Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2013

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, April 10

I do all things for the sake of the good news, that I may become a sharer of it with others.—1 Cor. 9:23.

How serious was Paul about his ministry? He was willing to “slave” both for Jehovah and for those who would listen to the message of truth. (Rom. 12:11; 1 Cor. 9:19) When we take on the responsibility to teach people God’s Word—either during a home Bible study, a Christian meeting, or a Family Worship session—do we sense our responsibility toward those we are teaching? Perhaps we feel that conducting a regular Bible study is too much of a burden for us to take on. Granted, it usually calls for taking time from our personal pursuits and devoting that time to helping others. But is that not in the spirit of Jesus’ words that “there is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving”? (Acts 20:35) Personally teaching others the way to salvation will bring us happiness that cannot be compared with any other activity. w11 4/15 1:7, 8

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, April 11

You are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.—Gen. 3:5.

Although speaking only to Eve, Satan used the plural form of the pronoun “you.” In so doing, he may have tried to appeal to her pride, endeavoring to make her feel important—as if she were the spokesperson for herself and her husband. The result? Eve evidently took it upon herself to speak for both of them by saying to the serpent: “Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.” Satan also distorted the facts. He implied that God was unfair in demanding that Adam and Eve “must not eat from every tree of the garden.” Next, Satan got Eve to think about herself and how she could supposedly improve her lot in life, becoming “like God.” Eventually, he got her to focus on the tree and its fruit rather than on her relationship with the One who had given her everything. (Gen. 3:1-6) Sadly, by eating of the fruit, Eve showed that Jehovah was not the most important Person in her life. w11 5/15 3:4, 5

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, April 12

It was not through law that Abraham or his seed had the promise that he should be heir of a world, but it was through the righteousness by faith.—Rom. 4:13.

God counted faithful Abraham as righteous. (Rom. 4:20-22; Jas. 2:23, 24) That cannot mean that Abraham was sinless while serving Jehovah over the decades. No, he was not righteous in that sense. (Rom. 3:10, 23) However, in his limitless wisdom, Jehovah took into account Abraham’s exceptional faith and his works resulting therefrom. In particular, Abraham exercised faith in the promised “seed” to come in his line. That Seed proved to be the Messiah, or Christ. (Gen. 15:6; 22:15-18) Accordingly, on the basis of “the ransom paid by Christ Jesus,” the divine Judge is able to forgive sins that occurred in the past. Thus, Abraham and other men of faith in pre-Christian times are in line for a resurrection.—Rom. 3:24, 25; Ps. 32:1, 2. w11 6/15 2:17, 18

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, April 13

Every man must be swift about hearing, slow about speaking, slow about wrath.—Jas. 1:19.

If a Christian senses that he is becoming angry when discussing a matter with a fellow believer, he is wise to heed this counsel. What are the benefits of following it? By taking time to calm down, pray about the matter, and consider how best to reply, a Christian allows himself to be led by God’s spirit. (Prov. 15:1, 28) Under the influence of the spirit, he can manifest mildness and long-suffering. He is thereby equipped to heed the counsel found at Ephesians 4:26, 29: “Be wrathful, and yet do not sin . . . Let a rotten saying not proceed out of your mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need may be, that it may impart what is favorable to the hearers.” Indeed, when we clothe ourselves with mildness and long-suffering, we contribute to the peace and unity of the congregation. w11 4/15 4:6, 7

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, April 14

Surely it is in vain that I have cleansed my heart and that I wash my hands in innocence itself.—Ps. 73:13.

Like Asaph, perhaps at one point you lost sight of your spiritual privileges to some extent and began to focus on what you were lacking in a material way. But by studying God’s Word and by going to Christian meetings, you came to see things Jehovah’s way. Asaph perceived what would eventually happen to the wicked. He thought about his lot and realized that Jehovah would take hold of his right hand and lead him. Asaph could thus say to Jehovah: “Besides you I do have no other delight on the earth.” (Ps. 73:23, 25) The psalmist was confident that Jehovah would remember him as a friend. His faithful service would not be forgotten. (Eccl. 7:1) How reassuring that must have been for Asaph! He sang: “As for me, the drawing near to God is good for me. In the Sovereign Lord Jehovah I have placed my refuge.”—Ps. 73:28. w11 9/15 1:8, 9

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, April 15

The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their cry for help.—Ps. 34:15.

