LESSON 2 *January 4–10
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Pet. 3:9, Deut. 7:6–9, Rom. 11:22, 1 John 4:7–20, John 15:12, 1 John 3:16.
Memory Text: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him’ ” (John 14:23, NKJV).
Many have been taught that the Greek word agape refers to a love that is unique to God, while other terms for love, such as phileo, refer to different kinds of love, more deficient than agape. Some claim, too, that agape refers to unilateral love, a love that only gives but never receives, a love entirely independent of human response.
However, careful study of divine love throughout Scripture shows that these ideas, though common, are mistaken. First, the Greek term agape refers not only to God’s love but also to human love, even sometimes misdirected human love (2 Tim. 4:10). Second, throughout Scripture, many terms other than agape refer to God’s love. For example, Jesus taught, “ ‘The Father Himself loves [phileo] you, because you have loved [phileo] Me’ ” (John 16:27, NASB). Here, the Greek term phileo is used not only of human love but also of God’s love for humans. Thus, phileo does not refer to a deficient kind of love but to God’s love itself.
Scripture also teaches that God’s love is not unilateral but deeply relational, in that it makes a profound difference to God whether or not humans reflect His love back to Him and to others.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 11.
EGW Notes — SATURDAY ↓
Sabbath Afternoon, January 4
Lesson 2 - Covenantal Love
God has a deep and earnest love for every member of the human family; not one is forgotten, not one is left helpless and deceived to be overcome by the enemy. And if those who have enlisted in the army of Christ will put on the whole armor of God, and wear it, they will be proof against all the assaults of the enemy. Those who really desire to be taught of God, and to walk in His way, have the sure promise that if they feel their lack of wisdom and ask of God, He will give liberally, and upbraid not. The apostle says, “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” . . . God is behind every promise, and we cannot dishonor Him more than by questioning and hesitating, by asking and not believing, and then by talking doubt. . . .
Believe; believe that God will do just what He has promised. Keep your prayers ascending, and watch, work, and wait. Fight the good fight of faith. Say to your heart, “God has invited me to come. He has heard my prayer. He has pledged His word that he will receive me, and He will fulfil His promise. I can trust God; for He so loved me that He gave His only-begotten Son to die for me. The Son of God is my
Redeemer.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, pp. 299, 300.
God has given us Jesus, and in Him is the revelation of God. Our Redeemer says: “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.” If we know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, unspeakable gladness will come to the soul. Oh, how we need the divine
presence!—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 169.
God’s appointments and grants in our behalf are without limit. The throne of grace is itself the highest attraction, because occupied by One who permits us to call Him Father. But Jehovah did not deem the plan of salvation complete while invested only with His love. He has placed at His altar an Advocate clothed in His nature. As our intercessor, Christ’s office work is to introduce us to God as His sons and daughters. He intercedes in behalf of those who receive Him. With His own blood He has paid their ransom. By virtue of His own merits He gives them power to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. And the Father demonstrates His infinite love for Christ by receiving and welcoming Christ’s friends as His friends. He is satisfied with the atonement made. He is glorified by the incarnation, the life, death, and mediation, of His
Son.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 14.
SUNDAY January 5
The Everlasting Love of God
Scripture is clear: God loves everyone. The most famous verse of
Scripture, John 3:16, proclaims this truth: “ ‘For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ ” (NKJV).
Read Psalm 33:5 and Psalm 145:9. What do these verses teach about
how far God’s loving-kindness, compassion, and mercy extend?
* Your notes will not be saved!
Some might think that they are unlovable or that God might love everyone
else but not them. Yet, the Bible consistently proclaims that every single
person is loved by God. There is no one whom He does not love. And
because God loves everyone, He also wants everyone to be saved, as well.
Read 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, and Ezekiel 33:11. What do these
texts teach about God’s desire to save everyone?
The verse after John 3:16 adds: “ ‘For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved’ ” (John 3:17, NKJV). If it were up to God alone, every human
being would accept His love and be saved. Yet, the Lord will not force
His love on anyone. People are free to accept or reject it.
And even though some do reject it, God never stops loving them. In
Jeremiah 31:3, He proclaims to His people: “ ‘Yes, I have loved you
with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn
you’ ” (NKJV). Elsewhere, the Bible repeatedly teaches that God’s love
endures forever (see, for example, Psalm 136). God’s love never runs
out. It is everlasting. This is hard for us to understand because we often
find it easy not to love others, don’t we?
