Closer To Heaven
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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND — Esther Nworgu, a 24-year-old Seventh-day Adventist athlete, made Nigerian sporting history by winning the country’s first gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. According to an article published by Adventist Review, Nworgu broke the Games record twice during the competition. She first lifted 118 kilograms (260 pounds), earning 114.1 points and setting […] Source: https://atoday.org/adventist-athlete-esther-nworgu-wins-nigerias-first-gold-at-2026-commonwealth-games/
En un video publicado por Actualidad Adventista, titulado “5 prioridades de Erton Köhler que podrían cambiar la Iglesia Adventista“, en el que Köhler afirmó que no pretende cambiar las doctrinas fundamentales de la Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día, sino reorganizar la misión, modernizar los métodos y fortalecer la unidad de una iglesia presente en más […] Source: https://atoday.org/reforma-o-reorganizacion-el-verdadero-desafio-del-liderazgo-de-erton-kohler/
Daily Lesson for Monday 10th of August 2026
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is the heart of the chapter. Paul focuses on the features of love—showing what love is and what it is not, or what love does and does not do. He personifies love so that we can have a glimpse of how a person filled with Spirit-driven love behaves. In his portrayal of love, Paul uses a series of verbs. For him, love is more about actions than about feelings or emotions.
Image © Phil McKay at Goodsalt.com
What, then, does love do?
Shows patience (makrothymeō). Makrothymeō means to show patience, even amid challenging circumstances. Patience also highlights the ability to be forbearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2).
Shows kindness (chrēsteuomai). Chrēsteuomai occurs only here in the New Testament, but other words from the same root are common elsewhere. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament), words from this root occur frequently in the Psalms to refer to God’s kindness associated with His mercy (Psalms 145:9). By saying that love shows kindness, Paul meant that one’s love for others must emulate God’s compassion and mercy toward us.
Rejoices (synchairō) in the truth. Synchairō denotes the ability to experience joy alongside another person (Luke 1:58; Luke 15:6,9; 1 Corinthians 12:26; Philippians 2:17-18).
Bears (stegō) all things. Scholars debate whether stegō means “to cover,” namely, to keep something confidential (which also has a sense of protection), or “to endure,” with a sense of resilience. The concept of endurance clearly occurs in 1 Corinthians 9:12, leading most interpreters and Bible translators to take the second option as more likely.
Believes (pisteuō) all things. Pisteuō comes from the same root as the Greek term for faith (pistis). In the context of 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, believing all things means giving one another the benefit of the doubt.
Hopes (elpizō) all things. In the New Testament, the verb elpizō always refers to the belief or expectation that something good will occur.
Endures (hypomenō) all things. Likely, there is no difference between the verbs stegō and hypomenō in 1 Corinthians 13:7. They are synonyms, meaning here endurance amid hardship. Paul uses hypomenō at the end of the verse to avoid the repetition of stegō. By repeating the same concept even with a different word, he draws attention to believing and hoping as the focal point. In other words, love endures by believing and hoping.
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Compare 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to Galatians 5:22-23. What ideas in common do you see between the two passages? How can we manifest this kind of love in our own lives? |
Oh, the beauty of studying this quarter’s lessons. We will learn so much of the Love of God (and our Saviour, Jesus) which stands out in so many pages of this quarter. Trying to choose just one hymn for the Theme Hymn was almost impossible, but these ones stood out all through the lesson pamphlet from which you may choose:
Hymn 79 – O Love Of God,
Hymn 349 – God Is Love and then in seeing God’s amazing love we can 
Hymn 600 – Hold Fast and
Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful.
To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/
Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Prepared for Sabbath School on August 15.
Photograph by William Earnhardt
Key Text: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV).
Read in Class: 1 John 4:8 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-7.
Study: How does Paul describe love? How does Paul describe God? If God is love, then is 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 describing God Himself?
Apply: Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 again, this time using your own name in the place of the word love or charity. How did it sound this time? What areas might we all need to grow in order to reflect this type of love?
Share: Paul mentions that speaking without love is just making a lot of noise. Can you share a time when someone shared a Biblical truth with you without love and how that sounded to you, compared to when someone shared a truth with you with a lot of love?
Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 and Matthew 24:12.
Study: Why is love greater than anything else? How is Paul’s definition of love different from the world’s definition of love? If Matthew 24:12 tells us that sin abounds because love grows cold, how does obedience to the law help us revive that love?
Apply: Paul describes not thinking as a child when he became a man by talking about how we love. How was your love childish and selfish when you first met Jesus, and how has it grown since? Why is it so important to our marriages and our church relationships to have a mature love instead of a childish, selfish love?
Share: Share where you have seen true, genuine love in the last week or so.
Read in Class: John 13:34-35 and 1 John 3:16,
Study: How was Jesus’ commandment new, and how exactly does He want us to love each other? How literally should we take the command to lay down our lives for others? Especially when we have our own dreams, hopes, and ambitions?
Apply: Read Exodus 32:32 and Romans 9:1-3. How far were Moses and Paul willing to go in literally laying down their lives for others? Were they only willing to lay down their lives for those who would also lay down their lives for them? How about you?
Share: Can you share the greatest sacrifice someone has made for you that really made you feel loved?
Read in Class: 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21.
Study: If a church teaches the truth about the Sabbath, the state of the dead, and the health message but does not practice love, is it still theologically correct? Why or why not?
Apply: Wintley Phipps once said, “The love you have for God is no stronger than the love you have for the person on earth whom you love the least.” Do you agree, and if so, how comfortable does that make you right now? What changes might we need to ask God to help us make?
Share: What is your main takeaway from this week’s lesson?
Mission: Can you write a love letter to someone this week, reminding them how much God loves them and how much you love them too?
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