Daily Lesson for Sabbath 31st of January 2026

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Philippians 3:1-16; Romans 2:25-29; John 9:1-39; Ephesians 1:4,10; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

Memory Text:

“That I may know Him and the power of His resur­rection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11, NKJV).

There’s something about us that remains suspicious about salvation by faith alone, apart from the works of the law. That is, for some reason, we all tend to lean on our works, as if they could add to our salvation. In a rather striking way, Paul deals with this point in a vigorous polemic against those who insist that circumcision is necessary for salvation.

To guard against the possibility that some might consider their works, such as circumcision, as contributing to their salvation, Paul makes it clear that righteousness is from Christ as a gift that comes by faith, not by the law. Though circumcision might not be an issue today, the principle it deals with certainly is.

The Protestant Reformation itself started over this very issue: the role of faith and works in the experience of a follower of Christ. In the end, Christ is everything to us, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). If our priorities are in the right place, we will live with the assurance of God’s love and enjoy the promise, even now, of salvation, all while placing “no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 7.

Sunday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-06-confidence-only-in-christ/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-06-confidence-only-in-christ

Inside Story for Friday 30th of January 2026

By Olivia Fairfax

Marovo Lagoon tribesmen were considered the most warlike and cannibalistic of the Solomon Island tribes. They worshiped the spirits of their ancestors, whose skulls were kept after death. They lived in fear of the devil.

But around 1902, a Marovo chief named Tatagu began to wonder if he really needed to fear the devil. He decided to find out and not to attach a vine to the prow of his canoe on a fishing expedition. Vines were supposed to appease the devil and ensure a good catch. Without the vine, the fishing trip was a huge success. Chief Tatagu returned home to find a newborn son. He named the boy Kata Ragoso, which means “no devil strings.”

Kata Ragoso’s life would go on to reveal God’s power to transform a community and remove the strings and ties that the devil had over people.

Image © Pacific Press

Kata Ragoso grew up at a time when dishonest European traders enticed Solomon Islanders into their ships with foreign goods to kidnap them as slaves. But in 1914, when Kata Ragoso was about 12, a small white boat called the Advent Herald sailed into Marovo Lagoon. The crew didn’t try to entice or kidnap. Instead, Captain Griffiths F. Jones asked Chief Tatagu for land for a school. The next year, a school was built at Sasaghana, and Kata Ragoso enrolled as one of its first 23 students. At the school, he accepted Jesus and was among the first 10 Solomon Islanders to be baptized in 1918. He went on to work as a mission teacher, translator, and printing press operator. In 1935, he was ordained as an Adventist minister.

During World War II, Kata Ragoso was placed in charge of the Adventist work in the Solomon Islands. When the Japanese army invaded, they ordered him to kill people with white skin and from the Allied forces. For declaring that he would rather obey God than man, he was interrogated, flogged, and ordered shot. The interrogating officer, who had a strong dislike for the Adventist Church, instructed the firing squad to shoot at the count of three. He counted, “One, two . . .” but was unable to say “three.” He tried many times before giving up. After 10 days in prison, Kata Ragoso escaped. For the rest of the war, he led a rescue operation for Allied soldiers whose planes or ships were attacked. He rescued 27 U.S. pilots and 187 Australian and New Zealand soldiers.

Kata Ragoso died in 1964 at the age of 62, having served the church for 37 years. During that time, he saw the Marovo transformed from a warring community into a merciful people serving God.

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath mission projects are in the South Pacific Division, whose territory includes the Solomon Islands. Thank you for planning a generous offering in March.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-05-inside-story-no-devil-strings/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-05-inside-story-no-devil-strings