A Broken Heart, A Broken Spirit

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MONDAY

August 1

A Broken Heart, A Broken Spirit
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17, NKJV). Think about these words of David, but in the context of worship. (After all, in ancient Israel, worship centered around the sacrifice.) Realize, too, that the word translated “contrite” comes from a Hebrew word that means “crushed.” What is the Lord saying to us here? How are we to understand this idea along with the idea that there should be joy in our worship? Why are these two contrasting concepts not necessarily contradictory?  

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As Christians, we take it as a given (or at least we should) that all of humanity is fallen, sinful, degraded. This degradation and sinfulness includes each one of us, individually. Think of the contrast between what you know you could be and what you are; the contrast between the kind of thoughts you think and the kind you know that you should think; the contrast between what you do and what you should do, between what you do not do and what you know that you should. As Christians, with the biblical standard of Jesus before us, the personal realization of our true nature can be especially devastating. This is where our broken spirit and crushed and broken hearts come from. If someone professing to be a Christian does not see this, they are truly blind; most likely they have not had a conversion experience or have lost it.
Yet, the joy comes from knowing that, despite our fallen state, God loved us so much that Christ came and died, offering Himself for us, and that His perfect life, His perfect holiness, His perfect character, becomes credited to us by faith. Again, the theme of the “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6) appears. Our worship should center not just on our own sinfulness but on God’s amazing solution to it: the Cross. Of course, we need that broken and crushed heart, but we always need to frame that sad reality against the background of what God has done for us in Christ. In fact, the realization of how bad we are leads to joy, because we know that, despite our state, we can have eternal life anyway, and that because of Jesus, God will not count our transgressions against us. This is a truth that must always be at the center of all worship experiences, whether corporate or private.

Worship Outside of Eden

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MONDAY

June 27

Worship Outside of Eden
After their expulsion, Adam and Eve began life outside the Eden paradise. Though the first gospel promise was given them there, in Eden (Gen. 3:15), the Bible does not show us any sacrifices being offered until after Eden (although one could extrapolate from Genesis 3:21 something of that nature, the text itself says nothing about sacrifice or worship). In Genesis 4, however, with the story of Cain and Abel, Genesis for the first time explicitly reveals a sacrificial system.
Read carefully the first recorded story of a worship service (Gen. 4:1–7). Why was Cain’s offering not acceptable to God and Abel’s was?  

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Cain and Abel represent two classes of worshipers that have existed since the Fall. Both of them built altars. Both came to worship God with offerings. But one offering was acceptable to God and one was not.
What made the difference? The answer has to be understood in the context of salvation by faith alone, the gospel, which was first given to Adam and Eve in Eden, though the plan itself was formulated before the world began (Eph. 1:4, Titus 1:2).
Cain’s offering represented the attempt at salvation by works, the foundation of all false religion and worship. The fact is that the gap between heaven and earth is so great, so deep, that nothing sinful humans do could ever bridge it. The essence of legalism, of salvation by works, is the human attempt to do just that.
In contrast, Abel’s offering of an animal reveals (however faintly) the great truth that only the death of Christ, the one equal with God (Phil. 2:6), could make the sinner right with God.
Hence, we are given a powerful lesson about worship: all true worship must center on the realization that we are helpless to save ourselves, and that all our attempts at salvation by works are manifestations of Cain’s action here. True worship must be based on a realization that only through God’s grace can we have any hope of eternal life.
Examine your own thoughts, motives, and inner feelings about worship. How Christ-centered is your worship, or might you be focusing too much upon yourself?

No Provision for the Flesh

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MONDAY

June 20

No Provision for the Flesh
For all of Paul’s deep and complicated theology, he can also be very practical. Any theology, any version of the “gospel” that focuses solely on salvation in cold and legal terms alone, misses the point. Christianity is all about Jesus, but it’s not about Jesus in isolation. It’s about Jesus and what He has done for our fallen race through His life, death, and High Priestly ministry. It’s not just about a change in our legal status before God; it’s about a change, a renewal, a new birth in us; it’s about a new life in Christ.
Read Romans 13. Focus on the daily, practical points that Paul is dealing with here for those who are Christians. 

