Examining the Scriptures Daily - 2017

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, December 14

The zeal for your house will consume me.—John 2:17.

At Jehovah’s direction, the Israelites built the tabernacle. (Ex. 25:8) Later, they constructed a temple for the worship of Jehovah. (1 Ki. 8:27, 29) After returning from exile in Babylon, the Jews regularly gathered in synagogues. (Mark 6:2; John 18:20; Acts 15:21) Early Christians met in the homes of members of the congregation. (Acts 12:12; 1 Cor. 16:19) Today, Jehovah’s people meet for education and worship in tens of thousands of Kingdom Halls worldwide. So great was Jesus’ love and appreciation for Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem that a Gospel writer attributed to him the prophetic sentiment found in today’s text. (Ps. 69:9) No Kingdom Hall can rightly be called “the house of Jehovah” in the same sense that these words applied to the temple in Jerusalem. (2 Chron. 5:13; 33:4) Even so, the Bible contains principles that show us how our modern-day places of worship should be used and respected. w15 7/15 4:1, 2

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, December 15

Clothe yourselves with love.—Col. 3:14.

Will we be able to deal lovingly with one another during Christ’s Thousand Year Reign? If we learn to forgive freely and if we avoid strained relations now, it will be easier for us to do so then. (Col. 3:12, 13) Life in the new world may not mean that we will always get what we want when we want it. Instead, that life will involve being appreciative and content in any situation as we benefit from submitting to Jehovah’s loving sovereignty. It will mean putting into practice the very qualities that Jehovah is teaching us to cultivate now. By learning to live now as we expect to live then, we are developing qualities that we will need to manifest for all eternity. We are strengthening our faith in the reality of “the inhabited earth to come.” (Heb. 2:5; 11:1) Moreover, we are showing how deeply we yearn for the righteous conditions that will then exist on earth. Indeed, we are preparing for everlasting life in God’s new world. w15 8/15 3:11, 12

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, December 16

Go on walking in union with [Jesus].—Col. 2:6.

When you examine ripe fruit at the market, you see that not all the pieces are identical. Yet, they do share some characteristics that identify them as being ripe. Similarly, mature Christians may be of different nationality, background, health, age, and experience. There are even differences in personality or culture. Still, all who grow spiritually develop qualities that identify them as being mature. How so? A mature servant of Jehovah builds his life around the example of Jesus, who left a model for us “to follow his steps closely.” (1 Pet. 2:21) What did Jesus highlight as being very important? Loving Jehovah with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and loving one’s neighbor as oneself. (Matt. 22:37-39) A mature Christian strives to live in harmony with that counsel. He has established a life pattern that shows that he gives priority to his relationship with Jehovah and he displays self-sacrificing love for others. w15 9/15 1:3-5

[1MKnight]

The world is cold, the only way to warm yourself up is with love

 

Its winter right now, and when reading this scripture, I think of all of the layers you have to put on to keep warm. Just like love, you have to put a lot on to stay spiritually alive. 

[ReadYourBible]

While I love people much more deeply now than I ever did, my imperfections coupled with theirs sometimes gets the better of me. If I feel myself becoming upset, I take my leave, then I pray about it.  Is there a concrete reason for my anger? Sometimes there is. Sometimes, love just has to cover over it. 

[Spechellekaye]

“If we learn to forgive freely and if we avoid strained relations now, it will be easier for us to do so then. This is a powerful statement. It’s not always easy, but we can go to Jehovah in prayer for assistance. By being forgiving, we promote unity because Jehovahs people are a unified people. 

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, December 17

By making the truth manifest, we recommend ourselves to every human conscience in the sight of God.—2 Cor. 4:2.

A good conscience does much more than warn us against wrongdoing. It moves us to do good works. Foremost among these good works is our participation in the ministry from house to house and our taking advantage of opportunities to witness informally. Paul’s conscience moved him to do so. He wrote: “Necessity is laid upon me. Really, woe to me if I do not declare the good news!” (1 Cor. 9:16) As we imitate him, our conscience speaks to us, assuring us that we are doing the right thing. And by preaching the good news, we appeal to the conscience of those to whom we speak. Yes, the conscience can be an invaluable tool. By regularly immersing ourselves in God’s Word, meditating on what we find, and striving to put it into practice, we train our conscience. It will thus prove to be a valuable asset in our Christian life! w15 9/15 2:16, 18

[GrumpysWife]

Monday, December 18

Those whom Jehovah loves he reproves.—Prov. 3:12.