However, if we as individuals could learn to experience the reality of
that love—that is, to know for ourselves God’s love—how differently
we might live and treat others.
If God loves everyone, this means He must love some pretty despicable
characters because there are some (a lot, in fact) despicable
characters out there. What should God’s love for these people
teach us about how we should seek to relate to them, as well?
EGW Notes — SUNDAY ↓
Sunday, January 5
The Everlasting Love of God
Heaven’s plan of salvation is broad enough to embrace the whole world. God longs to breathe into prostrate humanity the breath of life. And He will not permit any soul to be disappointed who is sincere in his longing for something higher and nobler than anything the world can offer. Constantly He is sending His angels to those who, while surrounded by circumstances the most discouraging, pray in faith for some power higher than themselves to take possession of them and bring deliverance and peace. In various ways God will reveal Himself to them and will place them in touch with providences that will establish their confidence in the One who has given Himself a ransom for all, “that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.” Psalm 78:7. . . .
God hath spoken: “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” Isaiah
42:16.—Prophets and Kings, pp. 377, 378.
Our God has heaven and earth at His command, and He knows just what we need. We can see only a little way before us; “but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:13.
Above the distractions of the earth He sits enthroned; all things are open to His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which His providence sees best.
Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s notice. Satan’s hatred against God leads him to delight in destroying even the dumb creatures. It is only through God’s protecting care that the birds are preserved to gladden us with their songs of joy. But He does not forget even the sparrows. “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew
10:31.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, pp. 272, 273.
The word of God is to have a sanctifying effect on our association with every member of the human family. The leaven of truth will not produce the spirit of rivalry, the love of ambition, the desire to be first. True, heaven-born love is not selfish and changeable. It is not dependent on human praise. The heart of him who receives the grace of God overflows with love for God and for those for whom Christ died. Self is not struggling for recognition. He does not love others because they love and please him, because they appreciate his merits, but because they are Christ’s purchased possession. If his motives, words, or actions are misunderstood or misrepresented, he takes no offense, but pursues the even tenor of his way. He is kind and thoughtful, humble in his opinion of himself, yet full of hope, always trusting in the mercy and love of
God.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 101.
MONDAY January 6
Covenantal Love
The Bible often depicts God’s special love relationship with us by using
family or kinship metaphors, particularly metaphors of the love between a
husband and wife or of a good mother for her child. These metaphors are
used particularly to depict the special relationship between God and His
covenant people. This is a relationship of covenantal love, which involves
not only God’s love for His people but also expectations that people will
accept this love and will love Him (and one another) in return.
Read Deuteronomy 7:6–9. What do these verses teach about the
relationship between God making covenants and God’s lovingkindness?
Deuteronomy 7:9 describes a special kind of love that God has
with His covenant people, a relationship that is partially dependent on
whether or not they remain faithful. God’s love is not conditional, but
the covenant relationship with His people is.
The word translated “lovingkindness” or “mercy” in Deuteronomy
7:9, ḥesed, itself exemplifies the covenantal aspect of divine love (and
much more). The word ḥesed is often used to describe the greatness of
God’s mercy, goodness, and love. Among other things, ḥesed refers to
the loving-kindness, or steadfast love, for another within an existing
reciprocal love relationship. It also initiates such a relationship with the
expectation that the other party will show this loving-kindness in return.
God’s ḥesed shows that His loving-kindness is extremely reliable,
steadfast, and enduring. Yet, at the same time, the reception of the
benefits of ḥesed is conditional, dependent upon the willingness of His
people to obey and to maintain their end of the relationship (see 2 Sam.
22:26, 1 Kings 8:23, Ps. 25:10, Ps. 32:10, 2 Chron. 6:14).
God’s steadfast love is the basis of all love relationships, and we
could never match that love. God not only freely gave us existence but
also in Christ He freely gave Himself for us. “ ‘Greater love has no
one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends’ ” (John 15:13,
NKJV). No question, the greatest expression of God’s love was revealed
when the Lord “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8, NKJV).
How can we avoid getting caught up in material things at the
expense of the spiritual?
EGW Notes — MONDAY ↓
Monday, January 6
Covenantal Love
The test of a genuine Christian is given in the word of God. Says Jesus, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. . . . If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.”
