Read Deuteronomy 5:12-15. How does the emphasis of the Sabbath commandment here differ from Exodus 20:8-11? Here Moses reminds the Israelites that they should keep the Sabbath, and he states that they should do this because God delivered them from Egypt. The texts say nothing about the six days of Creation or about the Sabbath being God’s … Continue reading –>
In Exodus 20:8-11, the fourth commandment refers directly to the Creation week. This is important, because it points back to Eden itself, to a world without sin, a perfect world coming fresh from the Creator. “The Sabbath is not introduced as a new institution but as having been founded at creation. It is to be remembered … Continue reading –>
Read for This week’s Study: Gen. 2:1-3; Heb. 4:3, 4; Deut. 5:12-15; Ezek. 20:12; Mark 2:27,28; 2 Pet. 3:3-7. Memory Text: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:8). At the end of the sixth day, the Creation had been completed (Gen. 2:1, 2). The world had been formed into a habitable place, and it had been filled … Continue reading –>
“Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they … Continue reading –>
Ujjal is a young man, but a hole in his heart had left him chronically tired and subject to fainting spells. He couldn’t work or even ride his bicycle. One day Ujjal’s friend Panalal told him that he was learning about Jesus, the powerful and loving God whom Christians worship. Panalal invited Ujjal to a … Continue reading –>
“And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.” Genesis 2:15 A few years ago, when we were hearing quite a bit about lowering our carbon footprints, my kids and I had an ongoing joke. Because there seemed to be such a … Continue reading –>
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish or the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” Genesis 1:28 NKJV [Thought questions for Stewardship and the Environment March 6, … Continue reading –>
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV). How does this text help to set the foundation for a biblically based concept of stewardship? We often tend to think of stewardship in terms of money. As we’ve seen … Continue reading –>
As we have seen throughout this quarter, God’s original Creation was “good,” even “very good.” Everything and everyone came forth from the hand of the Creator in a state of perfection. There was no sickness, no disease, no death. Contrary to the evolutionary model—in which disease, sickness, and death are part of the very means … Continue reading –>
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil…Isaiah 5:20 I occasionally hear people, both single and married, tell demeaning jokes about marriage. For example, a Three Stooges fan told me about an episode where Moe asked someone, “Are you married or happy?” That’s a sad joke. While many of us are happily single, we … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Creation reveals that God made humankind to nurture and care for this world, not exploit and pillage it. [Teaching plan for Stewardship and the Environment March 4, 2013] 1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 1:28. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text … Continue reading –>
As we have seen, the concept of stewardship, in the context of the way in which we take care of the planet, is tied directly to the Creation. Our views on Creation will influence our views on the way in which we should relate to the Creation. For some, the Creation is to be exploited, … Continue reading –>
