Issue: 2012 May

Bible Study Guides – The Final Work and the Ultimate School

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June 24, 2012 – June 30, 2012

Key Text

“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” Proverbs 15:33.

Study Help: Education, 301–309.

Introduction

“In our life here, earthly, sin-restricted though it is, the greatest joy and the highest education are in service. And in the future state, untrammeled by the limitations of sinful humanity, it is in service that our greatest joy and our highest education will be found.” Education, 309.

1 EAGER TO SERVE

  • What perspective do we need to gain in recognizing education as a means to an end—rather than an end in itself? Ephesians 1:17–19.

Note: “He [Christ] did not tell them [His disciples] to establish a seminary in Jerusalem, and to gather together students to be instructed in the higher classics. ‘Go ye into all the world,’ He said, ‘and preach the gospel to every creature,’ ‘teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world’ [Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:20].

“Do not gather together those to whom God has given this commission, and make them believe that they have to spend years in college in order to obtain a training for the Lord’s work. Christ’s presence is of more value than years of training. Let our young people come under the yoke of Christ, and by faith go forth as gospel medical missionaries, taking with them the promise, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ Let them go forth two and two, depending on God, not on man, for their wisdom and their success. Let them search the Scriptures, and then present the truths of God’s word to others. Let them be guided by the principles that God has laid down.” Loma Linda Messages, 71, 72.

2 A NEED THAT CANNOT WAIT

  • To what work is God calling His people today? Isaiah 54:1–3.

Note: “The Lord calls upon our young people to enter our schools and quickly fit themselves for service. In various places outside of cities, schools are to be established where our youth can receive an education that will prepare them to go forth to do evangelical work and medical missionary work.

“The Lord must be given an opportunity to show men their duty and to work upon their minds. No one is to bind himself to serve for a term of years under the direction of one group of men or in one specified branch of the Master’s work; for the Lord Himself will call men, as of old He called the humble fishermen, and will Himself give them instruction regarding their field of labor and the methods they should follow. He will call men from the plow and from other occupations to give the last note of warning to perishing souls. There are many ways in which to work for the Master, and the Great Teacher will open the understanding of these workers, enabling them to see wondrous things in His word.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 170.

  • Describe an inspiring prophecy soon to be fulfilled. Psalm 119:132.

Note: “So great are the world’s needs, that not all who are called to be medical missionary evangelists can afford to spend years in preparation before beginning to do actual field work. Soon doors now open to the gospel messenger will be forever closed. God calls upon many who are prepared to do acceptable service, to carry the message now, not waiting for further preparation; for while some delay, the enemy may take possession of fields now open. …

“Little companies who have received a suitable training in evangelical and medical missionary lines should go forth to do the work to which Christ appointed His disciples. Let them labor as evangelists, scattering our publications, talking of the truth to those they meet, praying for the sick, and, if need be, treating them, not with drugs, but with nature’s remedies, ever realizing their dependence on God. As they unite in the work of teaching and healing they will reap a rich harvest of souls.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 469.

3 FROM CITY TO CITY

  • What is a key aspect of education for the final work, and how can it spread blessings quickly? Proverbs 15:33; Zechariah 4:10, first part.

Note: “The Lord, in His great goodness and matchless love, has been urging upon His human instrumentalities that missionaries are not really complete in their education unless they have a knowledge of how to treat the sick and suffering.” Counsels on Health, 536.

“Soon there will be no work done in ministerial lines but medical missionary work.” Ibid., 533.

“Now while the world is favorable toward the teaching of the health reform principles, moves should be made to secure for our own physicians the privilege of imparting medical instruction to our young people who would otherwise be led to attend the worldly medical colleges. The time will come when it will be more difficult than it now is to arrange for the training of our young people in medical missionary lines.” The Medical Evangelist, April 1, 1910.

“God has not given us the work of erecting immense sanitariums, to be used as health resorts for all who may come. Neither is it His purpose that medical missionary workers shall spend a long term of years in college before they enter the field. Let the young men and women who know the truth go to work, not in places where the truth has been proclaimed, but in places that have not heard the message, and let them work as canvassers and evangelists.” Loma Linda Messages, 71.

“As long as probation continues, there will be opportunity for the canvasser to work. … ‘When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another’ [Matthew 10:23]. If persecution comes there, go to still another place.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 478.

  • How only can we flourish in the sight of God? I Corinthians 1:26, 30.

Note: “The work will be given to those who will take it, those who prize it, who weave its principles into their everyday experience. God will choose humble men who are seeking to glorify His name and advance His cause rather than to honor and advance themselves. He will raise up men who have not so much worldly wisdom, but who are connected with Him, and who will seek strength and counsel from above.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 461.

4 FOCUSING ON THE AIM

  • What should be our overall goal whenever seeking to advance our education? I Corinthians 9:16, 22–24.

Note: “Those who have education, and who consecrate themselves to the service of God, can do service in a greater variety of ways, and can accomplish a much more extensive work in bringing souls to the knowledge of the truth than can those who are uneducated. They are on vantage ground, because of the discipline of mind which they have had. We would not depreciate education in the least, but would counsel that it be carried forward with a full sense of the shortness of time, and the great work that is to be accomplished before the coming of Christ. We would not have the students receive the idea that they can spend many years in acquiring an education. Let them use the education that they can acquire in a reasonable length of time, in carrying forward the work of God.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 369, 370.

  • What promise is precious to teachers struggling with the challenge of their high calling to educate souls for eternity? Isaiah 59:19.