Here are the conditions upon which every soul will be elected to eternal life. Your obedience to God’s commandments will prove your right to an inheritance with the saints in light. God has elected a certain excellence of character; and everyone who, through the grace of Christ, shall reach the standard of His requirement, will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of glory. All who would reach this standard of character, will have to employ the means that God has provided to this end. If you would inherit the rest that remaineth for the children of God, you must become a co-laborer with God. You are elected to wear the yoke of Christ,—to bear His burden, to lift His cross. You are to be diligent “to make your calling and election sure.” Search the Scriptures, and you will see that not a son or a daughter of Adam is elected to be saved in disobedience to God’s law. The world makes void the law of God; but Christians are chosen to sanctification through obedience to the truth. They are elected to bear the cross, if they would wear the
crown.—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 125.
As John beholds the height, the depth, and the breadth of the Father’s love toward our perishing race, he is filled with admiration and reverence. He cannot find suitable language to express this love, but he calls upon the world to behold it: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of men became subjects of Satan. Through the infinite sacrifice of Christ, and faith in His name, the sons of Adam become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are granted another trial and are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may educate, improve, and elevate themselves, that they may indeed become worthy of the name “sons of God.”
Such love is without a parallel. Jesus requires that those who have been bought by the price of His own life shall make the best use of the talents which He has given them. They are to increase in the knowledge of the divine will, and constantly improve in intellect and morals, until they shall attain to a perfection of character but little lower than that of the
angels.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 563.
TUESDAY January 7
Conditional Relationship
God calls and invites every person into an intimate love relationship
with Him (see Matt. 22:1–14). Responding appropriately to this call
involves obeying God’s command to love God and to love others (see
Matt. 22:37–39). Whether one enjoys the benefits of this relationship
with God depends on whether one freely decides to accept or reject
His love.
Read Hosea 9:15, Jeremiah 16:5, Romans 11:22, and Jude 21. What
do these texts teach about whether the benefits of God’s love can be
rejected—even forfeited?
In these and other texts, enjoying the benefits of a love relationship
with God is repeatedly depicted as conditional upon the human
response to His love. Yet, we should not make the mistake of thinking
that God ever actually stops loving anyone. As we have seen, God’s love
is everlasting. And, although Hosea 9:15 includes God saying of His
people, “ ‘I will love them no more,’ ” it is important to remember that
later in the same book God declares of His people, “ ‘I will love them
freely’ ” (Hos. 14:4, NKJV). Hosea 9:15 cannot mean that God entirely
ceases to love His people. It must refer, instead, to the conditionality of
some particular aspect or benefit of a love relationship with God. And
how we respond to His love is crucial for this relationship to continue.
“ ‘He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who
loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will
love him and manifest Myself to him’ ” (John 14:21, NKJV). Likewise,
Jesus proclaims to His disciples, “ ‘The Father Himself loves you,
because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from
the Father’ ” (John 16:27, NASB).
These and other texts teach that maintaining the benefits of a saving
relationship with God depends upon whether we will accept God’s love
(which involves willingness to be vehicles of that love, as well). Again,
this does not mean that God’s love ever ceases. Rather, just as we cannot
stop the sun from shining but can cut ourselves off from the rays of
the sun, we cannot do anything to stop God’s everlasting love, but we
can finally reject a relationship with God and, thus, cut ourselves off
from what it offers, especially the promise of eternal life.
What are ways that people can see and experience the reality of
God’s love, whether or not they return it? For example, how does
the natural world, even after sin, reveal His love?
EGW Notes — TUESDAY ↓
Tuesday, January 7
Conditional Relationship
Holding up Christ as our only source of strength, presenting His matchless love in having the guilt of the sins of men charged to His account and His own righteousness imputed to man, in no case does away with the law or detracts from its dignity. Rather, it places it where the correct light shines upon and glorifies it. This is done only through the light reflected from the cross of Calvary. The law is complete and full in the great plan of salvation, only as it is presented in the light shining from the crucified and risen Saviour. This can be only spiritually discerned. It kindles in the heart of the beholder ardent faith, hope, and joy that Christ is his righteousness. This joy is only for those who love and keep the words of Jesus, which are the words of
God.—Selected Messages, book 3, p. 176.
