The Truth for Today Sabbath School Lessons are devised for daily Bible study, with each day's study building into part of the larger topic for the week, and that week's study being part of the entire topic for the quarter of thirteen weeks.
Every lesson contains 6 sections. Each question will refer you to verses in the Bible to read in order to find the Bible's answer to the question. Be sure and read every verse even if you think you know what it says. You are only cheating yourself of God's blessing if you skip on quickly. He can show you new things even in that which is familiar. The question is followed by a note which is intended to enhance your understanding of the question, something like a magnifying glass. If you study a section of the lesson each day, you will complete it in the week and then be able to review the entire lesson on the Sabbath as a revision exercise.
Before you start to study each lesson, go back and read the Topic page to the series to keep you on track, and then quickly review each of the previous lesson pages that you have studied on the topic already. In this way you will see full perspective and the developing picture of the quarter's course of study. The lessons are not just isolated study notes for that week, but are part of the syllabus of the entire 13-week plan of study.
Serious and regular Bible study may be unfamiliar to you so these additional hints are designed to help you. They have been tried and tested and come personally recommended to you from us at Truth for Today.
· Tools. A King James Bible, for that is what the Truth for Today Sabbath School lessons are based on. A loose-leaf notebook, pen, pencil and ruler. You might like to underline the verses that mean most to you in your Bible for future reference. If you do this with a soft pencil you can remove the marking at any time. Note down any thoughts or verses that were new to you. It may be that you will see links to other topics too at the same time. In this way the study of the Bible builds up.
· Time. Try to set aside a regular set time for your study when you can spend time undisturbed. Don't make it too long. Ten or fifteen minutes well spent are better than hours when you are not fully concentrating. You do not want to have spiritual indigestion!
· Prayer. The Bible is God's Book, written as holy men of God were impressed by the Holy Spirit. So to understand it, you too need the presence of Holy Spirit. Christ promised that the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and guide you into Truth, all Truth. Prayer is the essential preparation, before you even open the Bible. You can pray with confidence for Christ will always do as He has promised. Without it you will see only words, facts, stories, or an ancient piece of literature, with nothing to touch your heart and lead you into a growing knowledge of Truth. Truth is what God has revealed about Himself especially through Jesus. Then, when you finish your study for the day, pray that God will prompt you to do what He has shown you, so that it is not lost in the rush of the day.
· A clear conscience. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you if you are not at peace with God. If there is bad feeling between you and someone else, or something needs putting right, take courage and make it right before you come to your Bible study. With peace in your heart, the words will come alive. You will discover things you had not realised before.
· A drink. Don't laugh - it's true! Our bodies are largely made up of water and, if the water levels are not up to optimum levels, you will be unable to think clearly enough to understand what God is saying to you. So have a long drink of water beside and sip as you read. A pure, simple drink matches the purity and transparency of the words you will read. You could even sit in the fresh air.
· Memorising verses. There is a memory verse chosen for each week and it would be good to put this on a card to learn. There may be other verses in the lesson that you would like to hide in your heart too. This is not just an optional mental exercise. As you memorise, your mind is constantly making new pathways and connections of understanding. In this way Bible perspectives will widen and deepen.