Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2014

[GrumpysWife]

                                                  Friday, September 19

 

We received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God.—1 Cor. 2:12.

 

What is “the spirit of the world”? It is the same spirit as that mentioned at Ephesians 2:2, which says: “You at one time walked according to the system of things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience.” This “air” is the world’s spirit, or mental attitude, and it surrounds us like literal air. It is everywhere. It is often manifested in the no-one-is-going-to-tell-me-what-to-do or the fight-for-your-rights attitude of so many people today. They constitute “the sons of disobedience” of Satan’s world. Such attitudes are not new. In Moses’ time, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rose up against those in authority in the congregation of Israel. (Num. 16:3, 12-14) Jehovah was clearly not pleased with their spirit. He executed all the rebels.—Num. 16:28-35. w12 10/15 2:4, 5

 

[GrumpysWife]

                                                           Saturday, September 20

 

If I, although Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another. For I set the pattern for you, that, just as I did to you, you should do also.—John 13:14, 15.

 

When Jesus washed the feet of the apostles, it was not the first time he highlighted the value of humility. On an earlier occasion when some of the apostles showed a competitive spirit, Jesus set a young child beside him, and He told them: “Whoever receives this young child on the basis of my name receives me too, and whoever receives me receives him also that sent me forth. For he that conducts himself as a lesser one among all of you is the one that is great.” (Luke 9:46-48) Aware that the Pharisees sought prominence, Jesus said later in his ministry: “Everyone that exalts himself will be humbled and he that humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) Clearly, Jesus wants his followers to be humble, that is, lowly in mind and free of pride and arrogance. w12 11/15 2:2, 3

 

[Brother Arellano]

This is something I need to be constantly reminded of. I often have to remind myself of Prov 3:5 and not let myself become self-asserting. it's always good to remember the example of men like Moses, who had trouble with humility, but in the end relied on Jehovah to show them the best way to accomplish things. 

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, September 21

 

Who really is the faithful steward?—Luke 12:42.

 

In ancient times, a steward was often a trusted slave assigned to supervise the household or business affairs of his master. Typically, stewards had considerable authority and were charged with managing household belongings, money, and other servants. We can see this in the case of Eliezer, who was entrusted with the care of Abraham’s extensive belongings. It may have been Eliezer whom Abraham sent to Mesopotamia to choose a wife for his son Isaac. What an important and far-reaching assignment! (Gen. 13:2; 15:2; 24:2-4) Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph looked after the household of Potiphar. (Gen. 39:1, 2) In time, Joseph came to have a steward of his own, who was appointed “over Joseph’s house.” That steward arranged hospitality for Joseph’s ten brothers. And at Joseph’s command, he orchestrated matters concerning the “stolen” silver cup. Clearly, stewards enjoyed positions of great trust.—Gen. 43:19-25; 44:1-12. w12 12/15 2:3-5

 

[GrumpysWife]

I think you must have meant that he was humble.

 

Moses. Moses was just such a man, “by far the meekest of all the men who were upon the surface of the ground,” one who could take criticism without resentment. (Nu 12:3) The occasion of this comment on his meekness was the time when Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses. In reality, it was an uncalled-for complaint against Jehovah and one that he quickly took note of and reproved.—Nu 12:1-15.

 

hum·ble  (hmbl)

adj. hum·bler, hum·blest

1. Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.

Edited September 20, 2014 by GrumpysWife

[Brother Arellano]

Moses was a great man but on at least one occasion we know he was not humble. Which is why I used him as an example. Showing how even though we may slip up and not be so humble by listening to Jehovah we can ultimately continue on the righteous path. Even the most humblest of men was not humble 100% of the time.

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, September 22

 

The dead themselves do not praise Jah.—Ps. 115:17.

 

“How are you feeling?” This common expression betrays a grim reality. Because our first parents allowed Satan to distance them from Jehovah, we are all subject to illness. Sickness serves Satan’s purpose, for when we are sick, it is harder for us to serve Jehovah. And if we die, we cannot serve him at all. Naturally, then, we want to do what we can to stay healthy. And we should be concerned about our brothers’ health and welfare. However, it is not appropriate to promote health or beauty products and practices before or after meetings at the Kingdom Hall or at assemblies or conventions. On such occasions, offering health advice or products—solicited or unsolicited—can detract from our spiritual purpose and rob others of their joy. (Rom. 14:17) How a person addresses health concerns must be his or her own decision. Further, no one has a solution to all illness. w13 1/15 3:7-9

 

[shali]

Isn't the solution to all illness death? LOL It's either death or the kingdom. All of us will reach one or the other solution eventually!

