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Lesson 12.Love and Justice: The Two Greatest Commandments | 12.6 Summary | THE GOD OF LOVE AND JUSTICE | LIVING FAITH

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12.6 Summary
Love and Justice – The Heart of God’s Commandments
This lesson shows that true discipleship of Jesus is expressed through lived love and justice. God’s will is that we love Him with all our hearts and express this love through mercy and justice toward our neighbor.
12.1 The Two Greatest Commandments – Love as the Foundation
Jesus summarizes the entire Law in two commandments (Matthew 22:34–40):
✔ Love for God – with all our heart, soul, and mind.
✔ Love for our neighbor – as we love ourselves.
These two commandments are inseparable: true love for God is reflected in our love for others.
12.2 The Two Greatest Sins – Idolatry and Lovelessness
If love is the greatest commandment, then its opposites are the worst sins:
❌ Idolatry – When something other than God fills our hearts (e.g., wealth, power, or selfishness).
❌ Lovelessness – When we are indifferent to justice and the well-being of others.
These sins separate us from God and lead to the destruction of human relationships.
12.3 God Loves Justice – His Call to Us
📖 Psalm 33:5 & Isaiah 61:8 show that God loves justice and cares for the weak.
✔ He calls us to do the same:
• Help the poor and oppressed.
• Stand up for truth and righteousness.
• Not just act religiously, but live with mercy.
Justice is not a secondary theme in the Bible – it is central to our life with God.
12.4 Called to Work for Justice
The prophets already proclaimed this in Old Testament times:
✔ “Learn to do right! Seek justice!” (Isaiah 1:17)
✔ “Woe to him who treats his neighbor unjustly!” (Jeremiah 22:13)
Jesus continues this message and warns against outward religiosity without justice and mercy (Matthew 23:23).
God’s call to us: Do not just talk about faith—take action by helping concretely in our families, churches, and society.
12.5 Who Is My Neighbor? – The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37)
A teacher of the law asks: “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan, which carries a clear message:
✔ Neighborly love has no limits – it applies to anyone in need.
✔ True mercy acts – it does not ask about convenience or duty.
✔ Jesus lived justice and love – and calls us to do the same.
👉 Our task: To consciously be a “neighbor” to others today – in daily life, in our surroundings, and everywhere.
Conclusion: Love and Justice as a Lifestyle
📌 Loving God means doing His will – and His will is justice.
📌 Love for our neighbor is shown not in words, but in concrete actions.
📌 Faith without lived love is empty.
Jesus lived God’s love perfectly – and He calls us to do the same.
This lesson shows that faith is not just theory but is demonstrated in everyday life – in how we love God and interact with others. Love and justice are the foundation of Christian life, and Jesus calls us to actively live them.
  1. Living Out Love for God and Our Neighbor in Daily Life
Matthew 22:37–39 teaches us that God must come first. But true love for God is not only shown in prayers or church services – it is reflected in our actions toward others.
✔ In the family:
• Do we forgive each other, or do we hold onto past hurts?
• Do we treat our children with love and patience?
✔ At work or school:
• Are we honest, even when it’s difficult?
• Do we treat colleagues or classmates with respect?
✔ In society:
• Are we willing to help those in need, even at personal cost?
• Do we turn a blind eye to injustice?
👉 Loving God means reflecting His nature – through lived love and mercy.
  1. The Danger of Idolatry and Lovelessness – Where Are Our Priorities?
Idolatry is not just worshiping statues – it means loving anything more than God.
❌ Am I too focused on my career or reputation?
❌ Do I prioritize my own desires over the needs of others?
Lovelessness often manifests in everyday life:
❌ Do I judge others instead of showing them mercy?
❌ Do I ignore those in need because I think it’s not my problem?
👉 Jesus calls us to examine our hearts: What is keeping me from truly living in love and justice?
  1. Living Justice – Not Just Talking About It
God loves justice (Psalm 33:5), and He commands us to practice it:
✔ In the family: Do not ignore conflicts, but seek reconciliation.
✔ In the church: Do not exclude or judge anyone, but accept them in love.
✔ In society: Advocate for social justice, not just personal gain.
📖 Micah 6:8 sums it up:
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
👉 Justice is not a side issue – it is at the core of our faith.
  1. Who Is My Neighbor? – A Question That Shapes Our Daily Lives
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37) teaches us:
✔ Neighborly love has no boundaries. It applies not only to family but also to strangers and even enemies.
✔ Neighborly love means action. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).
👉 Who is my neighbor today? Perhaps a discouraged coworker. A lonely neighbor. A friend in need.
Conclusion: Lived Love Is the Key to True Faith
📌 Faith without love and justice is empty.
📌 True worship is shown not only in words but in actions.
📌 Every day gives us the opportunity to love God – by loving others.
👉 Our challenge: Choose today to actively live love and justice. Not someday – but now.

