The Hill Adventist church

DEVOTIONAL: "Does God Heal People Today as HE did in Bible Times?"

Jesus was not just interested in teaching; He also spent a significant part of His ministry making blind eyes see, opening deaf ears, removing fevers, and even raising people from the dead. Christ cared about the physical bodies of the people to whom He ministered.

When Christ sent out His 12 disciples, the Bible says, “When He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1). The ministry of healing others was not intended only for Bible times, but for all ages.

In the early church, James, the brother of Jesus, gave us instructions on special prayer for those who are sick. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14, 15).

There are a couple guidelines to keep in mind when we pray for the sick. First, this verse suggests that a person who asks for this anointing should search their hearts and confess all known sins. Second, when we pray for healing, we should also follow Jesus’ example of stating, “Your will be done” (Luke 11:2; 22:42). Sometimes people are laid to rest in the grave; it does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith. (Think of what happened to John the Baptist.) Yet a person can sincerely know that someday, at the resurrection, God will certainly “raise” them up.

Finally, we should be cautious about so-called “faith healers.” There have been many examples of bogus healings where people were set up to “pretend” to be ill by a religious leader, and then later acted as if they were healed. Even Satan can delude people with healing tricks (Revelation 16:14).

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." - Matthew 4:23 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Amazing Orchids"

Orchids are truly amazing flowers! They represent the largest family of flowering plants in the world and come in a kaleidoscope of diversity. There are about 25,000 species of orchids. That’s four times as many species as mammals, and twice as many as birds. Orchids grow on six continents in almost every habitat ranging from deserts to swamps, alpine pastures to polar tundra, but most species are found in the wet tropical forests.

If you like vanilla, you actually like orchids. The vanilla stick is simply the fermented and blackened pod of an orchid found in Mexico. Like many plants, orchids need outside help to pollinate and reproduce. Because few orchids offer nectar or edible pollen, they must resort to a broad array of very creative aromatic, visual, or tactile tricks to attract potential pollinators. Some orchid petals imitate bees or butterflies; other can look like lizards, frogs, or even hummingbirds. Others mimic male bees in flight, hoping to incite territorial combat that will result in pollination.

The flowers may produce attractive odors to lure bees with sweet promise by copying the appearance and scent of nectar-producing flowers, while others, as in the case of a Dracula orchid, attract gnats or flies by producing an array of nasty smells like fungus, rotten meat, or even dirty diapers.

Some orchids promise shelter, with petals in the shape of insect burrows. The bugs crawl in for protection and come out with pollen. Certain orchids accomplish pollination by mimicking the appearance, scent, and even the feel of a particular female bee. When a male bee jostles the orchid’s column, two yellow sacs packed with pollen are stuck to his back with quick-drying glue. Then there’s the catasetum (kat-uh-see-tum) orchids, which slingshot a sticky pollen-loaded bundle on any hapless insect that bumps the trigger.

Obviously, these flowers don’t see or hear, and they’re unaware of their own colors and patterns. Mindless flowers could never develop this astounding arsenal of pollinating methods by themselves. It took the hand of an intelligent Creator-God who loves and cares for all of His creations. In the words of Psalm 104:24: “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all.”

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." - Luke 12:27 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Man With a Golden Arm"

James Harrison is an Australian man who holds the world record for blood donations, having donated blood over 1,000 times. When Harrison was 13 years old, he went through a major surgery and required 13 liters of blood. Afterward, realizing that donated blood had saved his life, he pledged to begin donating his own blood when he turned 18.

Soon after he started donating, it was discovered that his blood contains a rare antibody that can save babies from dying of Rhesus disease—a disorder where the Rh-positive blood of the mother is incompatible with the Rh-negative blood of her unborn child. Rhesus disease often results in a miscarriage or stillbirth and sometimes causes brain damage in newborns. Harrison was asked to undergo a series of tests to help create a vaccine for the disease.