It will be the greatest mystery to [the believer] that Jesus should have made so great a sacrifice to redeem him. He will exclaim, with humble mien and quivering lip, “He loved me. He gave himself for me. He became poor that I, through his poverty, might be made rich. The man of sorrows did not spurn me, but poured out his inexhaustible, redeeming love that my heart might be made clean; and he has brought me back into loyalty and obedience to all his commandments. His condescension, his humiliation, his crucifixion, are the crowning miracles in the marvelous exhibition of the plan of salvation. That the just should die for the unjust, the pure for the impure, is beyond all manifestations of human love; and all this he has done to make it possible to impart to me his own righteousness, that I may keep the law I have transgressed. For this I adore him. I will proclaim him to all sinners. I will cry, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!’ ”—“The Knowledge of Christ and Self Leads to Humility,”
Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, October 16, 1888, par. 11.
In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works of creation. It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field. “His strength setteth fast the mountains.” “The sea is His, and He made it.” Psalm 65:6; 95:5. It was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air with song. And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love.
Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet that handwriting remains. Even now all created things declare the glory of His excellence. There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself. . . . The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world. The sun sheds its light to gladden a thousand
worlds.—The Desire of Ages, p. 20.
WEDNESDAY January 8
Mercy Forfeited
God’s love is everlasting and always unmerited. However, humans
can reject it. We have the opportunity to accept or reject that love, but
only because God freely loves us with His perfect, everlasting love
prior to anything we do (Jer. 31:3). Our love for God is a response to
what has already been given to us even before we asked for it.
Read 1 John 4:7–20, with specific emphasis on verses 7 and 19. What
does this tell us about the priority of God’s love?
God’s love always comes first. If God did not first love us, we could
not love Him in return. While God created us with the capacity to love
and to be loved, God Himself is the ground and Source of all love. We
have the choice, however, whether we will accept it and then reflect it in
our lives. This truth is exemplified in Christ’s parable of the unforgiving
servant (see Matt. 18:23–35).
In the parable, we can see that there was no way the servant ever
could have repaid what he owed the master. According to Matthew
18, the servant owed his master 10,000 talents. One talent amounted
to about 6,000 denarii. And one denarius was what an average laborer
would be paid for one day of work (compare with Matt. 20:2). So, it
would take an average laborer 6,000 days of labor to earn one talent.
Suppose, after accounting for days off, that an average laborer might
work 300 days per year and, thus, earn 300 denarii in a year. So, it
would take an average laborer approximately 20 years to repay one talent,
which consisted of 6,000 denarii (6,000/300 = 20). In order to earn
10,000 talents, then, an average laborer would have to work 200,000
years. In short, the servant could never repay this debt. Yet, the master
felt compassion for his servant and freely forgave his huge debt.
However, when this forgiven servant refused to forgive the far smaller
debt of 100 denarii of one of his fellow servants and had him thrown in
prison over the debt, the master was moved with anger and rescinded his
merciful forgiveness. The servant forfeited the love and forgiveness of his
master. Although God’s compassion and mercy never run out, one can
finally reject, even forfeit, the benefits of God’s compassion and mercy.
Think about what you have been forgiven and what it cost you
to be forgiven by Jesus. What should this tell you about forgiving
others?
EGW Notes — WEDNESDAY ↓
Wednesday, January 8
Mercy Forfeited
In the parable, when the debtor pleaded for delay, with the promise, “Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all,” the sentence was revoked. The whole debt was canceled. And he was soon given an opportunity to follow the example of the master who had forgiven him. Going out, he met a fellow servant who owed him a small sum. He had been forgiven ten thousand talents; the debtor owed him a hundred pence. But he who had been so mercifully treated, dealt with his fellow laborer in an altogether different manner. . . .
When [he had pled] with his Lord for mercy, he had no true sense of the greatness of his debt. He did not realize his helplessness. He hoped to deliver himself. “Have patience with me,” he said, “and I will pay thee all.” So there are many who hope by their own works to merit God’s favor. They do not realize their helplessness. They do not accept the grace of God as a free gift, but are trying to build themselves up in self-righteousness. Their own hearts are not broken and humbled on account of sin, and they are exacting and unforgiving toward others. Their own sins against God, compared with their brother’s sins against them, are as ten thousand talents to one hundred pence—nearly one million to one; yet they dare to be
unforgiving.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 245.
If the Lord should deal with the human family as men deal with one another, we should have been consumed; but He is long-suffering, of tender pity, forgiving our transgressions and sins. When we seek Him with the whole heart, He will be found of us. . . .
