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Tuesday, May 5 Sanctify the Christ as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense before everyone who demands of you a reason for the hope you have, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect.—1 Pet. 3:15. Jesus knew that it was Jehovah’s view of matters that was most important. He trusted that Jehovah would deal with injustices at the right time. We can imitate Jesus by controlling what we say when we are treated unjustly. Some injustices are minor, and we can simply overlook them. Or we may remain silent to avoid saying something that could make matters worse. (Eccl. 3:7; Jas. 1:19, 20) At other times, we may need to speak up when we observe unfair treatment or when we need to defend the truth. (Acts 6:1, 2) If we do speak, we should try our best to do so calmly and respectfully. We can also imitate Jesus by entrusting ourselves to “the One who judges righteously.”—1 Pet. 2:23. w24.11 5-6 ¶10-12

Monday, May 4 Clothe yourselves with the new personality.—Col. 3:10. When you read the Bible and look for ways to apply its guidance, you may at times feel overwhelmed. Think of this scenario: Today your Bible reading includes counsel against showing favoritism. (Jas. 2:1-8) You see that you could improve on how you treat others, so you decide to make some changes. Then tomorrow you read a passage that highlights the importance of controlling your speech. (Jas. 3:1-12) You realize that on occasion your speech has been somewhat negative. So you determine that you will be more positive and upbuilding. Your Bible reading the next day includes a warning against becoming a friend of the world. (Jas. 4:4-12) You notice that you need to be more selective in your choice of entertainment. By the fourth day, you might feel rather overwhelmed by all the things you need to work on. Do not be discouraged. Remember that putting on “the new personality” is an ongoing process. w24.09 5-6 ¶11-12

Sunday, May 3 “Come, now, and let us set matters straight between us,” says Jehovah.—Isa. 1:18. Some of Jehovah’s servants are deeply troubled by regrets over their past actions, either before or even after baptism. But we do well to remember that Jehovah provided the ransom because of his deep love for us. Surely, he wants us to accept his gift. Jehovah assures us that after we have “set matters straight” with him, he no longer holds our sins against us. How loving of Jehovah not to remember our past sins! At the same time, he never forgets the good we have done. (Ps. 103:9, 12; Heb. 6:10) If you are troubled by regrets about the past, do your best to focus on the present and on the future rather than on the past. You cannot change the past. But you can honor Jehovah in your present circumstances and look ahead to the wonderful future that he has promised you. w24.10 8 ¶8-9

Saturday, May 2 Get up, and let us run away, for none of us will escape from Absalom!—2 Sam. 15:14. David’s life was in danger. His son Absalom was determined to steal the kingdom from him. (2 Sam. 15:12, 13) David needed to leave Jerusalem at once! As his servants were leaving, David realized that someone needed to stay back to keep him informed of Absalom’s plans. So he sent Zadok and other priests back into the city to serve as informants. (2 Sam. 15:27-29) They had to proceed cautiously. David worked out a plan that involved Zadok and Hushai, loyal friends of David’s. (2 Sam. 15:32-37) Following the plan, Hushai won the confidence of Absalom and recommended a military strategy that would give David time to prepare for an attack. Next, Hushai informed Zadok and Abiathar of the plan. (2 Sam. 17:8-16) The two men were then able to send a message to David that played an important role in protecting David’s life.—2 Sam. 17:21, 22. w24.07 4-5 ¶9-10

Friday, May 1 There is no partiality with God.—Rom. 2:11. After he had delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, Jehovah appointed priests to serve at the tabernacle. Levites were assigned to share in other duties related to that holy tent. Did those who served at the tabernacle or who were encamped close to it enjoy better care from Jehovah than others? No! Jehovah is not partial. Everyone in the encampment had an equal opportunity to enjoy Jehovah’s friendship. For example, Jehovah made sure that the entire nation was able to see the miraculous pillar of cloud and pillar of fire posted above the tabernacle. (Ex. 40:38) When the cloud started to move in a new direction, even those encamped farthest from the tabernacle were able to see that, assemble their belongings, dismantle their family tents, and keep pace with the rest of the nation. (Num. 9:15-23) Similarly today, no matter where we live on earth, we can benefit from Jehovah’s loving, watchful care and protection. w24.06 4 ¶10-12

