April 7 2004, danny winters: New forum for discussing anything related to the work of spreading the 3rd Angel's Message.
June 22 2006, webmaster
3 angels' messages in simple form
1. Jesus is coming soon, get ready!
2. Come out of the Sunday churches!
3. Keep the Sabbath!
Sister in Christ:
Regarding Sabbath observance. I have a problem with being ready before sunset Friday. I want to do what is right. I also want to be a good witness to those around me (I live in an Adventist community). Your advice and prayers please.
Dear Sister in Christ, Don't know how long you have been SDA but when I first knew the truth, I kept it but my life was a mess. I worked 10 hrs a day and Saturday had been my cleaning and shopping day. So, for some time, I just couldn't figure out what I was going to do.... Friday really wasn't a preparation day for me because I was working all day and got off just before Sabbath began. It took me probably 3 months-6 months to finally get into a routine. M-Thursday was my preparation day... after working hard all day I would come home and clean house and sometimes go shopping at 11 p.m. at night. But finally, everything was getting done. AFter maybe a full year, finally I could feel the blessings of the Sabbath. Until then, it was a work in progress. Hope this helps a bit...
I am committed to keeping Sabbath holy to honour God and to be obedient. However, it is easy to lose focus during the week and come Friday afternoon it is a battle between Sabbath preparation and continuing the work of the week. Unfortunately, this last Friday I dropped Sabbath preparation in favour of work.
I am resolving to keep a weekly checklist regarding Sabbath preparation so that it is not a Friday afternoon crisis.
If you could share some of your practices and ideals that would be great. For example, I have decided to not have washing on the line on Sabbath even though it will be difficult as we are regularly without power and/or water.
Dear Sister, You must work out what you can do daily to get things done... a little bit each day depending on the need. This is besides the regular meal making and upkeep.
Sunday's we are usually gone so I don't get much done on Sunday. It may be different for you however. This is the day when we visit relatives and have birthday celebrations, holiday celebrations and the such. If however there are no plans for Sunday... it is a FREE day and I can do anything! I try to get started on the next classes I have to teach for SS and also the next sermon message....
Monday this is the day that I shop for fresh food for the week.. make out the lists and meal plan for the week Tuesday check the bins for accumulation of wash and see if there is a need Wed. wash day if not done on Tues Thursday spring cleaning and sorting of all things that need to be done.. deep cleaning day Friday double meal making, final touches on cleaning, get clothes ready for Sabbath and general clean up
This is very general and there are always phone calls and things that will pop up now and then to change the schedule somewhat. ..
I hope this helps a little bit... in my mind... as soon as Sabbath is over, I'm preparing for the next Sabbath. Always have my mind on God.
Thank you very much newbie for sharing your routine. I will see how I can apply it in my life. Most importantly I will focus more on God and less on human expectations.
"Most importantly I will focus more on God and less on human expectations."
This is the key - What does God want?, not, What do the people around me want? Yes, i know we should not give cause for offense if we can avoid it, but so, so often i see us comparing ourselves with those around us to determine how we should live.
For example, when i lived in America around 22 years ago, i went out with a relative to a restaurant after church one Sabbath. It felt horrible, as i had never been raised like that, and knew it to be wrong. But many in the church did that (several others from the church came in while we were eating), and besides, i wanted to be friendly with my relative. BUT, now i can see more clearly that i need to be friendly with GOD, no matter what those around me do or say or think. Probably the "Adventist-colony" syndrome is one of the worst, as we easily fall into this bad habit of comparing ourselves among ourselves.
In traveling around, i see very lax observance of the Sabbath, including myself i'm afraid. For example, in the many places i've been, there have been hardly any homes where the Sabbath was actually officially introduced on Friday evening, and even fewer where it is ushered out on Saturday evening. I read stories of Orthodox Jewish families who make it a weekly 'high point" to usher in and out the Sabbath, and i long for that kind of experience in my own life. Yet, nearly every Sabbath-start finds me staring down the last few minutes typing on my computer or cleaning up something or whatever.
Some things i have introduced in my life in the last few years, but still sometimes break - 1. No cooking on the Sabbath except for something hot on cold mornings 2. No leaving laundry out on the Sabbath 3. Avoid paying for transportation as much as possible on the Sabbath (no taxis). 4. Talk only about spiritual things during the Sabbath hours. It is so easy to get into talking about normal life things, but should be 100% focused on Jesus, especially on this one day! 5. Leave the computer off on Sabbath. I use it so much during the week, that it doesn't feel like a special day when using it on the Sabbath. Sometimes tho, i do read Bible, SOP, or long downloaded spiritual things during the Sabbath hours.
12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Keeping the Sabbath Holy is a challenge in this world but if we are willing to try God will lead us and show us what is right. For those that have been raised in the faith will do things right naturally because they were raised this way. For the rest of us that have just come into the faith learn step by step .... not saying I'm there yet but working on it...
My neice was training to be a pilot, but had some difficulties because of Sabbath observance. What made it even harder for her to keep her faith strong, was to see our SDA leaders using commercial planes on the Sabbath hours.