We often feel the need to be comforted. Especially is this the case when we are experiencing difficult situations. Family members and friends can usually give us a degree of comfort. At times, however, conditions that cause us distress are beyond human remedies. Only God can give us comfort regardless of how distressing our situation may be. His Word assures us: “Jehovah is near to all those calling upon him, . . . and their cry for help he will hear.” (Ps. 145:18, 19) But if we are to receive God’s support and comfort, we must place our trust in him. The psalmist David made that clear when he sang: “Jehovah will become a secure height for anyone crushed, a secure height in times of distress. And those knowing your name will trust in you, for you will certainly not leave those looking for you, O Jehovah.”—Ps. 9:9, 10. w11 10/15 3:1, 2

[Musky]

Tuesday, April 16

In Jehovah the God of Israel he trusted.—2 Ki. 18:5.

King Sennacherib of Assyria sent his representatives—including Rabshakeh—to Jerusalem along with a heavy military force. King Hezekiah of Judah went to the house of Jehovah and began praying: “O Jehovah our God, save us, please, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Jehovah, are God alone.” (2 Ki. 19:14-19) Hezekiah acted in harmony with his prayer. Even before going up to the temple to pray, he instructed the people not to respond to Rabshakeh’s taunts. Hezekiah also sent a delegation to Isaiah the prophet, seeking his advice. (2 Ki. 18:36; 19:1, 2) Hezekiah took steps that he could rightly take. He did not try to seek support from Egypt or from neighboring nations. Rather than lean upon his own understanding, Hezekiah trusted in Jehovah. After Jehovah’s angel struck down 185,000 of Sennacherib’s men, Sennacherib “pulled away” and returned to Nineveh.—2 Ki. 19:35, 36. w11 11/15 1:5, 6

[ssidah]

Jehovah comforts distressed

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, April 22

 

Jehovah himself will hear when I call to him.—Ps. 4:3.

 

King David has ruled Israel for some time, but he now faces a perilous situation. His scheming son Absalom has had himself declared king, and David has been forced to leave Jerusalem. He has also been betrayed by a confidant, and now, accompanied by a few loyal ones, he walks weeping and barefoot over the Mount of Olives. Moreover, Shimei, who belongs to a family in King Saul’s house, is throwing stones and dust at David while cursing him. (2 Sam. 15:30, 31; 16:5-14) Will this ordeal bring David down to Sheol in grief and disgrace? No, for he trusts in Jehovah. This is evident in the 3rd Psalm, composed by David regarding his flight. He also wrote the 4th Psalm. Both of these compositions express the conviction that God hears and answers prayers. (Ps. 3:4; 4:3) These psalms assure us that Jehovah is with his faithful servants day and night, blessing them with his support as well as peace and a sense of security.—Ps. 3:5; 4:8. w11 5/15 5:1, 2

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, April 23

 

I am writing these things, not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.—1 Cor. 4:14.

 

The motive behind Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians was loving concern for others. Congregation elders too must bear in mind the importance of the manner in which they admonish others. They strive to imitate Paul by being kind, loving, and helpful. (1 Thess. 2:11, 12) Of course, the elders ‘hold firmly to the faithful word so that they may be able to exhort by teaching that is healthful.’ (Titus 1:5-9) Elders are imperfect and may say things that they later regret. (1 Ki. 8:46; Jas. 3:8) Also, elders know that for spiritual brothers and sisters, receiving counsel is normally not ‘joyous but grievous.’ (Heb. 12:11) So when an elder approaches someone with words of admonition, he likely does so after giving the matter much consideration and praying over it. If you have been admonished, do you appreciate that elder’s loving concern? w11 6/15 4:15-17

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, April 24

 

The word of God is alive and exerts power.—Heb. 4:12.

