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| FRIDAY | February 18 |
| “The powers of darkness gather about the soul and shut Jesus from our sight, and at times we can only wait in sorrow and amazement until the cloud passes over. These seasons are sometimes terrible. Hope seems to fail, and despair seizes upon us. In these dreadful hours we must learn to trust, to depend solely upon the merits of the atonement, and in all our helpless unworthiness cast ourselves upon the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. We shall never perish while we do this—never! When light shines on our pathway, it is no great thing to be strong in the strength of grace. But to wait patiently in hope when clouds envelop us and all is dark requires faith and submission which causes our will to be swallowed up in the will of God. We are too quickly discouraged, and earnestly cry for the trial to be removed from us, when we should plead for patience to endure and grace to overcome.”—Ellen G. White, God’s Amazing Grace, p. 114. |
 Some folk overcome hardships that others are crushed under. What do you think makes the difference?  Dwell more on the question of trials and tragedy that don’t seem to have any kind of happy ending. What are we to make of them? How do we reconcile them with our faith and the promises of God?  In the third sentence of the quote in Friday’s study (“In these dreadful hours we must . . .”), what is Ellen G. White telling us? Where is she pointing our hope? Why, in the end, is the gospel, as presented in these words, our only hope, regardless of the tragedy that happens to us now?  How can you practically apply Peter’s counsel in 1 Peter 4:12, 13? It’s one thing to remain resilient and faithful amid trial, but to do what Peter says? How is that possible?  Suppose you were dealing with someone in a very dire situation, one in which there seemed no way out, humanly speaking. Suppose, too, that you had only five minutes with that person. In those few minutes, what would you say to give the person hope? |
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Called to Serve by KHAM I grew up in a Buddhist family in Southeast Asia. My best friend in college was a Seventh-day Adventist. I knew nothing about God or Jesus or Christianity, and sometimes I teased my friend about his religion, but he never became angry with me. I think that deep in my heart, where I wasn't even aware of it yet, God was speaking to me. Another girl shared her faith with me and challenged me to read the Bible and learn for myself who God is. She promised that in its pages I would find Jesus and salvation. I decided to learn more about this Jesus and told my best friend. He introduced me to his uncle, a pastor, who offered to study with me. I wanted to know two things: is the Bible true, and who is this Jesus? The pastor taught me the Bible through its stories. He taught me how to understand God's Written Word and how to pray. The more I sought to know Christ, the more amazed I was at what I found in the Bible. I surrendered my life to God and asked to be baptized. I finished my studies and took a job as an accountant with an interna¬tional firm. The job paid well, and life was good. Then I received an e-mail inviting me to serve as a volunteer accountant at Yap Seventh-day Adventist School. I had never heard of Yap, but I knew that God was calling me to serve Him there. It took a lot of faith, but I resigned my job and accepted the call to Yap. It's a big step to give up a good job and steady income to live a simple life on a tiny island in the South Pacific. But I'm learning to trust God for everything. He knows what I need and always provides. During my time in Yap, God has taught me how to trust Him and to keep my eyes focused on Him. The culture is so different from my own, but the people I serve are God's children, and I've learned to love them. He has given me new perspective and teaches me His love and grace. I am amazed that God invited me, a young Buddhist boy, to become a soldier in His army. Every day He reminds me that I am His and that the children and parents I serve are His also. What a privilege and honor to work for Christ and share His love with others. KHAM wrote his story while serving as the accountant at the Yap Adventist School in Micronesia.. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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