Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2014

[GrumpysWife]

I have thought of that so many times, just who will rebel against Jehovah?  It is hard to imagine not being happy on a perfect earth with a perfect government. It should make us all try to work so hard on complying to Jehovah's righteous standards NOW as best as we can so that we won't be one of those losers.

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, July 23

Not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you.—Josh. 23:14.

Joshua witnessed Jehovah’s fear-inspiring deeds in Egypt and in the wilderness. Hence, near the end of his life, Joshua could with heartfelt conviction say to his fellow Israelites the words of today’s text. Likewise today, Jehovah is proving true to his word. By means of his Son, he foretold that during the last days, the Kingdom message would be preached “in all the inhabited earth.” (Matt. 24:14) Who else but God Almighty could foretell such a work, see that it is done, and use many “unlettered and ordinary” people to accomplish it? (Acts 4:13) Hence, when we share in this work, we actually share in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. We honor our Father and show that we really mean it when we pray: “Let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.”—Matt. 6:9, 10. w13 3/15 5:7, 8

 

[Sunnyside]

Do the right thing, no matter what, because among other things, you always remember your bad décisions. Regrets are a very heavy load to carry.

Well said. Great principle. A must quote for me.

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, July 24

By myself I do swear.—Gen. 22:16.

Why did God swear to Abraham that His promises would come true? It was to reassure those who would become joint heirs with Christ, making up the secondary part of the promised “seed,” and to strengthen their faith. (Gal. 3:29) As the apostle Paul explained, Jehovah “stepped in with an oath, in order that, through two unchangeable things [his promise and his oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we . . . may have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope set before us.” (Heb. 6:13-18) Anointed Christians are not the only ones who benefit from God’s sworn oath to Abraham. By means of Abraham’s “seed,” Jehovah swore that people of “all nations of the earth [would] bless themselves.” (Gen. 22:18) Such blessed ones include Christ’s obedient “other sheep,” who have set before them the hope of everlasting life on an earthly paradise.—John 10:16. w12 10/15 3:6-8

 

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, July 25

He that conducts himself as a lesser one . . . is the one that is great.—Luke 9:48.

The one behaving as a lesser one is “great,” or more valuable to Jehovah’s organization, because his humility makes him a good and useful servant of God. Jesus had to admonish his disciples to behave as lesser ones because some of them were influenced by the prevailing spirit of the day. “A reasoning entered among them as to who would be the greatest of them,” states Luke 9:46. Might we also begin to reason that we in some way are better than our fellow believers or are superior to people in general? Many in the world around us are motivated by pride and selfishness. Let us distance ourselves from the proud by acting humbly. When we do so and put Jehovah’s will to the fore, we become more refreshing associates. Jesus’ admonition to conduct ourselves as lesser ones truly is motivating. Should we not strive to manifest the spirit of a lesser one in all aspects of life? w12 11/15 3:11, 12

 

[trottigy]

Jacob, Sampson, Paul

Fight for privilege and Jah - special power, but a reminder to be humble.

Jacob fought with an angel all night to receive a special blessing and did receive it.

Sampson killed 1,000 men with a jawbone of an ass - thanks to Jehovah's supernatural help, but after threw the jawbone away.

Paul was also given supernatural power to heal, preach, visions, etc.

This all could have made each very proud, but that didn't happened - why?

One touch by angel touch Jacob his true position , Sampson threw the jawbone away & Paul had a thorn in flesh that Jah would not remove.

Reminder for us - fight for Jah's and blessings but ALWAYS remember to be humble.

Edited July 25, 2014 by trottigy

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, July 26

People say, “Look! A man gluttonous and given to drinking wine, a friend of taxcollectors and sinners.”—Matt. 11:19.

Jesus, the only man ever to live in perfect faithfulness to God, was falsely accused. The fact was, though, that his course of wisdom in serving God disproved the claims that he was a wrongdoer. “Wisdom is proved righteous by its works,” Jesus said. That is so today too. As an example, some of their neighbors view as strange the brothers and sisters serving at the Bethel complex in Selters, Germany. But the mayor of the community spoke out in their behalf, reasoning: “The Witnesses who serve there have their own way of life, but one that in no way disturbs the lives of others in the community.” A similar conclusion was recently reached in connection with Jehovah’s Witnesses living in Moscow, Russia. They had been falsely accused of a number of wrong acts. Then in June 2010, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, exonerated them. w12 12/15 3:13, 14

 

[ReadYourBible]

The article so beautifully describes Jehovah's own humility. As creator of all, he is in a position of immense power yet dignifies us as being a fellow worker. We are but dust, and yet he gives thought and consideration to our thoughts, feelings and so forth. Nothing we have, we haven't received from him. Truly we should be humble because our loving Heavenly Father is humble. Just one more thing to love him for, as if there weren't enough things already.