Since then, the Anti-D vaccine created with his blood plasma has been given to hundreds of thousands of women. It’s estimated that Harrison’s blood has saved around 2.2 million babies—a gift that has affected the lives of several women close to Harrison. Joy Barnes, a worker at a Red Cross blood bank where Harrison has donated, received the vaccine after having two miscarriages. She said, “Without him I would never have been able to have a healthy baby.” Best of all, one of the babies saved was Harrison’s own grandson!

Harrison says, “I’ve never thought about stopping. Never.” Even after his wife of 56 years passed away, he was back in the hospital a week later to donate. Harrison has been nicknamed the “man with a golden arm” and has received the Order of Australia medal for his contributions.

Just as 2.2 million babies would have died without Harrison’s gift, all humanity would have died without Jesus’ saving blood. It is only Christ’s death on the cross that redeems us—we can’t redeem ourselves with any amount of gold or silver. Just as Harrison planned from boyhood to donate his blood, Jesus was “foreordained before the foundation of the world” as our sacrificial lamb (1 Peter 1:20). And just as Harrison never plans to stop donating blood, Jesus’ gift of salvation isn’t limited to a select few. There is no sinner that His blood can’t save!

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;"
- 1 Peter 1:18 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Under HIS Wings"

In the spring of 1977 in northern Wisconsin, several ornithologists were making an aerial survey of bald eagle nests. As they flew over one particular nest, they noticed something in the nest that didn’t look right, and they guessed that it might be a dead adult eagle. The next day the men visited the same nest from the ground to determine what had happened.

When they arrived, two adult eagles began flying around and scolding, and it was obvious that there was at least one young bird alive in the nest. Now the men were really confused—if what they saw was really a dead eagle, why were there now two living adults scolding them? Climbing the tree to get a closer look, they found an eagle that had been dead for about a month, yet a very healthy chick about five weeks old was sitting in the nest. How could this have happened?

Upon further investigation, the men discovered that lightning had struck the tree: large limbs from the tree were strewn around on the ground, and there were burn marks near the nest. The men surmised that the lightning strike had killed the mother, but by some miracle the young bird had survived.

Perhaps the mother was still incubating the egg when the storm hit, or perhaps, during the fury of the storm, the mother stretched out her wings to protect her newly hatched chick. Either way, it was apparent that soon after her death, the father had been able to recruit another mate to help with the very demanding task of feeding a growing eagle.

What a perfect example of the love that Jesus has for us! The Bible, describing Jacob’s experience in the wilderness, says that the Lord led Jacob just like an eagle spreads its wings over its young (Deuteronomy 32:11). Just as God saved Jacob, He will save us: when we deserved death for our sins, Jesus was willing to spread His protective wings and take our death to save us.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." - Psalm 91:1 -
"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence."
- Psalm 91:3 -
"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." - Psalm 91:4 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Lillian Alling"

In the spring of 1927 a young woman named Lillian Alling, who was living in New York City, became very homesick and decided to return to her family in Russia. After two unhappy years among the teeming people, this peasant girl knew life in the noisy city was not for her. Lillian was unable to save enough to afford passage across the Atlantic by boat, but all she could think about was going home.

So, this young slip of a woman about 25 years old chose to walk the 12,000 miles to Russia! Very timid, Lillian refused to accept rides from strangers, so supplied with hand-drawn maps, an iron rod for protection, and a few dollars she began her epic journey on foot. Averaging 30 to 40 miles a day, the frail girl passed through Chicago and on to Winnipeg. Keep in mind, back in 1927 there were no roads in the Northwest, and, except for the odd trading post or telegraph station, there was nothing but an unbroken stretch of the world’s toughest terrain and wilderness.

When asked where she was heading her firm reply was, “I am going to Russia. Please do not stop me.” When she reached Vancouver, her ragged condition and lack of provisions caused great concern among the locals. To prevent her from continuing on, she was arrested for vagrancy and thrown in jail.

