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Monday, December 22 A slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all.—2 Tim. 2:24. The Bible contains many accounts that highlight the value of mildness. Take the example of Isaac. When he settled in the Philistine territory of Gerar, his envious neighbors stopped up wells that his father’s servants had dug. Instead of fighting for his rights, Isaac moved his household farther away and dug other wells. (Gen. 26:12-18) But the Philistines claimed that the water in this location was also theirs. Despite this, Isaac acted peacefully. (Gen. 26:19-25) What helped him to remain mild even when others seemed determined to provoke him? He surely observed the example of his parents, learning much from the peaceful ways of Abraham and “the quiet and mild spirit” of Sarah.—1 Pet. 3:4-6;Gen. 21:22-34. w23.09 15 ¶4

Sunday, December 21 Continue . . . forgiving one another freely.—Col. 3:13. The apostle Paul knew that his Christian brothers and sisters were imperfect. For example, he was misjudged soon after he started to associate with the congregation. (Acts 9:26) Later, some spoke about him behind his back to damage his reputation. (2 Cor. 10:10) Paul saw a responsible brother make a wrong decision that may have stumbled others. (Gal. 2:11, 12) And one of Paul’s close companions, Mark, greatly disappointed him. (Acts 15:37, 38) Paul could have allowed any one of these situations to cause him to refuse to associate with the offenders. Yet, he maintained a positive view of his brothers and sisters and remained active in Jehovah’s service. What helped Paul to persevere? Paul loved his brothers and sisters. Paul’s love for others helped him to focus, not on their imperfections, but on their fine qualities. Love also helped Paul to do what is mentioned in today’s text. w24.0315 ¶4-5

Saturday, December 20 A man’s footsteps are directed by Jehovah.—Prov. 20:24. The Scriptures contain accounts of youths who drew close to Jehovah, had his favor, and saw their life turn out well. David was one of them. At a young age, he chose God’s side and later became a loyal king. (1 Ki. 3:6; 9:4, 5; 14:8) You can be encouraged and motivated by studying about David’s life and faithful service. Or you can focus your study project on the example of Mark or of Timothy. You will see that they served Jehovah from a young age and gained a lasting record of God’s approval. How your life turns out may be determined by how you use it right now. Your trusting in Jehovah and not in your own understanding will lead to His directing your steps. You can have a happy and rewarding life. Remember, Jehovah values what you do for him. What better way could you use your life than by serving our loving heavenly Father? w23.09 13 ¶18-19

Friday, December 19 Continue loving one another.—1 John 4:7. Jehovah wants us to persevere in showing love to our brothers and sisters. If someone fails to show some Christian quality, we can assume that he wants to follow Bible principles and that he simply acted thoughtlessly. (Prov. 12:18) God loves his faithful servants despite their shortcomings. He does not cut us off when we make mistakes; nor does he stay resentful. (Ps. 103:9) How important it is for us to imitate our forgiving Father! (Eph. 4:32–5:1) Remember, too, that as the end draws near, we need to remain close to our brothers and sisters. We can expect persecution to intensify. We may even find ourselves in prison for our faith. If that happens, we will need our brothers and sisters more than ever.—Prov. 17:17. w24.03 15-16 ¶6-7

I’m very aware of that… and remission is totally different to reversed.

You completely miss my point I’m not saying about people giving up but any therapist will tell you that if you were a alcoholic then you steer clear of it for rest of your life… because one drink is never enough I know of several brothers in this situation, they just don’t drink at all not even a glass of wine at home because they know what the consequences could be

Are your lovely answers AI generated?

Let’s just state the facts here…. You may be able to ‘reverse’ pre diabetes but you certainly will not reverse long term diabetes You can get it under control but that’s as far as it goes, it’s like saying I have reversed my alcoholism… no, once a alcoholic then always one, you get things under control and you continue to live a healthy lifestyle. The only way you can stop diabetes is by finding out early that you are pre diabetic… so you start to see highs in your glucose levels, act firmly then and you may chase it away for a few more years.

