The Typical Life of an Adventist: A Biblical view point

The Typical Life of an Adventist: A Biblical view point 

We live between two great events of God’s drama: Christ has come once, and He will come again. For the Seventh-day Adventist, that blessed expectation is not fanciful daydreaming but a daily calling — a rhythm of life shaped by watchfulness, faithful work, holy living, and loving service.

Jesus gave the principle in the parables of the waiting master and the entrusted talents: he told His servants to 

“Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). 

That brief command is a summons to active stewardship — to trade with what God has given until the Master returns. Scripture repeats the call to vigilance: 

“Watch therefore” and “be ready” because the Son of Man will come at an hour we do not expect (Matt. 24:42–44; Matt. 25:14–30). 

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN THE LIFE OF AN ADVENTIST?

First, it means a daily expectancy grounded in prayer and Scripture. We begin and end days with the Word and communion with God, cultivating the quiet, steady faith that keeps lamps trimmed and hearts attentive. We are urged always to live “as if this were the last day,” consecrating each morning to God and engaging the hours for His service. 

Second, it is active stewardship. Time, talents, money, health, influence — all are loans from the Owner. Ellen G. White reminds us that God has given the charge “Occupy till I come,” and that we must not pawn His time and talents to the world. Short and plain: 

we are the Lord’s; our gifts are to be improved and invested for His kingdom (see Letter 97, 1898; Our High Calling, p. 42). 

Third, waiting shapes our character and conduct. The apostle John said that hope of Christ’s appearing leads to purification (1 John 3:3); Peter calls us to live holy and godly lives while 

“looking for and hastening the coming” of the Lord (2 Peter 3:11–14). 

Ellen White blends exhortation and comfort when she summarizes the believer’s task: 

“Waiting, watching, working, praying, warning the world—this is our work.” 

This short sentence contains a whole ministry model: quiet dependence on God plus outward action to help others meet Christ. (Our Father Cares, p. 253, par. 4.) 

Fourth, waiting for Christ does not excuse inactivity but intensifies mission. The parable of the talents shows the commendation given to those who “trade” with their gifts; likewise, EGW counsels that:

“God expects us to constantly improve all our gifts…We are to be active in using the talents which God has given us, till the coming of Christ” (Signs of the Times, Sept. 14, 1882, p. 416). 

In short, readiness is practical — learning, teaching, caring for the poor, preserving health, supporting gospel work, and building institutions that bless humanity. 

Fifth, the pilgrim posture: Adventists live with an eternal horizon. We are sojourners whose citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). Our dress, speech, priorities, and pleasures are shaped by that conviction. Ellen White encourages believers to make plain that:

“you are journeying from this to a better land” 

and to fill life with works of mercy and self-sacrifice that reflect Christ’s life. This perspective steadies us in trials and frees us from the tyranny of immediate comforts. 

Practically, then, a typical Adventist day looks like this: spiritual disciplines (Bible, prayer, Sabbath preparation), faithful work done “as unto the Lord,” intentional acts of compassion, regular witness in word and life, proportionate giving (tithe and offerings), and careful stewardship of health and time so one can serve long and well. When tempted by comfort or selfishness, the believer remembers the Master’s return and chooses service; when discouraged, the believer recalls the promise and presses forward.

Finally, the waiting is joyful and expectant, not anxious. We do not idle in fearful suspense; we labor in hope. 

Ellen White’s counsel is steady: trim your lamp, do what your hand finds to do, and let every gift be developed for the Master’s use. 

“Activity in the work that is given us is not inconsistent with a belief in the near coming of our Lord,” she wrote — indeed, faith in the soon return of Jesus should multiply our zeal. (Signs of the Times, Sept. 14, 1882, p. 416; Last Day Events, LDE 76.2.) 

May this brief portrait encourage you: keep watch, work faithfully, love sacrificially, and live every day with heaven in view — until He who promised returns.

---

Selected references (key texts cited above):

Luke 19:13; Matthew 24:42–44; Matthew 25:14–30. 

Signs of the Times, Sept. 14, 1882, p. 416 (par. 1–8) — on improving gifts and “Occupy till I come.” 

Last Day Events, “Occupy Till I Come,” LDE 76.2–76.4. 

Our Father Cares, p. 253, par. 4: “Waiting, watching, working, praying, warning the world—this is our work.” 

Our High Calling (devotional), p. 42 — cites Letter 97 (1898) on stewardship and “Occupy.” 

GUSDASA 

Sharing hope, Bearing burdens, Growing together