Closer To Heaven
|
|
|
You can view an in-depth discussion of Struggling with All Energy; in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view:
With thanks to
Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.
(0)The post 6: Struggling with All Energy – Hope SS Video Discussion appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/6-struggling-with-all-energy-hope-ss-video-discussion/
by Rich Hannon | 2 August 2022 | Adventism has, in its basic DNA, a deep fascination with having The Truth. That is, a correct understanding of what God is revealing to mankind. Historically the church has evangelized from this posture, comparing other denominations’ theology to our doctrinal distillations and finding the competition wanting. This […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-delay-problem/
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Radical action is necessary not because God has made the Christian life difficult, but because we and our culture have drifted so far away from God’s plans for us. People often wake up and wonder to themselves, “How could I have gone so far away from God?” The answer is always the same: just one step at a time.
Read , Matthew 5:30. Jesus is speaking in the context of sexual sin. However, the underlying principles apply to dealing with other sin, as well. Indeed, the principles can apply to our growth in Christ in general.
Jesus isn’t calling us to harm our bodies physically — not at all! Rather, He is calling us to control our minds and therefore our bodies, no matter the cost. Notice that the verses do not say that we should pray and that God will instantly remove the sinful tendencies from our lives.
Sometimes God may graciously do this for us, but often He calls us to make a radical commitment to give up something, or start doing something, that we may not feel like doing at all. What a crucible that can be! The more often we make the right choices, the stronger we will become, and the weaker the power of temptation in our lives.
God sometimes uses crucibles to catch our attention when there are so many noisy distractions around us. It is in the crucible that we realize how far we have drifted from God. The crucible may be God’s call for us to make a radical decision to return to our Father’s plan for us.
(4)The post Wednesday: Radical Commitment appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/wednesday-radical-commitment/
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16.
The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands; and in the varied style of its different books it presents the characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all “given by inspiration of God”; yet they are expressed in the words of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves embodied the thought in human language.
The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were written by His own hand. They are of divine and not of human composition. But the Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and occupation, and in mental and spiritual endowments, the books of the Bible present a wide contrast in style, as well as a diversity in the nature of the subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by different writers; often the same truth is more strikingly presented by one than by another. And as several writers present a subject under varied aspects and relations, there may appear, to the superficial, careless, or prejudiced reader, to be discrepancy or contradiction, where the thoughtful, reverent student, with clearer insight, discerns the underlying harmony.—The Great Controversy, v, vi.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 222
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for family members who are sick. R
—-Please pray for me. I will be going to a doctor to check what is causing pain on my left pelvic area. I pray it will be healed soon. Also for my son Ebenezer who will be taking an important exam. Sally
—-I have some dear friends whose family is dealing with covid and the husband apparently has it worse and his fever hasn’t broken in many days. Please pray for their healing, David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
Some years ago, an Interstate bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, Minnesota during rush hour traffic. A few years before when the bridge had been inspected, it was felt that there was some concern, yet nothing had been done. Shortly before it collapsed, it had been inspected again and pronounced safe. It obviously was not!
After the collapse, the news reported that many of the bridges in this country were as unsafe as was that bridge. While Ron and I talked about that worrisome bit of news, it reminded us of a bridge we often crossed when we lived in Washington State. It appeared safe, yet one day when we visited a park that was underneath that bridge, we noticed huge cracks in the structure as well as missing chunks of concrete. From then on, we avoided crossing that bridge whenever possible. We were taking no chances.
This sinful, old planet is like a dangerous bridge. Some of this world’s dangers are recognized, and we tremble in perplexity and fear. Some are hidden from our view, and we continue on, unaware of the danger we are in. How much we need Someone to guide us and protect us. Praise God! We do have such a One Who will lead us by the hand! “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” Isa 48:17; 43:1-3
May our response to our Dear Saviour be, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” Ps 56:3; 31:1-3
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/given-by-inspiration-of-god.html
One of the greatest enemies of our wills is our own feelings. We are increasingly living in a culture bombarded with pictures and music that can appeal directly to our senses, triggering our emotions — anger, fear, or lust — without our realizing it. How often do we think such things as “What do I feel like eating for supper?” “What do I feel like doing today?” “Do I feel good about buying this?” Feelings have thus become intimately involved in our decision-making. Feelings are not necessarily bad, but how I feel about something may have little to do with what is right or best. Indeed, our feelings can lie to us (“The heart is deceitful above all things” [Jeremiah 17:9]) and can create a false picture of reality, causing us to make bad choices, setting us up for a crucible of our own making.
Image © Ron Bell at Goodsalt.com
Peter understood that the mind is the rudder for the body that we control. Take away the control of the mind, and we will be controlled by whatever feelings blow our way.
Imagine walking along a narrow path to the Shepherd’s home. Along the way there are many paths leading in different directions. Some of these paths go to places that we would not want to visit. Others look tempting; they appeal to our feelings, our emotions, our desires. If, though, we take any one of them, we get off the right path and go in a way that might be exceedingly difficult to get off.
| What important decisions are you facing? Ask yourself honestly, “How can I know if I am basing my choices on feeling, emotion, desire, as opposed to the Word of God?” |
(2)The post Tuesday: The Disciplined Will appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
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]