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Most of the chapter deals with, in many ways, what could be considered being a good citizen and a good neighbor. It’s a reiteration of the principles of the law, culminating in the famous words, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (vs. 9).
In verses 11–14, however, the tone somewhat shifts. Paul begins the chapter by talking about obeying the present political powers, and then he shifts to an emphasis on the “lateness” of the time, the idea being that considering the times the Romans were living in, they needed to get serious about their conduct. At the end of the chapter, we have the phrase “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 14, NIV), which uses the same Greek root found in Galatians 3:27. Thus, both verses are saying similar things.
The context here in Romans 13 makes it clear what Paul basically means. The verses that come before and the rest of the verse following the phrase itself show that being clothed in Christ means living a life of faith and obedience. The same Greek root for “clothed” appears in verse 12, as well, in the context of donning the “armour of light.” Christ is the light of the world; those who walk in Him don’t walk in darkness. They have “cast off the works of darkness” and now walk in light. Whatever else to “be clothed” in Christ means, it certainly deals with character building, with conduct, with loving as Christ loved, and with reflecting His image. In a sense, while all things around us tend to get worse, those clothed in Christ should be getting better and better (see 2 Cor. 3:18).
How different would your life be were you fully clothed in Christ? That is, what parts of your life have you held back from the kind of surrender and death to self needed in order for the Lord to work in you? How would your life differ were you to make that complete surrender?

He “Laid Aside His Garments”

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MONDAY

June 13

He “Laid Aside His Garments”
In the last few days of Christ’s life, He met with His disciples in the Upper Room for the Passover, Israel’s national celebration of the Exodus from bondage and slavery. Yet, all was not well. The atmosphere in the Upper Room must have been thick with tension and ill will. Not much earlier, the disciples had been fighting over who would have the highest place in heaven. Now they had come together to celebrate the Passover, which should have spoken to them of their great need of God’s saving grace in their lives and how dependent they were on Him.
Read Matthew 20:20–28. What important lesson had the disciples totally failed to grasp, even after all this time with Jesus? 

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As if the disciples’ attitudes hadn’t been bad enough, to top it all off there was Judas, His betrayer, acting as if nothing were wrong. In the midst of all this, when Jesus had every right to be disgusted with the whole lot of them, what does He do?
Read John 13:1–16. What lesson is Jesus giving here? Why is this in so many ways key to what it means to be a follower of Jesus?  

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It was the custom for the disciples to make provisions for washing their feet from the filth of the streets. This was a servant’s work. But the disciples had no servants. And none of them would stoop to this humiliating and menial task. As Jesus took off His outer garment and began to wash their feet, their hearts melted. They had declared Him to be the Son of God. That God’s Son should stoop to do the work of a slave shamed them. The text said that before doing this, He took off His outer garment, showing His willingness to lower Himself and humble Himself to whatever degree was needed in order to reach His followers.
And then, if all that wasn’t enough, knowing full well what was in Judas’s heart, He washed Judas’s feet, as well.
How “low” are you willing to go for the good of others? When was the last time you “took off your outer garment” in order to minister to the needs of those around you?

The King’s Invitation

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MONDAY

June 6

The King’s Invitation
It’s one thing to have a wedding. It’s another thing for a king to have a wedding. And to be invited to a wedding put on by a king for his own son would have been a very high honor indeed. The wedding imagery there, particularly of the son, is, of course, an obvious reference to the relationship between Jesus and His church (Rev. 21:2, 9; Eph. 5:21–23).
Read Matthew 22:1–8. How does this part of the parable fit in with what we saw in the preceding chapter? What same theme appears? 

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Notice, too, how all the preparations were done by the king: he arranged for the marriage, he prepared the dinner, he had the animals slain. Indeed, “all things are ready: come unto the marriage” was the message. In the end, all the people had to do was accept what was offered them.
Notice, too, the things that caused the people to scorn the invitation. Some made light of it: that is, they just didn’t take it seriously, didn’t think it mattered, didn’t think it important. That could symbolize those today who just don’t take the claims of God seriously, who for various reasons never open themselves up to truth. Others “went their ways.” Jesus said that the path to salvation is narrow (Matt. 7:14); people can find all sorts of excuses to avoid and reject the invitation. For others, it was simply the lure of material things. And finally, while some just ignored the invitation, others actually persecuted those who gave the it. Whatever the reason, they all were left out. Think, too, about the words of the king, saying that those who had rejected the invitation “were not worthy.” How do we understand that, in light of the universality of all human sin and sinfulness? Are any of us really worthy to be invited to the king’s feast? In the end, as we’ll see, “worthiness” in the biblical sense comes from what Christ does for us; our worthiness is not in ourselves but in what we allow God to do for us—and in us.
Of the reasons given above for those who rejected the invitation, which one do you find the most difficult to deal with in your own life? What promises can you claim that will enable you to resist it?