True neighborly love is not just spoken—it is demonstrated through action. Today is the best opportunity to live it.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/lesson-12-love-and-justice-the-two-greatest-commandments-12-6-summary-the-god-of-love-and-justice-living-faith/

21.03.2025 – 1 John Chapter 4 | BELIEVE HIS PROPHETS

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March 21, 2024
DAILY BIBLE READING – 1 Johannes Chapter 4
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
King James Version. Public Domain

 

Commentary
Introduction
The First Epistle of John, Chapter 4, is a profound passage dealing with two central themes of the Christian faith: the distinction between truth and error, and the significance of divine love. John warns against false prophets and calls for the testing of spirits to distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. Additionally, he highlights love as the defining characteristic of a true Christian: “God is love” (v. 8).
These two themes—the testing of spirits and divine love—are closely connected. True knowledge leads to love, for whoever lives in truth is filled with God’s love. This chapter reminds us that faith is not merely a verbal confession but a lived reality, manifested in our love for God and for others.
Commentary
1.The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error (Verses 1-6)
  • John urges believers not to believe every spirit but to test them (v. 1).
  • The key criterion for discerning a true spirit: it confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (v. 2-3).
  • The spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world—but “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (v. 4).
  • False prophets speak from the world and are accepted by the world, but the true children of God listen to the truth (v. 5-6).
➡ Lesson for us: Not everyone who speaks about God is sent by God. The Bible urges us to examine whether a teaching truly glorifies Christ.
2.God’s Love and Love for One Another (Verses 7-21)
  • Love comes from God—whoever loves is born of God (v. 7).
  • God is love—His love is demonstrated in sending His Son for us (v. 8-10).
  • Our response to God’s love: If God has loved us, we must also love one another (v. 11-12).
  • The evidence of God’s presence in us: Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God remains in God, and God remains in him (v. 15-16).
  • Perfect love drives out fear—for in love, there is no fear of judgment (v. 17-18).
  • Love for God is shown in love for our brothers—whoever does not love his brother cannot claim to love God (v. 19-21).
➡ Lesson for us: True love is not just an emotion but a conscious decision reflected in our actions toward others.
Summary
  • Truth and Falsehood in Faith: Not everyone who speaks about God proclaims the truth. The key question is: Does the person confess Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God?
  • God’s Love as a Model: God is love, and He revealed His love through the sacrifice of Jesus.
  • Our Responsibility: Whoever loves God must also love others.
  • Love and Fear: Perfect love drives out fear—especially the fear of divine judgment.
Message for Us Today
1.Test the Spirits—Not everything that appears “spiritual” comes from God
  • Today, many false teachings claim to be Christian but are not truly based on Christ.
  • We must remain vigilant and compare every teaching with the Word of God.
2.Faith Means Living Out Love
  • Our Christianity is not just about professing faith but about demonstrating love to others.
  • This love is not selective—it extends to everyone, even those who are difficult for us to love.
3.God’s Love Gives Us Security
  • Fear of judgment and the future is cast out by God’s perfect love.
  • When we remain in Christ, we can live in peace.
4.Practical Application
  • Put love into action—help those in need, forgive others, show mercy.
  • Remain in the truth—test what you hear and hold fast to God’s Word.
  • Trust in God’s love—it is greater than any fear or uncertainty.
➡ 1 John 4 calls us to lead lives shaped by truth and love.
➡ When we recognize Christ, we will also live out true love.

