Watchtower: Examining The Scriptures Daily For The Year - 2014

Examining
the Scriptures
Daily
2014
Large-Print Edition
eslp14-E
Examining
the Scriptures
Daily
2014
Large-Print Edition

Name
2013
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
Publishers
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
of New York, Inc.
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
June 2013 Printing
This publication is not for sale. It is provided
as part of a worldwide Bible educational work
supported by voluntary donations.
Examining the Scriptures Daily2014Large Print
English (eslp14-E)
Made in the United States of America
2014 Yeartext
Let your Kingdom come.
Matthew 6:10.
The petition let your Kingdom come is widely
known around the globe, especially in lands that profess to be Christian. But how many people really know
what they are asking for when they make that request
in prayer? Would they repeat those words so readily if
they knew that the coming of Gods Kingdom means
the execution of judgment against all earthly governments and the destruction of all opposers of that
Kingdom?Dan. 2:44; Luke 19:27.
The relevance of these questions is heightened by
three important facts: (1) Gods Kingdom was established in 1914, with Jesus enthroned as King. (Rev. 12:
10) (2) We are living in the last days of the present
system of things. (Matt. 24:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5) (3) No government or political party on earth has truly recognized Gods Kingdom or yielded to its sovereignty. (Ps.
2:2, 3; Rev. 11:17, 18) Why has Gods Kingdom been ignored? Do not many people yearn for better government, and is not much time and eort spent in trying
to patch up and improve current rule? Yes, but most
do not realize whom they are up against and how much
control that one exerts.
The Bible clearly tells us that the whole world is
lying in the power of the wicked one and that he, the
one called Devil and Satan, . . . is misleading the entire inhabited earth. (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9) By cleverly blinding people to the point that many do not even
believe he exists, Satan is able to maneuver the majority of mankind into rejecting Gods Kingdom and
opposing His rule. (2 Cor. 4:4) That is where we as Jehovahs Witnesses come in. We have the privilege of
opening the eyes of people, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God.
(Acts 26:18) Today, almost eight million individuals
are working together in unity to accomplish that task.

How delighted we are to be counted worthy of being
entrusted with that assignment!Matt. 28:19, 20.
No, we will not convert the world. Indeed, Jesus
declared that the majority of mankind would not nd
the road leading o into life. Rather, they would continue on the road leading o into destruction. (Matt.
7:13, 14) Jesus foretold that the good news of the
Kingdom [would] be preached in all the inhabited
earth for a witness to all the nations before the end
comes. (Matt. 24:14) By referring to Noahs day, Jesus
helped us to appreciate how people would react to our
preaching activity. Although Noah was a preacher of
righteousness, the people did not listen to his warning of impending destruction. They took no note until
the Flood came and swept them all away. (2 Pet. 2:5;
Matt. 24:37-39) Today, only those who are righteously
disposed heed the warning. They listen to the good
news of Gods Kingdom, realizing that it is, in fact,
Gods power for salvation to everyone having faith.
Rom. 1:16.
Satanic control of the earth will soon be gone. Man
will no longer dominate man to his detriment. (Eccl.
8:9) The many discordant rulerships of today will be
replaced with one governmentGods Kingdom under the rulership of Jesus Christ. (Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:13,
14; Rev. 11:15) But peace, justice, and righteousness
will not be the only hallmarks of that perfect Kingdom
rule. Our physical needs will also be fully cared for.
(Ps. 72:16; 145:16) Even so, would we be content to have
all these blessings if sickness and death yet awaited
us? Kingdom rule will address these matters as well.
God has decreed: I am making all things new. Sorrow and suering will forever be things of the past.
Yes, death will be no more, neither will mourning nor
outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have
passed away. Praise be to our God! Yes, Jehovah, let
your Kingdom come!Rev. 19:6; 21:3-5.
How to Use This Booklet

On the following pages, you will nd a Scripture text for
each day and comments on that text. Although the text and
comments may be read at any time, many nd it advantageous to consider them in the morning. Then they can reect
on such thoughts throughout the day. Discussing the text as a
family is most benecial. Bethel families around the world do
so before having breakfast.
The comments are taken from the Watchtower (w) issues
of April 2012 through March 2013. Figures following the date
of the Watchtower issue refer to the number, in order, of each
study article (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) that appears in that issue. This is
followed by the paragraphs where the material is found. (See
illustration below.) Additional information on the subject matter can be found in the article itself. To nd where each article starts, see the front cover of that issue of The Watchtower.
Wednesday, January 1
The works of the esh are
manifest.Gal. 5:19.
Note how the works of the

esh breed disunity. (Gal. 5:1921) Fornication sep arates the
one practicing it from Jehovah
and the congregation, and adultery can cruelly separate children
from parents and innocent partners from marriage mates. . . .
Do I air my grievances before
a wide audience, hoping to get
support from several friends?
w12 7/15 4:8, 9
Paragraph number(s) where

text and comments are found
Article number
Date of Watchtower issue
Year of Watchtower issue
2014
JANUARY
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APRIL
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5 6 7 8
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19 20 21 22
26 27 28 29
4 5 6 7
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18 19 20 21
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SEPTEMBER
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OCTOBER
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DECEMBER
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The works of the esh are
manifest.Gal. 5:19.
Note how the works of the
esh breed disunity. (Gal. 5:1921) Fornication sep arates the
one practicing it from Jehovah
and the congregation, and adultery can cruelly separate children
from parents and innocent partners from marriage mates. Uncleanness aects a persons unity with God and with those who
love him. One who has attempted to glue two things together
knows that both surfaces must be
clean before a proper bond can
be forged. Engaging in brazen
conduct demonstrates total disregard for Gods righteous laws.
Each of the other works of the
esh separates people from one
another and from God. Such conduct is completely out of harmony with the personality of Jehovah. Thus, each of us needs to ask
himself: Just how earnest am I
in trying to observe the oneness
of the spirit in the uniting bond
of peace? (Eph. 4:3) Do I air my
grievances before a wide audience, hoping to get support from
several friends? w12 7/15 4:8, 9
Thursday, January 2
Who the Father is, no one knows
but the Son, and he to whom the
Son is willing to reveal him.
Luke 10:22.
Most people, whatever their beliefs, have pondered over questions related to Gods existence.
However, when they faile d to
reach a satisfying conclusion,
many eventually gave up on their
search for God. Indeed, Satan
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. (2 Cor. 4:4) Little won-
der that the majority of mankind

