Putting God first can be difficult. What can we learn from Paul that will help us put God first in our lives today?
Paul had always put God first but, as he persecuted the followers of Jesus, Paul could not see what was right in front of him. It was only when Paul fell to the ground, blinded by the light of Jesus, that he began to truly see. For Paul, putting God first meant humbly questioning his assumptions and going back to scripture.
After three years in Arabia, Paul returns with a re- newed conviction that God had not given up on the world. Jesus was the saviour who wanted to reach every human being. Paul continued putting God first as he travelled from city to city and village to village to announce Jesus. Nothing would deter Paul from putting God first, including the many times people tried to kill him.
On one occasion, Paul and his companion Silas had their clothes ripped off in the middle of the city square. They were beaten and put in the inner cell, with their feet clamped in the stocks. Still bleeding and bruised, Paul and Silas did the unthinkable:
instead of complaining, they worshipped Jesus.
If you are at your lowest moment right now and everything seems to have gone wrong, there is no better time to worship than today.
Then God sent an earthquake. Assuming the prisoners had escaped, the officer in charge picked up a sword to kill himself. Paul and Silas remembered the beatings, torture and humiliation that officer put them through. For Paul and Silas to have revenge, all they needed to do was wait for the of- ficer’s body to hit the ground.
But Paul and Silas were the kind of men who put God first. In that split second, they decided to for- give the officer and shouted for him to stop. That officer and his family met Jesus and, by the end of that night, they were also worshipping the King of Kings.
Paul and Silas put God first. Their example com- pels us to do the same. —————————————————————————————————————————————————-
For more information on the Stewardship Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you can head over to https://stewardship.adventist.org/devotional-readings Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsN8r9d-eGw

CHAPTER 7 – HOW TO SURVIVE WHEN THE ECONOMY COLLAPSES We are just beginning to experience the long-term economic consequences of COVID-19 on our personal lives and our families. The short-term consequences with thousands dead and hundreds of thousands more sick were bad enough, but there are significant additional consequences that society now faces. The economic impact of the pandemic is hitting many families full force. Many of the unemployed during the crisis are going back to work, but they are still experiencing the effects of lost income from their time off, and the debts they incurred. The stock market plummeted
during the pandemic, with millions of people losing almost all their life savings. The entire world economy is on extremely shaky footing, and we wonder whether life will ever be the same. The economic picture for the foreseeable future is dire. Many of the businesses forced to shut down because of the lockdowns may never recover. In a report to Adventist Church leaders, investment specialist Tim Aka made this astute observation: “Many people are living paycheck to paycheck with little or no savings.” The results of the coronavirus pandemic has thrown them into a financial dilemma. Book Mark Finley "Hope for Troubled Time" #HopeForTroubledTime
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#MarkFinley Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j82aojI-vcU

Putting God first can be difficult. What can we learn from Peter that will help us put God first in our lives today?
Peter was one of the oldest disciples Jesus called. He was determined and trustworthy. On a stormy night, Jesus appeared to the group as a ghost walking on water. Peter was the first to speak out in his desire to be with Jesus, even if it meant jumping out of the boat and walking on water. Put- ting God first seemed to come easy for Peter. Until he almost drowned.
Soon after walking on water, Peter doubted. As Peter began to be engulfed by the tempestu-
ous water, he must have felt the shame of public failure. He had asked to come to Jesus and all the disciples could now see that he had failed. Putting God first in our failures isn’t easy. But Peter did it. He shouted for help and Jesus saved him.
This story repeats itself when Jesus is arrested and crucified. Peter had promised to be next to Jesus, no matter what, but Jesus warned him of his betrayal that very night. Peter wasn’t scared. He was ready to die for Jesus. This is clear from Peter’s attack in Gethsemane. Despite the soldiers surrounding them, Peter tries to kill someone.
Thankfully, he was a fisherman, not a soldier. He missed and cut the man’s ear instead.
What Jesus did next confused him. Jesus healed the man and said He didn’t need protection. What could that mean? Peter was ready for conflict and Jesus rebuked him for it. He followed Jesus from a distance and denied knowing him three times that night, as Jesus predicted. Meanwhile, John stayed right next to Jesus throughout the horror of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Peter had failed again. How could he possibly lead anything after that?
Putting God first in the midst of our failure, confu- sion and shame is impossible. It is only through God’s power that we can accept God’s forgiveness and start again. Later, Peter would become an excellent leader as Jesus trusted him again and again. Perhaps you’ve been unfaithful with your tithe and offerings in the past. Perhaps you’ve failed. Putting God first means asking for and ac- cepting God’s forgiveness today. It means starting again to trust in God with your finances.
Peter put God first. His example compels us to do the same.
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For more information on the Stewardship Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you can head over to https://stewardship.adventist.org/devotional-readings Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vpUxyZdDLw

Do we talk about spiritual gifts enough? We may not want to talk about our gifts because we feel embarrassed, but God gave us all gifts for a reason. How can you discover your spiritual gift and how can we encourage others to use theirs? Find out in this new episode of ANN In-Depth. For this episode, we are joined by Pastor Gary Blanchard. Pastor Gary is the World Youth Director for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Pastor Gary’s gifts are encouragement, preaching, and leadership and he daily seeks to “walk in the Spirit” so that he can be a contagious reflector of Christ. SHOW NOTES
2:46 – Spiritual Gifts in the Bible: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4
13:54 – Revolution in the Church Book – https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-church-Russell-Burrill/dp/1878046292 24:50 – Ambassador Training Program – https://www.gcyouthministries.org/ministries/ambassadors/ 25:03 – Senior Youth Leadership – https://www.gcyouthministries.org/leadership-training/senior-youth-leader-syl/ 25:13 – Spiritual Gifts Assessment – https://www.gcyouthministries.org/resources/spiritual-gifts-assessment/ 29:45 Let My Pastors Go Book – https://letmypastorsgo.com/ LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUTH MINISTRIES
GC Youth Ministries
Website: youth.adventist.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GCYouthM…​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GCYouthMinis…​
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GCYthMin​
Instagram: @gcythmin ___
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There are three key words in life and three key words that should shape who we are as Seventh-day Adventists and they are identity, purpose, and mission. In this video, Pastor Adam Ramdin will focus on purpose in his sermon 'Purpose in Time' and what we can learn from the story of Esther. God has called us as a church today with a particular purpose in the time in which we live. Where we're living in our homes, in our communities, in our families, and where we just go on a day-to-day basis, God has called us there to live a life where we represent Him where we share the message, where we live the message, and where we are faithful to the calling God has given to us. Prayer is the key to experiencing God’s power and guidance unleashed in our lives, families, and ministries. As the church focuses on this year’s theme, I Will Go, let us bathe our time together in prayer, asking God to speak to our hearts individually and as a church family. ___
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#PASTORADAMRAMDIN Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwdUDsqEW5g