Why I Stopped Reading the Sabbath School Lesson
I want to share my story of why I stopped reading the sabbath school lesson. Having been "born in the church," I was exposed to my quarterly sabbath school lesson since kindergarten, but then I chose to stop studying it. The reason I made this decision may be vital for you if you too no longer read your lesson, please read to the end.
As a child, it brought me great pleasure to get my brand new sabbath school lesson book every quarter. The teachers asked us to take good care of it and to ensure the leaves and cover remained in good condition. And above all, to ensure that we studied our lesson every day for the review in sabbath school.
I had great teachers who would make sabbath school fun and engaging. They would use excellent illustrations and activities to bring the bible lessons to life. Their main struggle for them, however, was ensuring we did our part by reading the lesson book during the week.
My daily worship sessions with my family included songs, bible readings (mostly Psalms), devotionals, and prayer. Friday evenings were, therefore, the only time carded for any form of lesson study. Whether or not I decided to review the lesson came down to how sleepy I felt that night.
Fast forward into adulthood, the practice never really changed. I would engage in the discussions on sabbath mornings based off of a cursory reading on Friday or my previous knowledge of the topic. With the increased stress of school and work during the week, Fridays became the night I went to bed right after sunset or got engaged in other church-related activities. I eventually chose to stop reading my sabbath school lesson. It just could no longer fit into my schedule.
Years passed, and I felt comfortable arriving late or winging it on sabbath mornings on the knowledge I had from childhood bible stories. My opinion and my "educated experience" became the chief influence in my sabbath school contribution. The truth is, I could easily get away with doing this because very few of my peers were thoroughly reading their lesson anyway. I felt little need to do any in-depth study because I knew it all. And if I wasn't making time to read my sabbath school lesson, you can just imagine how often I intentionally read the Bible. Thus making my contributions prone to opinion and biblical fiction.
It was not until the Holy Spirit led me to take an objective look at my spiritual life that I realized I was in a state of stagnated stupor. Like a stagnated pool of water, my ideas became corrupted with the filth of the worldly influences I was feeding on. From the various media of the internet, tv, books, and worldly education to the associations around me, I lacked true Holy Spirit-led guidance.
It was not until I started daily reading of my sabbath school lesson that I was aware of how far I had fallen from God's ideal. I once again felt comfortable in my state of being because I was now doing a daily study of the sabbath school lesson. However, God was not finished with me yet. He led me to realize that the lessons are just tools to help me develop an intentional and daily study of the bible.
Today, I have come a long way from my Friday night reading sessions. I have a daily study of the sabbath school lesson as well as the related bible quotations. Then I resume my continuous journey throughout the Bible, chapter by chapter. I support my bible study by reading books from Ellen G. White that do a great job of making clearer the word of God. I have since then seen massive growth in my understanding of who God is and my behavior in response to His love.
I still have a lot more to learn, and there is still a lot more I can do. God has placed me on a path of continuous improvement and discovery of His word. I can't wait to see what experiences He has in store for me.
I hope this has served as an inspiration for you to read more of God's word and have it impact your leadership, your teaching, your programs, and your life.
Remember, you can always find great supporting material for your sabbath school lesson review here. We have tonnes of resources each week to help you along your journey of knowing God's true character and living the life he desires for you.
