An Offertory Devotional video for Sabbath, September 3, 2022, in your @adventistchurch: vimeo.com/741863516. Putting God first can be difficult. What can we learn from this video that will help us put God first in our lives today?
Also available in #Spanish and #Portuguese.
Put #GodFirst
#StewardshipMinistries
------------------------------------------------------------
For more information on the Stewardship Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, you can head over to stewardship.adventist.org/ ______________________________________________
We worship with our resources because it is a means of trusting God. God’s instructions about soil management in Leviticus 25:3, 4 is an example of God’s invitation for His children to trust Him: “For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” We now know some of the benefits of putting the land to rest through knowledge acquired in agricultural science. In those days, after receiving such an unusual instruction, the Israelites would surely wonder what they would eat in the seventh year if they did not plant or harvest. It was an invitation to trust. Interestingly, there are no reported instances of someone dying of starvation for keeping this strange command. God’s order was backed up by a promise: “Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.”
On one occasion, a pastor accompanied by an elder visited a low-income family of the church. They were gladly welcomed and had a great time fellowshipping together. At some point, the pastor opened the Bible and read Malachi 3:9, 10, encouraging the family about faithfulness in giving. Upon completing their visit, the elder shared with the pastor that he was very uncomfortable with the text he read because this family was struggling financially. Gently but firmly the pastor responded: “I wanted to make sure that they are not missing God’s blessings.”
Have you ever gone through situations where God’s instructions do not make any sense to you? Remember the words of the hymn: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus” (SDA Hymnal, no. 590).