Spreading His Wings

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MONDAY

May 30

Spreading His Wings
Picture the father as he watched his emboldened son put things together in his backpack, ready to leave home. Maybe he asked his son where he was going, what his plan was for employment, what his dreams were for his future. Who knows what answers the son gave. They probably weren’t encouraging, at least to the father. The son, meanwhile, was more than likely ready for the good times ahead.
After all, why not? He was young, adventurous, had some cash to spend and a world to see. Life on the family farm probably seemed dull and boring in contrast to all the possibilities that the world presented to him.
Read Luke 15:13–19. What kind of repentance do we see here? Does it seem like a true repentance, that he’s sorry for what he did, or that he is sorry only for the consequences of what he did? What hints are there in the texts that could give us the answer? 

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It’s hard to know how this story might have turned out had things gone well for the prodigal. Suppose he found ways to keep the money flowing in and to keep the good times coming? It’s not likely, at least from what we see here, that he would have been coming back “on his knees,” is it? Who among us, at times, hasn’t been really sorry, not so much for our sins but for the consequences of them, especially when we get caught? Even the hardest pagan is going to be sorry he committed adultery if, in the process, he picked up herpes, gonorrhea, or some other sexually transmitted disease. There’s nothing Christian about sorrow for the pain that comes from our wrong choices, is there?
What, then, about this young man? Though there’s no question the terrible circumstances he found himself in brought about a changed attitude that might not have otherwise occurred, the thoughts of his heart, as revealed in the texts, do reveal a sense of true humility and a realization of the fact that he sinned both against his father and against God. The speech he prepared in his heart did seem to show the sincerity of his repentance.
Sometimes we need the bad consequences of our actions to awaken us to the reality of our sins, don’t we? That is, only after the suffering comes from our actions do we truly repent of those actions, and not just from the results. What about yourself and whatever situations you’re facing now? Why not choose to avoid the sin and spare yourself all the sorrow and the repentance that (one hopes) will follow?

The Accuser and the Accused

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MONDAY

May 23

The Accuser and the Accused
“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him” (Zech. 3:1, NIV). What grand and important truths, especially in the context of the great controversy (and in the immediate context of the vision itself), are revealed here? 

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A few crucial points are powerfully represented here. First, who is the accused but Joshua, the high priest, who stands as a representative of all God’s people. Pictured in this vision as a priest facing the Lord, Joshua represents Israel in all their faults, shortcomings, and sins. There is no question: the people are not innocent, they are not sinless, they are not deserving the promised restoration that the Lord is offering them and which they are claiming for themselves by faith and repentance.
And, of course, Satan is there to accuse them, to argue against their repentance, their desire to reform, and their desire to find the mercy and grace of God. What better way to discourage people in the great controversy than to make them think their sins are just too great for the Lord to forgive? How many souls, all through history, and even today, have fallen prey to this—one of Satan’s most wicked devices. What makes the threat so powerful is that he doesn’t have to lie about our sins, does he? All he has to do is remind us of them and, without knowing about God’s grace, we would be crushed with a sense of hopelessness and loss. Even without an accuser to throw them up in God’s face, our sins are more than enough to condemn us.
The Hebrew verb translated here as “accuse” comes from the same word as “Satan”; it’s the same three Hebrew consonants that form the foundation for both words. No question, Satan is the accuser, but we all should know the famous text: “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Rev. 12:10).
Though it is not good to dwell on our sins, at times we need to take a hard and honest look at ourselves (regardless of whether or not Satan is whispering in our ears). What changes must you, immediately, choose to make in your life, and what Bible promises can you claim in order to make those promises real and effective? Think of what’s at stake if you allow sin to dominate you.

Unclean Lips

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MONDAY

May 16

Unclean Lips
It was in the context of the horrible picture presented in yesterday’s lesson that the prophet Isaiah gets his call. It came about 740 B.C., the year King Uzziah of Israel died. Uzziah, starting out well, eventually fell into apostasy (2 Chronicles 26) and met a terrible end. At this time, Isaiah began his ministry but not before getting a powerful vision of the Lord.
Read Isaiah 6:1–8. What kind of reaction does Isaiah have? Why is that so significant, especially for our understanding of the plan of salvation? 

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“Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isa. 6:5).
Notice, Isaiah’s response wasn’t about the power and majesty of God in contrast to his own weakness; nor was it about the eternity of God in contrast to his own temporality. Instead, the response was one dealing with morality. Isaiah, seeing this vision of God, seeing “the train of his robe” (Isa. 6:1, NIV) filling the temple, was overcome by the contrast between God’s holiness and his own sinfulness. At that moment, he realized that his great problem was a moral one, and that his fallen nature and his corruption could be his ruin. Plus, too, how could he, a “man of unclean lips,” speak for the Lord of hosts?
What was the solution to this problem? 

