Saturday, June 4 Jesus spoke to the crowds by illustrations.—Matt. 13:34. Simple illustrations are often the best kind to use. For example, when explaining to a householder that God is superior to Jesus, we can mention that both God and Jesus used a family reference when describing their relationship. God referred to Jesus as his Son, and Jesus spoke of God as his Father. Next, we might ask: [...]
Thursday, June 2 The bridegroom came.—Matt. 25:10. Jesus’ prophecy recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25 contains eight references to his “coming”; in each case, a form of the same Greek word is used. In every instance, Jesus was referring to the time during the great tribulation when he will come to carry out the judging work and then the destruction of this world system of things. Evidently, [...]
Wednesday, June 1 I am longing for all of you with such tender affection as Christ Jesus has.—Phil. 1:8. Jesus felt tender compassion for others. When he saw his friend Mary and those with her weeping over the death of her brother, Lazarus, Jesus openly “gave way to tears.” Then, likely stirred by heartfelt pity—just as when he raised a widow’s son—he resurrected Lazarus. By means of [...]
Monday, May 30 Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus.—Phil. 2:5. What sort of disposition did Jesus have? He was humble. Humility moved him to be self-sacrificing in his ministry. Preaching to others about the good news of God’s Kingdom was foremost in his mind. Jesus viewed God’s Word as the final authority. He diligently studied the Holy Scriptures so that he [...]
Sunday, May 29 Where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them rise up if they can save you in your time of calamity.—Jer. 2:28. Israel did not prove faithful to Jehovah. They allowed themselves to be influenced by nations that worshipped gods of wood and stone. Instead of producing fine fruitage by practicing pure worship and acting as Jehovah’s faithful witnesses, Israel [...]
Thursday, May 26 If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, yes, the spirit of God, is resting upon you.—1 Pet. 4:14. It is good for us to remember that in the first century, genuine Christians were hated by many—if not the majority—of their contemporaries. Can the inspired words of today’s text be applied to Jehovah’s Witnesses today? [...]
If prosecutors proceed with their threat to liquidate the Jehovah's Witness headquarters near St Petersburg, thousands of local congregations across Russia could also face prohibition of their activities and individuals could be vulnerable to criminal charges for expressing their beliefs, Forum 18 notes. The Jehovah's Witnesses' principal body in Russia is under threat of dissolution as an "extremist" organisation after the deadline in an official warning [...]
Daily Commentary Tuesday, May 24 God is a God not of disorder but of peace.—1 Cor. 14:33. Jehovah, the Creator of the universe, does things in an organized manner. His first creation was his only-begotten spirit Son, who is called “the Word” because he is God’s principal spokesman. The Word has served Jehovah for ages, for the Bible states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word [...]
Sunday, May 22 [He] entrusted his belongings to them.—Matt. 25:14. The parable of the talents reveals that the master gave to one slave five talents, to another two, and to still another just one. Although each slave received a different number, the master expected all of them to be diligent in using the talents, that is, in serving to the best of their ability in the ministry. In [...]
Saturday, May 21 This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.—Matt. 24:14. Jesus’ disciples knew that they could not accomplish the preaching work on their own. Jesus had said that he would be with them and that the holy spirit would assist them. In some respects, circumstances existing in the world of that day [...]