[Brother Arellano]

Today's text really got me thinking. At what point does trying to build and maintain a healthy body become vanity? I couldn't really find much on the subject. Of course it is important to take care of ourselves but Solomon said too much work can be vanity and a striving after the wind. My question is where does the balance lie? 

[trottigy]

Each one of us will have to answer that.

It is easy to answer when you ask what are the 2 things you are balancing and what is the cost/ benefit of one over the other

This article was about NOT offering medical advice at the Kingdom Hall. But ... Note the contrast of these 2 things at 1 Tim 4:8
 

 

8 For bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.

So the contrast is: bodily training vs Godly Devotion. And why contrast? Both take time and energy and each of us having a finite amount of both means - the more given to one the less given to the other, hence balance being needed as each also contributes to the other (being healthy helps one in their Godly devotion and having Godly devotion helps one not to go to an extreme.)

So where is the "balance" - when time that should be spent keeping up your health crosses that line to reducing the more important thing - your Godly devotion.

Edited September 22, 2014 by trottigy

[Hartley]

I believe it is saying that while health is important. It does not take the place of our spiritual activity. We do not sell or promote health products at our spiritual gatherings. We would also need to question whether we see each other as brothers and sisters, or potential clients.

Hartley

[Brother Arellano]

Each one of us will have to answer that.

It is easy to answer when you ask what are the 2 things you are balancing and what is the cost/ benefit of one over the other

This article was about NOT offering medical advice at the Kingdom Hall. But ... Note the contrast of these 2 things at 1 Tim 4:8

. 8 For bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.

So the contrast is: bodily training vs Godly Devotion. And why contrast? Both take time and energy and each of us having a finite amount of both means - the more given to one the less given to the other, hence balance being needed as each also contributes to the other (being healthy helps one in their Godly devotion and having Godly devotion helps one not to go to an extreme.)

So where is the "balance" - when time that should be spent keeping up your health crosses that line to reducing the more important thing - your Godly devotion.

I understood what this text was about, but the Daily Text is our spiritual food, we need to take time to savor it and reflect on it and examine how we can apply this is our daily lives. For me at least this usually involves my mind running away and ending up somewhere far from where I started. And I do like the scripture at 1 Tim, but I wasn't so concerned about taking away time from my Godly Devotion, I always make that my priority but the whole vanity side of things. We want to be fit and healthy, this helps us greatly in our ministry but at some point our level of fitness might turn in to vanity. And that brings on a whole new set of problems. 

[trottigy]

I understood what this text was about, but the Daily Text is our spiritual food, we need to take time to savor it and reflect on it and examine how we can apply this is our daily lives. For me at least this usually involves my mind running away and ending up somewhere far from where I started. And I do like the scripture at 1 Tim, but I wasn't so concerned about taking away time from my Godly Devotion, I always make that my priority but the whole vanity side of things. We want to be fit and healthy, this helps us greatly in our ministry but at some point our level of fitness might turn in to vanity. And that brings on a whole new set of problems. 

 

 

You said it WAY better than I did - thanks. 

Edited September 22, 2014 by trottigy

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, September 23

 

Jehovah will . . . war against those nations.—Zech. 14:3.

 

On October 30, 1938, millions of people in the United States were listening to a popular radio program that featured theatrical plays. The performance that evening was an adaptation of the science fiction novel The War of the Worlds. Actors portraying news announcers described the landing of an invasion force from Mars that would cause widespread destruction on Earth. Although it had been announced that the radio program was a play, many listeners thought that the attack was real and became frightened. Some even took certain measures in an attempt to protect themselves from imaginary aliens. Today there is a real war looming on the horizon. However, people are failing to respond to its approach. This war is foretold, not in a science fiction novel, but in God’s inspired Word, the Bible. It is the war of Armageddon—God’s war against this wicked system of things.—Rev. 16:14-16. w13 2/15 3:1, 2

 

[Hartley]

People today have lost the ability to separate fact and fiction. Much of the news we receive is in fact fiction, even lies.So how do we seperate the two?