But the mercy of Christ in forgiving the iniquities of men teaches us that there must be free forgiveness of wrongs and sins that are committed against us by our fellow men. Christ gave this lesson to His disciples to correct the evils that were being taught and practiced in the precepts and examples of those who were interpreting the Scriptures at that time.” . . .
Man can be saved only through the wonderful forbearance of God in the forgiveness of his many sins and transgressions. But those who are blessed by the mercy of God should exercise the same spirit of forbearance and forgiveness toward those who constitute the Lord’s
family.—The Upward Look, p. 43.
[God] has a Father’s heart, and He bears long with His children. In His dealings with the children of Israel He pleaded with them in mercy and love. Patiently He set their sins before them, and in forbearance waited for them to see and acknowledge their wrongs. When they repented and confessed their sins, He forgave them; and though the offense was oft repeated, there were no taunting words spoken, no resentment expressed.
Christ plainly stated that though one sin again and again, he is to be forgiven if he repents, even should he sin till seventy times
seven.—The Upward Look, p. 298.
THURSDAY January 9
You Have Freely Received; Freely Give
Just as the servant could never repay his debt to his master, we can
never repay God. We could never earn or merit God’s love. “God demonstrates
His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us” (Rom. 5:8, NKJV). What amazing love! As 1 John 3:1 puts
it, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we
should be called children of God!” (NKJV).
However, what we can and should do is to reflect God’s love to others as
much as we possibly can. If we have received such great compassion and
forgiveness, how much more should we bestow compassion and forgiveness
on others? Recall that the servant forfeited his master’s compassion and
forgiveness because he failed to bestow them on his fellow servant. If we
truly love God, we will not fail to reflect His love to others.
Read John 15:12, 1 John 3:16, and 1 John 4:7–12. What do these passages
teach about the relationship between God’s love, our love for
God, and love for others?
Just after John 15:12, Jesus told His disciples, “ ‘You are My friends
if you do whatever I command you’ ” (John 15:14, NKJV). And what did
Jesus command them? Among other things, Jesus commanded them (and
us) to love others even as He loved them. Here and elsewhere, the Lord
commands us to love God and to love one another.
In short, we should recognize that we have been forgiven an infinite debt,
one that we can never repay, a debt paid only at the cross for us. Therefore,
we should love and praise God and live with love and grace toward others.
As Luke 7:47 teaches, the one who is forgiven much loves much, but “ ‘to
whom little is forgiven, the same loves little’ ” (NKJV). And who among
us doesn’t realize just how much he or she has been forgiven?
If to love God entails that we love others, we should with urgency
share the message of God’s love, both in word and in deed. We should
help people in their daily lives here and now, and also seek to be a
conduit of God’s love and point people to the One who offers them the
promise of eternal life in a new heaven and a new earth—an entirely
new creation from this world, which is so marred and ravaged by sin
and death, the doleful fruits of rejecting God’s love.
What specific steps can you take to love God by loving others?
What could you do today and in the coming days to show people
God’s love and (eventually) invite them to enjoy what it means to
have the promise of eternal life?
EGW Notes — THURSDAY ↓
Thursday, January 9
You Have Freely Received; Freely Give
Those who live in close fellowship with Christ will be promoted by Him to positions of trust. The servant who does the best he can for his Master is admitted to familiar [relationship] with the One whose commands he loves to obey. In the faithful discharge of duty we may become one with Christ, for those who are obeying God’s commands may speak to Him freely. The one who talks most familiarly with his divine leader has the most exalted conception of His greatness and is the most obedient to His commands.
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. . . . Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth . . . I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
The character of the one who comes to God in faith will bear witness that the Saviour has entered into his life, directing all, pervading all. Such a one is continually asking, “Is this Thy will and way, O my Saviour?” Constantly he looks to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of his faith. He consults the will of his divine Friend in reference to all his actions, for he knows that in this confidence is his strength. He has made it a habit to lift up the heart to God in every
perplexity.—That I May Know Him, p. 296.
The Lord loves you, and just as long as you will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, you will walk securely. It is essential that every soul that names the name of Christ should make straight paths for his feet. Why? Lest the lame be turned out of the way. It is a terrible, terrible thing to give a soul a wrong example, and to lead him in a crooked course by the way in which you may walk. . . .
Jesus is rich in grace. Draw, constantly draw from Him, for you may have rich
supplies.—The Upward Look, p. 275.
