Further Thought:

Read Ellen G. White, “Eli and His Sons,” Pages 575-580, and “The Presumption of Saul,” Pages 616-626, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

Submission to God’s will comes as we die to our own desires and ambitions.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

This opens the way for true service to others. We cannot live for God without becoming a sacrifice and living in continual openness to God’s voice. For us truly to submit our wills to our Father’s will, we must recognize the dangers of relying on ourselves and on substitutes for God’s Word and power. As submission to God’s will is at the heart of a Christlike life, God may allow crucibles to teach us dependence on Him.

“The neglect of Eli is brought plainly before every father and mother in the land. As the result of his unsanctified affection or his unwillingness to do a disagreeable duty, he reaped a harvest of iniquity in his perverse sons. Both the parent who permitted the wickedness and the children who practiced it were guilty before God, and He would accept no sacrifice or offering for their transgression.” — Ellen G. White, Child Guidance, p. 276.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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As we saw yesterday, submission to God’s will can be undermined as we rely on our own strength. It also is possible to rely on other substitutes for God. When some people feel depressed, they go shopping for something to make them happy. When some feel inadequate, they pursue fame. When others have difficulties with their spouse, they look for someone else to give them intimacy and excitement.

Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com

Many of the things we use can relieve the pressure, but they do not necessarily solve the problem nor teach us how to handle the situation better the next time. Only supernatural help from God can do that. The problem is that many times we depend on substitutes for God rather than on God Himself.

Here are three substitutes that we may use instead of God:

1. Using human logic or past experience when we need fresh divine revelation.
2. Blocking problems from our minds when we need divine solutions.
3. Escaping reality and avoiding God when we need communion with God for divine power.

Zechariah helps us to focus on what really matters when we are tempted to use substitutes. After many years away, the exiles had finally returned from Babylon and immediately began to rebuild the temple. But there is an incredible amount of opposition to this (some background can be found in Ezra 4:1-6.22). So Zechariah came with this message of encouragement to Zerubbabel, who was leading the work.

Read this message in Zechariah chapter 4. What does God mean in Zechariah 4:6? How could the completion of a building project be affected by the Holy Spirit? What does this teach us about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the practical things that we do?

God did not prevent the opposition to the temple nor spare Zerubbabel from the stress of dealing with it. And God will not always protect us from opposition. But when opposition comes, God may use it as a crucible to teach us to depend on Him.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn04zGZ1Uh0&w=560&h=315]

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-september-17/

“Join host Eric Flickinger from It Is Written as he discusses this week’s Sabbath School lesson with the author, Gavin Anthony. Come away with unique insights and discover the main points the author wished to convey in this week’s lesson.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvkoaGkXio0&w=560&h=315]

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/12-dying-like-a-seed-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

You can view an in-depth discussion of Dying Like a Seed in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view:

With thanks to

Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/12-dying-like-a-seed-hopess-video-discussion/