Sunday
July 26
1. THE OWNER OF ALL
a. What is declared about everything that exists on earth and throughout the universe? Job 41:11 (last part); Psalms 24:1; 50:10–12.
“All things belong to God. . . . In every dispensation, from Adam’s time to ours, God has claimed the property of man, saying: I am the rightful owner of the universe.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 476, 477.
b. What are we to understand about all that we often claim as our own? Haggai 2:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.
“Although now almost wholly in the possession of wicked men, all the world, with its riches and treasures, belongs to God. . . . O that Christians might realize more and still more fully that it is their privilege and their duty, while cherishing right principles, to take advantage of every heaven-sent opportunity for advancing God’s kingdom in this world.”—The Southern Watchman, March 15, 1904.
“Men grasp the treasures of earth as tenaciously as if they could hold on to them forever. They seem to think that they have a right to do with their means just as it pleases them, no matter what the Lord has commanded, or what may be the need of their fellowmen. They forget that all they claim as theirs, has simply been entrusted to them. They are stewards of the grace of God. . . . All that you have and are belongs to God, to be used in blessing humanity and in advancing the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.”—The Review and Herald, February 14, 1888.
Monday
July 27
2. ASSETS AND WEALTH
a. What possibility has God given to everyone, and what should this make us consider? Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalm 112:1–3; Ecclesiastes 9:11.
“It is God who gives men power to get wealth. The quick, sharp thought, the ability to plan and execute, are from Him. It is He who blesses us with health and opens ways for us to acquire means by diligent use of our powers. And He says to us, ‘A portion of the money I have enabled you to gain is Mine. Put it into the treasury in tithes, in gifts and offerings, that there may be meat in Mine house—that there may be something to sustain those who carry the gospel of My grace to the world.’ ”—In Heavenly Places, p. 303.
b. What dangers exist in the pursuit of earthly wealth? 1 Timothy 6:6–11; Psalm 49:6, 7; Proverbs 28:20.
“Those who possess the ability to acquire property need to be constantly on the watch or they will turn their acquisitiveness to bad account and not maintain strict honesty. Thus many fall into temptation, overreach, receive more for a thing than it is worth, and sacrifice the generous, benevolent, noble principles of their manhood for sordid gain.”—Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 537.
“The great apostle [Paul], in his letter to Timothy, would impress upon his mind the necessity of giving such instruction as should remove the deception which so easily steals upon the rich, that because of their ability to acquire wealth, they are superior in wisdom and judgment to those who are in poverty; that gain is godliness. They flatter themselves that because of their wealth they are especially favored of God. Here is the fearful deception.
“Individuals may devote their whole lives to the one object of acquiring riches, yet as they brought nothing into the world, they can carry nothing out. They must die and leave that which cost them so much labor to obtain. They stake their eternal interest to obtain a little of this world and lose both worlds. But some are determined to be rich; it is their constant study; and in their zeal, eternal considerations are overlooked. In the pursuit of wealth, they are blinded by Satan and made to believe that their motives are good.”—The Review and Herald, March 4, 1880.
Tuesday
July 28
3. TALENTS
a. In the parable of the talents, how did the Lord distribute His goods to His stewards? Matthew 25:14, 15.
“The talents, however few, are to be put to use. The question that most concerns us is not, How much have I received? but, What am I doing with that which I have? The development of all our powers is the first duty we owe to God and to our fellowmen. No one who is not growing daily in capability and usefulness is fulfilling the purpose of life. In making a profession of faith in Christ we pledge ourselves to become all that it is possible for us to be as workers for the Master, and we should cultivate every faculty to the highest degree of perfection, that we may do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 329, 330.
“Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time.”—Ibid., p. 342.
b. Every one of us has received some talents. What is required of us—whether our talents are few or many? 1 Corinthians 4:2; Matthew 25:19.
