LESSON 11 *March 11–17

Managing in Tough Times

Managing in Tough Times

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Chron. 20:1–22, 1 Chron. 21:1–14, 2 Pet. 3:3–12, 1 John 2:15–17, Rev. 13:11–17.

Memory Text: “ ‘Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me’ ” (Psalm 50:14, 15, NKJV).

Sometimes our world seems to be spinning out of control: wars, bloodshed, crime, immorality, natural disasters, pandemics, economic uncertainty, political corruption, and more. There is a strong urge for individuals and families to think first of their own survival. Accordingly, much thought is given to seeking security in these uncertain times, which, of course, is understandable.

The toils of life do take a lot of our daily focus. With debts to pay, children to raise, property to maintain, it does take time and thought. And, of course, we do need clothes, food, and shelter. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed these very basic needs and then stated, “ ‘Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you’ ” (Matt. 6:32, 33, NKJV).

Amid trying times, when we need to lean on the Lord more than ever, there are some concrete steps, based on biblical principles, that we should follow.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 18.


Sabbath Afternoon, March 11

Lesson 11 - Managing in Tough Times

It is not the will of God that His people should be weighed down with care. But our Lord does not deceive us. He does not say to us, “Do not fear; there are no dangers in your path.” He knows there are trials and dangers, and He deals with us plainly. He does not propose to take His people out of a world of sin and evil, but He points them to a never-failing refuge.—That I May Know Him, p. 225.
 

God knows our wants, and has provided for them. The Lord has a treasure house of supplies for His children, and can give them what they need under all circumstances. Then why do we not trust Him? He has made precious promises to His children on condition of faithful obedience to His precepts. There is not a burden but He can remove, no darkness but He can dispel, no weakness but He can change to power, no fears but He can calm, no worthy aspiration but He can guide and justify.—That I May Know Him, p. 224.
 

Often when placed in a trying situation we doubt that the Spirit of God has been leading us. But it was the Spirit’s leading that brought Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. When God brings us into trial, He has a purpose to accomplish for our good. Jesus did not presume on God’s promises by going unbidden into temptation, neither did He give up to despondency when temptation came upon Him. Nor should we. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” He says, “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 50:14, 15.—The Desire of Ages, p. 126.
 

When trials arise that seem unexplainable, we should not allow our peace to be spoiled. However unjustly we may be treated, let not passion arise. By indulging a spirit of retaliation we injure ourselves. We destroy our own confidence in God, and grieve the Holy Spirit. There is by our side a witness, a heavenly messenger, who will lift up for us a standard against the enemy. He will shut us in with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Beyond this Satan cannot penetrate. He cannot pass this shield of holy light.

While the world is progressing in wickedness, none of us need flatter ourselves that we shall have no difficulties. But it is these very difficulties that bring us into the audience chamber of the Most High. We may seek counsel of One who is infinite in wisdom.

The Lord says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” Psalm 50:15. He invites us to present to Him our perplexities and necessities, and our need of divine help. He bids us be instant in prayer. As soon as difficulties arise, we are to offer to Him our sincere, earnest petitions. By our importunate prayers we give evidence of our strong confidence in God. The sense of our need leads us to pray earnestly, and our heavenly Father is moved by our supplications.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 171, 172.

SUNDAY March 12

Putting God First

Read 2 Chronicles 20:1–22. What important spiritual principles can we take from this story for ourselves, whatever struggles we are facing?

* Your notes will not be saved!

Toward the close of Jehoshaphat’s reign, Judah was invaded. Jehoshaphat was a man of courage and valor. For years he had been strengthening his armies and his fortified cities. He was well prepared to meet almost any enemy; yet in this crisis, he did not put his confidence in his own strength but in the power of God. He set himself to seek the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. The people all gathered together in the court of the temple, as Solomon had prayed that they would do if faced by danger. All the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their wives and children. They prayed that God would confuse their enemies and that His name might be glorified. Then the king prayed, “ ‘We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You’ ” (2 Chron. 20:12, NKJV).

After they committed themselves to God in this manner, the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man of God, who said, “ ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD’ ” (2 Chron. 20:15–17, NKJV).