are left in ignorance and confusion as to the truth about the
Father, the Creator of the universe! (Isa. 45:18) Yet, it is vital
that people learn the truth about
God. Why? Because only those
who call on the name of Jehovah
will be saved. (Rom. 10:13) To call
on Gods name involves becoming acquainted with Jehovah as a
Person. Jesus Christ disclosed to
his disciples this vital knowledge.
He revealed the Father to them.
w12 4/15 1:2, 3
Friday, January 3
If [a wife] should actually depart, let her remain unmarried
or else make up again with her
husband.1 Cor. 7:11.
Under what circumstances
might a Christian wife actually depart? Some have chosen to
separate because of a mates willful nonsupport. Others have done
so because of extreme physical
abuse or the absolute endangerment of a Christians spirituality. Whether to depart or not is
a personal decision. However,
the baptized mate ought to give
this matter prayerful and honest consideration. A Christian
who is married to an unbeliever should earnestly endeavor to
keep the marriage bond intact.
Yet, a Christian need not feel
guilty if, despite the Christians
sincere effort to preserve the
union, an unbelieving mate refuses to remain with the believer.
If the unbelieving one proceeds
to depart, let him depart, wrote
Paul. A brother or a sister is not
in servitude under such circumstances, but God has called you to
peace.1 Cor. 7:15. w12 5/15 2:
13-15, 17
Saturday, January 4
Men spoke from God as they
were borne along by holy spirit.
2 Pet. 1:21.
Over a p erio d of 1,610 years
spanning from 1513 B.C.E. to
98 C.E.some 40 dierent men
wrote the Bible. The Greek expression rendered borne along
has the sense to bear or carry
from one place to another, and
it can be variously rendered: be
moved, be driven, let oneself be
moved. Acts 27:15 uses it in describing a boat that was seized
and moved, or driven along a certain course, by the wind. Bible
prophets and writers were borne
along by holy spirit in that God
communicated with, motivated,
and guided them by means of his
active force. That being the case,
they wrote, not their own ideas,
but Gods thoughts. Sometimes
the inspired prophets and writers
did not even know the meaning of
what they foretold or were writing. (Dan. 12:8, 9) Yes, all Scripture is inspired of God and is free
of human opinions.2 Tim. 3:16.
w12 6/15 4:3
Sunday, January 5
The anxiety of this system of
things and the deceptive power
of riches choke the word.
Matt. 13:22.
One factor that chokes the word
is the anxiety of this system of
things. In these critical times
hard to deal with, there is much
that could make you anxious.
(2 Tim. 3:1) With the high cost of
living and rising unemployment
rates, you may nd it dicult to
make ends meet. You may also
be anxious about the future and
wonder, Will I have enough in-
come after I retire? Because of

