BEING AN OVERCOMER OF SIN

The question of whether we can overcome sin is one that seems to cause a bit of uneasiness even for many devote Adventists.  Ask a group of regular church-going Adventists if any think it is possible to quit sinning and I’m going to guess the majority will say no and they even have a Bible verse to back up the notation that we have no choice “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Rom 3:23.

The fact is, that no, we cannot.  However, if we really pay attention to the new testament, we see over and over it is filled with texts that talk about overcoming sin, that “our body of sin is done away with” (Rom 6:6), “we should no longer be slaves to sin” (v. 7), “whoever is born of God does not sin” (I John 3:9), and there are many more.  So, why does the Bible repeatedly say God’s children do not sin?

In fact, let’s go take a deeper look at the verse used by too many to make it seem as if we can’t help but sin and keep on sinning, here is Romans 3:21-26 (CEV):

²¹Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses.²²God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. ²³All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. ²⁴But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. ^25-26God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus. 

When read in the full context, this is no excuse to keep on sinning but rather a promise that by our faith, we can become partakers in Christ’s forgiveness and that God has provided a way for us to get past the sin problem.  It brings us to a study of justification and sanctification.

Justification is to be made right, to be brought whole, or to have settled a score.  If someone commits a crime, they are taken to court and the verdict is given and “justice is served”, meaning the harmed person has been given reconciliation for the harm done them.  If we apply this idea to our lives then we can look to the cross and see how the victory over death by Christ justifies us for we are made whole again by His having overcome death for us.  Death is the result of sin and we are all sinners.  We need to be reconciled or made whole in order to obtain eternal life and thus win the victory, the verdict in our favor, over sin and death.  This is a one step process which we receive by accepting, thru faith, the gift of Calvary.  The symbol of our acceptance is baptism.

When we feel God working in our life to the point we want to consecrate our life to Him, we are baptized as a symbol.  We are baptized into Christ’s death and His resurrection as a symbol of joining His victory at the cross and the grave.  Romans 6:4 tell us that “we are buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.”  If you keep reading, there is more “we shall be in the likeness of His resurrection” (v. 6) and “he who has died has been freed from sin” (v 7). 

Here is proof that we should not continue to dwell in sin.  Why would we wish to go backwards when we are on a path to glory and eternity?  Paul puts in well, “but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil 3:13).  He continues the idea in Col 3:1-2 by saying that if we are raised with Christ then we are to seek those things above rather than the things of this earth.

Here is the crux of the problem for so many Christians, we allow ourselves to be distracted by the things here on this earth or we dwell in our past rather than revel in our future.  The things of this earth are tangible, we experience them here and now and for many, that is easier than to focus on the intangible we experience here on earth when we fully surrender our heart, minds, body, and life to Christ.  Paul lends some excellent perspective on this in 2 Cor 4:18 “For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”.  Where is your focus?

There is also a danger of using the wrong type of justification, one where we justify repeating the same sin, feeling sorry and asking forgiveness, and then telling ourselves that God will forgive us if we mess up again.  To not acknowledge the power of God to also take away the temptation which we are assured He can, "then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment" 2 Peter 2:9.  It is a dangerous thing to deny God's full power, to not fully accept the gift given in love.


Now let's get to the heart of why we should even ponder this notion of becoming sinless.  Simply put, we won't be among the saved if we don't.  When Christ comes again, His rewards are with Him "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." Rev 22:12.  This means that they have already been decided, prior to the second coming.  Continuing to verse 14 we read "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." We see clearly here in Revelation, when the prophet is foretelling of the time of Christ's return and who will be saved, that it is those who have kept the commandments.  Keep in mind that to sin is to transgress the law, the commandments.  Thus we are given two sets of people at the end, those who have kept the commandments and if that is true, they are then without sin, and those who have unfortunately made choices to continue in sin.


Before you get scared and think "I can't do that, I'm doomed", remember that God isn't asking that you do it yourself, He has provided everything each person needs to reach this goal.  The main thing to remember is that we don't achieve this goal on our own, our job is to have faith in Christ, to allow His will and character to replace ours.  We do this by the example that Christ Himself gave us while living as a human.  He daily studied the scriptures and prayed, spending time with the Father to have the strength needed to overcome temptation.