When spring arrived, Lillian resumed her daunting quest. Across the Yukon and Alaska, telegraph station operators kept track of her progress. Lillian arrived in Nome in July 1929 wearing a different type of men’s shoe on each foot. Soon after leaving Nome, Lillian was last seen rowing a boat from Cape Prince of Wales across the 36 miles of the Bering Strait to Siberia. There is one report of a man who claimed he saw a woman on the Siberian coast in the fall of 1930, explaining to an astonished policeman she’d walked all the way from New York.

We marvel at Lillian Alling’s incredible determination to get to her home in Russia, yet so many are indifferent about reaching the home Jesus has prepared for them in heaven. The heroes of faith knew of a better country and exercised faith in making a journey to that place prepared by God. “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:16). Are you willing to make the journey?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned."
- Hebrews 11:15 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Constantine the Greatest"

He gazed upward to the sky—and there, emblazoned above the sun, stood a cross and this mighty creed, “In this sign, conquer.”

It is a well-known story, Constantine’s famous vision before he became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Most believe it to be the pinnacle of his dramatic conversion to Christianity—but was it?

At that time the empire’s Tetrarchy was quickly dissolving into a series of civil wars, with Constantine at the forefront. After winning a decisive victory at the Milvian Bridge, Constantine, surmising that the vision had been prophetic, went on to defeat his rivals one by one, attributing his conquests to God. But was Constantine’s life truly changed after his so-called conversion? Did his life speak of the almighty, merciful God?

As a self-proclaimed defender of the faith, Constantine instituted religious tolerance by the Edict of Milan, quelling the rage of Christian persecution. He also showered the Christian church with buildings, land, and employment. In his reign the church became rich, powerful, and protected. And while that may seem like a good thing, was it the will of God?

At the same time that the church began to succeed, it also began to be heavily influenced by its celebrated patron. Constantine’s favors vastly eliminated the separation of church and state, indebting the church to its earthly savior—himself.

While he claimed Christianity as his faith, he also propagated pagan religions. As a result, the religions of Christianity and paganism began to bleed into each other, mixing, melding, uniting. For example, in AD 321, Constantine enforced Sunday as the day of rest over the biblical Sabbath, paying homage to the Roman sun god.

Constantine was, above all, a politician. His conversion to Christianity was marked by a ruthless ascendance to the throne, all in the name of God. He had his firstborn son and second wife killed after rumors of infidelity, one by poisoning, the other in a vat of boiling water. He purposely declined to be baptized until he knew he was about to die, so as to be absolved of all the sins he believed he had to commit in order to sustain his position.

Was this a man whose heart had been touched by the grace of Christ? As he lay dying, did he feel remorse for his deeds? Was his true conversion actually on his deathbed? Only God knows.

Reflect: How do you know if you are truly converted? Do your actions have any part in it or are we saved only by grace through faith?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
- Matthew 7:16 Z

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🌸🙏🌸 "Vem adorar conosco amanhã!"

DEVOTIONAL: "Michael Rydelnik, Betrayed"

Michael Rydelnik, the son of two orthodox Jewish Holocaust survivors, was determined to be a “good Jew.” And all good Jews knew one thing: They did not believe in Jesus.

When Michael’s mother, Ruth Lieber Rydelnik, confided in her son that she, a Jew, did believe that Jesus—Yeshua in Hebrew—was in fact the Messiah of all, including the Jewish people, he was unreceptive. When his mother went public, Michael’s father moved out and divorced her.

“When my Mom began to talk to me about Yeshua being the Messiah, I was angry,” Michael would later recall. “I thought she had betrayed ... me. And then I began to think, ‘How could I convince her not to believe this?’”

His plan: Study the Scriptures to prove his mother wrong and win her back. Michael began regular sessions with missionary Hilda Kosner to discuss prophecies about the Messiah.