such anxiety, some have been led
to pursue riches, thinking that
money will guarantee security.
The other factor is the deceptive
power of riches. That element
combined with anxiety can choke
the word. The Bible acknowledges that money is for a protection. (Eccl. 7:12) However, the
pursuit of riches is not wise. Many
have found that the more they
struggle to acquire riches, the
more materialism entraps them.
Some have even become slaves
to riches.Matt. 6:24. w12 8/15
4:3-5
Monday, January 6
[He] went his way and did business with them and gained ve
more.Matt. 25:16.
Although the anointed had for
de cades lo oke d to 1914 as a
marked year, they did not clearly
understand what would happen.
One brother later recalled, A few
of us seriously thought we were
going to heaven during the rst
week of that October [1914]. Just
think how discouraging it could
have been to expect the end and
for it not to occur! Moreover, the
brothers faced opposition related
to World War I. A period of relative inactivity, like sleep, set in.
But in 1919, there was a call to
wake up! Jesus had come to Gods
spiritual temple, and a time for
inspection arrived. Some, however, failed that inspection and
consequently lost their privilege
to continue in the Kings business. The majority of anointed
ones, though, showed unshakable loyalty and a strong desire
to serve their Master even during
the dicult war years. w12 9/15
4:11, 12
Tuesday, January 7
He did on a grand scale what
was bad in the eyes of Jehovah.
2 Chron. 33:6.
Some 360 years after David began to rule, Manasseh became
king of Judah. His 55-year-long
reign was infamous for wickedness, and his detestable practices brought condemnation from
Jehovah. Eventually, Manasseh
was taken from his homeland and
thrown into a Babylonian prison. There he kept humbling himself greatly and kept praying
to God. (2 Chron. 33:12, 13) What
was Jehovahs response to Manassehs prayers? He let himself
be entreated by [Manasseh] and
He heard his request for favor.
Like David before him, Manasseh recognized the seriousness of
his sins and was truly repentant.
That is why God forgave Manasseh and restored him to the kingship in Jerusalem. As a result,
Manasseh came to know that Jehovah is the true God. (2 Chron.
33:13) How heartening it is to
have this evidence that our merciful God forgives those who are
genuinely repentant! w12 11/15 4:
11-13
I am not lying.Gal. 1:20.
On occasion, Paul found it necessary to swear to the truthfulness of what he wrote. When some
in Corinth accused Paul of being
untrustworthy, he wrote in his defense: God can be relied upon
that our speech addressed to you
is not Yes and yet No. (2 Cor. 1:
18) At the time of writing that,
Paul had left Ephesus and was
traveling through Macedonia on
his way to Corinth. Originally,
he had planned to revisit Corinth before going into Macedonia. (2 Cor. 1:15, 16) But some
time after making his original
plans, Paul received disturbing
news that disunity and immorality were being tolerated in Corinth. (1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1) To correct
the situation, he wrote strong
counsel in his rst letter to the
Corinthians. Then, instead of
sailing dire ctly from Ephesus
to Corinth, Paul decided to give
his brothers time to apply his
counsel so that when he eventually arrived, his visit could be
more encouraging.2 Cor. 1:23.
w12 10/15 4:6, 7
Thursday, January 9
You must do according to all
that for which the foreigner calls
to you.1 Ki. 8:43.
A foreigner is basically someone
who is in a land that is not his own
or is a person who comes into a
community or group from outside
of it. This well describes Jehovahs Witnesses. They owe their
primary allegiance to a heavenly government, Gods Kingdom
under Christ. Thus, they maintain strict neutrality in political
matters, even if some people view
them as strangely out of place in
todays society. Foreigners are often recognized by characteristics
common to their minority group.
It may be the language they
speak, their customs, their physical characteristics, even their
style or manner of dress. Still, the
things they have in common with
all other humans, regardless of
nationality, are more signicant
than any of those characteristics.
In fact, Jehovah originally purposed that all humans be united
as one family under one rulership
his rulership. w12 12/15 4:11-13
Friday, January 10
You do not want to go also, do
you?John 6:67.
Peter responded to Jesus question with these words: L ord,
whom shall we go away to? You
have sayings of everlasting life;
and we have believed and come to
know that you are the Holy One
of God. (John 6:68, 69) Did this
mean that Peter fully understood
all that Jesus had just said about
His coming sacrice? (John 6:5360) Probably not. Even so, Peter was determined to be loyal to
Gods anointed Son. Peter did not
reason that Jesus must have the
wrong view of things and that if
given time, He would recant what
He had said. No, Peter humbly
recognized that Jesus had sayings of everlasting life. Likewise today, how do we react if we
encounter a point in our Christian publications from the faithful steward that is hard to understand or that does not match
with our thinking? We should try
hard to get the sense of it rather
than merely expecting that there
will be a change to conform to our
viewpoint.Luke 12:42. w12 4/15
2:10, 11
Saturday, January 11
All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.Rom. 3:23.
As Jehovahs servants, we certainly want to honor and glorify our Creator in everything we
do. All too often, however, what
we desire to do is not what we
do. Paul had to contend with that
problem personally. (Rom. 7:2125) Explaining why we have such
a struggle, Paul wrote the words
of todays text. Yes, through inheritance from sinful Adam,
mankind b e came subj e ct to
the harsh mastery of King Sin.

(Rom. 5:12; 6:12) What is sin? It
is anything contrary to Jehovahs
personality, ways, standards, and
will. Sin mars a persons relationship with God. Sin causes us to
miss the mark, even as an archer
can shoot an arrow but miss his
target. We can sin intentionally or
by mistake. (Num. 15:27-31) Sin is
deeply ingrained in humans and
creates a barrier between them
and their Creator. (Ps. 51:5; Isa.
59:2; Col. 1:21) Unquestionably,
sin is the worst disability aicting humankind. w12 5/15 4:4, 5
Sunday, January 12
Write for yourself in a book all
the words that I will speak to
you.Jer. 30:2.
Although Jehovah used dictation when precise wording was
crucial, in most cases thoughts
rather than specic words were
miraculously conveye d to the
hearts and minds of Bible writers, permitting them to choose
their own words to express them.
The congregator sought to nd
the delightful words and the writing of correct words of truth,
states Ecclesiastes 12:10. The
Gospel writer Luke traced all
things from the start with accuracy, to write them in logical order. (Luke 1:3) Gods spirit ensured that human imperfection
did not taint his message. Gods
great wisdom is made evident in
his use of humans to write the
Bible. Words convey not just information but also emotions and
feelings. By allowing imperfect
men to choose the wording for the
ideas they received through holy
spirit, God conveyed his message
with warmth, variety, and the appeal of human emotions and feelings! w12 6/15 4:5-7
Monday, January 13
The fruit of righteousness has its
seed sown under peaceful conditions for those who are making
peace.Jas. 3:18.
We cannot maintain righteous
conduct in the absence of peace.
Our growth in spiritual matters
is hindered if we have personal traits that could disrupt peace
with our brothers. But by being
quick to forgive and by working
for the well-being of others, we
engender conditions that result
in true prosperity. Furthermore,
gifts in men can be a real force
for unity. They have been given
to help us to attain to the oneness in the faith. (Eph. 4:8, 13)
When elders work along with us
in sacre d service and offer
perceptive observations based
on Gods Word, they assist us to
make progress in putting on the
new personality. (Eph. 4:22-24)
Do you see in their counsel Jehovahs efforts to prepare you
for life in the new world under
the rule of his Son? Elders, do
you try to readjust others with
that 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, What
are we to drink? or, What are
we to put on? For all these are
the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For your heavenly
Father knows you need all these
things.Matt. 6:31, 32.
To avoid being strangled by materialism, periodically reappraise
your lifestyle. Never would you
want to be like Esau, who showed
by his actions that he despised
spiritual things! (Gen. 25:34; Heb.
12:16) And surely you should not