So, early the next morning, the king assembled the people, with the Levitical choir in the front to sing the praises of God. Then he admonished the people, “ ‘Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper’ ” (2 Chron. 20:20, NKJV). Then the choir began to sing, and their enemies destroyed one another, and “none escaped” (2 Chron. 20:24). It took the men of Judah three days just to collect the spoils of the battle, and on the fourth day they returned to Jerusalem, singing as they went.

Of course, the God who delivered them is the same God whom we love and worship, and His power is just as great today as back then. The challenge, for us, is to trust in Him and His leading.

Read 2 Chronicles 20:20. What special significance should this text have for Seventh-day Adventists?


Sunday, March 12

Putting God First

Jehoshaphat was a man of courage and valor. For years he had been strengthening his armies and his fortified cities. He was well prepared to meet almost any foe; yet in this crisis he put not his trust in the arm of flesh. Not by disciplined armies and fenced cities, but by a living faith in the God of Israel, could he hope to gain the victory over these heathen who boasted of their power to humble Judah in the eyes of the nations. . . .

With confidence Jehoshaphat could say to the Lord, “Our eyes are upon Thee.” For years he had taught the people to trust in the One who in past ages had so often interposed to save His chosen ones from utter destruction; and now, when the kingdom was in peril, Jehoshaphat did not stand alone; “all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.” Unitedly they fasted and prayed; unitedly they besought the Lord to put their enemies to confusion, that the name of Jehovah might be glorified.

God was the strength of Judah in this crisis, and He is the strength of His people today. We are not to trust in princes, or to set men in the place of God. We are to remember that human beings are fallible and erring, and that He who has all power is our strong tower of defense. In every emergency we are to feel that the battle is His. His resources are limitless, and apparent impossibilities will make the victory all the greater.—Conflict and Courage, p. 217.
 

[When] we fasten our minds upon the misrepresentations of Satan [we] dishonor God by mistrusting Him and by murmuring against Him. When we act like culprits under sentence of death we bear false witness against God. The Father gave His only begotten and well-beloved Son to die for us, and in so doing He placed great honor upon humanity, for in Christ the link that was broken through sin was reunited and man again connected with Heaven.

You who doubt the mercy of God, look at the Lamb of God, look at the Man of sorrows, who bore your grief and suffered for your sin. He is your friend. He died on the cross because He loved you. He is touched with the feeling of your infirmities and bears you up before the throne. In view of His unspeakable love should not hope, love, and gratitude be cherished in your heart? Should not gladness fill your service to God?—That I May Know Him, p. 224.
 

The promise itself is of no value unless I fully believe that He that has made the promise is abundantly able to fulfill, and infinite in power to do all that He has said. . . .

We cannot dishonor God more than in distrusting His Word. Feeling is not at all reliable. A religion fed and kept alive by emotions is valueless. God’s Word is the foundation upon which our hopes may safely rest, and in the confidence we have in the Word of God we are established, strengthened, settled, riveted to the Eternal Rock.—This Day With God, p. 156.

MONDAY March 13

Trust God, Not Your Own Resources

King David should have known better. He should have known from the experience of his best friend, Jonathan, that when you are in covenant relationship with God, it doesn’t matter whether you have a few men or many; God can give you the victory. In 1 Samuel 14:1–23, the Bible records the story of how Saul’s son Jonathan and Jonathan’s armor-bearer defeated an entire garrison of Philistines—with the help of God. But in spite of this experience and many others in the history of God’s people, when difficult times came to King David, he allowed Satan to tempt him to trust in his own strength and ingenuity.

Read 1 Chronicles 21:1–14. Why did David decide to number Israel or count his soldiers? Why did his commander Joab counsel against this?

Note that it was Satan’s idea to count the soldiers. He tempted David to trust in his own strength rather than to depend on the providence of God in his defense. Joab, the leader of Israel’s army, tried to persuade David not to number Israel because he had seen God work on behalf of Israel, but David demanded that the numbering go forward. His actions brought calamity to the nation, as the text reveals.

No one ever trusted God in vain. Whenever you do battle for the Lord, prepare yourself. And prepare well too. There’s a quote, attributed to a British ruler, Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), who, before a battle, said to his army, “Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry!” (The powder was gunpowder.) In other words, do all that you can to succeed, but, in the end, realize that only God can give you victory.

In our immediate context, it is very tempting to trust in the power of the government or in our bank accounts, but in every crisis mentioned in the Bible, when the people trusted in God, He honored their trust and provided for them.