Thursday, December 18 Jehovah . . . shows loyal love to those who love him and keep his commandments.—Dan. 9:4. In the Bible, the Hebrew word for “loyalty,” or “loyal love,” conveys the idea of a warm and loving attachment that is often used to describe the love that God has for his servants. The same word is also used to describe the love shown among God’s servants. (2 Sam. 9:6, 7) Our loyalty can become stronger over time. Consider how this proved true for Daniel. Daniel’s loyalty to Jehovah was tested throughout his life. But one of the greatest tests came when he was in his 90’s. Members of the royal court disliked Daniel and had little respect for the God he worshipped. So they devised a plot to have Daniel killed. They had a decree issued that would test whether Daniel would be loyal to his God or to the king. All Daniel had to do to prove his loyalty to the king was to stop praying to Jehovah for 30 days. Daniel refused to compromise.—Dan. 6:12-15,20-22. w23.08 5 ¶10-12

Wednesday, December 17 He is holy to Jehovah all the days of his Naziriteship.—Num. 6:8. Do you treasure your relationship with Jehovah? No doubt you do! Since ancient times, untold multitudes have felt the same way as you do. (Ps. 104:33, 34) Many have made sacrifices to worship Jehovah. That was certainly the case with those in ancient Israel known as Nazirites, or dedicated ones. This term aptly describes the zealous Israelites who made certain personal sacrifices to serve Jehovah in a special way. The Mosaic Law allowed for a man or a woman to make a special vow to Jehovah by choosing to live as a Nazirite for a period of time. (Num. 6:1, 2) That vow, or solemn promise, involved following guidelines that the rest of the Israelites did not have to observe. Why, then, would an Israelite choose to take the Nazirite vow? Such an Israelite was likely motivated by deep love for Jehovah and sincere gratitude for His rich blessing.—Deut. 6:5; 16:17. w24.02 14 ¶1-2

Tuesday, December 16 Each one will carry his own load.—Gal. 6:5. Each Christian must decide how to care for his own health. Only a few specific Bible laws, such as the commands to abstain from blood and from spiritism, affect a Christian’s choice of medical treatment. (Acts 15:20; Gal. 5:19, 20) Other areas are matters of personal preference. No matter how strongly we feel about a form of treatment, we need to respect the right of our brothers and sisters to make their own health-care decisions. In this regard, we should keep the following points in mind: (1) Only God’s Kingdom will bring complete and permanent healing. (Isa. 33:24) (2) Each Christian must be “fully convinced” of what is best for him. (Rom. 14:5) (3) We do not judge others or put a stumbling block before them. (Rom. 14:13) (4) Christians show love and do not put their freedom to make personal choices ahead of the unity of the congregation.—Rom. 14:15, 19, 20. w23.07 24 ¶15

Monday, December 15 The one showing favor to the lowly is lending to Jehovah, and He will repay him for what he does.—Prov. 19:17. Jehovah notices even the smallest act of kindness that we extend to others. He views it as a valuable sacrifice and as a debt that he is going to repay. If you formerly served as a ministerial servant or an elder, Jehovah remembers the work you did in the past and the love that motivated you to do it. (1 Cor. 15:58) He also observes the love that you continue to show. Jehovah wants all of us to grow in love for him and for others. We can strengthen our love for Jehovah by reading his Word and meditating on it and by regularly talking to him in prayer. We can grow in our love for our brothers and sisters by assisting them in practical ways. As our love grows, we will draw ever closer to Jehovah and to our spiritual family. And we will enjoy those friendships forever! w23.07 10 ¶11; 11 ¶13; 13 ¶18

Sunday, December 14 Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.—Matt. 6:33. Jehovah and Jesus will not give up on us. The apostle Peter was at a critical crossroads in his life after he denied Christ. Would he quit, or would he persevere as Christ’s disciple? Jesus had supplicated Jehovah that Peter’s faith would not give out. Jesus told Peter about that prayer and expressed confidence that Peter would later be able to strengthen his brothers. (Luke 22:31, 32) How it must have reassured Peter to think back on Jesus’ words! When we come to a crossroads in our life, Jehovah may use caring shepherds to provide the assurance we need to remain faithful. (Eph. 4:8, 11) Just as Jehovah provided materially for Peter and the other apostles, He will care for our material needs when we put the ministry first in our life. w23.0924-25 ¶14-15

