Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2017

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, June 19

Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down . . . and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare.—Luke 21:34, 35.

Events on the world scene clearly indicate that Bible prophecy is now being fulfilled and that the end of this wicked system of things is imminent. Therefore, we should not assume that much time is needed for the state of this world to develop to the point where “the ten horns” and “the wild beast” of Revelation 17:16 turn on Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. Let us bear in mind that God will “put it into their hearts” to make that move—and this could happen swiftly and at any time! (Rev. 17:17) The end of this entire system of things is not far off. With good reason, we should heed Jesus’ warning as given in today’s text. (Rev. 16:15) Let us be resolved to serve Jehovah with a sense of urgency, confident that he “acts in behalf of those who keep in expectation of him.”—Isa. 64:4. w15 8/15 2:17

[katielou]

Live, enjoy, meditate

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[Tia]

Sis Vernalee,

Surely do appreciate this scripture text - especially due to all the many news reports

we are getting today - it is so easy to wear on our hearts and mind.  I know that it affects

me so at times - Sigh!  Will keep this in mind in the ministry today!

[katielou]

Exciting times ahead

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[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, June 20

Whoever does the will of God, this one is my brother and sister and mother.—Mark 3:35.

Although we want to be kind even to those who do not follow God’s laws, we should not become their intimate associates or close friends. It would therefore be wrong for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who is a single person to date such an individual who is not dedicated and faithful to God and who does not respect His high standards. Maintaining Christian integrity is far more important than becoming popular with people who do not live by Jehovah’s laws. Our close associates should be those who do God’s will. The disastrous results of bad associations were experienced by the Israelites. (Ex. 23:24, 25; Ps. 106:35-39) Because they became unfaithful to God, Jesus later told them: “Look! Your house is abandoned to you.” (Matt. 23:38) Jehovah cast off Israel, transferring his blessing to the newly formed Christian congregation.—Acts 2:1-4. w15 8/15 4:7, 8

[trottigy]

Good reminders always.

 

We aren't waiting for the world to attack false religion - NO, 

 

We are waiting for Jehovah  to put the idea in their hearts. Once He does that, things will move quickly. So, keeping a sense of urgency then is important.

[katielou]

Chose obedient friends

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[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, June 21

The objective of this instruction is love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience.—1 Tim. 1:5.

Jehovah God created humans with free will, that is, the liberty to choose between one option and another. God provided a valuable guide for the first man and woman and their future offspring—the conscience, an inner sense of right and wrong. Used properly, the conscience can help us to do good and to avoid wrongdoing. Our conscience thus is an evidence of God’s love for us and of his desire that humans be united in doing good. Today, humans still have the faculty of conscience. (Rom. 2:14, 15) Though many have strayed far from the Bible’s standards of conduct, we find that some individuals often do what is good and abhor what is bad. The conscience holds many individuals back from committing deeds of extreme wickedness. Imagine how much worse world conditions would be if no one had a conscience! How grateful we can be that God has provided humans with a conscience! w15 9/15 2:1, 2

[katielou]

Conscience: Jehovah's gift

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[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, June 22

See what sort of love the Father has given us!—1 John 3:1.

This statement by the apostle John is truly worthy of our deep and appreciative reflection. With the words “see what sort of love the Father has given us,” John was urging Christians to think about the nature and magnitude of God’s love for them, to consider how God loves them. Comprehending Jehovah’s love in those terms will surely deepen our love for him and strengthen our relationship with him. To some, though, God’s love for people is a foreign concept. To them, God is to be feared and obeyed. Or perhaps because of certain entrenched erroneous teachings, they feel that God is unloving, even unlovable. On the other hand, there are those who believe that God’s love is unconditional and that he loves them regardless of what they do or fail to do. As you studied the Bible, you learned that love is Jehovah’s paramount attribute and that his love moved him to give his Son as a ransom in our behalf.—John 3:16; 1 John 4:8. w15 9/15 4:1, 2

[Rosy Gal]

I am so happy that our God Jehovah is like a real Father. I lost my dad when I was a child and loving Jah has really filled that hole in my soul.

I was 15 and would write beautiful free style poetry to Jehovah when I would walk in the woods and ever since then Iknow he has watched over me,

I believe he takes care of the widows and orphans because they have no head no defender and thus he becomes that to them to me the one time orphan.

