Examine Scripture Daily

Examiningthe Scriptures

Daily

2014

es14-E


Daily

2014

Name

2013WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY

OF PENNSYLVANIAPublishers

Watchtower Bible and Tract Societyof New York, Inc.

Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.April 2013 Printing

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as partof a worldwide Bible educational worksupported by voluntary donations.

Examining the Scriptures Daily2014English (es14-E)

Made in the United States of America


Daily

2014

The petition let your Kingdom come is widelyknown around the globe, especially in lands that pro-fess to be Christian. But howmany people really knowwhat they are asking for when they make that requestin prayer? Would they repeat those words so readily ifthey knew that the coming of Gods Kingdom meansthe execution of judgment against all earthly gov-ernments and the destruction of all opposers of thatKingdom?Dan. 2:44; Luke 19:27.

The relevance of these questions is heightened bythree important facts: (1) Gods Kingdom was estab-lished in 1914, with Jesus enthroned as King. (Rev. 12:10) (2) We are living in the last days of the presentsystem of things. (Matt. 24:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5) (3) No gov-ernment or political party on earth has truly recog-nizedGods Kingdomor yielded to its sovereignty. (Ps.2:2, 3; Rev. 11:17, 18) Why has Gods Kingdom been ig-nored? Do not many people yearn for better govern-ment, and is not much time and eort spent in tryingto patch up and improve current rule? Yes, but mostdo not realize whomthey are up against and howmuchcontrol that one exerts.

The Bible clearly tells us that the whole world islying in the power of the wicked one and that he, theone called Devil and Satan, . . . is misleading the en-tire inhabited earth. (1 John 5:19;Rev. 12:9)By clever-ly blinding people to the point that many do not evenbelieve he exists, Satan is able to maneuver the ma-jority of mankind into rejecting Gods Kingdom andopposing His rule. (2 Cor. 4:4) That is where we as Je-hovahs Witnesses come in. We have the privilege ofopening the eyes of people, to turn them from dark-ness to light and from the authority of Satan to God.(Acts 26:18) Today, almost eight million individuals

2014 YeartextLet your Kingdom come.

Matthew 6:10.

are working together in unity to accomplish that task.How delighted we are to be counted worthy of beingentrusted with that assignment!Matt. 28:19, 20.

No, we will not convert the world. Indeed, Jesusdeclared that the majority of mankind would not ndthe road leading o into life. Rather, they would con-tinue on the road leading o into destruction. (Matt.7:13, 14) Jesus foretold that the good news of theKingdom [would] be preached in all the inhabitedearth for a witness to all the nations before the endcomes. (Matt. 24:14) By referring to Noahs day, Jesushelped us to appreciate how people would react to ourpreaching activity. Although Noah was a preacher ofrighteousness, the people did not listen to his warn-ing of impending destruction. They took no note untilthe Flood came and swept them all away. (2 Pet. 2:5;Matt. 24:37-39) Today, only those who are righteouslydisposed heed the warning. They listen to the goodnews of Gods Kingdom, realizing that it is, in fact,Gods power for salvation to everyone having faith.Rom. 1:16.

Satanic control of the earthwill soon be gone.Manwill no longer dominate man to his detriment. (Eccl.8:9) The many discordant rulerships of today will bereplaced with one governmentGods Kingdom un-der the rulership of Jesus Christ. (Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:13,14; Rev. 11:15) But peace, justice, and righteousnesswill not be the only hallmarks of that perfect Kingdomrule. Our physical needs will also be fully cared for.(Ps. 72:16; 145:16) Even so,wouldwebe content to haveall these blessings if sickness and death yet awaitedus? Kingdom rule will address these matters as well.God has decreed: I am making all things new. Sor-row and suering will forever be things of the past.Yes, death will be no more, neither will mourning noroutcry nor pain be anymore. The former things havepassed away. Praise be to our God! Yes, Jehovah, letyour Kingdom come!Rev. 19:6; 21:3-5.

On the following pages, you will nd a Scripture text foreach day and comments on that text. Although the text andcomments may be read at any time, many nd it advanta-geous to consider them in the morning. Then they can reecton such thoughts throughout the day. Discussing the text as afamily is most benecial. Bethel families around the world doso before having breakfast.

The comments are taken from the Watchtower (w) issuesof April 2012 through March 2013. Figures following the dateof the Watchtower issue refer to the number, in order, of eachstudy article (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) that appears in that issue. This isfollowed by the paragraphs where the material is found. (Seeillustration below.) Additional information on the subject mat-ter can be found in the article itself. To nd where each arti-cle starts, see the front cover of that issue of The Watchtower.

How to Use This Booklet

Year ofWatchtower issueDate ofWatchtower issue

Article number

Paragraph number(s) wheretext and comments are found

Wednesday, January 1

The works of the esh aremanifest.Gal. 5:19.

Note how the works of theesh breed disunity. (Gal. 5:19-21) Fornication separates theone practicing it from Jehovahand the congregation, and adul-tery can cruelly separate childrenfrom parents and innocent part-ners from marriage mates. . . .Do I air my grievances beforea wide audience, hoping to getsupport from several friends?w12 7/15 4:8, 9

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The works of the esh aremanifest.Gal. 5:19.

Note how the works of theesh breed disunity. (Gal. 5:19-21) Fornication separates theone practicing it from Jehovahand the congregation, and adul-tery can cruelly separate childrenfrom parents and innocent part-ners from marriage mates. Un-cleanness aects a persons uni-ty with God and with those wholove him. One who has attempt-ed to glue two things togetherknows that both surfaces must beclean before a proper bond canbe forged. Engaging in brazenconduct demonstrates total dis-regard for Gods righteous laws.Each of the other works of theesh separates people from oneanother and from God. Such con-duct is completely out of harmo-ny with the personality of Jeho-vah. Thus, each of us needs to askhimself: Just how earnest am Iin trying to observe the onenessof the spirit in the uniting bondof peace? (Eph. 4:3) Do I air mygrievances before a wide audi-ence, hoping to get support fromseveral friends? w12 7/15 4:8, 9

Thursday, January 2

Who the Father is, no one knowsbut the Son, and he to whom theSon is willing to reveal him.

Luke 10:22.

Most people, whatever their be-liefs, have pondered over ques-tions related to Gods existence.However, when they failed toreach a satisfying conclusion,many eventually gave up on theirsearch for God. Indeed, Satanhas blinded the minds of the un-believers. (2 Cor. 4:4) Little won-

der that the majority of mankindare left in ignorance and con-fusion as to the truth about theFather, the Creator of the uni-verse! (Isa. 45:18) Yet, it is vitalthat people learn the truth aboutGod. Why? Because only thosewho call on the name of Jehovahwill be saved. (Rom. 10:13) To callon Gods name involves becom-ing acquainted with Jehovah as aPerson. Jesus Christ disclosed tohis disciples this vital knowledge.He revealed the Father to them.w12 4/15 1:2, 3

Friday, January 3

If [a wife] should actually de-part, let her remain unmarriedor else make up again with her

husband.1 Cor. 7:11.

Under what circumstancesmight a Christian wife actual-ly depart? Some have chosen toseparate because of a mates will-ful nonsupport. Others have doneso because of extreme physicalabuse or the absolute endanger-ment of a Christians spiritual-ity. Whether to depart or not isa personal decision. However,the baptized mate ought to givethis matter prayerful and hon-est consideration. A Christianwho is married to an unbeliev-er should earnestly endeavor tokeep the marriage bond intact.Yet, a Christian need not feelguilty if, despite the Christianssincere effort to preserve theunion, an unbelieving mate re-fuses to remainwith the believer.If the unbelieving one proceedsto depart, let him depart, wrotePaul. A brother or a sister is notin servitude under such circum-stances, butGodhas called you topeace.1 Cor. 7:15. w12 5/15 2:13-15, 17

Saturday, January 4

Men spoke from God as theywere borne along by holy spirit.

2 Pet. 1:21.

Over a period of 1,610 yearsspanning from 1513 B.C.E. to98 C.E.some 40 dierent menwrote the Bible. The Greek ex-pression rendered borne alonghas the sense to bear or carryfrom one place to another, andit can be variously rendered: bemoved, be driven, let oneself bemoved. Acts 27:15 uses it in de-scribing a boat that was seizedand moved, or driven along a cer-tain course, by the wind. Bibleprophets and writers were bornealong by holy spirit in that Godcommunicated with, motivated,and guided them by means of hisactive force. That being the case,they wrote, not their own ideas,but Gods thoughts. Sometimesthe inspired prophets andwritersdid not even know themeaning ofwhat they foretold or were writ-ing. (Dan. 12:8, 9) Yes, all Scrip-ture is inspired ofGod and is freeof human opinions.2 Tim. 3:16.w12 6/15 4:3

Sunday, January 5

The anxiety of this system ofthings and the deceptive power

of riches choke the word.Matt. 13:22.

One factor that chokes the wordis the anxiety of this system ofthings. In these critical timeshard to deal with, there is muchthat could make you anxious.(2 Tim. 3:1) With the high cost ofliving and rising unemploymentrates, you may nd it dicult tomake ends meet. You may alsobe anxious about the future andwonder, Will I have enough in-

come after I retire? Because ofsuch anxiety, some have been ledto pursue riches, thinking thatmoney will guarantee security.The other factor is the deceptivepower of riches. That elementcombinedwith anxiety can chokethe word. The Bible acknowl-edges that money is for a protec-tion. (Eccl. 7:12) However, thepursuit of riches is notwise.Manyhave found that the more theystruggle to acquire riches, themore materialism entraps them.Some have even become slavesto riches.Matt. 6:24. w12 8/154:3-5

Monday, January 6

[He] went his way and did busi-ness with them and gained ve

more.Matt. 25:16.

Although the anointed had fordecades looked to 1914 as amarked year, they did not clearlyunderstand what would happen.One brother later recalled, A fewof us seriously thought we weregoing to heaven during the rstweek of that October [1914]. Justthink how discouraging it couldhave been to expect the end andfor it not to occur! Moreover, thebrothers faced opposition relatedto World War I. A period of rela-tive inactivity, like sleep, set in.But in 1919, there was a call towake up! Jesus had come to Godsspiritual temple, and a time forinspection arrived. Some, how-ever, failed that inspection andconsequently lost their privilegeto continue in the Kings busi-ness. The majority of anointedones, though, showed unshak-able loyalty and a strong desireto serve their Master even duringthe dicult war years. w12 9/154:11, 12

Tuesday, January 7

He did on a grand scale whatwas bad in the eyes of Jehovah.