be like the rich man who was invited to sell his belongings, give
to the poor, and follow Jesus. Instead of doing so, the man went
away grieved, for he was holding
many possessions. (Matt. 19:21,
22) Ensnared by riches, that man
lost out on a great privilegethat
of being able to follow the greatest man who ever lived! Be careful not to lose out on the privilege of being a disciple of Jesus
Christ. To counteract undue worry about material things, heed
the admonition given in todays
text. w12 8/15 4:8, 9
The undeserved kindness of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with the
spirit you show, brothers.
Gal. 6:18.
There are many opportunities
for us to show a ne spirit. Each
of us can do much good if we display a forgiving spirit when others oend us. Gods Word tells
us: Continue putting up with one
another and forgiving one another freely if anyone has a cause for
complaint against another. Even
as Jehovah freely forgave you, so
do you also. (Col. 3:13) The expression if anyone has a cause for
complaint suggests that there
may be valid reasons for becoming irritated with others. However, rather than being overly
concerned about their foibles and
disturbing the peace of the congregation, we try to imitate Jehovah and forgive freely, moving on
in our service together. We should
also pray for holy spirit. (Luke 11:
13) Gods spirit will help us display true Christian qualities in
dealing 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 and
Eve, were a p art of Jehovahs
peaceful and harmonious universal family. They were able to
communicate with him personally, worship him, and be blessed
by him. That harmonious relationship was interrupted when
humans, inuenced by Satan, rebelled against Jehovahs sovereignty. Since 1914, however, the
Messianic Kingdom has been taking progressive steps to restore
that unity and harmony. (Eph. 1:
9, 10) During the Thousand Year
Reign, marvelous things presently unseen will be brought to reality. (2 Cor. 4:18) Then comes
the end, that is, the close of
Christs Millennial Reign. (1 Cor.
15:24) What will happen then?
Though given all authority . . . in
heaven and on the earth, Jesus is
not ambitious. He has no intention of usurping Jehovahs place.
He humbly hands over the kingdom to his God and Father. He
will use his unique position and
authority to the glory of God.
Phil. 2:9-11. w12 9/15 2:17, 18
Friday, January 17
What is looked for in stewards is
for a man to be found faithful.
1 Cor. 4:2.
A steward may have many ne
qualities and abilities, yet none of
them would matter if he was irresponsible or disloyal to his master. Faithfulness is essential to
be an eective, successful steward. If we are faithful, we will
be rewarded; that is certain. If
we are not faithful, we will suffer loss. (Matt. 25:14-18, 23, 26,
28-30) Jesus pointed out the con-
sequences of unfaithfulness. He
said: A certain man w as rich
and he had a steward, and this
one was accused to him as handling his goods wastefully. So he
called him and said to him, What
is this I hear about you? Hand
in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer manage the house. (Luke 16:1, 2)
Because the steward squandered
the property of his master, the
master dismissed him. What a
powerful lesson for us! We certainly never want to be unfaithful
in what is asked of us. w12 12/15
2:15-17
You will nd refreshment for
your souls.Matt. 11:29.
Jesus assured his followers that
by drawing close to him and practicing his teachings, they would
be refreshed, for his yoke was
kindly and his load was light.
People of both sexes and of all
ages felt at ease in his presence.
(Matt. 11:30) In his association
with the common people of Israel, Jesus had comp assion
for them because they were disadvantaged, and he gave loving
attention to their needs. Near
Jericho, he encountered a blind
beggar named Bartimaeus and
his unnamed blind companion.
They persistently asked for Jesus help, but the crowd sternly
urged the men to be quiet. How
easy it would have been to ignore
the pleas of the blind men! Instead, Jesus asked that they be
brought to him, and moved with
pity, he restored their sight. Yes,
Jesus imitated his Father, Jehovah, by displaying humility and
showing 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 according
to all that God had commanded
him. He did just so.Gen. 6:22.
As the work of constructing the
ark progressed, Noah and his
family must have wondered how
God would accomplish his purpose and when the Flood would
begin. Yet, their lack of knowledge of these details did not stop
them from getting the ark built.
Seven days before the oodwaters
felljust enough time for Noah
and his family to load the animals
into the arkJehovah nally told
Noah exactly when the Flood
would begin. Hence, when the
oodgates of the heavens were
opened, everything was ready.
(Gen. 7:1-5, 11) The account of the
Flood testies to Jehovahs skill
not only as a Timekeeper but also
as a Deliverer. As he counts down
to the end of the present system of things, we can be sure that
everything Jehovah has purposed
will take place at his appointed
time, to the very day and hour.
Matt. 24:36; Hab. 2:3. w12 4/15
4:7, 8
Monday, January 20
There is no man that does not
sin.2 Chron. 6:36.
To be in the proper position to
reect Gods glory, we must honestly recognize our sinful nature.
We need to acknowledge our sinful inclinations and work to control them so that we can pro gress to the p oint of truly
glorifying God. As worshippers
of Jehovah, we must continually make a self-examination to determine whether we are measuring up to his righteous standards.
(Prov. 28:18; 1 Cor. 10:12) Whatever the nature of our sinful tendencies, we must keep on curbing
them so that we can reect Gods
glory. Jesus was the only human
who ever lived and died without
failing to please God and reect
His glory. Although we are not
perfect as Jesus was, we can and
should strive to follow his example. (1 Pet. 2:21) Jehovah weighs
the eort we put forth along with
the progress we make, and he
blesses our earnest endeavor to
bring him glory. w12 5/15 4:7, 8
Tuesday, January 21
In one hour she has been
devastated!Rev. 18:19.
According to John, up on a
scarlet-colored wild beastthe
image of the wild beastrides a
symbolic harlot, dominating it.
She bears the name Babylon the
Great. (Rev. 17:1-6) This harlot
ttingly stands for all false religion, foremost of which are the
churches of Christendom. Religious organizations have given
their blessing to the image of the
beast and have tried to exert inuence over it. However, during
the Lords day, Babylon the Great
has seen the waters, the people
who support her, dry up dramatically. (Rev. 16:12; 17:15) False religion, however, will not just fade
away. The harlot will remain a
potent force, attempting to bend
kings to her will until God plants
an idea in the hearts of those in
power. (Rev. 17:16, 17) Soon Jehovah will cause the political elements of Satans system, as represented by the United Nations,
to attack false religion and destroy her inuence.Rev. 18:7, 8,
15-19. w12 6/15 2:15-17
Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.
1 Cor. 15:33.
Human governments may provide health alerts regarding foods
and medicines. Obviously, not
all foods and medicines are bad.
But if a specic product poses a
threat, the government may issue balanced warnings to protect its citizens. If the government did not do so, it would be
guilty of negligence. Similarly, Gods Kingdom issues timely warnings about specic moral
and spiritual dangers. For instance, the Internet has become
a useful way to provide communication, e ducation, and entertainment. Go ds organization
makes use of the Internet and
accomplishes much good with it.
However, many sites on the Internet are morally and spiritually dangerous. Web sites that
promote p ornography pose an
obvious threat to the spiritual
health of Kingdom citizens. For
decades, the faithful slave has
warned us about such sites. How
grateful we are for these spiritual health alerts! w12 8/15 2:10, 11
To do your will, O my God, I
have delighted, and your law is
within my inward parts.
Ps. 40:8.
Throughout history, nations
have w age d brutal w ars in
the name of freedom. How much
more, then, should you be willing
to ght spiritually for your Christian freedom! Realize that your
enemies are not just Satan, the
world, and its p oisonous spirit. You also have to contend with
your own imperfections, including a treacherous he art. (Jer.