Those who identify their interests wholly with Christ will want to serve him, and the more they work the works of Christ in seeking to bless others, the more will Jesus impart his light and his love to them, that they may communicate it to others. Be guarded that you do not try to teach others unless you are a daily learner in the school of Christ yourself. We must repeat his lessons; we must manifest his spirit of kindness, patience, forbearance, and love. You cannot impart to others that which you have not yourself. Keep the light and love of God burning in your hearts, that you may help others; for more zeal, greater devotion, and more steady, earnest faith is needed. You must do much watching and praying, as well as searching of the Scriptures if you learn the precious lessons of faith. You must guard against making feelings a criterion; this of itself is no evidence that you are a child of God, or that you are not. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” It is obedience and faith that unite us with Jesus Christ. You must learn the simple art of taking God at his word. Then you have solid ground beneath your feet.—“The Mirror,”
The Youth’s Instructor, August 18, 1886, par. 6.
FRIDAY January 10
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Privilege of Prayer,”
pp. 93–104, in Steps to Christ.
“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your
fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He
who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of
His children. ‘The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’ James
5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our
utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind.
Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules
over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns
our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our
experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult
for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children,
no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the
lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes
no immediate interest. ‘He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up
their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul
are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the
earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His
beloved Son.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 100.
Discussion Questions:
-
Dwell on the sentence above: “The relations between God and
each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another
soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for
whom He gave His beloved Son.” What comfort does this give you,
and how should you live, knowing the closeness of God to you and
His care for you? How can you learn to live with the reality of that
wonderful promise? Imagine if, day by day, you could truly believe
it.
-
In light of this week’s lesson, how do you understand Psalm
103:17, 18? What does it reveal about how God’s love is everlasting
and yet how the benefits of a relationship with God are dependent
upon whether we will accept His love?
-
In what ways does knowing this make a difference in your
relationship with God? How does it affect the way you think of the
sorrows of others?
EGW Notes — FRIDAY ↓
Friday, January 10
For Further Reading
In Heavenly Places, “In Right Relationship to God,” p. 32;
In Heavenly Places, “Not to Condemn But to Save,” p. 16.
INSIDE STORY
Sibú of the Bible
By Andrew McChesney
Melvin wasn’t sure whether man was created from dust or corn. In the
Bible, he read that “the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”
(Genesis 2:7, NKJV). But the Cabécar, the largest indigenous group in Costa
Rica with a population of about 17,000, taught him that Sibú, which means
“God” in their native language, created man from corn.
Growing up, Melvin always had thought that the Sibú of tradition and
the Sibú of the Bible were the same deity. But as he studied the Bible with
a Seventh-day Adventist, he realized that Sibú’s characteristics in the Bible
were very different from those of tradition. He decided to accept the Sibú of
the Bible, and he was baptized with his parents and two siblings.
A year later, his mother suffered a stroke at the age of 40 and died.
Melvin, who was 22, believed that death was an unconscious sleep. But
Cabécar tradition taught that his mother remained alive and risked being
lost in darkness forever unless her family partook in four days of rituals
that guided her to the next world. As part of traditional funeral rituals, they
needed to slaughter two pigs and three chickens and feed them to mourners.
Refusing to do so would be considered very selfish. Cabécar tradition
condemned selfish people as an abomination. Despite tremendous pressure
from grandparents and other relatives to conform to tradition, Melvin and
his family decided to follow the Bible. An Adventist pastor helped them find
a place outside of Cabécar territory to bury their mother.
It was then that Melvin decided to become a pastor. He had sensed God
calling him to gospel ministry since his baptism, but he had resisted. After
his mother died, he resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to sharing the
Sibú of the Bible. He wanted to lead his people away from the Sibú who
created man from corn to the Sibú who formed man from dust. He wanted
them to rejoice in the knowledge that animal sacrifices were not required
to gain eternal life in the next world because the Sibú of the Bible gave His
own life as a sacrifice to save all.
Today, Melvin Madriz is a 24-year-old pastoral student at Central
America Adventist University in Costa Rica. Upon
graduating, he will be the Adventist Church’s first
Cabécar pastor. Only about 30 Cabécar people are
currently Adventists.
“I believe in Sibú, but only the Sibú of the Bible,
not the Sibú of tradition,” Melvin said.
Pray for the God of the Bible to be proclaimed to the Cabécar
and all indigenous people worldwide. Thank you for your mission
offerings that help share the gospel with unreached and underreached
people groups.
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.
