Closer To Heaven
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¿Y si elegir a Cristo significara perder una de las tradiciones más importantes de tu cultura? En el budismo, los ritos funerarios revisten una enorme importancia. En esta cultura, la ceremonia fúnebre es un reflejo del amor y el respeto que se te profesaba dentro de tu comunidad. En Tailandia, las familias suelen medir la […] Source: https://atoday.org/ministerio-adventista-tailandes-ofrece-servicios-funerales-dignos-a-cristianos-marginados-por-su-fe/
Inside Story for Friday 10th of April 2026
Seventh-day Adventist entrepreneur Kasereka Maghulu Kavatsi built a business empire in the Democratic Republic of Congo that included farming, fishing, clothing, and a cargo airline called Kavatsi Airlines.
At one point, Kavatsi Airlines leased a Boeing 707 jet from a partner in Kenya. It was a complicated agreement involving the Kenyan partner leasing the plane from a Dubai company, and the Dubai company in turn leasing the plane from the owner in Britain. Under the lease terms, Kavatsi Airlines was to share its profits with the entities in Kenya, Dubai, and Britain.
The cargo transports went smoothly until bad weather canceled a flight on a Friday. The Kenyan partner insisted that the flight take off on Saturday, but Kasereka refused. “There is no way that I can fly on Sabbath,” he said.
The partner called Dubai. “We gave this man our jet, and he doesn’t want to fly on Saturday,” he said. “Try to convince him. This is a business matter.”
The Dubai company appealed to Kasereka, but he wouldn’t waver. So, the Dubai company contacted the British owner, a white man who knew Swahili. He called Kasereka and asked, “Why aren’t you flying today?”
“I’m a Seventh-day Adventist,” Kasereka said.
“Is that a church?”
“Yes, it’s a church.”
Then the owner contacted other people who had leased aircraft to Kavatsi Airlines and asked about Kasereka. They described him as a good man.
“This is a matter of faith,” they said. “The Sabbath is related to his faith.”
The owner instructed his partners in Dubai and Kenya to back off.
“It’s a matter of faith, so leave him alone,” he said.
During the four-month lease, Kasereka flew the jet every day of the week except on Sabbath. Then he returned the aircraft.
A year later, the British owner made a phone call to Kasereka. “I’d like to meet you face-to-face,” he said. “I want to come to your house and see where you live.”
The man flew to the Democratic Republic of Congo and stayed in Kasereka’s guesthouse. “I came here with a purpose,” he said. “I wanted to know if I would find a man still holding onto the faith that made him refuse to fly on Saturdays.”
Then he dropped a bombshell.
“I have never made such a big profit as I did during those four months that we worked together,” he said. “Because of your faith, I’m giving you a small aircraft for free.” He presented Kasereka with an 18-seat private jet.
Kasereka was humbled and amazed.
“I am just serving the Lord,” he replied.
Daily Lesson for Friday 10th of April 2026
Further Thought:
God calls His people to represent His character, but to do this, we need to know Him for ourselves.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The best way to see Him clearly, despite our sinful human eyes that too often misunderstand His holy and perfect ways, is through searching His Word, the Bible.
“All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 740.
Discussion Questions
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Summary: From the beginning of Creation, God has desired to be in a close relationship with us. Although our understanding of His character is the target of Satan’s attacks, God reveals Himself to us most clearly through His Word and through the life of His Son, Jesus. Ultimately, having a clear, beautiful picture of God is essential if we want to deepen our relationship with Him.
April 9, 2026 | News from England “Newbold College of Higher Education is set to celebrate its 125th anniversary from 26 to 28 June 2026 at its campus in Bracknell, United Kingdom, with a special event bringing together alumni, church leaders, students, and friends, marking more than a century of Adventist education, mission and community […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-from-england-southern-adventist-university-the-philippines-spain/
Somewhere along the way we decided that struggling Christians just weren’t praying hard enough. Depression? More devotions. Anxiety? Claim the victory. Trauma? Have you tried fasting? We meant well. We also did damage. Adventists of all people should know better. We built hospitals. We trained physicians. We have an entire theology built around the idea that the body […] Source: https://atoday.org/prayer-is-not-a-prescription-god-made-therapists-too/
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