We should be using the present time to get square with God, get out of debt, and be generous with what we have been given. In the words of the well-known, Thomas Dorsey gospel song, “If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now.”

How do we strike the right balance between doing what we can, for instance, to be financially secure, and yet, at the same time, trusting in the Lord for all things?


Monday, March 13

Trust God, Not Your Own Resources

David, in his prosperity, did not preserve that humility of character and trust in God which characterized the earlier part of his life. He looked upon the accessions to the kingdom with pride, and contrasted their then prosperous condition with their few numbers and little strength when he ascended the throne, taking glory to himself. He gratified his ambitious feelings in yielding to the temptations of the Devil to number Israel, that he might compare their former weakness to their then prosperous state under his rule. This was displeasing to God, and contrary to his express command. It would lead Israel to rely upon their strength of numbers, instead of the living God.

The work of numbering Israel is not fully completed before David feels convicted that he has committed a great sin against God. He sees his error, and humbles himself before God, confessing his great sin in foolishly numbering the people. But his repentance came too late. The word had already gone forth from the Lord to his faithful prophet, to carry a message to David, and offer him his choice of punishments for his transgression. David still shows that he has confidence in God. He chooses to fall into the hands of a merciful God, rather than be left to the cruel mercies of wicked men.—Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, p. 92.
 

By His own example the Saviour has shown that His followers can be in the world and yet not of the world. He came not to partake of its delusive pleasures, to be swayed by its customs, and to follow its practices, but to do His Father’s will, to seek and save the lost. With this object before him the Christian may stand uncontaminated in any surroundings. Whatever his station or circumstances, exalted or humble, he will manifest the power of true religion in the faithful performance of duty.

Not in freedom from trial, but in the midst of it, is Christian character developed. Exposure to rebuffs and opposition leads the follower of Christ to greater watchfulness and more earnest prayer to the mighty Helper. Severe trial endured by the grace of God develops patience, vigilance, fortitude, and a deep and abiding trust in God. It is the triumph of the Christian faith that it enables its followers to suffer and be strong; to submit, and thus to conquer; to be killed all the day long, and yet to live; to bear the cross, and thus to win the crown of glory.—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 467.
 

If you go to God for help and wisdom, He will never disappoint your faith. . . .

It may be argued that the Lord gives special wisdom to those entrusted with important responsibilities. True, if they walk humbly with Him, He will give them help for their work; and He will give you help for yours, if you seek it in the same spirit. If the Lord in His providence has placed important responsibilities upon you, He will fit you to bear these burdens, if you go to Him in faith for strength to do this. When you put your trust in Him, and depend upon His counsel, He will not leave you to your own finite judgment, to make imperfect plans and decided failures.—Gospel Workers, pp. 417, 418.

TUESDAY March 14

Time to Simplify?

What should Seventh-day Adventist Christians do in response to difficult times? Do we hunker down in a survival mode? No, in fact, just the opposite is true. Because we know that the end of the world and the second coming of Christ is near, we want to use our assets to tell others the good news of the gospel and what God has prepared for those who love Him. We understand that someday soon everything on this earth will be burned up.

Read 2 Peter 3:3–12. What is Peter telling us with these words?

We understand from the Word of God that He is not sending moving vans to take our stuff to heaven. It will all get burned up in the final conflagration when all traces of sin and evil will be forever destroyed.

So, what should we do with our possessions? “It is now that our brethren should be cutting down their possessions instead of increasing them. We are about to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Then let us not be dwellers upon the earth, but be getting things into as compact a compass as possible.”—Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 59.

Of course, she wrote those words more than a century ago! But still the principle remains: time is always short, because our lives are always short. What are 60, 80, or 100 years (if you have good genes and good health practices) in contrast to eternity? Your life can end before you finish reading this week’s lesson, and the next thing you will know is the second coming of Jesus. (Wow, that was fast after all, wasn’t it?)

As Seventh-day Adventist Christians we must always live in the light of eternity. Yes, of course, we need to work hard to provide for ourselves and our families; and if we have been blessed with wealth, nothing is wrong with enjoying it now, provided we don’t become greedy and are generous with it in regard to the needy. Yet, we must always remember that whatever we accumulate here is transitory; fleeting; and, if we are not careful, has the potential to be spiritually corrupting.

