Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2014

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, October 7

 

You are a priest to time indefinite according to the manner of Melchizedek!—Ps. 110:4.

 

During the reign of King David, Jehovah made two sworn promises for the benefit of all who obey him. First, he swore to David that his throne would last forever. (Ps. 89:35, 36; 132:11, 12) Second, Jehovah inspired David to foretell that, in time, a unique King would also serve as mankind’s High Priest. In Israel the kingship and priesthood were completely separate. The priests were from the tribe of Levi, and the kings were from the tribe of Judah. But concerning his illustrious future heir, David foretold that he would be both a king and a priest. In fulfillment of that prophecy, Jesus Christ, the promised Seed, now rules from heaven. Also, he serves as mankind’s High Priest by helping repentant ones to come into an acceptable relationship with God.—Heb. 7:21, 25, 26. w12 10/15 3:13, 14

 

[MizPeg]

Hey, Vernalee! Not having internet is terrible. I do enjoy this so much. Waiting for my eagle to fly. Lol

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, October 8

 

Humble yourself.—Prov. 6:3.

 

To apologize is difficult for most people. However, servants of God cultivate the spirit of a lesser one by admitting their mistakes and asking for forgiveness. They are also ready to forgive others for their transgressions. Whereas pride fosters division and contention, forgiveness promotes peace within the congregation. We may need to ‘humble ourselves’ by sincerely apologizing to another person if we are unable to honor an agreement because of circumstances beyond our control. Although he may be able to assign a measure of blame to the other party, the humble Christian concerns himself with his own failings and is willing to admit them. (Prov. 6:1-5) How grateful we are for the Scriptural encouragement to cultivate the spirit of a lesser one!—Luke 9:48. w12 11/15 3:17-19

 

[santona]

It's hard to be humble and apologize when we are in the wrong are even just to make peace with the person who wronged us but once we are humble enough to apologize its such a great feeling

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, October 9

 

Have love for the whole association of brothers, be in fear of God.—1 Pet. 2:17.

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses have a healthy fear of displeasing God, and this provides them with added motivation to do his will. They are happy to be serving Jehovah as part of a worldwide association of brothers and sisters who have the same desire. Therefore, it is only natural for them to “have love for the whole association of brothers.” Such brotherly love, which is so rare in today’s selfish society, comes at times as a surprise to non-Witnesses. For example, a tour guide working with an American travel agency was amazed at the affection and assistance shown by the Witnesses to foreign delegates at an international convention in Germany in 2009. She said that in all her years of serving as a guide, she had never seen anything like it. Have you heard similar reactions of people who observed the Witnesses at a convention that you have attended? w12 12/15 3:18

 

[Hartley]

What other organization can hold an international convention of 80,000 and not need police backup? (Except of course to direct traffic)

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, October 10...

 

You, O Jehovah, are good and ready to forgive; and the loving-kindness to all those calling upon you is abundant.—Ps. 86:5.

 

There is power in prayer; it accomplishes much with God. David expressed his deep feelings in a prayer of faith that is beautifully preserved in the Psalms. (Ps. 32:1-5) As David admitted, trying to repress a guilty conscience wore him out! He apparently suffered ill effects mentally and physically and lost joy because of his failure to confess. What brought David pardon and relief? Only a confession to God. Jehovah answered David’s prayers and strengthened him to go ahead with his life and accomplish something worthwhile. Similarly, if you pray sincerely from the heart, you can be confident that Jehovah will give his keen attention to your supplication. If past wrongs trouble you, rectify them to the extent that you can and then believe Jehovah’s assurance that he has forgiven you! w13 1/15 4:12

 

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, October 11

 

They do not know the voice of strangers.—John 10:5.

