Knox Seventh-day Adventist Church, 5035 E 800 S, Monterey, IN (2026)

06/08/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
If your bank credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day, allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it! Well, you have that bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances and allows no overdrafts. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, you lose them. You can’t go back and you can’t draw against tomorrow.
Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
God has a suitable time for everything in our lives. These things should be viewed as appropriate and helpful to us, even the things that first appear to be negative. God has placed within the heart of everyone a sense of eternity and the desire to know His purpose for us and in what we do.
“Our heavenly father has provided many delightful inns for us along our journey, but he takes great care to see that we do not mistake any of them for home” (C. S. Lewis).
God desires that we see the beauty He created in nature, and having seen, to educate our children to see that they are part of God’s expression – His love to mankind. We are to reflect upon the beauty in our world. The verdant green carpet and the leafy trees, the azure blue sky and seas, all were to remind us of His amazing love for us. But our society is more focused on the work of our hands: our houses, our clothing, etc. God gives us those 86,400 seconds each day so we may acknowledge and praise Him. But we concentrate on the honor, glory, and applause of the world – the temporary – instead of thinking of eternity. We cannot afford to ignore God; we cannot afford to sin; sin is expensive business.
Do you want to spend “eternity” with God? When the pearly gates are opened, do you want to hear His voice welcoming you? Is the crown of glory something you dream of having placed on your head? Do you wish for the white robe, woven in the loom of heaven, to be placed on your shoulders? Do you long to behold the King in His beauty? I beg you to dream today of heaven. Let go of all things that interrupt and distract your mind.
Thank You, Lord, You put eternity in our hearts and have given us this day to reflect on You.

06/07/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
A young woman in a supermarket was wearing a shirt that pronounced, “Life is divided between miserable and horrible.” To many people, it seems as though life has no purpose except to bring difficulty and pain. The Bible, however, provides a message directly from our Creator God about what our attitude must be if we are going to make the best use of the wonderful opportunity He has given us.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Ecclesiastes 2:24 “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.”
“Eat and drink.” Solomon states his conclusion based upon his tests and trials with life. The end gain, he feels, is nothing; and so, why not eat and drink, and be fond of the things life has to offer. Enjoy life, literally, “find enjoyment” in the fruits of labor.
Ecclesiastes 3:13 “… also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
It is God’s will that men and women should not only enjoy the fruits of their labor but also find pleasure in carrying out their tasks. God is in control, and He has a good result planned for His earth dwelling children, in the face of suffering and disappointment.
It is important to earn a living, but we can easily become preoccupied with our work-life and ignore our Christian responsibilities. We can ignore God’s Kingdom as out of sight and out of mind. To keep this from happening, we must position God’s Word and work as our #1 priority. We must not neglect them. We are to model ourselves after God. We are made in His image, and our first picture of Him is as Heour Creator.
Our culture generally believes that as one becomes important, they do less work. Again, we should look to God:
John 5:17 “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.””
We have life; we have been given a mind to think about God and to look to the future on a basis of truth within His purpose; we are the chosen of God and we can read and understand.
Be thankful for God’s blessings.

06/06/2026

Our church is closed today so members can attend camp meeting in Cicero. We hope you have a blessed Sabbath. 🙏

06/06/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
A man and his wife attended the funeral of his cousin Michael at a little country church. But at the service the preacher shouted at them and all the other mourners: “It’s too late for Michael. He might have wanted to believe. He might have wanted to accept Jesus. But he cannot now. It is too late for Michael.” Johnny mumbled to his wife, “This is terrible. What comfort can this bring to anyone?” The preacher went on: “It may be too late for Michael, but it’s not too late for you. If you get right with God, accept Jesus, and get back into church, you still have time! Do it now!”
On the drive home the man continued to complain to his wife. “That was one of the most insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate funeral sermons I have ever heard. Who would ever want to go to that church? What do you think?” Choosing her words carefully, she said. “Yes, it was insensitive, manipulative, and inappropriate. But worst of all…it was true!”
Ecclesiastes 1:15 “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.”
“Crooked” means to bend or twist. It is not referring to something that is naturally “crooked”, but that which has been caused to be so. In verse 14 Solomon informed us that it is the “works” of man that have been made “crooked”, and he emphasized here in verse 15 that mankind is unable, by their own strength, to make them “straight”.
“What is lacking” is so great that it “cannot be counted”, it is not possible to assign or know our imperfection. After all, God requires us to strive to perfectly follow Him and live according to His standards. But we tend to blame our imperfect world for our sins. As sinners we cannot resolve our sins and make them right, “straight”, for sin is the product of our will – our choice. We cannot fix things – we need a redeemer.
Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us ….”
As sinners, we corrupt God’s world and subvert His justice. We upset our relationship with God by choosing to make our lives “crooked”, but He has provided the way for us to be made “straight” again. We cannot earn this salvation, we must surrender and accept Jesus’ amazing sacrifice!
Praise Jesus for His grace. Happy Sabbath, dear readers!

06/05/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
Francis Bacon, the seventeenth-century English philosopher, said about reading: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” In other words, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read but not studied; and some few to be read wholly – thoroughly and attentively. The Bible belongs in the last group.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-10 “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us.”
In verse 2 Solomon said that anything man may seek in place of God, and obedience to Him, is “vanity.” He said that all of life is but a breath and offers no promise of hope.
In today’s passage, Solomon compares Creation to the current state of the earth. “A generation goes, a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” Solomon covers the first three days of Creation and notes the earth goes on – all activity continuing as it does, under heaven.
On day four God created the “lights” (Genesis 1:14). Solomon notes “the sun rises, and the sun goes down” – that the days go on and change.
Job 10:20-22 “Are not my days few? Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go – and I shall not return – to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.”
God created all living creatures, land. sky, and sea on day five. But “the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again” and the created beings are caught in the earth’s nomadic life. The creatures’ activity was designed by God and it continues by His will. But man seeks new paths by his own choice – and not necessarily what God desires. They do not always lead to the satisfactory end God had in mind when He created man. Mankind seeks new paths to happiness and satisfaction, instead of obeying and being at peace with his Maker. So, man’s “eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing”.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” God rested when He was done creating, but humans are restless and refuse to cease striving.
Pause, rest in God on this Sabbath, and taste eternity.

06/04/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
In England, during the 1700s, a young cobbler, kept a map of the world on a wall of his workshop to remind him to pray for the nations of the world. He became burdened for a definite missionary outreach, but when he shared his desire at a meeting of ministers, he was told: “Young man, sit down. When God wants to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help or mine.” But William Carey’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by their response. He eventually went to India, where he engaged in pioneer missionary work for God.
Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
The Living Bible paraphrases this verse, “Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild, but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep His laws!”
Note the cause and effect in this verse. The vision a person has is the cause – the effect then, is the way they conduct their life.
We cannot claim ignorance, for God calls us to the vision. His prophetic vision motivates us to serve Him in ways that are fruitful and produce happiness. Without God’s vision “the people” run without “restraint.” They are undisciplined, focused on themselves and ultimately, they will perish – a terrible contrast to the happy mercy obtained by following God’s laws.
When we see things through God’s eyes, our insight and wisdom are increased, and we have a clear understanding of the way we should go.
Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
When God’s prophetic vision and our desire to honor Him are combined, we will obey and follow Him. We will desire to do His will because of the respect we have through an abiding relationship with Him. This is where we must grow to if we want to live with Him eternally.
Jesus is alive and He supplies everything we need for salvation. Salvation is impossible without help from Him.
Keep your focus on God and do as He guides you!

06/03/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
A faithful church member wanted to know which word in the English language is the hardest for Believers to say. His pastor suggested a few tongue twisters, but the old gentleman shook his head. Finally, he answered his own question by spelling out the word w-r-o-n-g. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to get anyone to admit, “I am wrong”?
1 John 1:8-10 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13). If we try to cover up or hide our sins, our chance for success in life are dim. But if we confess, admit, our sins and put them behind us, we will find mercy and favor.
Psalm 32:3-4 “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”
In his book, “The Road Less Traveled”, M. Scott Peck wrote that “it is easier for us to try and forget a problem that we know exists than to deal with it.” The truth is that if we do not deal with our sin, it will never go away. Sin festers and grows, coming up later, often in a different form. If we are not honest with our sins and failures, we will not reach the full potential that God desires for us. God will reveal our sins to us, but He will not force us to overcome them – it is our choice. Spiritual prosperity is impossible if we cherish sin.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).
True repentance grows when we understand the offensive character of sin. We must come close to God and let Him show us our need. There is a huge difference between admitting our sins after they have been recognized and declared by others, and confessing sins known only to ourselves and God.
Draw close to God, confess your sins, and prosper.

