A post by Monica on FB

[aPeacefulButterfly]

This is a post that Monica Martin put up on facebook. I know she wouldn't mind me putting it up here.

We, as imperfect humans, dealing with imperfection and problems we often create for ourselves, have the tendency to concentrate--almost exclusively--on the bad in us. In many cases this is even bred in us (for example parents constantly telling their children what they didn't do or didn't do right, thus making children feel worthless, whether intentional or not).

Obviously, because of imperfection, we're all about 99% bad, so finding something bad to concentrate on is not hard to do! But it is that 1% that Jehovah sees and loves; it is that 1% that he wants us to concentrate on; it is that 1% that makes us unique in this world and that can ultimately save our very lives. Jehovah wants us to avoid having a self-condemning heart and concentrate our best efforts on our 1%.

The following are two illustrations on getting the 1% good out of the 99% bad:

1. Digging for gold.

Did the prospectors come home to their families and say: "I dug 3,000 pounds of dirt today." No! They were thrilled with finding three ounces of gold. But you cannot get to the gold without going through the dirt. It is that 1% that makes us all unique and valuable to Jehovah.

2. Farmers plant acres and acres of wheat.

Do they harvest for the straw and chaff--the volume of what they planted? No! Again, they work very hard to harvest and separate the 1% of valuable life-sustaining wheat from the rest which is not desired.

Galatians 6:4 highlights that Jehovah does not compare us to others or to what we used to be able to do. He only looks to us for what we are individually and uniquely capable of doing--our individual potential. (See also Deuteronomy 24:16). Haggai 2:7 stresses that it is our obedience to Jehovah that makes us desirable and worthy of being collected. Psalms 56:8 Shows us this is not easy. The "tears" referred to represent the writer's (and our) endurance, which truly matters to Jehovah. The "collected tears of endurance" are recorded in Jehovah's book... a record of our 1% good that is valuable to him.Perhaps we really did not feel we could make it to the meeting or service. Perhaps we feel unworthy. Maybe after we were there we still did not feel any better. We might think, "well, if I don't feel like being there or don't want to be there, why go? Jehovah won't bless me due to my attitude."

Avoid making decisions for Jehovah--even when we must push ourselves hard to appreciate spiritual things due to the pressures and problems of life, to Jehovah, these are "tears of endurance" worthy of collecting in his book. (Some of us may need two or more "skin bottles.")1 Kings 14:10, 13 shows that Jehovah looks very hard for the good.

Here is an example of a family considered to be as worthless as "urine and dung" yet Jehovah found the good in the "house of Jeroboam."Romans 10:15 shows that our declaring the good news makes us "comely" (beautiful) despite the 99% bad and ugly.Eventually, our sins will be completely blotted out, we will become all good, and will soon experience seasons of refreshing, which Jehovah will give us if we now concentrate on that 1% that makes us good and desirable to him. (Acts 3:19)

In conclusion, avoid that self-condemning heart, remembering that Jehovah looks for the good. Remember your 1% for which Jehovah loves you dearly!

{Edited for formatting - Bob}

[Brother_Bliss]

Monica should stop in and say hello!

That illustration of digging for gold is really nice. I'd like to use that one in a talk some day.

[Shannon4Jah]

Thanks for sharing it here.