If you knew Jesus were coming within ten years, how would you change your life? Or within five years? Or three?


Tuesday, March 14

Time to Simplify?

Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, “All things continue as they were from the beginning.” . . . 2 Peter 3:4. . . .

Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? . . .

Solemnly there come to us down through the centuries the warning words of our Lord from the Mount of Olives: “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 635, 636.
 

The obligations resting upon us are not small. Our sense of dependence will drive us closer to God, and our sense of duty to be performed will summon us to effort, combined with our earnest prayers—works, faith, and continual prayer. Power! Power! Our great cry is for power without measure! It awaits us. We have only to draw; to take God at His word; to act faith; to stand firmly upon the promises; to wrestle for the endowment of the grace of God. Learning is not essential; genius is not necessary; eloquence may be lacking; but the prayer of the lowly and contrite heart God hears, and when He hears no obstacles on earth can hinder. The power of God will make us effectual.—This Day With God, p. 187.
 

Do we believe with all the heart that Christ is soon coming and that we are now having the last message of mercy that is ever to be given to a guilty world? Is our example what it should be? Do we, by our lives and holy conversation, show to those around us that we are looking for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shall change these vile bodies and fashion them like unto His glorious body? I fear that we do not believe and realize these things as we should. . . .

Angels are watching over and guarding us; we often grieve these angels by indulging in trifling conversation, jesting, and joking, and also by sinking down into a careless, stupid state. Although we may now and then make an effort for the victory and obtain it, yet if we do not keep it, but sink down into the same careless, indifferent state, unable to endure temptations and resist the enemy, we do not endure the trial of our faith that is more precious than gold. We are not suffering for Christ’s sake, and glorying in tribulation.

There is a great lack of Christian fortitude and serving God from principle. We should [seek] . . . to honor and glorify God, and in all we do and say to have an eye single to His glory.—Early Writings, p. 111.

WEDNESDAY March 15

Priorities

The parables and teachings of Jesus, the stories of Bible characters, and the counsel of Ellen G. White all indicate clearly that there is no halfway commitment to Christ. Either we are or we are not on the Lord’s side.

When asked by a scribe which commandment was the greatest, Jesus answered, “ ‘ “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” ’ ” (Mark 12:30, NKJV). When we give all to Christ, there is nothing left for another master. That is the way it is. That is the way it must be.

Read Matthew 6:24. What has been your own experience with the truth of these words?

Notice, Jesus didn’t say that it was hard to serve God and money, or that you needed to be careful in how you served both. He said, instead, that it couldn’t be done. Period. This thought should put a bit of fear and trembling in our souls (Phil. 2:12).

Read 1 John 2:15–17. How are these three things manifested in our world, and why is the danger they present sometimes more subtle than we realize?

No wonder Paul wrote, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). Of course, that’s easier said than done, because the things of the world are right here before us every day. The lure of “all that is in the world” is strong; the pull for immediate gratification is always there, whispering in our ears or pulling on our shirt sleeves—or both. Hasn’t even the most faithful Christian felt some love for “the things of the world”? Even with our knowledge that one day it will all end, we still feel the pull, don’t we? The good news, however, is that we don’t need to let it pull us away from the Lord.

Read 2 Peter 3:10–14. How should what Peter says here impact how we live, including what we do with our resources?


Wednesday, March 15

Priorities

Christ’s call to sacrifice and unreserved surrender means crucifixion of self. In order to obey this call, we must have unquestioning faith in Him as the perfect Example, and we must have a clear realization that we are to represent Him to the world. Those who work for Christ are to work in His lines. They are to live His life. His call to unreserved surrender is to be to them supreme. They are to allow no earthly tie or interest to prevent them from giving Him the homage of their hearts and the service of their lives. Earnestly and untiringly they are to labor with God to save perishing souls from the power of the tempter.

Those who are thus connected with Christ learn constantly of Him, passing through the successive stages of progress in Christian experience. Difficulty and perplexity come to them, that they may learn more perfectly the will and way of Christ. But they pray and believe, and by exercise their faith increases.—The Upward Look, p. 235.
 

The life of the Christian is not all smooth. He has stern conflicts to meet. Severe temptations assail him. “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” The nearer we come to the close of this earth’s history, the more delusive and ensnaring will be the attacks of the enemy. His attacks will grow fiercer and more frequent. Those who resist light and truth will become more hardened and unimpressible, and more bitter against those who love God and keep His commandments.

