Closer To Heaven
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They love you… but also, wow. 1. The “Pastor, We Need to Talk” Ambush Always said with the tone of someone about to fire you from a job you don’t technically have. 2. The Conspiracy Theorists “Pastor, have you researched the Jesuit infiltration hidden inside the lyrics of ‘Lift Up the Trumpet’?” No. No, they […] Source: https://atoday.org/16-things-adventist-pastors-secretly-hate-about-their-congregations/
True, Somewhat True, or False: “It is easier for fear to shape a person’s perspective than faith.” Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 8 – Giants of Faith: Joshua and Caleb. It’s the fastest hour of the week!
(0)Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5 NKJV
As we study this week’s lesson about Giants of Faith, what do you remember most about people? The good or the bad? We are told,
Cultivate the habit of speaking well of others. Dwell upon the good qualities of those with whom you associate, and see as little as possible of their errors and failings. When tempted to complain of what someone has said or done, praise something in that person’s life or character. Cultivate thankfulness. Praise God for His wonderful love in giving Christ to die for us. It never pays to think of our grievances. God calls upon us to think of His mercy and His matchless love, that we may be inspired with praise.-Ellen White, Help in Daily Living, Page 34.
I love how God speaks of Abraham after he died. Yes, Abraham made some terrible and costly blunders, like taking Hagar as his wife instead of just trusting God’s promise. Abraham also lied in Egypt instead of just trusting God’s promise of protection. Yet after Abraham ‘s story is over, all God remembers are the good things. Yes, Paul mentions Hagar in Galatians, but he does not go on about how terrible Abraham was. He does not even mention Abraham’s name in that context. He merely refers to the situation. But when speaking directly about Abraham, here is what Scripture has to say:
Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”Genesis 26:5 NKJV
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8 NKJV
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [j]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. James 2:21-23 NKJV
Truly when God forgives He remembers our sins no more. Hebrews 8:12. Even with Sarah, in Hebrews 8:11, God mentions her faith and never mentions that the whole Hagar incident was her idea. The way God talks about Abraham and Sarah, you would get the idea that they never did anything wrong. How beautiful is God’s forgiveness, and the way He only remembers the good and never recalls the bad.
I have a good friend since childhood, but even though we have been good friends for life, I was not always nice when we were kids. Years ago at a church youth social I had to correct a child for being mean to another child. This reminded me of a time I was mean to my friend when we were kids. I called her that evening and told her how bad I felt about that now. She assured me she had no memory of that incidident and all she could recall about me were good things, like what a wonderful friend I have been for years. When I hung up the phone I marvelled at her graciousness.
May we be as gracious with others as my friend was with me. May we be as gracious with others as God was with Abraham in Scripture, and as He is now with all of us.
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19 November 2025 | Since its inception, the Adventist mission has maintained a distinctly global orientation. This means that the church has always seen its purpose as extending to every corner of the world. At the same time, central to Adventist mission is its democratized structure, meaning that responsibility for mission is shared broadly among […] Source: https://atoday.org/atss-marko-lukic-overburdened-by-mission-should-adventists-be-expected-to-win-the-whole-world/
Daily Lesson for Thursday 20th of November 2025
Marco Iacoboni, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, researched the function of mirror neurons. These small cell circuits are activated both when we perform a certain action—such as laughing or embracing someone—and when we observe someone else performing the same action. The activity of these neurons reduces the distinction between seeing and doing.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Ellen G. White speaks about the importance of beholding the character of Jesus: “Looking unto Jesus we obtain brighter and more distinct views of God, and by beholding we become changed. Goodness, love for our fellow men, becomes our natural instinct. We develop a character which is the counterpart of the divine character. Growing into His likeness, we enlarge our capacity for knowing God. More and more we enter into fellowship with the heavenly world, and we have continually increasing power to receive the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of eternity.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 355.
In the summary chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul speaks about two antagonistic forces trying to shape our lives. On the one hand, the surrounding world, with its various influences, tries to force us daily into its own mold, effecting a conformation in us that works from the outside in.
To counteract this impact, the Holy Spirit is able to transform us inside out in a manner similar to the way a caterpillar metamorphoses into a beautiful butterfly. But for that process to happen, we need to consecrate ourselves to God and ask Him to continue the good work that He has started in us (Philippians 1:6). In the end, we have to make the conscious choice, moment by moment, to walk in the Spirit.
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