An Offertory Devotional video for Sabbath, July 2, 2022, in your @adventistchurch: vimeo.com/701782531. 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
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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 tithe and offerings because we wait eagerly to see our God face to face. The Scriptures associate the Second Coming with the proclamation of the gospel to the whole world (Matt. 24:14). God desires all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Our involvement in doing and supporting God’s mission makes it possible for others to hear and receive the good news. Peter describes the waiting experience as an active one: “as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (verse 12). Ellen G. White clarifies Peter’s words: “By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 633, 634). It appears that God has made it possible for us to hasten His coming.
The example of a toboggan, or sled, helps us to understand the meaning of hastening His return. If you put a sled at the top of a hill and allow it to glide, it will reach the bottom after some time. This is the natural course as a result of gravity and normal force. However, kids who like playing in the snow know that you can speed up your sled as it goes downhill. Among other tricks, you can spray cooking oil on the bottom of the sled, pack down the snow on the track, stay low on the sled, or balance your weight on it. As a result, you go faster, and it is more fun. In the same way, the reality of Jesus’ second coming is unalterable; it will take place, but it can happen earlier if we associate with Him to reach out to others.
Are we going to forsake this opportunity to speed up His coming? This week, as we worship with our tithe and regular offerings, called Promise, we can reveal how deeply we long for the Second Coming.