 

Researchers have found that the task of simultaneously differentiating between many sounds becomes increasingly difficult when it involves listening to human speech. This means that when you hear two voices at the same time, you have to choose which one you will focus on. Your selection will depend on which one you want to listen to. The Jews who wished to do the desires of their father, the Devil, did not listen to Jesus. We receive messages from ‘the house of wisdom’ and from ‘the house of stupidity.’ (Prov. 9:1-5, 13-17) Both wisdom and stupidity keep crying out to us, as it were, and that presents us with a choice. Whose invitation will we accept? The answer depends on whose will we wish to do. Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice and follow him. (John 10:16, 27) They are “on the side of the truth.” (John 18:37) Such humble ones “take hold of glory.”—Prov. 3:13, 16; 8:1, 18; 29:23. w13 2/15 4:13, 14

 

[Hartley]

I prefer to listen to the voice of wisdom, but I keep getting distracted. I,m still trying to improve my concentration. Rom 7

Hartley

[Luezette]

Yes, absolutely! Just yesterday a brother sent me an apology text. How in the world can you stay upset with someone who humbles themselves like that? Impossible! Then he called me. While I know he's imperfect and will continue to be so until Jehovah sets us straight, I have a newfound respect for the brother.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Luezette

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, October 12

 

God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name.—Acts 15:14.

 

As “people who are called by [God’s] name,” the members of the new nation of spiritual Israel used the divine name, certainly doing so when quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures. (Acts 15:17) Thus, when the apostle Peter addressed an international audience of Jews and proselytes at Pentecost 33 C.E., he used God’s name a number of times. (Acts 2:14, 20, 21, 25, 34) The early Christians honored Jehovah, so he, in turn, blessed their efforts in the preaching work. Likewise today, Jehovah blesses our ministry when we proudly proclaim his name and show it to interested ones, in their own Bibles if possible. We thus introduce them to the true God. What a privilege—for them and for us! That introduction may in some cases be the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Jehovah that will grow ever stronger and last forever. w13 3/15 5:12, 13

 

[CHecker]

This goes very well with today's WT. Wish my stomach didn't hurt so bad and have to stay home, I'd use this in an answer.

[Luezette]

Yes, what you said reminded me of the video obout the prodical son. He became dissatisfied with his blessings (family business, family, etc), and set out on his own which led to his spiritual demise.

All of us have desires and I'm not speaking of wrong desires, just desires in itself. But if we hold on Jehovah will give us those desires for he said that "he is opening his hand and satisfying the desires of every living thing."

I think sometimes of the friends with serious physical limitations such as being in a wheelchair, blind, deaf, and the list goes on. I think of those who actually gave up having children in this system in order to put Jehovah first, such as living at Bethel. I think of those who have more serious mental problems than I

have, yet they're able to put Jehovah first and that makes them happy. I think of those who had to scripturally separate from their mates due to unbearable conditions that Jehovah so lovingly, through the

slave, allows them to. But because they're still married in Jehovah's eyes, they bear up under the

pressure of being in a single state physically but not really.

The list goes on and on and let's not even talk about those friends who are locked up right now dued to their integrity!

Yet Satan, with his evil opportunistic self, preys on these hardships God's people are going through. My goodness! He preyed on Jesus! Imagine! Here Jesus haven't eaten in weeks and all Satan could think of was trying to tempt Jesus to turn his back on his father. Well, we know Jesus didn't, Satan left him "until another convenient time." So he's out there to get us. Yet Jehovah says he will give us "the power beyond what is normal." And he has, is now, and will continue to do so by means of his spirit. For face it...ain't nothing "normal" with what we're going through.

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, October 13...

 

How loyal and righteous and unblamable we proved to be.—1 Thess. 2:10.

