Gift of 4,000 Euros

By Viriato Ferreira

A serious dilemma unexpectedly emerged on a Friday morning.

Image © Pacific Press

The architect of our VitaSalus Wellness Center announced that we urgently needed to put up railings around several buildings.

“If someone falls, you’ll be in trouble”, he warned.

We knew that he was right. VitaSalus – an Ellen White-inspired “center of influence” that works in harmony with the ethical, professional and spiritual values upheld by the Seventh-day Adventist Church – is located atop a mountain near the town of Penela, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.

The architect put the cost of the railings at 4,000 euroes (U.S.$4,900).

I turned to our chief financial officer.

“Do we have the money?” I asked.

“Absolutely not”, he said. “There is no money”.

Worried thoughts filled my mind. Suddenly, a conviction struck me.

“Whose project is this?” I thought. “It’s not mine. It’s God’s project!”

I shared this conviction with chief financial officer and other people present at the meeting.

“God will supply the means for these railings”, I said. “Are you comfortable in going ahead and ordering the railings?”

They nodded their heads in agreement, and I prayed, “Lord, we are going to order these railings because they are really needed”.

We ordered the railings.

Five days later, on a Wednesday, I received an e-mail from someone whom I had never met.

“Doctor”, he wrote. “I just want to tell you that I have deposited 4,000 euros into the VitaSalus bank account”.

“Praise the Lord!” I exclaimed out loud.

I wrote him an e-mail describing the events of the previous Friday morning.

He replied immediately.

“Doctor, this confirms that the money is for this project”, he wrote.

“On Friday morning, I woke up with a desire to help VitaSalus. I have never been there, but I just had that feeling. Still, I wasn’t sure whether my wife would agree with me, so I prayed a short prayer, ‘Lord, if this is Your will, put the same desire in my wife’s heart’”.

“As soon as I finished praying, my wife came into my office and said, ‘Honey, you know that project in Penela? I think we should help them’”.

“I couldn’t believe my ears, and I asked her, ‘How much do you think we should give?’”

“’I think 4,000 euros would be good’, she said”.

What a lesson for me! Had we stopped our work at VitaSalus because we lacked the funds, we would have lost out on a big blessing brought about by trusting in God. It was not about the railings. It was about God showing us how His work can be fulfilled when we trust in Him.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/EKevLzRZLng/

Further Thought: Contemplate “A Man of Opportunity”, pages 628–634, in Prophets and Kings.

Nehemiah was a man of prayer: “Nehemiah had often poured out his soul in behalf of his people. But now as he prayed a holy purpose formed in his mind. He resolved that if he could obtain the consent of the king, and the necessary aid in procuring implements and material, he would himself undertake the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring Israel’s national strength.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

And he asked the Lord to grant him favor in the sight of the king, that this plan might be carried out. ‘Prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day’, he entreated, ‘and grant him mercy in the sight of this man’. Four months Nehemiah waited for a favorable opportunity to present his request to the king” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pages 629, 630.

Discussion Questions:

Amen!(0)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/tDZZ90aGyFI/