Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2015

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, December 18

 

Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.—Eph. 5:10.

 

Because of our imperfect flesh and the efforts of Satan and this wicked world, we are constantly battling negative influences in our lives. Some of you dear brothers and sisters have a hard fight every day to maintain your relationship with Jehovah. That endears you greatly to him. Do not give up! Living our lives in harmony with Jehovah’s purpose will give us great satisfaction and ensure that our worship is not futile. (1 Cor. 9:24-27) What should we do, however, if we commit a serious sin? Get help as soon as possible. Keeping the matter hidden will only make matters worse. Remember, David said that when he kept silent about his sins, ‘his bones wore out through his groaning all day long.’ (Ps. 32:3) Yes, hiding secret sins will just cause us to tire out emotionally and spiritually, but “he that is confessing and leaving them will be shown mercy.”—Prov. 28:13. w13 4/15 4:15, 16

Edited December 17, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[Luezette]

I was wondering how "insight" would be defined. Well basically it's the same as when someone is explaining something to you, and then says (or even exclaims) "do you get my drift"? Or a simple "do you understand"?

That is insight.

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, December 19

 

God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work.—Heb. 6:10.

 

Out of affection for beloved older ones in their congregation, some Christians have volunteered their time and energy to meet whatever needs they reasonably can. What an excellent spirit such brothers show! Of course, their generosity does not relieve children who are in the full-time service far from home of the responsibility to do what they can for their parents. All involved in the caregiving process can endeavor to make the experience as pleasant as possible. If you have a role in this, do your utmost to maintain a positive spirit. In some cases, aging causes despondency, even depression. You may thus need to put forth special effort to honor and encourage older brothers and sisters by keeping conversations with them upbuilding. Those who have a good record of dedicated service are to be commended. Jehovah does not forget what they have done to serve him, and neither do fellow Christians.—Mal. 3:16. w14 3/15 3:16, 17

Edited December 19, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, December 20

 

You are my refuge and my stronghold.—Ps. 91:2.

 

Think of the many occasions when God has safeguarded our brothers who were maintaining their Christian neutrality. For example, this was the case during the Nazi era in Germany and other countries in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. Reading and reflecting on life stories and Yearbook accounts of God’s protection during times of persecution will strengthen our trust in Jehovah as our Refuge. Through Jehovah’s organization and its publications, we receive loving reminders for our protection. Consider how this has proved to be of benefit in recent times. As this world sinks further into the quagmire of debauchery and pornography, Jehovah has provided urgent reminders and practical help to alert us to moral dangers. For instance, we receive fatherly counsel to avoid bad associations through the misuse of social networking.—1 Cor. 15:33. w14 2/15 3:18, 19

Edited December 19, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[Alexa]

The quality of publication is really amazing...

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, December 21

 

There was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of Asher’s tribe. This woman was well along in years . . . , and she was a widow now 84 years old.—Luke 2:36, 37.

 

The Bible reports that an elderly woman named Anna continued faithfully praising Jehovah into her old age. She was an 84-year-old widow when Jesus was born. Likely, she did not live long enough to become a follower of Jesus, to be anointed with holy spirit, or to enjoy preaching the good news of the Kingdom. Yet, what Anna could do, she enjoyed doing. “She was never missing from the temple, rendering sacred service night and day.” As the priest offered incense in the temple each morning and evening, Anna would be with the assembled crowd in the courtyard offering silent prayer for perhaps half an hour. When she saw the baby Jesus, she began “speaking about the child to all who were waiting for Jerusalem’s deliverance.”—Luke 2:38. w14 1/15 4:16

Edited December 20, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[AH173]

Loved the text today. When considering for my morning family worship, I was all choked up when reading the chapter the text came from. Recalled the drama from 2015 regional convention about Jesus part 1 and part 2. So glad I can review it now! ☺

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, December 22

 

He is guarding all the bones of that one;

not one of them has been broken.—Ps. 34:20.

