Sunday: “In His Image”
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29, NKJV).
In the beginning, God made us in His image (Genesis 1:27), but that image has been corrupted by sin.
In what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity?
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
It’s obvious: we all have been corrupted by sin (Romans 3:10-19). Yet, God’s desire is to restore us to what we should have been originally. This is where our verse today fits in. It reveals God’s plan that those who submit their lives to the Holy Spirit may be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29, NIV).
But there’s another dimension. “The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
How do you understand what Ellen G. White says to us in the quote cited above? See also Job 1:1-22, Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 4:9, Ephesians 3:10.
As Christians, we must never forget that we are in the midst of a cosmic drama. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is unfolding all around us. The battle takes many shapes and is manifested in many ways. And though much is hidden, we can understand that, as followers of Christ, we have a part to play in this drama and can bring honor to Christ through our lives.
| Imagine being on the field of a huge stadium. Sitting on the bleachers on one side are heavenly beings loyal to the Lord; on the other side are beings who have fallen with Lucifer. If your life for the past 24 hours was played out on that field, which side would have more to cheer about? What does your answer tell you about yourself? |
Amen!
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Is Faith a Law of the Universe?
by Cherri-Ann Farquharson In science and in nature, a law may be thought of as a descriptive generalization about how some aspect of the natural world behaves as deduced from observations. If a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present, it may then be classified as a law. Laws, therefore, reflect […] Source: https://atoday.org/is-faith-a-law-of-the-universe/
AWR360° – Rain Miracle (2)
Sabbath: Seeing the Goldsmith’s Face
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 4:9, Ephesians 3:10, Job 23:1-10, Matthew 25:1-12, Daniel 12:1-10, Ephesians 4:11-16.
Memory Text: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).
Amy Carmichael took a group of children to a traditional goldsmith in India. In the middle of a charcoal fire was a curved roof tile. On the tile was a mixture of salt, tamarind fruit, and brick dust. Embedded in this mixture was gold. As the fire devoured the mixture, the gold became purer. The goldsmith took the gold out with tongs and, if it were not pure enough, he replaced it in the fire with a new mixture. But each time the gold was replaced, the heat was increased. The group asked, “How do you know when the gold is purified?” He replied, “When I can see my face in it.” — Amy Carmichael, Learning of God (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1989), p. 50.
God is seeking to purify us, to refine us like gold, to transform us into His image. That’s an astonishing goal, and it seems even more astonishing that a Christlike character is developed in us only as we pass through life’s crucibles.
The Week at a Glance: What role does suffering have in the purifying process? How do we understand all this in the context of the great controversy?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 23.
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sabbath-seeing-goldsmiths-face/