2 Chron. 33:6.

Some 360 years after David be-gan to rule, Manasseh becameking of Judah. His 55-year-longreign was infamous for wicked-ness, and his detestable prac-tices brought condemnation fromJehovah. Eventually, Manassehwas taken from his homeland andthrown into a Babylonian pris-on.Therehe kept humbling him-self greatly and kept prayingto God. (2 Chron. 33:12, 13) Whatwas Jehovahs response to Ma-nassehs prayers? He let himselfbe entreated by [Manasseh] andHe heard his request for favor.Like David before him, Manas-seh recognized the seriousness ofhis sins and was truly repentant.That is why God forgave Manas-seh and restored him to the king-ship in Jerusalem. As a result,Manasseh came to know that Je-hovah is the true God. (2 Chron.33:13) How heartening it is tohave this evidence that our mer-ciful God forgives those who aregenuinely repentant! w12 11/15 4:11-13


I am not lying.Gal. 1:20.

On occasion, Paul found it nec-essary to swear to the truthful-ness ofwhat hewrote.When somein Corinth accused Paul of beinguntrustworthy, hewrote inhis de-fense: God can be relied uponthat our speech addressed to youis not Yes and yet No. (2 Cor. 1:18) At the time of writing that,Paul had left Ephesus and wastraveling through Macedonia onhis way to Corinth. Originally,

he had planned to revisit Cor-inth before going into Macedo-nia. (2 Cor. 1:15, 16) But sometime after making his originalplans, Paul received disturbingnews that disunity and immoral-ity were being tolerated in Cor-inth. (1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1) To correctthe situation, he wrote strongcounsel in his rst letter to theCorinthians. Then, instead ofsailing directly from Ephesusto Corinth, Paul decided to givehis brothers time to apply hiscounsel so that when he even-tually arrived, his visit could bemore encouraging.2 Cor. 1:23.w12 10/15 4:6, 7

Thursday, January 9

You must do according to allthat for which the foreigner calls

to you.1 Ki. 8:43.

Aforeigner is basically someonewho is in a land that is not his ownor is a person who comes into acommunity or group from outsideof it. This well describes Jeho-vahs Witnesses. They owe theirprimary allegiance to a heaven-ly government, Gods Kingdomunder Christ. Thus, they main-tain strict neutrality in politicalmatters, even if some people viewthem as strangely out of place intodays society. Foreigners are of-ten recognized by characteristicscommon to their minority group.It may be the language theyspeak, their customs, their phys-ical characteristics, even theirstyle ormanner of dress. Still, thethings they have in common withall other humans, regardless ofnationality, are more signicantthan any of those characteristics.In fact, Jehovah originally pur-posed that all humans be unitedas one family under one rulershiphis rulership. w12 12/15 4:11-13

Friday, January 10

You do not want to go also, doyou?John 6:67.

Peter responded to Jesus ques-tion with these words: Lord,whom shall we go away to? Youhave sayings of everlasting life;andwe have believed and come toknow that you are the Holy Oneof God. (John 6:68, 69) Did thismean that Peter fully understoodall that Jesus had just said aboutHis coming sacrice? (John 6:53-60) Probably not. Even so, Pe-ter was determined to be loyal toGods anointed Son. Peter did notreason that Jesus must have thewrong view of things and that ifgiven time, He would recant whatHe had said. No, Peter humblyrecognized that Jesus had say-ings of everlasting life. Like-wise today, how do we react if weencounter a point in our Chris-tian publications from the faith-ful steward that is hard to un-derstand or that does not matchwith our thinking? We should tryhard to get the sense of it ratherthan merely expecting that therewill be a change to conform to ourviewpoint.Luke 12:42. w12 4/152:10, 11

Saturday, January 11

All have sinned and fall short ofthe glory of God.Rom. 3:23.

As Jehovahs servants, we cer-tainly want to honor and glori-fy our Creator in everything wedo. All too often, however, whatwe desire to do is not what wedo. Paul had to contend with thatproblem personally. (Rom. 7:21-25) Explaining why we have sucha struggle, Paul wrote the wordsof todays text. Yes, through in-heritance from sinful Adam,mankind became subject to

the harsh mastery of King Sin.(Rom. 5:12; 6:12) What is sin? Itis anything contrary to Jehovahspersonality, ways, standards, andwill. Sin mars a persons relation-ship with God. Sin causes us tomiss the mark, even as an archercan shoot an arrow but miss histarget.We can sin intentionally orbymistake. (Num. 15:27-31) Sin isdeeply ingrained in humans andcreates a barrier between themand their Creator. (Ps. 51:5; Isa.59:2; Col. 1:21) Unquestionably,sin is the worst disability aict-ing humankind. w12 5/15 4:4, 5

Sunday, January 12

Write for yourself in a book allthe words that I will speak to

you.Jer. 30:2.

Although Jehovah used dicta-tion when precise wording wascrucial, in most cases thoughtsrather than specic words weremiraculously conveyed to thehearts and minds of Bible writ-ers, permitting them to choosetheir own words to express them.The congregator sought to ndthe delightful words and thewrit-ing of correct words of truth,states Ecclesiastes 12:10. TheGospel writer Luke traced allthings from the start with accu-racy, to write them in logical or-der. (Luke 1:3) Gods spirit en-sured that human imperfectiondid not taint his message. Godsgreat wisdom is made evident inhis use of humans to write theBible. Words convey not just in-formation but also emotions andfeelings. By allowing imperfectmen to choose thewording for theideas they received through holyspirit, God conveyed his messagewithwarmth, variety, and the ap-peal of human emotions and feel-ings! w12 6/15 4:5-7

Monday, January 13

The fruit of righteousness has itsseed sown under peaceful condi-tions for those who are making

peace.Jas. 3:18.

We cannot maintain righteousconduct in the absence of peace.Our growth in spiritual mattersis hindered if we have person-al traits that could disrupt peacewith our brothers. But by beingquick to forgive and by workingfor the well-being of others, weengender conditions that resultin true prosperity. Furthermore,gifts in men can be a real forcefor unity. They have been givento help us to attain to the one-ness in the faith. (Eph. 4:8, 13)When elders work along with usin sacred service and offerperceptive observations basedon Gods Word, they assist us tomake progress in putting on thenew personality. (Eph. 4:22-24)Do you see in their counsel Je-hovahs efforts to prepare youfor life in the new world underthe rule of his Son? Elders, doyou try to readjust others withthat objective in view?Gal. 6:1.w12 7/15 4:10-12

Tuesday, January 14

Never be anxious and say,What are we to eat? or, Whatare we to drink? or, What arewe to put on? For all these arethe things the nations are eager-ly pursuing. For your heavenlyFather knows you need all these

things.Matt. 6:31, 32.

To avoid being strangled byma-terialism, periodically reappraiseyour lifestyle. Never would youwant to be like Esau, who showedby his actions that he despisedspiritual things! (Gen. 25:34; Heb.

12:16) And surely you should notbe like the rich man who was in-vited to sell his belongings, giveto the poor, and follow Jesus. In-stead of doing so, the man wentaway grieved, for he was holdingmany possessions. (Matt. 19:21,22) Ensnared by riches, that manlost out on a great privilegethatof being able to follow the great-est man who ever lived! Be care-ful not to lose out on the privi-lege of being a disciple of JesusChrist. To counteract undue wor-ry about material things, heedthe admonition given in todaystext. w12 8/15 4:8, 9


The undeserved kindness of ourLord Jesus Christ be with the

spirit you show, brothers.Gal. 6:18.

There are many opportunitiesfor us to show a ne spirit. Eachof us can do much good if we dis-play a forgiving spirit when oth-ers oend us. Gods Word tellsus: Continue putting up with oneanother and forgiving one anoth-er freely if anyone has a cause forcomplaint against another. Evenas Jehovah freely forgave you, sodo you also. (Col. 3:13) The ex-pression if anyone has a cause forcomplaint suggests that theremay be valid reasons for becom-ing irritated with others. How-ever, rather than being overlyconcerned about their foibles anddisturbing the peace of the con-gregation, we try to imitate Jeho-vah and forgive freely, moving onin our service together.We shouldalso pray for holy spirit. (Luke 11:13) Gods spirit will help us dis-play true Christian qualities indealing with others.Gal. 5:22,23. w12 10/15 2:1, 14, 15

Thursday, January 16

All authority has been given me.Matt. 28:18.

The perfect humans, Adam andEve, were a part of Jehovahspeaceful and harmonious uni-versal family. They were able tocommunicate with him personal-ly, worship him, and be blessedby him. That harmonious rela-tionship was interrupted whenhumans, inuenced by Satan, re-belled against Jehovahs sover-eignty. Since 1914, however, theMessianicKingdomhas beentak-ing progressive steps to restorethat unity and harmony. (Eph. 1:9, 10) During the Thousand YearReign, marvelous things present-ly unseen will be brought to re-ality. (2 Cor. 4:18) Then comesthe end, that is, the close ofChrists Millennial Reign. (1 Cor.15:24) What will happen then?Though given all authority . . . inheaven and on the earth, Jesus isnot ambitious. He has no inten-tion of usurping Jehovahs place.He humbly hands over the king-dom to his God and Father. Hewill use his unique position andauthority to the glory of God.Phil. 2:9-11. w12 9/15 2:17, 18

Friday, January 17

What is looked for in stewards isfor a man to be found faithful.

1 Cor. 4:2.

A steward may have many nequalities and abilities, yet none ofthem would matter if he was ir-responsible or disloyal to hismas-ter. Faithfulness is essential tobe an eective, successful stew-ard. If we are faithful, we willbe rewarded; that is certain. Ifwe are not faithful, we will suf-fer loss. (Matt. 25:14-18, 23, 26,28-30) Jesus pointed out the con-

sequences of unfaithfulness. Hesaid: A certain man was richand he had a steward, and thisone was accused to him as han-dling his goods wastefully. So hecalled him and said to him, Whatis this I hear about you? Handin the account of your steward-ship, for you can no longer man-age the house. (Luke 16:1, 2)Because the steward squanderedthe property of his master, themaster dismissed him. What apowerful lesson for us! We cer-tainly never want to be unfaithfulin what is asked of us. w12 12/152:15-17


You will nd refreshment foryour souls.Matt. 11:29.

