You Were There! God’s Hand in Our Story

   Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 13 - Sunday

“You Were There!” — Joshua 24:2–13

In Joshua 24:2–13, God speaks to Israel in a striking way—by recounting their history through His actions. The main thrust of God’s message is clear: Israel’s existence, freedom, and success are entirely the result of God’s faithful initiative, not their own effort. Before Joshua asks the people to choose whom they will serve, God reminds them who has already been serving them all along.

The passage is filled with powerful “I” statements from God. He says, “I took your father Abraham… I gave him Isaac… I sent Moses and Aaron… I brought you out… I delivered you… I gave you a land for which you did not labor” (Josh. 24:3–13). Each statement emphasizes God as the primary actor in Israel’s story. He chose them, guided them, protected them, fought for them, and provided for them. The meaning is unmistakable: Israel did not stumble into blessing; they were carried into it by a faithful God. Their present security rested on God’s past faithfulness.

This reminder also establishes accountability. Because God has acted decisively and graciously on their behalf, Israel is not free to live however they please. Their obedience is not a way to earn God’s favor—it is the right response to His proven faithfulness.

This passage also speaks directly to corporate responsibility, something the modern church often struggles to grasp. God addresses Israel as a people, not merely as individuals. Their shared history means their present choices will affect the whole community. Scripture reinforces this truth elsewhere: “For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). What one member does—whether in faithfulness or compromise—impacts the entire body.

As a church, we grow in corporate responsibility when we remember our shared testimony of God’s grace, bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), and actively encourage one another toward faithfulness (Heb. 10:24). Unity deepens when we stop viewing faith as a private matter and begin living as a covenant community shaped by God’s collective work among us.

Prayer:
Faithful God, thank You for reminding us that You were there—working, guiding, rescuing, and providing long before we understood what You were doing. Forgive us for taking Your faithfulness for granted or living as though our choices affect only ourselves. Teach us to live with gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility toward one another. Help us, as Your church, to honor You together, remembering all that You have done. Amen.

Sabbath School Lesson 13: Choose This Day!

 Lessons of Faith from Joshua

Sabbath School Lesson 13

Choose This Day!

You may use this for presenting and studying the current Sabbath School Lesson.

Reviewing the Evidence of God’s Faithfulness

   Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 12 - Friday

Reviewing the Evidence of God’s Faithfulness

One of the most spiritually grounding disciplines in Scripture is remembrance. God repeatedly calls His people to look back—not to live in the past, but to anchor their faith in what He has already proven about His character. When Israel crossed the Jordan, they set up stones of remembrance so future generations could ask, “What do these stones mean?” (Josh. 4:6). The evidence of God’s faithfulness was not abstract; it was concrete, visible, and tied to real moments of deliverance.

The same practice is vital for us. Evidence of God’s faithfulness often shows up in answered prayers, unexpected provision, protection we only recognize in hindsight, spiritual growth during hardship, or doors God closed to spare us greater harm. Scripture assures us, “The Lord is faithful in all His words and gracious in all His works” (Ps. 145:13). When we intentionally review our lives, patterns emerge: God may not have worked quickly, but He worked wisely. He may not have answered the way we expected, but He answered in ways that shaped us for His purposes.

Yet faith is tested most sharply when prayers seem unanswered and promises feel silent. Scripture does not ignore this tension. David cried out, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” (Ps. 13:1). Silence from God does not mean absence. Often, it is in the waiting that God deepens trust, exposes misplaced hopes, and refines our dependence on Him. Isaiah reminds us, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31), not because waiting is easy, but because God uses it to form endurance and maturity.

When circumstances contradict what we hoped for, we are invited to interpret life through God’s character rather than our emotions. Paul writes, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith clings to what God has revealed about Himself even when outcomes are unclear. Romans 8:28 assures us that God is always working—even in disappointment—for the good of those who love Him, though that “good” is often deeper conformity to Christ rather than immediate relief.

Reviewing God’s faithfulness, then, is both an act of gratitude and resistance—gratitude for what He has done, and resistance against the lie that unanswered prayers mean abandoned promises. Lament and trust are not opposites in Scripture; they often walk hand in hand. God invites honest questions, but He also calls us to steady confidence in His unchanging nature (Lam. 3:22–23).

Prayer

Lord, help me to remember. Open my eyes to see the many ways You have been faithful—ways I have forgotten, minimized, or taken for granted. When my prayers seem unanswered and Your voice feels silent, guard my heart from doubt and impatience. Teach me to trust Your timing, Your wisdom, and Your purposes, even when I do not understand them. Strengthen my faith to rest in who You are, not merely in what You do. I choose to believe that You are good, You are present, and You are still at work. Amen.

Uniting Heaven and Earth. Christ in Philippians and Colossians. - Sabbath School 1st Quarter - 2026

 

Uniting Heaven and Earth. Christ in Philippians and Colossians.

1st Quarter 2026

All links are PDF versions. Online reading link is at the bottom below.

Introduction and Contents 

Lesson 1: Persecuted but Not Forsaken

Lesson 2: Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

Lesson 3: Life and Death

Lesson 4: Unity Through Humility

Lesson 5: Shining as Lights in the Night

Lesson 6: Confident Only in Christ

Lesson 7: A Heavenly Citizenship

Lesson 8: The Preeminence of Christ

Lesson 9: Reconciliation and Hope

Lesson 10: Complete in Christ

Lesson 11: Living With Christ

Lesson 12: Living With Each Other

Lesson 13: Standing in All the Will of God

For Reading Lessons online go to: Uniting Heaven and Earth. Christ in Philippians and Colossians online version

 

Cling to God:The Command to Love

  Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 12 - Thursday

Cling to God

In Joshua 23:11, the aged leader implores the Israelites: “Be very careful, then, to love the Lord your God.” This is not merely a suggestion—it is a call to wholehearted devotion. Joshua’s appeal echoes the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” The repetition of this command underscores its importance: loving God is central to the life of faith.

Yet love, by its nature, cannot be coerced. Forced affection is not love at all. Genuine love requires the freedom of the heart. So how can God command love without violating its essence? The answer lies in understanding love as a choice, an active commitment of the will, not just a passive emotion. God calls us to align our hearts with His, to deliberately focus our affections, priorities, and actions toward Him.

Jesus illuminates this in the New Testament. In John 13:34, He gives His disciples a new commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This command is old in the sense that it reflects the eternal law of love found in Leviticus 19:18, which tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yet it is new because Christ models a self-sacrificial, unconditional love that goes beyond mere duty—a love empowered by the Spirit and rooted in His grace. Likewise, 1 John 3:11 and 15 remind us that this love is both a calling and a reflection of our relationship with God: love is evidence that we abide in Him.

Clinging to God means allowing His love to shape our love. When our hearts are saturated with His affection, love for Him and for others flows naturally. Our obedience to the command to love is not a burden; it is the outpouring of a heart fully devoted to God. To cling to God is to let Him be the anchor of our affections, the source of our strength, and the reason for our actions.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to cling to You with all my heart, soul, and strength. Teach me to love You freely, without reservation, and to reflect Your love to those around me. Strengthen my will to choose You daily, and let Your Spirit guide my affections and actions. May my love for You and others be a true expression of Your love dwelling in me. Amen.