To Keep It Holy

 

 

     In the days ahead, God’s people will be tested more and more.  The primary deciding issue will be God’s seventh day Sabbath.  It is the seal of the living God, the crowning seal of His creation.  The faith of all true Christians will be tested.  How will you stand?  Let me share with you something that happened just recently to a young man who now lives in our mountain village of La Zona.

     His name is Benito, but we simply call him Ben.  Just a few months ago Ben lived in San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras.  He had a good job working as a chauffeur for the owners of a large business.  The work was easy and the money was great, but Ben had a persistent feeling that he and his family needed to leave the city.  Unable to shake this feeling, Ben made preparation to move into the mountains of La Zona where he had friends and family.  Little did he know that God was the One calling him out of Babylon.  Ben had saved up enough money to move and rent a small house right next door to Salvador, one of our baptized church members.  Although La Zona is a relatively small village, it has its unpleasant elements.  Not wanting to be a part of such things, not wanting his family to be enticed or misguided, Ben began bringing his family to church.  At first he was only coming on the Sabbath, but soon he, his wife and baby son were attending every meeting.  Douglas, our Bible worker at the time, presented some powerful and clear messages, and recently Ben witnessed his first baptism of a young woman who committed her life to the Lord.  Ben inquired more and more about the truths he was hearing.  He enjoyed the worship services, and as he learned about God’s holy day, Ben wanted to keep the seventh-day Sabbath holy.  Learning these new and exciting truths about the seventh-day Sabbath brought with it a strong conviction, one that required firm obedience to God.

     Ben now had a job working on a dairy farm making a pittance compared to what he had made in the city, but keeping his job to support his family was necessary.  The work was not hard, but the hours were long, and he had to work on the Sabbath.  Have you ever been in a situation where you had to decide between your livelihood and your obedience to God?  Believe me it is not a pleasant experience.  The only thing that can keep us focused and faithful is the Word of God.  He has promised to care for His children if we are obedient to Him and keep all His statutes, His commandments and His laws.

     Ben now had the trying task of telling his employers that he could no longer work on God’s holy Sabbath day.  Would they understand and allow him to take the Sabbath off?  All Ben could do was pray that God would somehow intervene so that he could keep his job. We must ever keep in mind that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against  principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  Ephesians 6:12

     With firmness and trust in God, Ben let his boss know that he could no longer work on the Sabbath, because the seventh-day Sabbath is God’s holy day.  Without understanding and compassion, Ben’s boss told him that if he could not work Friday nights and Saturday, that he would just find someone else to work for him.

     That next Sabbath, Ben came to church joyfully, and Saturday night he asked if he could come up to the outpost the next day to talk with us.  We were curious to know what he wanted.  Early Sunday morning Ben was at the outpost.  He excitedly shared with us his testimony, of how he felt God had brought him to La Zona to teach him his truth.  He wanted to be obedient to God’s Word, and his desire now was not to make money like he had done in San Pedro Sula, but to serve the Lord and be able to attend His house of prayer here in La Zona.  He asked if there was any way he could work for us, either at the outpost or the restaurant.  We were so moved by Ben’s testimony and his determination to serve the Lord no matter what, that we decided to hire Ben as our handyman.  I believe that was God’s way of blessing Ben; not only did God bless Ben with a job as our handyman, but he earns more money than he was making at the dairy farm.  No one is looking over his shoulder, and he is in charge of his responsibilities.  When you are faithful to God, you just cannot out-give God’s blessings, no matter how hard you try.  Whatever the trial or circumstance, when days are dark and we can see no light at the end of the tunnel, we must learn to trust wholly upon the promises of our Saviour.  Praise His Holy Name!

Joe Willis