Daily Lesson for Sunday 17th of May 2026

Maybe you’ve heard it said, “If I could just see the Red Sea parted, or manna on the ground, or Jesus heal a blind man, I’d believe.” Or perhaps you have had those same kinds of thoughts yourself.

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

Why should it be easier for us now to have faith than it was for those in ancient Bible times? The Israelites didn’t own a whole Bible, nor did they have such a long history to look back on as we do. Moses reinforced the importance of looking back in order to remember God’s leading and goodness (see Deuteronomy 4:7-10; Deuteronomy 8:2-3). Unlike the Israelites, we have 6,000 years of Bible history to draw from (see John 20:30-31).

Every generation wants a sign, and ours is no different. But signs are all around us. If you read Matthew 24:1-51, you will see how many things have been and are being fulfilled even now.

Do we argue with Jesus and test Him as did the Pharisees? Do we make Him “[sigh] deeply in His Spirit” (Mark 8:12, NKJV) because of our lack of faith, when He has already given us all we need to believe?

“These signs were not what the Jews needed. No mere external evidence could benefit them. What they needed was not intellectual enlightenment, but spiritual renovation.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 406. Could it be that we, too, need spiritual renovation—a genuine, real, moment-by-moment walk with God? Perhaps we actually don’t need a sign, because we have a lot of knowledge at our fingertips, especially from our own Bibles.

So, instead of making Jesus “[sigh] deeply” because of our lack of faith, may we remember the words Jesus spoke to Thomas: “ ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!’ ” (John 20:29; see also Hebrews 11:1). God does not ask us to have blind faith—He has already given us so many reasons to believe. And yet, even with all these reasons, there is always room for doubt. The key is to focus on what affirms faith, not on what brings doubt.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-08-just-give-me-a-sign/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-08-just-give-me-a-sign

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 16th of May 2026

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study

Mark 8:11-12; Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 7:1-10; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 11:1-40; Revelation 14:12.

Memory Text:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT).

Someone once said, “Faith is like WiFi. It’s invisible, but it has the power to connect you to what you need.” No doubt: without faith, there would be no relationship with God.

What is your faith like today? Has your faith in God ever been shaky? Perhaps you’ve experienced something that has challenged you to the point where you’ve not known how to move forward with your relationship with God. Or is your faith like a rose that grows from a green stem into a tiny bud that eventually opens into a bold, colorful flower and fills the room with an unforgettable scent? For truly, “faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). It’s not something we can generate by ourselves, for “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3, NKJV). Faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9), and even then, our faith in God is possible only because of what God is already doing in and for us.

This week let’s explore the topic of faith: what to do with doubt and unbelief; what, according to Jesus, strong faith looks like; and what it means to have “the faith of Jesus.”

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 23.

Sunday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-08-having-faith/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-08-having-faith

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-may-16/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mission-spotlight-for-may-16

Inside Story for Friday 15th of May 2026

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering, will support projects in Kenya and elsewhere in the East-Central Africa Division. Watch a YouTube video of Rompas at bit.ly/Rompas-IS.

Rompas, a 16-year-old Maasai boy in Kenya, decided to go to school after being baptized. More than anything, he wanted to read the Bible for himself.

Image © Pacific Press

He faced opposition from his father and many of his 82 siblings, who didn’t see any need for a Maasai boy to obtain an education. But Rompas became the first person in his family to complete grade school and then high school. After that, he decided to study theology at Bugema University, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Uganda. But he needed money.

One evening, he summoned his brothers and sisters who, like him, kept the Sabbath, and he asked them to pray for him to receive 7,000 Kenyan shillings to be able to travel to Uganda and apply for admission at Bugema University. The siblings prayed as Rompas knelt on the floor. After the last “amen,” a knock sounded on the door. It was a politician named Alex who had come to see Rompas’s father. Politicians liked to visit because Rompas’s large family represented many votes at election time. This politician was not an Adventist, and he asked an unusual question: “Does this big family have a pastor?”

Rompas was introduced to Alex as the boy nicknamed “Pastor” as a child.

“What’s your biggest need?” Alex asked.

“I need to earn a university degree at Bugema University in Uganda.”

Alex pulled out 15,000 Kenyan shillings from his pocket and gave it to Rompas. It was more than double the amount that Rompas had sought in prayer.

Rompas traveled to Uganda and was accepted into the theology program. Then he returned home to wait for the start of classes. On the same day that he arrived home, Alex came for another visit. Hearing that Rompas had been admitted, he handed over a wad of US dollars. Rompas had never held US dollars before. It was enough to pay for three years at the university.

Today, Rompas Josphat Lekishon is an Adventist pastor with a heart for mission. Through his efforts, six churches have become Seventh-day Adventist. He has also opened a church on a plot of his father’s land that he donated to the Adventist Church. Thirty-three family members worship there every Sabbath. He especially likes sharing the good news of Jesus’ coming with the Maasai people. He has distributed more than 500 Bibles in the Maasai language.

“The thing I love the most is giving the Bible to the Maasai people,” he said. “It is giving hope to the hopeless.”

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-07-inside-story-giving-hope-to-maasai-people/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-07-inside-story-giving-hope-to-maasai-people

Daily Lesson for Friday 15th of May 2026
Further Thought:

“If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and less of self, we should have far more of His presence.”—Ellen White, Steps to Christ, p. 102

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees everything in creation, and who governs everything by His will and word, He can and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts.”—Steps to Christ, Pages 96, 97.

“The soul may ascend nearer heaven on the wings of praise. God is worshiped with song and music in the courts above, and as we express our gratitude we are approximating to the worship of the heavenly hosts. . . . Let us with reverent joy come before our Creator, with ‘thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.’ Isaiah 51:3.”—Steps to Christ. p. 104.

Discussion Questions

Summary: The Bible shares accounts of individuals who had vibrant, abiding prayer lives and others who didn’t. As we search its pages, we’ll always find someone we can relate to, regardless of the state of our relationship with God. We’ll also find many, many promises that will encourage and guide us in our devotional lives. Spiritual growth should be our goal—our eyes fixed on Jesus, the ultimate Example in all things and the Author and Finisher of our faith.

<–Thursday

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-07-further-thought-practical-prayer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-07-further-thought-practical-prayer