Further Thought: Imagine the changes that occurred in the life of Christ’s disciples as they spent time with Him. They were mostly uneducated, simple people, accustomed to the teachings and traditions of their Jewish faith, but now they were being challenged by the Galilean Rabbi. They experienced jealousy (Matt. 20:20-24) and conflict (John 3:25); they seemed to lack … Continue reading –>
The Bible is a book of relationships. God created us to be in relationship with others. Indeed, very few of us live in complete isolation. For starters, none of us could even come into existence but for others. Even after birth, we need others to take care of us, at least until a certain age … Continue reading –>
The fact is that human beings are, often, creatures of habit. And we do, indeed, get set in our ways, and the older we get, the harder it is to change those ways. Indeed, we don’t change easily. How many wives have complained over the years, “I’ve tried to change my husband, but … ”? … Continue reading –>
Read Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7-9. What happened to Job? In what ways does his experience reflect what happens to everyone, in one way or another, or at one time or another? The Greek philosopher Heraclitus declared that “there is nothing permanent except change”. Just as it seems that everything is going fine, the unexpected happens. It may … Continue reading –>
Scientists talk about something called circadian rhythms, the idea that there are biological rhythms (sometimes called “body clocks”) that regulate function in our bodies. In other words, a certain degree of regularity exists even within our bodies themselves. Hence, to some degree, rhythms exist all around and even in us. What are the predictable seasons of life mentioned … Continue reading –>
The Bible begins at the beginning, which is no doubt why it begins with the words (actually one word in the Hebrew), “In the beginning … ” (Gen. 1:1). The particular focus of the chapter, of course, is the transformation of the earth from a state of being “without form, and void” (Gen. 1:2) to the world that … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1, Gen. 8:22, Ps. 90:10, Job 1:13-19, Acts 9:1-22, Phil. 1:6, Rom. 8:1. Memory Text: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV). Some of the most beautiful poetry ever penned came from King Solomon: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time … Continue reading –>
The Seasons of Life The sixth day of Creation had come to an end. During the first five days, the world had been transformed from chaos to a thing of perfect beauty. Darkness was replaced by light. The waters were pushed back as God commanded them. “This far you may come, but no farther, and … Continue reading –>
By Andrew McChesney Maria Lemos Abel, a Seventh-day Adventist nurse, asked the mother to hold her 2-year-old daughter firmly for an injection of penicillin G procaine to treat a bacterial infection. But the mother didn’t heed the instructions, and Maria accidentally jabbed the syringe into her left index finger when the baby jumped in pain … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Without a Wedding Garment”, pages 307-319, in Christ’s Object Lessons; “The Controversy Ended”, pages 662-678, in The Great Controversy. The book of Revelation concludes with what was introduced at the beginning: the second coming of Christ in power and glory and the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom. The return of Christ, when He finally … Continue reading –>
