Plymouth Seventh-day Adventist Church

06/10/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
An African saying declares: “If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, go together.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
A Jewish proverb says, “A friendless man is like a left hand bereft of the right.” Having to work with only one hand hinders productivity. When both hands are available, much more can be accomplished and every activity is easier. Two people can accomplish more than only one can. Even if they divide the profits, two can usually make more than one working alone.
I see four advantages for people working together:
1. The reward is increased. Two really can live cheaper than one. Even the Internal Revenue Service recognizes the advantage of this by giving some tax breaks to married couples.
2. A friend who falls has help from someone to “lift” him up, your companion will be there to help you.
3. When it is cold, “if two lie together, they keep warm”.
4. The presence of one or more others makes defeat unlikely: “though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
But just another person, who is not linked with you, leaves you alone, disconnected, and empty. Some people can occupy the same room with no conversation – they are lonely. A companion is not just a person being there, it requires camaraderie and collaboration. The Lord has given us friends and family. They are part of our lives and they bring an increase; help in times of trouble; warmth in times of cold loneliness; and strength to face whatever comes our way.
One person does not qualify as a family. A husband and wife working together can greatly add to each other’s quality of life, and if Jesus is the third Person in that group, He provides immeasurable strength.
Give as well as receive friendship and be connected to Christ.

06/09/2026

From Retired Pastor Ernest Peckham:
Pessimism is when someone is convinced only bad or undesirable things will happen. When Robert Fulton gave the first public demonstration of his steamboat, a pessimist stood along the shore repeating, “He can’t start it.” Suddenly, a belch of steam came from the stack and the boat began to move. Startled, the man stared for a moment and then began to chant, “He can’t stop it.”
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.”
Solomon writes from a purely humanistic perspective. He has seen “all the oppressions that are done under the sun.” He has seen the “tears of the oppressed”, and they had “no one to comfort them” and no “power” to do anything about their oppression and their oppressors. Solomon marvels at the injustice occurring without anything being done about it by those in a position to turn these sad affairs in the right direction.
God has shown us why evil things occur, but that is not Solomon’s interest here. He is still on the meaninglessness of life lived by most of God’s people. It amazes him because the knowledge that would significantly improve people’s lives was easily available in God’s Word. We should do everything we can to seek justice, but there will always be evil people and tyrants in the world. So, Solomon concludes the dead are better off than the living, and for the oppressed, it would be better to have never been born.
People today still struggle with this sentiment. Where is God? Why does God allow bad things to happen? In our culture it appears that few people make a sincere effort to seek God and His way. Tyrants seem to get away with all kinds of evil and the wicked seem to prosper, but we are told to not worry. Why? Because the wicked will be dealt with by God Himself.
Psalm 37:1-4 “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Verse 3 of “This Is My Father’s World”, by Maltbie D. Babcock (1901):
“This is my Father’s world: / Oh, let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, / God is the ruler yet.”

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.

06/07/2026

Break Free from the Confusion: Discover the Unfiltered Gospel and Live with Assurance.

06/06/2026

Celebrating 2000 years from Jesus' baptism and entering ministry in September 2027.

06/06/2026

Indiana Conference Camp Meeting 2026 / Saturday EveningTy Gibson i...

06/06/2026

Indiana Conference Camp Meeting 2026 / Sabbath Worship Service Ty ...

06/06/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

06/06/2026

This week's Camp Meeting has been a true blessing. ICYMI, you can view the videos on the Indiana Conference YouTube channel.

Indiana Conference is a non-profit organization of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Our administrative office is located in Carmel, Indiana.