Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2017

[Colleen Mansfield-Joiner]

What if the one taking the lead resists God-given responsibility at every opportunity? What is the one who is to be submissive is the one doing things Jehovah's way to the best of their ability? Jehovah is fully aware of each situation. So we can rest assured that being the case that each will be cared for appropriately.


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[GrumpysWife]

Monday, September 18

His [pagan] wives inclined his heart to follow other gods, . . . and Solomon did what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah.—1 Ki. 11:4, 6.

Solomon’s bad associations undermined his wisdom and caused him to fall away from true worship. (1 Ki. 11:1-6) What a warning that is for Christians who might think about marrying someone who does not love Jehovah! What if someone becomes a worshipper of God while married to an unbeliever? The Bible says: “You wives, be in subjection to your husbands, so that if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives.” (1 Pet. 3:1) Those words are addressed to Christian wives, but the same words apply to a husband who becomes a worshipper of Jehovah while married to an unbeliever. The Bible’s counsel is clear: Be a good mate, and live up to God’s high standards for marriage. Many unbelieving mates have accepted the truth because of observing a husband or a wife who changed after complying with God’s requirements. w15 8/15 4:15, 16

[Luezette]

I remember a WT we studied that mentioned something about perhaps Solomon thought that such a thing wouldn't happen or didn't apply to him. But it did. 

How we need to guard against such thinking ourselves. Jehovah knows better than we, and always will. "Bad associations spoil useful habits." It does and it will. Jehovah has never lied and never will. 

 

[Sophy]

So true. Jehovah God knows best. He always look out for our best interest. 

[Colleen Mansfield-Joiner]

What a sullied reputation to have to live with for making unwise decisions, multiple times, after living most of his days properly obeying his creator!


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[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, September 19

The naive person believes every word, but the shrewd one ponders each step.—Prov. 14:15.

For some illnesses, there may be no known cure. So it is wise to be cautious when it comes to treatments that feature stunning claims but that are promoted merely with hearsay testimonials. Paul was inspired to write: “Let your reasonableness become known to all men.” (Phil. 4:5) Reasonableness also holds us back from devoting so much time to health care that spiritual matters are forced into the background. Were we to allow health care to become the main focus of our life, we would run the risk of becoming self-centered. (Phil. 2:4) Spiritual matters are most important, and with regard to health, our expectations should remain reasonable. (Phil. 1:10) On matters like health care, each of us should be willing to make a personal decision and accept the responsibility that comes with it. w15 9/15 2:8, 10

[New World Explorer]

I know some who are "obsessed" with diets and health issues.. good reminder in the daily text.

[kejedo]

Went over the daily text with husb. I have delayed restarting physical therapy b/c I have  been having too many other appts with oncologist/hematologist, nuerosurgeon,. Saw my primary yesterday and we are both confused by oncologist, who has failed to give an explicit diagnosis. My primary originally referred me to  different oncologist, but he was in the process of closing his private practice to join a new cancer group in Orange Regional Hosp, which is touted as being state of the art. So I start seeing new oncologist in October. I have almost all my hours in for aux pio. I am definitely not obsessed with health issues, and try to be compliant with doc instrux, but the current cancer doc has been vague about what I am treating for. I try to have a balanced view. Good reminders in today's text. 

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, September 20

Send out your light and your truth. May these lead me.—Ps. 43:3.

Jehovah is “the God of truth.” (Ps. 31:5) He loves his children and delights in letting his light of truth shine forth to guide them in every aspect of their life, particularly in matters of worship. What truth has Jehovah revealed, and how does this show that he loves us? First of all, Jehovah reveals the truth about himself. He reveals his personal name, which appears more times in the Bible than any other name. In this way, Jehovah draws close to us, letting us know him. (Jas. 4:8) Jehovah also reveals his qualities, the kind of God he is. While the observable universe makes manifest his power and wisdom, Jehovah also reveals through the Scriptures his justice and especially his boundless love. (Rom. 1:20) He is like a father who is not only strong and wise but also fair and loving, making it easy for his children to have a close personal relationship with him. w15 9/15 4:8, 9

[Sophy]

Nice one. We have to be realistic about health issues so we don't become overwhelmed with increasing expectations. We all know some of these companies are only interested in making profit. 

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, September 21

The hand of Jehovah will become known to his servants.—Isa. 66:14.

