Friday: Further Thought – Unity Through Humility
Daily Lesson for Friday 23rd of January 2026
Further Thought:
“All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 740.
“When we are receiving a training, as did Moses in the school of Christ, what shall we learn?—to become puffed up?—to have an exalted opinion of ourselves?—No, indeed. The more we learn in this school, the more we shall advance in meekness and lowliness of mind. We are not to feel that we have learned everything worth knowing. We should put to the best use the talents God has given us, that when we are changed from mortality to immortality, we shall not leave behind that which we have attained, but may take it with us to the other side. Throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, Christ and His work of redemption will be the theme of our study.”—Ellen G. White, Manuscript 36, 1885.
Discussion Questions
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God said:
Paul wrote:
In between those two statements, sin entered and stuffed up the relationship.
The most significant idea in Christianity, is that God is proactive in the restoration business. He does not tell us to restore ourselves. He became like us to restore us to him.
About 40 years ago, the Seventh-day Adventist Church was in doctrinal turmoil. People were taking sides, The other side were “Jesuits” or something worse. I remember a regional camp meeting where we were subject to sermons and Bible studies where doctrinal issues were being hammered out with the precision of a sledgehammer. On the final Sabbath, a big-shot Seventh-day Adventist preacher was scheduled to preach and everyone thought that, given his scholarship, he would provide “the final answer”. He preached on restoring relationships in Jesus. He told us to do the hard work of forgiveness. Some die-hard antagonists thought he was a wimp for telling us to put aside our differences and embrace one another in the love of Jesus. They wanted the “dogma of truth”.
But what if the truth is not in the precision of doctrine, but in our willingness to embrace the love that God has shown toward us by Him taking on our image to restore His image? What if we should be embracing, in the love of Jesus, those whom we disagree with in the church?
The more we try to define doctrine, without the centrality of the love of Jesus and its implication that we love one another, the further we move away from God.
Forty years on from that campmeeting sermon, it worries me that we have not learned that lesson.
Yeah, I know! I quote it often; now you know why!
Thanks Maurice. You remind me of this verse from the modern English bible version you normally use
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 MSG
Thanks for your comments, Isaac. In the quoted text, it mentions many excellent behavioral acts such as: eloquent and angelic speech, preaching with power and flawless clarity, mustered-seed faith, exceptional philanthropy and kindness to the less fortunate, and martyrdom. But the text indicates that these good acts will not meet God’s standard without “love.” This so because as humans, we don’t have to believe in God to do these good acts. And indeed there are many examples of such individuals. A certain well known individual (I don’t want to give names) for example, has given billions of dollars to help millions of people with AIDS. I am not questioning anyones spirituality, because that is not the focus of my point.
So, the key point of the text is that this “love” that must accompany these good acts. Where does this “love” come from, and where and how do I get it? The answer is, from the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:2 gives the answer, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
This text says what we need to do, and how we and our acts could become that, “good, perfect and acceptable to God.” However, we have to believe and want the Holy Spirit to change us from carnal to spiritual in nature, so that these good acts would grow out of us as “fruits of the Spirit.” Thus, God gets the glory!
Thank you Elder Maurice,
Pointing out the plaque of lack of love and humility to learn God’s ways in our church is helpful and I pray that the Holy Spirit will break every barrier in our hearts and bring about the perfect image of our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives as we consummate God’s love for each other in Jesus mightiest name, amen.
The love of God touches every single part of our lives. There is truly no situation, circumstance, adversity, advancement, status, or station that lacks the imprint of God’s love. His love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives, demonstrated most clearly in that He found it appropriate to come and die for our sins while we were still sinners. The basic truth is that there is no place we can go to escape God’s love. There is no problem we will encounter without the touch of His love, and no advancement we will ever make where God’s love is not stamped upon it. As Scripture reminds us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NKJV).
Even in moments when our world comes tumbling down or worse, completely falls apart we can confidently say, “God, we may not know why this is happening. We don’t understand it, but we are grateful to know that Your love remains a constant in our lives.” The truth is that love is not merely one of God’s attributes; it is His very nature. The Bible says, “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him” (1 John 4:16). The implication of the statement “God is love” is not that love is God, but that God always desires what is best for us. He has our best interest at heart, and His provision whether in good or bad times remains unconditional. As we are reminded, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2, NIV).
However, we must also acknowledge that God’s love goes beyond happy endings and fairly tales and thus may not be neccasarly easy to understand. Ask Job about God’s love it can be messy, painful, difficult and at times may not make sense. Yet, it is ultimately most rewarding when we know He never stops loving us even at our lowest moments. During massive losses, suffering, and confusion, Job could still declare, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). My takeaway this week is this: God’s love has the power to change lives, including my own, God loves makes sense even when we cannot humanly understand. More than ever, we need to experience and live out this radical, self-sacrificing love, because it is the very love of Christ that compels and constrains us, just as Scripture says, “For Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).
What lessons have we gained by beholding Christ this week, how can we grow to be like Him.
Humble ourselves before the Lord.
It does not hurt to ask Him to gift us humility and selflessness. David said oh God You search me, you know my heart inside and out. You walk beside me all day, and when I lie down you are there. I cannot comprehend that knowledge, it is so wonderful. I ride SpaceX into space and your are there. I dig a tunnel into the earth You are there. I cannot understand it all. I take a boat to a remote Island and You are there God to put your arms around me. I praise you God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You, my Marvelous God. Again, search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties. See if there is any wickedness in me. And continue to lead me in the way of righteousness. Psalm 139, Psalm 23:3.
What a privilege we have as creatures: God became flesh like us! We were loved even before being born on this fallen planet, receiving as a gift the visit of the King of the Universe among us. Do we need a more practical example of humility? The Owner of the Universe became a servant!
Man ! What a God ! He has stunned me by His kindness. He has shocked me with His love. My personal sense of worth, my self-respect and even my self-confidence are inextricably linked with His love for me , especially as it is articulated through His myriad of promises. My calm, cool and collective ambience is not mine. It is but the “fragrance” that emanates from His presence within.
I have come to realize that God’s understanding of love is different from mine. His love goes deeper and profound than what we humans can define. While we may recognize His love and His presence only in good times, His abiding presence in both the good and bad situations of our lives is His love. He is committed and dedicated to be presnt in every circumstance of His children.
Jesus’s presence on earth allowed Him to empathize and understand our ill and painful world whiles His divine presence was powerful to break the shakles of the devil.
While I may not be privy to the challenges hindering unity in my local church, I am aware of her struggle to overcome the temptation to disunity.
Psalms 63:3(MSG)“Your love is better than life itself; I’m smitten with you.”
God’s love is faithful and dependable, even in hard times.
God’s love isn’t just something we understand with our minds, but something we feel in our hearts.
God’s love is more valuable than life itself and gives meaning, hope, and purpose no matter the situation.
Amen, JC Zielak. I think that these very sentiments motivated Paul’s admonition, in this week’s memory text (Philippians 2:2): “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
Scripture is replete with God’s leading through the Saviour’s supreme example:
In John 14:4 universal salvation, through Christ, overrides a judgemental approach.
In Luke 5:32 Jesus stated that He came to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent: Unity overrides self-righteousness.
In Luke 19:1-10 Jesus brought salvation to the house of the short, wealthy tax collector, Zacchaeus, prompting him to repay “fourfold” those he had cheated. Empathy overrides greed.
In 1 Corinthians 13 God’s love is manifested through patience, kindness to others, and through unselfishness.
In Philippians 2:6-8 Christ “.. made Himself of no reputation; … humbled Himself,” died the physical death, so we may all choose to experience eternal joy and lasting unity in Him!