Thursday, November 21 You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below . . . You must not bow down to them. —Ex. 20:4, 5. Moved by his deep love for God, Jesus worshipped Jehovah exclusively, both when he was in heaven and when he was on earth. (Luke 4:8) He taught his [...]
Monday, November 15 Sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, . . . and they will by no means escape. —1 Thess. 5:3. Imagine that the nations have just made their long-awaited proclamation of “peace and security.” They may boast that the world has never been so safe. The nations will want us to think that they have the world situation under control. But they have absolutely no [...]
Sunday, November 14 Look! a great crowd. —Rev. 7:9. The apostle John received an exciting prophetic vision. In it, angels are told to hold back the destructive winds of the great tribulation until the final sealing of a group of slaves. (Rev. 7:1-3) That group is made up of 144,000 who will rule with Jesus in heaven. (Luke 12:32; Rev. 7:4) Then John mentions another group, so [...]
Wednesday, November 10 They will become one flock, one shepherd. —John 10:16. Not all who have the hope of living in heaven are part of “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45-47) Just as in the first century, Jehovah and Jesus today are using a few brothers to feed, or teach, many. Only a few anointed Christians in the first century were used to write the [...]
Saturday, November 6 Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. —Heb. 13:6. When our enemies ban our worship, they hope to make us afraid to serve Jehovah. In addition to the ban, they may circulate false stories, send officials to search our homes, drag us to court, or even imprison some of us. They hope that we will be terrified because they managed to [...]
Tuesday, November 2 They will gather his chosen ones together. —Matt. 24:31. In recent years, the number of those partaking at the Memorial has been going up. Do we need to worry about this? No. “Jehovah knows those who belong to him.” (2 Tim. 2:19) Unlike Jehovah, the brothers who count the number of those partaking at the Memorial do not know who truly is anointed. So [...]
Tuesday, October 26 Against you —you above all— I have sinned. —Ps. 51:4. If you commit a serious sin, do not try to cover the error. Instead, openly confess your sin to Jehovah in prayer. You will then begin to feel some relief from the anxiety caused by a guilty conscience. But if you want to restore your friendship with Jehovah, you need to do more than [...]
Friday, September 24 Mind your own business. —1 Thess. 4:11. A person does not inherit his heavenly hope from his family. He receives it from God. (1 Thess. 2:12) So avoid asking questions that could hurt others. For example, we would not ask the wife of an anointed brother how she feels about the prospect of living forever on earth without her husband. After all, we can be [...]
Monday, September 13 Everyone proud in heart is detestable to Jehovah. —Prov. 16:5. Elders work hard for the benefit of their brothers and sisters. And they do not let their authority make them unduly proud. Instead, they treat the congregation tenderly. (1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Their deep love and humble attitude affect how they speak to others. Andrew, an experienced elder, says: “I have found that the brothers [...]
Tuesday, September 7 Even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are happy. —1 Pet. 3:14. Never allow anything that mere humans say or do to make you feel ashamed of being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Mic. 4:5) Consider the example set by the apostles in Jerusalem just after Jesus was put to death. They knew how much the Jewish religious leaders hated them. (Acts [...]
Daily commentary on examining the Scriptures.