How do I know when I have found the person that God wants me to marry?

Choosing a life partner is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. You will want to think carefully and pray about it. It’s also a good thing to listen and talk with family and other people you trust who have experience and understanding.

As your relationship deepens with the person you think might be “the one,” there are some important questions you should ask yourself:

Does this person share my commitment to Jesus Christ and the values that I hold?

Do we have a shared vision for the future?

Do we have a strong friendship that can grow across a lifetime?

Does this person treat me and others with love and respect?

Do our families and others who know us well support this relationship?

Do we have the skills we need to communicate, to deal with differences, to resolve problems so the needs of both are met, and to handle anger when it arises?

Are we committed to supporting one another and growing together in our marriage?

If you can answer “yes” to all these questions, this is a relationship that is worth pursuing.

As you approach marriage, you will want to talk to your pastor or a counselor about premarital preparation. The church recommends 10-12 hours of premarital guidance, six to eight months prior to the wedding. This time together will provide an experience of dialogue and skill-building that can start your marriage off on a journey that will last a lifetime. (Excerpt from www.letstalk.adventist.org Q&A on Relationships by Pr. Jan Paulsen)

Adventist Review Page

Here is a link from Adventist Review that you may enjoy. Have a good day!

http://www.adventistreview.org/article.php?id=2193

When You Reclaim Your Mornings for Christ

When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You say “Good morning Lord” instead of “Good Lord, it’s morning.”
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
Your words no longer fall on deaf ears but they rise on eagles wings.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You no longer wander aimlessly but instead you follow faithfully
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You no longer while away [waste away] the hours, now you redeem the time for eternity.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer rejected like an orphan, but you are accepted as a son/daughter.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You no longer live in fear but you face fear by the power of
the cross.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer looked at with suspicion but you are called and then commissioned.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
You are no longer satisfied with survival, you hunger for revival.
When you reclaim your mornings for Christ:
It’s no longer us and them, but it’s Jesus coming again.
It’s no longer who I am, but Whose I am.
It’s no longer where I’ve been, but where I’m going.
It’s not about who I know, but Who I follow.
It’s not about “Out of my way”, but it’s about, “Can I help you find the Way?”

(source: www.annointed.net)

All Our Powers Belong to Him

God's stamp is upon us. He has bought us, and He desires us to remember that our physical, mental, and moral powers belong to Him. Time and influence reason, affection, and conscience, all are God's, and are to be used only in harmony with His will. They are not to be used in accordance with the direction of the world; for the world is under a leader who is at enmity with God. (Messages to the Young People p.69.1)

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR HEARING?

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.
Burn the bush like You did for Moses, God … and I will follow,
Collapse the wall like You did for Joshua, God … and I will fight.
Still the waves like You did on Galilee, God … and I will listen.
And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea, and waited for God to speak.

And God heard the man, so God answered.
He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.
He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.
He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. And God waited for the man to respond.

And He waited … and He waited … and waited.
But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives,
seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.
Finally he looked to God and asked, “Have You lost Your power?”
And God looked at him and said, “Have you lost your hearing?”
– Max Lucado (Adapted from 2009 Small Group Discussions for Adventist Youth article)

"QUOTE OF THE WEEK"

"With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!."(Messages to Young People, p. 196).

INSIGHT ON THE AY AIM, MOTTO AND PLEDGE

The Advent Message to All the World in My Generation
My relationship to Jesus Christ is of such a nature that it compels me to share with any who will receive it, the gospel—the good news of His soon return.

The Love of Christ Constrains Me
I am drawn to Him by His exemplary life, the symbolic act of His crucifixion, His conquering resurrection, and His promise of an earth made new in the pattern of the original creation. The closer I find myself to Him, the closer I find myself identifying with the needs of my fellow human beings.


The Pledge of Adventist Youth

Loving the Lord Jesus, I promise to take an active part in the work of the Adventist Youth Society, doing what I can to help others and to finish the work of the gospel in all the world..

Loving the Lord Jesus. This introductory thought directs our minds toward the motto of Adventist youth. It is the impelling force of the pledge and the movement of Adventist youth. The value of service for the Master is measured by the love and dedication with which Adventist youth serve Him. Does the Lord Jesus completely direct the life?

I promise. The word promise is synonymous, in this case, with desire, and can revolutionize the life. Promise means that youth are not dominated by someone else, but rather are ready and willing to follow the Lord.s leading. They have a purpose, and are committed. This means that the youth are available for action, and will decide for the best in life. They will follow the proposed path with determination and will keep their eyes fixed on the goal. The Master can count on them to fulfill their promises completely.

To take an active part in the youth ministry of the church (in the work of the Adventist Youth Society). This means to be involved in the activities of the AY Society, including the meetings and witnessing outreach. The Adventist youth will always be ready to help someone, and will support his or her AY Society and church in their various activities.

Doing what I can to help others. This is a commitment that denotes readiness and dedication on behalf of others. It means to do one.s best for a cause, and represents the greatest effort to help in every phase of activity within the organization of the Adventist Youth Society and in the church. The true Adventist youth is always ready to take advantage of every opportunity to serve.

And to finish the work of the gospel in all the world. This last part of the Adventist Youth pledge urges the youth to think of the AYS aim. It represents the extension of the divine mandate of our Lord Jesus in a universal scope. It is a challenge to the the youth to understand the divine command. First in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria, and finally unto the ends of the earth.

AY AIM, MOTTO AND PLEDGE

AIM:The advent message to all the world in my generation

MOTTO: For the love of Christ constrains me

PLEDGE: Loving the Lord Jesus, I promise to take an active part in the work of the AY society, doing what I can to help others and to finish the work of the gospel in all the world

BLIND GIRL

There was
a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She
hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always
there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see
the world, I will marry you.'
One day,
someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.
He asked
her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The
girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected
that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.
Her
boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.'
This is
how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is a
Gift
Today
before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't
speak.
Before
you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone
who has nothing to eat.
Before
you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone
who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today
before you complain about life - Think of someone who went
too early to heaven.
Before
whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who
walks the same distance with their feet.
And when
you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your
job.
And when
depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on
your face and think: you're alive and still
around.