Friday: Further Thought – Shining as Lights in the Night
Daily Lesson for Friday 30th of January 2026
Further Thought
“The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he who on earth has drunk most deeply of the spirit of His self-sacrificing love,—love that ‘vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, .
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
. . seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil’ (1 Corinthians 13:4-5),—love that moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice, even unto death, for the saving of humanity. This spirit was made manifest in the life of Paul. He said, ‘For to me to live is Christ;’ for his life revealed Christ to men; ‘and to die is gain,’—gain to Christ; death itself would make manifest the power of His grace, and gather souls to Him. ‘Christ shall be magnified in my body,’ he said, ‘whether it be by life or by death.’ Philippians 1:20-21.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 549.
“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. . . .
“When multitudes of false brethren are distinguished from the true, then the hidden ones will be revealed to view, and with hosannas range under the banner of Christ. Those who have been timid and self-distrustful will declare themselves openly for Christ and His truth. The most weak and hesitating in the church will be as David—willing to do and dare. The deeper the night for God’s people, the more brilliant the stars. Satan will sorely harass the faithful; but, in the name of Jesus, they will come off more than conquerors.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, Pages 81, 82.
Discussion Questions
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This week’s lesson has been a reminder to me about the importance of people in the Gospel story. We so often read the Pauline epistles with the aim of understanding his erudite description of salvation. This week has shown us that people were important to Paul too. It reminded me that some of the best Sabbath School lesson studies I have attended have been ones that have started off, with, “How has this week gone with you?” Time was taken getting to know the people in our Sabbath School Community and it became a bonding experience where we learned to care about one another.
It also reminded me that in this Sabbath School Net community we so often know so little about one another. I remember back in 1997 I was about to go to San Francisco for my first overseas computer science conference, I put up a message on Sabbath School Net that I would be arriving on Friday and the conference would start on Sunday. I would like someone to take us to Sabbath School and Church on Sabbath. A Sabbath School Net member offered to pick Carmel and I up on Friday and take us home for the weekend. We had a great time and attended Sabbath School and Church at Sebastopol, and made friends for life. On another occasion, I had a conference in Las Vegas, and a Sabbath School Net member asked if we could break our journey at Los Angeles as he would like to take us to his church near San Diego for Sabbath School and Church and to visit the San Diego Wildlife park. Another great experience and another set of friends for life.
I think sometimes we have become too impersonal in our discussions on Sabbath School Net. We are here to study the Bible and we quote texts to one another in our effort to convince ourselves that we have a handle on our understanding of scripture. And in the process, we isolate ourselves behind the torrent of words. We should remind ourselves that Jesus came to earth and minister to people, not to create doctrine.
This is the Gospel in action. It is the affirmation of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. When we see beyond the theology, the doctrinal discussion, and the prophetic interpretation, and we share ourselves with one another as Christian brothers and sisters. Paul saw people as important. The connection with one another matters.
Maurice, I have greatly valued your diligence, but mostly your constant reminders for us to obey the Lord; loving others. I am so grateful I have been able to study using this site for over a decade. your comments are always a blessing and add rich thought to my ss lesson reflection.
I agree.
Maurice, thank you for all you do for us, the members of ssnet.org. I have been repeatedly blessed by your comments, illustrations, and life long experiences. Like you, I have been blessed to meet and make life long friends in several countries, because of being a Seventh-day Adventist. These are blessings that God has given us to share with others. It is the basis of spiritual gifts, and this is the underlying basis of church, that we use what God has given us to be a blessing to others.
A true and deep understanding of the scriptures can only come from the Holy Spirit. However, the Spirit give us these gifts for the edification of others (the saints, the church). So, thanks again for all that you have done.
I want to join in with the others in expressing my gratitude for blessings and encouragement received from your remarks. I also greatly enjoy your photographs of all the beautiful birds. I look forward to meeting everyone in the new earth where we can all make bonds of friendship.