Here are just a few promises that show we can be victorious:


Ephesians 6:16 (NKJV) "above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."


I Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, w ho will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."


I Peter 1:5 "You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day.  Then He will save you, just as He has always planned to do."


Psalms 29:11 "The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace."


Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

2 Thess 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful who will establish you and guard you from the evil one."

FAITH VS. SURRENDER

I believe an important topic to understand is the difference and correlation between faith and surrender.  We are justified by faith, we become sanctified through surrender.  Faith is believing in something we cannot see whereas surrender is giving up something.

To overcome sin requires that we have Christ abiding fully within us, replacing our character with His.  We must replace our own selfish will with the Father’s will, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is not possible if even a sliver of self remains in our heart.

Faith means that I believe in God even though I cannot see Him.  I believe and claim His precious promises.  I know He has my best interest in mind even if I cannot see the outcome from where I stand while going through trials.  I know Jesus is atoning for my sins right now at this very moment in the Holy of Holies in the heavenly sanctuary and as I come humbly before Him with a repentant heart He washes away my sins and I am forgiven.

Surrender means I also allow God to take the desire to sin away so that the temptation to sin is removed so that I might enjoy the peace that is beyond human comprehension yet not beyond human experience.

By faith we become willing to accept God’s promises…by surrender we give up self so we can experience God’s promises.

Here is an illustration:  let’s say a friend who knows you have been unemployed for sometime now offers you $1,000.  It is not a loan, it is a gift to help you and since you only have $100 left in your bank account and the burden of unpaid bills is pilling up, this would be a wonderful gift.  There is just one string attached however.  You must give up the $100 you currently have and give it away before you can receive the $1,000 offered.  Faith that you can trust your friend is required so that you are willing to let go of your very last cent, fully surrender all, in order to receive the help of the friend, the gift offered in love and the desire to help you in your time of need.

We are greatly in debt to sin, it is like the bill collectors who are relentless in their calls and the stress mounts, this is the devil and how he works with temptations; only sometimes we are not aware it is the devil calling and we pickup the phone only to realize we shouldn’t have and now he is there.  We need to allow Christ to become our caller id, our answering machine if you will, and let Him handle all the calls and pay the debt for us.

Faith merges with surrender in Phil 4:13 when we believe “I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me” and faith is exemplified in v. 11 when we “learn in whatever state I am to be content” and that is what surrender brings.  It means being willing to move past the tangible yet short-lived enjoyment that may come from things of this world and obtaining a peace that “will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (v. 7) and live a life focused on eternity, daily doing the will of the Father.

For the end time people of God, having overcome is required for those who want to be granted eternal life.  Let’s look at Revelation 3:20 where Jesus tells is talking to the final church, the Laodicians of which time period we know we are in now.  Jesus tells us He is standing at the door to our hearts and knocking, we must open the door and invite Him in which is the processing of allowing Christ to abide in us that His power is working rather than our own.  Now let’s backup a couple verses to 18 where He counsels us to buy gold refined in the fire, He is tells us that we must go through a growth process of learning to surrender and learn how to fully keep His commandments to withstand the trials that are soon to come our way.  Without Him, who has already lived the perfect human life required for eternal life, we will not overcome and be granted the throne (vs. 21).

When we look at what is required of God’s end time people in Revelation 3 and 14, we see that those who obtain the ultimate prize are they who have learned how to fully merge faith and surrender together in their lives.  God gives us everything we need to accomplish this and the beauty is that the overcoming part is done by Christ if we will have the faith to surrender our own will to His and let Him to do work for us. 

“Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” Matt 11:29-30 (CEV)

Truth Lost in Easter

Last night, the day most Christians refer to as Good Friday, I was praying with two of my close friends as we welcomed in the Sabbath and I was impressed what a tragedy of lost truth there is amongst far too many Christians.  Easter is the time when many Christians find their thoughts turning to the resurrection of our Lord and this is certainly a wonder that I am grateful for.  Without the life, death, and resurrection, none of us would have the possibility of eternal life; we would be lost forever.