 

When the lamb was slaughtered for the Passover meal, the Israelites were not to break any of its bones. (Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:11, 12) What of “the Lamb of God” who came to provide the ransom? (John 1:29) He was impaled with a criminal on each side. The Jews asked Pilate that the bones of the impaled men be broken. This would hasten their death so that they would not be left on the stakes into Nisan 15, a double Sabbath. Soldiers broke the legs of the two impaled criminals, “but on coming to Jesus, as they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” (John 19:31-34) That matched what was done with the Passover lamb, so this lamb was in that sense “a shadow” of what was to come on Nisan 14, 33 C.E. (Heb. 10:1) Moreover, the way things worked out fulfilled the words of today’s text, which should strengthen our confidence in prophecy. w13 12/15 3:19

Edited December 21, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[Spechellekaye]

Psalms 34:20 assures us that no matter what trials Anointed Christians and the "other sheep" face, they will NEVER be permanently disadvantaged.

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, December 23

 

The twelve were with him.—Luke 8:1.

 

Taking the lead in field service is an area in which overseers set a fine example for their fellow Christians. In this regard, Jesus set the example for overseers. Preaching the good news of the Kingdom was an important part of Jesus’ earthly activity. He showed his disciples how this work was to be done. (Mark 1:38) In our day, how encouraging it is for publishers to preach side by side with elders, to witness the elders’ zeal for this lifesaving work, and to learn from their teaching methods! The overseers’ zealous determination to devote time and effort to preaching the good news despite their busy schedule encourages the whole congregation to display similar zeal. Elders can also set a good example for their brothers by preparing for and participating in congregation meetings and other activities, such as cleaning and maintaining the Kingdom Hall.—Eph. 5:15, 16; Heb. 13:7. w13 11/15 5:14

Edited December 22, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, December 24

 

Father, glorify me alongside yourself with the glory that I had

alongside you before the world was.—John 17:5.

 

Jesus talks late into the night, imparting to his disciples precious knowledge from God. Then he raises his eyes to heaven and prays: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your son, that your son may glorify you, according as you have given him authority over all flesh.” (John 17:1, 2) Notice Jesus’ priorities in the introduction to his prayer recorded in John chapter 17. His main concern is the glorification of his heavenly Father, and this harmonizes with the first request in Jesus’ model prayer: “Father, let your name be sanctified.” (Luke 11:2) Jesus’ next concern is for the needs of his disciples, that “he may give them everlasting life.” After that, Jesus makes a personal request, saying the words of today’s text. Jehovah rewards his faithful Son with even more than he asks by giving Jesus “a name more excellent than” that of all the angels.—Heb. 1:4. w13 10/15 4:4, 5

 

Edited December 23, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, December 25

 

To you, O Jehovah, I raise my very soul. O my God,

in you have I put my trust.—Ps. 25:1, 2.

 

What helped David to develop such trust in his heavenly Father? Many people pray to God only when they are in sore straits. David, however, was not like that. His relationship with Jehovah reflected his faith in and love for his God throughout his life—in good times and bad. (Ps. 40:8) Notice David’s words of praise and thanksgiving to Jehovah: “O Jehovah our Lord, how majestic your name is in all the earth, you whose dignity is recounted above the heavens!” (Ps. 8:1) Do you not sense the intimate relationship that David had with his heavenly Father? David’s appreciation for God’s magnificence and splendor inspired him to exalt Jehovah “all day long.” (Ps. 35:28) Like David, we need to communicate with Jehovah regularly in order to build trust in him. The Bible says: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.”—Jas. 4:8. w13 9/15 2:4-7

Edited December 25, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, December 26

 

The woman saw that the tree was good for food.—Gen. 3:6.

 

Satan may try to appeal to the natural desire for food in an effort to turn us away from doing God’s will. For example, Satan told Eve that she could eat of the fruit of “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad” without having to die, saying that on the day of her eating from it, she would be like God. (Gen. 2:9; 3:1-5) The Devil thus insinuated that Eve did not need to be obedient to God in order to live. What a blatant lie that was! Once the idea was planted in Eve’s mind, she had two options: She could reject the idea, or she could keep dwelling on it, allowing her desire for the fruit to grow. Despite the fact that all the other trees of the garden were at her disposal, she chose to dwell on what Satan had said concerning the tree in the middle of the garden, and she “began taking of its fruit and eating it.” Satan thus created within her a desire for something that was forbidden by her Creator. w138/15 4:7

Edited December 26, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[Tortuga]

I wonder how long Eve thought about the fruit before she ate it.

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, December 27

 

He will appoint him over all his belongings.—Matt. 24:47.