 

What do Delilah, Absalom, and Judas Iscariot have in common? They were all disloyal—Delilah to the man who loved her, Judge Samson; Absalom to his father, King David; Judas to his Master, Christ Jesus. In each case, their deplorable actions wreaked havoc on others! But why should this be of concern to us? A modern-day author lists betrayal among today’s most common vices. That is to be expected. When giving the sign of “the conclusion of the system of things,” Jesus said: “Many . . . will betray one another.” (Matt. 24:3, 10) “To betray” means “to give up to, or place in the power of an enemy, by treachery or disloyalty.” Such a lack of loyalty confirms that we are living in “the last days” when, Paul foretold, people would be “disloyal, . . . betrayers.” (2 Tim. 3:1, 2, 4) Disloyalty and betrayal cause pain and suffering. Indeed, such acts are an ominous sign of the times! w12 4/15 2:1, 2

 

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, October 14

 

True worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him.—John 4:23.

 

Our spiritual heritage includes a wealth of accurate and valuable information from the past. For example, consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs and their families must have had discussions about how to please Jehovah. So it is not surprising that upright Joseph rejected sexual immorality so as not to “sin against God.” (Gen. 39:7-9) Christian traditions were also handed down orally or by example. Among these were points regarding the Lord’s Evening Meal that the apostle Paul passed on to Christian congregations. (1 Cor. 11:2, 23) Today, details needed for us to worship God “with spirit and truth” are part of his written Word. (John 4:24) The Bible is for the enlightenment of all mankind, but we as Jehovah’s servants especially appreciate it. w13 2/15 1:6

 

[Hartley]

I don't generally think of the scriptures as being our heritage. but that is what it is. Knowledge of how to serve Jehovah has been handed down to us. And now through the AGM we have further examples of those who have successfully served Jehovah.

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, October 15

 

The Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and Peter recalled the utterance of the Lord when he said to him: “Before a cock crows today you will disown me three times.”—Luke 22:61.

 

Peter manifested fear of man, stumbling badly at times; yet, he remained loyal to Jesus and Jehovah. For example, he publicly denied his Master, not just once, but three times. (Luke 22:54-60) Later, Peter failed to act in a Christian manner, treating Gentile believers as if they were somehow not as good as circumcised Jewish Christians. The apostle Paul, however, saw the matter clearly—there was no room for class distinctions in the congregation. Peter’s attitude was wrong. Before Peter’s conduct could sour the brotherhood, Paul acted by counseling Peter directly, face-to-face. (Gal. 2:11-14) Was Peter’s pride so wounded that he quit the race for life? No. He seriously considered Paul’s counsel, applied it, and kept on in the race. w13 3/15 1:12

 

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, October 16

 

Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.—Ps. 34:18.

 

David faced many distressing circumstances in his life. (1 Sam. 30:3-6) His inspired words reveal that Jehovah knew his feelings. (Ps. 56:8) God knows our feelings as well. When we are “broken at heart” or “crushed in spirit,” he draws near to us. This in itself may give us a measure of comfort, as it did David, who sang: “I will be joyful and rejoice in your loving-kindness, in that you have seen my affliction; you have known about the distresses of my soul.” (Ps. 31:7) But Jehovah does more than just notice our distress. He sustains us by providing comfort and encouragement. One way he does this is by means of Christian meetings. The stress of dealing with the injustices of Satan’s world can wear us down. Meeting together with our brothers refreshes us and helps us retain our joy in serving Jehovah. w12 4/15 5:14, 15

 

[Mei]

I love this text for the day.  I cannot tell you how many times my hope and sprit have been crushed just to get up, dust off, get my mind straight and keep on going and cannot help but know that Jehovah's hand is with me.  I am still getting to know Jehovah and he is still getting to know me.  Thanks to him I am here, learning important things in life, getting to know him better and learning the true meaning of our wonderful Scriptures and breathing in life as time goes by. 

Edited October 16, 2014 by Mei

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, October 17

 

May Jehovah rebuke you.—Jude 9.

