One hot July afternoon at an Oklahoma Camp meeting, I visited a friend in her tent. Just outside sat my friend’s 13-year-old daughter with a friend she had just met. This was her friend’s first camp meeting. He had come with his grandfather, who just become a Christian. He did not know what to think about all the meetings and asked my friend’s daughter, “What do you think about Jesus? What is He really all about?” My ears perked up, as I was quite interested in how she would answer.

Image © Pacific Press

I will never forget what she said.

“Before my mom and I met Jesus, we argued and yelled at each other all the time, and I could not stand my home, but now that we met Jesus we don’t yell anymore, and I love my home now.”

Interesting. She introduced her new friend to Jesus as a literal friend Who had literally changed her life, and not as some pretend theory.

I heard a radio preacher once say, “In order to be able to call Jesus your Savior, He has to actually save you from something.” He was right. Many people speak of faith almost like it is pretending. Some use a very Biblical term, “perfect in Christ,” but then they add, “but it is only by faith.” And yes, it is only by faith, but by saying “only by faith,” they seem to make it sound like faith is only pretending. When we read in Hebrews 11:30 about the walls of Jericho falling by faith, we take that to mean that the walls of Jericho literally fell and did not just pretend to fall. So when we read in Colossians 1:28, “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,” should we not take that “perfect in Christ” to be literal also and not just pretense?

Read how Ellen White describes the term “perfect in Christ” In the Great Controversy, page 623.
… we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble. It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ.

If faith literally made the walls of Jericho fall, then we have to believe that faith will also make a literal and practical change in the way we live our lives.

On that hot summer afternoon so many years ago, my friend’s daughter gave an example of how her faith literally changed her life, showing that faith is not just make-believe but makes things practical and literal. I am totally powerless to tear down the strongholds Satan has set up in my life, but the same faith that made the walls of Jericho come crumbling down will also make those strongholds in my life come down as well.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/perfect-and-complete-in-christ/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=perfect-and-complete-in-christ

Daily Lesson for Monday 2nd of March 2026

The theme of Colossians is one of the clearest maxims for living the Christian life: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6, NKJV). We receive salvation by receiving a Person, not just a body of teachings. But receiving Jesus also includes accepting all His teachings, as given through the apostles and prophets of the Bible (see Ephesians 2:20).

More than anything else, accepting Christ means a death to self, a complete surrender of self to the living Christ.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The Living Word (Jesus) cannot be separated from the Written Word (the Bible). They are two sides of the same coin. In fact, only through Scripture can we know Jesus. We “walk” or live our lives “in Him,” meaning that we allow His Word and His Spirit to guide us in all our decisions and practices.

In Colossians 2:7, Paul employs a common biblical metaphor that likens Christians to plants. We become rooted in Christ by accepting Him as our Savior and ordering our life according to His Word. That is how we become “established in the faith.”

Paul clearly delineates the two alternatives open to believers. One is to remain a “planting of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:3) and continue being complete in Christ by holding on to Him and His teachings. The other could be likened to an artificial plant that may look real but is actually lifeless. By adopting human philosophies and traditions, we are taken “captive” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). Although Christ has set us free, it is possible to be enslaved again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1; compare Acts 15:10).

In short, accepting unbiblical teachings means rejecting Christ, because those who buy into false teachings have, unfortunately, adopted a different gospel and have accepted human authorities over the authority of Scripture (see Galatians 1:6-9). This was a danger in the early church and remains so today.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-10-rooted-and-growing-in-christ/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-10-rooted-and-growing-in-christ

The great lesson we learn from dear Paul this quarter is that we are to 
Stand Up! Stand Up For Jesus! – Hymn 618. This is a beautiful theme hymn to give us a great reminder of what we need in our world that is falling apart these days.

Our Sabbath afternoon introduction reminds us clearly
Don’t Forget The Sabbath – Hymn 388.

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.”

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/10-complete-in-christ-singing-with-inspiration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=10-complete-in-christ-singing-with-inspiration

Daily Lesson for Sunday 1st of March 2026

Job asked, “Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:12, NKJV). Paul answers: in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, NKJV; compare 1 Corinthians 1:30). If we have Christ, we have everything, even the “full assurance of understanding” the purpose of life (Colossians 2:2, NKJV). Through Him the mystery of God, which embraces the entire plan of salvation, has been revealed.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

The Greek word paraklēthōsin means “encouraged” or “strengthened” (Colossians 2:2). Paul’s desire is not only to help the believers in Colossae recognize false teachings but also to “unite” (sumbibasthentes) them in Christian love. The tense used for both verbs—“encouraged” and “united”—indicates Paul’s confidence that this epistle will achieve its intended purpose.

He did, however, commend them for “your good order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ” (Colossians 2:5, NKJV).

The Greek term taxis, translated “order,” is used in the New Testament in reference to the priestly orders of Aaron (Luke 1:8, Hebrews 7:11) and Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6,10, NKJV; Hebrews 6:20, NKJV; Hebrews 7:11,17, NKJV), but Paul applies it to order in the church (1 Corinthians 14:40), including here. Sometimes there is a tendency to consider church order and organization as merely an ecclesiastical institution with no theological significance.

But by prescribing proper decorum in worship (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 11:1-34), and specifying how elders and deacons should be selected (1 Timothy 3:1-16, Titus 1:1-16), Paul was very careful to preserve order in the church. Through these measures, God’s wisdom and the teachings of the Bible are preserved and promulgated.

As a result of the correct teaching that the Colossians had received from Paul’s associates, they had “steadfastness” of faith. It cannot be shaken because it rests on a solid biblical foundation that, if adhered to, would help protect them from the errors being promoted by the false teachers.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26a-10-the-wisdom-and-knowledge-of-god/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26a-10-the-wisdom-and-knowledge-of-god

Our Sabbath School program has always been linked to the support of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission program. This video provides a little insight into this important work.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-february-28/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mission-spotlight-for-february-28