Sometimes tests and trials come early when God is calling us into His Church, and we at times have to make tough decisions which affect us and our families.  One such test is the keeping of the Sabbath, regardless of the consequences. When I was called into the Truth, I had a government job with security, pension, and benefits. Upon learning of the Sabbath, that we must not just keep it but also not work for a living on that day, I had to make a decision since my job conflicted with the Sabbath

I remember it well: I had been reading the Worldwide Church of God booklet, “United States and the British Commonwealth in Prophecy,” and it was not until the second time I read it that it dawned on me that I had to quit my job in order to obey God.

I was working on the second floor of the Prison Hospital, walking back and forth thinking about this, and I made up my mind then and there that I would have to resign and also refuse to work on Saturday which was coming up in a few days.

I was working a dayshift at the time, and it was not more than five seconds after deciding to quit, when the officer in charge came up the stairs and asked me if I could work a double shift because the man scheduled to work had called in sick.  I immediately replied, “Yes, If I can have Saturday off,” which he immediately agreed to.  There was no conflict with the Sabbath in my schedule for a while, and I took the opportunity to resign before the Sabbath issue came up again.

Upon returning home that evening, I told my wife about my decision, and she asked what we were going to do and I said, we would have to trust in God.

I recall on my last day at work that a fellow officer asked me if I was resigning because of my beliefs, and when I told him that I was, he replied that I was making a big mistake. This was in the early part of June, and it was an interesting summer that year.

I worked at several jobs. I was helping a Moving Company to move furniture and goods, I helped a bricklayer for a while, and I worked at a Plywood Plant where I got fired after telling the foreman on the afternoon shift that I could not work on a Friday after sunset, and I went home before the Sabbath. I then worked for the Teamster Union, loading and unloading boxcars.

One day in August in 1969, not having any work that day, I was helping my dad at his place, and after I was finished, I was moved to go to apply for a job at BC Hydro in Vancouver. I filled out an application, and as I was about to walk out, the receptionist said to my surprise that the Personnel Manager wanted to see me.

The interview went very well. He had a lot of questions about my job as a Prison Guard and he said he would let me know because they needed workers to work in the Fraser Valley, close to where I lived at the time.

On Friday, September 12, after not hearing anything from the Manager, I decided to call him. He said to me, “I am glad you called, I have been wanting to call you, you can start in the Fraser Valley on Monday, the 15th.” This was a good and secure government company to work for, better than the previous one I had.

Does God bless our commitments to obey Him, regardless of circumstances?

Within four years, I had become the highest paid employee in the Union and was being paid extra as a first aid attendant.

This all came about due to the commitment to obey God who in the end provided me with a better and well-paid job, benefits, and time off for keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days.

I worked there for thirty-eight years until the Summer of 2007 when I retired.

God fulfilled His promise to bless us when we make the choice to serve Him, regardless of the cost. I trust my experience should be encouraging and motivating to anyone facing similar trials, to put our complete trust in God.

Watching the recent presidential debate in the USA was a bit of an eye-opener, with two elderly men throwing insults at each other and accusing each other of lying.  A fact check of either one would show that they both lied many times during the debate, following the example of their leader— Satan, the current ruler of this age whom Christ called a liar and murderer from the beginning.

We read Christ’s words in John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Satan lied to Eve and deceived her into taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was in direct disobedience to what God had told her and which led to the death of both her and her husband Adam who followed her lead.

So, the devil not only lied to her but was also guilty of murder. He is a totally corrupt, evil and irredeemable being, awaiting judgement in the future. He is currently the god of this world who sinned and rebelled against his Creator—the one and true God.

That is the problem with many politicians and leaders in this age. Influenced by Satan in one way or another, they lie about everything, thinking there is no recourse or future punishment. Politicians lie and are backed up by a corrupt lying media to push their agenda on the people.

Thankfully, this situation will end when this evil system will be changed and be replaced by a just system of government. This will be accomplished when Christ returns to rule the earth with His saints– the glorified children of God who will not be, nor can be, corrupted by man or Satan.

It behoves us in this day and age to tell the Truth at all times and live with the consequences. Once a person starts lying and refuses to correct his lies and to change by telling the Truth, he cannot be trusted.

As God’s people, we must be looked upon as trustworthy and as those who tell the Truth–always.

Christ’s admonition to seek the kingdom of God is found in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

In the dialogue leading up to this verse are a lot of examples as to what people focus their lives on.  In verses 19-32, Christ focuses on the verse which sums it all up, verse 33, as quoted above.

The analysis deals with where your treasure is; not to serve two masters; and not to worry about the physical things of this life, because if you have your priorities straight, God will supply your physical needs.

If we are to seek first the kingdom, we have to have a clear picture in our mind as to what the kingdom of God is. Even though the definition is broad, it can be narrowed down, in part, to the understanding that God is a Family, consisting of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ who work in harmony to achieve what God wants, while Christ is subject to God the Father, the Most High God.

It also includes our potential to become full-fledged sons and daughters of God; and that God will establish the Government of God on this earth at the return of Jesus Christ; and the world structure will eventually be changed by the implementation of the laws of God, summarized by the Ten Commandments which show us that we demonstrate our love for God by keeping the first four commandments and our love for fellow man by keeping the last six commandments.

Then there are many statutes and judgments which explain the Ten Commandments further and show how to apply them specifically. The sooner mankind keeps these eternal laws, the sooner they can reap the benefits and blessings attached to keeping them.

The kingdom of God involves other aspects as well, but for the context of this editorial, it is being narrowed down to a few.

“Seeking” the kingdom involves doing some analysis and getting our priorities straight and not getting sidetracked by the things of this world like food, clothing and physical aspects which God will provide if we stay the course; and if we remain focused on the admonition to seek the kingdom first in our lives, the rest will follow.

The other aspect of this verse is to seek “His righteousness.” Since the Father and Christ—the Kingdom of God—are one in approach and righteousness, we have the example of Christ that we should follow. Christ’s life was pleasing to God since on more than one occasion, it was stated that Christ was the Father’s beloved Son in whom He was well pleased (compare, for example, Matthew 3:17; 12:18; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22).

Let us look at the admonition in Proverbs 3:1: “My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands.”

So, seeking God’s righteousness involves obeying and keeping His commandments which in this day and age are rejected by man, and yet, they are not that complicated.

The definition of seeking includes, “to attempt to find (something).” For instance, note this example: “They came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds.”

“Seeking” can also mean, “to attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something).” Examples could be: “The new regime sought his extradition,” or, “Her parents had never sought to interfere with her freedom.”

In addition, “seeking” can be defined as “asking for (something) from someone.” Here is one example: “He sought help from the police.”

Finally, “seeking” can be understood as “seeking someone/something out” and “searching for and finding someone or something,” like in this example, “It’s his job to seek out new customers.” 

So, we can see that seeking involves some effort on our part, and we have to be continually seeking the kingdom of God which will be established when Christ returns, and which ultimately is the only hope for mankind, and we need to seek the righteousness of God which involves keeping the commandments. All the other physical things we may wish and desire will be given to us in due time; and at the end, the best gift of all will be eternal life. Let’s never forget the words of Christ in Luke 12:32: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”