Thursday, April 30 Jehovah . . . forgives your sin. You will not die.—2 Sam. 12:13. What do we know about Jehovah’s mercy? How has he demonstrated that he “does not desire anyone to be destroyed”? (2 Pet. 3:9) Consider his mercy toward some who committed serious sins. King David got involved in a series of gross sins, including adultery and murder. Yet, David repented, so Jehovah mercifully forgave him. (2 Sam. 12:1-12) King Manasseh was profoundly wicked for much of his life. Even in that extreme case, however, Jehovah responded favorably to that man’s repentance and found a basis for extending mercy and forgiveness. (2 Chron. 33:9-16) These examples remind us that Jehovah shows mercy whenever he sees that there is a basis for doing so. He will resurrect such individuals because they realized that they had committed terrible sins and they repented. w24.05 4 ¶12

I have an unwanted vision of you sat in the bathroom eating chocolate … 😂

Wednesday, April 29 Thinking ability will keep watch over you, and discernment will safeguard you.—Prov. 2:11. Every day we need to make decisions. Some are relatively easy to make, such as what to have for breakfast or when to go to bed. Other matters are more difficult to decide. They may affect our health, our happiness, our loved ones, or our worship. We want our decisions to benefit us and our family. Above all, we hope that our decisions will please Jehovah. (Rom. 12:1, 2) An important step toward making a good decision is to get the facts. Why is this important? Imagine that a patient consults a doctor regarding a serious medical problem. Would the doctor make a decision about a course of treatment without first examining the patient or asking him questions? Certainly not. You too will make better decisions if you first consider the facts that have a bearing on the situation at hand. w25.01 14 ¶1-3

Tuesday, April 28 Now that we have moved beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying a foundation again.—Heb. 6:1. Jehovah does not expect us to grow to maturity on our own. Those who serve as shepherds and teachers in the Christian congregation are prepared to help us in becoming “full-grown” in a spiritual sense, “attaining the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13) Jehovah also provides his holy spirit to help us have “the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:14-16) Further, God inspired the writing of the four Gospels to show us how Jesus thought, spoke, and acted during his earthly ministry. By imitating Jesus’ way of thinking and acting, you can reach your goal of Christian maturity. But in order to advance to maturity, we must also move “beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ,” that is, basic Christian teachings. w24.04 4-5 ¶11-12

Monday, April 27 Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.—Eccl. 7:12. Jesus illustrated the foolishness of storing up money without being “rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21) No one knows what tomorrow will bring. (Prov. 23:4, 5; Jas. 4:13-15) We face a particular challenge as followers of Christ. Jesus said that we must be ready to “give up” all our belongings to be his disciples. (Luke 14:33, ftn.) First-century Christians in Judea accepted such a loss with joy. (Heb. 10:34) In modern times, many brothers have had to sacrifice their financial security because of refusing to give allegiance to a political system. (Rev. 13:16, 17) What has helped them to do that? They have absolute confidence in Jehovah’s promise: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” (Heb. 13:5) We do our best to plan for our future needs, and if unexpected events befall us, we trust in Jehovah’s support. w25.03 29 ¶13-14

Sunday, April 26 Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same.—Col. 3:13. Jehovah expects us to be ready to forgive those who hurt us. (Ps. 86:5; Luke 17:4; Eph. 4:32) We may be deeply hurt because of what someone says or does to us, especially if that person is a close friend or family member. (Ps. 55:12-14) At times, the emotional pain we suffer can be likened to being stabbed. (Prov. 12:18) We may try to suppress or ignore our hurt feelings. But doing so might be like getting stabbed and then leaving the knife in the wound. Similarly, we cannot expect our hurt feelings to get better if we simply ignore them. When someone offends us, our initial reaction may be to get angry. The Bible acknowledges that we may become wrathful. However, it warns against allowing that emotion to dominate us. (Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26) Why? Because anger seldom leads to good results. (Jas. 1:20) Remember, getting angry is a reaction, but remaining angry is a choice. w25.02 15 ¶4-6

Saturday, April 25 I love your commandments more than gold, even fine gold.—Ps. 119:127. When you find a passage in the Bible that you do not fully understand, do research. Then throughout the day, meditate on what you have discovered and what it tells you about Jehovah, his Son, and their love for you. (Ps. 119:97, ftn.) Do not be discouraged if you do not find something new or exciting every time you sit down to read or to do research. In a sense, you are like a person who pans for gold. Patiently, prospectors spend hours or days before finding even the smallest nugget of gold. Yet, they persist because every bit of gold is valuable to them. Of how much greater value is every gem of Bible truth! (Prov. 8:10) So be patient and stick to your Bible reading schedule.—Ps. 1:2. w25.0125 ¶14-15

