1. HALLMARKS OF GOD’S CHARACTER Sunday July 5

a. What did God provide for man after bestowing upon him life itself? Genesis 2:7, 15. Why is this a blessing for us? Ecclesiastes 5:18. In the beginning [the Lord] created man a gentleman; but though rich in all that the Owner of the universe could supply, Adam was not to be idle. No sooner was he created than his work was given him. He was to find employment and happiness in tending the things that God had created, and in response to his labor his wants were to be abundantly supplied from the fruits of the Garden of Eden.–Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, pp. 273, 274. b. What daily evidences reveal God’s abundant love for us? Psalm 36:5–9; Acts 14:17. The power of God is manifested in the beating of the heart, in the action of the lungs, and in the living currents that circulate through the thousand different channels of the body. We are indebted to Him for every moment of existence, and for all the comforts of life. The powers and abilities that elevate man above the lower creation, are the endowment of the Creator.He loads us with His benefits. We are indebted to Him for the food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe. Without His special providence, the air would be filled with pestilence and poison. He is a bountiful benefactor and preserver."–Counsels on Stewardship, p. 17.[God] bestows life-giving properties on all that nature produces. We are to regard the trees laden with fruit as the gift of God, just as much as though He placed the fruit in our hands.–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 1, p. 1081.

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2. GOD’S GREATEST GIFTS Monday July 6

a. What is the greatest of God’s gifts? John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4–7. The natural world has, in itself, no power but that which God supplies. There is a personal God, the Father; there is a personal Christ, the Son.–Selected Messages, book 1, p. 293.Christ has purchased us by the price of His own blood. He has paid the purchase money for our redemption, and if we will lay hold upon the treasure, it is ours by the free gift of God.–Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 245. b. How does Christ identify His followers as a gift from the Father to Him? John 6:37–39; 17:24. Why should this fact encourage our hearts? James 1:17, 18. Because we are the gift of His Father, and the reward of His work, Jesus loves us. He loves us as His children. Reader, He loves you. Heaven itself can bestow nothing greater, nothing better.–The Desire of Ages, p. 483.It is your privilege to trust in the love of Jesus for salvation, in the fullest, surest, noblest manner; to say, He loves me, He receives me; I will trust Him, for He gave His life for me. Nothing so dispels doubt as coming in contact with the character of Christ.–Testimonies to Ministers, p. 517.

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3. WHO IS CHRIST? Tuesday July 7

a. As we reverence the heavenly Father as Creator, what should we also understand about Jesus Christ? Hebrews 1:1–3; John 1:1–3. If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity. God over all, blessed forevermore.–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1126. b. Upon what basis is Christ entitled to our worship and discipleship? Ephesians 3:9; Philippians 2:5–10. The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that ‘all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:16, 17, R.V., margin). The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.–Education, p. 132.

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4. A HEAVENLY PRINCIPLE Wednesday July 8

a. What fundamental concept should we learn from the example of Christ’s earthly life? Luke 22:27 (last part); Hebrews 5:8; 12:2–4. The foundation of the plan of salvation was laid in sacrifice. Jesus left the royal courts and became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. All who share this salvation, purchased for them at such an infinite sacrifice by the Son of God, will follow the example of the true Pattern. Christ was the chief Cornerstone, and we must build upon this Foundation. Each must have a spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice. The life of Christ upon earth was unselfish; it was marked with humiliation and sacrifice. And shall men, partakers of the great salvation which Jesus came from heaven to bring them, refuse to follow their Lord and to share in His self-denial and sacrifice?–Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 387. [Author’s italics.] b. In what sense are we to gladly follow Christ’s example of sacrifice? 1 Peter 2:21; Romans 12:1, 2. Christ sacrificed everything for man in order to make it possible for him to gain heaven. Now it is for fallen man to show what he will sacrifice on his own account for Christ’s sake, that he may win immortal glory. Those who have any just sense of the magnitude of salvation and of its cost will never murmur that their sowing must be in tears and that conflict and self-denial are the Christian’s portion in this life.–Testimonies, vol. 3, p. 481.A great lesson is learned when we understand our relation to God and His relation to us. The words, ‘Ye are not your own;’ ‘ye are bought with a price,’ should be hung in memory’s hall, that we may ever recognize God’s right to our talents, our property, our influence, our individual selves. We are to learn how to treat this gift of God, in mind, in soul, in body, that as Christ’s purchased possession we may do Him healthful savory service.–Medical Ministry, p. 276.

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5. GRACE GRANTED Thursday July 9

a. What is grace–and why is it essential to our salvation? Romans 5:6–9; Ephesians 2:8, 9. Grace is an attribute of God exercised toward undeserving human beings. We did not seek for it, but it was sent in search of us. God rejoices to bestow His grace upon us, not because we are worthy, but because we are so utterly unworthy. Our only claim to His mercy is our great need.–The Ministry of Healing, p. 161.It was grace that sent our Saviour to seek us as wanderers and bring us back to the fold.–Selected Messages, book 1, p. 332. b. How should we respond to God’s bountiful grace? Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11–14. Are good works of no real value? Is the sinner who commits sin every day with impunity, regarded of God with the same favor as the one who through faith in Christ tries to work in his integrity? The Scripture answers, We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). In His divine arrangement, through His unmerited favor, the Lord has ordained that good works shall be rewarded. We are accepted through Christ’s merit alone; and the acts of mercy, the deeds of charity, which we perform, are the fruits of faith; and they become a blessing to us; for men are to be rewarded according to their works. It is the fragrance of the merit of Christ that makes our good works acceptable to God, and it is grace that enables us to do the works for which He rewards us. Our works in and of themselves have no merit. When we have done all that it is possible for us to do, we are to count ourselves as unprofitable servants. We deserve no thanks from God. We have only done what it was our duty to do, and our works could not have been performed in the strength of our own sinful natures."–The Review and Herald, January 29, 1895.All your good works cannot save you; but it is nevertheless impossible for you to be saved without good works. Every sacrifice made for Christ will be for your eternal gain.–Selected Messages, book 3, p. 147.

REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS Friday July 10

1. Name some simple gifts of God bestowed from the days of Eden. 2. How does God’s greatest gift involve a reciprocal relationship? 3. Why is it important for us to understand who Christ really is? 4. What fundamental principle underlies the entire plan of salvation? 5. What power does grace give the redeemed in preparation for Heaven?