But in the mainstream Christian world, the focus is only on Easter Sunday. In fact, the devil has masterfully turned the day our Lord resurrected from the dead and took victory into His hands, defeating the enemy once and for all; and used it for his deceptive gain.  How many Christians say that we are to observe Sunday worship because of the resurrection, I think most.  Yet, the truth is that even in His death, Christ honored the sanctity of the true Sabbath.  No where in Scripture will you find support for the change.  It is one of the ten commands given by God on Sinai and even more important, it was created at the very beginning of our earth, right after God made us humans.

As I thought about this, I said a prayer for all the Christians who have been lead away from the truth and that those whose hearts are open to hearing the Spirit speak to them will be impressed to find the glorious truth of Sabbath, especially during this weekend of remembrance of Christ's ultimate gift to us.  The enemy knows that when we do not set aside the Sabbath day to fortify ourselves in God, we are drawn away from His awesome power to have created us and to save us and our thoughts will not be in a place of coming to that peaceful place we can enjoy when Christ abides in us.

May God bless you as you take special time this particular Sabbath day to not only thank God for the gift of salvation through Christ and His resurrection, but thank God for having Christ also give us the example of keeping Sabbath even in His death so that it was preserved for our benefit when He rose in victory.

BURDEN OR BLESSING?

There are two institutions that God gave us in Eden…Sabbath and marriage.  There is a strong correlation between these two.  There is a blessing when each is regarded as God intended.

When two people meet and begin to date, they spend time to get to know each other.  As love develops, new love is usually spontaneous, full of hope and excitement.  When love is in the infancy stage, there is a natural desire to spend time together, as much as possible.  It is not forced; it is natural because love is there.

Once the couple decides to get married and spend eternity together, a lot of planning commences.  There is a dress and tuxedo to select, flowers and a cake to pick out, and so forth.  Other special people are asked to participate such as the maid-of-honor and best man.  After the wedding, the marriage ensues.  Marriage is the union of two, becoming as one in purpose and goals.  If the two want to remain close and have a strong relationship, they must continue to spend time together, to talk and share and grow as one body.  Spending time together is vital to the strength of the relationship.

The connection between the marriage relationship and Sabbath is easy to see if you just stop and think about it.  The wedding can be compared to the baptism.  After we “date” Christ, we develop a love that makes us desire to spend our life with Him.  All throughout the Bible, the imagery of the Christ as the bridegroom can be found.  So once we decide to marry Him, we study which is like our premarital counseling and then we set the date and invite our family, the church family, to come and celebrate with us.

Then we begin our life with Christ with our commitment in place.  This is where Sabbath becomes so important.  Our daily lives should have time set aside for Christ, for study and prayer, for devotion.  Each week we are given a full 24 hours to reconnect with God.  It’s like having a special date night with your spouse to keep your love and commitment strong.  Each Sabbath is a special time to renew our vow to God, to study and pray, and commune with Him.  A time to refocus our priorities.

Have you ever thought about how these two institutions are the only two given us in the Garden; before sin entered this planet, God is so good to provide the blessing before we even have the need. If we look at the Sabbath with resentment, as a burden, when we push the hours of sunset on Friday afternoon, clock-watching the Sabbath then it is like not being committed to our spouse in our heart.  Our pastor once asked the question: “which sunset do you look forward to the most?”  Isaiah 58 tells us about the delight of the Sabbath.

As one who grew up a Seventh-Day Adventist, going through Adventist schools and being a member of some wonderful churches, I didn’t always appreciate the true significance of the Sabbath.  As a kid, I enjoyed Sabbath School, potlucks, and nature hikes.  But in my post-college days, I didn’t always follow the guidelines I was taught.  The devil is so subtle in how he works to compromise us…watching tv a little past sundown to finish the show and then you find yourself starting the movie after sunset, and then you are skipping church and watching tv instead and you miss the fellowship of other believers.

I discovered that as I studied and prayed and grew closer to God that I more and more longed for the sunset on Friday.  A day of communion with God was the highlight of my week.  The rest portion of Sabbath is wonderful, but if our primary goal is to get involved in “lay activities”, are we really getting the blessing that is meant for us?

