Daily Lesson for Sunday 31st of August 2025

The living God of the Bible is the God of relationships.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The important element for our Lord is not a thing or an agenda but the person. Thus, God pays close attention to people, and the primary purpose of His activities is to build a personal relationship with humans. After all, a God who “is love” would have to be a God who did care about relationships, for how can there be love without relationships?

Jesus said: “ ‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself’ ” (John 12:32, ESV). God is interested not only in our ethical behavior, right doctrine, or in a set of proper actions, but, above all, in a personal, intimate relationship with us. Both Creation institutions (Genesis 1:1-31; Genesis 2:1-25) are about relationship: the first about the vertical relationship with God (the Sabbath) and the second about the horizontal relationship between humans (marriage).

The ratification of the covenant at Sinai was to reinforce the special relationship that God wanted to have with His people. In the ceremony, the people twice shouted that they would obey God in everything that He required. “Everything the Lord has said we will do,” they proclaimed (Exodus 24:3, NIV). They meant it, too, but they did not know their brokenness, fragility, and lack of power. The blood of the covenant was sprinkled on the people, indicating that only by Christ’s merits was Israel able to follow God’s instructions.

We do not want to accept that our human nature is fragile, weak, and thoroughly sinful. We have an inherent tendency toward evil. To be able to do good, we must have help from outside ourselves. This help comes only from above, from the power of God’s grace, from His Word, and from the Holy Spirit. And even with all this at our disposal, evil still comes so easily to us, does it not?

That’s why a close personal relationship with God was as essential to the people then, at Sinai, as it is to us today.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-10-the-book-and-the-blood/

Our Sabbath School program has always been linked to the support of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission program. This video provides a little insight into this important work.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-august-30/

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 30th of August 2025

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 24:1-18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Leviticus 10:1-2; Ezekiel 36:26-28; Exodus 25:1-9; Exodus 31:1-18.

Memory Text:

“So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has said we will do’ ” (Exodus 24:3, NKJV).

As their God, Creator, and Redeemer, the Lord desired to be with His people and to dwell in their midst. He created us to be in close fellowship with Him. Yet, if meaningful relationships with other people can be built only with time and effort, the same is true with our vertical relationship with God. It can be an uplifting and growth-filled experience, but only if we spend time with Him. In practical terms, this means studying His Word (God speaking to us), praying (opening our hearts to God), and witnessing to others about Christ’s death, resurrection, and return (engaging in God’s mission). As God blesses us, we will be a channel of blessings to others.

The focus should be on God, not on ourselves (Hebrews 12:1-2). By our connecting with Him, God can empower us to follow His teachings, which means obedience to His Word. No wonder the end-time generation of Christ’s followers are described as people “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).

It’s simple, really: we love God, and, out of that love, we obey Him.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 6.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-10-the-covenant-and-the-blueprint/