As Christians, we believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human. This union of the Divine and humanity makes His perspective unique as to what is important on earth and important for eternity. That we can’t understand how He could have a divine/human nature doesn’t nullify this truth any more than someone’s lack of … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6-9; Isaiah 45:11-12; Jeremiah 51:15; and John 1:3. What do these texts tell us about the goodness of the material world? “It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth. It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field. ‘His strength setteth fast … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Ps. 33:6-9; Matt. 19:16-22; 1 Pet. 1:18; Heb. 2:14-15; Exod. 9:14; Ps. 50:10. Memory Text: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: The ultimate human goal is to be happy and satisfied. But being self-fulfilled through materialism will not achieve this goal. Deep down people know this is true, and yet they continue in their obsession with possessions: I see, I want, I take.What could be simpler than that? Seventh-day Adventists, just like everyone else, are faced … Continue reading –>
Read the following texts. What are they saying that can and should help us understand how people, rich or poor, can protect themselves from the dangers that greed, covetousness, and the love of money and material things can present to the Christian? Acts 24:24-26 Gal. 5:22-25 2 Pet. 1:5-9 These texts are so rich and filled … Continue reading –>
Read Isaiah 56:11. What sin is this warning about? For us as fallen beings, greed can be as easy as breathing. And just as natural, too. However, it’s hard to imagine anything in the human character that is less reflective of the character of Christ than greed. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus … Continue reading –>
Like all sins, covetousness begins in the heart. It starts inside us and then works outward. This is what happened in Eden. Read Genesis 3:1-6. What did Satan do to lure Eve into sin? How has he used the same principles through the ages to deceive us, as well? “So when the woman saw that the … Continue reading –>
We don’t need the Bible to teach us one obvious truth: the cares of this life and its riches are temporary. Nothing here lasts, and certainly not long either. As Paul said: “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen … Continue reading –>
A popular television preacher has a simple message: God wants to bless you, and the proof of His blessing is the abundance of material possessions that you own. In other words, if you are faithful, God will make you wealthy. This idea, or variants of it, has been called the prosperity gospel: Follow God, and He … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Cor. 8:1-7; Matt. 13:3-7; Matt. 13:22; Gen. 3:1-6; Isa. 56:11; Matt. 26:14-16; 2 Pet. 1:5-9. Memory Text: “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22, NKJV). The love of money and material … Continue reading –>