17:9; Eph. 2:3) Yet, with Jehovahs
help, you can win the ght. What
is more, each victorylarge or
smallwill have at least two positive eects. First, you will make
Jehovahs heart rejoice. (Prov. 27:
11) Second, as you taste the liberating power of Gods perfect law
that belongs to freedom, you will
become even more determined
to remain on the narrow road to
everlasting life. In time, you will
enjoy the more expansive freedom that lies ahead for Jehovahs
loyal ones.Jas. 1:25; Matt. 7:13,
14. w12 7/15 2:15, 16
Friday, January 24
Time and unforeseen occurrence
befall [us] all.Eccl. 9:11.
We live in a time of adversities. The earth has been inundated with disasters. Earthquakes,
tsunamis, fires, floods, volcanoes, tornadoes, typhoons, and
hurricanes have wreaked havoc
on humankind. In addition, family problems and p ersonal dilemmas have brought fear and
sorrow. How can we successfully
face life with courage? (Rom.
15:4) Consider David. Among other things, he had to put up with
the wrath of a king, enemy attacks, the abduction of his wives,
treachery in his own ranks, and
emotional distress. (1 Sam. 18:
8, 9; 30:1-5; 2 Sam. 17:1-3; 24:
15, 17; Ps. 38:4-8) The Bible accounts of Davids life clearly reveal the pain these adversities
caused him. However, they did
not destroy him spiritually. Full
of faith, he said: Jehovah is the
stronghold of my life. Of whom
shall I be in dread?Ps. 27:1, 5,
10. w12 10/15 1:1, 3, 4
You are not in darkness, so that
that day should overtake you as
it would thieves.1 Thess. 5:4.
Earthshaking events will soon
occur. The fulllment of Bible
prophecies conrms this fact, so
we need to keep on the watch.
What will help us to do that? The
apostle Paul urges us to keep
our eyes . . . on the things unseen. Yes, we need to bear in
mind our reward of everlasting
life, be it in heaven or on earth.
As the context shows, Paul wrote
these words to encourage fellow
believers to focus on the happy
outcome of their faithful course.
Doing so would also help them to
cope with trials and persecution.
(2 Cor. 4:8, 9, 16-18; 5:7) Pauls admonition contains an important
principle: To keep our hope rm,
we must look beyond the things
that are immediately before us.
We need to focus on signicant
events that are as yet unseen.
Heb. 11:1; 12:1, 2. w12 9/15 1:1, 2
Sunday, January 26
I am coming to you with the
name of Jehovah of armies, the
God of the battle lines of Israel,
whom you have taunted.
1 Sam. 17:45.
What move d young D avid to
challenge Goliath, a fully armed
giant who was about nine and a
half feet (2.9 m) tall? (1 Sam. 17:4,
ftn.) Was it Davids courage? Was
it his faith in God? Both qualities played a vital role in his act
of valor. However, respect for Jehovah and for his great name especially motivated David to take
a stand against that towering
giant. Indignantly, David asked:
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has to taunt the

