a great degree, determine our own destiny. Obedience — the service and allegiance of love — is the true sign of discipleship. Instead of releasing us from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render the obedience that God asks from us.
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(0)The post Friday: Further Thought ~ God’s Covenants With Us appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-gods-covenants-with-us/
How can we reach the unchurched? As we take a look at the life and ministry of Christ, we can learn from the Master Teacher. Jesus did the unthinkable for His time. While other spiritual leaders were unwilling to go outside of their comfort zone to come near to the sick, the brokenhearted, and the outcasts of society, Jesus was. His love had no barriers. This #short clip from the Global #Campmeeting sermon, “The Best Method to Reach the Unchurched” by Pastor Roy Ice of Faith for Today, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzE4tyGlZB0&list=PL-k2Gb-DBYo9tb9fHW_AxGxJ1R8MpNnpa&index=36 discusses how Jesus invited those around Him into His life. He went above and beyond to show His love, open up to them, and allow them to witness God’s incredible love for each one of them. Watch the video to hear more about Christ’s ministry and how you, too, can emulate His ways. ————————————————————————————
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an established denomination since 1863. It is a global Christian family with over 21 million members who hold the Bible as the ultimate authority. We are believers who promise to help people understand the Bible to find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus. Want to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Visit our website at: https://www.adventist.org/ Click the notification bell so that you never miss a new video! Find us on social media by following the links below:
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