Daily Lesson for Monday 31st of August 2026

John Huss, the great reformer of the old Bohemia, once said about Jesus, “He is Master of the world, and we are contemptible mortals—yet He suffered! Why, then, should we not suffer also, particularly when suffering is for us a purification?”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 105.

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The apostle Paul manifested centuries earlier the same willingness to suffer for Christ. He knew that he was nothing more than a fragile pot made of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). He constantly felt hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, and yet he was not crushed, in despair, forsaken, or destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). He was willing to carry “in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus” would be manifested in him (2 Corinthians 4:10-11, ESV).

By “death of Jesus,” Paul probably meant the sufferings that he mentioned in the previous verses. In turn, in an immediate sense, the phrase “life of Jesus” likely refers to the deliverances from death or the spiritual power for the present life. But, ultimately, this is a reference to the resurrection (2 Corinthians 4:12).

Interestingly, the phrase “death and life” occurs three times in 2 Corinthians 4:10-12. This is a reminder that, in the present age, life is mingled with death. However, in the future glory, we will experience life in the absence of death (Revelation 20:14, Revelation 21:4).

Most important, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 shows that the gospel is preached through fragile human beings so that the glory goes to God alone (2 Corinthians 4:15). Not infrequently, missionaries suffer in the course of their missionary work. However, our affliction here is light and momentary when compared to that eternal weight of glory waiting for us (2 Corinthians 4:17). The believer lives by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 4:18, 2 Corinthians 5:7).

This hope in the future life captured the mind of Paul so much that he keeps talking about it in the flow of the passage (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). He refers to his mortal body by the metaphor of an earthly house. Conversely, the “building from God” is a metaphor for the resurrected body (2 Corinthians 5:1), the great hope for believers of all ages.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-10-suffering-and-glory/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-10-suffering-and-glory

Prepared for Sabbath School Class, September 5.

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Key Text: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, ESV).

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 3:1-9.

Study: In what sense can we be an epistle of Christ?

Apply: How does knowing you are a “letter from Christ” change the way you see your worth and witness?

Share: Share a time when someone revealed God’s character to you by the way they lived, instead of just telling you about it.

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 and 2 Corinthians 5:11-15.

Study: Tell how these passages demonstrate that Paul’s ministry is Christ-centered by detailing the specific sufferings he experienced and the way he endured them.

Apply: Think about what Christ has done for you. Think about the guilt, the sin, the condemnation that would be yours but for what He did for you at the cross. How should this reality impact how you relate to others, especially those who don’t know the Lord?

Share: You get a phone call from an old friend, who is a special ed public school teacher. She tells you her students are in poverty and live in communities known for high drug use. The students appear disrespectful and show little motivation to learn or grow beyond their environment. She feels like she is trying to swim upstream and making no progress. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1.

Study: According to his passage, what does an authentic Christian ministry-driven life look like?

Apply: What do God’s promises in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 tell us about what holiness is?

Share: Your friend tells you that he is marrying a non-believer because he is tired of being alone, and if God wanted him to marry a believer, He would have given him a believing wife by now. Also, he says he can convert her later. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 7:2-26.

Study: What are Paul’s feelings upon hearing that the Corinthians had repented?

Apply: Have you ever experienced godly sorrow in your life? How did you know that it was sorrow according to God’s will to lead you to repentance?

Share: Your friend asks you what the difference is between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Can you publicly or privately confirm a Christ-driven ministry in your church?

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/10-authentic-christian-ministry-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-authentic-christian-ministry-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan