LESSON 6 *February 4–10

Laying Up Treasure in Heaven

Laying Up Treasure in Heaven

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 6:5–14, Heb. 11:8–13, 2 Cor. 4:18, Gen. 13:10–12, Gen. 32:22–31, Heb. 11:24–29.

Memory Text: “ ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’ ” (Mark 8:36, 37, NKJV).

Jesus gave us the world’s best investment strategy when He said: “ ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal’ ” (Matt. 6:19, 20, NKJV). Jesus concludes His investment strategy by saying, “ ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ ” (Matt. 6:21, NKJV). In other words: show Me what you spend your money on, and I will show you where your heart is, because wherever you put your money, your heart is sure to follow, if it’s not there already.

Do you want a heart for the kingdom of God? If so, then put your money where it will reap eternal rewards. Put your time and your money and prayer into God’s work. If you do, you will soon become even more interested in that work, and your heart will follow, as well. This week we will review texts and illustrations that show us how to store up treasures in heaven and, ultimately, reap an eternal reward.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 11.


Sabbath Afternoon, February 4

Lesson 6 - Laying Up Treasure in Heaven

The work of transferring your possessions to the world above is worthy of all your best energies. It is of the highest importance, and involves your eternal interests. That which you bestow in the cause of God is not lost. All that is given for the salvation of souls and the glory of God is invested in the most successful enterprise in this life and in the life to come. Your talents of gold and silver, if given to the exchangers, are gaining continually in value, which will be registered to your account in the kingdom of heaven. You are to be the recipients of the eternal wealth that has increased in the hands of the exchangers. In giving to the work of God, you are laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven. All that you lay up above is secure from disaster and loss and is increasing to an eternal, and enduring, substance.—“The Treasure and the Heart,” Review and Herald, January 24, 1888.
 

Every Christian is a steward of God, entrusted with His goods. Let all who claim to be Christians deal wisely with the Lord’s goods. God is making an inventory of the money lent you and the spiritual advantages given you. Will you as stewards make careful inventory? Will you examine whether you are using economically all that God has placed in your charge, or whether you are wasting the Lord’s goods by selfish outlay in order to make a display? Would that all that is spent needlessly were laid up as treasure in heaven! . . .

God will encourage His faithful stewards who are ready to put all their energies and God-given endowments to the very best use. As all learn the lesson of faithfully rendering to God what is His due, He through His providence will enable some to bring princely offerings. He will enable others to make smaller offerings, and the small and the large gifts are acceptable to Him if given with an eye single to His glory.—That I May Know Him, p. 220.
 

What can be compared with the loss of a human soul? It is a question which every soul must determine for himself—whether to gain the treasures of eternal life or to lose all because of his neglect to make God and His righteousness his first and only business. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, . . . looks with grief upon the large number of those who profess to be Christians who are not serving Him but themselves. They scarcely think of eternal realities, notwithstanding He calls their attention to the rich reward awaiting the faithful who will serve Him with their undivided affections. He brings eternal realities within the range of their vision. He bids them to count the cost now of being an obedient and faithful follower of Christ, and says, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).—Manuscript 45, 1890.

Where their treasure is, there will their heart be also. Those who have the Lord’s talents of means are placed under a heavy responsibility. They are not to invest money merely for the gratification of selfish desires, for whatever is spent in this way is just that much kept from the Lord’s treasury. Through the sovereign goodness of God, the Holy Spirit works through the human agent, and causes him to make smaller or larger investments in the cause of God, to make them redound to the glory of God.—Reflecting Christ, p. 266.

SUNDAY February 5

Noah Found Grace

It is noteworthy to consider that those who are seeking heavenly treasure are frequently called by God to make major life alterations here on earth. Be prepared to face the same thing, if need be.

Read Genesis 6:5–14. What radical changes came into Noah’s life as a result of obeying God? What principles can we find here for ourselves in a world that needs to be warned about impending doom?

* Your notes will not be saved!

Noah could have spent his time and resources building a home for himself, but he chose to make a drastic change in his life and to spend 120 years of that life in following the call of God to build the ark.

Many skeptics today dismiss the story of the Flood as a myth, often based on scientific speculations about the known laws of nature. This is nothing new. “The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order. Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or dew. The rivers had never yet passed their boundaries, but had borne their waters safely to the sea. Fixed decrees had kept the waters from overflowing their banks.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 96. Before the Flood, people argued that a flood could never come based on a faulty understanding of reality; after the Flood, based on a faulty understanding of reality, they argue that it never came to begin with. As the Bible says: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles. 1:9, NKJV).

Meanwhile, the Bible also says that people will be skeptical of end-time events, as they were of the Flood (see 2 Pet. 3:3–7). How can we, then, prepare for the coming destruction? There is a conscious decision called “delayed gratification.” This basically means that we should patiently do the work God has called us to do in the hope of a more glorious future reward. We don’t know when Christ will return. In one sense, it doesn’t matter. What matters instead is that, like Noah, we do what God asks of us in the meantime, even if, as with Noah, it means some radical life changes.

How ready would you be to make a major change in your life for God if, like Noah, you were called to do just that? (Hint: See Luke 16:10.)


Sunday, February 5

Noah Found Grace

Noah and his family were not alone in fearing and obeying God. But Noah was the most pious and holy of any upon the earth, and was the one whose life God preserved to carry out His will in building the ark and warning the world of its coming doom. Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, lived until the very year of the Flood; and there were others who believed the preaching of Noah, and aided him in building the ark, who died before the flood of waters came upon the earth. Noah, by his preaching and example in building the ark, condemned the world.

God gave all who chose an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. But they believed not the preaching of Noah. They mocked at his warnings and ridiculed the building of that immense vessel on dry land. Noah’s efforts to reform his fellow men did not succeed. But for more than one hundred years he persevered in his efforts to turn men to repentance and to God. Every blow struck upon the ark was preaching to the people. Noah directed, he preached, he worked, while the people looked on in amazement and regarded him as a fanatic.—The Story of Redemption, p. 63.
 

Geologists claim to find evidence from the earth itself that it is very much older than the Mosaic record teaches. Bones of men and animals, as well as instruments of warfare, petrified trees, et cetera, much larger than any that now exist, or that have existed for thousands of years, have been discovered, and from this it is inferred that the earth was populated long before the time brought to view in the record of creation, and by a race of beings vastly superior in size to any men now living. Such reasoning has led many professed Bible believers to adopt the position that the days of creation were vast, indefinite periods.

But apart from Bible history, geology can prove nothing. Those who reason so confidently upon its discoveries have no adequate conception of the size of men, animals, and trees before the Flood, or of the great changes which then took place. Relics found in the earth do give evidence of conditions differing in many respects from the present, but the time when these conditions existed can be learned only from the Inspired Record. In the history of the Flood, inspiration has explained that which geology alone could never fathom. In the days of Noah, men, animals, and trees, many times larger than now exist, were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later generations that the antediluvians perished by a flood. God designed that the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history; but men, with their vain reasoning, fall into the same error as did the people before the Flood—the things which God gave them as a benefit, they turn into a curse by making a wrong use of them.—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 112.
 

The voice of duty is the voice of God—an inborn, heaven-sent guide. Whether it be pleasing or unpleasing, we are to do the duty that lies directly in our pathway. If the Lord would have us bear a message to Nineveh, it will not be pleasing to Him for us to go to Joppa or Capernaum. God has reasons for sending us to the place to which our feet are directed.—In Heavenly Places, p. 226.

MONDAY February 6

Abram, the Father of the Faithful

God called Abram to leave his homeland and his kinfolk and go to a land that He would show him. Thus began the bloodline of the Messiah. Though details aren’t given, Abram had to leave the land of his birth and early years. Surely, it wasn’t an easy decision, and no doubt he gave up some earthly pleasure and conveniences to do it.

Read Genesis 12:1–3. How were “all the families of the earth . . . blessed” as a result of this promise and its acceptance?

This was a major life-changing event for Abram and his family. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NKJV). “Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking evidences of faith to be found in all the Bible.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 126.

Most of us would not be eager to leave our homeland and our friends and family members. But Abram did so. Abram was satisfied to be where God wanted him to be. As strange as this may seem, Abram, Isaac, and Jacob never received that land in their lifetimes. Yet, they remained faithful to God anyway.

Read Hebrews 11:8–13. What is the relevant message to us here?

Abram was known as a prince by those living around him. He was known to be generous, brave, hospitable, and a servant of the Most High God. His witness for God was exemplary. By the grace of God, we are heirs with Abraham. “Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:6, 7, NKJV). “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29, NKJV).

With Abraham, as with Noah, we see someone making a major lifechanging decision as a result of obeying God.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:18. How should the message of this verse impact the kind of spiritual decisions that we make? How did both Moses and Abraham follow that same principle?


Monday, February 6

Abram, the Father of the Faithful

When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” Genesis 12:1. “And he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8. So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message from God, “Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.” Acts 22:21. So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him. Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered. In toil and tears, in solitude, and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 36.
 

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? James 2:21, 22.

There is a belief that is not a saving faith. The Word declares that the devils believe and tremble. The so-called faith that does not work by love and purify the soul will not justify any man. “Ye see,” says the apostle, “how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” Abraham believed God. How do we know that he believed? His works testified to the character of his faith, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness.

We need the faith of Abraham in our day, to lighten the darkness that gathers around us, shutting out the sweet sunlight of God’s love, and dwarfing spiritual growth. Our faith should be prolific of good works; for faith without works is dead. Every duty performed, every sacrifice made in the name of Jesus, brings an exceeding great reward. In the very act of duty, God speaks and gives His blessing.—“Faith and Good Works,” Signs of the Times, May 19, 1898.
 

Long have we waited for our Saviour’s return. But none the less sure is the promise. Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God and will explain to us the dark providences through which on this earth He brought us in order to perfect our characters. There we shall behold with undimmed vision the beauties of Eden restored. Casting at the feet of the Redeemer the crowns that He has placed on our heads and touching our golden harps, we shall fill all heaven with praise to Him that sitteth on the throne.

Let all that is beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river and green fields, the waving trees and the living fountains, the shining city and the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home—that world of beauty which no artist can picture, no mortal tongue describe. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”—The Adventist Home, pp. 544, 545.

TUESDAY February 7

Lot’s Bad Decisions

When Abram left his homeland in response to God’s call, his nephew Lot chose to go with him on his pilgrimage. Genesis 13 records that God blessed Abram to the point that he “was very rich in cattle [the primary measure of wealth in that culture], in silver, and in gold” (Gen. 13:2). Lot also “had flocks, and herds, and tents” (Gen. 13:5). They both became so wealthy with their extensive livestock herds that they could not dwell close together. In order to avoid strife between their herdsmen, Abram offered Lot the choice of where he would like to live. Of course, Lot should have deferred to Abram, his senior, and because he owed his own prosperity to his connection to him. However, he showed no gratitude to his benefactor and selfishly wanted what he considered the best land available.

Read Genesis 13:10–12. What rational factors could have led Lot to make the decision that he did?

However easily Lot could have justified his decision to move to the city, things didn’t turn out so great for him there, and when Abram heard about what happened to him, he didn’t say, “Well, too bad, Lot. You reap what you sow.” Instead, he came to his rescue (see Genesis 14).

Sometimes in our quest for more stuff, we don’t learn our lessons well. Lot moved right back into Sodom! But in His great mercy, God sent messengers of warning to Lot and his family, letting them know of the pending destruction of these cities.

Read Genesis 18:20–33. What did God tell Abraham was the reason for His visit to earth? What was Abraham’s response to the news that God was planning to destroy these wicked cities?

Because of Abraham’s concern for Lot and his family, he bargained with God to spare the cities if righteous people could be found in them. He started with 50 and went down to 10. In harmony with His character of love, God never stopped granting mercy until Abraham stopped asking! God and the two angels personally delivered Lot, his wife, and their two daughters. But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Lot entered Sodom a wealthy man and came out with almost nothing. How careful we need to be about the kind of decisions that we make, especially thinking only of short-term gains in contrast to the big picture (see Mark 8:36, 37).


Tuesday, February 7

Lot’s Bad Decisions

Lot chose Sodom for his home because he saw advantages to be gained there from a worldly point of view. But after he had established himself, and grown rich in earthly treasure, he was convinced that he had made a mistake in not taking into consideration the moral standing of the community in which he was to make his home.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1092.
 

Lot chose a land which was beautiful in situation, which promised great returns. Lot went in rich, and came forth with nothing as the result of his choice. It makes every difference whether men place themselves in positions where they will have the very best help of correct influences, or whether they choose temporal advantages. There are many ways which lead to Sodom. We all need anointed eyesight, that we may discern the way that leads to God.—Letter 109, 1899.
 

Abraham had honored God, and the Lord honored him, taking him into His counsels, and revealing to him His purposes. “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” said the Lord.

And the man of faith pleaded for the inhabitants of Sodom. Once he had saved them by his sword, now he endeavored to save them by prayer. With deep reverence and humility he urged his plea. Himself a sinner, he pleaded in the sinner’s behalf. Such a spirit all who approach God should possess. Yet Abraham manifested the confidence of a child pleading with a loved father. He came close to the heavenly Messenger, and fervently urged his petition. . . .

Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham’s prayer. While he loathed the sins of that corrupt city, he desired that the sinners might be saved. His deep interest for Sodom shows the anxiety that we should feel for the impenitent. We should cherish hatred of sin, but pity and love for the sinner.—Conflict and Courage, p. 51.
 

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows how the two classes represented by these men are estimated in the unseen world. There is no sin in being rich if riches are not acquired by injustice. A rich man is not condemned for having riches, but condemnation rests upon him if the means entrusted to him is spent in selfishness. . . .

Money cannot be carried into the next life; it is not needed there; but the good deeds done in winning souls to Christ are carried to the heavenly courts. But those who selfishly spend the Lord’s gifts on themselves, leaving their needy fellow creatures without aid and doing nothing to advance God’s work in the world, dishonor their Maker. Robbery of God is written opposite their names in the books of heaven. . . .

Christ lifted the curtain and presented this picture before priests and rulers, scribes and Pharisees. Look at it, you who are rich in this world’s goods and are not rich toward God. Will you not contemplate this scene? That which is highly esteemed among men is abhorrent in the sight of God. Christ asks, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36, 37.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 266, 267.

WEDNESDAY February 8

From Deceiver to Prince

As a young man who loved and feared God, Jacob nevertheless stooped to conspire with his mother, Rebekah, to deceive his father and gain his blessing. As a consequence, he started his adult life on the wrong path, having to flee or, perhaps, face an early death. Rebekah told Jacob to “flee thou to Laban . . . ; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away; . . . then I will send, and fetch thee” (Gen. 27:43–45). Jacob was actually gone for 20 years, and he never saw his mother’s face again.

Read Genesis 32:22–31. What happened here to Jacob, and what spiritual lessons can we take from this story about God’s grace, even when we make wrong decisions?

“Through humiliation, repentance, and self-surrender, this sinful, erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the promises of God, and the heart of Infinite Love could not turn away the sinner’s plea. The error that had led to Jacob’s sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud was now clearly set before him. He had not trusted God’s promises, but had sought by his own efforts to bring about that which God would have accomplished in His own time and way. . . . Jacob had received the blessing for which his soul had longed. His sin as a supplanter and deceiver had been pardoned.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 197, 198.

Read Genesis 49:29–33. Though Jacob no longer had any holdings in Canaan, what instructions did he give his sons regarding his burial? Who else is buried in that cave? Why do you think Jacob made this request?

The Bible informs us that all three of the patriarchs and their wives are buried in the same cave. Jacob’s trust in God was strong, and he considered himself a stranger and pilgrim on the earth (see Heb. 11:13). Despite mistakes, he left home with nothing but came back to Canaan a wealthy man.

Despite our mistakes, God can still bless us. How much better, however, to avoid the mistakes to begin with! What choices are you now facing, and how can you avoid making the wrong ones?


Wednesday, February 8

From Deceiver to Prince

Rebekah repented in bitterness for the wrong counsel which she gave to Jacob, for it was the means of separating him from her forever. He was compelled to flee for his life from the wrath of Esau, and his mother never saw his face again. Isaac lived many years after he gave Jacob the blessing, and was convinced, by the course of Esau and Jacob, that the blessing rightly belonged to Jacob.—The Story of Redemption, p. 89.
 

Jacob’s wrong in receiving his brother’s blessing by fraud was again brought forcibly before him, and he was afraid that God would permit Esau to take his life. In his distress he prayed to God all night. An angel was represented to me as standing before Jacob, presenting his wrong before him in its true character. . . .

All night Jacob wrestled with the angel, making supplication for a blessing. The angel seemed to be resisting his prayer, by continu ally calling his sins to his remembrance, at the same time endeavoring to break away from him. Jacob was determined to hold the angel, not by physical strength, but by the power of living faith. In his distress Jacob referred to the repentance of his soul, the deep humility he had felt for his wrongs. . . .

But when [the angel] saw that he prevailed not against Jacob, to convince him of his supernatural power, he touched his thigh, which was immediately out of joint. But Jacob would not give up his earnest efforts for bodily pain. . . . His faith grew more earnest and persevering until the very last, even till the breaking of the day. He would not let go his hold of the angel until he blessed him.—The Story of Redemption, pp. 94, 95.
 

It will require a sacrifice to give yourself to God; but it is a sacrifice of the lower for the higher, the earthly for the spiritual, the perishable for the eternal. God does not design that our will should be destroyed, for it is only through its exercise that we can accomplish what He would have us do. Our will is to be yielded to Him, that we may receive it again, purified and refined, and so linked in sympathy with the Divine that He can pour through us the tides of His love and power. However bitter and painful this surrender may appear to the willful, wayward heart, yet “it is profitable for thee.”

Not until he fell crippled and helpless upon the breast of the covenant angel did Jacob know the victory of conquering faith and receive the title of a prince with God. It was when he “halted upon his thigh” (Genesis 32:31) that the armed bands of Esau were stilled before him, and the Pharaoh, proud heir of a kingly line, stooped to crave his blessing. So the Captain of our salvation was made “perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10), and the children of faith “out of weakness were made strong,” and “turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Hebrews 11:34). So do “the lame take the prey” (Isaiah 33:23), and the weak become “as David,” and “the house of David . . . as the angel of the Lord” (Zechariah 12:8).—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 62.

THURSDAY February 9

Moses in Egypt

The character of Moses dominated the early years of sacred history. He was kept alive in the providence of God, who worked through an enterprising mother and a caring sister. When Pharaoh’s daughter found baby Moses in the ark of bulrushes, she asked his Hebrew mother to care for him and paid her to do so. What a blessed challenge for a young mother who was an exile and slave! Jochebed had only 12 years to teach her child to pray, to trust and honor God, and shape his character for a life of service. For years, Moses was trained in the royal courts of Egypt. “ ‘And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds’ ” (Acts 7:22, NKJV). As Moses matured as a man, he made a conscious decision that changed his life and the course of history.

Read Hebrews 11:24–29. Think about what Moses left behind and what he had to face instead. Try to look at it from his position, before he made the choice. What was he leaving, and what was he choosing to accept by leaving?

Egypt was one of the greatest powers in the ancient world at the time, if not the greatest. The Nile River created such fertile land that Egypt, flush with crops, was a wealthy and powerful nation, and Moses himself would have been at the top of this kingdom. It’s hard to imagine how tempting the lure of the world, the world of Egypt and all its treasures, must have been to him in his early years. Surely, he must have found the adoration, the pleasures, and the riches tempting. No doubt he probably very easily could have justified staying rather than throwing in his lot with a bunch of despised slaves.

And yet, what? As Scripture says, he chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25, NKJV). And talk about afflictions: a major part of the book of Exodus deals with the struggles and trials of Moses, who, even after all he went through, was still not able to cross over to the Promised Land (see Num. 20:12). Yet, in the end, we all know that Moses made the right choice, even if at times he must have wondered himself if he really had.

From a worldly perspective, Moses should have stayed in Egypt. However, as Christians, we have been given a view of reality that takes us way beyond this world. When we are tempted by the world, how can we keep the big picture always before us? Why is it so important that we do so?


Thursday, February 9

Moses in Egypt

Moses was a man of intelligence. In the providence of God he was given opportunity to gain a fitness for a great work. He was thoroughly educated as a general. When he went out to meet the enemy, he was successful; and on his return from battle, his praises were sung by the whole army. Notwithstanding this, he constantly remembered that through him God purposed to deliver the children of Israel.—The Youth’s Instructor, January 29, 1903.
 

The strength of Moses was his connection with the Source of all power, the Lord God of hosts. He rises grandly above every earthly inducement, and trusts himself wholly to God. He considered that he was the Lord’s. While he was connected with the official interests of the king of Egypt, he was constantly studying the laws of God’s government, and thus his faith grew. That faith was of value to him. It was deeply rooted in the soil of his earliest teachings, and the culture of his life was to prepare him for the great work of delivering Israel from bondage. He meditated on these things; he was constantly listening to his commission from God. After slaying the Egyptian, he saw that he had not understood God’s plan, and he fled from Egypt and became a shepherd. He was no longer planning to do a great work, but he became very humble; the mists that were beclouding his mind were expelled, and he disciplined his mind to seek after God as his refuge.—Ellen G. White Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1098.
 

The faith of Moses led him to look at the things which are unseen, which are eternal. He left the splendid attractions of court life because sin was there. He gave up present and seeming good that flattered only to ruin and destroy. The real attractions, the eternal, were of value to him. The sacrifices made by Moses were really no sacrifices. With him it was letting go a present, apparent, flattering good for a sure, high, immortal good.

Moses endured the reproach of Christ, considering reproach greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. He believed what God had said and was not influenced to swerve from his integrity by any of the world’s reproaches. He walked the earth as God’s free man. He had the love of Christ in his soul, which not only made him a man of dignity, but added the luster of the true Christian graces to the dignity of the man. Moses walked a rough and perilous path, but he looked to the things unseen and faltered not. The recompense of reward was attractive to him, and it may be also to us. He was familiar with God.

The work is before you to improve the remnant of your life in reforming and elevating the character. A new life begins in the renewed soul. Christ is the indwelling Saviour. That which may be regarded as hard to give up must be yielded. The overbearing, dictatorial word must be left unspoken; then a precious victory will be gained. True happiness will be the result of every self-denial, every crucifixion of self. One victory won, the next is more easily gained. Had Moses neglected the opportunities and privileges granted him of God, he would have neglected the light from heaven and would have been a disappointed, miserable man. . . . Man has light and opportunities, and if he will improve them he may overcome. You may show by your life the power of the grace of God in overcoming.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 345.

FRIDAY February 10

Further Thought: God honored His part of the covenant by blessing Abraham. And Abraham honored God by not storing up treasures on this earth. “The heritage that God has promised to His people is not in this world. Abraham had no possession in the earth, ‘no, not so much as to set his foot on.’ Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow men; but he did not look upon this world as his home. The Lord had called him to leave his idolatrous countrymen, with the promise of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; yet neither he nor his son nor his son’s son received it. When Abraham desired a burial place for his dead, he had to buy it of the Canaanites. His sole possession in the Land of Promise was that rock-hewn tomb in the cave of Machpelah.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 169.

