View an in-depth discussion of Covenantal Love in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.
Click on the image below to view the video:

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenantal-love-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/

The studies in this quarter’s pamphlet encourage us to see God’s Love and Justice, just as we may sing in 
Hymn 79 – O Love of God, How Strong and True! which is a beautiful theme hymn for our studies.

Our week of study is full of the love of our Gracious God. Hallelujah! Sunday starts with stating
O Love Of God Most Full – Hymn 77 and reminds us 
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go – Hymn 76. It is then up to each of us to say 
Lord, I Have Made Thy Word My Choice – Hymn 273 all because 
Jesus Saves – Hymn 340.

Our encouragement continues throughout the week telling us of the “greatness of God’s mercy” just as is sung in 
Hymn 521 – Depth of Mercy and 
Hymn 110 – God’s Free Mercy Streameth. With this outpouring of God’s wonderful mercies 
O Sing, My Soul, Your Maker’s Praise – Hymn 37!!

To help us in “obeying God’s command to love God and to love others” we ask 
Saviour, Teach Me – Hymn 193 because the last line of this hymn says “loving Him who first loved me”.

Oh, what amazing love comes for 1 John 3:1 on Thursday: 
And Can It Be – Hymn 198 helps us to sing of this amazing love.

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.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenantal-love-singing-with-inspiration/

Key Thought: God’s love is profoundly relational. This loving relationship with God cannot exist without human response to His loving benevolence.
January 11, 2025

1. Have a volunteer read 2 Peter 3:9, I Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What does this teach us about God’s desire to save everyone?
3. Personal Application: How can we unconditionally show our love and respect for every human being? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Some people are beyond saving. They are paedophiles, mass murderers, hateful, rude, selfish, and prideful people who have no care or concern for others and may actually torment or kill those who follow God. Does Jesus actually love these despicable characters as well? Am I supposed to love them even though I hate their evil attitudes and sins?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 7:6=9..

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this teach about the relationship between God’s loving kindness and His covenants?
3. Personal Application: How does our relationship with God change how we behave and act with people from our family, work, and neighborhood? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “I want to help people who really need help, but those who have wasted their time, money, and energy in drugs, alcohol, gambling, and debauchery don’t get any sympathy from me. If they are starving, I’ll feed them. If they are dying, I’ll save them. But I refuse to enable them or make them feel good about their stupidity.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read I John 4:7-20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this tell us about the priority of God’s love?
3. Personal Application: Think about what you have done and been forgiven for. What should this tell you about forgiving others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “I can never forgive my uncle for what he did to my family. It is beyond forgivable. I can’t let go of my utter loathing for him and his actions.” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read John 15:12, I John 3:16, I John 4:7-12.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What do these verses teach us about God’s love, our love for Him, and our love for others?
3. Personal Application: What can you do to show your love for God to show His love for others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared. ”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-covenanted-love-teaching-plan/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 7th of January 2025

God calls and invites every person into an intimate love relationship with Him (see Matthew 22:1-14). Responding appropriately to this call involves obeying God’s command to love God and to love others (see Matthew 22:37-39). Whether one enjoys the benefits of this relationship with God depends on whether one freely decides to accept or reject His love.

Image © Phil McKay Goodsalt.com

In these and other texts, enjoying the benefits of a love relationship with God is repeatedly depicted as conditional upon the human response to His love. Yet, we should not make the mistake of thinking that God ever actually stops loving anyone. As we have seen, God’s love is everlasting. And, although Hosea 9:15 includes God saying of His people, “ ‘I will love them no more,’ ” it is important to remember that later in the same book God declares of His people, “ ‘I will love them freely’ ” (Hosea 14:4, NKJV). Hosea 9:15 cannot mean that God entirely ceases to love His people. It must refer, instead, to the conditionality of some particular aspect or benefit of a love relationship with God. And how we respond to His love is crucial for this relationship to continue.

“ ‘He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him’ ” (John 14:21, NKJV). Likewise, Jesus proclaims to His disciples, “ ‘The Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father’ ” (John 16:27, NASB).

These and other texts teach that maintaining the benefits of a saving relationship with God depends upon whether we will accept God’s love (which involves willingness to be vehicles of that love, as well). Again, this does not mean that God’s love ever ceases. Rather, just as we cannot stop the sun from shining but can cut ourselves off from the rays of the sun, we cannot do anything to stop God’s everlasting love, but we can finally reject a relationship with God and, thus, cut ourselves off from what it offers, especially the promise of eternal life.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-02-conditional-relationship/

Daily Lesson for Monday 6th of January 2025

The Bible often depicts God’s special love relationship with us by using family or kinship metaphors, particularly metaphors of the love between a husband and wife or of a good mother for her child. These metaphors are used particularly to depict the special relationship between God and His covenant people. This is a relationship of covenantal love, which involves not only God’s love for His people but also expectations that people will accept this love and will love Him (and one another) in return.

Image © Educational Concepts Collection at Goodsalt.com

Deuteronomy 7:9 describes a special kind of love that God has with His covenant people, a relationship that is partially dependent on whether or not they remain faithful. God’s love is not conditional, but the covenant relationship with His people is.

The word translated “lovingkindness” or “mercy” in Deuteronomy 7:9, ḥesed, itself exemplifies the covenantal aspect of divine love (and much more). The word ḥesed is often used to describe the greatness of God’s mercy, goodness, and love. Among other things, ḥesed refers to the loving-kindness, or steadfast love, for another within an existing reciprocal love relationship. It also initiates such a relationship with the expectation that the other party will show this loving-kindness in return.

God’s ḥesed shows that His loving-kindness is extremely reliable, steadfast, and enduring. Yet, at the same time, the reception of the bene­fits of ḥesed is conditional, dependent upon the willingness of His people to obey and to maintain their end of the relationship (see 2 Samuel 22:26, 1 Kings 8:23, Psalms 25:10, Psalms 32:10, 2 Chronicles 6:14).

God’s steadfast love is the basis of all love relationships, and we could never match that love. God not only freely gave us existence but also in Christ He freely gave Himself for us. “ ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends’ ” (John 15:13, NKJV). No question, the greatest expression of God’s love was revealed when the Lord “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8, NKJV).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-02-covenantal-love-2/