Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash

Several months ago, I had a “God moment,” which sent tingles down my spine. I was driving while my Pandora was playing Cece Winans’ “The Goodness of God.” In the middle of the song, a friend called, pausing it. He was talking about his work situation, which we had been praying over, and how God had miraculously taken care of it, leaving him in a wonderful place. We rejoiced together and then prayed again, thanking God for His goodness as I continued driving with my eyes open. We both hung up, and the song “The Goodness of God” continued as our praises still echoed in my heart. That phone call could not have been more perfectly timed, right in the middle of the song. 

In the last days, God is seeking to get people’s attention. How does He do this?

But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness. Hosea 3:5 NLT 

God does not seek to make men tremble in awe of fire and brimstone preaching, but rather at His goodness. As God’s last-day people, we need to make note of this, especially as we prepare people for the soon-coming of Jesus.

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 NLT 

So how do we lead people to repent in preparation for Jesus’ soon coming? 

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Romans 2:4 NLT

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4 MKJV

It is the kindness and goodness of God that will lead people to repentance and preparation for the second coming in the last days. 

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.1 John 4:12 NLT

It is up to God’s people to express to the world the true character of God, which is why all of our Bible teachings are rooted in the light of the cross. 

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption,—the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers.-Ellen White, Gospel Workers, Page 315. 

The goodness of God and the light of the cross must be seen in God’s people, not only while giving a formal discourse or sermon, but in all of our dealings with others. 

It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth…;

The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. –Ellen White, Chirst Object Lessons, Page 415. 

As  God’s last day people, it is our sacred duty and honor to make sure that in every sermon we preach, in every errand we run for our neighbor, in each and every task we complete, the world will see the goodness of God that will lead them to repentance and preparation for Jesus’ soon coming. 

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/the-goodness-of-god-in-the-last-days/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-goodness-of-god-in-the-last-days

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 8th of April 2026

You probably know from memory the first words in the Bible: “In the beginning God.” In Hebrew, the word for God here is Elohim. Although this word can be used when talking about false “gods,” when it refers to the one true God, it describes an almighty, all-powerful Creator in connection with the whole of creation; the transcendent God who is beyond our understanding but in control of everything. He is so powerful that when He speaks, something is created just from His voice.

But in the next chapter, Genesis 2:1-25, there appears a different name for God: Yahweh. This name connects to Elohim (Yahweh Elohim), the same all-powerful, almighty God; but the name Yahweh is the more personal name of the one true God, often used to emphasize that God is the covenant God, in loving relation with His created people.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

In Genesis 2:7, we can imagine God kneeling to form the first human being out of the ground with His own hands. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” This is a God who gets close—so close that He breathes into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. This name, Yahweh, presents a more intimate picture of God, but Moses uses both names in the first two chapters of the Bible to describe these two characteristics of God to us.

How astonishing! We see here God’s transcendence to us as Elohim, and His immanence, His closeness to us, as Yahweh. How good for us to think of both of these aspects of God’s character: His overall control of everything and His nearness to us. As Paul said to the Athenians on Mars Hill: “ ‘He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being’ ” (Acts 17:27-28, NKJV).

It’s important that we continue to seek a clear, balanced picture of God based on what the Bible tells us about God’s character in order to grow in a relationship with Him. This is why it’s important to read all parts of the Bible rather than focusing on only one portion. Truly, the more we learn about the character of God, the more we will learn to love Him.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-02-god-in-creation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-02-god-in-creation

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 7th of April 2026

Love is perhaps the most common word used by Christians to describe God’s character. This could be because of the identity statement about God in 1 John 4:8, which says, “God is love.” John doesn’t say, “God is loving,” but rather, “God is love.” Love is His character, the very essence of who He is.

For many people, their picture of God emerges from their human definition of love, which is always distorted and imperfect. Instead, our very definition of love should be shaped by who God is and what He reveals about Himself in His inspired Word.

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

God’s love is perfect, free, and deeply relational, as revealed in the repeated invitation to “abide” in Him in 1 John, because “we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). God is love, and He created us in His image (Genesis 1:27) to love and to desire love. In Hebrew, one major word for love is ḥ__esed. This describes God’s covenant love for humanity, which encompasses traits of loyalty, protectiveness, steadfastness, and tenderness.

The ancient languages of Hebrew and Greek use many different names to refer to God, names whose meanings capture and shed light on different aspects of God’s beautiful character. Here are just two examples:

• Adonai: The Lord of all, who reigns forever, in reference to the covenant (Genesis 15:2, Judges 6:15, Malachi 1:6, Psalms 97:5).