If we don’t spend time with our spouse, then odds are that the relationship will suffer and might even disappear if we aren’t careful.  Don’t take the chance of losing your relationship with God through neglect, losing that relationship means to lose your eternal life.

Long time Seventh-Day Adventists need to find a way, through prayer and study, to move beyond observing Sabbath by keeping the rules we were taught and into finding the blessing of time spent with our Heavenly Father.

The rules we learned about Sabbath in my home growing up were never forced on us, they were held out as an example.  Even though I spent some time not honoring the Sabbath hours, those habits of my youth stuck with me and turned into blessings in my life now.

The Scriptures tell us that even after sin is destroyed, we will observe Sabbath through all eternity (Isaiah 66:23). 

Jesus is our example of how to live a life here to prepare and be ready to go home with Him soon.  How did Jesus live a sinless life?  Through prayer and time spent with the Father.  He communed daily with God and Jesus kept the Sabbath, even in His death.  This time helped Him prepare for the trials and allowed Him to life a life free of sin.

God wants us to commune with Him, to strengthen ourselves in His love so we too can endure and overcome.  “For this is love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome” I John 5:3 

When Jesus reached His time of trouble in the garden of Gethsemane, He turned to the Father in prayer for strength (read Mark 14:32-38).  The garden is a symbol of the time of trouble we are soon to see.  We need to be spending time with our Father now if we are to be able to pass through that time, seeking to let God’s will be done in our lives, if we are to be overcomers with Christ.

Human Leftovers

Leftovers, scraps, remnant…these are similar terms depicting something that is left.  Webster’s defines remnant as

rem·nant     Noun \ˈrem-nənt\

Definition of REMNANT

1  a : a usually small part, member, or trace remaining b : a small surviving group —often used in plural

2  : an unsold or unused end of piece goods

Adventists are well acquainted with the term “remnant”.  We can trace its use in our vernacular back to our very start.  In fact, Remnant was considered as a name for our denomination.  Is the word and it’s meaning actually relevant?

Recently, in our small Bible study group, one member made a comment about Adventists being the remnant and that everyone in the group believes that.  My boyfriend who is still studying the Adventist faith and doctrine isn’t quite to the point of accepting a single church as God’s chosen so I pointed out that not everyone in the group believed that.  The rest of the group is comprised of members of the Adventist church, ranging from about one year to 4^th generation SDA.

That small comment spawned a separate conversation between me and my boyfriend about the concept of the chosen church.  I did my best to explain that there is a fine line we SDA’s need to tow the line of acknowledging that God does indeed have people inside other churches and some not even in a church yet we do also believe that in the end, God has one chosen church that is preaching the true end-time message and that as other’s study and find the light of the truth, they will join the ranks of that chosen or remnant church.  Indeed, Adventists do believe we are the remnant church of Revelation.

I found a little book on my shelf entitled “The Remnant” by Cliff Goldstein.  I gave the book to my boyfriend to read.  I hadn’t yet read this book so I prayed that God would lead his reading.  The book is now back in my hands and I have finished reading it for myself.  Cliff walks through the Bible stories and lays out the history of a remnant people, from Genesis to Revelation; God has always had a small group who were willing to stay true to Him.  If you need a recap for yourself, I recommend the book which is a fairly quick read and very good.

My thoughts are about those of us who are on board with the belief that SDA’s are the remnant church.  The further question is do we act like we believe that.  It’s a question similar to if you are a Christian, can people tell by your life?  One line in the book says: “it is a remnant only when it behaves as a remnant, prophetic people should behave.”

The Scriptures tell us “as in the days of Noah…so shall it be at the end.”  Noah was the first remnant believer.  He did ALL that God commanded (Gen 6:22) “He was a just man and perfect (Gen 6:9)

We aren’t truly remnant simply because we are raised SDA, it’s not absolutely genetic – just look at what happened to Noah’s descendants.  Do we tend to rely on the fact we know the present truth and thus we are in the remnant?  Or do we actually obey all God asks and have the kind of faith that Noah did to build a boat for a flood when it had never rained before and to take 120 years on the project  which is truly the “patience of the saints” in action!  He kept the commandments of God and had the testimony of Christ since God showed him the blueprint for the boat directly, just as he gave Moses the blueprint for the sanctuary.