Accounts of Joseph, Moses, and David are among the most detailed and vivid of all Bible characters. Reading about how Jehovah was with them throughout their trials and how they came to be used mightily by Jehovah makes us feel all the more Jehovah’s care and love for his servants. Discipline from Jehovah helps us see another aspect of his love. When those who have done wrong are disciplined by Jehovah and they respond and repent, “he will forgive in a large way.” (Isa. 55:7) What does that mean? David gave a touching description of Jehovah’s forgiveness in these words: “He forgives all your errors and heals all your ailments; he reclaims your life from the pit and crowns you with his loyal love and mercy.” (Ps. 103:3, 4) May we always be sensitive to Jehovah’s counsel, even his discipline, and be quick to respond, recognizing that it is an expression of his boundless love for us.—Ps. 30:5. w15 9/15 4:13, 14

[Alexa]

When I was counseled, I needed to follow it

[Spechellekaye]

When we dedicated our lives to Jehovah we made an oath, a promise, to have a full share in the ministry. We, individually, have to examine our own conscience to see if we are doing our best. But we must not compare ourselves to others. If we need to make adjustments, we should pray to Jehovah for help and we must ACT on our prayer request. 
 

[Spechellekaye]

If Jehovah sees something in us that we need to adjust, he warns us and helps us to see what we must do to stay close to him. Even when we do something wrong, Jehovah continues to show us love. He forgives us when we respond to his discipline and we repent. We should view any counsel we receive, as an extension of Jehovah’s love and mercy. 
 

[GrumpysWife]

Tuesday, December 19

Mary . . . kept listening to what [Jesus] was saying.—Luke 10:39.

Martha is busy preparing a special meal for Jesus, and she becomes irritated with Mary. Jesus notices that Martha is trying to do too much, so he kindly says: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things.” He then suggests that just one dish of food would be sufficient. Jesus now turns his attention to Mary and clears her of any negligence, saying: “For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42) Mary may soon have forgotten what she ate on that special occasion, but she would never forget the commendation and fine spiritual food she received by giving Jesus her undivided attention. More than 60 years later, the apostle John wrote: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister.” (John 11:5) These inspired words surely indicate that Martha took to heart Jesus’ loving correction and that she strove to serve Jehovah faithfully for the rest of her life. w15 10/15 3:3, 4

[Alexa]

Martha keep Jesus' words, she was included to be mentioned with his brother Lazarus

[Spechellekaye]

Martha was distracted with attending to many duties. We don’t want to get distracted by spending too much time with the things the world offers and neglect the most important thing, our worship to Jehovah and his Kingdom. May we make whatever adjustments we need to make, based of our own personal situations. H

[GrumpysWife]

Wednesday, December 20

The power beyond what is normal [is] God’s.—2 Cor. 4:7.

We have ample reason to believe that Jehovah is active in people’s lives today. Time and again, we have heard experiences of how individuals prayed for spiritual help and then received it. (Ps. 53:2) While preaching from house to house on a small island in the Philippines, Allan met a woman who started to cry. He states: “Just that morning, she prayed to Jehovah that his Witnesses would find her. God answered her prayer so quickly that she was visibly moved.” Within a year, she dedicated her life to Jehovah. Many of God’s servants have seen evidence of his help when they broke free from such addictive habits as smoking, drug abuse, or the viewing of pornography. Some say that they repeatedly tried to stop on their own but were not successful. However, when they turned to Jehovah for help, he supplied “the power beyond what is normal,” and they finally conquered their weakness.—Ps. 37:23, 24. w15 10/15 1:10, 11

[rbrown1205]

Even at Lazarus' gravesite, Martha was never shy about letting people know how she felt. She expressed a firm faith in the reality of the resurrection, and was humble enough to accept Jesus' teaching about his role in that wonderful promise. There were people who called themselves Jews, who did not believe in this very firm Biblical teaching - the Saducees. So we must have the same firm faith in Jehovah's words and follow the example of Jesus Christ, and Martha too.