Many people think that there is little connection between what they are doing and what God is doing. In fact, some believe that God has little interest in what is happening to humans. After Super Typhoon Haiyan wreaked destruction on the central Philippines in November 2013, the mayor of one large city said: “God must have been somewhere else.” Other people act as if God cannot see what they are doing. (Isa. 26:10, 11;3 John 11) They are like those whom the apostle Paul described when he said: “They did not see fit to acknowledge God.” Such people “were filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and badness.” (Rom. 1:28, 29) What about us? Unlike those mentioned above, we realize that Jehovah observes everything we do. But do we also perceive his interest and supporting hand in our life? w15 10/15 1:1-3

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, September 22

I will show you my faith by my works.—Jas. 2:18.

Sharing in the preaching work is an excellent way to demonstrate our faith. Why is that? This work requires that we have faith in God’s timing of the coming end of this system of things, believing that “it will not be late!” (Hab. 2:3) One way to measure our faith is to look at the extent to which we are willing to expend ourselves in the ministry. Are we doing all we can, perhaps even seeking ways to expand our share in the work? (2 Cor. 13:5) Yes, making “public declaration for salvation” is a powerful way to show that we have faith in our heart. (Rom. 10:10) We can also show faith as we grapple with the challenges of daily life. Whether we face illness, discouragement, depression, poverty, or other trying problems, we have confidence that Jehovah and his Son will “help us at the right time.” (Heb. 4:16) We show such confidence by praying for help that is not limited to our spiritual needs. w15 10/15 2:12-14

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, September 23

Holy spirit . . . will . . . bring back to your minds all the things I told you.—John 14:26.

Although circumstances may deprive you of a Bible, you will never be deprived of the ability to meditate on what you have stored in your memory, such as your favorite scriptures and the words of Kingdom songs. (Acts 16:25) And God’s spirit can help bring back to your mind the good things you have learned. So prepare now by setting aside time to read and meditate on the weekly Bible reading. Time should also be set aside for meditating on what Jesus said and did. You will surely agree that among the better-known books of the Bible are the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 12:2; 1 Pet. 2:21) God’s people have even been provided with a publication that puts Jesus’ experiences and time on earth in chronological order. It is a wonderful aid, especially if we carefully read and meditate on the parallel Gospel passages cited in each chapter.—John 14:6. w15 10/15 4:11, 12

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, September 24

I have called you friends, because I have made known to you all the things I have heard from my Father.—John 15:15.

Jesus was a loving and loyal friend. In Bible times, a master did not normally share his private thoughts and feelings with his slaves. However, Jesus proved to be both master and friend to his faithful apostles. He spent time with them, shared his feelings with them, and carefully listened when they poured out their hearts to him. (Mark 6:30-32) Such loving communication created a warm bond between Jesus and his apostles and prepared them for future responsibilities in God’s service. Jesus wanted his beloved disciples and friends to experience the joy that comes from a busy life in Jehovah’s service. Therefore, he desired that they zealously participate in spiritual activities. Indeed, Jesus wanted them to be ardent disciple-makers! And he lovingly assured his disciples that he would help them to succeed.—Matt. 28:19, 20. w15 11/15 2:3, 5

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, September 25

You must love your neighbor as yourself.—Matt. 22:39.

Love is Jehovah God’s dominant quality. (1 John 4:16) His first creation was Jesus, who existed with him in heaven for many aeons and learned God’s loving ways. (Col. 1:15) By his entire course, including his life on earth, Jesus showed that he fully understands what a loving God Jehovah is, and he imitates that love. Thus, we can be confident that the rulership exercised by Jehovah and Jesus will forever be guided by the quality of love. When asked which was the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus stated: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt. 22:37-39) Notice that Jesus placed love of neighbor second only to love of Jehovah. This shows how important it is to display love in all our relationships. w15 11/15 4:1-3

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, September 26

All the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction.—Rom. 15:4.

God did not restrict his communication with humans to Hebrew. After the Babylonian exile, Aramaic became the everyday language of some of God’s people. Perhaps to indicate what was to come, Jehovah inspired the prophets Daniel and Jeremiah and the priest Ezra to record portions of their Bible books in Aramaic. Alexander the Great later conquered much of the ancient world, and common, or Koine, Greek became an international language. Many Jews began to speak that language, leading to the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This translation, thought to have been done by 72 translators, became known as the Septuagint. It was the first translation of the Bible and one of the most important. The work of so many translators resulted in varied translation styles, from literal to rather free. Nevertheless, the Septuagint was viewed as God’s Word by Greek-speaking Jews and later by Christians. w15 12/15 1:4-6

[Sophy]

It is indeed a good thing that the bible is translated to various languages so that the truth can be spread throughout the earth. I wonder how it would have been if the bible was only in latin courtsey the efforts of christendom. They have really failed. Jehovah God never allowed their plans come to pass. One thing amongst others that i truly appreciate. 