At one point in their studies, Mrs. Kosner said Michael needed to pray and ask God to guide him. His response was dramatic: “No, no, I don’t need to do that. I know Jesus isn’t the Messiah.” She repeated, “You need to pray about it.”

Something happened: “That night, as I was lying in bed ... I got up the nerve and I prayed, ‘God, I know that Jesus can’t be the Messiah. It’s impossible that we’ve missed him all these years. But if this Yeshua of Nazareth is the Messiah, show me!’”

His opportunity to decide came when his mother invited Michael to view a film about Israel that showed how the Jews’ return to Israel fulfilled Bible prophecies, something he could agree with. Then it argued that those same Hebrew prophets predicted Jesus’ arrival at precisely the time He was born to Mary. That he rejected.

“I realized I was being a hypocrite. If the Hebrew prophets foretold the coming of Yeshua as the Messiah, if I were going to be a ‘good Jew,’ I would have to believe in Him. Even if I were the only Jew ever to put my trust in Him, I would still be a good Jew because I put my trust in the Jewish Messiah. That day I decided to put my trust in Him.”

Today, Michael is a professor at a leading Bible college, Christian radio talk show host, and the author of numerous Bible commentaries.

Reflect: Michael Rydelnik heard from God when he asked if Jesus was the Messiah. Have you (or someone you know) had a similar experience? If so, share it with others.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Every Drop"

The vanilla bean is the fruit of a unique species of fragrant orchid that is native to the rainforests of Mexico and Central America. Indigenous natives discovered that when the tasteless and odorless vanilla bean is dried by months of tropical heat and humidity, it produced a rich taste and aroma. Vanilla is the only orchid known to bear edible fruit.

Since the vanilla orchid only flowers for one day each year, it must be pollinated by hand. Then the vanilla bean takes approximately six months to mature, growing up to eight inches long. The beans must also be harvested by hand, just as the tip of the pod begins to split but before the entire pod splits. Next, harvested beans are immersed in a hot water bath, then put into wooden boxes and covered with blankets, where they will “sweat” for 24 to 72 hours.

This begins the enzymatic change that produces vanillin. Afterward, the beans are placed on blankets and dried in the sun for three to four weeks. To complete the curing process, the beans are then stored in closed boxes for five or six months. The cured beans, now wrinkled and chocolate colored, are graded by length, appearance, and moisture content.

The longest beans with the least splitting and blemishes bring the highest price. To make vanilla extract, the beans are tied in bundles, weighed, chopped, and percolated in large stainless steel containers, much like coffee percolators. After being aged for several weeks, the extract is bottled and shipped to stores. You can understand why vanilla is one of the most expensive flavorings in the world to produce!

Today vanilla beans are grown primarily in Madagascar and Indonesia. The precious extract is by far the world’s most popular flavor and is used in ice cream, puddings, cakes, chocolates, baked goods, syrups, candies, liqueurs, to***co, soft drinks, and even perfumes.

Salvation is the most expensive commodity in the universe, provided for by the “precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). But, by the grace of God, it is free for the asking! Let’s not waste a single drop.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."
- Romans 5:18 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Mirror in the Ocean"

On August 4, 1914, the magnificent British luxury liner RMS Carmania was three days out of New York City with 800 passengers on her way to Liverpool when she learned from another ship that England had declared war on Germany. As soon as the Carmania arrived in Liverpool the British Admiralty assumed command.

Within one week of entering port as a first-class cruise liner, the Carmania was converted into a warship in service of the Royal Navy. On September 2, the Carmania was assigned to the West Indies with orders to scout the vicinity for enemy ships. Three days later the lookout sighted a ship off the coast of Trinidad. At that point the Carmania crew might have thought they entered the Twilight Zone.

The ship they spied in the distance from the decks of the Carmania was … the Carmania! Or at least a ship that bore her name and looked exactly like her. The other vessel was in fact a German luxury liner called the Cap Trafalgar that had also been converted into a warship and then disguised in every outward detail as the Carmania.