 

 

WEEKLY SPIRIT OF PROPHECY READING – Ellen White | Steps to Christ
Chapter 9—The Work and the Life
Read online here

 

Commentary
Introduction
Chapter 9 describes God’s selfless love as the source of all life, light, and blessing. This principle of selfless devotion is evident throughout creation, but most especially in the life of Jesus Christ. His existence was marked by sacrifice—he lived to save humanity and set an example of love and service. His followers should adopt the same attitude: a life that does not seek self-fulfillment but instead places the well-being of others at its center. This service is not only a calling but also the path to true happiness and spiritual growth.
Commentary
1.The Source of All Life and Blessing
God is the origin of life and blessing, and everything that exists receives light and joy from Him. Just as sunlight and flowing water nourish all living things, so too should humans receive and share God’s blessings. True fulfillment in life does not come from seeking personal gain but from sharing God’s love with others.
2.Christ as the Ultimate Example of Service
Jesus Christ lived a completely selfless life. His greatest concern was to save fallen humanity, even at the cost of suffering and sacrifice. Likewise, angels were not created for themselves but to serve others. The very essence of heaven is not selfishness but sacrifice and love. Those who reject this mindset separate themselves from God.
3.The Impact of God’s Love in a Person
When Christ’s love dwells in a person’s heart, it cannot remain hidden. It radiates outward and influences all who come into contact with them. A Christian’s life should be like a fresh spring in the desert—bringing refreshment and life to those in need.
4.The Joy of Serving Others
The deepest expression of love for Christ is the desire to help others. This was the principle by which Jesus lived. His life was not one of comfort and ease but of tireless service. Those who follow Him will not focus on their own desires but on the well-being of others.
5.The Importance of Sacrifice
A true disciple of Jesus is willing to make sacrifices so that others may experience the blessing of salvation. This sacrifice can take the form of time, resources, or personal dedication. Those who have received God’s grace cannot keep it to themselves—they will feel compelled to share it with others.
6.Communion with Christ Through Service
Serving others not only brings blessings to the recipients but also to the one who serves. God could have entrusted His work of salvation to angels, but He chose to involve people so that their faith could be strengthened. Anyone who dedicates themselves to God’s service will grow deeper in their experience of His love and truth.
7.The Necessity of Spiritual Growth Through Service
Christian growth does not happen through passive receiving but through active giving. Those who do not live out their faith will lose it. But those who carry out God’s mission and serve others will grow spiritually. This is a divine principle: spiritual strength comes through active engagement.
8.Every Christian is Called to Serve
The Church of Christ is called to bring the Good News to the world. This task is not only for missionaries or preachers but for every believer. Each person can be a witness for Christ through their work, behavior, and relationships. Even those who cannot travel to distant lands can still contribute through prayer, support, and serving in their immediate surroundings.
9.Imitating Christ in Everyday Life
Jesus spent most of His earthly life engaged in everyday work as a carpenter. He demonstrated that every job and every activity can be an opportunity to serve God. Even a simple worker can bear witness to Christ through faithfulness and integrity. Everyone can be a light to those around them and lead others to faith.
10.The Blessing of Selfless Service
Many people believe they are not qualified to work for God’s kingdom, but God does not only call the most talented—He calls every believer. Even the simplest tasks, when done with love, are valuable in God’s kingdom. Those who are faithful in small things will also be entrusted with greater things.
11.No Excuses – Everyone Can Serve
Many wait for a “special opportunity” to serve God, but this is a mistake. The best opportunity is the present moment—by living faithfully, showing love in daily life, and being open to the needs of others. Those who make themselves available to Christ will experience how He uses them and how their lives bear fruit.
12.The Hidden Influence of Service
Some people do not see the visible results of their efforts and feel useless. But God sees everything and will bring hidden deeds to light. Often, the effects of our actions will only be revealed in eternity. Those who remain faithful will ultimately see that no selfless act of service was in vain.
Summary
Chapter 9 teaches that true joy and fulfillment are found in selfless service. God is the source of all blessings, and He desires for us to pass these blessings on to others. Jesus is the highest example of a life of dedication and service. Those who follow Him will not live for themselves but for the good of others.
God has given us the privilege of participating in His work of salvation. This is not only a duty but also a blessing for us. Serving others strengthens our faith, brings us closer to Christ, and fills us with deep joy. Every Christian is called to be a light to others through their work, testimony, and love.
The greatest growth in faith does not come from passivity but from active participation in God’s work. Those who share God’s blessings with others will be blessed themselves. But those who remain spiritually inactive will lose their faith. Therefore, this chapter calls us not to wait but to act immediately and wholeheartedly for Christ—whether in our own homes, churches, or the world.

Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/21-03-2025-1-john-chapter-4-believe-his-prophets/

Is Prophecy Fate?

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by Stephen Ferguson  |  20 March 2025  | In the blockbuster 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day, about robots sent back in time to either kill or protect a human child destined to lead a resistance against future artificial intelligence who takes over the world, a key theme is a question of destiny. In one […] Source: https://atoday.org/prophecy-is-not-fate/

The Two Groups at Christ’s Return—Which One Will You Be In? | Dr Duane McKey

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The Bible speaks of two groups at the return of Christ—one that follows Him with unwavering faith and another that falls under the enemy’s deception. Are we compromising our faith without realizing it? Revelation 12 unveils a cosmic battle that has been raging for centuries, from the Dark Ages to the final moments before Jesus returns. What side are you truly on? Watch as we uncover what this means for you today. 🔹 Discover the hidden truths in Revelation 12
🔹 Understand why compromise is not an option
🔹 See how history repeats itself before Christ’s return 📖 “And the dragon stood before the woman… ready to devour her child” (Revelation 12:4). 🙏 Will you stand firm in faith, no matter the cost? 🔥 Subscribe for more powerful Biblical insights! #BibleProphecy #EndTimes Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6uzu4w_KCE

News Briefs: 20 March 2025

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20 March 2025 | News from the Inter-American Division “More than 16,000 new converts joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church during baptismal ceremonies across the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory recently, thanks to intense united evangelistic efforts conducted by local pastors, elders, laypersons, and small groups. This special event marked the second time that ordained local church […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-20-march-2025/

You Can Never Go Home Again, and May Not Need To

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While some folks say, things aren’t what they used to be, I say, yes, but they never were what they are now.

I am a historian by nature. When I visited the Litchfield Congregational church, pictured below, built in Connecticut in 1721, I tried to imagine all the sin-weary souls who had come to hear the Gospel preached for over three centuries inside those consecrated walls.

Photo of Litchfield church by William Earnhardt

Photo by William Earnhardt

Later, when I went to see the Rays and Red Sox play at old Fenway Park, it was not enough to watch the game. I had to picture what it must have been like for a father taking his son out of school to attend a game back in 1912. Millions of people with memories of that old ball park, and my mind wanted to capture them all. I walk by an old high school building built in 1927 in Tampa, and I have to stop and try to imagine all the scenes that may have taken place. All the loves and relationships that began on that campus. I stand on the sidewalk, looking at an old glass window. I ask myself, on the last day of school in 1942 did a young man stand where I stand now, and glance for the last time at a young girl on whom he had a crush standing in the window, before leaving to join the war, never to return?

In 1991 I drove to a remote little town in extreme western Oklahoma to preach. When I arrived at the church, I went downstairs to get water. While downstairs I saw several Sabbath School classrooms, all totally vacant and abandoned. The elderly couple who invited me home for lunch explained that all those rooms were packed with children back in the day. But they all grew up and moved away to find jobs. The husband was the school master back in the day, but he had been retired for decades. With no children around any more, the only traces of the school were distant memories. I remember a feeling of sadness as I thought of the hollow classrooms once full of life. I can’t say if it was the evangelist or the historian in me that made me wish there were a way to fill those classrooms with lively children again.

Over the years those hollow classrooms occasionally haunt my mind. Of course, in my lifetime, I have seen changes in my own childhood church. It still has a thriving church school and Sabbath School department, but when my friends and I go home to visit, we remember days gone by when the church was much fuller.  I have to keep in mind that when we were kids our church was The Adventist Church in the area. Today there are several Adventist churches in the area, and there really is no “The” Church now. This is where the evangelist in me wars with the historian in me. The historian in me wants to re-create the church I grew up in. I want to go home again. The evangelist in me rejoices that there are new churches, and the gospel is being preached all over the area now, instead of in just one place. I understand my childhood church is slightly smaller now because people are spreading out to other churches to share the gospel beyond my little neighborhood.