 

When Paul wrote the above, he was not referring specifically to God’s written Word, the Bible. The context shows that he was referring to God’s word of promise. Paul’s point was that God does not make a promise and then forget about it. Jehovah established this through the prophet Isaiah: “My word . . . will not return to me without results, but it will . . . have certain success in that for which I have sent it.” (Isa. 55:11) Thus, there is no need for us to become impatient when things do not move ahead as quickly as we might wish. Jehovah ‘keeps working’ with a view to bringing his purpose to a successful conclusion. (John 5:17) Many faithful servants of God never expected to grow old in this system of things. Still, they have not given in to discouragement. (Ps. 92:14) They realize that God’s word of promise is not a dead issue—it is alive, and Jehovah is working toward its fulfillment. w11 7/15 4:20, 21

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, April 25

 

If anyone thinks he has acquired knowledge of something, he does not yet know it just as he ought to know it.—1 Cor. 8:2.

 

Do we really know all the details that led up to a dispute? Can we fully understand the backgrounds of the individuals involved? When called upon to judge, how vital it is that elders not let themselves be deceived by falsehood, clever tactics, or rumors! God’s appointed Judge, Jesus Christ, judges righteously. He does not “judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears.” (Isa. 11:3, 4) Rather, Jesus is guided by Jehovah’s spirit. Christian elders likewise have the benefit of being guided by God’s holy spirit. Before they make judgments respecting fellow believers, elders need to pray for the help of Jehovah’s spirit and depend on its guidance by consulting God’s Word and the publications of the faithful and discreet slave class.—Matt. 24:45. w11 8/15 4:13, 14

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, April 26

 

Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.—Heb. 11:1.

 

Abraham and Sarah were willing to leave a comfortable way of life behind and live as “strangers and temporary residents in the land.” What helped them? “They saw [the fulfillment of God’s promises] afar off.” Moses rejected “the temporary enjoyment of sin” and “the treasures of Egypt.” How did he have the faith and strength to do so? He “looked intently toward the payment of the reward.” (Heb. 11:8-13, 24-26) Understandably, Paul prefaced his description of each of these people with the expression “by faith.” Faith enabled them to look beyond the trials and hardships of the present and see what God was doing in their behalf and would yet do. By meditating on the men and women of faith mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 and imitating their example, we can cultivate faith and put off “the sin that easily entangles us.”—Heb. 12:1. w11 9/15 4:17, 18

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, April 27

 

This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth.—Matt. 24:14.

 

This earth-wide witness work regarding God’s Kingdom is being done on an ever-increasing scale. Today, over 7,500,000 Witnesses of Jehovah, associated with more than 107,000 congregations throughout the earth, are preaching about God’s Kingdom, even as Jesus made it the theme of his preaching and teaching. (Matt. 4:17) As a result of our present-day preaching work, great comfort is being given to mourning ones. Why, in two recent years, a total of 570,601 individuals were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses! The great scope of this preaching work can best be appreciated by noting that Jehovah’s Witnesses now translate and distribute Bible literature in over 500 languages. Nothing like this has ever been seen in all human history! The existence, work, and growth of the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization are truly extraordinary. w11 10/15 4:5, 6

[Lilac Isosceles]

Yes, Jehovah is speeding things up that's for sure. (Isaiah 60:22) We had our circuit overseer's visit last week and we saw the video presentation of the work that is being done worldwide with regard to the translation of our literature. It is amazing what Jehovah's organisation is doing. The looks on the faces of our brothers in Rwanda who received the New World Translation in their native tongue was truly heart warming. Truly, these are exciting times. 

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, April 28

 

From now on you will be catching [people] alive.—Luke 5:10.

