Many Christians recognize and follow the Bible’s instructions regarding paying—or returning—tithe. Usually referenced from Malachi 3:10, it is a simple formula, with believers giving 10 percent of their income—or “increase”—to support the work of the church in spreading the gospel. Entrusted with these tithes, churches usually have strict guidelines about how to use these funds, primarily … Continue reading –>
Read Exodus 23:9. What is God’s message to Israel here? As newly freed slaves, the Israelites knew what it was to be oppressed, exploited, and marginalized. And while they celebrated their freedom, God was concerned that they not forget where they had come from, what it was like to be excluded, and what He had done … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 22:37-40, then Exodus 20:1-17. How does Jesus’ summary of the commandments help your understanding as you read each of the Ten Commandments? The Ten Commandments read like a constitution. After a brief preamble that sets out the basis on which these statements are made—in this case, the fact of God’s deliverance of His people—the document … Continue reading –>
“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exod. 3:7, NIV). Four hundred years is a long time to wait, especially when waiting in conditions of increasingly harsh slavery. God had promised that He would … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 3:7, Matt. 22:37-40, Exod. 22:21-23, Deut. 14:22-29, Deut. 26:1-11, Lev. 25:9-23. Memory Text: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18, NKJV). In His mercy, God has always had people with whom He has … Continue reading –>
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Food ran out on Sunday morning in the home of 9-year-old Joanne. Father had abandoned the family after Mother started attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the U.S. state of Oregon. Father, who had immigrated with the family to the United States from South Korea, made it clear that he … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation”, pages 44-51, in Patriarchs and Prophets. “‘God is love’. … His nature, His law, is love. It ever has been; it ever will be. ‘The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,’ whose ‘ways are everlasting,’ changeth not. With Him ‘is no variableness, neither shadow of turning’. … Every … Continue reading –>
With the arrival of sin, it did not take long for the world to break down further. Sparked by jealousy, misunderstanding, and anger, the first murder involved the first pair of brothers. When God questioned Cain about his sin, his reply is probably ironic and rhetorical—“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9)—and the answer implied by … Continue reading –>
One thing God gave Adam and Eve that He didn’t give anything else on earth was moral freedom. They were moral beings in ways that plants, animals, and trees could never be. God valued this moral freedom so much that He allowed the possibility that His people would choose to disobey. In doing so He risked all … Continue reading –>
According to the Bible’s record, the Garden of Eden and the newly created earth were places of abundance, created for life to flourish and particularly for human beings to enjoy. But God also gave the first man and woman—and the rest of us who would come after them—a role to play in His creation. It … Continue reading –>