Friday, April 24 Ponder over these things; be absorbed in them, so that your advancement may be plainly seen by all people.—1 Tim. 4:15. A brother who qualifies as an elder is not a newly converted man. Although you do not have to be baptized for many years, you do need time to become a mature Christian. Before you are appointed as an elder, you must demonstrate that, like Jesus, you are humble and are content to wait on Jehovah for any assignment. (Matt. 20:23; Phil. 2:5-8) You can prove that you are loyal by sticking to Jehovah and his righteous standards and by following the direction given through his organization. The Scriptures clearly state that overseers must be qualified to teach. Does this mean that you must be an excellent public speaker? No. Many well-qualified elders, though not the best public speakers, teach effectively in the ministry and on shepherding calls. w24.11 23-24 ¶14-15

Don’t feel silly at all, everyone who has ever had a pet of any kind knows the pain we feel when they are no longer here… I’ve even had to ask in my congregation if anyone has a dog that we could go on walks with because my remaining dog is so lonely now do you have a photo of your dog you could share here? This is my dog she was called Pip

I absolutely feel your pain and hurt, I also lost my 16 year old dog two weeks ago and the hole she has left in my heart is immense I still have a 10 year old dog at home and she is also grieving badly and seems to have lost all confidence in herself As for why Jehovah created animals that die? I think it’s a question that in our imperfect state we are unable to answer … I continue to hang on to the hope that in the new world Jehovah will open his hands to us and that we could have our beloved pet back if we wanted to… But again that is me yearning to have my dog back with me and I’m thinking emotionally because the pain is raw… we don’t know Jehovahs plans and we’re way too imperfect to comprehend them even if we did! Try to think back on all of the happy times you had together, you gave her the very best life that you could and you made her happy… but it’s so very hard to deal with right now 😪

Thursday, April 23 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.—1 Tim. 1:15. Imagine giving someone you love a special gift that is both beautiful and practical. How disappointed you would be if that person simply put it in storage and gave it no further thought! On the other hand, you would surely be pleased if he or she put your gift to good use and expressed appreciation for it. What is the point? Jehovah has given his Son in our behalf. How happy Jehovah must be when we show gratitude for that precious gift and for his love, which moved him to provide the ransom! (John 3:16;Rom. 5:7, 8) As time passes, however, we could begin to take the gift of the ransom for granted. It would be like putting God’s gift in storage. We are happy to have it, but we keep it out of sight. To prevent that from happening, we must regularly renew our gratitude for what God and Christ have done for us. w25.01 26 ¶1-2

I’m looking forward to summer again

Wednesday, April 22 Christ suffered for you, leaving a model for you to follow his steps closely.—1 Pet. 2:21. Jesus set a perfect example of how to cope with injustice. Consider the unjust treatment he experienced, both from family and from outsiders. His unbelieving relatives accused him of being out of his mind, the religious leaders accused him of collaborating with the demons, and Roman soldiers mocked him, physically assaulted him, and eventually killed him. (Mark 3:21, 22; 14:55; 15:16-20, 35-37) Yet, Jesus endured all that injustice and more without retaliating. What can we learn from his example? (1 Pet. 2:21-23) Jesus left us a perfect model to follow when we are dealing with an injustice. He knew when to remain silent and when to speak. (Matt. 26:62-64) He did not reply to every false statement made about him. (Matt. 11:19) When he did speak, he did not insult his persecutors or threaten them. w24.11 4-5 ¶9-10

Tuesday, April 21 I will come again and will receive you home to myself.—John 14:3. Only genuine, faithful anointed ones will be received by Jesus into the heavenly Kingdom. Any anointed ones who do not remain spiritually alert will not be gathered with the “chosen ones.” (Matt. 24:31) By extension, all of God’s people, regardless of their hope, should view Jesus’ words as a warning to keep on the watch and remain faithful. We have come to know Jehovah well, so we trust his judgment. We are not concerned if Jehovah has chosen to anoint some faithful ones in more recent years. We recall what Jesus said about the 11th-hour workers in his illustration of the vineyard. (Matt. 20:1-16) Those who were invited to work in the vineyard later in the day received the same wage as those who began working in it earlier. Likewise, no matter when anointed ones are selected, they will receive the heavenly reward if they are judged faithful. w24.09 24 ¶15-17

