What an Example! The opening note for our lesson this week describes a heart-lifting example of a woman believer in Africa being a minister for her community stricken by AIDS. Do reports like this stir you? Make you wish you could send a few thousand dollars to further this work? Or, go there yourself? Or can … Continue reading –>
Read Mark 10:46-52 and John 5:1-9. In both cases, Jesus asked questions. Why would He do that? Notice, in both cases, that Jesus asked what they wanted, even though it was obvious what they wanted. And even if it weren’t, Jesus would have known what those needs were anyway. However, by asking these questions, Jesus … Continue reading –>
Jesus steps off the boat on the shore near Capernaum. (See Mark 5:1-43.) His disciples are still reeling from the harrowing encounter with the demon-possessed man in Decapolis. As usual, a crowd is there to meet Him. Eager to get His attention, individuals in the throng jostle to be near Jesus. Immediately He is asked … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Mark 5:22-43, Mark 10:46-52, John 5:1-9, Ps. 139:1-13, Mark 2:1-12, Acts 9:36-42. Memory Text: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35, NIV). A retired Seventh-day Adventist woman in an African … Continue reading –>
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:6-7 NKJV I’ve been told the beatitudes are building blocks to a complete conversion. I find it interesting that after we are filled with God’s righteousness, instead of seeing ourselves as … Continue reading –>
Read Deuteronomy 24:10-22, Jonah 3:1-10, Malachi 3:17, Matthew 15:32-38, Mark 6:34-44, Galatians 6:2, Hebrews 10:32-34. Read Ellen G. White, “Be Sympathetic to All Men,” p. 189, and “Thoughtful of Others,” p. 193, in My Life Today; “The Privilege of Prayer,” p. 93, in Steps to Christ; “This Is Pure Religion” and “The Parable of the Good … Continue reading –>
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4, NKJV). … Continue reading –>
What does this verse tell us, not just about the humanity of Jesus, but how in that humanity He related to the suffering of others? See also Rom. 12:15. In John 11:35 Jesus demonstrated sympathy, empathy, and pity from His core. Even though He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, the grief of … Continue reading –>
Sympathy. In the US we often see a big display of “sympathy” cards for sale among all the other greeting cards. If you’ve lost a friend or relative lately and have searched through the available cards, how hard was it to find one with just the right words? Or what about finding the right message for … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: To follow Jesus’ example of sympathy, we should learn to be gentle, kind, listening, and healing to others. Jesus Showed Sympathy – August 20, 2016 1. Have a volunteer read I John 3:17. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. b. How do … Continue reading –>
Read Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 3:8, and 1 John 3:17. What are these verses saying to us, and how can we reveal this compassion in our lives? Compassion comes from the Latin word compati,which means “to suffer with.” As we ourselves have suffered, we can also understand the sufferings of others; and, no doubt, just … Continue reading –>
As Jesus mingled with people during His earthly ministry, He encountered situations that revealed His sympathy and compassion for them. “He came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick” (Matt. 14:14, ASV). Read Matthew 9:35-36 and Luke 7:11-16. What do they teach us about how true … Continue reading –>
