There is a saying, “kids who are loved at home come to school to learn. Kids who are not loved at home come to school to be loved.” Is it any different in Sabbath School? Is it also true that God’s children (ages 0-125) who know they are loved come to Sabbath school to learn, and those who don’t yet know they are loved, come to Sabbath School to be loved?

I can still remember sitting at my desk in my 4th-grade classroom at Tulsa Adventist Academy, listening to my teachers, Miss Fisher and Mrs. Krueger, lecturing us about something. I don’t really remember exactly what it was about, but we must have been struggling with our grades, because all I remember is, both teachers told us, “If you only learn one thing this year learn this. We love you!” Now we were loved at home. We were loved at church and school, but as educated as my teachers were, they knew the most important thing is not money or a degree. It’s love. Without that nothing else matters, and when you know you are loved, nothing can stop you!

For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14 Amplified Bible)

So while humanity tries harder, and reads self-help books and tries 12-step recovery programs, Paul says it is by looking at the cross and knowing we are loved that we get all our power to succeed. I remember John the Baptist telling everyone to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29. He didn’t tell them to try harder next time. He told them to look at the Lamb. Let His love soak into you.

As legalistic humans we are always wanting to promise to try harder next time. But the answer is not promising to try harder. The answer is letting yourself be loved.

In Jeremiah God mentions how Israel had not kept the promises they had made, so He was going to make a better promise. His promise would be better because He is the the One making the promise instead of them. He is the perfect Promise-maker while we are lousy promise-makers!

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NLT)

So God promises to do for us what we could never even promise to do for ourselves, much less even try harder to make happen. God is the One promising, and He is the One who is accountable to make it so. Please notice something very important though. Its in Jeremiah 31:3 NLT, several verses before He promises to write His law on our hearts.

I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Just like my teachers realized all the book knowledge in the world doesn’t mean a thing without love, God feels the same way. Knowing all the laws and having them memorized in your mind and knowing them all by heart doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how much God loves you!

Friends, there is no reason for you to promise God you are going to try harder and do better next time. He has already promised you! We don’t need to promise God what He has already promised us! What? I don’t have any work to do myself? Well yes, and I will let Jesus tell you Himself, exactly what your work is.

Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29 NLT

Our work is to believe God’s promise that He loves us with an everlasting love, and He will place the principles of His love (also known as His law) in our hearts!

This is why John never told us to try harder! Just look at the Lamb and let His love soak into your heart till your heart is saturated with His love, which is also His law. You don’t need to promise God anything. Your work is to believe the promises God has made to you!

In 2017, I don’t need too many self-help books. I don’t need to try harder. I just need to look at the Lamb in 2017 and fall in love with Jesus! His love will change me in ways I could never change myself. After all, all the self help books and promises of better performance don’t mean a thing without love!

So just how good is God at keeping His promises to love and save us? For brevity, let me share one example. You can read about it in Joshua 9-10.

The Gibeonites used deceit to trick Israel into letting them in on the covenant God had made with them. Even though Israel was not supposed to make a covenant with anyone living as close as the Gibeonites, they did. Later when the Gibeonites were under attack, they called upon Israel to save them, and even though the Gibeonites had used deceit to secure this covenant, God was so relentless in keeping His promise of love, that He caused the sun to stand still until the Gibeonites were all rescued! God fought for Israel as Israel fought for the mischievous Gibeonites. Let that soak in. The Gibeonites were in no way worthy of any of God’s blessings, but God was still so loving and faithful to His promise that He made the sun stand still until they were all rescued! Talk about a love that moves heaven and earth! And this powerful love was given to the most undeserving people! So, scientifically speaking, the greatest power in the universe is not gravity or the suctioning power of the black hole. God’s love overruled all those powers and made the solar system stand still. Imagine what this love can do in your heart!

God’s powerful promises and love are also for you and me. In Hebrews 13:5 God promises to never leave us or forsake us, but the Amplified Bible is the only English version that even begins to grasp what God is actually promising.

for He has said, “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless, nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you- assuredly not!” Hebrews 13:5 Amp version.

If we know we are loved we can come to Sabbath School to learn, and we can learn while we are loved, but we can’t learn without love.

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT

—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/how-far-will-god-go-to-keep-a-promise/

View an in-depth discussion of Covenantal Love in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.
Click on the image below to view the video:

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenantal-love-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/

The studies in this quarter’s pamphlet encourage us to see God’s Love and Justice, just as we may sing in 
Hymn 79 – O Love of God, How Strong and True! which is a beautiful theme hymn for our studies.