Thank you folk, for your kind words. Always challenging to hear nice things said about one’s self, but Carmel keeps telling me that I should watch out because she knows I am a bit of a ratbag! That keeps me down to earth!
“Ratbag.” I had to look that one up. You won’t convince us of that one. We appreciate so much what you bring to the Sabbath School discussions. My husband uses a different Sabbath School app and I think he misses out not seeing the comments from so many devoted people here.
There is a Sabbath School Net story behind that one Debbie. This Australian expression first entered the Sabbath School Net discussion in 1997 and caused some concern because the Australian language did not translate well across the Pacific. Shortly after this, we visited San Fransico for a conference and were invited to stay with some folk who were active at the time on Sabbath School Net. Before we left, Carmel and I looked for a suitable gift to take to our new friends and discovered a rat-in-a-bag in a gift shop. We took it to California with us and gave them the gift on Friday night when we arrived. They were delighted. On Sabbath, they took their gift to Sabbath School and Church with them to tell the story of the ratbags from Aussie!
Great story, thanks for sharing.
Throughout the ages the mercy of God has called through his prophets for people to turn from the gods of this world and return to Him. He longs to be their God and they His people.
There have been those who have repented but eventually the abominations will lead to desolation such as under Babylon and Rome.
In our current day we have many abominations being done and the call still comes from heaven to “come out of her my people”. We are ever getting closer to desolation. There will be breath given to the image and false worship demanded.
There will be a final warning to be given… not to worship or receive the mark. Here is the last call for repentance and turning to Christ before the desolation is poured out upon the desolate.
The driving force behind this last message is a Love that the world cannot understand. The love of God through His people. A love that seeks to loose bonds, let the oppressed go free so much that they do not love their lives more than death. Love that does not wish that anyone should be lost but that all should come to repentance, to come boldly before the throne of grace while there is still time.
This is a people who will shine for their light will break forth like the morning.
People often share curated, sanitized moments of their lives on social media highlighting and carefully posting reels or even photos designed for public view-the best poses, happiest scenes, and proudest milestones are carefully chosen. But before God, life is never edited or filtered. Scripture reminds us that nothing is hidden from Him: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Hebrews 4:13). God sees what friends, family, and the public may never see—our thoughts, motives, and even the quiet states of our hearts.
Psalm 139 captures this truth vividly: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). Whether in light or darkness, God is there, for “even the darkness will not be dark to You” (Psalm 139:12). We honor God by choosing to walk in the light, living with integrity and sincerity, not divided between a public life and a secret one. This doesn’t mean exposing our privacy, but it does mean rejecting hidden sin and double living, because “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21; 1 John 1:7).
We are told in the Monday lesson that our “goal is to “shine as lights in the world” (Phil.2:15)”. Is it really our goal? I thought that it should be to exalt the name of Jesus Phil.2:9-11.
Make the connection Cezary. Jesus said:
If the light metaphor is good enough for Jesus, I am not going to argue with it. 😄
I see that exalting Jesus is closely tied to repentance and accepting the Gospel, while shining as lights in the world is tied to receiving and walking in the Spirit. With that in mind, we are certainly called to praise and exalt Jesus, but His exaltation begins with God the Father. God first exalted Him by giving Him the place at His right hand, and we respond by recognizing who Jesus is and what He has done. Philippians 2:9 teaches that God exalted Jesus because He humbled Himself and died on the cross. Hebrews 10:12 shows that after His sacrifice, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God—an exalted position above the angels (Hebrews 1:13). Because Jesus demonstrated God’s love through His death (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9–10), we bow and confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10). Revelation 5:13 shows that Jesus receives the same worship as the Father, just as Revelation 4:8,11 describes the worship given to God. Jesus, the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:5–6), is worshiped alongside the One on the throne.