 

During a preaching tour throughout Galilee, Jesus and his disciples boarded a boat to withdraw into a lonely place. But crowds followed them on foot. Those who came that day numbered “about five thousand men, besides women and young children.” (Matt. 14:21) On another occasion, a crowd approached Jesus, desiring to be healed and to hear him speak. Included were “four thousand men, besides women and young children.” (Matt. 15:38) Evidently, many men were among the people who came to Jesus and showed interest in his teaching. In fact, he expected many others to respond, for after providing a miraculous catch of fish, Jesus told Simon Peter the words of today’s text. (Luke 5:10) His disciples were to lower their nets into the sea of mankind and could expect that their ‘catch’ would include many men. Today, men likewise show interest in the Scriptural message we preach and respond to it.—Matt. 5:3. w11 11/15 4:1, 2

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, April 29

 

Do to me according to what has gone forth from your mouth.—Judg. 11:36.

 

Jephthah vowed that if God gave Ammon into his hand, the first one to come out of the door when he returned home would be Jehovah’s. As Jephthah returned from subduing Ammon, his daughter came running to meet him. (Judg. 11:29-31, 34) Being a loyal worshipper of Jehovah, Jephthah’s daughter was convinced that her father’s vow should be carried out. How had Jephthah’s daughter developed such a spirit of self-sacrifice? No doubt her faith was built up as she observed her father’s zeal and godly devotion. Parents, your example does not go unnoticed by your children. Your decisions communicate that you believe what you say. Your children observe how your fervent prayers and effective teaching combine with your example of what it means to serve Jehovah with a complete heart. As your children do so, they will likely develop a strong desire to make themselves available to Jehovah for his service. w11 12/15 3:15, 16

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, April 30

My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.—John 5:17.

Jesus said these words to opposers who criticized him for healing on the Sabbath, which they construed as a form of work. What was the point? Jesus was being accused of working on the Sabbath. His reply: “My Father has kept working” answered that charge. In effect, Jesus was saying to his critics: ‘My Father and I are engaged in the same type of work. Since my Father has kept working during his millenniums-long Sabbath, it is quite permissible for me to keep working, even on the Sabbath.’ Thus, Jesus implied that as regards the earth, God’s great Sabbath day of rest, the seventh day, had not ended in his day. This leads us to the conclusion that the seventh day was still under way in the first century C.E.—Gen. 2:3. w11 7/15 3:1, 3

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, May 1

 

All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power.—Eccl. 9:10.

 

The effort we expend to make a good decision can be wasted if we do not follow through and vigorously implement it. To succeed, we must be willing to allocate the resources needed to implement our decisions. For example, a congregation publisher might decide to pioneer. Will he succeed? He likely will if he does not allow excessive secular work and recreation to sap his strength and rob him of the time he needs for his ministry. The best decisions are seldom the easiest to implement. Why? Because “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) We must wrestle against “the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) Both the apostle Paul and the disciple Jude indicated that those who decide to honor God will have a fight on their hands.—1 Tim. 6:12; Jude 3. w11 4/15 2:15, 16

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, May 2

 

Is it for nothing that Job has feared God?—Job 1:9.

 

When Jehovah confronted Satan with Job’s record of integrity, Satan said the above. Satan did not deny that Job was obedient to God. Instead, he questioned Job’s motives. He slyly accused Job of serving Jehovah, not out of love, but out of selfish interest. Only Job could answer that charge, and he was given the opportunity to do so. Jehovah allowed Satan to bring a series of disasters upon Job, one after the other. (Job 1:12-19) How did Job react to this reversal of circumstances? We are told that he “did not sin or ascribe anything improper to God.” (Job 1:22) Next, Job was disfigured by a disgusting disease and then pressured by his wife to curse God and die. Later, three false comforters accused him of misconduct. (Job 2:11-13; 8:2-6; 22:2, 3) However, through all this suffering, Job refused to give up his integrity. (Job 2:9, 10) He showed by his faithful endurance that Jehovah was the most important Person in his life. w11 5/15 3:6-8

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, May 3

 

“Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he came to be called “Jehovah’s friend.”—Jas. 2:23.