Because of the short-range guns which had been installed on the German ship, she could only be effective in battle if she could get close enough to the enemy. So the Cap Trafalgar was disguised as the British liner Carmania, and that was the German ship’s downfall. On September 14, the disguised Cap Trafalgar was attacked and sunk by the real Carmania.

The incredible mirror encountered in the ocean by the Carmania was a two-way mirror. Just as the Cap Trafalgar was redesigned—even to the dismantling of one smoke stack—to look like the Carmania, the Carmania was also redesigned and repainted so that she could get closer to the enemy. In the process a dummy smoke stack was added to the British ship. That’s right! When the two vessels coincidentally met in mid-Atlantic on September 14, 1914, each was masquerading as the other!

The Bible teaches in the last days Satan will perform his masterpiece of impersonation. Jesus warned of false christs coming (Matthew 24:24-26), but God’s people will not be caught off guard for they know the Scriptures. The devil cannot counterfeit the universal coming of Christ (see v. 27). If we study the Bible we will detect the deceiver and not be fooled, even if the outward details look like the real thing.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not."
- Matthew 24:24-26 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Clothed in Christ"

Levis Straus made working pants out of denim for people during the California gold rush. The Levis company is now the world’s largest maker of jeans. The YKK on the zipper of your Levis stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer. What is one of the most popular pieces of casual clothing worn in the world? Denim jeans.

Blue jeans are especially connected to American culture. Originally created for the working class, jeans became a favorite of teenagers in the 1950s. They now come in many styles such as skinny, straight, tapered, boot cut, maternity, and flare. In 1850 the cost for a pair of jeans was about $1.50, which is approximately $95 in today’s money value. Americans spent about $15 billion for jeans in 2005.

You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you wear.” Clothing styles are important to most people. They want to be viewed in a certain way. It is interesting to apply adjectives used for jeans to moral values: casual, loose, or flared. We certainly can be impacted by our clothing.

Perhaps that is why the apostle Paul encouraged us to “put on Christ.” The terminology in Romans 13 is the same used for putting on clothing. He writes, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). To “put on” Christ means to wear the mindset of Jesus and to walk in the ways of the Lord. It is much more than wearing a certain type of clothing. It means to behave so much like Jesus that we are mistaken for Christ by others.

The oldest pair of Levi’s jeans still around was made around the 1890s and is on display at Strauss & Co. Archives in San Francisco. But what Christ offers is a garment that will never wear out. One bale of cotton can make 215 jeans. Jesus has a supply that will never fail. Put on Christ today.

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." - Galatians 3:27 -

DEVOTIONAL: "Gestures"

Zoosemiotics, the study of animal communication, is a growing field of study of different forms such as gestures, facial expressions, gaze following, vocalization, and olfactory communication. Male humpback whales sing the longest and most complex songs in the animal kingdom. Each song lasts for more than half an hour. These messages can be heard underwater from more than a thousand miles away!

Gestures are one of the most common forms of animal communication. For instance, the herring gull will present its bill to the chicks followed by a tapping on the ground. The babies see the red spot on the mother’s bill and peck at it, which in turn causes the parent to regurgitate food for the young. Dogs have many facial expressions that communicate things like anger, through baring their teeth, for instance.

Vocalizations communicate warnings, conveying food sources, mating rituals, and more. But you can be fooled by animal communication if you are not careful to pick up metacommunication signals. These signals modify certain messages given by the animal. One of the most common examples is when dogs “fight” playfully. Initial “play face” signals and the position of the dog’s tail indicate that what follows is more fun than aggressive.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss. But his communication was deceptive. On the surface he appeared to be happy to see Christ, but underneath he was sending a signal to the soldiers. “Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely’” (Mark 14:44). Judas likely hoped Christ would display His power and escape. But that didn’t happen.