 

Those who make up the faithful slave will get this appointment when they receive their heavenly reward, becoming corulers with Christ. Does the faithful slave receive a greater reward in heaven than the rest of the anointed? No. A reward promised to a small group in one setting may ultimately be shared by others. For example, consider what Jesus said to his 11 faithful apostles the night before he died. (Luke 22:28-30) Jesus promised that small group of men that a fine reward awaited them for their faithfulness. They would share his throne of kingly authority. But years later, he indicated that all of the 144,000 will sit on thrones and share his rulership. (Rev. 1:1; 3:21) Similarly, the faithful slave will be appointed over all his belongings. In reality, all of the 144,000 will share his vast heavenly authority.—Rev. 20:4, 6. w13 7/15 4:15, 18, 19

Edited December 27, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[MizPeg]

Thinking on what today's Daily text can mean.......

When the thousand years have ended, and Jesus hands everything over to Jehovah, do the 144,000 then rule in just the priestly sense? For then our Father will truly have all His sheep where they belong, home!

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, December 28

 

As the clay in the hand of the potter, so you are in my hand,

O house of Israel.—Jer. 18:6.

 

What if humans stubbornly refuse to be molded by the Great Potter? Think about what happens to the clay if it becomes unsuited for the intended purpose. Why, the potter can make another type of vessel out of it or simply discard it! When the clay is useless, though, generally the potter is at fault. This is never the case with our Potter. (Deut. 32:4) When a person does not yield to Jehovah’s molding, the fault always lies with that person. Jehovah exercises his potterlike authority over humans by adjusting his dealings with them depending on their response to his molding. Those who respond properly are fashioned in a beneficial way. For example, anointed Christians are “vessels of mercy” who have been molded into ‘vessels for an honorable use.’ On the other hand, those who stubbornly oppose God end up as “vessels of wrath made fit for destruction.”—Rom. 9:19-23. w13 6/15 4:3, 5

Edited December 28, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[Petzy]

and only when we humbly let Jehovah mold us, we can become beneficial and high valued vessels to imitate his personality the best way. ..

times we are not humble enough Jehovah does not throw us away. .. no. ..

Jehovah in his loving kindness to us imperfect humans is patient, warms up the material and starts again. ..

how loving Jehovah really is, is not possible to find the right words for it. .

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, December 29

 

Keep seeking for [wisdom and discernment] as for silver.—Prov. 2:4.

 

We can succeed in standing firm against temptations if we let Jehovah’s sayings mold our inner person, if we pray persistently for God’s direction, and if we keep searching for God’s knowledge as if looking for hidden gems. Jehovah gives knowledge, understanding, discernment, and wisdom to those who put forth effort to seek these gifts. The more we look for them and use them, the closer we will be drawn to the Giver, Jehovah. In turn, our intimate relationship with Jehovah God will serve as a protection when we find ourselves confronted with a temptation. Drawing close to Jehovah and having a reverential fear of him will protect us from engaging in wrongdoing. (Ps. 25:14; Jas. 4:8) May the enjoyment of friendship with Jehovah and the application of godly wisdom move all of us to keep on making the kind of choices that will gladden Jehovah’s heart and safeguard our inheritance. w13 5/15 5:16-18

Edited December 29, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, December 31

 

It is not a desirable thing with my Father who is in heaven

for one of these little ones to perish.—Matt. 18:14.

 

Jehovah cares deeply about all those who have expressed love for his name, even if they are not actively serving him at present. (Luke 15:3-7) Are you among those who are not now actively serving God? Perhaps someone in the congregation hurt you and as a result you stopped associating with Jehovah’s organization. Since some time may have passed, ask yourself: ‘Is my life now more meaningful, and am I happier? Was it Jehovah who offended me, or was it an imperfect human? Has Jehovah God ever done anything to harm me?’ Really, he has always done good toward us. Even if we are not living up to our dedication to him, he allows us to enjoy the good things he provides. (Jas. 1:16, 17) Soon, Jehovah’s day will come. Now is the time to return to our heavenly Father’s loving arms and to the congregation—the only safe haven in these last days.—Deut. 33:27; Heb. 10:24, 25. w13 11/15 2:16, 17

Edited December 30, 2015 by GrumpysWife

[crazylee]

This scripture begins with a negative statement, "Is it not"  We must continue to read the statement to find out the meaning.

 

Jehovah's attention to his people shows us how much he loves us. Not so with the world, they will be judged.