“Let no one permit himself to be unhappy and repine because his talents are few, and he cannot glorify God with that which has not been bestowed upon him, and for the use of which he is not responsible. If you can do but little, you are responsible only for the doing of that little with fidelity. If you have but one talent, use it well, and God will accept your effort to make the most of what He has given; He will approve of you as He sees you faithful over a few things. We have all been entrusted with some gift of God, and for its use we shall be held accountable.”—The Review and Herald, March 7, 1893.
“Money is of no more value than sand, only as it is put to use in providing for the necessities of life, in blessing others, and advancing the cause of Christ.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 351.
“All the prosperity we enjoy is the result of divine beneficence. God is the great and bountiful giver. If He requires any portion of the liberal supply He has given us, it is not that He may be enriched by our gifts, for He needs nothing from our hand; but it is that we may have an opportunity to exercise self-denial, love, and sympathy for our fellowmen, and thus become highly exalted.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, pp. 476, 477.
Wednesday
July 29
4. “OCCUPY TILL I COME”
a. What did those who received more than one talent do with them? Matthew 25:16, 17. What did the Lord command to do with His goods? Luke 19:12, 13.
“Success is not the result of chance or of destiny; it is the outworking of God’s own providence, the reward of faith and discretion, of virtue and persevering effort. The Lord desires us to use every gift we have; and if we do this, we shall have greater gifts to use. He does not supernaturally endow us with the qualifications we lack; but while we use that which we have, He will work with us to increase and strengthen every faculty. By every wholehearted, earnest sacrifice for the Master’s service our power will increase.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 353, 354.
b. What did the man who only received one talent do with it—and what was the result? Matthew 25:24–30.
“It was the one with the smallest gift who left his talent unimproved. In this is given a warning to all who feel that the smallness of their endowments excuses them from service for Christ. If they could do some great thing, how gladly would they undertake it; but because they can serve only in little things, they think themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. The Lord in His distribution of gifts is testing character. The man who neglected to improve his talent proved himself an unfaithful servant. Had he received five talents, he would have buried them as he buried the one.”—Ibid., p. 355.
“Have you only one talent? Put it out to the exchangers, by wise investment increasing it to two. Do with your might what your hands find to do. Use your talent so wisely that it will fulfil its appointed mission.”—Messages to Young People, p. 301.
“What will be the reward of those who spend their money in extravagance? These persons have souls which Christ has purchased with His own blood, and if they are saved at all, they must be saved through God’s appointed way. . . . God has prepared indescribable glories for them that love not gold, not display, not extravagance, not luxuries and ornaments, but that love Him.”—The Signs of the Times, June 25, 1894.
Thursday
July 30
5. THE REWARD OF THE FAITHFUL STEWARDS
a. What words will be uttered to those who improved their legacies, gaining other talents? Matthew 25:20–23.
“God keeps a faithful account with every human being in our world. And when the day of reckoning comes, the faithful steward takes no credit to himself. He does not say, ‘My pound;’ but, ‘Thy pound hath gained’ other pounds. He knows that without the entrusted gift no increase could have been made. He feels that in faithfully discharging his stewardship he has but done his duty. The capital was the Lord’s, and by His power he was enabled to trade upon it successfully. His name only should be glorified.”—Counsels on Stewardship, pp. 111, 112.
“The well-doer is not rewarded in proportion to the number of his entrusted talents, but in proportion to his faithfulness in using wisely that which he has, and the unselfishness of the motive that prompts his efforts.”—Atlantic Union Gleaner, September 16, 1903.
b. What will be the great reward of the faithful stewards? 2 Timothy 4:7, 8; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10 (last part).
“The faithful servant, who invests his talent in the cause of God, who uses his money to the glory of God, will receive the commendation, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant; . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord’ (Matthew 25:21). What will be this joy of the Lord?—It will be the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God. Those who are faithful stewards are partners with Christ, who, ‘for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God’ (Hebrews 12:2).”—The Youth’s Instructor, November 23, 1899.
Friday
July 31
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
a. What reality are all missing who boast of their possessions?
b. Why can earthly possessions become a snare?
c. Why have we been entrusted with means, talents, and abilities?
d. How is God testing our characters in His distribution of talents?
e. Many desire a heavenly crown—but how only is it attained?