06/02/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
In the old movie, “Heavens Above” (1963), starring Peter Sellers, a minister is appointed to a fashionable church in England, by mistake. He instituted the teachings of Jesus so seriously that before long the people were up in arms, leveling charges and countercharges, but all the while asking themselves if they were such “upholstered, well-lighted Christians” – people who loudly profess their faith but want nothing to do with actually helping the poor or changing their own comfortable ways.
Acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
The Bible teaches us that when we join in fellowship, we shape each other as we rub-up against one other. Children are not born with different language dialects or the inflections or twangs of the geographical area they are born into. No one must teach them how to speak with a New York accent or a Southern drawl. Children pick it up as they grow up in the area – it is rooted in them.
Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
We are sharpened and shaped in our character and personality traits by those we spend time with. The rubbing off on each other is either positive, for our good, or negative, for evil. We either are lifting one another up or pulling one another down, without any conscious plan to do so.
Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
In our Christianity, God has given us the responsibility to positively affect each other. We are to influence each other in ways that help us to grow more like Jesus in our thoughts and actions. Where dialect is unintentional, this Christian growth is to be planned and focused to have the correct impact.
Take prayer for example. Our prayers move us into a deeper and more personal relationship with the Almighty. We pray for our growth as we come into the very presence of our Divine God. As we spend time with God, He rubs off on us, changing us into His image. This is why we should spend more time praying, so we can become more like God.
Relax and enjoy God’s presence – and let Him influence you.

06/01/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
Our self-image, how we see ourselves, is important to God. Because of our love for God, our personality characteristics should project we are His, and we are like Him. However, our image is stained by pride. Do you really know how others view you? We may think we are projecting an image of a serious, quiet, thinking person. But others may feel we are stern and judgmental. It is not unusual for various people to see us differently.
Since pride or selfishness is the father of all sins, we are always trying to get people to think we are okay. We want them to like us and enjoy being around us. We are afraid they might see the real “us”, so we hide behind a mask of ourselves, trying to get people to see the image we want them to think is true. But we cannot fool ourselves, and it leaves us feeling like a fraud – insincere and “calculating”.
Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
A person infected by toxic pride begins to admire themselves. They lose perspective of the scarcity of more important qualities in their life. They are so pre-occupied with self-proclaimed goodness that they never even realize they have sins that must be forgiven if they are to be saved. Some folks walk around saying, “I am basically a good person.”
Psalm 14:2-3 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:12 “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
The apostle Paul gave us the remedy for selfishness: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Let Jesus’ love flow into your life – He will change you. You will no longer need to pretend to be nice, He will make you wonderfully loving.

05/31/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
A man was asked to preach, and he had little time for preparation. He used the text, “Thou shall not steal.” The next day when he boarded the bus, he handed the driver a $1 bill and was given back his change. In the back of the bus, he counted his change and recounted it. He had been given a dime too much. At first, he thought, “The bus company will never miss this dime.”
But he realized he could not keep it – it did not belong to him. He returned to the front and told the driver he had been given too much change. The driver replied, “Yes, a dime too much. I gave it to you purposely. I heard your sermon last weekend, and I watched in my mirror as you counted your change. If you’d kept the dime, I would never again have confidence in preaching.”
Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”
What is your reputation? Can you be trusted? Do people have confidence in you? Sometimes we forget that others watch what we say and do – even the people we spend our time with.
This verse teaches us that “a good name” is more desirable “than great riches” and our “favor is better than silver or gold.” Just look at those running for political office or vying for a promotion. If their character is flawed their reputation takes a hit. Contrast this with Jesus: who “… emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus left the legacy of a spotless character and unsullied reputation.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.”
At birth we have a clean slate: we have no knowledge, understanding, wisdom, reputation, or character. Only at death, after living our lives, do we have the experiences to establish a good or bad name and reputation, based on the character we have gained or failed to gain in the process.
If we want to have a good name in the eyes of God and man, we must know truth and adopt it into our lives. If truth does not form the foundation of your life, then your witness will suffer.
Build your character based on God’s truth. His truth is golden.

Knox Seventh-day Adventist Church

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