[Sophy]

Love. Such a wonderful quality. That quality can make the world a better place. It is too bad that the love of the greater number has cooled off at this time of the end. Love for jehovah is paramount because it transcends to our lifestyle or how we act and how we treat others too. 

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, September 27

See how small a fire it takes to set a great forest ablaze!—Jas. 3:5.

The point of James’ illustration is made clear in verse 6. “The tongue is also a fire.” The tongue represents our ability to speak. Like fire, our speech has the potential for causing great harm. The Bible even says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Prov. 18:21) Of course, we do not stop talking just out of concern that we might say something harmful, any more than we refuse to use fire because we fear the damage it might cause. The key is control. If we control fire, we can use it to cook our food, warm our bodies, and light up a dark night. If we tame our tongue, we can use its power to honor God and to benefit others. (Ps. 19:14) Whether we use sounds from our mouth or signs with our hands, the ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings is a marvelous gift from God. This gift, however, should be used to build up, not tear down.—Jas. 3:9, 10. w15 12/15 3:1-3

[Spechellekaye]

It's comforting to know that Jehovah provides everything we need through the written pages of the Bible. ❤️

[Spechellekaye]

Yes, the tongue is very powerful because it can be used to do harm and good. We want to think before we speak and we want to examine our choice of words and tone as not to offend, but to resolve matter quickly or encourage someone. We never want to stumble anyone by the things we do or say. Let's all do our part to be loving and encouraging to one another. Have a good day!❤️

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, September 28

Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings.—Col. 4:14.

It is reasonable to believe that Luke gave Paul medical advice and rendered medical services to him and to others in his missionary group. Why would Luke need to do that? Because even Paul got sick while traveling. (Gal. 4:13) Luke could provide medical help that was in line with what Jesus had said: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are ill do.” (Luke 5:31) The Bible does not indicate where or when Luke received his medical training. It has been suggested that Paul mentioned to Christians in Colossae the role of Luke as a physician because they knew him. Interestingly, there was a medical school in nearby Laodicea. In any event, Luke was not some untrained layman spouting health recommendations; he was a physician. That is evident both from the specific medical language that Luke used in his Gospel and in the book of Acts and from the way he focused on Jesus’ healings of others. w15 12/15 4:11, 12

[Spechellekaye]

Luke provided medical for their physical well being, but he also spread the good news. We too have medicine, God's Word, the Bible, that we are trying to direct the sick too as well. Our message can help all spiritually. This medicine will help them to get to know about our creator better, his Kingdom and to work to align their lives according to his standards. Yes, we are ministers for this life saving work, so let us take every opportunity at work, grocery store, etc. to spread the good news. 

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, September 29

Thanks be to God for his indescribable free gift.—2 Cor. 9:15.

When Jehovah sent his only-begotten Son to this earth, He gave what would become the greatest possible gift of love! (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9, 10) The apostle Paul called it God’s “indescribable free gift.” Paul knew that all the magnificent promises of God were guaranteed through the perfect sacrifice of Christ. (2 Cor. 1:20) Thus, that “indescribable free gift” would include all the goodness and loyal love that Jehovah would extend to us through Jesus. Indeed, that gift is so awe-inspiring that it cannot be fully described in human terms. How should receiving such an extraordinary gift affect us? And in what practical ways should this gift motivate us? Does it compel you to reconsider your actions and even change the way you have been living your life? Are you moved to be more generous and loving toward others and to forgive any who have wronged you? Remember, what Jehovah has given us through Christ is by far the greatest gift ever given.—1 Pet. 3:18. w16.01 2:1, 2, 4, 5

[Spechellekaye]

Jehovah has given us the BEST gift ever. There are no words in our vocabulary that can come close to describing what he has done for us. I thank Jehovah daily for the sacrifice he made for me. I need to make it my aim to be like Daniel and keep up my spiritual routine and never waiver in my loyalty to Jehovah, even if my life is on the line. Always ready to give a witness or be a witness of Jehovah's name.