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The symbolic act of touching his lips with the coal revealed the reality of Isaiah’s conversion. He was now forgiven his sin; he had a new life in the Lord, and the fruit of that conversion was revealed in verse 8, when he cried out, “Here am I, send me.” Knowing that his sin was “purged,” he now moved ahead in faith, trusting the righteousness and holiness of the God revealed to him in that vision.
Isaiah’s guilt was purged, his sin atoned for. He was “born again,” and the immediate fruit was his willingness to answer the call, “Who will go for us?” Now ask yourself, What kind of fruit is being manifested after your own conversion?

Nathan Bares All

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MONDAY

May 9

Nathan Bares All
For a whole year, David hides his sin under a veil of deceit. It looks as though the king has gotten away with murder. Sin hardens David’s heart to stone. But God sends Nathan to break it. Instead of directly exposing David’s sin—and risking royal wrath and very likely his own neck—Nathan clothes the truth in a parable.
Read Nathan’s parable in 2 Samuel 12:1–12 and its interpretation, keeping in mind that Jesus also resorted to parables. What are the advantages of using them? What was it about David’s condition that made clothing the truth in a story a more effective, even necessary, way of reaching him? 

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Only a few verses long, Nathan’s parable holds precious lessons for reaching the sin-hardened heart. First, Nathan does not come to David as an accuser; instead, he humbly and tactfully solicits David’s help. David’s heart may be hardened by sin, but his sense of justice is not completely deadened. Second, by clothing the truth in a parable, Nathan breaches David’s defenses. Third, Nathan’s method of presentation invites David to listen without feeling judged. The result? David condemns himself.
Nathan's verdict, “Thou art the man,” rips through the veil of self-deceit in which David shrouded himself. David’s response, “I have sinned against the Lord” is met with “the Lord also has put away your sin” (vs. 13, NKJV). Why was the Lord able to put away, or cover, David’s sin? See 1 John 1:9. 

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David’s sin is covered, but the child conceived in sin must die. For David, this tragedy must have been more bitter than his own death. He removes his kingly robes and puts on the garments of humility and mourning. He openly prostrates himself before God in repentance, pleading for his child’s life. How ironic that, a year earlier, under the cover of darkness, David secretly prostrated himself in lust with Bathsheba on that fatal eve his dying child was conceived.
David reacts to the child’s death in a manner that baffles his advisors. He rises. He bathes. He changes his clothes. He, the anointed of God, anoints himself anew and worships God. These actions demonstrate how those who have mourned for their sins must allow God to restore them: First, God raises the grieving sinner and bears him to Himself. Next, He washes away the guilt of our sin and clothes us in His righteousness. He anoints us with His Spirit so that we may worship Him.
David’s fall into sin begins and ends with a bath. This final washing, however, is not a prelude to sin but a sign of a clean heart.
What hope do David’s bathing, garment change, and anointing give us? Why can we who have been washed clean by Jesus have full assurance that we may come worship Him?

The Change of Garments

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MONDAY

May 2

The Change of Garments
After the magnificent demonstration of God’s power at Mount Carmel, Elijah complained that he was the only one left who loved the Lord. The Lord, it seems, ignored Elijah’s whining, but when he finished his speech, the Lord then gave him instructions: he was to anoint two kings and Elisha.
Following the Lord’s directions to find a successor, Elijah went to the farm of Shaphat, Elisha’s father, and found Elisha plowing with oxen. Maybe Elijah waved to Elisha to get his attention, and Elisha stopped his work and waited to hear Elijah’s message.
Read 1 Kings 19:19. How was the call of Elisha demonstrated there in the field? 

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We aren’t given the exact words of Elijah, or Elisha’s response to the call of Elijah, but we do know that he responded positively. Elijah now cast his mantle, a symbol of his responsibilities as a servant of God, on Elisha’s shoulders (see Num. 20:28). The symbolism is pretty obvious. Elisha was now given a sacred calling.
In other incidents of the Bible, a mantle (or cloak or some similar garment) was not always used as an indication of God’s invitation to serve Him. How is the idea of a “mantle” used in these verses: Job 1:20; Psalms 109:29; Jude 22, 23 ; 2 Samuel 10:3, 4; Ezekiel 16:15, 16;? 