Note: “Trials will be met in this work; discouragements will press in upon the soul as teachers see that their labors are not always appreciated. Satan will exercise his power over them in temptations, in discouragements, in afflictions of bodily infirmities, hoping that he can cause them to murmur against God and close their understanding to His goodness, mercy, and love, and the exceeding weight of glory that is to be the reward of the overcomer. But God is leading these souls to more perfect confidence in their heavenly Father. His eye is upon them every moment; and if they lift their cry to Him in faith, if they will stay their souls upon Him in their perplexities, the Lord will bring them forth as gold purified. The Lord Jesus has said: ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ Hebrews 13:5. God may permit a train of circumstances to come that will lead them to flee to the Stronghold, by faith pressing to the throne of God amid thick clouds of darkness; for even here His presence is concealed. But He is ever ready to deliver all that trust in Him.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 156, 157.

5 EDUCATION IN ETERNITY

  • In the day of final reckoning, what will be asked of parents, and what shall we answer, whatever it may cost us in this life? Jeremiah 13:20; Isaiah 8:18; Hebrews 2:13.

Note: “In whatever else we may fail, let us be thorough in the work for our children. If they go forth from the home training, pure and virtuous, if they fill the least and lowest place in God’s great plan of good for the world, our life work can never be called a failure.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 161.

  • How glorious is the eternal school? Isaiah 64:4; I Corinthians 2:9.

Note: “Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One.” Education, 301.

“[In the school of the hereafter], all the perplexities of life’s experience will then be made plain. Where to us have appeared only confusion and disappointment, broken purposes and thwarted plans, will be seen a grand, overruling, victorious purpose, a divine harmony.” Ibid., 305.

“The years of eternity, as they roll [in the city of God], will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character.” The Great Controversy, 678.

“Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love.” The Desire of Ages, 19, 20.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How can we revive the practical training Jesus gave His disciples?

2 Why is medical missionary training so valuable for the laity?

3 How can we prepare for the work soon to close earth’s history?

4 How can overwhelmed teachers be encouraged?

5 What perspective do we need in all that we do in life?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Advanced Education

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June 17, 2012 – June 23, 2012

Key Text

“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” II Timothy 2:1, 2.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 7, 146–148; Ibid., vol. 4, 648–653; Education, 45–50; Patriarchs and Prophets, 592–602.

Introduction

“He [the Lord] has called us out from the world that we may be witnesses for His truth, and all through our ranks young men and women should be trained for positions of usefulness and influence.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 135.

1 FURTHER EDUCATION

  • What was God’s plan for the education of the Hebrews, and how was advanced education made available for those called to teach? Psalm 32:8; Malachi 2:7.

Note: “The great truths of God’s providence and of the future life were impressed on the young [Hebrew] mind. It was trained to see God alike in the scenes of nature and the words of revelation. …

“Such was the training of Moses in the lowly cabin home in Goshen; of Samuel, by the faithful Hannah; of David, in the hill dwelling at Bethlehem; of Daniel, before the scenes of the captivity separated him from the home of his fathers. Such, too, was the early life of Christ at Nazareth; such the training by which the child Timothy learned from the lips of his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice (II Timothy 1:5; 3:15), the truths of Holy Writ.

“Further provision was made for the instruction of the young, by the establishment of the schools of the prophets. If a youth desired to search deeper into the truths of the word of God and to seek wisdom from above, that he might become a teacher in Israel, these schools were open to him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 592, 593.

2 MISSIONARY TRAINING

  • What reveals the power of godliness exerted by the schools of the prophets? I Samuel 19:20–23; II Kings 2:7, 11, 15.

Note: “In the highest sense the prophet was one who spoke by direct inspiration, communicating to the people the messages he had received from God. But the name was given also to those who, though not so directly inspired, were divinely called to instruct the people in the works and ways of God. For the training of such a class of teachers, Samuel, by the Lord’s direction, established the schools of the prophets.

“These schools were intended to serve as a barrier against the wide-spreading corruption, to provide for the mental and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote the prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counselors. To this end, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. As they studied the word and the works of God, His life-giving power quickened the energies of mind and soul, and the students received wisdom from above. The instructors were not only versed in divine truth, but had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and had received the special endowment of His Spirit.” Education, 46.

“The chief subjects of study in these schools [of the prophets] were the law of God, with the instruction given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry.” Ibid., 47.

  • In our day, what distinguishes the missionary school or college from the intermediate school? Hebrews 5:12–14.

Note: “Intermediate schools are highly essential. In these schools thorough work is to be done; for many students will go forth from them directly into the great harvest field. They will go forth to use what they have learned, as canvassers and as helpers in various lines of evangelistic work. Many workers, after laboring for a time in the field, will feel the need of further study, and with the experience gained in the field will be prepared to value school privileges and to make rapid advancement. Some will desire an education in the higher branches of study. For these our colleges have been established.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 203.

3 EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE!

  • In view of the solemnity of the present hour, what do God’s people urgently need? II Timothy 2:1, 2.

Note: “Workers are to be trained who will train and educate others. Thus the good work will go forward, and whole communities will be blessed. Men and women will be brought into the fold at the eleventh hour, and if they are earnest and faithful, the Lord will accept them and work through them. As they put on Christ, their minds are filled with the treasures of heavenly truth, which they give to others, to be given by them to still others.” The Review and Herald, May 13, 1902.

  • When converted to Christ, what do we value, and on what themes can we focus to bless others? Isaiah 29:24; I Corinthians 14:31.

Note: “Students who expect to become workers in the cause of God should be trained to speak in a clear, straightforward manner, else they will be shorn of half their influence for good. The ability to speak plainly and clearly, in full, round tones, is invaluable in any line of work. This qualification is indispensable in those who desire to become ministers, evangelists, Bible workers, or canvassers. Those who are planning to enter these lines of work should be taught to use the voice in such a way that when they speak to people about the truth, a decided impression for good will be made. The truth must not be marred by being communicated through defective utterance.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 380.

“Students should be given an education that will fit them for successful business life. The common branches of education should be fully and thoroughly taught. Bookkeeping should be looked upon as of equal importance with grammar.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 281, 282.

“A knowledge of science of all kinds is power, and it is in the purpose of God that advanced science shall be taught in our schools as a preparation for the work that is to precede the closing scenes of earth’s history.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 186.

“He [God] is also calling for many recruits to enter our medical missionary training schools to gain a speedy and thorough preparation for service. Some need not spend so long a time in these schools as do others.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 469, 470.

4 VITAL AREAS OF STUDY

  • How can history be of great value in our missionary schools? Isaiah 52:10; I Corinthians 1:27–29. What else is important as well?

Note: “There is a study of history that is not to be condemned. Sacred history was one of the studies in the schools of the prophets. … We are to consider the dealings of God with the nations of the earth. We are to see in history the fulfillment of prophecy, to study the workings of Providence in the great reformatory movements, and to understand the progress of events in the marshaling of the nations for the final conflict of the great controversy.” The Ministry of Healing, 441, 442.

“All our denominational colleges and training schools should make provision to give their students the education essential for evangelists and for Christian business men.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 489.

  • What can we learn from an experience at a missionary school in the time of Elisha, showing God’s care in humble situations? II Kings 6:1–7.

Note: “The minister, the missionary, the teacher, will find their influence with the people greatly increased when it is manifest that they possess the knowledge and skill required for the practical duties of everyday life. And often the success, perhaps the very life, of the missionary depends on his knowledge of practical things. The ability to prepare food, to deal with accidents and emergencies, to treat disease, to build a house, or a church if need be—often these make all the difference between success and failure in his lifework.” Education, 221.

“There should be connected with our missions, training schools for those who are about to enter the field as laborers. They should feel that they must become as apprentices to learn the trade of laboring for the conversion of souls. The labor in these schools should be varied. The study of the Bible should be made of primary importance, and at the same time there should be a systematic training of the mind and manners, that they may learn to approach people in the best possible way. All should learn how to labor with tact and with courtesy, and with the Spirit of Christ.” Evangelism, 107, 108.

5 TRAINING IN EVERY CORNER

  • How can our institutions promote the expansion of God’s work through education? Isaiah 41:6.

Note: “Clear light has been given that our educational institutions should be connected with our sanitariums wherever this is possible. The work of the two institutions is to blend.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 450.

“God designs that our publishing houses shall be successful educating schools, both in business and in spiritual lines. … Let opportunity be given for all to acquire the greatest possible efficiency. Let them become acquainted with different lines of work so that, if called to other fields, they will have an all-round training and thus be qualified to bear varied responsibilities.

“Apprentices should be so trained that, after the necessary time spent in the institution, they can go forth prepared to take up intelligently the different lines of printing work.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 147.

“The apprentices and the other workers must not be so rushed and hurried that they have no time to pray. The youth in our publishing houses should be educated as were the youth in the schools of the prophets. They should be prepared to take hold of the work in new places.” Ibid., vol. 8, 93.

“The Lord calls upon those connected with our sanitariums, publishing houses, and schools to teach the youth to do evangelistic work. Our time and energy must not be so largely employed in establishing sanitariums, food stores, and restaurants that other lines of work will be neglected. Young men and young women who should be engaged in the ministry, in Bible work, and in the canvassing work should not be bound down to mechanical employment.” Ibid., 229, 230.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 Why can we say God’s plan of education is perfect in its simplicity?

2 Why is intermediate education sufficient for some, but not for all?

3 What studies are vital in preparing laborers for the harvest?

4 Why are practical skills so important for missionaries?

5 Name one reason why rivalry must be banished from institutions.

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Intermediate Education

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June 10, 2012 – June 16, 2012

Key Text

“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” Psalm 144:12.

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 395–406; Education, 214–222.

Introduction

“The children and youth, with their fresh talent, energy, and courage, their quick susceptibilities, are loved of God, and He desires to bring them into harmony with divine agencies. They are to obtain an education that will help them to stand by the side of Christ in unselfish service.” The Ministry of Healing, 395.

1 PRIORITIES IN PLANNING

  • What list of top priorities should be instilled in a young heart full of dreams about his or her future? I Timothy 6:5–12; II Corinthians 4:18.

Note: “The young should be taught that both their present and their future well-being depend to a great degree on the habits they form in childhood and youth. They should be early accustomed to submission, self-denial, and a regard for others’ happiness. They should be taught to subdue the hasty temper, to withhold the passionate word, to manifest unvarying kindness, courtesy, and self-control.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 67.

“From a worldly point of view, money is power; but from the Christian standpoint, love is power.” The Adventist Home, 195.

“Be not controlled by the desire for wealth, the dictates of fashion, or the customs of society. Consider what will tend most to simplicity, purity, health, and real worth.” The Ministry of Healing, 363.

“If we do not live to bless others, we are unfaithful stewards, and we shall never receive the heavenly benediction, ‘Well done.’ But God will have a peculiar people, of whom it is written, that Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The Review and Herald, June 27, 1893.

2 YOUTHFUL JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE

  • What was seen in the boy Jesus? Romans 12:1, 2; I Peter 1:18, 19.

Note: “He [Jesus] was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable.” The Desire of Ages, 72.

  • How can we follow more closely young Jesus’ example? Luke 2:52.

Note: “It was the simplicity of the life of Christ, and His freedom from pride and vanity, that gave Him favor with God and man. He did not seek to attract attention for distinction. His life was characterized with firmness, yet He was ever respectful and obedient. He submitted to the restraint imposed upon children. He took pleasure in discharging His obligations to His parents and to society, without yielding His principles or being contaminated with the impure influence surrounding Him in Nazareth.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873.