As we live, we are sometimes tempted to go toward wealth and leisure. It takes strong faith to practice delayed gratification. “The magnificent palace of Pharaoh and the monarch’s throne were held out as an inducement to Moses; but he knew that the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in its lordly courts. He looked beyond the gorgeous palace, beyond a monarch’s crown, to the high honors that will be bestowed on the saints of the Most High in a kingdom untainted by sin. He saw by faith an imperishable crown that the King of heaven would place on the brow of the overcomer. This faith led him to turn away from the lordly ones of earth and join the humble, poor, despised nation that had chosen to obey God rather than to serve sin.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 246.

Discussion Questions:

  1. 1. What will happen to our possessions when Jesus comes? (See 2 Pet. 3:10.) In fact, what can happen to them even before Jesus comes? (See Matt. 6:20.) Why, then, is it always important to keep things in the proper perspective?

  2. 2. Jesus warned about “the deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4:19). What is He talking about? How can riches deceive us?

  3. 3. In class, talk about the ways Moses might have justified staying in Egypt instead of leaving everything behind in order to flee with a bunch of slaves to a barren desert? What ultimately must have caused him to decide as he did?


Friday, February 10

For Further Reading

This Day With God, “Settling Into Salvation,” p. 95;

The Story of Redemption, “Prevailing Faith,” pp. 95, 96.

INSIDE STORY

Miracle of a Mission School

By CHIFUNDO KANJO

Two very different kinds of mission schools shaped John Phiri’s life.

As a youth, John was sent from home in Malawi to study the family’s non-Christian religion on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. John spent three years immersed in the religion’s main book and learning how to establish houses of worship in unentered areas of Africa.

Finishing his education in Zanzibar, the young man was sent back to Malawi to lead two houses of worship. He also was tasked with closely monitoring local Christians and reporting his findings back to Zanzibar. To better understand Christianity, he was instructed to read a King James Bible.

Over the next few years, John joined three different Christian churches, rising to a senior position in one of them, as he collected information for Zanzibar. All the while, he led houses of worship in two Malawian towns.

John’s heart was touched as he read the Bible. He found it more understandable than his religion’s book. He longed to know more about Jesus.

Still a youth, he enrolled in the Seventh-day Adventist school at Luwazi Mission. For him, it was a new kind of mission school, very different from the school in Zanzibar. He was particularly interested in the school’s Pathfinder club, and he joined it, participating in all the programs.

John fell in love with Jesus during a week of prayer at the school, and he gave his heart to Jesus in baptism. He stopped sending information to Zanzibar. John’s father was furious when he found out. He angrily accused John’s mother of being the cause, and he divorced her.

Years passed, and John felt called by God to put his mission schooling to work. While he had been trained in Zanzibar to open houses of worship in unentered areas for his former religion, he resolved to take his Adventist education and do the same thing for Jesus. He became a Global Mission pioneer, an Adventist who establishes congregations in unentered areas within his or her own culture. John served as a Global Mission pioneer for 10 years, and many people from his family’s religion gave their hearts to Jesus.

John went on to graduate with a theology degree from Malawi Adventist University and today serves as an Adventist pastor. John said the Adventist mission school changed his life. “Do not underestimate the importance of mission schools,” he said. “They are a tool for people to know Jesus and accept Him as their personal Savior. Seventh-day Adventist education is very vital in preaching the gospel and making Christ known to all.”

Miracle of a Mission School

Learn more about Global Mission pioneers online at: bit.ly/GMpioneer

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org.


† Disclaimer: Contents of these lessons are not intended to be financial advice but is general commentary based on biblical principles. The reader is encouraged to seek competent professional advice which will suit their particular personal situation.