a periodical from the desk of  Pastor White...

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Text Box: The book of Revelation describes a final crisis when the world, under God's judgment, experiences dire conse­quences, "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:16, 17) When God's people can do nothing to provide for themselves--even to buy or sell goods for their family--­they must depend totally upon God. What a faith this will require! Total dependence upon our heavenly Father without doing anything through our own capabilities to provide for ourselves or our families. Perhaps we will learn the lesson that God is all we need only when God is all we have. But what will enable us to take such a giant step of faith in that final crisis? I believe it will be because our faith has grown through repeated smaller faith steps before the crisis comes. Obedience is our only choice. God's people must obey to survive. And the principles of that obedience include, “Bring all the tithes into the store­house, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes…And all nations Text Box: will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 3:10-12). God's portion is small--a tithe, just 10 percent. God's priority is essential--He must be placed first. God's promise is great--deliverance! God will take care of us. But notice, God will take care of us if we permit Him. If we cannot trust God with 10 percent, how will we trust Him when we can do nothing for ourselves and must depend upon His sustenance for 100 percent? For us today, God's commands presuppose a heart relationship. The Creator of this universe is not a pauper who must wait for our 10 percent to operate His kingdom. Scripture declares that He owns the silver and gold and the cattle on a thousand hills. So Jesus does not need our money. Jesus needs our hearts. But the Savior knows that He will not have one without the other. He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:21). Jesus underscores an essential rule of life. We love that to which we give. We love that for which we spend. If we spend only for ourselves, if we give only to ourselves, we will end up loving only ourselves. If we invest beyond ourselves, if we give to heaven's objectives, if we spend for heaven's priorities, we will end up loving heavenly things. Text Box: James A. Cress is Ministerial Association Secretary, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Silver Spring, Maryland.

The Coming Crisis: What God expects of us.

Volume 4, Issue 5

May 25th, 2005