battle lines of the living God?
(1 Sam. 17:26) Relying on the true
God, D avid brought down the
Philistine champion with a single
slingstone. Not only on that occasion but throughout his life, David trusted in Jehovah and held
the divine name in the highest
esteem. Indeed, David urged fellow Israelites to boast in Jehovahs holy name.1 Chron. 16:810. w12 11/15 1:3, 4
Monday, January 27
You will make your way successful and . . . act wisely.
Josh. 1:8.
What does it mean to be successful in life? Ask people that
question, and you will nd that
their answers vary greatly. Many,
for example, dene success in
terms of outstanding achievement in nancial, professional, or
academic pursuits. Others factor
in relationshipshow well they
relate to family, friends, or workmates. One who serves God might
even link success to a position
of responsibility in the congregation or to achievements in the
ministry. But what matters most
is whether Jehovah views us as
successful, for our very lives depend on his approval. When giving Joshua the weighty assignment of leading the Israelites
into the Promised Land, Jehovah told him to read the Mosaic Law day and night and to be
careful to obey what was written in it. God assured him: Then
you will make your way successful and then you will act wisely.
(Josh. 1:7, 8) And you know that
Joshua did prove to be successful.
w12 12/15 1:1, 3
Tuesday, January 28
This is at last bone of my bones
and esh of my esh.
Gen. 2:23.
How happy the first man,
Adam, was to receive a wife! No
wonder he waxed poetic! After
Jehovah had caused Adam to fall
into a deep sleep, He cre ate d
this beautiful woman from one
of the mans ribs. Adam later
named her Eve. God united the
two in happy wedlock. Since Jehovah used Adams own rib as a
base for creating her, Adam and
Eve were closer than any presentday husband and wife. In his inimitable wisdom, Jehovah planted within humans the capacity
for romantic lovea quality that
would draw men and women together. Says The World Book Encyclopedia: A man and woman
who marry hope to share a sexual relationship and a permanent
romantic attraction. That has
happened countless times among
Jehovahs people. Of course, marriages are not made in heaven,
but God will guide Christians
in this and other aspects of life
if they pray for direction and are
led by his spirit.Gal. 5:18, 25.
w12 5/15 1:1-3
Truly the God of you men is . . . a
Revealer of secrets.Dan. 2:47.
Which governments will b e
dominating the earth when Gods
Kingdom brings an end to human rulership? We know the answerit has been disclosed to us
by the Revealer of secrets, Jehovah God. He enables us to discern the identity of those governments through the writings of the
prophet Daniel and the apostle
John. Jehovah revealed to those

men a series of visions involving a
succession of beasts. He also told
Daniel the meaning of a visionary dream depicting an immense
metal image. Jehovah had those
accounts recorded and preserved
in the Bible for our benet. (Rom.
15:4) He did so to strengthen our
hope that soon his Kingdom will
crush all human governments.
(Dan. 2:44) Taken together, the
accounts of Daniel and John not
only identify eight kings, or human rulerships, but also show the
sequence in which those powers
would appear. w12 6/15 1:1-3
[Peer] into the perfect law that
belongs to freedom.Jas. 1:25.
We are living in a time of increasing greed, lawlessness, and
violence. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) In response, governments make more
laws, strengthen police forces,
and install electronic surveillance. In some countries, private
citizens try to increase their safety by installing alarm systems
in their homes, as well as extra
locks and even electric fences.
Many refuse to go out at night
or to let their children play outside unattendedday or night.
Clearly, freedom is on the wane,
and the trend will likely continue. Indeed, the more that people disregard the moral and spiritual boundaries established by
God, the more society as a whole
suers. This worsening condition
also aects us as Jehovahs servants. Nevertheless, we have the
hope of seeing an end to mankinds enslavement to sin and
corruption and of enjoying what
the Bible calls the glorious freedom of the children of Go d.
Rom. 8:21. w12 7/15 1:1, 2
Imagine yourself in Paradise.

Each morning, you awake feeling rested and eager to b egin
your day. You have no aches or
pains. Any inrmities you once
had are gone. All your senses
sight, hearing, smell, touch,
and tastefunction perfectly.
Your energy is abundant, your
work is enjoyable, your friends

are many, and all your worries are
gone. Such will be the blessings
you can enjoy under Gods Kingdom. Christ Jesus, the appointed
King, will bless his subjects and
educate them in the knowledge
of Jehovah God. Jehovah will be
with his loyal servants as they engage in that future global educational work. God and his Son have
been with faithful ones for centuries. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus assured his loyal disciples that he would be with them.
w12 8/15 1:1, 2
Saturday, February 1
Sunday, February 2
Look! a great crowd, which no

man was able to number, out of
all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb.Rev. 7:9.
They did not give ear.

Neh. 9:30.
Friday, January 31
Make disciples of people of all the
nations . . . And, look! I am with
you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.
Matt. 28:19, 20.
After 1914, The Watchtower

made this signicant statement:
Brethren, those of us who are in
the right attitude toward God are
not disappointed at any of His arrangements. We did not wish our
own will to be done; so when we
found out that we were expecting the wrong thing in October,
1914, then we were glad that the
Lord did not change His Plan to
suit us. We did not wish Him to
do so. We merely wish to be able
to apprehend His plans and purposes. This attitude of humility and devotion still characterizes the Lords anointed. They are
sticking close to Gods appointed
channel for dispensing spiritual
food. And now a great crowd of
other sheep, Christians with an
earthly hope, are imitating their
watchfulness and zeal.John 10:
16. w12 9/15 4:13, 14
We cannot rightly conclude that

Jehovah automatically forgives
all humans for their sins. In this
regard, let us compare the attitude of David and Manasseh with
that of the wayward people of Israel and Judah. God sent Nathan
to confront David and give him
an opportunity to change his attitude. David gratefully accepted
this oer. When Manasseh found
himself in sore straits, he was
moved to sincere repentance. Often, however, the inhabitants of
Israel and Judah did not repent.
Therefore, Jehovah did not forgive them. Instead, he repeatedly had his prophets declare how
he viewed their disobedient conduct. Even after the exiles returne d from Babylon to their
homeland, Jehovah continued
to raise up faithful messengers,
such as the priest Ezra and the
prophet Malachi. When the people acted in harmony with Jehovahs will, they experienced great
joy.Neh. 12:43-47. w12 11/15
4:15
Monday, February 3
Just let your word Yes mean Yes,
your No, No.Matt. 5:37.
How serious is the matter of letting our Yes mean Yes? The Bible clearly warns that a person
who is false to agreements is
among those who are deserving
of death. (Rom. 1:31, 32) Pharaoh
of Egypt, Judean King Zedekiah, and Ananias and Sapphira are
among the bad examples highlighted in the Bible of individuals
whose Yes did not mean Yes. They
all fared badly and stand as warning examples for us. (Ex. 9:27, 28,
34, 35; Ezek. 17:13-15, 19, 20; Acts
5:1-10) Living in the last days,
we are surrounded by people who
are disloyal, people having a
form of godly devotion but proving false to its power. (2 Tim. 3:
1-5) As much as possible, we must
avoid such bad association. Instead, we should regularly gather with those who strive always to
let their Yes mean Yes.Heb. 10:
24, 25. w12 10/15 4:11, 12
Tuesday, February 4
God is not partial.
Acts 10:34.
In a selsh and nationalistic
world, it is refreshing to nd individuals who can and do look
beyond national borders. The
founder of the television network
CNN, Te d Turner, comments
about his work with a number of
talented individuals from various nations: I came to see those
from other countries not as foreigners, but as fellow citizens of
the planet. In lands around the
globe, only Jehovahs Witnesses
have adopted Gods way of thinking as a group. By learning to see
things as Jehovah does, they have