“Parents must exercise increasing watchfulness, that their children be not lost to God. If it were considered as important that the young possess a beautiful character and amiable disposition as it is that they imitate the fashions of the world in dress and deportment, we would see hundreds where there is one today coming upon the stage of active life prepared to exert an ennobling influence upon society. …

“The efforts of the best teachers must often bear little fruit, if fathers and mothers fail to act their part with faithfulness.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 69, 70.

“With what care parents should guard their children from careless, loose, demoralizing habits! Fathers and mothers, do you realize the importance of the responsibility resting on you? Do you allow your children to associate with other children without being present to know what kind of education they are receiving? Do not allow them to be alone with other children.” Child Guidance, 114.

3 A CHRIST-CENTERED CURRICULUM

  • What is a key to planning a Christian curriculum? Psalm 127:1.

Note: “It should be the great aim in every intermediate school to do most thorough work in the common branches.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 210.

“The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.” Education, 168.

  • How can a vital principle of true Christianity be taught even in such subjects as geography and history?

Note: “It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the ‘regions beyond,’ let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils study the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with an array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them study all lands in the light of missionary effort and become acquainted with the peoples and their needs.” Education, 269.

“When heavenly intelligences see that men are no longer permitted to present the truth, the Spirit of God will come upon the children, and they will do a work in the proclamation of the truth which the older workers cannot do, because their way will be hedged up.

“Our church schools are ordained by God to prepare the children for this great work.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

4 SCIENCE THAT HONORS GOD

  • Why can intermediate subjects be of deep interest? Romans 11:33.

Note: “We would not discourage education, nor put a low estimate on mental culture and discipline. God would have us students as long as we remain in the world. Every opportunity for culture should be improved. The faculties need to be strengthened by exercise, the mind to be trained and expanded by taxing study; but all this may be done while the heart is becoming an easy prey to deception. Wisdom from above must be communicated to the soul. … The Bible is not to be tested by men’s ideas of science, but science is to be brought to the test of the unerring standard.

“Yet the study of the sciences is not to be neglected. Books must be used for this purpose: but they should be in harmony with the Bible, for that is the standard. Books of this character should take the place of many of those now in the hands of students.

“God is the author of science. Scientific research opens to the mind vast fields of thought and information, enabling us to see God in His created works. Ignorance may try to support skepticism by appeals to science; but instead of upholding skepticism, true science contributes fresh evidences of the wisdom and power of God. Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Together they lead us to God by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which He works.

“When the student recognizes God as the source of all knowledge, and honors Him, submitting mind and character to be molded by His word, he may claim the promise, ‘Them that honor me I will honor.’ 1 Samuel 2:30. The more studiously the intellect is cultivated, the more effectively it can be used in the service of God if it is placed under the control of His Spirit.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 425, 426.

  • What can even children be instructed to do for the sick and the suffering? I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:15.

Note: “Children are to be instructed in the special truths for this time and in practical missionary work. They are to enlist in the army of workers to help the sick and the suffering. Children can take part in the medical missionary work and by their jots and tittles can help to carry it forward.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

5 PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL

  • What are some important aims we should have for our youth, and how and why can these be promoted? Psalm 144:12; Daniel 1:17.

Note: “Now, as in the days of Israel, every youth should be instructed in the duties of practical life. Each should acquire a knowledge of some branch of manual labor by which, if need be, he may obtain a livelihood.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 307.

“Young girls should have been instructed to manufacture wearing apparel, to cut, make, and mend garments, and thus become educated for the practical duties of life. For young men, there should be establishments where they could learn different trades, which would bring into exercise their muscles as well as their mental powers. If the youth can have but a one-sided education, which is of the greater consequence—a knowledge of the sciences, with all the disadvantages to health and life, or a knowledge of labor for practical life? We unhesitatingly answer, The latter. If one must be neglected, let it be the study of books.” Counsels on Health, 180.

“In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but practice. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. … Such an ambition [to do the work in the best possible manner], together with the invigorating effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the tide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the great cities.” Education, 219, 220.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What change is needed in the heart of the materialistically-minded?

2 How did Jesus differ from most of our youth, and what does this show?

3 How can the spirit of service be entwined into our basic curricula?

4 In what ways can true science bring blessings to the world?

5 How can better agricultural studies greatly help today’s society?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Useful Basics in Education

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June 3, 2012 – June 9, 2012

Key Text

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.” I Corinthians 10:23, 24.

Study Help: Fundamentals of Christian Education, 373–380; Testimonies, vol. 6, 141–151.

Introduction

“He [God] requires every one to attain the highest possible degree of usefulness.” The Signs of the Times, September 18, 1884.

1 THE TOP TWO BOOKS

  • Why is the Bible unsurpassed in teaching sharp, accurate thinking, and discernment? Ezekiel 44:23; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:13, 16.

Note: “Above all other books, the word of God must be our study, the great textbook, the basis of all education; and our children are to be educated in the truths found therein, irrespective of previous habits and customs. In doing this, teachers and students will find the hidden treasure, the higher education.

“Bible rules are to be the guide of the daily life. The cross of Christ is to be the theme, revealing the lessons we must learn and practice. Christ must be brought into all the studies.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 131, 132.

  • What is the second textbook? Psalm 19:1–3; Romans 1:20.

Note: “While the Bible should hold the first place in the education of children and youth, the book of nature is next in importance. God’s created works testify to His love and power.” Special Testimonies on Education, 58.

2 USEFULNESS HINDERED

  • From what has the Lord always called His people to flee, and why is this important today? Isaiah 52:11; Revelation 18:4. To what dangers are children and youth exposed when they attend public schools?

Note: “Those who attend the public schools often associate with others more neglected than they, those who, aside from the time spent in the schoolroom, are left to obtain a street education. The hearts of the young are easily impressed; and unless their surroundings are of the right character, Satan will use these neglected children to influence those who are more carefully trained. Thus before Sabbathkeeping parents know what evil is being done, the lessons of depravity are learned, and the souls of their little ones are corrupted. …

“Do our children receive from the teachers in the public schools ideas that are in harmony with the word of God? Is sin presented as an offense against God? Is obedience to all the commandments of God taught as the beginning of all wisdom? We send our children to the Sabbath school that they may be instructed in regard to the truth, and then as they go to the day school, lessons containing falsehood are given them to learn. These things confuse the mind, and should not be; for if the young receive ideas that pervert the truth, how will the influence of this education be counteracted?

“Can we wonder that under such circumstances some of the youth among us do not appreciate religious advantages? Can we wonder that they drift into temptation? Can we wonder that, neglected as they have been, their energies are devoted to amusements which do them no good, that their religious aspirations are weakened and their spiritual life darkened? The mind will be of the same character as that upon which it feeds, the harvest of the same nature as the seed sown.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 193, 194.

  • Why are some sports (mostly athletic contests) wasteful? Ecclesiastes 12:8; I Corinthians 10:23.

Note: “What force of powers is put into your games of football and your other inventions after the way of the Gentiles—exercises which bless no one! Just put the same powers into exercise in doing useful labor, and would not your record be more pleasing to meet in the great day of God?” Special Testimonies on Education, 191.

3 PRACTICAL PHYSICAL EDUCATION

  • In what blessing can youth rejoice? Proverbs 20:29, first part.

Note: “Physical culture is an essential part of all right methods of education. The young need to be taught how to develop their physical powers, how to preserve these powers in the best condition, and how to make them useful in the practical duties of life. Many think that these things are no part of school work; but this is a mistake. The lessons necessary to fit one for practical usefulness should be taught to every child in the home and to every student in the schools.

“It is well that physiology is introduced into the common schools as a branch of education; all children should study it.” The Signs of the Times, March 14, 1900.

  • What gives very productive physical education? Genesis 2:15; 3:19.

Note: “Working the soil is one of the best kinds of employment, calling the muscles into action and resting the mind. Study in agricultural lines should be the A, B, and C of the education given in our schools. This is the very first work that should be entered upon. Our schools should not depend upon imported produce, for grain and vegetables, and the fruits so essential to health.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 179.

  • Why is the study of physiology and hygiene an important part of the curriculum? Psalm 139:14.

Note: “A knowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all educational effort.” Education, 195.

“In the study of physiology, pupils should be led to see the value of physical energy and how it can be so preserved and developed as to contribute in the highest degree to success in life’s great struggle.

“Children should be early taught, in simple, easy lessons, the rudiments of physiology and hygiene. … They should understand the importance of guarding against disease by preserving the vigor of every organ and should also be taught how to deal with common diseases and accidents.” Ibid., 196.

4 THE MUSCLES PUT TO GOOD USE

  • What foundation is to be laid early in life? Galatians 5:13, last part.

Note: “When the child is old enough to be sent to school, the teacher should co-operate with the parents, and manual training should be continued as a part of his school duties. There are many students who object to this kind of work in the schools. They think useful employments, like learning a trade, degrading; but such persons have an incorrect idea of what constitutes true dignity. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father, the Commander in the heavenly courts, was the personal instructor and guide of the children of Israel; and among them it was required that every youth should learn how to work. All were to be educated in some business line, that they might possess a knowledge of practical life, and be not only self-sustaining, but useful.” Special Testimonies on Education, 38.

“The greatest benefit is not gained from exercise that is taken as play or exercise merely. There is some benefit derived from being in the fresh air, and also from the exercise of the muscles; but let the same amount of energy be given to the performance of helpful duties, and the benefit will be greater, and a feeling of satisfaction will be realized; for such exercise carries with it the sense of helpfulness and the approval of conscience for duty well done.

“In the children and youth an ambition should be awakened to take their exercise in doing something that will be beneficial to themselves and helpful to others.” Ibid., 39, 40.

  • What can we learn from Christ’s life while at home? Luke 2:51.

Note: “In His earth-life, Christ was an example to all the human family, and He was obedient and helpful in the home. He learned the carpenter’s trade, and worked with His own hands in the little shop at Nazareth.” Special Testimonies on Education, 38.

“When children reach a suitable age, they should be provided with tools. Both boys and girls should learn to use these tools. You will find them apt pupils.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 325, 326.

5 A SOLID MENTAL FOUNDATION

  • Name some important subjects for every student. Psalm 71:17.

Note: “More important than the acquirement of foreign languages, living or dead, is the ability to write and speak one’s mother tongue with ease and accuracy.” Education, 234.

“Voice culture should be taught in the reading class; and in other classes the teacher should insist that the students speak distinctly and use words which express their thoughts clearly and forcibly.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 216.

“To spell correctly, to write a clear, fair hand, and to keep accounts, are necessary accomplishments.” Ibid., 218.

“When very young, children should be educated to read, to write, to understand figures, to keep their own accounts. They may go forward, advancing step by step in this knowledge.” Ibid., 168, 169.

“In the study of figures the work should be made practical. Let every youth and every child be taught, not merely to solve imaginary problems, but to keep an accurate account of his own income and outgoes.” Education, 238, 239.

“Do not neglect to teach your children how to prepare wholesome food. In giving them these lessons in physiology and in good cooking, you are teaching them the first steps in some of the most useful branches of education.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 127.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How can all subjects taught center around one chief Textbook?

2 As students peer into nature, what should the teacher emphasize?

3 What serious dangers do students face in the public school system?

4 Name some benefits to be gained from agricultural programs.

5 What is the spiritual advantage of each subject named in this lesson?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Elementary Education

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May 27, 2012 – June 2, 2012

Key Text

“The child [Jesus] grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:40.

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 66–74; The Adventist Home, 181–194.

Introduction

“In the life of Christ, we see the only safe pattern for all children and youth.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873.

1 GOD SHELTERED HIS SON

  • What experience in the early life of Jesus reveals God’s emphasis on the importance of a quiet, peaceful infancy? Matthew 2:1, 9–15.

Note: “The Lord provided a way for Joseph to preserve his own life, and the life of Jesus, and that of the mother, by their fleeing into Egypt. He provided for the necessities of their journey, and for their sojourn in Egypt, by moving upon the wise men of the East to go in search of the infant Saviour, and to bear Him valuable offerings as a token of honor. … The earthly parents of Jesus were poor. The gifts brought to them by the wise men sustained them while in the land of strangers.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, 26.

  • Rather than remain in Egypt, to where were Jesus’ parents later directed, and why? Matthew 2:19–23.

Note: “His [Jesus’] childhood and youthful life is an example for parents as well as children, that the more quiet and unnoticed the period of childhood and youth is passed, and the more natural and free from artificial excitement, the more safe will it be for the children, and the more favorable for the formation of a character of purity, natural simplicity, and true moral worth.” Lift Him Up, 32.

2 TEACHING GENTLE MERCY

  • In today’s world of artificial excitement, noise, and distractions, why must parents make firm efforts to ensure a quiet, peaceful environment for training their little ones? Proverbs 1:33; Isaiah 32:18.

Note: “His [Jesus’] quiet and simple life, and even the silence of the Scriptures concerning His early years, teach an important lesson. The more quiet and simple the life of the child—the more free from artificial excitement, and the more in harmony with nature—the more favorable is it to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

  • If moving to a more peaceful environment and sacrificing time for our child seems inconvenient, what should we as parents consider?

Note: “The church needs men of a meek and quiet spirit, who are long-suffering and patient. Let them learn these attributes in dealing with their families. Let parents think a great deal more of their children’s eternal interests than they do of their present comfort.” Child Guidance, 267, 268.

“The education and training of their children to be Christians is the highest service that parents can render to God.” The Adventist Home, 268.

  • In the case of Jesus, what key lessons prevailed in His home school under the tutelage of Joseph and Mary? Psalm 116:5; Luke 2:40; James 5:11, last part.

Note: “Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for the world; and through all those secluded years at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of sympathy and tenderness. The aged, the sorrowing, and the sin-burdened, the children at play in their innocent joy, the little creatures of the groves, the patient beasts of burden—all were happier for His presence. He whose word of power upheld the worlds would stoop to relieve a wounded bird. There was nothing beneath His notice, nothing to which He disdained to minister.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

3 A WONDERFUL EDUCATION

  • What kinds of things did Jesus study as a boy, and how can we learn from His example? Psalm 119:16; Job 38:18, 22–27, 33; 39:1, 2.

Note: “Since He [Jesus] gained knowledge as we may do, His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures shows how diligently His early years were given to the study of God’s word. And spread out before Him was the great library of God’s created works. He who had made all things studied the lessons which His own hand had written in earth and sea and sky. Apart from the unholy ways of the world, He gathered stores of scientific knowledge from nature. He studied the life of plants and animals, and the life of man. From His earliest years He was possessed of one purpose; He lived to bless others. For this He found resources in nature; new ideas of ways and means flashed into His mind as He studied plant life and animal life.” The Desire of Ages, 70.

  • What motive did young Jesus have in learning things? Proverbs 9:9.

Note: “Continually He [Jesus] was seeking to draw from things seen illustrations by which to present the living oracles of God. The parables by which, during His ministry, He loved to teach His lessons of truth show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how He had gathered the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of His daily life.

“Thus to Jesus the significance of the word and the works of God was unfolded, as He was trying to understand the reason of things. Heavenly beings were His attendants, and the culture of holy thoughts and communings was His. From the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in spiritual grace and knowledge of truth.

“Every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did. As we try to become acquainted with our heavenly Father through His word, angels will draw near, our minds will be strengthened, our characters will be elevated and refined. We shall become more like our Saviour. And as we behold the beautiful and grand in nature, our affections go out after God.” The Desire of Ages, 70.

4 AN INTEREST SHARED

  • How important is proper timing in education? Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2.

Note: “Small children should be left free as lambs to run out of doors, to be free and happy, and be allowed the most favorable opportunities to lay the foundation for sound constitutions. Parents should be their only teachers, until they have reached eight or ten years of age. They should open before their children God’s great book of nature as fast as their minds can comprehend it.” The Health Reformer, September 1, 1872.

“Do not send your little ones away to school too early. The mother should be careful how she trusts the molding of the infant mind to other hands. Parents ought to be the best teachers of their children until they have reached eight or ten years of age.” Christian Education, 170.

  • Impressionable as children are, and prone to imitate their peers, why is schooling outside the home not to be urged too early? Exodus 23:2.

Note: “The school in the home should be a place where children are taught that the eye of God is upon them, observing all that they do. If this thought were deeply impressed upon the mind, the work of governing children would be made much easier. In the home-school our boys and girls are being prepared to attend a church school when they reach a proper age to associate more intimately with other children.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 5.

  • What is God’s plan when parents are not able to teach their children full time beyond the age of eight or ten, and why? Job 36:10.