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Elijah’s mantle here meant devotion, commitment, and dedication. “As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking a successor, passed the field in which Elisha was plowing, he cast upon the young man’s shoulders the mantle of consecration. During the famine the family of Shaphat had become familiar with the work and mission of Elijah, and now the Spirit of God impressed Elisha’s heart as to the meaning of the prophet’s act. To him it was the signal that God had called him to be the successor of Elijah.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 219, 220.
Think about how a single object can have both good and bad connotations, depending on how it is used. What are you doing with the things in your own life? What kind of meanings are you, by your actions, giving them? What have they come to symbolize to you, and why?

The Priesthood

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MONDAY

April 25

The Priesthood
“And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons”(Exod. 28:1).
The Levitical priesthood was established during the wilderness wanderings of the children of Israel (see Gen. 14:18) and was to last more than fifteen hundred years. Although the concept of a priesthood to the Lord had already long existed, the establishment of the Levitical priesthood provided a clearer view of its role.
As we saw yesterday, despite the enormity of his sin, Aaron was chosen by the Lord to become the first head of this new priesthood. This shows that the priests needed to be able to relate to the people whom they represented before God, because that was exactly what they were doing: acting as representatives, mediators between fallen humanity and a holy God. Aaron, as a fallen human being, easily could relate to the fallen human beings whom he was to represent. Who would he be to judge others in their sin when he was hardly innocent himself?
At the same time, the priesthood was a sacred honor, and the priests were to represent holiness and purity. After all, they were the ones who were standing before the Lord in place of the people. They had to be “holy”; otherwise, what was the point of a priesthood? They had to be different, not in an arbitrary way (different just to be different), but different in a sacred sense, a sense that would—while acknowledging their closeness to those whom they were representing—clearly differentiate them from the masses as a whole.
What were some of the things required of the priests, and what do you think these things were to represent? Lev. 21:7–24, 22:1–8. 

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However difficult some of these concepts are for us today to grasp, the idea nevertheless should be clear: the priesthood was to be something different, sacred, special. Priests were symbols of Jesus, and their work was to symbolize, in shadows and types, what Jesus would do in our behalf.
Should we be different from the world around us? If so, why, and in what ways?

Joseph and His Brothers

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MONDAY

April 18

Joseph and His Brothers
Sibling rivalry, even in the most traditional of homes, can be bad enough. But in this mix, it turned into a festering brew, for in it were ingredients such as hatred and jealousy and favoritism and pride that led, eventually, to disaster.
For starters, the brothers of Joseph weren’t exactly the sweetest lot of young lads, were they?
Read Genesis 34. What does this book tell us about the brothers’ characters? 

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Then, too, there was the issue of Joseph’s dreams (Gen. 37:5–11), in which the whole family bows in obeisance toward him. If the brothers didn’t like him beforehand, these dreams would only increase their dislike. In fact, that’s exactly what Genesis 37:8 says.
But there’s more.
Read Genesis 37:2. How would this only make relations worse between Joseph and his brothers? 

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No one likes to be tattled on, and regardless of how bad the brothers’ conduct was, they surely didn’t appreciate Joseph telling on them to their father. Though the text doesn’t say specifically what they were doing, considering their past conduct, it most likely was something that needed to be dealt with before they brought even more shame and reproach on themselves and their family.
Finally, too, perhaps the biggest issue was that, as the Bible comes out and says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children” (Gen. 37:3). The brothers weren’t stupid; they surely picked up on their father’s attitude, and that could have made a bad situation worse.
Hence, however inexcusable the brothers’ actions were toward Joseph, this background helps us better understand what led to them.
We all, to some degree, are trapped in our circumstances. Things happen that are beyond our control. The questions for us always must be, then, How do I respond to those circumstances? Do they dominate me to the point that I compromise principle, or do I allow my principles to guide me through my circumstances?

Naked, but Not Ashamed

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MONDAY

April 11

Naked, but Not Ashamed
It’s very hard for us—whose concepts of the world, of reality, of everything, actually, are filtered and tainted and distorted by sin—to imagine fully the moral condition of Adam and Eve in Eden. These were people who knew no pain, no suffering, no deception, no betrayal, no death, no loss, and no shame, especially sexual shame (which is perhaps the most prevalent kind in a world so steeped in the consequences of sin today).
Read Genesis 2:20–25. What kind of close relationship and intimacy between Adam and Eve is revealed in these texts? 