Monday, April 20 Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person.—1 Cor. 10:24. How long should you observe the person before you express your romantic interest? If you approach someone too soon, you could come across as impulsive. (Prov. 29:20) On the other hand, if you take too long, you could come across as indecisive, especially if the other person has perceived your interest. (Eccl. 11:4) Remember, before approaching someone, you do not need to be convinced that you will marry that person. But you should be convinced that you are ready for marriage and that the other person could be a suitable mate for you. What, though, if you sense that someone is interested in you? If the feeling is not mutual, try to make that clear by your actions. It would be unkind to make the person think that there is a possibility of a relationship when that is not the case.—Eph. 4:25. w24.05 22-23 ¶9-10

Seriously!! I’m saying I don’t like the man I didn’t once say that I don’t respect him, I don’t need to show this man honour.. I honour Jehovah. i am also not American, I live in Ireland… maybe we just have a very different outlook here and I suspect that’s the case and as Tortuga said I would love him to come into the truth, do I think he will? As Richard said it would be a modern day miracle. Sorry if I offended you.

Sunday, April 19 If your heart becomes wise, then my own heart will rejoice.—Prov. 23:15. By the time the apostle John wrote his third letter, some individuals were spreading false teachings and causing divisions. However, others continued “walking in the truth.” They obeyed Jehovah and were “walking according to his commandments.” (2 John 4, 6) These faithful Christians brought joy not just to John but also to Jehovah himself. (Prov. 27:11) What is the lesson for us? Faithfulness leads to joy. (1 John 5:3) For example, we have the joy of knowing that we make Jehovah happy. He rejoices to see us reject the temptations of the world and accept the truth. Others in heaven also rejoice. (Luke 15:10) We too can find joy in seeing one another remain faithful. (2 Thess. 1:4) Then when this system passes away, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that we demonstrated our loyalty to Jehovah even in a world dominated by Satan. w24.11 12 ¶17-18

I’m afraid that no other president in history has been like Trump… and I think that it’s perfectly ok to say that you dislike the guy, he is a cringeworthy raging narcissist!! Does that mean that I’m not remaining neutral? Personally I don’t think so… I don’t even know the name of the party he represents… I’m that interested in it Lol As a person I don’t like him I find myself laughing and cringing at him in equal measure I do feel that he will possibly be in power during the GT and how that will go down is interesting in itself!

Saturday, April 18 If anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper.—1 John 2:1. The most important decision that any person can make is the decision to dedicate himself to Jehovah and to become part of His family of worshippers. Jehovah desires everyone to do so. Why? He wants them to enjoy a friendship with him and to live forever. (Deut. 30:19, 20; Gal. 6:7, 8) However, Jehovah does not force anyone to serve him. He allows each individual to decide what he will do. What if a baptized Christian breaks God’s law, committing a serious sin? If he does not repent, he must be removed from the congregation. (1 Cor. 5:13) Yet, even then, Jehovah fervently hopes that the wrongdoer will return to Him. In fact, that is an important reason why he provided the ransom—to make forgiveness possible for repentant sinners. Our loving God warmly appeals to wrongdoers, urging them to repent.—Zech. 1:3; Rom. 2:4; Jas. 4:8. w24.08 14 ¶1-2

Friday, April 17 Let no one lead you astray in any way.—2 Thess. 2:3. What can we learn from the apostle Paul’s words to the Thessalonians? When we hear something that does not harmonize with what we have learned from the Bible or when we hear a sensational rumor, we need to use discernment. In the former Soviet Union, our enemies once circulated a letter that was allegedly from world headquarters. The letter encouraged some of the brothers to form a separate, independent organization. The letter itself appeared to be genuine. But faithful brothers were not fooled. They realized that the message the letter contained did not line up with what they had been taught. Today, enemies of the truth sometimes use modern technology in an effort to confuse and divide us. Rather than be “quickly shaken from [our] reason,” we can protect ourselves by considering whether what we hear or read is in harmony with the truths we have already learned.—2 Thess. 2:2; 1 John 4:1. w24.0712 ¶14-15