Regarding “shining as lights in the world” and “holding fast to the word of life,” these ideas belong together. In Acts 2, Peter calls those who rejected Jesus to repent and be baptized, and he also tells them to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). He explains that Jesus was exalted to God’s right hand and received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). John the Baptist had already foretold that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11), and in Acts 2:3–4 the Spirit is poured out like fire. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus; we cannot walk by the Spirit without His indwelling presence. This is how God works in us “to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). If the fire of the Spirit is within us, His light will naturally shine through us.
So the logic is this: exalting Jesus and shining for Him are inseparable. We exalt Jesus by repenting, recognizing Him, and receiving Him. When we do, the Holy Spirit fills us, leads us, and shines through us to the world.
Thanks for your response. What you say in 2 long paragraphs is in effect repeated in the last 2 statements: “We exalt Jesus by repenting, recognising Him and receiving Him. When we do, the Holy Spirit fills us, leads us, and shines through us to the world.” To me it means that it is NOT our goal to shine as lights in the world, as the pamphlet says. Instead it is the Holy Spirit who shines through us, and our goal is to exalt Jesus. Do I understand it correctly?
Thank you for your response, but unfortunately you overlooked the fact that I am not talking about lights shining before men or us shining like lights in the world. I am talking about our shining in the world being a GOAL. I even asked a question “Is it really our goal”? I also contrasted it with another notion of our GOAL being to “exalt the nameo of Jesus.“ If it is my goal to shine, it is like making my goal to earn salvation. If I make a connection with the verse you refer to, the GOAL is still unaddressed.
Yes, ok I take your point. I guess the analogy (and I. know it’s not perfect) is that a light that shines just for the sake of shining is useless. However, I think you have taken a very restricted interpretation of what the author has said. The context provides the intent.
There is a high risk in trying to analyse the future: I know nothing about it. What really counts is what I am today and now. Am I listening to the Holy Spirit’s voice, or is it my own voice speaking louder? The most intense fight and most significant controversy is within; may God save me from myself! I need to run to the God of Love for a safe shelter!
Today’s lesson reminds us that preparation for the final test doesn’t start during persecution—it starts now. Paul didn’t wait for a crisis to live sacrificially; his daily life already reflected Christ’s self-giving love.The time of trouble will simply reveal what we’ve been practicing all along.
As Seventh-day Adventists, this calls us to stop postponing faithfulness for some future moment. Sacrificial living begins in the present—in choosing obedience over convenience, principle over comfort, and service over self. When we resist conformity to the world now and learn to trust God in small tests, we are being trained for greater ones.
If we struggle to surrender time, resources, or reputation today, we won’t suddenly find courage when it is more difficult to do so.
We do need to avoid worldly demands and customs. However, I fear we usually just focus on entertainment and the like. If we avoid those practices, we are okay.
But not so fast! We can be people who eat and watch and read all the right things and still have worldly attitudes that drive us. Sometimes they are even socially acceptable in the church.
If the final conflict is about God’s character, how important it is that we know what it is like and live it. That’s our only protection from worldly attitudes.
To exalt the name of Jesus is to let your light so shine that others may learn of Christ and abide in Him also? Jesus says: I am the light of the world. We are to be like a light on a hill illuminating Christ example. Our prayer Cezary, that should be on the tip of our tongue is:
Live out thy life within me oh Jesus King of kings, be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings, live out Thy life within me, in all things have Thy way, I the transparent medium(A child of Christ, willing to be made willing), Thy glory to display.
“There is light for the willing and obedient. You are to “show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” No words of complaint, no murmuring at hardship and trial, will escape the lips of him who is walking in the light as Christ is in the light. He will rejoice in the light, and will enjoy the pure atmosphere that surrounds the Light of the world. The light shining from Christ upon his obedient children, will be reflected, reflected from their lives into the darkness of the world. The Light giver makes them light bearers. “Ye are the light of the world.”” Signs Of the Times(ST) September 28, 1891, paragraph. 1
God bless you Cezary, as you exalt Him in many ways.