Our Lord allowed Himself to suffer and die in order to communicate a clear message of love and hope to us. His meaning was to the point. “I love you and want you to be with Me in My kingdom forever.” Will we receive His gesture of love?

Can we also become so familiar with the sacred that we lose our respect for the things of God?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."
- 1 John 1:3 -

DEVOTIONAL: "John and Mary - The Bargain, Part 3"

After John and Mary learned about the Sabbath in an Amazing Facts evangelistic meeting led by Darrin Bartell and then attended their first Sabbath service, Mary wasn’t feeling good about going back to their Sunday-keeping church. “I wasn’t quite ready to leave our old church,” John admits. “I had a board meeting scheduled for the coming week and I was to be the chair. The pastor would attend with two other board members.”

In the meantime, John called a district leader in his denomination and asked about the change of the Sabbath. “He told me in a few words that it had been moved to Sunday by the disciples,” he remembers, “and that he didn’t have a problem with it.” Then John decided to call his local pastor to arrange a meeting so he could ask him some questions. The pastor insisted on knowing the topic and when John said he had some questions about the Sabbath his pastor agreed to talk with him.

Soon after this John attended the church board meeting. At the conclusion, the pastor announced before the other two members that he was ready to talk with John about the Sabbath. John was completely surprised and unprepared. He had carefully arranged his questions and made notes about specific Bible verses but left all of this at home.

After his pastor repeated many of the first-day verses in the New Testament commonly used to try and support a change from Sabbath to Sunday, John did his best to share his new found understanding of the Sabbath. His comments were not received well and he was called a legalist.

Finally, John stood up and stated, “I don’t like to call any man wrong, but I believe you are wrong.” They politely shook hands and John left the church. The next week, John and Mary attended their Sunday-keeping church for the last time. A few months later, they were baptized into God’s end-time church. The pathway to truth led John and Mary through some difficult times, but God was with them every step of the way. They were determined to keep their end of the bargain with God.

Reflect: Do you believe God will be with you through any trial you experience? David could say that even when “I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." - Isaiah 43:2 -

DEVOTIONAL: "John and Mary - The Bargain, Part 2"

When John’s wife, Mary, was diagnosed with cancer, he prayed, “I will do whatever you want me to do.” After she recovered, the couple began searching the Scriptures for deeper truth. They shared their experiences with others as they continued seeking God’s will for their lives. Some Bible passages raised questions in their minds about baptism, communion, and the Sabbath.

Then one day, in August 2014, they received a flier in the mail. It was an advertisement for a prophecy seminar conducted by Darrin Bartell from Amazing Facts. John recalls seeing the handbill lying on the counter for a few days. “I studied it some, but then went back to my other chores and didn’t pay much attention to it. But in the back of my mind I wanted to know more.”

John got busy with work. He and Mary also went to meetings at their Sunday church twice a week. But one day she said to her husband, “John, I’d like to talk to you about those upcoming meetings.” At first he put her off, but finally she insisted, so they sat down and carefully studied the prophecy brochure. They finally agreed to check it out, though John was feeling a bit reluctant. “I assumed we were already attending the best church for us,” he admits. “I have to thank my wife for being open to this new path we were about to embark on.”

One Tuesday evening, they drove to the church for their first meeting. “I thought they would make a few interesting statements, pass the offering baskets to collect money and we’d go home,” John says. “Then I’d show Mary where they were wrong. Wow! Was I wrong!”

John says they were “incredibly shocked” because they decided to double check everything the evangelist, Darrin Bartell, stated. “We were very skeptical. We looked everything up!” And they prayed earnestly to learn the truth. They kept attending the prophecy meetings and found themselves soaking up new light, including a clearer understanding about the Sabbath. But this new pathway eventually led them to a crossroads.

Reflect: Have you ever prayed, “Lord, I will do whatever you want me to do”? Why not make a total submission of your life to God today?

KEY BIBLE TEXTS
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
- Jeremiah 29:13 -