JW Broadcasting - April 2021

[Br. Ice]

20 minutes ago, GodlyDevotion said:

The lesson IMHO is to not compare our abilities with others but ourselves.

Because when we do compare or get compared, as in the case of Blake it could seem we are not doing our best or enough, when WE actually are doing the best we can. 

 

___

 

I like the idea of a runner at the Olympics, because they know 

1) Their personal best time

2) What the WR is (world record time) 

 

When the runner looks at his personal best, he might see that he can improve. 

 

But when he looks at the world record, which he can't achieve or pass, he could be discouraged. 

 

So, by focusing on improving on our personal best we will have "cause for rejoicing" (Gal 6:4)

Edited April 6, 2021 by Br. Ice

[jwhess]

I think in line with the apostle Paul's illustration.  He was using a running race as the base for the illustration.  He said only one (in a worldly race) gets the prize.  He goes on to say (and apply the illustration) to making sure we get the prize.  Br. Herd used exactly the same illustration as did the apostle Paul.  They both had the same purpose, that of encouraging and motivating us to get the prize.

 

We are tending to focus on the completion angle of the story.  Forget the competition part, focus on the making it to the goal and winning the prize of life.  Paul said to 'run in such a way as to gain the prize'.  Is what you thought was your "best", really true?  Is what you thought was "good enough" really so?  It is not about MY best or MY good enough...it is about yours individually.  Real life examples show us that sometimes it is not enough.

 

If the "second-place" finish is due to some understandable (by God) problem that is causing you to be less effective than others but is really your best, God will put and A+ on your drawing instead of the B- grade.  But if the slow down, diversion, stopping short of the goal is because you did not give it your all, your best, then Jehovah will grade your picture differently.

 

When using illustrations, allegories, parables, stories, fables or hyperboles....remember, they almost always fail in some respects to a totally true picture.  Jesus used the Rich Man and Lazarus, but he did not really mean there was fire, the Rich man went to death and could still talk consciously.  It was a parable so focus on the parts that apply to the moral and forget the rest.  Remember the mustard grain, maybe not truly the "smallest seed" but it was tiny.  And when it grows to a plant it really isn't as big as an oak tree.  And ALL the birds do not live in its branches.  So don't dwell on parts of an illustration that don't quite fit in EVERY nuance.  Just get the point, meditate on how we can apply it individually and move on to bigger and better service to God.

[Eejay]

8 hours ago, jayrtom said:

 

Most athlets don't get the prize because it was really impossible to achieve that

Sorry you are grappling with this one. I must say I didn't see the broadcast until after I read this thread. However after listening to Brother Heard, I would say that he showed a contrast between a worldly, athlete and a Christian in the race for life. He also contrasted the winning criteria.

 

A worldly athlete might lose a race, not because he did not do his best, but because his best was not good enough when measured against his winning opponent. A Christian has no opponent to compete with, but he must still do his best. But how would that best be measured? It is definitely not wise to measure ourselves against what others do because, even if we do better than others, it may not be our best when judged by Jehovah. It is equally unwise to set our own standard of what is best in the light of Jeremiah 10:23. We need to apply what was said at Mark 12:30, and use self-examination. Measure what we are doing against what we should be doing, and close the gap if there is one. Then we can submit to Jehovah for the final assessment. Jesus observed the widow with her mites as exceeding those who gave far more. Puts an interesting slant on the words of Ecc. 9:11 also.

[jayrtom]

7 hours ago, Eejay said:

Sorry you are grappling with this one. I must say I didn't see the broadcast until after I read this thread. However after listening to Brother Heard, I would say that he showed a contrast between a worldly, athlete and a Christian in the race for life. He also contrasted the winning criteria.

 

A worldly athlete might lose a race, not because he did not do his best, but because his best was not good enough when measured against his winning opponent. A Christian has no opponent to compete with, but he must still do his best. But how would that best be measured? It is definitely not wise to measure ourselves against what others do because, even if we do better than others, it may not be our best when judged by Jehovah. It is equally unwise to set our own standard of what is best in the light of Jeremiah 10:23. We need to apply what was said at Mark 12:30, and use self-examination. Measure what we are doing against what we should be doing, and close the gap if there is one. Then we can submit to Jehovah for the final assessment. Jesus observed the widow with her mites as exceeding those who gave far more. Puts an interesting slant on the words of Ecc. 9:11 also.

Thanks. You helped me untie the knot in my head

[Rocco]

1 hour ago, jayrtom said:

Thanks. You helped me untie the knot in my head

We all have our own account to bare before Jehovah how we run, walk, sprint this race.  Right now I would like to just ‘finish the race’. This is not a sprint but an endurance race. Matt 24:13 - He that has injured to the end is the one who will be saved. 
Mic 6:8 - what is Jehovah asking back from you? To walk in modesty with your God. 
Take endurance runner Haley Carruthers who crossed the finish line in a marathon on her knees and lost sight in one eye as she crossed the line. 
My Personal opinion here - I feel Jehovah would just love us to finish and to do so with joy. 

[Paulo]

On 4/6/2021 at 1:30 PM, Dages said:

John 4:32-34...

I like the smile when reading v34

If I had see this post sooner I wouldn't had to download the japanese bible to find out which of the books was the ヨハネ

🤣

[boodles]

In the anime video I was confused because of the "Eiffel Tower", while everything else pointed to Japan. But I looked on a map of Tokyo and there is a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Tokyo. That was interesting!

 

Also, in the part about Philip, I recognized that the couple was in service, but it was filmed at Bethel in Mexico. Neat!

[Hinata]

29 minutes ago, boodles said:

In the anime video I was confused because of the "Eiffel Tower", while everything else pointed to Japan. But I looked on a map of Tokyo and there is a replica of the Eiffel Tower in Tokyo. That was interesting!

 

Also, in the part about Philip, I recognized that the couple was in service, but it was filmed at Bethel in Mexico. Neat!

 

Yes. That is a Japanese copycat of an Eiffel Tower. But that is quite nothing to be surprised about — there are numerous Eiffel Tower imitations around the world if you search about them. I like this one actually, because it is quite colourful.

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Hinata

[Luigi62]

14 minutes ago, Hinata said:

 

Yes. That is a Japanese copycat of an Eiffel Tower. But that is quite nothing to be surprised about — there are numerous Eiffel Tower imitations around the world if you search about them. I like this one actually, because it is quite colourful.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower_replicas_and_derivatives

[Dages]

That's the Tokyo Tower