Jesus assured his followers thatby drawing close to him and prac-ticing his teachings, they wouldbe refreshed, for his yoke waskindly and his load was light.People of both sexes and of allages felt at ease in his presence.(Matt. 11:30) In his associationwith the common people of Is-rael, Jesus had compassionfor them because they were dis-advantaged, and he gave lovingattention to their needs. NearJericho, he encountered a blindbeggar named Bartimaeus andhis unnamed blind companion.They persistently asked for Je-sus help, but the crowd sternlyurged the men to be quiet. Howeasy it would have been to ignorethe pleas of the blind men! In-stead, Jesus asked that they bebrought to him, and moved withpity, he restored their sight. Yes,Jesus imitated his Father, Jeho-vah, by displaying humility andshowing mercy to lowly sinners.Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52.w12 11/15 2:12, 13

Sunday, January 19

Noah proceeded to do accordingto all that God had commandedhim. He did just so.Gen. 6:22.

As the work of constructing theark progressed, Noah and hisfamily must have wondered howGod would accomplish his pur-pose and when the Flood wouldbegin. Yet, their lack of knowl-edge of these details did not stopthem from getting the ark built.Sevendays before theoodwatersfelljust enough time for Noahand his family to load the animalsinto the arkJehovah nally toldNoah exactly when the Floodwould begin. Hence, when theoodgates of the heavens wereopened, everything was ready.(Gen.7:1-5, 11)The accountof theFlood testies to Jehovahs skillnot only as a Timekeeper but alsoas a Deliverer. As he counts downto the end of the present sys-tem of things, we can be sure thateverything Jehovah has purposedwill take place at his appointedtime, to the very day and hour.Matt. 24:36; Hab. 2:3. w12 4/154:7, 8

Monday, January 20

There is no man that does notsin.2 Chron. 6:36.

To be in the proper position toreect Gods glory, we must hon-estly recognize our sinful nature.We need to acknowledge our sin-ful inclinations and work to con-trol them so that we can pro-gress to the point of trulyglorifying God. As worshippersof Jehovah, we must continual-ly make a self-examination to de-termine whether we are measur-ing up to his righteous standards.

(Prov. 28:18; 1 Cor. 10:12) What-ever the nature of our sinful ten-dencies, wemust keep on curbingthem so that we can reect Godsglory. Jesus was the only humanwho ever lived and died withoutfailing to please God and reectHis glory. Although we are notperfect as Jesus was, we can andshould strive to follow his exam-ple. (1 Pet. 2:21) Jehovah weighsthe eort we put forth along withthe progress we make, and heblesses our earnest endeavor tobring him glory. w12 5/15 4:7, 8

Tuesday, January 21

In one hour she has beendevastated!Rev. 18:19.

According to John, upon ascarlet-colored wild beasttheimage of the wild beastrides asymbolic harlot, dominating it.She bears the name Babylon theGreat. (Rev. 17:1-6) This harlotttingly stands for all false reli-gion, foremost of which are thechurches of Christendom. Reli-gious organizations have giventheir blessing to the image of thebeast and have tried to exert in-uence over it. However, duringthe Lords day, Babylon theGreathas seen the waters, the peoplewho support her, dry up dramat-ically. (Rev. 16:12; 17:15) False re-ligion, however, will not just fadeaway. The harlot will remain apotent force, attempting to bendkings to her will until God plantsan idea in the hearts of those inpower. (Rev. 17:16, 17) Soon Je-hovah will cause the political ele-ments of Satans system, as rep-resented by the United Nations,to attack false religion and de-stroy her inuence.Rev. 18:7, 8,15-19. w12 6/15 2:15-17


Do not be misled. Bad associa-tions spoil useful habits.

1 Cor. 15:33.

Human governments may pro-vide health alerts regarding foodsand medicines. Obviously, notall foods and medicines are bad.But if a specic product poses athreat, the government may is-sue balanced warnings to pro-tect its citizens. If the govern-ment did not do so, it would beguilty of negligence. Similar-ly, Gods Kingdom issues time-ly warnings about specic moraland spiritual dangers. For in-stance, the Internet has becomea useful way to provide communi-cation, education, and enter-tainment. Gods organizationmakes use of the Internet andaccomplishes much good with it.However, many sites on the In-ternet are morally and spiritu-ally dangerous. Web sites thatpromote pornography pose anobvious threat to the spiritualhealth of Kingdom citizens. Fordecades, the faithful slave haswarned us about such sites. Howgrateful we are for these spiritu-al health alerts! w12 8/15 2:10, 11


To do your will, O my God, Ihave delighted, and your law is

within my inward parts.Ps. 40:8.

Throughout history, nationshave waged brutal wars inthe name of freedom. How muchmore, then, should you be willingto ght spiritually for your Chris-tian freedom! Realize that yourenemies are not just Satan, theworld, and its poisonous spir-it. You also have to contend with

your own imperfections, includ-ing a treacherous heart. (Jer.17:9; Eph. 2:3)Yet,with Jehovahshelp, you can win the ght. Whatis more, each victorylarge orsmallwill have at least two pos-itive eects. First, you will makeJehovahs heart rejoice. (Prov. 27:11) Second, as you taste the liber-ating power of Gods perfect lawthat belongs to freedom, you willbecome even more determinedto remain on the narrow road toeverlasting life. In time, you willenjoy the more expansive free-dom that lies ahead for Jehovahsloyal ones.Jas. 1:25; Matt. 7:13,14. w12 7/15 2:15, 16

Friday, January 24

Time and unforeseen occurrencebefall [us] all.Eccl. 9:11.

We live in a time of adversi-ties. The earth has been inundat-ed with disasters. Earthquakes,tsunamis, fires, floods, volca-noes, tornadoes, typhoons, andhurricanes have wreaked havocon humankind. In addition, fam-ily problems and personal di-lemmas have brought fear andsorrow. How can we successfullyface life with courage? (Rom.15:4) Consider David. Among oth-er things, he had to put up withthe wrath of a king, enemy at-tacks, the abduction of his wives,treachery in his own ranks, andemotional distress. (1 Sam. 18:8, 9; 30:1-5; 2 Sam. 17:1-3; 24:15, 17; Ps. 38:4-8) The Bible ac-counts of Davids life clearly re-veal the pain these adversitiescaused him. However, they didnot destroy him spiritually. Fullof faith, he said: Jehovah is thestronghold of my life. Of whomshall I be in dread?Ps. 27:1, 5,10. w12 10/15 1:1, 3, 4


You are not in darkness, so thatthat day should overtake you asit would thieves.1 Thess. 5:4.

Earthshaking events will soonoccur. The fulllment of Bibleprophecies conrms this fact, sowe need to keep on the watch.What will help us to do that? Theapostle Paul urges us to keepour eyes . . . on the things un-seen. Yes, we need to bear inmind our reward of everlastinglife, be it in heaven or on earth.As the context shows, Paul wrotethese words to encourage fellowbelievers to focus on the happyoutcome of their faithful course.Doing so would also help them tocope with trials and persecution.(2 Cor. 4:8, 9, 16-18; 5:7) Pauls ad-monition contains an importantprinciple: To keep our hope rm,we must look beyond the thingsthat are immediately before us.We need to focus on signicantevents that are as yet unseen.Heb. 11:1; 12:1, 2.w12 9/151:1, 2

Sunday, January 26

I am coming to you with thename of Jehovah of armies, theGod of the battle lines of Israel,

whom you have taunted.1 Sam. 17:45.

What moved young David tochallenge Goliath, a fully armedgiant who was about nine and ahalf feet (2.9m) tall? (1 Sam. 17:4,ftn.) Was it Davids courage? Wasit his faith in God? Both quali-ties played a vital role in his actof valor. However, respect for Je-hovah and for his great name es-pecially motivated David to takea stand against that toweringgiant. Indignantly, David asked:

Who is this uncircumcised Phi-listine that he has to taunt thebattle lines of the living God?(1 Sam. 17:26) Relying on the trueGod, David brought down thePhilistine champion with a singleslingstone. Not only on that occa-sion but throughout his life, Da-vid trusted in Jehovah and heldthe divine name in the highestesteem. Indeed, David urged fel-low Israelites to boast in Jeho-vahs holy name.1 Chron. 16:8-10. w12 11/15 1:3, 4

Monday, January 27

You will make your way success-ful and . . . act wisely.

Josh. 1:8.

What does it mean to be suc-cessful in life? Ask people thatquestion, and you will nd thattheir answers vary greatly. Many,for example, dene success interms of outstanding achieve-ment in nancial, professional, oracademic pursuits. Others factorin relationshipshow well theyrelate to family, friends, or work-mates.Onewho servesGodmighteven link success to a positionof responsibility in the congre-gation or to achievements in theministry. But what matters mostis whether Jehovah views us assuccessful, for our very lives de-pend on his approval. When giv-ing Joshua the weighty assign-ment of leading the Israelitesinto the Promised Land, Jeho-vah told him to read the Mosa-ic Law day and night and to becareful to obey what was writ-ten in it. God assured him: Thenyou will make your way success-ful and then you will act wisely.(Josh. 1:7, 8) And you know thatJoshua did prove to be successful.w12 12/15 1:1, 3

Tuesday, January 28

This is at last bone of my bonesand esh of my esh.

Gen. 2:23.

How happy the first man,Adam, was to receive a wife! Nowonder he waxed poetic! AfterJehovah had caused Adam to fallinto a deep sleep, He createdthis beautiful woman from oneof the mans ribs. Adam laternamed her Eve. God united thetwo in happy wedlock. Since Je-hovah used Adams own rib as abase for creating her, Adam andEvewere closer than any present-day husband and wife. In his in-imitable wisdom, Jehovah plant-ed within humans the capacityfor romantic lovea quality thatwould draw men and women to-gether. Says The World Book En-cyclopedia: A man and womanwho marry hope to share a sexu-al relationship and a permanentromantic attraction. That hashappened countless times amongJehovahs people. Of course, mar-riages are not made in heaven,but God will guide Christiansin this and other aspects of lifeif they pray for direction and areled by his spirit.Gal. 5:18, 25.w12 5/15 1:1-3


Truly the God of you men is . . . aRevealer of secrets.Dan. 2:47.