[Alexa]

Jehovah will give holy spirit those in the authority, authority to share kingdom news

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, December 21

[Make] the best use of your time.—Eph. 5:16.

Some get up early in the morning to read, meditate, and pray. Others do so during their lunch break. You might find that this can be done early in the evening or before you go to bed. Some enjoy reading the Bible in the morning and again before retiring. Thus they “read it . . . day and night,” or regularly. (Josh. 1:8) The important thing is to buy out time from less important things for daily meditation on God’s Word. God’s Word repeatedly promises blessings to all who meditate on it and who strive to apply what they learn. (Ps. 1:1-3) “Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it,” said Jesus. (Luke 11:28) Most important, meditating on spiritual things each day will help us to bring honor to the Grand Creator of our marvelous brain, and he will reward us with happiness now and everlasting life in his righteous new world.—Jas. 1:25; Rev. 1:3. w15 10/15 4:17, 18

[GrumpysWife]

Thursday, December 21

[Make] the best use of your time.—Eph. 5:16.

Some get up early in the morning to read, meditate, and pray. Others do so during their lunch break. You might find that this can be done early in the evening or before you go to bed. Some enjoy reading the Bible in the morning and again before retiring. Thus they “read it . . . day and night,” or regularly. (Josh. 1:8) The important thing is to buy out time from less important things for daily meditation on God’s Word. God’s Word repeatedly promises blessings to all who meditate on it and who strive to apply what they learn. (Ps. 1:1-3) “Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it,” said Jesus. (Luke 11:28) Most important, meditating on spiritual things each day will help us to bring honor to the Grand Creator of our marvelous brain, and he will reward us with happiness now and everlasting life in his righteous new world.—Jas. 1:25; Rev. 1:3. w15 10/15 4:17, 18

[Alexa]

Meditation in God's Word, others do it in lunch time

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, December 22

Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke him, saying: “Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this happen to you at all.”—Matt. 16:22.

The apostle Peter meant well when he urged Jesus to be kind to himself in order not to be killed. Jesus, however, knew that Peter’s comment reflected faulty thinking. To help him and the other disciples, Jesus gave frank counsel, stated the consequences of a self-sparing attitude, and outlined the blessings of a self-sacrificing spirit. (Matt. 16:21-27) Peter learned the lesson. (1 Pet. 2:20, 21) Pray to Jehovah to give you insight so that you can understand where your teenager needs help. (Ps. 32:8) For example, what might indicate that your child’s faith is wavering? Perhaps his joy is waning, he is speaking critically of fellow believers, or he has become secretive. Do not hastily conclude that these are signs of a double life involving serious sin. On the other hand, do not ignore such signs or dismiss your teenager’s isolation as a mere phase. w15 11/15 2:12, 13

[Alexa]

Peter learned a lesson

[GrumpysWife]

Saturday, December 23

Clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, and patience. . . . Clothe yourselves with love, for it is a perfect bond of union.—Col. 3:12, 14.

Genuine love and unity identify Jehovah’s servants as the ones who practice the true religion, for Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35) And the apostle John wrote: “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Whoever does not practice righteousness does not originate with God, nor does the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:10, 11) Love that results in extraordinary unity marks Jehovah’s Witnesses as Christ’s true followers, the ones whom God is using to serve his purpose to have the good news of the Kingdom preached in all the inhabited earth.—Matt. 24:14. w15 11/15 4:10, 11

[Alexa]

True religion can be identified with the truthfulness of their love

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, December 24

Like apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time.—Prov. 25:11.

Since cultures and religious beliefs vary greatly, we need to be discerning when it comes to choosing the right time to speak. And there are many occasions when we may need to discern that. For example, someone may offend us, even with well-intentioned words. It would be prudent on our part to take time to reflect on whether the matter is serious enough to say something. If we must speak, it would not be wise to approach the offender when we are upset and perhaps might speak a bit rashly. (Prov. 15:28) Similarly, we need to be discerning when speaking about the truth to our unbelieving relatives. We want them to come to know Jehovah, but we must be patient and perceptive. Speaking the right words at the right time may help to open their hearts. w15 12/15 3:6, 8, 9