Note: “Those mothers that want to keep their children at home, and are fully competent and would prefer to discipline them herself, why, no one has any objection to that. They can do that. But provision is to be made so that the children of all who have any connection with this food factory and sanitarium [at St. Helena, California] … should be educated. We must have it stand to reach the highest standards.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 219.

5 A NEED IN EVERY LOCALITY

  • What should be the priority of parents when choosing where to educate their children? Psalm 101:3; II Corinthians 6:17, 18.

Note: “In planning for the education of their children outside the home, parents should realize that it is no longer safe to send them to the public school, and should endeavor to send them to schools where they will obtain an education based on a Scriptural foundation.” Child Guidance, 304.

“In some countries parents are compelled by law to send their children to school. In these countries, in localities where there is a church, schools should be established, if there are no more than six children to attend.” Ibid., 308, 309.

  • Why should church schools be an important goal? Isaiah 54:13.

Note: “Work as if you were working for your life to save the children from being drowned in the polluting, corrupting influences of the world.

“We are far behind our duty in this important matter. In many places schools should have been in operation years ago. Many localities would thus have had representatives of the truth who would have given character to the work of the Lord. Instead of centering so many large buildings in a few places, schools should have been established in many localities.

“Let these schools now be started under wise direction, that the children and youth may be educated in their own churches.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 199, 200.

“Children of eight, ten, or twelve years are old enough to be addressed on the subject of personal religion. Do not teach your children with reference to some future period when they shall be old enough to repent and believe the truth.” Child Guidance, 490, 491.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What characterized the early education of the boy Jesus?

2 What should today’s couples consider when having children?

3 Why did Jesus study the life of both plants and animals?

4 When can children healthfully be placed in a school environment?

5 What is essential about the school environment of our children?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Recipe – Banana Recipes: Green Goddess & Banana-Honey Tofu Ice Cream

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Green Goddess

3 large ripe kiwifruit

2 ripe bananas

½ cup plain soft tofu, drained

1 ½ cups water, chilled

1 cup seedless green grapes

½ cup vanilla soy milk

3 Tbsp. honey

In blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Pour mixture into glasses and serve.

Banana-Honey Tofu Ice Cream

½ lb. firm tofu, drained

1 cup plain soy milk

¼ cup honey

3 ripe bananas

1 ½ Tbsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In blender, puree all ingredients in 2 equal batches until very smooth. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve right away or transfer to airtight container and freeze up to 3 days.

Food – Bananas

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Inexpensive, easy to eat, and always available, bananas are such a common treat that cooks tend to overlook the sweet (and savory) possibilities the fruit has to offer. Bananas are not widely consumed in Western dishes outside of breakfast, snacks, or desserts, but in Thailand there is a dish that combines sticky rice, black beans, and bananas, and in the Philippines you can find banana ketchup. In Kenya, green bananas are used to make fries, and you can use green bananas like potatoes to make various starch dishes.

There are some strong health reasons to expand your banana repertoire. Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and fiber. Bananas are also high in starches called prebiotics because they feed probiotics, the friendly bacteria that help keep your digestive system in balance. All these qualities add up to make this everyday fruit pretty exceptional after all.

Nutritional Profile

One medium banana contains: 105 calories, 27 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 32 mg magnesium, 422 mg potassium, 0.4 mg vitamin B6.

Mellow Yellow, Rosy Red, and Max-Flavor Minis

Branch out from everyday yellow (Cavendish) bananas and reach for a bunch of these:

  • Burro Bananas—Squat and chunky, their mild flavor and starchy texture make them ideal for savory dishes.
  • Red Bananas—Faintly sweet, these maroon-skinned fruits have a fragrant, firm pinkish flesh.
  • Baby Bananas—Fans extol these petite treats’ concentrated “true” banana flavor.

Choose the Best of the Bunch

Bananas continue to ripen once picked, so look for vibrantly colored fruit—green or yellow, depending on how soon you plan to eat it. Avoid buying bananas that have a grayish or dull hue; this means they’ve been refrigerated in transport, which stops the ripening process. Black or brown speckles, or “sugar spots,” are a sign of ripeness, whereas larger, black bruises indicate the fruit has been damaged.

Tip: Never throw away overripe bananas again! Instead, peel and freeze them whole in plastic bags before they turn black. Frozen bananas work great in smoothies and baked goods.

Nature – The Northern Flicker

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Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with handsome black-scalloped plumage. Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to spend much time on the ground finding its food. A portion of its diet consists of ants and beetles, and it can often be found in open, sandy areas that are heavily populated by ant colonies.

Approaching the ant mound, the flicker vigorously disturbs the doorway of the ant colony. The “doorway” tunnels underground and branches into many chambers. The ants, protective of their larvae, respond to the threat of intrusion viciously attacking insects and worms, inflicting fatal bites killing their formidable enemies. Instinctively aware of the ants’ response, the flicker disrupts the colony, drawing the ants out of their confines. Its long, blade-like tongue, coated with a special, sticky fluid and impervious to the bite of the ant, is inserted into the ant hole and, being mistaken for an intruding worm, is attacked. The sticky coating entangles the ants and the tongue is quickly removed, and the flicker devours the succulent insects and then reinserts the tongue into the tunnel. With no way for ants to escape, the flicker is able to annihilate an entire ant colony or inflict such damage to the population that tremendous effort is required for the ants to recover.

This woodpecker is able to extend its probing, sticky tongue up to three inches beyond its beak. This allows it to collect and consume huge quantities of ants in a short period of time. Besides ants, the Northern Flicker eats a variety of insects such as crickets, beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars that are found on the ground, under debris. It also eats a variety of fruits, vegetables and berries.

The female determines the final location of their nest. If no available hollow is found, the paired flickers choose a decayed, deciduous tree, chipping and cleaning a suitable site. Carefully they remove the chips and deposit them a considerable distance from the nest to avoid it being exposed. Both the male and female share the responsibility of construction, incubation and also the feeding of the hatchlings. As they mature, survival skills are taught by hiding food for them to retrieve.

Every living thing participates in God’s divine plan, depending on Him for survival. From the least creature to God’s crowning act—Man, who was created in the image of God—all are to do His bidding in his own unique way. Instinctively birds obey, filling the air with music, fertilizing the ground, sometimes pollinating plants and at other times spreading seeds, clothing the earth in green. God said of His people, “This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.” Isaiah 43:21.

“God has given you brain power to use. The wants of the believers and the necessities of unbelievers are to be carefully studied, and your labors are to meet their necessities. … You are a servant of the living God.” Evangelism, 650.

Children’s Story – A Mother’s Voice

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Since the prevailing Indian troubles commenced, an Indian camp was captured, together with a number of prisoners, including squaws, and some half dozen white captives, boys and girls from five to twelve years of age. Word was sent throughout the country, inviting those who had lost children to come to the camp and identify, if possible, their children, as none of them could give any account of who their parents were or where they were taken from, so young were they when they were taken captive by the Indians. Numbers of parents went to the camp—more than there were children—and, of course, many of them returned with heavy hearts at being unable to find their lost ones. Among the number who went hundreds of miles to the camp was a mother who had lost two children several years before—a boy and a girl, one three and the other five years old.

Efforts were made to persuade her not to go; as so long a time had elapsed, it was certain she could not identify her children even if they stood before her. But she could not rest; she must go and go she did. On arriving at the encampment she found the captives ranged in line for inspection. She looked at them first from a distance, her anxious heart pounding in her bosom. But she did not see her children; at least she saw nothing in the group that bore the slightest resemblance to her baby boy and girl, as they had looked when playing about her doorstep. She looked long and steadily at them, as her heart began to sink and grow heavy in her bosom. At last with tears and sobs she withdrew, but when some paces off, she stopped and turned about quickly, as apparently a thought had occurred to her. Drying her eyes she broke forth in a sweet hymn she had been wont to sing to her children as a lullaby. Scarce a word had been uttered, when two of the captives, a boy and girl, rushed from the line exclaiming, “Mamma! Mamma!” The mother went home perfectly satisfied that she had found her long lost children.

This is a true story. Those children, even though they had been separated from their mother for a long time, remembered the tune their mother used to sing to them when they were little and recognized her voice. Because they remembered, they were able to go home with her.

Jesus always puts a song or a word in our hearts when we are faithful to spend time listening to Him. It may be a song like “Jesus Loves Me,” or a scripture verse that you have learned by memory. Philippians 4:13, NKJV is a good one to memorize: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,” and “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10, NKJV. God loves to hear you repeat His Word.

God loves His children more than a mother loves her children, and He always wants you to be able to know Him through song and verse.

The Signs of the Times, August 28, 1879.

Keys to the Storehouse – Character Under Pressure

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We live in a world of uncertainty with much pressure and/or stress. It is how we respond at such times that reveals just who controls our character; is it Christ or Satan? History reveals that during the Reformation, under almost indescribable persecution, Christ upheld His faithful ones, giving them the resolve to stand firm in their faith no matter what the consequences were. “The procession halted, the house was entered, the family were dragged forth and chained, and the terrible company went forward in search of fresh victims. … It was a reign of terror.” D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, b. 4, ch. 10.” The Great Controversy, 226.

“The victims were put to death with cruel torture, it being specially ordered that the fire should be lowered in order to prolong their agony. But

  • they died as conquerors.
  • Their constancy was unshaken,
  • their peace unclouded.
  • Their persecutors, powerless to move their inflexible firmness, felt themselves defeated.

“ ‘The scaffolds were distributed over all the quarters of Paris, and the burnings followed on successive days, the design being to spread the terror of heresy by spreading the executions.

  • The advantage, however, in the end, remained with the gospel.
  • All Paris was enabled to see what kind of men the new opinions [new faith] could produce.
  • There was no pulpit like the martyr’s pile.
  • The serene joy that lighted up the faces of these men as they passed along … to the place of execution,
  • their heroism as they stood amid the bitter flames,
  • their meek forgiveness of injuries, transformed, in instances not a few, anger into pity, and hate into love, and pleaded with resistless eloquence in behalf of the gospel.’—Wylie, b. 13, ch. 20.” Ibid., 226.

Compared to these heroes of faith, how do you respond under the little pressures and stresses of each day? We are told that all Paris saw the reflection of Christ’s character shining through the flames. These innocent souls forgave their persecutors in meekness with hearts that were turned from anger and hate to love and pity. That transformation of character is available to all who have that desire and ask. There is no limit to the witness of the one in whom Christ lives. Then, when times of pressure and/or stress come upon us, it is the character of Christ that shines through and touches those around us because He has been transforming us ever so gradually.

Do you want that character that will stand strong in the flames of hate and that will reflect Christ at all times? Ask for it! Ask for the Holy Spirit to come into your life and make that transformation. God is waiting for such a request.

“God knows you by name. He knows every action of your life. …

“God knows every thought, every purpose, every plan, every motive.” My Life Today, 291.

The above group of people had the Holy Spirit working in their hearts daily and when the enemy came in like a flood, the Lord fulfilled His promise in each of them. “I am with you alway.” Matthew 28:20.

What a fulfillment!

Father: I plead for Your Holy Spirit to take total control of my heart. Bestow upon me a constancy today that will remain unshaken and a peace that will remain unclouded through all the pressures and stresses in my life so that Your character will be reflected no matter what may befall me. Amen.