Thanks for listening

Rosy Gal

[Luezette]

I was just thinking how wonderful and loving Jehovah is and has been to me through the years. You see, I've hurt him terribly some years back, asked his forgiveness and he has given it to me and then some.And I truly don't deserve it nor ever will. At times I l can still hardly believe it! 

Take last night for instance. There I was, in my heart just a thinking some petty things in my heart about a particular brother in my congregation some time before I left for the meeting. Some time during the meeting, what happened? The same brother asked me how I was doing. I told him. Then he said "how are you really doing?" Then he began encouraging me with loving words. Only Jehovah could have made that happen, I know. THE SAME BROTHER! UNBELIEVABLE!

But I'm not stupid. Oh no. You can believe I'll watch my thoughts in the future. 

It's like Romans 11:33 says (I'm laying down without my Bible, so this is kinda paraphrased): "O The depth of God's riches. How unsearchable his judgments are..."

[katielou]

Understand Jehovah's love

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[GrumpysWife]

Friday, June 23

Discipline . . . is painful.—Heb. 12:11.

In saying so, Paul was not minimizing the importance or value of discipline, for he continued: “Yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” If we love Jehovah, we must guard against becoming complacent or resentful of his counsel. In today’s me-first, self-centered generation, it is not easy to talk about counsel and discipline, let alone to accept such. Even those who seem to accept counsel or discipline often do so begrudgingly. Christians, though, are advised to “stop being molded by this system of things.” We are to perceive and follow the “perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2) Through his organization, Jehovah gives us timely counsel about many areas of life—our conduct with the opposite sex, our associations, and our recreation. By willingly accepting and applying such direction, we show that we are grateful and that we truly love Jehovah from the heart.—John 14:31; Rom. 6:17. w15 9/15 5:13, 15

[Rosy Gal]

 

Discipline and Repentance the case of Manasseh

Jehovah Remembers that We Are Dust

Manasseh’s discipline consisted of his being taken as a captive to Babylon by the Assyrians. Manasseh repented and humbly prayed to Jehovah to be shown favour. In time Jehovah God gave favourable attention to his pleas and restored him to his kingship.  

Yes, we know that about Manasseh, but do we remember what he did to show he was truly sorry?

That Manasseh had really changed on account of the discipline received is evident when he began a campaign against idolatry, prepared the altar of Jehovah and began sacrificing upon it. Manasseh also encouraged his subjects to serve Jehovah.—2 Chron. 33:12-17. WT 1975 September 1st

[Life4u]

I enjoyed your comment Rosy Gal, keep them coming! 

 

I've wondered how could disipline "yield peaceable fruits of righteousness".  Over my years in Jehovah's organization many of my wonders have been answered thanks to being disiplined.  Yet, I've been taught through the disipline of those in the Bible and someone I've known personally too. 

 

The last sentence in the text above says what disipline has taught me. "By willingly accepting and applying such direction, we show that we are grateful and that we truly love Jehovah from the heart".

[Rosy Gal]

You are a wonderful insightful person and I can see you have the truth deep in your soul

Keep it up sister Charlotte

[Colleen Mansfield-Joiner]

Discipline is rarely easy to take and often hard to personally apply. As imperfect humans, we often think of anyone else to apply discipline to, so when we do consider discipline heard in a congregation setting as "how does this apply to me?", we continue on in our spiritual maturity. And when we can take what we've applied to ourselves to assist another witness or anyone else, we are displaying tender affection. This pleases both our king -Jesus as well as making Jehovah glad that he drew us to himself, based on our potential.


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[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, June 24

Help me out where I need faith!—Mark 9:24.

We cannot develop faith simply by our own willpower. Faith is an aspect of the fruitage of God’s holy spirit. (Gal. 5:22) Thus, we are wise to follow Jesus’ counsel about praying for more of that spirit because Jesus assures us that the Father will “give holy spirit to those asking him.” (Luke 11:13) Once our faith is established, we must continue to nourish it. Our faith might be compared to a wood fire. When the fire is started, it may come roaring to life in an intense blaze. However, if nothing more is done to the fire, it will eventually die down to hot coals that, in turn, will become cold ashes if left alone. But if you regularly feed the fire with more wood, it can be kept going indefinitely. So, too, our faith can be kept alive if we regularly feed on God’s Word. By progressively studying the Bible, we can develop a deep love for it and its Author, and that will become the basis for building more faith. w15 10/15 2:6, 7

[Miss Bea]

Faith, feed, nurture.