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As “one flesh” (see Gen. 2:24), Adam and Eve were close, then, not only to God but to each other. The text is very clear, very unambiguous: they were naked and not ashamed (vs. 25). Talk about purity and innocence!
“The sinless pair wore no artificial garments; they were clothed with a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear. So long as they lived in obedience to God, this robe of light continued to enshroud them.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 45.
Exactly what this light looked like, how it functioned, what its purpose was, we aren’t told. Only that, even with it, they still were deemed “naked.” The fact that they weren’t ashamed must have meant that this covering of light didn’t completely hide their nakedness, but in that sinless environment it didn’t matter, for no shame existed.
In a sense, the emphasis on nakedness seems to reveal the kind of physical closeness the sinless couple enjoyed. There was an openness, a transparency, an innocence about them and all that they did that allowed for this state of affairs. They lived in complete honesty, openness, and freedom before each other and before God. It was, after all, how the Lord had ordained it. How nice it must have been.
How much openness and transparency exist in your own life? Or are you constantly hiding things, cutting moral corners, cloaking yourself in coverings that don’t reveal what’s really going on? (See Matt. 10:26.) If the latter, what aspects of your life must you start to change?

A Beautiful and Perfect Being

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MONDAY

April 4

A Beautiful and Perfect Being
Among what was created by God, among what once didn’t exist but then came into existence, was the angelic host. Chief among the host was the created being known as Lucifer, whose fall is recounted in Ezekiel 28 in the figure of the king of Tyre.
Read Ezekiel 28:12–19. What description is given to Lucifer here? What kind of covering did he have, and what might that represent? 

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Describing Lucifer as the “son of the morning,” Isaiah 14:12 records how God pictured him in his unfallen state. In Ezekiel 28:12 God described him as “thou sealest up the sum”; the word sum could be translated as “pattern” or “You set a seal to your completeness.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 675.
Lucifer also carried the description of “day star” or “shining one” (Isa. 14:12, ASV and NLT). In Hebrew, htlel (shining one) and its equivalents in related languages commonly were applied to the planet Venus when it appeared in unrivaled brilliance as the morning star.
Imagine wearing a garment, a covering, made perhaps of rubies, diamonds, topaz, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, emerald, chrysolite, and turquoise mounted on gold. Even though we might attempt to visualize the colors of Lucifer’s covering (red, yellow, green, azure blue, turquoise, olive green), our earthly vision of the heavenly jewels and the majestic colors never would allow us to admire the robe as the angels could. As a heavenly being adorned in such splendor and with the highest position among them, Lucifer must surely have had the respect and affection of all the other angels.
The angels desired to do as they were bidden. They reflected the beauty of their Creator and praised Him for their privilege of living in a paradise of celestial harmony. Their constant praise for their Maker inspired an unselfish love for each other, and, as long as this was
their only desire, they lived in a constant, unequaled, and loving environment.
In this heavenly environment, harmony, perfection, love, and adoration reigned—a picture that we, as human beings, barely can imagine.
How could we imitate the heavenly environment with harmony, perfection, and love in our homes, workplaces, and churches? Discuss specific ways our earthly existence could better reflect our God’s glory and His love.

Imputed Righteousness

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MONDAY

March 28

Imputed Righteousness
No question, any honest Christian looking at himself or herself, particularly in contrast to the righteousness of God, especially as revealed through Christ, will see something pretty scary. Not much there to commend oneself toward God, is there? In fact, there’s nothing at all, nothing but “filthy rags.”
What hope, then, do we have? A great hope, actually, and the theological term for that hope is imputed righteousness. What does it mean? Very simply, it’s the perfect righteousness of Jesus, the righteousness that was “woven in the loom of heaven” and granted to us by faith. “Imputed righteousness” means the substitution of His sinless life for our sinful life. It is credited to us, outside of us, and it covers us completely. We are viewed in God’s eyes as if we have never sinned, as if we have always been completely obedient to God’s commands, as if we were as holy and righteous as Jesus Himself.
Read Romans 4:1–7. How does Abraham’s trust in God illustrate imputed righteousness? 

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Paul said in Romans 4:2 that if Abraham were justified by works, he could have boasted. However, Abraham believed God and, therefore, he was accounted righteous. Jesus invites us to come to Him in simple belief, sinners though we are, and He will provide His robe of perfection, the perfect righteousness that He wrought out in His life while here in the flesh. That’s known as “imputed righteousness,” and it’s the only solution to the dilemma so graphically depicted in Isaiah 64 and Romans 3.
Imagine it like this: Jesus strips away your old stained garments, your filthy rags, and wraps you in the robe of His perfect righteousness, His perfect holiness, His perfect record of law-keeping. He wraps you in it and then whispers in your ear, “Now, you are perfect. I have given you My perfection. Please wear this robe, and don’t let it slip away from you.”
What is the greatest gift anyone ever gave you? How did the gift make you feel, especially if you didn’t do anything to deserve it? How much more grateful should we be, then, for the gift of Jesus’ righteousness that He offers us? 