Our week of study is full of the love of our Gracious God. Hallelujah! Sunday starts with stating
O Love Of God Most Full – Hymn 77 and reminds us 
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go – Hymn 76. It is then up to each of us to say 
Lord, I Have Made Thy Word My Choice – Hymn 273 all because 
Jesus Saves – Hymn 340.

Our encouragement continues throughout the week telling us of the “greatness of God’s mercy” just as is sung in 
Hymn 521 – Depth of Mercy and 
Hymn 110 – God’s Free Mercy Streameth. With this outpouring of God’s wonderful mercies 
O Sing, My Soul, Your Maker’s Praise – Hymn 37!!

To help us in “obeying God’s command to love God and to love others” we ask 
Saviour, Teach Me – Hymn 193 because the last line of this hymn says “loving Him who first loved me”.

Oh, what amazing love comes for 1 John 3:1 on Thursday: 
And Can It Be – Hymn 198 helps us to sing of this amazing love.

Please continue to search the scriptures this week to be blessed, and to bless others.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: 
https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

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/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

  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.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenantal-love-singing-with-inspiration/

Key Thought: God’s love is profoundly relational. This loving relationship with God cannot exist without human response to His loving benevolence.
January 11, 2025

1. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does this teach us about God’s desire to save everyone?
3. Personal Application: How can we unconditionally show our love and respect for every human being? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Some people are beyond saving. They are paedophiles, mass murderers, hateful, rude, selfish, and prideful people who have no care or concern for others and may actually torment or kill those who follow God. Does Jesus actually love these despicable characters as well? Am I supposed to love them even though I hate their evil attitudes and sins?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 7:6=9..

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this teach about the relationship between God’s loving kindness and His covenants?
3. Personal Application: How does our relationship with God change how we behave and act with people from our family, work, and neighborhood? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “I want to help people who really need help, but those who have wasted their time, money, and energy in drugs, alcohol, gambling, and debauchery don’t get any sympathy from me. If they are starving, I’ll feed them. If they are dying, I’ll save them. But I refuse to enable them or make them feel good about their stupidity.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read I John 4:7-20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this tell us about the priority of God’s love?
3. Personal Application: Think about what you have done and been forgiven for. What should this tell you about forgiving others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “I can never forgive my uncle for what he did to my family. It is beyond forgivable. I can’t let go of my utter loathing for him and his actions.” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read John 15:12, I John 3:16, I John 4:7-12.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What do these verses teach us about God’s love, our love for Him, and our love for others?
3. Personal Application: What can you do to show your love for God to show His love for others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared. ”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenanted-love-teaching-plan/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 7th of January 2025

God calls and invites every person into an intimate love relationship with Him (see Matthew 22:1-14). Responding appropriately to this call involves obeying God’s command to love God and to love others (see Matthew 22:37-39). Whether one enjoys the benefits of this relationship with God depends on whether one freely decides to accept or reject His love.

Image © Phil McKay Goodsalt.com

In these and other texts, enjoying the benefits of a love relationship with God is repeatedly depicted as conditional upon the human response to His love. Yet, we should not make the mistake of thinking that God ever actually stops loving anyone. As we have seen, God’s love is everlasting. And, although Hosea 9:15 includes God saying of His people, “ ‘I will love them no more,’ ” it is important to remember that later in the same book God declares of His people, “ ‘I will love them freely’ ” (Hosea 14:4, NKJV). Hosea 9:15 cannot mean that God entirely ceases to love His people. It must refer, instead, to the conditionality of some particular aspect or benefit of a love relationship with God. And how we respond to His love is crucial for this relationship to continue.

“ ‘He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him’ ” (John 14:21, NKJV). Likewise, Jesus proclaims to His disciples, “ ‘The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father’ ” (John 16:27, NASB).

These and other texts teach that maintaining the benefits of a saving relationship with God depends upon whether we will accept God’s love (which involves willingness to be vehicles of that love, as well). Again, this does not mean that God’s love ever ceases. Rather, just as we cannot stop the sun from shining but can cut ourselves off from the rays of the sun, we cannot do anything to stop God’s everlasting love, but we can finally reject a relationship with God and, thus, cut ourselves off from what it offers, especially the promise of eternal life.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-02-conditional-relationship/