Which governments will bedominating the earthwhenGodsKingdom brings an end to hu-man rulership? We know the an-swerit has been disclosed to usby the Revealer of secrets, Je-hovah God. He enables us to dis-cern the identity of those govern-ments through the writings of theprophet Daniel and the apostle

John. Jehovah revealed to thosemen a series of visions involving asuccession of beasts. He also toldDaniel the meaning of a vision-ary dream depicting an immensemetal image. Jehovah had thoseaccounts recorded and preservedin theBible for our benet. (Rom.15:4) He did so to strengthen ourhope that soon his Kingdom willcrush all human governments.(Dan. 2:44) Taken together, theaccounts of Daniel and John notonly identify eight kings, or hu-man rulerships, but also show thesequence in which those powerswould appear. w12 6/15 1:1-3


[Peer] into the perfect law thatbelongs to freedom.Jas. 1:25.

We are living in a time of in-creasing greed, lawlessness, andviolence. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) In re-sponse, governments make morelaws, strengthen police forces,and install electronic surveil-lance. In some countries, privatecitizens try to increase their safe-ty by installing alarm systemsin their homes, as well as extralocks and even electric fences.Many refuse to go out at nightor to let their children play out-side unattendedday or night.Clearly, freedom is on the wane,and the trend will likely contin-ue. Indeed, the more that peo-ple disregard the moral and spir-itual boundaries established byGod, the more society as a wholesuers. This worsening conditionalso aects us as Jehovahs ser-vants. Nevertheless, we have thehope of seeing an end to man-kinds enslavement to sin andcorruption and of enjoying whatthe Bible calls the glorious free-dom of the children of God.Rom. 8:21. w12 7/15 1:1, 2

Friday, January 31

Makedisciplesofpeople ofall thenations . . . And, look! I am withyou all the days until the con-clusion of the system of things.

Matt. 28:19, 20.

Imagine yourself in Paradise.Each morning, you awake feel-ing rested and eager to beginyour day. You have no aches orpains. Any inrmities you oncehad are gone. All your sensessight, hearing, smell, touch,and tastefunction perfectly.Your energy is abundant, your

work is enjoyable, your friendsaremany, and all your worries aregone. Such will be the blessingsyou can enjoy under Gods King-dom. Christ Jesus, the appointedKing, will bless his subjects andeducate them in the knowledgeof Jehovah God. Jehovah will bewith his loyal servants as they en-gage in that future global educa-tional work.God and his Son havebeen with faithful ones for cen-turies. Before ascending to heav-en, Jesus assured his loyal disci-ples that he would be with them.w12 8/15 1:1, 2

Saturday, February 1

Look! a great crowd, which noman was able to number, out ofall nations and tribes and peo-ples and tongues, standing be-fore the throne and before the

Lamb.Rev. 7:9.

After 1914, The Watchtowermade this signicant statement:Brethren, those of us who are inthe right attitude toward God arenot disappointed at any of His ar-rangements. We did not wish ourown will to be done; so when wefound out that we were expect-ing the wrong thing in October,1914, then we were glad that theLord did not change His Plan tosuit us. We did not wish Him todo so. We merely wish to be ableto apprehend His plans and pur-poses. This attitude of humili-ty and devotion still characteriz-es the Lords anointed. They aresticking close to Gods appointedchannel for dispensing spiritualfood. And now a great crowd ofother sheep, Christians with anearthly hope, are imitating theirwatchfulness and zeal.John 10:16. w12 9/15 4:13, 14

Sunday, February 2

They did not give ear.Neh. 9:30.

We cannot rightly conclude thatJehovah automatically forgivesall humans for their sins. In thisregard, let us compare the atti-tude of David and Manasseh withthat of the wayward people of Is-rael and Judah. God sent Nathanto confront David and give himan opportunity to change his at-titude. David gratefully acceptedthis oer. When Manasseh foundhimself in sore straits, he wasmoved to sincere repentance. Of-ten, however, the inhabitants ofIsrael and Judah did not repent.Therefore, Jehovah did not for-give them. Instead, he repeated-ly had his prophets declare howhe viewed their disobedient con-duct. Even after the exiles re-turned from Babylon to theirhomeland, Jehovah continuedto raise up faithful messengers,such as the priest Ezra and theprophet Malachi. When the peo-ple acted in harmony with Jeho-vahs will, they experienced greatjoy.Neh. 12:43-47. w12 11/154:15

Monday, February 3

Just let your word Yes mean Yes,your No, No.Matt. 5:37.

How serious is thematter of let-ting our Yes mean Yes? The Bi-ble clearly warns that a personwho is false to agreements isamong those who are deservingofdeath. (Rom. 1:31, 32) Pharaohof Egypt, Judean King Zedeki-ah, and Ananias and Sapphira areamong the bad examples high-lighted in the Bible of individualswhoseYes did notmeanYes. Theyall fared badly and stand as warn-ing examples for us. (Ex. 9:27, 28,34, 35; Ezek. 17:13-15, 19, 20; Acts5:1-10) Living in the last days,we are surrounded by people whoare disloyal, people having aform of godly devotion but prov-ing false to its power. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Asmuch as possible, wemustavoid such bad association. In-stead, we should regularly gath-er with those who strive always tolet their Yes meanYes.Heb. 10:24, 25. w12 10/15 4:11, 12

Tuesday, February 4

God is not partial.Acts 10:34.

In a selsh and nationalisticworld, it is refreshing to nd in-dividuals who can and do lookbeyond national borders. Thefounder of the television networkCNN, Ted Turner, commentsabout his work with a number oftalented individuals from vari-ous nations: I came to see thosefrom other countries not as for-eigners, but as fellow citizens ofthe planet. In lands around theglobe, only Jehovahs Witnesseshave adopted Gods way of think-ing as a group. By learning to see

things as Jehovah does, they havebeen able mentally and emotion-ally to break down national barri-ers. Instead of treating membersof diering national groups withdistrust, suspicion, or even out-right hatred, they have learned tocherish the variety of character-istics and abilities of these groupsas something beautiful. Have youreected on this accomplishmentand how it has beneted you per-sonally in dealing with others?w12 12/15 4:2, 14, 15

Wednesday, February 5

They are no longer two, but oneesh.Matt. 19:6.

One Christian woman was gladthat she trusted in God and putforth extra eort to save hermar-riage. I was tempted to sepa-rate from my husband becauseof nancial nonsupport and spir-itual endangerment, she says.Then I realized that I too was atfault. We started communicatingagain, resumed our family study,and became regular at meetings.Our marriage blossomed anew.In time, my husband again qual-ied for congregation privileges.It was a hard lesson with a happyoutcome. Whether we are singleor married, let us always act cou-rageously and hope in Jehovah. Ifwe are encountering marital dif-ficulties, we should earnestlyseek to resolve them, remember-ing that those united in wedlockare no longer two, but one esh.And let us bear in mind that if wepersevere in a divided householddespite hardships, we may expe-rience the joy of winning a mateover to true worship. w12 5/15 2:19, 20

Thursday, February 6

No man has seen God at anytime; the only-begotten godwho is in the bosom position withthe Father is the one that has ex-

plained him.John 1:18.

Jesus was especially qualiedto reveal his Father. Why? Be-causebefore all other forms of lifewere created, the spirit creaturewho later became the man Je-sus already existed in heaven asthe only-begotten Son of God.(John 1:14; 3:18) What a uniqueposition! While no other crea-ture existed, the Son basked inthe warmth of his Fathers atten-tion and learned about Him andHis qualities. The Father and Sonmust have communicated exten-sively and developed deep aec-tion for each other over aeons oftime. (John 5:20; 14:31) What awealth of insight into his Fatherspersonality the Son must havegained! (Col. 1:15-17) The Fa-ther designated the Son to be Hisspokesman, The Word of God.(Rev. 19:13) Therefore, Jesus wasin a unique position to reveal theFather to others. w12 4/15 1:4, 5

Friday, February 7

Do not be grieving Gods holyspirit.Eph. 4:30.

Holy spirit is a force that pro-motes unity. Application of whatPaul wrote next is also essentialfor peace and unity: Let all ma-licious bitterness and anger andwrath and screaming and abusivespeech be taken away from youalong with all badness. But be-come kind to one another, ten-derly compassionate, freely for-

giving one another just as Godalso by Christ freely forgave you.(Eph. 4:31, 32) The words be-come kind suggest that at leastto a certain degree, we may nothave been kind and that we mayneed to improve. How appropri-ate that we train ourselves toconsider the feelings of othersahead of our own! (Phil. 2:4) Per-haps something we are think-ing of saying would evoke a laughor would make us appear intelli-gent, butwould it be kind?Givingthought to this matter in advancewill help us to become kind.w12 7/15 4:13, 14


We love, because he rst lovedus.1 John 4:19.

While most major books of re-ligion say very little, if anything,aboutGod, theBible acquaints uswith Jehovah God and his activi-ties. It helps us to see the manyfacets of his personality. The Bi-ble reveals God not only as an all-powerful, wise, and just God butalso as a God who loves us. (John3:16) Moreover, the Bible tells us:God is not partial, but in everynation the man that fears himand works righteousness is ac-ceptable to him. (Acts 10:34,35) In a sense, the availabili-ty of the Bible testies to thistruth. Linguists say that of some6,700 languages spoken in theworld today, approximately 100cover 90 percent of the worldspopulation. Still, the Bible hasbeen translated, either in wholeor in part, into more than 2,400languages.Nearly everyone in theworld has access to at least partsof it. w12 6/15 4:9

Sunday, February 9

As soon as the thousand yearshave been ended, Satan will be

let loose out of his prison.Rev. 20:7.

By the end of Christs Millenni-al Reign, the earthly subjectsof the Kingdom will have beenbrought to perfection. They willfollow Jesus example and hum-bly andwillingly acknowledge Je-hovahs sovereignty. They willhave the opportunity to demon-strate their desire to do that bysuccessfully passing the finaltest. (Rev. 20:8-10)Thereafter, allrebelshuman and spiritwillbe eliminated forever. What a joy-ful and jubilant time that will be!The entire universal family willhappily praise Jehovah, who willbe all things to everyone. (1 Cor.15:28; Ps. 99:1-3) Will the gloriousKingdom realities just aheadmo-tivate you to focus your attentionand eorts on doing Gods will?Can you avoid being sidetrackedby the false hope and comfortthat Satans world oers?Will youstrengthen your resolve to sup-port and uphold Jehovahs sover-eignty? w12 9/15 2:19, 20

Monday, February 10

A prostitute is a deep pit.Prov. 23:27.

An improper romantic relation-ship could develop at your placeof employment. In fact, a secu-lar study revealed that more thanhalf of adulterous women andnearly 3 out of 4 adulterous menhad illicit relations with a work-mate. Does your secular workrequire that you associate withmembers of the opposite sex? Ifso, what is the nature of your rela-tionship with them? Do you haveboundaries in place that keep it

professional and that do not al-low it tobecome somethingmore?For example, a Christian sistermight make a male coworker hercondant, even telling him abouther marital problems. In anoth-er situation, after becomingfriendly with a female cowork-er, a Christian man might rea-son: She values my opinion andreally listens when I talk to her.And she appreciates me. I wish Igotmore of this kind of treatmentat home! Can you see how Chris-tians in such situations could bevulnerable to committing adul-tery? w12 8/15 4:11, 12

Tuesday, February 11

I am not conscious of anythingagainst myself. Yet by this I amnot proved righteous, but he that

examines me is Jehovah.1 Cor. 4:4.

Each member of the congrega-tion shouldmake it his or her goalto contribute to the wholesomespirit of the congregation. Afterprayerful consideration, we maydecide that we personally can im-prove in displaying an upbuildingspirit. If so, we should not hesi-tate to let ourselves be examinedin the light of Gods Word. (Heb.4:12) Todays text shows that Paulwas very concerned about hisactions. As we strive to act inharmony with the wisdom fromabove, not taking ourselves orour position too seriously, we willcontribute to a wholesome spir-it in the congregation. By hav-ing a forgiving spirit and thinkingpositively of others, we will en-joy peaceful relations with fellowworshippers. (Phil. 4:8) As we dothese things, we can be condentthat Jehovah and Jesus will bepleased with the spirit we show.Philem. 25. w12 10/15 2:16, 17


Let each one prove what his ownwork is, and then he will havecause for exultation in regard tohimself alone, and not in com-parison with the other person.

Gal. 6:4.

Rather than compare what wedowithwhat others do, we shouldfocus on what we personally areable to do. This will protect us notonly from being pued up withpridebut also frombeing discour-aged. In evaluating ourselves,we should recognize that circum-stances change. Perhaps becauseof poor health, age, or various re-sponsibilities, we cannot do allwe used to. We can also consid-er what responsibilities we haveor yearn to have. For reasonswe may not readily understand,some privileges may be extendedmuch later than expected. Rath-er than being envious of whatothers may have been assigned todo, all of us can concentrate onhandling the responsibilities wedo have. In the new world, Jeho-vah will see to it that the properdesires of all his servants are sat-ised. w12 12/15 2:18-20


I am mild-tempered and lowly inheart.Matt. 11:29.

Common people beneted fromJesus humility because they be-came recipients of his help, histeachings, and his encourage-ment. Actually, all redeemablemankindwill reap long-termben-ets from Jesus ransom sacrice.What about Jesus? Did his humili-ty benet him? Yes, for Jesus toldhis disciples: Whoever humbleshimself will be exalted. (Matt.23:12) Those words proved to betrue in his own case. Paul ex-

plains: God exalted [Jesus] to asuperior position and kindly gavehim the name that is above everyother name, so that in the nameof Jesus every knee should bendof those in heaven and those onearth and those under theground, and every tongue shouldopenly acknowledge that JesusChrist is Lord to the glory of Godthe Father. Because of Jesuscourse of humility and faithful-ness on earth, Jehovah God ex-alted his Son, giving him author-ity over creatures in heaven andon earth.Phil. 2:9-11. w12 11/152:12, 14, 15

Friday, February 14

Jehovah himself has borne wit-ness between you and the wife ofyour youth, with whom you your-self have dealt treacherously.

Mal. 2:14.

In heart harmony with his Fa-ther,Jesus taught thatone cannotdrive away or cast o an inno-cent mate and act as if nothinghas happened. (Matt. 19:3-6, 9)How can those who are marriedremain loyal to theirmates?GodsWord says: Rejoice with the wife[or husband] of your youth and,See life with the wife [or hus-band] whom you love. (Prov. 5:18; Eccl. 9:9) As both mates growolder, they must be fully pres-ent in their relationship, bothphysically and emotionally. Thatmeans being attentive to eachother, spending time with eachother, and drawing closer to eachother. They have to focus on pre-serving their marriage and theirrelationship with Jehovah. Tothat end, couples need to studytheBible together, regularly workin the ministry together, and praytogether for Jehovahs blessing.w12 4/15 2:13-15


Persevere in prayer.Rom. 12:12.

In-depth study of the Scrip-tures and meditative Bible read-ing are essential to fortify our de-termination to avoid grave sin andto please Jehovah. (Ps. 119:11, 47,48) We also need to persevere inprayer. We can and should praythat Jehovah help us to serve himin an acceptable way. To that end,we can properly ask him for holyspirit, for more faith, for strengthto resist temptation, and for abili-ty to handle theword of the trutharight. (2 Tim. 2:15; Matt. 6:13;Luke 11:13; 17:5) As a child de-pends on his father, so we need todepend on our heavenly Father,Jehovah. If we ask him to help usserve him more fully, we can havecondence that he will do so. Maywe never feel that we are a both-er to him! Instead, in prayer let uspraise him, thank him, seek hisdirection especially when undertrial, and ask that he help us toserve him in ways that glorify hisholy name.Ps. 86:12; Jas. 1:5-7.w12 5/15 4:9, 10

Sunday, February 16

The hour of the judgment by[God] has arrived.Rev. 14:7.

After false religion is de-stroyed, the wild beast, Satansearthly political setup, will begoaded into an attack on GodsKingdom. Unable to reach intoheaven, thekings of the earthwillvent their rage on those on earthwho supportGodsKingdom. Theresult is inevitable. (Rev. 16:13-16; 17:12-14)Daniel describes oneaspect of the nal battle. (Dan. 2:44) The wild beast mentioned atRevelation 13:1, its image, andthe two-hornedwild beast will be

destroyed. The Anglo-AmericanWorld Power will be the domi-nant world power when false re-ligion is eradicated. The prophe-cies of Daniel and John have beenfullled to the smallest detail.We can be condent that the de-struction of false religion and thebattle of Armageddon will sooncome. God has revealed these de-tails in advance. Will we pay at-tention to the prophetic warn-ings? (2 Pet. 1:19) Now is the timeto take sides with Jehovah and tosupport his Kingdom.Rev. 14:6, 7. w12 6/15 2:18, 19

Monday, February 17

All things are naked and open-ly exposed to the eyes of [God].

Heb. 4:13.

Those who ignore warnings is-sued by the faithful slave in-evitably cause harm to them-selves and to their loved ones.Some have become addictedto viewing pornography or havecommitted immorality and thendeluded themselves into think-ing that Jehovah cannot see whatthey are doing. How foolish to be-lieve that we can hide our con-duct from Jehovah! (Prov. 15:3)God wants to help such ones andprompts his earthly representa-tives to try to assist them. (Gal.6:1) However, just as human gov-ernments can revoke the citizen-ship of a person who commitscertain acts, Jehovah will revokethe citizenship of those who un-repentantly break his standards.(1 Cor. 5:11-13) Nevertheless, heismerciful. Thosewho repent andchange their course of conductcan regain a good standing withJehovah and remain as Kingdomcitizens. (2 Cor. 2:5-8) What anhonor we have to serve such a lov-ing King! w12 8/15 2:12


If he has committed sins, it willbe forgiven him.Jas. 5:15.

Never forget that God is tru-ly merciful and that he drew youinto the congregation becausehe saw your potential. (Ps. 103:8, 9) So as long as you maintaina complete heart toward Jeho-vah, he will never give up on you.(1 Chron. 28:9) While praying onhis last night with his 11 faith-ful apostles, Jesus said these un-forgettable words in their be-half: Watch over them becauseof the wicked one. (John 17:15)Jesus concern was not limited tohis apostles, but it extends to allhis followers. Hence, we can besure that Jehovah will answer Je-sus prayer by watching over usduring these critical times. Forthose walking in integrity [Jeho-vah] is a shield . . . He will guardthe very way of his loyal ones.(Prov. 2:7, 8) Yes, the way of in-tegrity is not without its chal-lenges, but it is the only way toeverlasting life and true freedom.(Rom. 8:21) Let no one lure youfrom it! w12 7/15 2:17, 18


I shall not take away myintegrity!Job 27:5.

Job experienced extreme pres-sures. Everything in his lifeseemed to go wrong. (Job 3:3,11) Making matters worse, hedid not fully understand why allthose things happened to him.Still, he never gave up. He main-tained his integrity and his faithin God. What a ne example forus to imitate! Consider, too, theapostle Pauls example. He ex-perienced dangers in the city, in

the wilderness, and at sea. Hespeaks of hunger and thirst, coldand nakedness. Paul also men-tions spending a night and aday in the deep, likely becauseof one of the shipwrecks that hewent through. (2 Cor. 11:23-27)Despite facing death for serv-ing God, Paul had faith that Godwould rescue him. (2 Cor. 1:8-10) Not many people have hadas many bad experiences as Pauldid. Nevertheless, many of us canrelate to his feelings and can takecomfort from his courageous ex-ample. w12 10/15 1:6, 7


Jehovahs day is coming exactlyas a thief in the night.

1 Thess. 5:2.

As used here, Jehovahs dayrefers to the period that will startwith the destruction of false reli-gion andwill culminate in the warof Armageddon. However, justbefore that day of Jehovah be-gins, world leaders will be sayingPeace and security! (1 Thess.5:3) This may refer to one eventor to a series of events. No matterwho will share in saying Peaceand security! that developmentwill indicate that Jehovahs dayis to begin. Paul could there-fore state: Brothers, you arenot in darkness, so that that dayshould overtake you as it wouldthieves, for you are all sons oflight. (1 Thess. 5:4, 5) Unlikemankind in general, we discernthe Scriptural signicance of cur-rent events. How exactly will thisprophecy about saying Peaceand security! be fullled? Wemust wait and see. Therefore, letus be determined to stay awakeand keep our senses.1 Thess.5:6; Zeph. 3:8. w12 9/15 1:3, 4

Friday, February 21

In these things I do take delight.Jer. 9:24.

Are you proud to have Jeho-vah as your God? How do youreactwhenneighbors, colleagues,classmates, or relatives speakill of Jehovah and make fun ofhis Witnesses? Do you speak upwhen Jehovahs name is beingreproached, trusting in his sup-port? True, there is a time tokeep quiet, but we must not beashamed of being Witnesses ofJehovah and followers of Jesus.(Eccl. 3:1, 7; Mark 8:38) Althoughwe should be tactful and cour-teous in dealing with people whoare not favorably disposed, let usnot be like those Israelites whobecame terried andwere great-ly afraid when they heard Goli-aths taunting words. (1 Sam. 17:11) Instead, let us actdecisively inorder to sanctify Jehovah Godsname.Our desire is to help peopleto come to know Jehovah as theGod he really is. To that end, weusehiswrittenWord inaneort tohelp others to see the importanceofdrawing close toGod.Jas. 4:8.w12 11/15 1:5


The weight of the gold that cameto Solomon in one year amount-ed to six hundred and sixty-sixtalents of gold.2 Chron. 9:13.

Solomons annual revenue ofgold alone weighed some 25 tons!However, what Solomon wrote inthe book of Ecclesiastes showsthat hewas notmisled into think-ing that achievement and joy arelimited to those having wealth orprominence. Not at all. He wrote:I have come to know that there

is nothing better for them thanto rejoice and to do good duringones life; and also that everymanshould eat and indeed drink andsee good for all his hard work. Itis the gift of God. (Eccl. 3:12, 13)And he realized that such plea-sures are trulymeaningful for theone who has Gods approval, whohas a good relationship with Him.Solomon rightly stated: The con-clusion of the matter, everythinghaving been heard, is: Fear thetrue God and keep his command-ments. For this is the whole ob-ligation of man.Eccl. 12:13.w12 12/15 1:4, 5

Sunday, February 23

He went throwing the camp ofthe Egyptians into confusion.And he kept taking wheels otheir chariots so that they were

driving them with diculty.Ex. 14:24, 25.

Compared with Pharaohs mili-tary forces in their war chari-ots, the Israelites moved at aponderous pace. Yet, there wasno possibility that the Egyptianswould overtake them, for Jeho-vah was ghting for Israel. Onceall Israel was safely ashore onthe other side of the Red Sea, Je-hovah directed Moses: Stretchyour hand out over the sea, thatthe waters may come back overthe Egyptians, their war chariotsand their cavalrymen. As the sol-diers tried to ee the onrushingwaters, Jehovah shook the Egyp-tians o into the midst of thesea. There was no escape. Notso much as one among them waslet remain. (Ex. 14:26-28) Jeho-vah thus showed that he has thepower to deliver his people fromany situation. w12 4/15 4:11, 12

Monday, February 24

A mere saron of the coastalplain I am, a lily of the low

plains.Song of Sol. 2:1.

To these words of the Shulam-mite, the shepherd replied:Like a lily among thorny weeds,so is my girl companion amongthe daughters! (Song of Sol. 2:2)Yes, they truly loved each other.And because they primarily lovedGod, their marital bond would bestrong indeed. In fact, the Shu-lammite said to her beloved shep-herd: Place me as a seal uponyour heart, as a seal upon yourarm; because love is as strong asdeath is, insistence on exclusivedevotion is as unyielding as She-ol is. Its blazings are the blaz-ings of a re, the ame of Jah[for it is from him]. Many wa-ters themselves are not able toextinguish love, nor can riversthemselves wash it away. If aman would give all the valuablethings of his house for love, per-sons would positively despisethem. (Song of Sol. 8:6, 7) Whenweighing wedlock, why should aservant of Jehovah settle for any-thing less? w12 5/15 1:4, 5


I shall put enmity between youand the woman and between

your seed and her seed.Gen. 3:15.

Soon after the rebellion inEden, Jehovah made a promisethat a woman would producea seed. That seed would even-tually bruise the serpent, Satan,in the head. Jehovah later re-vealed that the seed would comethrough Abraham, belong to thenation of Israel, be a Judean, andbe a descendant of King David.

(Gen. 22:15-18; 49:10; Ps. 89:3, 4;Luke 1:30-33) The principal partof that seed proved to be ChristJesus. (Gal. 3:16) The secondarypart of the seed is made up ofthe spirit-anointed members ofthe Christian congregation. (Gal.3:26-29) Jesus and these anoint-ed ones unite to formGods King-dom, the instrument with whichGod will crush Satan. (Luke 12:32; Rom. 16:20) That rst proph-ecy given in Eden also stated thatSatanwould produce a seed. Hisseedwould express enmity, or ha-tred, for the seed of the woman.w12 6/15 1:4, 5


[Peer] into the perfect law thatbelongs to freedom.Jas. 1:25.

The perfect law that belongs tofreedom is not the Mosaic Law,for that code made transgres-sions manifest and was fullledin Christ. (Matt. 5:17; Gal. 3:19)To what law, then, was James re-ferring? He had in mind the lawof the Christ, also called the lawof faith and the law of a freepeople. (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 3:27; Jas.2:12) The perfect law, there-fore, encompasses everythingthat Jehovah requires of us. Bothanointed Christians and the oth-er sheep benet from it. (John10:16) Unlike the law codes ofmany countries, the perfect lawis neither complex nor burden-some but consists of simple com-mandments and basic principles.(1 John 5:3) My yoke is kindlyand my load is light, said Jesus.(Matt. 11:29, 30) Additionally,the perfect law has no need fora long list of sanctions, or penal-ties, for it is founded on love andis engraved on minds and hearts.Heb. 8:6, 10. w12 7/15 1:4, 5


The true knowledge will becomeabundant.Dan. 12:4.

Following the death of theapostles, foretold apostasy fromgenuine Christianity developedand spread like re. (Acts 20:28-30; 2 Thess. 2:1-3) For centuriesthereafter, the true knowledgewas far from abundant. How-ever, in the 1870s, a small groupof sincere Christians in Penn-sylvania, U.S.A., met togetherto study the Bible diligently andto search for the true knowl-edge. They called themselvesBi-ble Students. These were not thewise and intellectual ones fromwhom Jesus said that knowledgewas to be hidden. (Matt. 11:25)They were humble people whosincerely desired to do Gods will.Carefully and prayerfully, theyread, discussed, and meditatedon the Scriptures. They also com-pared Bible passages and exam-ined the writings of others whohad made a similar search. Grad-ually, these Bible Students cameto discern truths that had beenobscured for centuries. w12 8/151:3, 4

Friday, February 28

His days shall amount to ahundred and twenty years.

Gen. 6:3.

Jehovah did not have the arkbuilt and then decide when tobring the floodwaters, as if heneeded to keep the timing of thestart of the Flood exible in casethe construction project ran be-hind schedule. Rather, long be-fore he said anything to Noahabout building an ark, God xedthe time for the Flood to begin.How do we know that? From Je-hovahs words in todays text.This was not a statement regard-ing the average human lifespan.It was a judicial decree in whichJehovah declared when he wouldact to cleanse the earth of un-godliness. Since the Flood be-gan in 2370 B.C.E., we inferthat God made this pronounce-ment in 2490 B.C.E. At that time,Noahwas 480 years old. (Gen. 7:6)Some 20 years later, in the year2470 B.C.E., Noahs sons beganto be born. (Gen. 5:32) About onehundred years remained beforethe Flood was to begin. w12 4/154:4, 5

Saturday, March 1

Become imitators of God.Eph. 5:1.

One way to imitate Jehovah isto adopt his viewpoint regardingmatters. Jehovah hates sin, andso should we. Indeed, we oughtto move as far away from wrong-doing as possible and not see howclose we can get to it without be-ing overcomeby sin. For instance,we need to guard against suc-cumbing to apostasy, a sin thatwould make us unt to glorify

God. (Deut. 13:6-9) Let us there-fore have nothing to dowith apos-tates or anyone who claims to bea brother but who is dishonor-ing God. This should be the caseeven if he is a family member.(1 Cor. 5:11) We are not benetedby trying to refute the argumentsof apostates or those who are crit-ical of Jehovahs organization. Infact, it is spiritually dangerousand improper to peruse their in-formation, whether it appears inwritten form or it is found on theInternet.Isa. 5:20; Matt. 7:6.w12 5/15 4:12, 13

Sunday, March 2

I came to be beside him as amaster worker, and I came to bethe one he was specially fond of

day by day.Prov. 8:30.

It is logical that the bond be-tween Jehovah and Jesus becamestronger as they worked togetherand as the Son learned to imitatehis Fathers qualities. (Prov. 8:22,23, 31) With the creation of otherintelligent creatures, the Son sawhow Jehovah dealt with each one,and his appreciation for Godspersonality surely deepened.Even the challenge that Satanlater launched against the right-fulness of Jehovahs sovereigntygave the Son an opportunity tolearnhowJehovahwould exerciselove, justice, wisdom, and pow-er when He was confronted witha dicult situation. This would,in turn, no doubt have preparedJesus to cope with the dicultiesthat he himself later encounteredin his ministry on earth. (John 5:19) Because of his close relation-ship with Jehovah, the Son ex-plained the Father in richer de-tail than anyone else could everdo. w12 4/15 1:6-8

Monday, March 3

There are seven kings: ve havefallen, one is, the other has not

yet arrived.Rev. 17:10.

Therst head of thebeastmen-tioned at Revelation 17:3 repre-sents Egypt. Why? Because Egyptwas the rst major power to ex-press enmity toward Godspeople. The descendants of Abra-hamthrough whom the prom-ised seed of the woman wouldcomegrew numerous in Egypt.Then,Egypt oppressed Israel. Sa-tan attempted to wipe out Gods

people before the seed could ar-rive. How? By motivating Pha-raoh to execute all male Israelitechildren. Jehovah thwarted thatattempt and liberated his peoplefrom enslavement to Egypt. (Ex.1:15-20; 14:13) The second headof the beast represents Assyr-ia. This mighty kingdom also at-tempted to wipe out Gods peo-pleby attacking Jerusalem. Satanmay have had the goal of oblit-erating the royal line that wouldeventually lead to Jesus. Jehovahmiraculously delivered his faith-ful people by destroying the in-vaders.2 Ki. 19:32-35; Isa. 10:5,6, 12-15. w12 6/15 1:6-8

Tuesday, March 4

Hate what is bad, and love whatis good.Amos 5:15.

The boundaries that Jehovahhas set for his intelligent crea-tures are for their benet andprotection. Take, for example,the physical laws that govern en-ergy and matter. People do notcomplain of being oppressed bythose laws. Rather, they appre-ciate them, recognizing that nat-ural laws are essential for theirwelfare. Likewise, Jehovahsmoral and spiritual standards,reected in the perfect law ofthe Christ, are for mans benet.(Jas. 1:25) This law also allows usto satisfy all our proper desireswithout harming ourselves or en-croaching on the rights and free-doms of others. The secret, then,to being truly freebeing able todo what we desireis to cultivatethe right desires, those that har-monize with Jehovahs personali-ty and standards. In other words,we have to learn to love what Je-hovah loves and to hate what hehates, which the law of freedomhelps us to do. w12 7/15 1:6, 7

Wednesday, March 5

The words are made secret andsealed up until the time of the

end.Dan. 12:9.

Today, we can grasp the mean-ing of prophecies that remained asecret for ages but are now be-ing fullled in this time of theend. These include those foundthroughout the Scriptures, espe-cially in theGospels and the bookof Revelation. Jehovah has evenhelped us understand events thatwe could not see with our eyesthe enthronement of Jesus, thewar in heaven, and the hurlingof Satan down to the earth. (Rev.12:7-12) God has also given us in-sight into themeaning of what wecan seewars, earthquakes, pes-tilences, food shortages, as wellas godless people who contributeto these critical times hard todeal with. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 21:10, 11) How grateful we are thatthe helper, Gods holy spirit,has been sent to guide Jesus fol-lowers into all the truth! (John16:7, 13) May we always treasurethe true knowledge and unself-ishly share it with others!Dan.12:4. w12 8/15 1:7, 8

Thursday, March 6

Whenever it is that they are say-ing: Peace and security! then

sudden destruction is to beinstantly upon them.

1 Thess. 5:3.

The rst phase of this sud-den destruction is the attackagainst Babylon the Great, theworld empire of false religion,also known as the harlot. (Rev.17:5, 6, 15) That attack againstall forms of false religion, includ-ing Christendom, is the start ofthe great tribulation. (Matt. 24:21; 2 Thess. 2:8) Gods Word iden-

ties the harlots attacker as awild beast with ten horns. Astudy of the book of Revelationshows that the wild beast refersto the United Nations (UN). Theten horns represent all presentpolitical powers that supportthis scarlet-colored wild beast.(Rev. 17:3, 5, 11, 12) How devas-tating will the attack be? The na-tions of the UN will plunder theharlots wealth, expose her realcharacter, devour her, and com-pletely burn her. Her destruc-tion will be nal.Rev. 17:16.w12 9/15 1:3, 5, 6

Friday, March 7

Have you shown yourself dis-couraged in the day of distress?

Your power will be scanty.Prov. 24:10.

In todays world so full of disas-ters, challenges, and pressures,many feel overwhelmed. Evensome Christians have felt thatway. Lani, who was enjoying thefull-time service in Australia,says that when she was diagnosedwith breast cancer, it was dev-astating and struck like a bolt oflightning. She says, The treat-ments made me very ill, and Iwas left with no self-esteem. Ontop of everything else, she hadto care for her husband, who hadundergone spinal surgery. If wend ourselves in such a situation,what can we do? We do well to re-member that Satan wants to usethe tribulations we suer to un-dermine our faith. However, wemust not allow him to sap ourjoy in this way. Meditating onBiblical examples of servants ofGod who faced lifes trials withcourage will help us to musterup courage in the face of any ad-versities that we may encounter.w12 10/15 1:8, 9

Saturday, March 8

It is unthinkable, on my part,from Jehovahs standpoint, thatI should do this thing to my lord,

the anointed of Jehovah.1 Sam. 24:6.

After David ed from him, Saultook 3,000 chosen men out of allIsrael and went looking for Davidin the wilderness. (1 Sam. 24:2)Eventually, Saul unknowinglywent into the very cave whereDa-vid and hismenwere.David couldhave used this opportunity toeliminate the king who threat-ened his life. After all, it wasGods will for David to replaceSaul as king of Israel. (1 Sam. 16:1, 13) Indeed, if David had lis-tened to the advice of his men,the king would have been killed.(1 Sam. 24:4-7) But Saul was stillGods anointed king. David didnot want to rob Saul of the king-ship, since Jehovah had not yetremoved him. By only cutting othe skirt of Sauls sleeveless coat,David showed that he had no in-tention of harming Saul.1 Sam.24:11. w12 11/15 1:8

Sunday, March 9

If you should suer for the sakeof righteousness, you are happy.

1 Pet. 3:14.

To cope with trials successful-ly, we need faith and courage.What is faith? The apostle Paulwrote: Faith is the title-deedto the things we hope for. Faithis being sure of things we can-not see. (Heb. 11:1, The Sim-ple English Bible) If property hasbeen deeded to us, we are con-dent that we own it. Since wehave faith that God always fulllshis word, it is as though we are

holding avaluable deed.Our faithmakes us certain that we will seethe fulllment of the Bible-basedpromises we hope for, and we aresure about spiritual realities, al-thoughwecannot seethem.Cour-agehasbeendenedas spiritual,emotional, and moral fortitude tospeak and act without fear in theface of obstacles and dangers.(The New Interpreters Dictionaryof the Bible) If we have courage,we are strong, valiant, even boldat times.Mark 6:49, 50; 2 Tim.1:7. w13 1/15 1:1-3

Monday, March 10

Solomon began to do what wasbad in the eyes of Jehovah.

1 Ki. 11:6.

Solomon eventually strayedfrom the course of faithful obedi-ence. Gods Word states: It cameabout in the time of Solomonsgrowing old that his wives them-selves had inclined his heart tofollow other gods; and his heartdid not prove to be complete withJehovah his God like the heartof David his father. (1 Ki. 11:4)Rightly displeased, Jehovah toldSolomon: For the reason that. . . you have not kept my cove-nant andmy statutes that I laid incommand upon you, I shall with-out fail rip the kingdom awayfrom o you, and I shall certainlygive it to your servant. (1 Ki. 11:11) How tragic! Though Solomonhad been a success in many ways,in time he disappointed Jehovah.In the most important area of lifefaithfulness to GodSolomonfailed. Each of us can ask, Am Idetermined tomake sure that thelesson learned from Solomonslife will help me to be a success?w12 12/15 1:7, 8

Tuesday, March 11

Keep on reproving them with se-verity, that they may be healthy

in the faith.Titus 1:13.

For some who committed seri-ous sins, their conduct has re-quired that they be disfellow-shipped. For those who havebeen trained by it, the disciplinehas helped them to become spiri-tually restored. (Heb. 12:11) Whatif we have a relative or a closefriend who is disfellowshipped?Now our loyalty is on the line, notto that person, but to God. Jeho-vah is watching us to see wheth-er we will abide by his commandnot to have contact with anyonewho is disfellowshipped. (1 Cor.5:11-13) We live in a treacherous,disloyal world. Yet, all around usin the Christian congregation, wecan nd loyal examples to imi-tate. Their life course speaks forthem, as if to say: You are wit-nesses, God is also, how loyaland righteous and unblamablewe proved to be to you believers.(1 Thess. 2:10) May we all remainever steadfast in our loyalty toGod and to one another. w12 4/152:16, 18

Wednesday, March 12

He is changing times and sea-sons, removing kings and setting

up kings.Dan. 2:21.

Jehovah God provided themeans to measure time long be-fore he created man. On thefourth creative day, God said:Let luminaries come to be in theexpanse of the heavens to makea division between the day andthe night; and they must serve assigns and for seasons and for daysand years. (Gen. 1:14, 19, 26) Inharmonywith Jehovahs will, that

is, of course, what took place.Until now, however, scientistshave debated the nature of time.Time is one of the worlds deep-est mysteries, states one ency-clopedia. No one can say exact-ly what it is. Yet, Jehovah fullyunderstands time. After all, he isthe Creator of the heavens, . . .the Former of the earth and theMaker of it. Jehovah is also theOne telling from the beginningthe nale, and from long ago thethings that have not been done.Isa. 45:18; 46:10. w12 5/15 3:1, 2

Thursday, March 13

They took no note until the oodcame and swept them all away.

Matt. 24:39.

Most of mankind today take nonote of the warnings that Godsservants proclaim.Many even de-ride the idea of Gods interven-ing in human affairsas peo-ple did in Noahs day. (2 Pet. 3:3-7) Yet, in that hostile envi-ronment, how did Noah use histime? After being informed ofGods intentions and receivinghis commission, Noah built anark to preserve men and animalsalive. (Gen. 6:13, 14, 22)Noah alsoproclaimed Jehovahs impend-ing judgment. The apostle Pe-ter calls him a preacher of righ-teousness, indicating that Noahstrove to help his neighbors ap-preciate the gravity of their sit-uation. (2 Pet. 2:5) Do you thinkthat it would have been reason-able for Noah and his family tofocus their eorts on developinga business, getting ahead amongtheir contemporaries, or estab-lishing a comfortable lifestyle?Of course not! Knowing what layahead, they avoided such distrac-tions. w12 6/15 3:3, 4

Friday, March 14

Though against me war shouldrise, even then I shall be

trusting.Ps. 27:3.

Why is our preaching activityon the increase despite worsen-ing world conditions? Why do wegive freely of our time and energywhilemany are experiencing eco-nomic reversals? How can we re-main courageous whenmany oth-ers fear the future? An inspiredsong of King David, recorded inPsalm 27, gives us the answers.David begins this psalm with thewords: Jehovah is my light andmy salvation. Of whom shall I bein fear? Jehovah is the strong-hold of my life. Of whom shall Ibe in dread? (Ps. 27:1) Whilefear can exert a weakening inu-ence, the feeling of dread is evenmore severe. But no underlyingdread should agitate one whofears Jehovah. (1 Pet. 3:14) Whenwe make Jehovah our stronghold,we will reside in security and beundisturbed fromdread of calam-ity.Prov. 1:33; 3:25. w12 7/153:1, 2

Saturday, March 15

Go therefore and make disciplesof people of all the nations.

Matt. 28:19.

Citizens of human governmentswill publicly rally support for apolitical party, even going fromdoor to door to do so. On a muchlarger scale, Kingdom citizensvigorously support Gods King-dom both on the street and fromdoor to door. In fact, The Watch-tower, which announces Jeho-vahs Kingdom, is now the mostwidely distributed journal onearth! One of the greatest priv-

ileges we have is that of tellingothers about Gods Kingdom.Are you zealously engaging inthe preaching work? Soon GodsKingdom will be the only gov-ernment ruling the earth. It willoversee all aspects of daily life,not only spiritual but also civ-il. Will you be a good citizen ofGods Kingdom at that time? Nowis the time to prove that you willbe. In all the decisions you makeeach day, do all things for Jeho-vahs glory and thus prove thatyou are carrying on as a good cit-izen of Gods Kingdom.1 Cor.10:31. w12 8/15 2:15, 16

Sunday, March 16

Look! I am making all thingsnew.Rev. 21:5.

Do we yearn for the day whenGodmakes all things new, remov-ing the problems we now face?Thoughwe have ample reason forbelieving that the end of Satanssystem is very near, it can be dif-cult to wait patiently for thatday. Yet, the Bible shows that wemust have patience. Like Godsservants before us, we will re-ceive what God has promised ifwe have strong faith and wait pa-tiently for his time to fulll thosepromises. (Heb. 6:11, 12) Jeho-vah himself has been patient. Hecould have put an end to wicked-ness at any time, but he is waitingfor the right time. (Rom. 9:20-24)Jehovah has been patient, know-ing that it would take time to an-swer the questions raised by therebellion in Eden. Having thor-ough knowledge of the deeds andattitudes of individuals in heavenand on earth, he certainly is act-ing in our best interests.Heb. 4:13. w12 9/15 3:1-3

Monday, March 17

Keep proving what you your-selves are.2 Cor. 13:5.

Whether you are newly bap-tized or have been serving Godfor decades, you need to exam-ine yourself periodically. Provingtrue to our dedication vow meansthat we must be faithful in allmatters. For example: Are youmarried? Then continue to hon-or the precious vow you made tolove and cherish your marriagemate. Have you signed a businesscontract or lled out an appli-cation form for theocratic privi-leges? Then be true to your com-mitments and to what you havepromised. Have you accepted aninvitation to a meal by someoneof humble means? Then do notcancel it if a seemingly better in-vitation is made by someone else.Or have you promised someoneyou met in the house-to-houseministry that youwould call againto give that person further spiri-tual help? Then by all means letyour YesmeanYes, and Jehovahwill bless yourministry.Matt. 5:37; Luke 16:10. w12 10/15 4:14, 15

Tuesday, March 18

I exhort you as aliens and tem-porary residents.1 Pet. 2:11.

Peter spoke of those who, likehim, had been anointed by holyspirit and given a new birth to aliving hope to rule with Christ inthe heavens. (1 Pet. 1:3, 4) It wastting to apply the term tempo-rary residents to anointed onesin the rst century. As is true ofthe remnant of this group alivetoday, their existence on earthwas not permanent. The apos-tle Paul, himself a member of the

anointed little ock, explained:As for us, our citizenship existsin the heavens, from which placealso we are eagerly waiting fora savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.(Luke 12:32; Phil. 3:20)Given thattheir citizenship exists in theheavens, at death anointed oneswill leave the earthly scene forsomething far better, immortallife in the heavens. (Phil. 1:21-23)Thus, in a very literal way, theycould be termed mere tempo-rary residents of the earth underSatans control. w12 12/15 3:1, 2

Wednesday, March 19

He that conducts himself as alesser one among all of you is theone that is great.Luke 9:48.

The year was 32 C.E. Jesus wasin the district ofGalileewhen dif-culties arose. A few of his apos-tles were arguing about who wasthe greatest among them. (Luke9:46-48) Patiently but rmly, Je-sus helped the apostles to seethe need for humility. The Greekword translated lesser onemeans someone who is modest,humble, lowly, insignicant, or oflittle esteem and inuence. Jesusused a young child to make clearto his apostles that they shouldbe humble and modest. That ad-monition is as applicable to trueChristians today as it was in therst century. We may nd it chal-lenging to conduct ourselves aslesser onesat least in some cir-cumstances. The human tenden-cy toward pride may motivate usto seek prominence. The com-petitive environment in which welive and the spirit of the worldmight inuence us to be egotis-tical, combative, ormanipulative.w12 11/15 3:1, 3

Thursday, March 20

The blessing of Jehovahthat iswhat makes rich, and he addsno pain with it.Prov. 10:22.

If you are a young personwho iscontemplating a career, how canyou choose the right path? Wouldtraining and employment in theeld that you are considering al-low you to pursue Kingdom inter-ests more fully, or would it dis-tance you from Jehovah? (2 Tim.4:10) Is your goal to imitate thelifestyle of people whose happi-ness rises and falls depend-ing on the size of their bank ac-count or stock portfolio? Or willyou choose to reect the con-dence of David, who wrote: Ayoung man I used to be, I havealso grown old, and yet I have notseen anyone righteous left entire-ly, nor his ospring looking forbread? (Ps. 37:25) Remember,one path will distance you fromJehovah, while the other pathwill lead you to the best life ever.(Mal. 3:10) Which path will youchoose? w13 1/15 2:10

Friday, March 21

When you catch sight of the dis-gusting thing that causes deso-lation, . . . begin eeing to the

mountains.Matt. 24:15, 16.

For the Christians who had edto the mountains, heeding Jesusinstructions meant saving theirlives. They saw rsthand that Je-hovah knows how to deliver hispeople. What lesson can we learnfrom this account? As events un-fold during the great tribulation,Christians will need to heed in-structions from Gods Word andorganization. For example, Je-sus command to begin eeing

to the mountains has a modern-day application. Just what formour ight will take remains to beseen. However, we can be surethat Jehovah will make clear themeaning of those instructionswhen the time comes for us to fol-low them. Since our deliverancewill depend on obedience, we dowell to ask ourselves: How do Irespond to instructions that Je-hovah provides for his peoplenow? Am I quick to respond, ordo I hesitate to obey?Jas. 3:17.w12 4/15 4:13, 15, 16

Saturday, March 22

She is free to be married to whomshe wants, only in the Lord.

1 Cor. 7:39.

Jehovah cares about yourchoice of marriage mate. With re-gard to inhabitants of Canaan,the Israelites were commanded:You must form no marriage al-liance with them. Your daughteryou must not give to his son, andhis daughter you must not takefor your son. For he will turn yourson from following me, and theywill certainly serve other gods;and Jehovahs anger will indeedblaze against you, and he will cer-tainly annihilate you in a hur-ry. (Deut. 7:3, 4) Centuries lat-er, Ezra the priest declared: Youyourselves have acted unfaithful-ly in that you gave a dwelling toforeign wives so as to add to theguiltiness of Israel. (Ezra 10:10)If a dedicated servant of Jeho-vah married an unbeliever, thiswould be an act of disobedienceto God. And it would be illogicalto expect blessings while admit-ting in prayer, Jehovah, I delib-erately disobeyed you, but pleasebless me anyway. w12 5/15 1:6, 7

Sunday, March 23

The thoughts of men . . . are asan exhalation.Ps. 94:11.

The vast and reliable wisdomfound in the Bible indicates thatthe book is from a Source high-er than man. The apostle Paulwrote: Who has come to knowthe mind of Jehovah, that he mayinstruct him? (1 Cor. 2:16) Thatverse is based on what the proph-et Isaiah asked those of his day:Who has taken the proportionsof the spirit of Jehovah, and whoas his man of counsel can makehim know anything? (Isa. 40:13) The answer, of course, is noone. No wonder that applyingScriptural counsel on marriage,children, entertainment, asso-ciation, industriousness, hones-ty, and morality brings superiorresults! We never get bad advicefrom the Bible. Humans, on theother hand, are simply not wiseenough to recommend what al-ways works. (Jer. 10:23) Their ad-vice is constantly being revisedand updated as they come to real-ize that earlier advice was awed.w12 6/15 4:11

Monday, March 24

Let each one of you individuallyso love his wife as he does him-self; on the other hand, the wifeshould have deep respect for her

husband.Eph. 5:33.

TheBible compares Christs re-lationship with the congrega-tion to that of a husband withhis wife. This should at once im-press on us the direction a hus-band should give and the loveand care he needs to exerciseas well as the subjection thewife should manifestwithinthe marital union. (Eph. 5:22-

32) When Paul wrote: In thisway husbands ought to be lov-ing their wives as their own bod-ies, about which way was hespeaking? (Eph. 5:28) His preced-ing words drew attention to theway in which Christ also lovedthe congregation and deliveredup himself for it, . . . cleansing itwith the bath of water by meansof the word. Indeed, to work inharmony with Jehovahs purposefor gathering all things togeth-er again in the Christ, a husbandmust be alert to feed his familyspiritually. w12 7/15 4:15

Tuesday, March 25

What God has yoked together letno man put apart.Matt. 19:6.

To avoid the pit of adultery,reect on the meaning of mari-tal commitment. Never thinkthat your theocratic privilegesare more important than yourspouse. Moreover, be aware thatfrequently spending time awayfrom your mate for nonessentialactivities may indicate a weak-ness in your marriage and canlead to temptation and possiblyto serious sin. If you are an elder,though, what about the ock?The apostle Peter wrote: Shep-herd the ockofGod in your care,not under compulsion, but will-ingly; neither for love of dishon-est gain, but eagerly. (1 Pet.5:2) Congregation members inyour care certainly should notbe ignored. However, you shouldnot fulfill your role as a shep-herd at the expense of your roleas a husband. It would be point-lesseven dangerousto focusall your attention on feeding thecongregation while your mate isstarving at home. w12 8/15 4:14, 15

Wednesday, March 26

[Holy spirit] will guide you intoall the truth.John 16:13.

Just as anointed Christians do,alert members of the great crowdare sticking close to Gods ap-pointed channel for dispensingspiritual food. (Ps. 119:130) Thusstrengthened, they too provethemselves ready for Christs re-turn, staying active even underserious trial. In one Nazi prisoncamp, for example, at rst thebrothers had only one copy of theBible. So they prayed for fur-ther spiritual food. Shortly there-after they learned that a newlyimprisoned brother hadmanagedto smuggle a few new issues ofThe Watchtower into the camp in-side his wooden leg. Among thesurvivors was an anointed broth-er named Ernst Wauer, who lat-er recalled: Jehovah helped usin a marvelous way to commit tomemory the fortifying thoughtsin the articles. Then he said:Nowadays, it is so easy to getspiritual food, but do we alwaysappreciate it? w12 9/15 4:14

Thursday, March 27

We all stumble many times.Jas. 3:2.

What should we do upon real-izing that we have committed asin like that mentioned at Leviti-cus 5:4? If we confess t

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