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, June 25

I will meditate on all your activity.—Ps. 77:12.

Scientific research shows that saying words aloud during study makes them easier to recall. The Creator of our brain knows this. That is why he instructed Joshua to read His book of the Law “in an undertone.” (Josh. 1:8) You will likely find that reading the Bible softly, or in an undertone, makes a deeper impression on your mind. This may also help you to concentrate better. While reading may be done with little effort, meditation requires concentration. That is why the imperfect human brain is inclined to switch to easier, less demanding tasks. Thus, the best time to meditate is when you are rested and in a stress-free environment with few distractions. The psalmist found that a good time to meditate was while he was awake in bed during the night. (Ps. 63:6) Jesus, who had perfect mental powers, knew the advantage of being in quiet places to meditate and pray.—Luke 6:12. w15 10/15 4:4, 6, 7

[Colleen Mansfield-Joiner]

 We lead such busy lives sometimes it's hard to find time for meditation. For me, I find the best time is in the morning when I'm well rested and alert.  I also find recently that, with my desire to  improve my service, privileges in this regard are coming more frequently. For example, yesterday for the first time, two sisters and myself did public cart witnessing in a small village called Winchester, Ontario.   Our shift was from 10 till 1 and we immediately had somebody approach at 2 minutes after 10 with some interest. We were very surprised as we expected the first time to be quiet while people got used to seeing us  at this location. So, Jehovah poured on unexpected blessings and for the rest of the shift,  many people stopped to look, one placement was made and I got the opportunity to show a video. For anyone who has not tried this  avenue of  service,  we all highly recommended it!   We are hoping that meditating on this experience might encourage others to try. 

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, June 26

He knew what was in man.—John 2:25.

On one occasion, some of Jesus’ listeners in Galilee appeared eager to follow him. (John 6:22-24) But Jesus, who could read hearts, discerned that the people were more interested in physical food than in what he taught. He saw what was wrong, patiently corrected them, and explained how they could improve. (John 6:25-27) Although you cannot read hearts, you too can show insight and learn how your child feels about the field ministry. Many parents include short breaks during field service to allow their children to rest and enjoy some refreshments. Yet, you might look beyond the obvious and ask yourself, ‘Does my child enjoy the ministry or only the breaks?’ If you discern that the ministry could be more interesting or more rewarding for your children, set goals with them. Use creativity to help them to have a full share as your preaching companions. w15 11/15 1:10, 11

[Mike]

If this a conflict?

Today’s text is based on the WT 11/15/15

10) Jesus showed insight by looking beyond the obvious and discerning why people acted in a certain way. On one occasion, some of his listeners in Galilee appeared eager to follow him. (John 6:22-24) But Jesus, who could read hearts, discerned that the people were more interested in physical food than in what he taught. (John 2:25) He saw what was wrong, patiently corrected them, and explained how they could improve.—Read John 6:25-27.

From the WT April 2017 (yesterdays Study article):

11) First, humility will move us to acknowledge that we do not have all the facts. No matter how much we know of a situation, only Jehovah can read a person’s figurative heart. (1 Sam. 16:7)

 

We know Jesus also reads hearts.  Why does yesterdays article say only Jehovah can read hearts?   

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, June 27

The former things have passed away.—Rev. 21:4.

Our loving God always does what is in the best interests of his faithful servants. The Bible tells us: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” What a marvelous future awaits all of us who truly appreciate Jehovah’s love and obey him as our Ruler! Jehovah’s Word tells us: “Take note of the blameless one, and keep the upright one in sight, for the future of that man will be peaceful. But all the transgressors will be destroyed.” (Ps. 37:37, 38) “The blameless one” comes to know Jehovah and his Son and obediently does God’s will. (John 17:3) Such a person takes seriously the words of 1 John 2:17: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” As the world’s end draws near, it is urgent that we “hope in Jehovah and follow his way.”—Ps. 37:34. w15 11/15 3:11, 12