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, July 27

Repent, therefore, and turn around.—Acts 3:19.

Have you done things that you now regret? Have you ever wasted valuable energy and time on the wrong pursuits? Did you act in some way that resulted in harm to others? Many people worry about these things. To worry continually means to plague oneself, vex oneself, persecute oneself. It causes great anxiety. Does worrying solve any problems? Not one! Imagine trying to move forward by rocking for hours in a rocking chair, expending all that energy but getting nowhere! Instead of worrying, some positive action on your part may produce good results. You can apologize to the person you wronged, perhaps restoring good relations. You can avoid whatever led up to the wrong act, thereby preventing future problems. Then again, you may simply have to live through some situations of life. But worry is nothing but a form of paralysis that can leave one unable to serve God fully. And there is no reward for worry! w13 1/15 4:9-11

 

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, July 28

Keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons.—Eph.5:15.

Around the world, advanced electronic devices are now commonplace. Used properly, such inventions can be useful tools. Used improperly, they can come between us and our heavenly Father. Consider computers. A computer can be an effective research and communication tool and at times a source of refreshing entertainment. We can, however, also become obsessed with computer technology. Marketers cleverly convince people that they must have the latest products. One young man so passionately desired a particular tablet computer that he secretly sold one of his kidneys to buy it. What a shortsighted sacrifice! It is even more tragic to sacrifice your intimacy with Jehovah through misuse or overuse of technology. To help break his bad habit of being online late into the night, one Christian set his computer to shut itself down when it was time for him to go to bed. w13 1/15 3:3, 4

 

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, July 29

Death spread to all men because they had all sinned.—Rom. 5:12.

We are grateful that God has revealed the truth about his means to deliver us from the legacy of sin and death inherited from Adam. We realize that Jesus “came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” (Mark 10:45) How good it is to know about “the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus”! (Rom. 3:22-24) First-century Jews and Gentiles needed to repent of their sins and to exercise faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. Otherwise, they could have no forgiveness. The situation is the same today. (John 3:16, 36) If a person clings to false doctrines, such as the Trinity and the immortality of the soul, he cannot benefit from the ransom. But we can. We know the truth about “the Son of [God’s] love, by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins.”—Col. 1:13, 14. w13 2/15 2:15, 16

 

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, July 30

Out of the heart come wicked reasonings.—Matt. 15:19.

The “wicked reasonings” that Jesus spoke of are views or attitudes that can taint many aspects of life. For example, a person could have a distorted sense of loyalty to his relatives. Of course, Christians want to have “natural affection” for relatives, not being like many who lack such affection in these “last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1, 3) It is possible, though, to go to extremes in showing that affection. Many feel that “blood is thicker than water.” Thus, they might defend or side with relatives at all costs, taking it personally if a relative is offended. Think of what strong feelings of that kind led Dinah’s brothers to do. (Gen. 34:13, 25-30) And imagine what was in Absalom’s heart, leading him to murder his half brother Amnon. (2 Sam. 13:1-30) Were not “wicked reasonings” behind those cases? w13 3/15 2:13, 15

 

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, July 31

When that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth.—John 16:13.

Jesus was willing to share the information he had about the Father, revealing Him fully to others. (Matt. 11:27) In addition, Jesus gave his disciples “intellectual capacity that [they might] gain the knowledge of the true one,” Jehovah God. (1 John 5:20) What does that mean? Jesus opened up his followers’ minds so that they could understand his teachings about the Father. He did not hide his Father in a cloud of mystery by teaching that He was part of an incomprehensible Trinity. Did Jesus reveal everything that he knew about his Father? No, he wisely held back from sharing many things he knew. (John 16:12) Why? Because at the time, his disciples were “not able to bear” such knowledge. Jesus waited until the disciples became mature and able to comprehend certain facts about the Father. Jesus kindly took into account their limitations. w12 4/15 1:14, 15

 

[trottigy]

I wouldn't mind getting a little "intellectual capacity".

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, August 1

Do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become offended, for the taking of offense is what rests in the 

bosom of the stupid ones.—Eccl. 7:9.

Many situations in life provoke negative reactions. While you are driving your automobile, for instance, suppose another car nearly collides with your vehicle. How will you react? You have read about episodes of road rage in which an individual became so angry that he attacked the other driver. As a Christian, however, you certainly would not want to do such a thing. How much better it would be to take a moment to analyze matters. Perhaps you were partly to blame for what took place because you were distracted in some way. Or the other driver may have had a mechanical problem with his car. The point of this scenario is that we can lessen anger, disappointment, and other negative emotions with understanding, open-mindedness, and a willingness to forgive. Do not take things so personally. w12 11/15 5:9, 10

 

[CHecker]

This one touches me. I've experienced some negativity, irritability, selfishness, and narrow mindedness lately. People listen to gossip and negative talk from others and all it does is cause division. Why can't people stop taking things so seriously, looking for things to complain about and having something to 'talk' about. 

