Friday: Further Study: The Humility of Heavenly Wisdom
Further Study: There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world’s standard. They have chosen its service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its customs. Thus their character is marred, and their life made a weariness. In order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing out the life forces. Our Lord desires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage. . . . He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added.
-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 330.
Discussion Questions:
- Think more about the two kinds of wisdom discussed in Monday’s lesson and make a list of the thoughts associated with each. Now think about times during this week where you made important decisions or took important actions. Which kind of wisdom was involved?
- As we saw on Sunday, God promised Israel that, as a result of their observing His laws, surrounding nations would come to admire them as
a wise and understanding people.
But did this not lead Israel to become proud? This is, of course, contrary to heavenly wisdom, which leads to humility. What happened to them, and how can we learn to avoid their mistakes? How could a proper understanding of the true meaning of the sanctuary service have been their best defense against pride? How should the Cross, for us today, be the ultimate defense against pride? - Read again the Ellen G. White statement above. How many of the world’s standards do we strive for? Are those standards always, of necessity, wrong? So often, too, we can read of people who, by the world’s standards, seem to have everything; and yet, their lives turn out to be wrecks. What should that tell us about just how deceptive so much of what the world offers really is? Most important, though, how can we learn to resist the world and help our young people, who can be easily caught up by the false promises of the world, not to fall into this trap?
- Dwell more on this idea of humility. Why is that so important in the life of a Christian? Why is pride so deadly for anyone who wants to follow Jesus?
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Turn your eyes upon Jesus look full into his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangly dim in the light of his glory and grace. These words of a well know song came to my mind during this week, as I realised how we are daily pulled into this worlds wants and desires, but in the end they are all empty promises that leave you with that doughnut hole inside. Instead if we seek the Lord at every moment of our day we can see how he fulfils us, when we appreciate all that we already have and start to see the many blessing that he showers upon us: to have someone to love, to know of someone we can care for, to be introduced to someone who we can share God's word, and to have personal devotion that feeds us spiritually, adding to the reserve of oil for our lamps in time for the great awakening. (Revelation 18). God bless & happy Sabbath.
Stephen Joseph, you carry the names of two persons who "loved not the world, nor the things in the world"; and who truly loved and honor our Lord and God. Double incentive.
hi good pple
As christian of today it very hard to turn away from the earthly things( forces) as we live in the as earth but throw heavy and hard prayer ,we will be victorious in Jesus name.
thank you for yor comment about this lesson because heals and lifts me up everyday.
Please remember me in your prayers everyone as i fight daily to be victorious in Jesus name,Lets make adate that we meet each other in heaven. Amen
"...burden" is equal to suffering. I feel we will always endure some suffering here, for it woes us to the Lords bosom.
"...an additional burden." Is equal to unnecessary suffering, this is where are choice/free will comes into the picture,(I confess some saints may need this extra nudge to woe them, me in particular). Thus creating the shackles that may bind us to this "world", the devil pursues human kind via these agents of delusion/illusion. Creating a false sense of self identity, which may even be co-mingled with the spiritual practice of Christianity!
Christ, through His sacrifice offers us a new and better way to really live, free from unnecessary suffering/dysfunction. Free from the mind funk of the adversary. Free to embrace the true/authentic self; the surrendered heart that clings to the Lord like a Heavenly Velcro.
In lifting Jesus Christ up in your minds eye, it is easy to bask at the foot of the cross NOW and always NOW! Watch as your burdens slip away in the light of His Presence. In cooperation with His complete awareness all of the tricks of the old sinful nature are dispelled. We can go beyond the cares of this world that weigh us down, beyond the the negative thoughts that bombard us on a daily basis, beyond the smoke and mirrors the devil would flatter us with. So....
Boldly enter into a promise God has seen fit for all man kind... “You are of God, my children and have overcome them (spirits of error): because greater is He that is IN YOU , then he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4