Sunday
December 22
1. HOPE
a. For what virtue is Job especially recognized—and what does this tell us about God? James 5:11.
“[The Lord] waits with unwearied love to hear the confessions of the wayward and to accept their penitence. He watches for some return of gratitude from us, as the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her beloved child. He would have us understand how earnestly and tenderly His heart yearns over us. He invites us to take our trials to His sympathy, our sorrows to His love, our wounds to His healing, our weakness to His strength, our emptiness to His fullness. Never has one been disappointed who came unto Him. ‘They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.’
“Those who seek God in secret telling the Lord their needs and pleading for help, will not plead in vain.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 84, 85.
b. How does James echo the words of Christ regarding veracity? James 5:12; Matthew 5:37.
“Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight.”—Ibid., p. 68.
Monday
December 23
2. FAITH . PRESUMPTION
a. If suffering from disease, how and why are we encouraged to come to the great Lifegiver? James 5:13–15; Psalm 103:1–3.
“God is just as willing to restore the sick to health now as when the Holy Spirit spoke these words through the psalmist. And Christ is the same compassionate physician now that He was during His earthly ministry. In Him there is healing balm for every disease, restoring power for every infirmity. His disciples in this time are to pray for the sick as verily as the disciples of old prayed. And recoveries will follow; for ‘the prayer of faith shall save the sick.’ We have the Holy Spirit’s power, the calm assurance of faith, that can claim God’s promises. The Lord’s promise, ‘They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover’ (Mark 16:18), is just as trustworthy now as in the days of the apostles.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 226.
b. Of what balance must we be aware when seeking health? Psalm 66:18.
“We are undeserving of [the Lord’s] mercy, but as we give ourselves to Him, He receives us. He will work for and through those who follow Him.
“But only as we live in obedience to His word can we claim the fulfillment of His promises. . . . If we render to Him only a partial, halfhearted obedience, His promises will not be fulfilled to us.”—Ibid., p. 227.
“The way in which Christ worked was to preach the word, and to relieve suffering by miraculous works of healing. But I am instructed that we cannot now work in this way; for Satan will exercise his power by working miracles. God’s servants today could not work by means of miracles, because spurious works of healing, claiming to be divine, will be wrought.
“For this reason the Lord has marked out a way in which His people are to carry forward a work of physical healing combined with the teaching of the word. Sanitariums are to be established, and with these institutions are to be connected workers who will carry forward genuine medical missionary work. Thus a guarding influence is thrown around those who come to the sanitariums for treatment.
“This is the provision the Lord has made whereby gospel medical missionary work is to be done for many souls.”—Medical Ministry, p. 14.
Tuesday
December 24
3. TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF COURAGE
a. Name a vital aspect of healing that is sadly overlooked. James 5:16.
“How mistaken are those who imagine that confession of sin will detract from their dignity, and lessen their influence among their fellow men. Clinging to this erroneous idea, though seeing their faults, many fail to confess them, but rather pass by the wrongs they have done others, so embittering their own lives, and shadowing the lives of others. It will not hurt your dignity to confess your sins. Away with this false dignity. Fall on the Rock and be broken, and Christ will give you the true and heavenly dignity. Let not pride, self-esteem, or self-righteousness keep anyone from confessing his sin, that he may claim the promise. ‘He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy’ (Proverbs 28:13). Keep nothing back from God, and neglect not the confession of your faults to your brethren. ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed’ (James 5:16). Many a sin is left unconfessed to confront the sinner in the day of final account; better far to confront your sins now, to confess them and put them away, while the atoning Sacrifice pleads in your behalf. Do not fail to learn the will of God on this subject. The health of your soul and the salvation of others depends upon the course you pursue in this matter.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp. 326, 327.
b. When concerned over the spiritual apostasy of his nation, what action did Elijah take—and how did God preserve him? 1 Kings 17:1–3.
