Observance of God’s Holy Sabbath
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the door of the heart of those who need help. If pupils respond to the
pleading of the Spirit, and open the door of the heart, that Jesus may
come in, He will open their understanding, that they may comprehend
the things of God. The teacher’s work is simple work, but if it is done
in the Spirit of Jesus, depth and efficiency will be added to it by the
operation of the Spirit of God.
Parents, set apart a little time each day for the study of the Sabbath
school lesson with your children. Give up the social visit if need be,
rather than sacrifice the hour devoted to the precious lessons of sacred
history. Parents, as well as children, will receive benefit from this
study. Let the more important passages of Scripture connected with
the lesson be committed to memory, not as a task, but as a privilege.
Though at first the memory may be defective, it will gain strength by
exercise, so that after a time you will delight thus to treasure up the
precious words of truth. And the habit will prove a most valuable aid
to religious growth....
Observe system in the study of the Scriptures in your families.
Neglect anything of a temporal nature; dispense with all unnecessary
sewing and with needless provision for the table, but be sure that
the soul is fed with the bread of life. It is impossible to estimate the
good results of one hour or even half an hour each day devoted in a
cheerful, social manner to the word of God. Make the Bible its own
expositor, bringing together all that is said concerning a given subject
at different times and under varied circumstances. Do not break up
your home class for callers or visitors. If they come in during the
exercise, invite them to take part in it. Let it be seen that you consider
it more important to obtain a knowledge of God’s word than to secure
the gains or pleasures of the world. In some [Sabbath] schools, I am
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sorry to say, the custom prevails of reading the lesson from the lesson
sheet. This should not be. It need not be, if the time that is often
needlessly and even sinfully employed, were given to the study of the
Scriptures. There is no reason why Sabbath school lessons should be
less perfectly learned by teachers or pupils than are the lessons of the
day school. They should be better learned, as they treat of subjects
infinitely more important. A neglect here is displeasing to God.
Those who teach in Sabbath school must have their hearts warmed
and invigorated by the truth of God, being not hearers only, but also
doers of the Word. They should be nourished in Christ as the branches