Now my mind looks back to those empty Sabbath School classrooms in the middle of nowhere in western Oklahoma. Is it really sad that the kids grew up and moved on to bigger places where they could find jobs? Not if moving gave them more opportunities to share Jesus with those in need! Now I look back at those empty classrooms in a different way. Maybe the primary Sabbath School teacher did not realize it at the time, but she was doing a lot more than teaching the children in her small town about Jesus. She was training them to be missionaries and take the gospel from those little rooms and spread it all over the world! The historian in me looks into those vacant rooms and sees a church that died. The evangelist in me looks into those hollow rooms and sees scores of children leaving those sacred halls to share the gospel in new places, meeting people around the world who need Jesus.

The church is a movement, not a history museum. The church is a people and not an old building standing out in a field where there used to be a town. While reality tells me that many of the kids probably left the church, I am sure many stayed in the church as well.. Many of the children who filled those old Sabbath School classrooms in western Oklahoma took the church with them when they moved away. The Sabbath School class did not die in those classrooms in western Oklahoma; the class just outgrew its walls! They grew all over the world. I look back now and realize children with whom I sat in Primary Sabbath School class in my home church are now scattered from the South Pacific Islands to New England and beyond.

You know what’s cool? We left four walls we used to meet in, but we never left the church. We took it with us. Just as importantly, we never left each other. We are in touch on Facebook and Sabbath School Net, where we still share ideas from theology to evangelism strategies. And of course we still get together personally when we can. A couple years ago, a former classmate, now a teacher, helped me put my Bible curriculum together while living 1200 miles away. You see, our little Sabbath School classroom did not die. Just the opposite. We grew so big we exceeded the boundaries of our four little walls.

I believe it to be the same with the little classrooms in a small town in western Oklahoma. If I ever get a chance to return, and I hope I do, I will go downstairs and look into those empty classrooms again. This time instead of trying to imagine a class that once was, I will see a class that still is and even more. I will see a classroom that has grown into something much bigger and greater than it ever was. I won’t see a class that died in a little room. I will see a class that grew all over the world to help people all over the world who need Jesus.

When I think of my experience in the church, I realize in one sense, I can never go home again. The building I worshiped in as a child will never be what it was. That’s just fine. It was never meant to stay what it was. It was meant to grow. It was meant to grow beyond those walls into the rest of the world where people need Jesus. My church is now all over the word. So in one sense, I can never go back to my home church again. In an even more real sense, my home church is all over the world now and is everywhere I go. And the even greater reality is, that I’ve never been home and never will be until Jesus comes. While the historian in me wants to reminisce about the way the church used to be, the evangelist in me says to keep growing the church. It’s not finished yet!

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/you-can-never-go-home-again-and-may-not-need-to/

Inside Story: Stuck in the Middle East

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Inside Story for Friday 21st of March 2025

By Andrew McChesney

Ki-nam’s world came crashing down after she arrived from South Korea to work as a student missionary in the Middle East. She arrived on a short-term tourist visa that needed to be upgraded to a residence visa, allowing her to stay for a full year. Her apartment landlord had agreed to sign the paperwork, giving her proof of residence for the new visa. But suddenly he changed his mind and demanded a large sum of money to sign the document.

Ki-nam didn’t have the money. The missionary leader overseeing the small group of student missionaries didn’t have the money. The small Seventh-day Adventist community didn’t have the money. The community mainly was comprised of poor refugees who worshiped in a house church.

Ki-nam’s choices were limited. She couldn’t simply move to another apartment because it was difficult to find landlords willing to rent to foreigners. Staying illegally in the country wasn’t an option, and she didn’t want to bribe an official for the resident visa.

She prayed, “Lord, if You sent me here, You should solve my problem.” She prayed every day for two months. Her parents in South Korea prayed. The missionary leader put Ki-nam’s name on the house church’s prayer list, and church members prayed.

Two months passed, and the landlord didn’t sign the document.

Then the day arrived when Ki-nam had to go for an interview for a new visa. But she didn’t have any documents to support a new visa.

