Closer To Heaven
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You can view an in-depth discussion of Managing in Tough Times in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx8Av6XG6Qs&w=560&h=315]
With thanks to
Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.
(0)The post 11: Managing in Tough Times – HopeSS Video Discussion appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-managing-in-tough-times-hopess-video-discussion/
The Bible paints a painful picture of the world before the second coming of Jesus. Daniel talks about “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time” (Daniel 12:1, NKJV). Considering some of the troublous times in the past, what he is referring to here must be pretty bad.
The book of Revelation also points to troubling times before the return of Christ.
Image © Phil McKay
You can’t buy or sell? How much of our lives today revolves around buying and selling? Our work is, in a sense, our selling of our time and skills and goods to those who want to buy them. Not being able to buy or sell all but means not being able to function in society. The pressure on those who remain faithful will then be enormous. Plus, the more money that you have, the more stake you will have in this world, at least in terms of material possessions, and so, surely, the pressure to conform will be even stronger.
How then do we prepare? We prepare now, by making sure through God’s grace that we are not slaves to our money, to the things of the world. If we are not bound to them now, we won’t be when we will, in order to be faithful, have to give them up.
God explained through Moses that one of the reasons He established the tithing system was “that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23, NKJV). In the poetic parallelism of Psalm 31:19, we see that fear is synonymous with trust.
“Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You” (NKJV).
These parallel lines show us that to fear the Lord is to trust Him. Therefore, we understand that God established the tithing system to protect us from selfishness and to encourage us to trust Him to provide for us. While being faithful in tithe is certainly not a guarantee that people will stay faithful in the end, those who are not faithful in tithe are surely setting themselves up for trouble.
(0)The post Thursday: When No One Can Buy or Sell appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/thursday-when-no-one-can-buy-or-sell/
The parables and teachings of Jesus, the stories of Bible characters, and the counsel of Ellen G. White all indicate clearly that there is no halfway commitment to Christ. Either we are or we are not on the Lord’s side.
When asked by a scribe which commandment was the greatest, Jesus answered, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30, NKJV). When we give all to Christ, there is nothing left for another master. That is the way it is. That is the way it must be.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Notice, Jesus didn’t say that it was hard to serve God and money, or that you needed to be careful in how you served both. He said, instead, that it couldn’t be done. Period. This thought should put a bit of fear and trembling in our souls (Philippians 2:12).
No wonder Paul wrote, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Of course, that’s easier said than done, because the things of the world are right here before us every day. The lure of “all that is in the world” is strong; the pull for immediate gratification is always there, whispering in our ears or pulling on our shirt sleeves, or both. Hasn’t even the most faithful Christian felt some love for “the things of the world”? Even with our knowledge that one day it will all end, we still feel the pull, don’t we? The good news, however, is that we don’t need to let it pull us away from the Lord.
| Read 2 Peter 3:10-14. How should what he says here impact how we live, including what we do with our resources? |
(0)The post Wednesday: Priorities appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
What should Seventh-day Adventist Christians do in response to difficult times? Do we hunker down in a survival mode? No, in fact, just the opposite is true. Because we know that the end of the world and the second coming of Christ is near, we want to use our assets to tell others the good news of the gospel and what God has prepared for those who love Him. We understand that someday soon everything on this earth will be burned up.
Image © Steve Creitz at Goodsalt.com
We understand from the Word of God that He is not sending moving vans to take our stuff to heaven. It will all get burned up in the final conflagration when all traces of sin and evil, except the scars on Christ’s hands, will be forever destroyed.
So, what should we do with our possessions? “It is now that our brethren should be cutting down their possessions instead of increasing them. We are about to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Then let us not be dwellers upon the earth, but be getting things into as compact a compass as possible.” — Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 59.
Of course, she wrote those words more than a century ago! But still the principle remains: time is always short, because our lives are always short. What are 60 years, or 80 years, or 100 years (if you have good genes and good health practices) in contrast to eternity? Your life can end before you finish reading this week’s lesson, and the next thing you will know is the second coming of Jesus. (Wow, that was fast after all, wasn’t it?)
As Seventh-day Adventist Christians we must always live in the light of eternity. Yes, of course, we need to work hard to provide for ourselves and our families; and if we have been blessed with wealth, nothing is wrong with enjoying it now, provided we don’t become greedy and are generous with it in regard to the needy. Yet we must always remember that whatever we accumulate here is transitory, fleeting, and, if we are not careful, has the potential to be spiritually corrupting.
| If you knew Jesus were coming within ten years, how would you change your life? Or five years? Or three? |
(0)The post Tuesday: Time to Simplify? appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
“MANAGING FOR THE MASTER Till He Comes” will show us that
God Is Working His Purpose Out – Hymn 225 in all our we do and say. May we be encouraged by this hymn for this quarter and that
In Our Work And In Our Play – Hymn 591 we will work until Jesus comes. Hence, a choice of theme hymns for this quarter.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble” is in our memory text, with Sabbath afternoon’s introduction encouraging me to then listen to God’s
calling:
Hymn 285 – Jesus Calls Us and
Hymn 359 – Hark! The Voice Of Jesus Calling. I will then be wanting to
Seek Ye First The Kingdom – Hymn 224 and teach our children also:
Hymn 539 – I Will Early Seek The Savior.
Just as Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord and commit to what God said, I will sing
Come, All Christians, Be Committed – Hymn 634. Jehoshaphat certainly believed the Lord, just as I may do:
Hymn 486 – I Do Believe and
Hymn 511 – I Know Whom I Have Believed. He then said to God
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah – Hymn 538 just as I may ask today, and every day. The war that was waged back then is akin to the daily war we have with our enemy, but it won’t be long and I will
Rejoice, Rejoice Believers – Hymn 599 as Jesus comes to take us all Home to Heaven.
Monday encourages me to “Trust God” no matter what is happening:
Hymn 279 – Only Trust Him,
Hymn 510 – If You But Trust In God To Guide You and
Hymn 590 – Trust And Obey. Oliver Cromwell’s story keeps the encouragement theme: I do my best and God will do the rest.
The simplification of my “goods” of this world is written in Counsels on Stewardship, p. 59 as I am bound for Heaven:
Hymn 472 – Heaven And Homeland and Hymn 436 – The Homeland.
Ellen G White’s writings make it clear “there is no halfway commitment to Christ, so
Come, All Christians, Be Committed – Hymn 634.
Thursday reiterates once again “trust Him:
Hymn 279 – Only Trust Him.
On Friday, to our gracious God, our tithes and offerings we will bring:
Come, All Christians, Be Committed – Hymn 634 (verse 2) and
Hymn 639 – A Diligent And Grateful Heart (verse 2).
Today, and every day, we look forward to Jesus coming again. Oh, what a day that will be
When We All Get To Heaven – Hymn 633 because
That Glorious Day Is Coming – Hymn 209.
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.”
(0)The post 11: Managing in Tough Times – Singing with Inspiration appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-managing-in-tough-times-singing-with-inspiration/
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