Worship and Church Community

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MONDAY

March 21

Worship and Church Community
Jesus went regularly to the synagogue on Sabbath (Luke 4:16). His example should speak to us of the importance of community. The concept of “a lone Christian,” independent of the body, is not biblical. That there are some occasional examples of this in the Bible doesn’t prove that this is God’s plan. All through the Scriptures we see the model of God’s people as a community, a group working together for the mutual benefit of each other and for the church as a whole.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12–31 and Ephesians 4:15, 16. What do these verses tell us about our role and place in a larger church community?  

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How interesting, too, that in recent years reputable studies are showing that those who attend and participate in church services (compared to those who don’t) on a regular basis are:

• less likely to suffer from substance abuse.
• more likely to be sexually responsible.
• are less involved in risky behaviors.
• more likely to practice business and work-related ethics.
• more likely to enjoy a richer social network and group support.
• more likely to display higher levels of self-esteem and personal efficacy.
• more likely to cope better with losses (death of dear ones, calamities, health complications, etc.).
• more likely to harbor positive emotions (love, forgiveness, contentment, etc.).
• less likely to harbor negative emotions (guilt, fear, hostility, anger, etc.).

Belonging to a church can be a great source of blessing. Such an environment can be therapeutic for soul and body. True, at times problems arise in the community, and some leave angry and bitter; but more often than not, those who work through their problems can find in the church support and fellowship and encouragement that they might not get anywhere else. Think about what church could be like if every member took to heart these words from Paul: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2, NIV).
What is your relationship to your local church body? Are you a giver or a taker? Why, at times, might you need to be a taker? At the same time, if we all went to church with the attitude of giving ourselves when and where we could, what kind of community would we have?

Sin and Nature

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MONDAY

March 14

Sin and Nature
Whatever wonder and beauty we can find in nature, it’s today a double-edged sword. Beauty and marvel are there, but so are famine, earthquakes, pestilence, and disease. Something has gone terribly wrong.
Read over Genesis 3, the Fall. What immediate changes came to both humans and nature as a result of sin?  

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Sin brought immediate physical and spiritual consequences to human life. Nature, too, suffered the effects of sin. Sin caused devastating effects upon creation in at least three ways:

1. The ground was cursed (Gen. 3:17). After departing from the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve encountered immediate obstacles in working the soil. The ground began to produce undesirable thorns and thistles. Most probably, too, pests got in the way of healthy growth. Things got worse after the devastation of the Flood.
2. Human beings experienced significant changes. Fatigue and pain became a reality. The relationship between the man and the woman changed. The chapter seems to imply that Eve would have originally not had pain in childbirth. The relationship of Adam to the earth had changed, as well, and work now was going to be much more difficult than it would have been before. We do not know how the awareness of their own impending deaths affected the first couple, but it must have changed their outlook on life completely.
3. Sin affected human and animal behavior. Hatred, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, etc., caused aggression against fellow humans and animals. Other unknown ways of damaging the environment (perhaps comparable to what we are witnessing today) may have taken place. Animals started to kill each other for food and for power. As described in Genesis 3–6, corruption and violence escalated to the point that God was grieved for having made all creatures (Gen. 6:5–7). The true extent of all these transformations is not revealed to us, but we can assume that profound changes took place. Yet, God, in His infinite mercy, preserved a great deal of the magnificent original creation for the benefit of human beings.
   

Look around at the wonders of nature wherever you are. What echoes of the original creation seem to remain? What hope can you draw from those echoes that point you to the promises of a better world?

Sex Addiction

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MONDAY

March 7

Sex Addiction
What does the Bible say about sex as a source of enjoyment and strengthening marriage relationships? Prov. 5:18, 19; 1 Cor. 7:2–5.  

