Friday, October 22
“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore — humbled Himself to uplift fallen man; that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father's face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross. That the Maker of all worlds, the Arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside His glory and humiliate Himself from love to man will ever excite the wonder and adoration of the universe. As the nations of the saved look upon their Redeemer and behold the eternal glory of the Father shining in His countenance; as they behold His throne, which is from everlasting to everlasting, and know that His kingdom is to have no end, they break forth in rapturous song: ‘Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His own most precious blood!’” The Great Controversy, pp. 651, 652
Discussion Questions:
1. Read the Ellen G. White statement above. What does it say that should help us understand why our love for God should be the greatest love that we have? Think about what it means that God, the One who “upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space” was the One who went to the cross for us. Why should this truth be at the foundation of our relationship with God?
2. Dwell more on the idea of loving and fearing God at the same time. How do we do both, and why should we do both?
3. It’s one thing to love God when things are going well in our lives. What about when things aren’t going well, when tragedy strikes? Why, during such times, is loving God even more important than when things are going well?
4. Go over the final question in Thursday’s study. What are the various approaches that you could take in explaining to someone who isn’t a believer about what it means to love God? How can we human beings love someone whom we’ve never physically seen? Why does it not matter that we have never seen Him, at least in person?