And people wonder why I don't socialize more.

Willingness to forgive and over look is a rare quality that needs to be practiced more.   

Edited August 1, 2014 by bagwell1987

[ReadYourBible]

This one touched home for me too. I take offense to things then end up eating crow because I have behaved stupidly lol !

[Julsey]

This one touched home for me too. I take offense to things then end up eating crow because I have behaved stupidly lol !

Been there and done that!!

[ReadYourBible]

Yup always. I bring my own cutlery now ;)

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, August 2

They will have to know that my name is Jehovah.—Jer. 16:21.

At the convention in Columbus, Ohio, in 1931, the Bible Students were absolutely thrilled to accept the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. Then in 1935, in Washington, D.C., Brother Rutherford identified the “great crowd,” described in Revelation as “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9-17) In 1942, in the midst of World War II, Nathan H. Knorr delivered the thrilling discourse “Peace—Can It Last?” In it, he identified the “scarlet-colored wild beast” of Revelation 17 and indicated that there would still be much preaching to do after the war. At an international convention in New York City in 1950, the audience was delighted to receive the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, the first installment of a modern-language Bible that restored God’s name to its rightful place in his Word. w12 9/15 5:7, 8

 

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, August 3

You will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name.—Matt.24:9.

During the last days of this system of things, since 1914, that hatred has become especially intense. Over the decades, in many parts of the world, there have been bans and restrictions on the field ministry and the Bible literature of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Such restrictions still exist in certain lands. Try as the nations may, however, they will never succeed in stamping out true worship! Jehovah’s powerful arm will prove to be with his people. (Deut. 11:2) If we stick to Jehovah and stand firm in the truth, he and his Son, Jesus Christ, will do their part, and God will not allow anyone or anything to ‘snatch us out of His hand.’ (John 10:28, 29) Jehovah is ready to extend whatever help is needed so that we may obey him as the Universal Sovereign and remain loyal subjects of the Messianic Kingdom. w13 2/15 3:11-13

 

[CHecker]

Another intense text. The news is so full of how hard Satan is working. But he's not the boss, we serve the best God and he takes care of us. 

I'll be thinking of this one today as I go in the tract work after meeting. 

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, August 4

Be swift about hearing, slow about speaking.—Jas. 1:19.

Prior to making a shepherding visit, an elder needs to take some time to think about the individual he will visit. Such forethought will help an elder to have a conversation that will be meaningful, not trivial. During shepherding visits, an elder allows his brothers and sisters to express themselves while he listens attentively. One sister said: “It’s so comforting when an elder listens with his heart.” (Luke 8:18) Who will benefit from receiving shepherding visits? Paul admonished his fellow Christian elders to “pay attention . . . to all the flock.” (Acts 20:28) Indeed, all members of the congregation need to receive encouragement, including those publishers and pioneers who have faithfully been carrying out their ministry year after year. Why do they need the support of spiritual shepherds? Because sometimes such spiritually strong ones too are nearly overwhelmed by the pressures exerted by this wicked world. w13 1/15 5:10-12

 

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, August 5

Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves   together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.—Heb.10:24, 25.

Jehovah is pleased with all those “seeking refuge in him”; hence, even after our coming to know God, we want to continue regularly associating with the congregation of others who know him. (Nah. 1:7) In a world filled with discouragement, we are wise to surround ourselves with our encouraging brothers and sisters. What are the benefits? You will find in the congregation individuals who will incite you “to love and fine works.” The mutual love Paul wrote about to the Hebrews calls for a brotherhood, a community of like-minded worshippers, a congregation. Displaying this kind of love involves interacting with other Christians, which we can do by regularly attending meetings and participating in them. w13 3/15 3:13

 

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, August 6

Search through me, O God, . . . and lead me in the way of time indefinite.—Ps.139:23, 24.

One way we can benefit from Jehovah’s loving direction is through personal study. By means of the publications of the faithful and discreet slave, Jehovah provides a wealth of Scriptural counsel. (Matt. 24:45) To benefit from it, however, we must take the time to study it and apply what we learn. Personal study is one means by which Jehovah can “guard [us] from stumbling.” (Jude 24) Have you ever studied something in our literature that seems to have been written just for you? Accept the correction as coming from Jehovah. Just as a friend might tap you on the shoulder to bring something to your attention, Jehovah can use his spirit to draw your attention to an aspect of your conduct or personality that you—and no doubt many others like you—need to improve. By being sensitive to the leadings of the spirit, we allow Jehovah to guide our steps. w12 4/15 5:12