 

As Michael the archangel, Jesus did not go beyond his authority when he had ‘a difference with the Devil about Moses’ body.’ Instead, God’s Son showed humility and modesty. He was pleased to have Jehovah, the Supreme Judge of the universe, handle matters in His own way and time. The things Jesus learned during his prehuman existence undoubtedly included the prophecies foretelling details of his life on earth as the Messiah. Hence, he likely knew in advance that unpleasant experiences awaited him. Yet, Jesus accepted the assignment to live on earth and die as the promised Messiah. Why? Highlighting the humility of God’s only-begotten Son, the apostle Paul wrote: “Although he was existing in God’s form, [he] gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and came to be in the likeness of men.”—Phil. 2:6, 7. w12 11/15 2:5, 6

 

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, October 18

 

Let them have in subjection . . . every moving animal that is moving upon the earth.—Gen. 1:26.

 

 

In the process of creation, Jehovah made humans last, the apex of his earthly works. Adam and Eve, and eventually all humans, were mandated to have dominion over the animal creation and therefore would be at peace with them. So we should not be surprised when we read in the Bible that peace will come to prevail between humans and animals. (Isa. 11:6-9; 65:25) Why not? Recall that when Noah and his family emerged from the ark after the Flood, Jehovah told them: “A fear of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature of the earth.” That was for the animals’ self-preservation. (Gen. 9:2, 3) Could not Jehovah remove a measure of that fear and terror, so that his original mandate would be fulfilled? (Hos. 2:18) What an enjoyable time awaits all who will survive to live on earth then! w12 9/15 2:7, 9

 

[Hanah45]

I appreciate how Jesus did go go beyond his authority. He must surely have strong emotions about Satan, yet he kept these in check, out of respect for Jehovah. We all have authority to a degree, but the tricky part is to know our place and to stay in our place. Oftentimes, I feel if I am speaking the truth, then I am not wrong, but that it not humble. Jesus could have truthfully spoken to Satan, but he stayed in his place. I must really work on humility.

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, October 19

 

Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.—Josh. 24:15.

 

A person with a choice has options and a degree of control over the direction his or her life will take. To illustrate: Imagine that a man who is walking on a road suddenly finds that it becomes two diverging paths. Which will he choose to follow? The Bible contains numerous examples of people who faced a similar situation. For example, Cain had to decide whether to act on his anger or to control it. (Gen. 4:6, 7) Joshua had to choose between serving the true God or worshipping false gods. Joshua’s goal was to stay close to Jehovah; hence, he chose a path that took him in that direction. Cain had no such goal, and he chose the path that took him farther away from Jehovah. At times, we may face a fork-in-the-road decision. If that happens, keep in mind your destination, or goal—to bring glory to Jehovah in all that you do and to avoid anything that would cause you to draw away from him.—Heb. 3:12. w13 1/15 2:1-3

 

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, October 20

 

This is the heritage of Jehovah’s servants.—Isa. 54:17, “Byington.”

 

In part, our spiritual heritage consists of recently published accounts proving that ‘Jehovah is on our side.’ (Ps. 118:7) This makes us feel secure, even when we are persecuted. A heartening part of our ever-increasing spiritual heritage is this promise: “‘Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success, and any tongue at all that will rise up against you in the judgment you will condemn. This is the hereditary possession [or, “heritage,” By] of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.” (Isa. 54:17) Nothing in Satan’s arsenal of weapons can do us permanent harm. Satan has tried to destroy God’s Word, eliminate the name Jehovah, and suppress the truth. But he certainly is no match for Jehovah, who has foiled all these efforts. w13 2/15 1:7, 8

 

[luvsquilts]

We are created to freely choose who we will follow. We are given informed consent if you will. Jehovah has made it very clear and Satan has done his part to muddy it up. Choices have consequences. That was established in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Those choices haven't fluctuated from Jehovah's standpoint. It's not multiple choice. It's one or the other, serve Jehovah and live, don't serve Jehovah and face his wrath. Deuteromony speaks of the blessing and malediction.

 

May we choose wisely to be on Jehovah's side.