The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1111.
 

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:2-4.

We need to have a broader view of the Saviour as “Lord and Christ.” “All power” is given to Him to give to those who claim to believe in His name. We do not half acknowledge His right to our homage and obedience, and to our increasing faith in Him. . . .

Put yourself under discipline to Christ. Be led by His word. Heed His instruction, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

I beseech the churches in every place to make thorough work for eternity by confession and putting away of sins. “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). By what means? . . . “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).—This Day With God, p. 290.
 

THURSDAY March 16

When No One Can Buy or Sell

The Bible paints a painful picture of the world before the second coming of Jesus. Daniel writes about “ ‘a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time’ ” (Dan. 12:1, NKJV). Considering some of the troublous times in the past, what he is referring to here must be pretty bad.

The book of Revelation also points to troubling times before the return of Christ.

Read Revelation 13:11–17. How do financial matters fit in with the end-time persecution?

You can’t buy or sell? How much of our lives today revolves around buying and selling? Our work is, in a sense, our selling of our time and skills and goods to those who want to buy them. Not being able to buy or sell all but means not being able to function in society. The pressure on those who remain faithful will then be enormous. Plus, the more money that you have, the more stake you will have in this world, at least in terms of material possessions, and so, surely, the pressure to conform will be even stronger.

How then do we prepare? We prepare now, by making sure through God’s grace that we are not slaves to our money, to the things of the world. If we are not bound to them now, we won’t be when we will, in order to be faithful, have to give them up.

Read Deuteronomy 14:22 and the last part of verse 23. What were God’s people to do with their increase or production each year? Why did God ask them to do this?

God explained through Moses that one of the reasons He established the tithing system was “ ‘that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always’ ” (Deut. 14:23, NKJV). In the poetic parallelism of Psalm 31:19, we see that fear is synonymous with trust. “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You” (NKJV).

These parallel lines show us that to fear the Lord is to trust Him. Therefore, we understand that God established the tithing system to protect us from selfishness and to encourage us to trust Him to provide for us. While being faithful in tithe is certainly not a guarantee that people will stay faithful in the end, those who are not faithful in tithe are surely setting themselves up for trouble.


Thursday, March 16

When No One Can Buy or Sell

The point is fast being reached when the iniquity of transgressors will be to the full. God gives nations a certain time of probation. He sends light and evidence, that, if received, will save them, but if refused as the Jews refused light, indignation and punishment will fall upon them. If men refuse to be benefited, and choose darkness rather than light, they will reap the results of their choice. “Behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”

The professed Christian world is advancing, as did the Jewish nation, from one degree of sinfulness to a greater degree, refusing warning after warning, and rejecting a Thus saith the Lord, while crediting the fables of men. The Lord God will soon arise in His wrath, and pour out His judgments upon those who are repeating the sins of the inhabitants of the Noachic world. . . . The fact that God had long forbearance, patience and mercy, the fact that His judgments have been long delayed, will not make the punishment any less severe when it does come.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1143.
 

Often the follower of Christ is brought where he cannot serve God and carry forward his worldly enterprises. Perhaps it appears that obedience to some plain requirement of God will cut off his means of support. . . . When we learn the power of His word, we shall not follow the suggestions of Satan in order to obtain food or to save our lives. Our only questions will be, What is God’s command? and what His promise? Knowing these, we shall obey the one, and trust the other.

In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death. See Revelation 13:11-17. But to the obedient is given the promise, “He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” Isaiah 33:16. By this promise the children of God will live.—The Desire of Ages, p. 121.
 

Courage, fortitude, faith, and implicit trust in God’s power to save do not come in a moment. These heavenly graces are acquired by the experience of years. By a life of holy endeavor and firm adherence to the right the children of God were sealing their destiny. Beset with temptations without number, they knew they must resist firmly or be conquered. They felt that they had a great work to do, and at any hour they might be called to lay off their armor; and should they come to the close of life with their work undone, it would be an eternal loss. They eagerly accepted the light from heaven, as did the first disciples from the lips of Jesus.

When those early Christians were exiled to mountains and deserts, when left in dungeons to die with hunger, cold, and torture, when martyrdom seemed the only way out of their distress, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ, who was crucified for them. Their worthy example will be a comfort and encouragement to the people of God who will be brought into the time of trouble such as never was.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 213.

