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God Still Leads-8
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Dec. 12 - God Still Leads-8

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Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you. Deut. 31:8, NLT.

With the down payment cared for, the final payment of $20,000 for Loma Linda was a merciful three years off. But with momentum up and the previous owners offering a $1,000 discount if the Adventists paid the remaining money at once, the conference leadership moved quickly.

The impetus for the final push came from a non-church member who came to stay at the sanitarium even before it was ready for patients. It was inconvenient, but the staff did their best to make her feel comfortable. "As she was out on the grounds the next day," Burden writes, "we noticed that she seemed to look lonesome, so we thought to cheer her up. As we remarked about the beauty of the place, she said, 'I was just thinking how happy I would be to live in a place like this. I am all alone. My husband is dead. I am so lonesome I almost wish I were dead.'

"We suggested that she might make her home there. She asked how much it would cost. On [our] stating the amount she said, 'Why, I have that much in cash,' We went to the office and wrote out a life annuity."

The amount, of course, was far less than the needed $19,000, but the unexpected blessing encouraged them. They soon found a church member able to loan them $15,000 for three years.

Modern miracles still happen. In less than six months the church had raised the entire $40,000, and the Loma Linda property belonged to it. "The counsel" of Ellen White "had been confirmed," Burden enthused. "As we moved forward in faith, the Lord opened the way before us, and the money came from unexpected sources. Nearly all were at last convinced that truly God was carrying forward the enterprise."

Loma Linda, as predicted, later developed into a full-fledged medical school whose graduates have blessed people around the world with both physical care and the love of
Jesus.

God still leads His church, even though it is less than perfect and even though its members and leaders may disagree on how to move forward. In spite of it all, the Lord still guides.


 

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The Lord's people cannot of themselves answer the charges of Satan. As they look to themselves they are ready to despair. But they appeal to the divine Advocate. They plead the merits of the Redeemer. God can be "just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3:26(COL 168).
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