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Sex is one of the many enjoyable gifts that God has granted to men and women. God designed it not only for procreation but also to be a source of joy, closeness, and unity—but only in the context of marriage between one man and one woman (Gen. 1:27, 28; 1 Cor. 7:2). When taken away from this God-ordained framework and purpose, the gift becomes sin—sin often with devastating consequences (see 1 Cor. 6:18, 19). God alone knows the extent of havoc that sexual immorality has brought to the human family.
Sex is a very strong drive and thus readily open to abuse. It easily can become an absorbing obsession, one that’s very difficult to control. Worse, the more one indulges in it, the more and more sex one needs in order to reach the level of satisfaction attained earlier.
Prostitution and adultery are traditional paths into sexual immorality and addiction (see Prov. 5:3–14, 9:13–18). In addition, other forms of sex addiction are available today, such as pornography and cybersex. Internet pornography has created a staggering problem because, with a few mere clicks of a mouse, it can put the most vile and degrading acts into our homes and offices. These practices are highly capable of creating addiction, compulsion, and deterioration of marriage and family ties. It’s impossible to calculate the damage, for instance, that adultery has created in the world.
Sexual immorality is easy to start, and those who have not fallen into its trap will do well in keeping far from it. How crucial that when confronted with sexual temptations outside the sacred bonds of marriage, each person should act as Joseph did (see Gen. 39:7–12).
God is willing to grant full pardon and freedom to anyone trapped in sex addictions. Submission to Him is crucial (James 4:7). But the addiction mechanism is so intricate that professional help may be needed. Support groups that incorporate God as the ultimate source of help and include specialized skills to treat the problem can be of great benefit, if available.
How can you help someone who, though guilty of sin in this area, is seeking to know God’s forgiveness and healing? Suppose you are struggling here. How can you know that all hope is not lost, just as long as you don’t lose hope yourself? Jesus forgives—and heals.

Joseph’s Brothers

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MONDAY

February 28

Joseph’s Brothers
So often jealousy and envy arise among those with whom we are very close, which makes the potential for serious consequences even more devastating. Indeed, a large portion of aggression (physical or psychological) today is found within the family circle, and jealousy and rivalry between family members is so often at the root.
Read Genesis 37. What is the background to the story? What led up to this criminal act? What role did jealousy play?  

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It’s hard to believe that these brothers could have been so cruel. Did they not think, too, about what their actions would do to their father? Their jealousy became so powerful that it overruled not only common sense but common decency and morality, as well. What a powerful lesson this should be to all of us about how potentially dangerous this emotion is. No wonder there’s an entire commandment dedicated to warning us against it (see Exod. 20:17).
Besides all the pain their actions brought upon themselves and their father, they also feared for what Joseph would do to them after the death of their father, Jacob (Gen. 50:15).
But Joseph's attitude could not be more noble, for he said: “ ‘Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?’ ” (vs. 19, NIV). Joseph had understood that his duty was to forgive the offenders and to trust in God’s mercy and justice.
The life of Joseph has been compared to the life of Jesus Christ. Jealousy moved his brothers to sell him as a slave; some priests and elders were jealous of Jesus, and that jealousy fueled their actions against Him. Joseph was sold to the heathen; Jesus was sold to His enemies. Joseph was falsely accused and sent to prison because of his virtue; Jesus was falsely accused and rejected because of His righteousness. Joseph displayed noble benevolence toward his brothers; Jesus, too, forgave His enemies. The evil actions against Joseph ultimately led to good; the same thing happened with Jesus, in that the evil done against Him was turned to good, as well.
What kind of pain and suffering has jealousy and envy—whether your own or someone else’s—brought to your life? What lessons have you learned from these experiences? How often, too, have you felt jealousy over things that today seem so trivial and meaningless? What lesson should you learn from that, as well?

Self-perceptions

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MONDAY

February 21

Self-perceptions
What I see in myself is one important component of self-esteem. However, it is an incomplete and often faulty picture. Subjectivity can lead to misinterpretation when assessing people, including ourselves.
One of the gravest biblical warnings is against passing judgment on someone else: “For at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself” (Rom. 2:1, NIV; see also Luke 6:41, 42). Distortion seems universal, and people are subject to commit mistakes when judging others. The same happens with self. There is a great deal of error when one judges oneself in terms of ability, looks, character, power, etc. There always are going to be people smarter, better looking, and more gifted than you; at the same time, there always will be people who will look at you and feel themselves to be inferior.
Read prayerfully and carefully Matthew 22:39. What is implied in this text regarding how we should view ourselves?  

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This text implies that a reasonable amount of love should go to oneself (though this is not the main focus of the text). There should be a healthy pride in things well done, in well-accomplished tasks, and in the good traits and characteristics one may possess. There is an expected attitude of self-protection and caring for oneself. The problem comes when someone does not give credit to God, the Creator of all good things in us.
How are we to understand Romans 12:3 in light of what we’ve looked at so far?  

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There is a desirable middle area between extremely low self-esteem and arrogance. And Paul warns against the latter. At the same time, Romans 12:4–8 explains that the body of Christ needs the input of each member, according to the individual gifts given to them by grace. There is nothing wrong in acknowledging each gift, using them to strengthen Christ's church, and thanking God for them.
Make a mental list of the good personal attributes, characteristics, and abilities that God has given you. How can you use them and at the same time remain humble? How can looking daily at the cross help keep us in our place?