Shortly before the interview, Ki-nam’s cell phone rang. It was the mis­sionary leader. “There may be a solution,” he said. “Let’s go.”

He explained that a church member had felt impressed to stop by a real estate agency just a few minutes earlier. The church member knew the agency owner and had asked, “Can you help my friend?” The owner had replied, “Bring her passport, and I’ll give her proof of residence.”

Ki-nam was stunned. She could only say, “Thank You, God.”

The owner signed the document, and Ki-nam received the resident visa.

After that, Ki-nam had no doubt that God would bless her year in the Middle East. And He did. Seven people were baptized through her work. “God called me and used me to save people,” Ki-nam said in an interview with Adventist Mission in Seoul, South Korea. “He was with me every step of the way, helping me. I realized that there are no mistakes in God’s calling, and it was a year of gratitude.”

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Korea sends missionaries around the world. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on March 29 that will help South Korean Adventists spread the gospel at home. The student missionary’s name has been changed.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-12-inside-story-stuck-in-the-middle-east/

Friday: Further Thought – Love and Justice: The Two Greatest Commandments

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Daily Lesson for Friday 21st of March 2025

Read Ellen G. White, “The Sabbath,” Pages 281–289, in The Desire of Ages.
Spectacles on Bible

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“The spies dared not answer Christ in the presence of the multitude, for fear of involving themselves in difficulty. They knew that He had spoken the truth. Rather than violate their traditions, they would leave a man to suffer, while they would relieve a brute because of the loss to the owner if it were neglected. Thus greater care was shown for a dumb animal than for man, who is made in the image of God. This illustrates the working of all false religions. They originate in man’s desire to exalt himself above God, but they result in degrading man below the brute. Every religion that wars against the sovereignty of God defrauds man of the glory which was his at the Creation, and which is to be restored to him in Christ. Every false religion teaches its adherents to be careless of human needs, sufferings, and rights. The gospel places a high value upon humanity as the purchase of the blood of Christ, and it teaches a tender regard for the wants and woes of man. The Lord says, ‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.’ Isaiah 13:12.

“When Jesus turned upon the Pharisees with the question whether it was lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill, He confronted them with their own wicked purposes. They were hunting His life with bitter hatred, while He was saving life and bringing happiness to multitudes. Was it better to slay upon the Sabbath, as they were planning to do, than to heal the afflicted, as He had done? Was it more righteous to have murder in the heart upon God’s holy day than love to all men, which finds expression in deeds of mercy?”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, Pages 286, 287.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why and how is it true that “Every false religion teaches its ad­­herents to be careless of human needs”? How can we act intentionally so as to avoid such carelessness in our church communities and beyond?
  2. Who is my neighbor? Who is your neighbor? In what practical ways should following Christ make us more like the Samaritan who crossed the boundaries of his day to act out love?
  3. If God loves justice and mercy, how should we act in ac­cordance with what matters most to God? How can we be more focused on what Jesus called “the weightier matters of the law”?
  4. When we think and talk about judgment, how often do we emphasize that a primary way Jesus discusses judgment is in terms of whether, and to what extent, we actively love others, particularly the oppressed and downtrodden? Reflect on this in light of Matthew 25:31-46.

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-12-further-thought-love-and-justice-the-two-greatest-commandments/

SATIRE: Eligible Adventist Males Declared Endangered Species

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FONTAINEBLEU, France — The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has made its first human addition to the list of endangered species: eligible Adventist males. The IUCN said that numbers of single Adventist males with a job and basic hygiene had fallen dangerously low. The organization is calling for conservation efforts around the world, […] Source: https://atoday.org/satire-eligible-adventist-males-declared-endangered-species/

God First: Your Daily Prayer Meeting #948

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"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22, NIV). 
Tag someone in need of prayer, and kindly share your prayer requests here:
https://wkf.ms/3DBuapQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzrSouxQMOc

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Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]

Lucian Web Service


Intercer is proudly sponsored by Lucian Web Service - Professional Web Services, Wordpress Websites, Marketing and Affiliate Info. Lucian worked as a subcontractor with Simpleupdates, being one of the programmers for the Adventist Church Connect software. He also presented ACC/ASC workshops... [read more]

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