 

Abraham came to be “Jehovah’s friend”—and that before the ransom sacrifice was offered. (Isa. 41:8) What, then, about true Christians who hope to live in the restored earthly Paradise? These have not received “the free gift of righteousness” with heavenly life in view “through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24; 5:15, 17) Nevertheless, they exercise deep faith in God and his provisions, and they manifest their faith by good works. One such work is that of “preaching the kingdom of God . . . and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31) Thus, Jehovah can view these as righteous in the sense that he did Abraham. The gift such ones receive—friendship with God—differs from “the free gift” the anointed receive. Yet, it certainly is a gift that they accept with deep gratitude. w11 6/15 2:19, 20

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, May 4

 

You must not go about following your hearts and your eyes.—Num. 15:39.

 

Jehovah has profound insight into human nature. He well knows how easily our heart, or inner self, is seduced by what we take in through our eyes. The Bible thus warns us: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) In our day, it is even easier for our treacherous heart to be seduced by our physical senses. We live in a world that is geared toward appealing to fleshly inclinations. So how can we apply the principle behind today’s text? Consider: If those around you at school, at the workplace, or in your community are dressing more and more provocatively, might you be affected? Might you be tempted to ‘follow your heart and eyes’ and be seduced by what you see? Then might you be tempted to lower your own standards by dressing in a similar manner?—Rom. 12:1, 2. w11 7/15 1:10, 11

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, May 5

 

I am sending to you people Elijah the prophet.—Mal. 4:5.

 

Jesus himself identified this “Elijah” as John the Baptizer. (Matt. 11:12-14) And Mark pointed out that the ministry of John fulfilled the prophetic words of Isaiah. (Isa. 40:3; Mark 1:1-4) Jesus did not arrange for John to do an Elijahlike work as His forerunner. The activity of this foretold “Elijah” was done in harmony with God’s will as a means of identifying the Messiah. Additionally, in the synagogue at Nazareth, the town where he had been reared, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and applied to himself the words: “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year.” Because he truly was the Messiah, Jesus could rightly say: “Today this scripture that you just heard is fulfilled.”—Luke 4:16-21. w11 8/15 1:11, 12

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, May 6

 

Why is it that the way of wicked ones is what has succeeded?—Jer. 12:1.

 

After observing what was taking place in Jerusalem and Judah, Jeremiah felt compelled to ‘complain’ about what he saw. Jeremiah knew that Jehovah is righteous. What Jehovah thereafter inspired Jeremiah to prophesy and how He fulfilled those prophetic words gave a solid answer to the prophet’s question. In harmony with divine prophecies, those who obeyed Jehovah’s direction ‘received their souls as spoil,’ whereas the prosperous wicked ones ignored the warning and perished. (Jer. 21:9) Jeremiah had told the wayward nation to return to their heavenly Father, but their badness had reached the point where God had to let Jerusalem and Judah be destroyed. That caused Jeremiah pain, though he was not at fault. Amid his afflictions, the prophet remembered God’s mercies. “We have not come to our finish,” he said. Indeed, Jehovah’s mercies are new each morning!—Lam. 3:22-24. w11 9/15 1:11, 12

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, May 7

 

Keep on . . . seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.—Matt. 6:33.

 

Note that only one pursuit comes first—Kingdom interests. (1 Cor. 7:29-31) That fundamental truth should move us to pursue our secondary activities, including recreation, in such a way that they enable us to carry out our primary activity—caring for Kingdom interests. If we do that, limited recreation can be beneficial. So we need to determine how much of our time a certain leisure activity will cost. Next, we must decide how much of our time it is worth. If pursuing a form of recreation will mean neglecting such important activities as personal Bible study, family worship, attending Christian meetings, or sharing in Kingdom preaching, it is not worth the price. (Mark 8:36) But if an occasional leisure activity energizes us to keep on pursuing Kingdom interests, we may well decide that the time we spend on that type of recreation is worthwhile. w11 10/15 1:10-12