Saturday, December 13 You need endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the fulfillment of the promise.—Heb. 10:36. The early Christians needed to endure. Besides dealing with problems common to all people, they faced additional trials. Many of them were persecuted, not only by Jewish religious leaders and the Roman authorities but also by their own families. (Matt. 10:21) And within the congregation, sometimes they had to fight the influence of the apostates and their divisive teachings. (Acts 20:29, 30) Yet, those Christians endured. (Rev. 2:3) How? They reflected on Scriptural examples of endurance, such as Job. (Jas. 5:10, 11) They prayed for strength. (Acts 4:29-31) And they focused on the good results of their endurance. (Acts 5:41) We too can endure if we regularly study examples of endurance in God’s Word and in our publications and meditate on them. w23.07 3 ¶5-6

Friday, December 12 As soon as he was strong, his heart became haughty to his own ruin, and he acted unfaithfully against Jehovah.—2 Chron. 26:16. When King Uzziah became powerful, he forgot that Jehovah was the Source of his strength and prosperity. What is the lesson? We do well to remind ourselves that our blessings and privileges come from Jehovah. Rather than boast about our accomplishments, we should give Jehovah the credit for what we are able to do. (1 Cor. 4:7) We must humbly realize that we are imperfect and need discipline. A brother in his 60’s wrote: “I have learned not to take myself too seriously. When I receive discipline for the childish mistakes that I sometimes make, I try to get back up and keep moving forward.” The reality is that when we fear Jehovah and keep a humble view of ourselves, our life will turn out well.—Prov. 22:4. w23.09 10 ¶10-11

Thursday, December 11 Close friendship with Jehovah belongs to those who fear him.—Ps. 25:14. You probably would not think of fear as an important quality for a good friendship. However, those who want to have a close friendship with Jehovah must “fear him.” No matter how long we have been serving Jehovah, all of us need to maintain a healthy fear of him. But what does it mean to fear God? A person who has a proper fear of God loves Him and does not want to do anything that would damage his relationship with Him. Jesus had such “godly fear.” (Heb. 5:7) He did not feel a morbid dread of Jehovah. (Isa. 11:2, 3) Instead, he felt a deep love for him and wanted to obey him. (John 14:21, 31) Like Jesus, we feel deep respect and awe for Jehovah because He is loving, wise, just, and powerful. We also know that Jehovah loves us and is affected by how we respond to his guidance. We can either make Jehovah feel pain or make his heart rejoice.—Ps. 78:41; Prov. 27:11. w23.06 14 ¶1-2; 15 ¶5

I don’t have the three fold cord either but I’m extremely happily married for well over thirty years… those sisters sound extremely mean and I’m glad that they won’t be doing the judging of either you or I!! I also know of several so called perfect three cord marriages that have split up, it is NOT a guarantee of anything ! I was so sorry to hear of the passing of your husband he sounds like he was a lovely man… remember Jehovah reads hearts and not those vicious sisters x

Wednesday, December 10 Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you.—Heb. 13:17. Although our Leader, Jesus, is perfect, those whom he uses to take the lead here on earth are not. We may struggle to obey them, especially if they ask us to do something that we do not want to do. The apostle Peter once hesitated to obey. When instructed by an angel to eat animals that were unclean under the Mosaic Law, Peter refused—not once, but three times! (Acts 10:9-16) Why? The new direction did not make sense to him. On the other hand, the apostle Paul obeyed when the Christian older men in Jerusalem directed him to take four men to the temple and cleanse himself ceremonially to show that he was observing the Law. Paul knew that Christians were no longer under the Law. And he had not done anything wrong. Still, Paul “took the men the next day and cleansed himself ceremonially along with them.” (Acts 21:23, 24, 26) Paul’s obedience promoted unity.—Rom. 14:19, 21. w23.10 10 ¶15-16

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Tuesday, December 9 A threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart.—Eccl. 4:12. When a couple value their friendship with their heavenly Father, they readily apply his advice, which in turn helps them to avoid and overcome problems that could cause their love for each other to cool off. Spiritual people also strive to imitate Jehovah and cultivate qualities that he displays, such as kindness, patience, and forgiveness. (Eph. 4:32–5:1) A couple who display such qualities make it easier for love to thrive. A sister named Lena, who has been married for more than 25 years, says, “It’s easy to love and respect a spiritual person.” Consider a Bible example. When Jehovah had to choose a couple to be the parents of the future Messiah, He chose Joseph and Mary out of the many descendants of David. Why? They both had a personal relationship with Jehovah, and Jehovah knew that they would build their marriage around their love for him. w23.05 21 ¶3-4