FRIDAY March 17

Further Thought: Though nothing in the Bible warns against wealth, nothing in the Bible talks about wealth as increasing one’s spiritual commitment either. In fact, the opposite danger is true. “The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them [people] to Satan.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 44.

In fact, since the founding of Christianity, no church has ever partaken of such wealth and creature comforts as the church in many countries of the world enjoys today. The question is: At what cost? Such affluence surely influences our spirituality—and not for the good either. How could it? Since when have wealth and material abundance fostered the Christian virtues of self-denial and self-sacrifice? Can coming home to refrigerators stuffed with more food than we can eat, and owning one or two cars, and taking yearly vacations, and shopping online, and having the latest in home computers and smartphones make it easier to love not the world nor the things in the world? Though many members of our church don’t have these luxuries, many do—and they do so at the peril of their own souls. We are not talking about the “rich” now, as in millionaires and beyond. They at least know that they’re rich, and they can heed (if they choose) the biblical cautions given them. We’re talking, instead, about many even of the middle-class people, who—amid smartphones, iMacs, air-conditioning, and SUVs—are fooled enough to think that because they are just “middle class,” they are not in danger of being spiritually pickled by their own prosperity. That’s why tithing can be, if nothing else, a powerful spiritual antidote to the dangers of wealth, even for those who are not particularly “wealthy.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. 1. Even if we are not rich by the world’s standards, why must we all be careful about our attitude toward money and wealth?

  2. 2. What are some practical things we can do, besides tithing, that can help us make sure we are not getting too caught up in the things of this world?

  3. 3. What would happen to you tomorrow if, suddenly, you could not buy or sell because you are numbered among those “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12, NKJV)? How well would your faith fare?


Friday, March 17

For Further Reading

Lift Him Up, “The Atonement—Our Foundation of Peace,” p. 332;

This Day With God, “Separating From Sin,” p. 94.

INSIDE STORY

Two Best Friends

By CHIFUNDO KANJO

Bahadu Ibrahim was born to non-Christian parents who expected him to follow their faith in central Malawi. He had no problem with that because he did not know any other religion.

But then an older brother married a Seventh-day Adventist woman and joined the Adventist Church. As a teen, Bahadu was sent by his parents to live with his brother and his wife in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. When Sabbath came, his brother expected him to go to church with them. Bahadu did not want to go, but he felt like he had no choice. For two years, he went to church every Sabbath out of a sense of duty.

Returning to his parents in Kaluluma village, he thought to forget the Bible. But he made friends with another teenager who happened to be an Adventist. Bahadu admired his new friend very much for his kindness and gentleness. Everyone in the village admired the young man and spoke highly of him.

One Sabbath, the friend invited Bahadu to go to church. What could Bahadu do? He went. He was glad to spend time with his best friend, even in church. As time passed, their friendship grew, and Bahadu listened to his friend explain that the seventh day was the true Sabbath of God. His friend gave him books to read. Little by little, he understood new truths about God and the Sabbath. However, he was not convinced that Saturday was the true Sabbath. Without his parents’ knowledge, he decided to compare the Bible with his family’s traditional religious book. As he read, he discovered that his family’s religious book contained only one woman’s name, Maryam, the mother of Jesus. He also discovered that Jesus is Lord. Bahadu decided to give his heart to Jesus in baptism. He no longer went to church out of sense of duty. He went to spend special time with his new best Friend.

After Bahadu’s baptism, his parents disowned him and stopped paying his high-school fees, leaving him unable to graduate with the rest of his class. Both of his parents died without accepting his decision, and many relatives continue to treat him with hostility today. But Bahadu has not wavered in his faith. “This is the best decision that I have ever made,” he said. Today he is a student at Malawi Adventist University, studying to become a pastor.

Two Best Friends

Thank you for your 2021 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering that is helping to construct a community outreach and leadership development center on the Mzuzu campus of Malawi Adventist University, where BAHADU studies, in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. This quarter’s offering will support six additional educational projects in the neighboring East-Central Africa Division.

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org.


† Disclaimer: Contents of these lessons are not intended to be financial advice but is general commentary based on biblical principles. The reader is encouraged to seek competent professional advice which will suit their particular personal situation.