been able mentally and emotionally to break down national barriers. Instead of treating members
of diering national groups with
distrust, suspicion, or even outright hatred, they have learned to
cherish the variety of characteristics and abilities of these groups
as something beautiful. Have you
reected on this accomplishment
and how it has beneted you personally in dealing with others?
w12 12/15 4:2, 14, 15
Wednesday, February 5
They are no longer two, but one
esh.Matt. 19:6.
One Christian woman was glad
that she trusted in God and put
forth extra eort to save her marriage. I was tempted to separate from my husband because
of nancial nonsupport and spiritual endangerment, she says.
Then I realized that I too was at
fault. We started communicating
again, resumed our family study,
and became regular at meetings.
Our marriage blossomed anew.
In time, my husband again qualied for congregation privileges.
It was a hard lesson with a happy
outcome. Whether we are single
or married, let us always act courageously and hope in Jehovah. If
we are encountering marital difficulties, we should e arnestly
seek to resolve them, remembering that those united in wedlock
are no longer two, but one esh.
And let us bear in mind that if we
persevere in a divided household
despite hardships, we may experience the joy of winning a mate
over to true worship. w12 5/15 2:
19, 20
Thursday, February 6
No man has seen God at any
time; the only-begotten god
who is in the bosom position with
the Father is the one that has explained him.John 1:18.
Jesus was especially qualied
to reveal his Father. Why? Because before all other forms of life
were created, the spirit creature
who later became the man Jesus already existed in heaven as
the only-begotten Son of God.
(John 1:14; 3:18) What a unique
position! While no other creature existed, the Son basked in
the warmth of his Fathers attention and learned about Him and
His qualities. The Father and Son
must have communicated extensively and developed deep aection for each other over aeons of
time. (John 5:20; 14:31) What a
wealth of insight into his Fathers
personality the Son must have
gained! (Col. 1:15-17) The Father designated the Son to be His
spokesman, The Word of God.
(Rev. 19:13) Therefore, Jesus was
in a unique position to reveal the
Father to others. w12 4/15 1:4, 5
Friday, February 7
Do not be grieving Gods holy
spirit.Eph. 4:30.
Holy spirit is a force that promotes unity. Application of what
Paul wrote next is also essential
for peace and unity: Let all malicious bitterness and anger and
wrath and screaming and abusive
speech be taken away from you
along with all badness. But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely for-
giving one another just as God

also by Christ freely forgave you.
(Eph. 4:31, 32) The words become kind suggest that at least
to a certain degree, we may not
have been kind and that we may
need to improve. How appropriate that we train ourselves to
consider the feelings of others
ahead of our own! (Phil. 2:4) Perhaps something we are thinking of saying would evoke a laugh
or would make us appear intelligent, but would it be kind? Giving
thought to this matter in advance
will help us to become kind.
w12 7/15 4:13, 14
We love, because he rst loved
us.1 John 4:19.
While most major books of religion say very little, if anything,
about God, the Bible acquaints us
with Jehovah God and his activities. It helps us to see the many
facets of his personality. The Bible reveals God not only as an allpowerful, wise, and just God but
also as a God who loves us. (John
3:16) Moreover, the Bible tells us:
God is not partial, but in every
nation the man that fears him
and works righteousness is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34,
35) In a sense, the availability of the Bible testies to this
truth. Linguists say that of some
6,700 languages spoken in the
world today, approximately 100
cover 90 percent of the worlds
population. Still, the Bible has
been translated, either in whole
or in part, into more than 2,400
languages. Nearly everyone in the
world has access to at least parts
of it. w12 6/15 4:9
Sunday, February 9
As soon as the thousand years
have been ended, Satan will be
let loose out of his prison.
Rev. 20:7.
By the end of Christs Millennial Reign, the earthly subjects
of the Kingdom will have been
brought to perfection. They will
follow Jesus example and humbly and willingly acknowledge Jehovahs sovereignty. They will
have the opportunity to demonstrate their desire to do that by
successfully p assing the final
test. (Rev. 20:8-10) Thereafter, all
rebelshuman and spiritwill
be eliminated forever. What a joyful and jubilant time that will be!
The entire universal family will
happily praise Jehovah, who will
be all things to everyone. (1 Cor.
15:28; Ps. 99:1-3) Will the glorious
Kingdom realities just ahead motivate you to focus your attention
and eorts on doing Gods will?
Can you avoid being sidetracked
by the false hope and comfort
that Satans world oers? Will you
strengthen your resolve to support and uphold Jehovahs sovereignty? w12 9/15 2:19, 20
Monday, February 10
A prostitute is a deep pit.
Prov. 23:27.
An improper romantic relationship could develop at your place
of employment. In fact, a secular study revealed that more than
half of adulterous women and
nearly 3 out of 4 adulterous men
had illicit relations with a workmate. Does your secular work
require that you associate with
members of the opposite sex? If
so, what is the nature of your relationship with them? Do you have
boundaries in place that keep it
professional and that do not allow it to become something more?