Monday, December 8 Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial.—2 Pet. 2:9. Ask for Jehovah’s help to resist temptation. As imperfect humans, we have a constant struggle against the temptation to do what is wrong. Satan is doing all he can to make that struggle as hard as possible. One way he tries to corrupt our thinking is by means of debased entertainment. Such entertainment can fill our mind with unclean thoughts—thoughts that defile our inner person and can lead to serious sin. (Mark 7:21-23; Jas. 1:14, 15) We need Jehovah’s help if we are to overcome the temptation to do what is wrong. Jesus included the following petition in the model prayer: “Do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.” (Matt. 6:13) Jehovah wants to come to our aid, but we must ask him for his help. We must also act in harmony with our prayers. w23.05 6-7 ¶15-17

Sunday, December 7 Read it in an undertone day and night, in order to observe carefully all that is written in it; for then your way will be successful and then you will act wisely.—Josh. 1:8. A Christian woman needs to develop practical skills. Some skills that a girl learns in childhood will continue to benefit her throughout her life. For example, learn to read and write well. In some cultures, reading and writing are not considered to be important skills for women to learn. However, they are essential skills for every Christian. (1 Tim. 4:13) So do not allow any obstacle to stop you from learning to read and write well. How will you be rewarded? Such skills may help you to find and keep a job. You will become a better student and teacher of God’s Word. Best of all, you will draw closer to Jehovah as you read his Word and meditate on it.—1 Tim. 4:15. w23.12 20 ¶10-11

Saturday, December 6 By wisdom a house is built up.—Prov. 24:3. In our race for life, we must love Jehovah and Jesus more than we love our relatives. (Matt. 10:37) This does not mean, however, that we can neglect our family obligations, as though these were holding us back from pleasing God and Christ. On the contrary, to be acceptable to God and Christ, we need to fulfill our role in the family. (1 Tim. 5:4, 8) When we do, we will be happier. After all, Jehovah designed families to thrive when husband and wife treat each other with love and respect, when parents love and train their children, and when children obey their parents. (Eph. 5:33; 6:1, 4) Whatever your role is in the family, trust in the wisdom found in the Bible instead of relying on mere emotions, culture, or what so-called experts may say. Make good use of our Bible-based publications. These contain practical suggestions on how to apply Bible principles. w23.08 28 ¶6-7

Friday, December 5 “The nations will have to know that I am Jehovah,” declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “when I am sanctified among you before their eyes.”—Ezek. 36:23. Jesus knew that Jehovah’s purpose is to sanctify His name, to clear it of all reproach. That is why our Master taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matt. 6:9) Jesus understood that this is the greatest issue facing all creation. No intelligent creature in the universe has ever done more to sanctify Jehovah’s name than Jesus has. Yet, when Jesus was arrested, what sin did his enemies accuse him of? Blasphemy! Jesus surely felt that to abuse or to slander his Father’s holy name was the most repugnant of sins. He was deeply disturbed that he would be charged and convicted of this crime. That may have been the main reason why Jesus was “in such agony” in the hours leading up to his arrest.—Luke 22:41-44. w24.02 11 ¶11

Thursday, December 4 Jehovah is the examiner of hearts.—Prov. 17:3. A key reason to protect our figurative heart is that Jehovah examines our heart. This means that he looks past what we appear to be to others and sees who we really are on the inside. He will love us if we fill our mind with his life-giving wisdom. (John 4:14) We will thereby leave no room for the moral and spiritual poison coming from Satan and his world. (1 John 5:18, 19) As we draw closer to Jehovah, our love and respect for him will grow. Because we do not want to hurt our Father, we will hate even the very thought of sinning. Marta, a sister in Croatia who was tempted to commit immorality, wrote: “I found it hard to think clearly and to suppress the urge to enjoy the temporary pleasure of sin. But fear of Jehovah protected me.” How did fear of God do that? Marta said that she meditated on the consequences that a bad decision would bring. We can do the same. w23.06 20-21 ¶3-4