“In anguish of soul [Elijah] besought God to arrest the once-favored people in their wicked course, to visit them with judgments, if need be, that they might be led to see in its true light their departure from Heaven. He longed to see them brought to repentance before they should go to such lengths in evil-doing as to provoke the Lord to destroy them utterly. . . .
“To Elijah was entrusted the mission of delivering to Ahab Heaven’s message of judgment. . . . At the palace he solicited no admission, nor waited to be formally announced. Clad in the coarse garments usually worn by the prophets of that time, he passed the guards, apparently unnoticed, and stood for a moment before the astonished king.”—Prophets and Kings, pp. 120, 121.
Wednesday
December 25
4. LEARNING FROM ELIJAH
a. Why are Elijah’s prayers for God to awaken his apostatized nation given as an example for us? James 5:17.
“Oft-repeated appeals, remonstrances, and warnings had failed to bring Israel to repentance. The time had come when God must speak to them by means of judgments. Inasmuch as the worshipers of Baal claimed that the treasures of heaven, the dew and the rain, came not from Jehovah, but from the ruling forces of nature, and that it was through the creative energy of the sun that the earth was enriched and made to bring forth abundantly, the curse of God was to rest heavily upon the polluted land. The apostate tribes of Israel were to be shown the folly of trusting to the power of Baal for temporal blessings. Until they should turn to God with repentance, and acknowledge Him as the source of all blessing, there should fall upon the land neither dew nor rain.”—Prophets and Kings, p. 120.
b. After Israel had renewed their allegiance to God, how are Elijah’s prayers again an example for us? James 5:18; 1 Kings 18:39–45.
“Six times [Elijah] prayed earnestly, and yet there was no sign that his petition was granted, but with a strong faith he urged his plea to the throne of grace. Had he given up in discouragement at the sixth time, his prayer would not have been answered, but he persevered till the answer came. We have a God whose ear is not closed to our petitions; and if we prove His word, He will honor our faith. He wants us to have all our interests interwoven with His interests, and then He can safely bless us; for we shall not then take glory to self when the blessing is ours, but shall render all the praise to God. God does not always answer our prayers the first time we call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for granted that we had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed upon us. Instead of searching our hearts to see if any evil was entertained by us, any sin indulged, we should become careless, and fail to realize our dependence upon Him, and our need of His help.
“Elijah humbled himself until he was in a condition where he would not take the glory to himself. This is the condition upon which the Lord hears prayer, for then we shall give the praise to Him.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, pp. 1034, 1035.
Thursday
December 26
5. EXTENDING CHRISTLIKE TENDERNESS
a. Amid disappointment heaped on us by defective people in a fallen world, with what final appeal does James close his letter to us? James 5:19, 20.
“Give the erring one no occasion for discouragement. Suffer not a Pharisaical hardness to come in and hurt your brother. Let no bitter sneer rise in mind or heart. Let no tinge of scorn be manifest in the voice. If you speak a word of your own, if you take an attitude of indifference, or show suspicion or distrust, it may prove the ruin of a soul. He needs a brother with the Elder Brother’s heart of sympathy to touch his heart of humanity. Let him feel the strong clasp of a sympathizing hand, and hear the whisper, Let us pray. God will give a rich experience to you both. Prayer unites us with one another and with God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and gives to the fainting, perplexed soul new strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan.
“When one turns away from human imperfections to behold Jesus, a divine transformation takes place in the character. The Spirit of Christ working upon the heart conforms it to His image. Then let it be your effort to lift up Jesus. Let the mind’s eye be directed to ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29. And as you engage in this work, remember that ‘he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.’ James 5:20. . . .
“In God’s forgiveness the heart of the erring one is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love. The tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner’s soul, and from him to the souls of others.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 250, 251.
Friday
December 27
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. At what times in my life have I seen God’s bountiful mercy toward me?
2. In what ways might I be guilty of presumption regarding my health?
3. How was Elijah’s prayer in behalf of his nation answered?
4. Why did Elijah need to pray so many times for the rain to return?
5. With whom should I have a more compassionate attitude, and why?