 

(Acts 17:11) . . ., for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. . .
 

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, September 24

 

Let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.—1 Cor. 10:12.

 

Pilots who fly one of the most successful aircraft ever built have a preflight inspection checklist consisting of more than 30 items. If they do not carefully follow the checklist each time before takeoff, the pilots increase the possibility of a tragic accident. Do you know what type of pilot is especially urged to complete the checklist every time? It is the very experienced pilot! The seasoned pilot could easily become complacent and fail to carry out the preflight inspection in every detail. Like a safety-minded pilot, you can use a type of checklist to make sure that your faith will not falter when you need it most. Whether you are newly baptized or you have been serving God for many years, regularly checking the depth of your faith and devotion to Jehovah God is essential. Failure to check on this regularly and diligently can lead to spiritual ruin. w13 3/15 3:1, 2

 

[Hartley]

Note that it says thinks he is standing. The weaknesses that lead to failure invariably start long before said failure. It may be that we neglect our personal study and become self relient.  Or that we allow wrong desires to take root in our heart. Whatever the defect, if it is not discovered and rectified during routine self examination, then it may lead to catastrophic failure.

[timpin]

Thurs?   ...   Fri?   ...   Sat?   ...  ???     ...   V is away in NH - N E 1 covering?

Edited September 27, 2014 by timpin

[trottigy]

Thurs? ... Fri? ... Sat? ... ??? ... V is away in NH - N E 1 covering?

Feel free to post it.

[timpin]

​http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/h/r1/lp-e

[Hartley]

Feel free to post it.

 OK then

 

Saturday, September 27

God is the one that, for the sake of his good pleasure, is acting within you in order for you both to will and to act.—Phil. 2:13.

Some may not feel particularly inclined to pioneer or qualified to do so—even if their circumstances would allow it. (Ex. 4:10; Jer. 1:6) Then what? Might this not be a suitable subject for prayer? Certainly. If you do not feel motivated to expand your ministry, ask Jehovah to give you both the desire and the ability to do so. (2 Pet. 3:9, 11) Noah, Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus were all devoted men. They used their time and energy to proclaim Jehovah’s warning message. They did not allow themselves to be distracted. The end of the present system of things is imminent; hence, all of us who have dedicated our lives to God need to be sure that we are continuing to do our utmost in following these excellent Scriptural examples. (Matt. 24:42; 2 Tim. 2:15) By doing so, we can please Jehovah and reap his rich blessings.—Mal. 3:10. w12 6/15 3:18, 19

[trottigy]

Thanks

Go ahead and make it its own thread with date in the title - easier to see.

Again - thank you!

Edited September 27, 2014 by trottigy

[timpin]

• You cannot start a new topic

 

 

 

9-28-14   ... http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/h/r1/lp-e

 

Sunday, September 28

[God] will make you firm, he will make you strong.—1 Pet. 5:10.

 

Whether we have served God for a few months or for several decades, we want to serve him forever. Patience helps us to endure until we gain salvation, no matter how much time remains in this system. Jehovah is now giving us the opportunity to prove our complete trust in his decisions and—if necessary—to be willing to suffer evil for the sake of his name. (1 Pet. 4:13, 14) God is also giving us training that can help us to have the patience needed for salvation. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, and nothing can snatch you away from his protective care—except you. (John 10:28, 29) There is no need to fear the future or even death. Those who patiently endure to the end will be saved. So we must make sure that we do not allow the world to seduce us and make us stop relying on Jehovah. Instead, be determined to grow in faith and use the time of God’s patience wisely.—Matt. 24:13; 2 Pet. 3:17, 18. w12 9/15 3:17, 18

Edited September 28, 2014 by timpin

[trottigy]

Thanks. I'll look into that.

[trottigy]

Thanks. I'll look into that.

Yep, only the mods can start a thread here as they used to go out in a mass email. You have to be careful with that.

I suppose some still get the text in an email.