• Yahweh-Yireh: The-Lord-Will-Provide (Genesis 22:13-14, NKJV).

Ultimately, the greatest expression of God’s love is revealed through the gift of His Son to this earth (John 3:16) who died for sinners (Romans 5:8). God could have withheld this from humanity, yet because of His magnanimous, radical, supremely altruistic love, God sent Jesus to earth so that we might freely choose to respond to His love, revealed in His substitutionary death on our behalf. Not only did Jesus bridge the separation that sin has brought between us and God (Isaiah 59:1-2), He lived to show us God’s perfect character of love (John 14:9, Hebrews 1:3) and to draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-02-god-is-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-02-god-is-love

Daily Lesson for Monday 6th of April 2026

Holiness is not a word that most people use very often in their everyday language, perhaps because there are so few holy things around us and about us. The Sabbath is a holy day in time, and God is, of course, holy. Apart from God, our everyday lives lack holiness.

If you do a study into the attributes most often associated with God’s character, you’ll discover that holiness is at the center of who God is. But what does that mean?

When the Bible describes God as the epitome of holiness, it means that He is completely void of and completely separated from evil and sin. God is 100 percent good from beginning to end. In this sense, God’s holiness is central to all His other attributes.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

For example, God’s love is a pure, holy love—a love that is completely free from all selfishness and egotistic motives. His omniscience (all-knowing) is holy omniscience, meaning it is free from evil intentions. Would we trust an omniscient God if He weren’t holy? Of course not! We would be afraid of Him, and rightly so.

God’s omnipotence (being all-powerful) is holy omnipotence. Imagine a God who is omnipotent but not holy. He could be a powerful, evil tyrant. Only God’s holiness allows and enables us to really love Him, because He is good from beginning to end. This is why holiness is perhaps the most important characteristic to understand about God’s character. Yet, perhaps, it is one of the most misunderstood, as well.

Think about Bible characters such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John who came into God’s presence. What was their first response? They removed their shoes, hid their faces, or fell down as though dead. As human beings, we are sinful and so unholy that we can’t bear to stand in God’s presence. Any human who looks at God’s face will not live. Similarly, when Ellen G. White went into vision, she often cried “Glory . . . glory . . . glory” because it was the one word that seemed to most capture what she saw. And, of course, the four living creatures do not rest day or night without saying, “ ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ ” (Revelation 4:8, NKJV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-02-god-is-holy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-02-god-is-holy

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class on April 11, 2026.

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Central Theme: God is Love. The more we know and experience God, the more we know and experience Love.

Read in Class: Genesis 3:1-5. Ask the class to name the key thought in this passage.

Study: What was Satan’s goal in his conversation with Eve? What lies did he tell Eve about God’s character?

Apply: How is God’s character misrepresented in our world? More importantly, how might the church, at times, have misrepresented His character to others? If you have, what can you do to change with the Holy Spirit’s help? How can you show God’s love to the people around you?

Share: Your friend asks, “Why would Jesus always tell the demons to be quiet when they would say He was the Son of God? He was the Son of God after all.” What do you tell your friend? See, should Hide who we are?

Read in Class: Leviticus 11:45 and 1 John 4:17-19. Ask the class if there is a common thread among these passages.

Study: What do these passages tell us about who God is, and what love and holiness are?

Apply: Truly, God is pure holiness, and when we come to Him, we must see Him as such. How does knowing this inspire you? In what ways does this challenge you regarding your own character?

Share: Since God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes God as well as love. Let’s share an experiment together. Let’s read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and replace the word with our own names, and see how it reads.

Read in Class: Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:7. Ask the class to identify the common thread in these passages.

Study: Compare the descriptions of God in these passages. What do you notice?

Apply: Read as Elihu describes some of God’s attributes in Job 36:24-33. Then read God’s declaration of His omnipotence in Job 38:1-11. What do these passages reveal to us about God?

Share: Your friend asks, “Out of all the different attributes you have learned about God, which ones have had the greatest impact on your understanding of His character?” What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 14:9, Matthew 1:23, and Matthew 28:20.

Study: How would these passages help you explain what God is like to a non-Christian?

Apply: Many people have a distorted picture of God, which Jesus came to correct. What can you do to share a clear, accurate picture of God’s character to those in your sphere of influence?

Share: Your friend asks, “When Jesus said, ‘ If you have seen me, you have seen the Father, did He mean that He is the Father?” What do you tell your friend?

Mission: With a family member or friend, read or listen to Steps to Christ, chapter 1, and discuss it together. What new insights about God’s character and Jesus has this chapter made you think about?

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-to-know-god-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2-to-know-god-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan