In "Biblical Perspective" Dr. Gordon Snider makes these comments...

His master saw that the LORD was with him. How did this heathen officer recognize the presence of the Lord? It seems likely that Joseph’s success was so remarkable that Potiphar asked for an explanation, and Joseph was quick to point to his God. From the beginning there was no bitterness toward God in Joseph for his circumstances. Bitter people seldom, if ever, make successful people. The LORD made all . . . to prosper. Joseph was not a “flash in the pan.” His success was an ongoing thing because God was constantly with him. Joseph turned out to be a better witness to his owner than he had been to his brothers. Such, sometimes, is the result of adversity.

Discussion: Are we careful to point to God as the reason for our success in life?
Source: Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, page 17.

"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly." (Hebrews 13:18)
In "Biblical Perspective" for this week's lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

Is there a connection between the leaders of verse 17 and this request for prayer support in verse 18? Some would suggest that there is, and that this request shows that whoever wrote Hebrews had at one time been a leader among them. For we . . . have a good conscience. For here grammatically can be a cause for what follows. “Pray for us because.” If that is so here, the leader’s integrity becomes a call for prayer. Because he had lived blamelessly in their midst he hoped his people would be even more inclined to include him in their prayers.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." (Colossians 3:23)
In "Biblical Perspective" of this week's lesson Gordon Snider writes:

It is important to interpret these verses in the context of the servant situation, although they certainly may have a broader application. It is so easy, in difficult situations, to just go through the motions of doing your job, without any heart in it. But Christians, even in adverse situations, are reminded to fulfill their duty heartily, as to the Lord. When we are in a “survival” mentality, we often think thoughts like, “Who cares anyway?” Paul’s answer was that God cares. And He will reward you according to your faithfulness or lack of it.

Source: "Respecting Authority", Biblical Family Values, Adult Teacher's Insights, p. 12.

 
In "Biblical Perspective" for this lesson, Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

Lest we think that love is the easy way out, John had a word of warning. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. If my love for God is not seen in my love for others, I don’t love God. It is that simple. It is easy to say that we love God, but do our actions toward others prove it? Love is to be the top priority in every relationship.

Source: "Biblical Perspective", Adult Teacher's Insights, page 7.
 

Expositor's Greek Testament, Volume V notes:

Jealous regard for moral or doctrinal purity, and unwavering loyalty in trial, so far from necessarily sustaining the spirit of charity, may exist side by side, as here, with censoriousness, suspicion, and quarrelling.

Discussion: How can we, in our attempt to remain doctrinally pure, avoid the error of Ephesus church, having "left [their] first love"?
Source: Expositor's Greek Testament, Volume V

In "Biblical Perspective", Dr. Gordon Snider writes:

This basic command to love originates in the Old Testament. With all thy heart ... soul ... mind ... strength. The interpreter should resist the temptation to find subtle differences between these words. They are used here to show that love must flow from the entire person. Love cannot be separated into compartments. The suggestion is that we will either love God with our all, or not at all. This is the first commandment. Jesus did not mean that this is the first commandment given in time, but that it is the first commandment in terms of priority.

Source: Biblical Family Values: Adult Teacher's Insights, p. 5.

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." (Ephesians 5:15)
Greg Blake writes in "Teaching Tips" for this week's lesson:

verse 15 is heightened by the imperative command in verse 17 to “become” or “be” (or even “prove yourselves”) “not unwise.” Sounding a definite warning to avoid foolishness and the dangers that the enticing ways of the “unwise” present, verse 17 rephrases Paul’s earlier urgings in verses 9 and 10. The “will of the Lord” is the standard for all Christian behavior. Disregard or disobedience will be evident by ensuing “unfruitful works of darkness.”

Discussion: In a practical sense, how does one walk circumspectly from day to day?
Source: Galatians and Ephesians, Adult Teacher's Insights, page. 75.