We need to not be Laodicean and think that knowing is enough; membership in the SDA church isn’t an automatic gate pass through the gates of heaven; only 8 people went into the ark.

Revelation 14 explains just what the distinctive mark of the remnant church is…the Three Angels Message and it’s the heart of the book of Revelation.  Revelation 14:6 shows us that the message is taken to the entire world.  The Adventist church, like the Catholic Church has a global mission field.  Think about that and let’s backup to Revelation 13.  Revelation 13 explains the other great power in play at the end of time.  The SDA church is in 202 of 230 recognized countries.  There is a great contrast between the entities in motion at the end.  Revelation 14:8 we see the 2^nd angel calling God’s people out of Babylon, out of the power of chapter 13.  God explained what to stay clear of first then reminds us with the 2^nd angel.  Then the 3^rd angel warns against receiving the mark of the beast.

As Adventists, we should have a firm grip on the two marks, the beast’s mark vs. God’s mark.  It’s the true Sabbath or the false Sabbath.  So at the end, the two most global churches are preaching, one the true Sabbath of the 4^th Commandment and the other is preaching the one changed by an earthly power.

Revelation 14:12 summarizes the people of God at the end:  they have the patience of the saints; they have endured and stood steadfast even in the faith of death from the beast power who is directed by the dragon who is Satan.  They keep the commandments, all 10, not just 9.

Revelation 19:10 moves us to another point that sincere Adventists have a good grasp of, the testimony Jesus which scripture tells us is the spirit of prophecy.  Adventists understand this well also with the gift of Ellen White.  This is where Adventists might start settling into a comfort zone because we know all these; we know our church meets the test of having all of them.

Wait just a minute though before you get too comfortable.  I skipped over something in verse 7, the 1^st angel’s message.  The 1^st angel’s message was about the judgment.  This is critical to the message of Revelation.  There are over 500 denominations that observe Saturday as Sabbath so we’re not unique in that regard just as there are many denominations with a global presence and there is one that even has a prophet and a health message, so on any of these points, Adventists are not unique.

We are however unique, in our preaching of the judgment message.  The judgment is a key component of the 3 Angel’s Message and the preaching of it is unique to our denomination.  A great book to either learn or refresh your understanding of this message is “1844 Made Simple” by Cliff Goldstein.

I believe that I am a member of the denomination that meets the tests of the Remnant Church of Revelation.  This isn’t enough though because membership isn’t a free pass into heaven.  I must on a daily basis build my character, strengthen my relationship with Christ because the church is the bride and the groom will only take home with Him, the bride ready to live with Him for eternity.

The words to a song come to my mind, “Are you ready for Jesus to come? Are you faithful in all that you do? Have you fought a good fight? Have you stood for the right? Have others seen Jesus in you?”

Victory...Ours For The Taking

A key part of understanding the concept of overcoming sin through Christ is to understand that our salvation has already been gained in Christ's victory on the cross. 


An excellent study is to review the work of the great reformers and their understanding of justification by faith.  I urge you to read this great source of study for Reformation History.  Luther spent much time in study and prayer and the Spirit showed him the light that it is not of our own doing but rather faith in what Christ did for us that justifies us with God.  Think about the term "justice is served". The victory was already won at the cross but not until we reach out our hearts in faith and accept in humility that the victory is also ours, is there a completion of the justification process.


Once we understand the process, we must be willing to begin living a life of self-denial and giving our all to Christ so that the victory can become ours.  We seek to have victory IN Jesus and become partakers with Him.  We do not gain the victory but rather accept that Christ already gained the victory and offers it to each of us and we are thus united with the Victor.


We need to lay down our lives at the foot of the cross to gain the beautiful peace that comes from being reconciled with God through the victory that is ours if we are willing to accept it, grasp it, take hold, and don't look back...only looking forward to eternity with our Redeemer.

Here are a few wonderful readings from EGW that share more about this.  And of course, it does us well to spend time in Romans to understand the victory of the cross.

"Forgiveness at the Cross:   Before the cross the sinner sees his unlikeness of character to Christ. He sees the terrible consequences of transgression; he hates the sin that he has practiced, and he lays hold upon Jesus by living faith. He has judged his position of uncleanness in the light of the presence of God and the heavenly intelligences. He has measured it by the standard of the cross. He has weighed it in the balances of the sanctuary. The purity of Christ has revealed to him his own impurity in its odious colors. He turns from the defiling sin; he looks to Jesus, and lives." {TSB 108.3}

"When the Spirit of God controls mind and heart, the converted soul breaks forth into a new song; for he realizes that in his experience the promise of God has been fulfilled, that his transgression has been forgiven, his sin covered. He has exercised repentance toward God for the violation of the divine law, and faith toward Christ, who died for man’s justification. “Being justified by faith,” he has “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1." AA 476

"Through death Christ destroyed him that had the power of death. In the very act of grasping his prey, death was vanquished, for Christ’s death brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Never was the Son of God more beloved by His Father, the heavenly family, and by the worlds unfallen than when He humbled Himself to bear disgrace, humiliation, shame, and abuse." {12MR 410.2}

"When Christ bowed His head and died, He bore the pillars of Satan’s kingdom with Him to the earth. He vanquished Satan in our human nature. The nature by which the enemy was overcome is the same nature over which in Eden he obtained an easy victory. He sustained a humiliating defeat. He was overcome by the human nature of Christ. The power of the Saviour’s Godhead was hidden. He must overcome in human nature, relying upon God for His power. This is the privilege of all who accept Jesus Christ. In proportion to their faith will be their victory." {12MR 410.3}

Tithing Blessings

My small Bible study group is currently reading Patriarchs and Prophets and our chapter last week was about tithe.  One of the young women asked just what tithe blessings are.  My dad is a true believer and participant in tithing.  He had a pickup truck that got well over 400,000 miles and he never even overhauled the engine.  His batteries last years and years even though here in the desert most of us are lucky if a battery lasts 2 years.  You might not think about these as tithe blessings but what else can they be, just think how much money a truck with 400,000 miles that never needed any major mechanical work saved my dad.

She then asked about tithing when you do not have an income and your spouse is a non-believer and the spouse earns all the household income.  I know that lady gives her time, from the heart, to help the women's ministry group and I asked her about that.  She responded that she often finds she seems to accomplish so much it is as if she has a 28 or 30 hour day.  I replied that perhaps God is blessing her tithing of her time which is what she has to give back to God, despite not having a monetary income to tithe on.

In the past week, I have tried to be more mindful of the blessings of tithing.  I am self-employed and needless to say, this economy has been very rough on my checkbook.  I had a misunderstanding with a company about the date a payment was going to be deducted from my checking and discovered that I had about $100 in bank fees because I hadn't transferred money over to cover the payment since I didn't think it was going to be deducted yet.  I went to the bank to make the deposit needed to cover the payment and was just chatting with the bank manager while he made the deposit for me.  Then without me asking, he offered to reverse the fees even though it wasn't the bank's error...a tithing blessing.  And God blessed a bit further because it turned out the man was looking for someone to help with his taxes and so I got a bonus tithing blessing of a new client.  

God is just amazing.  We just have to stop long enough to realize that He does it in the little things all the time, we can't just wait for the huge miracle to realize His goodness in our lives.

My Adventure

Did you ever take off on an adventure, perhaps as a kid you got on your bike and rode into the woods near your home.  Off you went to find woodland creatures, a stream to play in, a place to picnic. Children in particular look forward to adventures and so it should be when we sit down with God and His word if we are God's children.


This is an important point.  How we view our study indicates where our heart really is.  Think about falling in love.  When you meet someone that sparks your interest and they feel the same way, you are excited to see them and spend time with them.  Think about how many times the church is referred to as the bride of Christ.  Successful marriages exist because both people are involved with growing closer together.  


Remember that your heart must desire a relationship with Christ.  Simply reading the Bible, going to church, being a Seventh-Day Adventist; these don't equal salvation.  Accepting Christ with all my heart, that is the adventure of a life time...an eternal life time.


Have you been on a good adventure lately???