For example, a Christian sister
might make a male coworker her
condant, even telling him about
her marital problems. In another situation, after b e coming
friendly with a female coworker, a Christian man might reason: She values my opinion and
really listens when I talk to her.
And she appreciates me. I wish I
got more of this kind of treatment
at home! Can you see how Christians in such situations could be
vulnerable to committing adultery? w12 8/15 4:11, 12
Tuesday, February 11
I am not conscious of anything
against myself. Yet by this I am
not proved righteous, but he that
examines me is Jehovah.
1 Cor. 4:4.
Each member of the congregation should make it his or her goal
to contribute to the wholesome
spirit of the congregation. After
prayerful consideration, we may
decide that we personally can improve in displaying an upbuilding
spirit. If so, we should not hesitate to let ourselves be examined
in the light of Gods Word. (Heb.
4:12) Todays text shows that Paul
was ver y concerned ab out his
actions. As we strive to act in
harmony with the wisdom from
above, not taking ourselves or
our position too seriously, we will
contribute to a wholesome spirit in the congregation. By having a forgiving spirit and thinking
positively of others, we will enjoy peaceful relations with fellow
worshippers. (Phil. 4:8) As we do
these things, we can be condent
that Jehovah and Jesus will be
pleased with the spirit we show.
Philem. 25. w12 10/15 2:16, 17
Let each one prove what his own
work is, and then he will have
cause for exultation in regard to
himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person.
Gal. 6:4.
Rather than compare what we
do with what others do, we should
focus on what we personally are
able to do. This will protect us not
only from being pued up with
pride but also from being discouraged. In evaluating ourselves,
we should recognize that circumstances change. Perhaps because
of poor health, age, or various responsibilities, we cannot do all
we used to. We can also consider what responsibilities we have
or ye arn to have. For re asons
we may not readily understand,
some privileges may be extended
much later than expected. Rather than being envious of what
others may have been assigned to
do, all of us can concentrate on
handling the responsibilities we
do have. In the new world, Jehovah will see to it that the proper
desires of all his servants are satised. w12 12/15 2:18-20
I am mild-tempered and lowly in
heart.Matt. 11:29.
Common people beneted from
Jesus humility because they became recipients of his help, his
teachings, and his encouragement. Actually, all redeemable
mankind will reap long-term benets from Jesus ransom sacrice.
What about Jesus? Did his humility benet him? Yes, for Jesus told
his disciples: Whoever humbles
himself will be exalted. (Matt.
23:12) Those words proved to be
true in his own case. Paul ex-
plains: God exalted [Jesus] to a

superior position and kindly gave
him the name that is above every
other name, so that in the name
of Jesus every knee should bend
of those in heaven and those on
e arth and those under the
ground, and every tongue should
openly acknowledge that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. Because of Jesus
course of humility and faithfulness on earth, Jehovah God exalted his Son, giving him authority over creatures in heaven and
on earth.Phil. 2:9-11. w12 11/15
2:12, 14, 15
Friday, February 14
Jehovah himself has borne witness between you and the wife of
your youth, with whom you yourself have dealt treacherously.
Mal. 2:14.
In heart harmony with his Father, Jesus taught that one cannot
drive away or cast o an innocent mate and act as if nothing
has happened. (Matt. 19:3-6, 9)
How can those who are married
remain loyal to their mates? Gods
Word says: Rejoice with the wife
[or husband] of your youth and,
See life with the wife [or husband] whom you love. (Prov. 5:
18; Eccl. 9:9) As both mates grow
older, they must be fully present in their relationship, both
physically and emotionally. That
means being attentive to each
other, spending time with each
other, and drawing closer to each
other. They have to focus on preserving their marriage and their
relationship with Jehovah. To
that end, couples need to study
the Bible together, regularly work
in the ministry together, and pray
together for Jehovahs blessing.
w12 4/15 2:13-15
Persevere in prayer.
Rom. 12:12.
In-depth study of the Scriptures and meditative Bible reading are essential to fortify our determination to avoid grave sin and
to please Jehovah. (Ps. 119:11, 47,
48) We also need to persevere in
prayer. We can and should pray
that Jehovah help us to serve him
in an acceptable way. To that end,
we can properly ask him for holy
spirit, for more faith, for strength
to resist temptation, and for ability to handle the word of the truth
aright. (2 Tim. 2:15; Matt. 6:13;
Luke 11:13; 17:5) As a child depends on his father, so we need to
depend on our heavenly Father,
Jehovah. If we ask him to help us
serve him more fully, we can have
condence that he will do so. May
we never feel that we are a bother to him! Instead, in prayer let us
praise him, thank him, seek his
direction especially when under
trial, and ask that he help us to
serve him in ways that glorify his
holy 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 destroyed, the wild beast, Satans
earthly political setup, will be
goaded into an attack on Gods
Kingdom. Unable to reach into
heaven, the kings of the earth will
vent their rage on those on earth
who support Gods Kingdom. The
result is inevitable. (Rev. 16:1316; 17:12-14) Daniel describes one
aspect of the nal battle. (Dan. 2:
44) The wild beast mentioned at
Revelation 13:1, its image, and
the two-horned wild beast will be
destroyed. The Anglo-American

World Power will be the dominant world power when false religion is eradicated. The prophecies of Daniel and John have been
fullled to the smallest detail.
We can be condent that the destruction of false religion and the
battle of Armageddon will soon
come. God has revealed these details in advance. Will we pay attention to the prophetic warnings? (2 Pet. 1:19) Now is the time
to take sides with Jehovah and to
support his Kingdom.Rev. 14:
6, 7. w12 6/15 2:18, 19
Monday, February 17
All things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of [God].
Heb. 4:13.
Those who ignore warnings issue d by the faithful slave inevitably cause harm to themselves and to their loved ones.
Some have b e come addicte d
to viewing pornography or have
committed immorality and then
deluded themselves into thinking that Jehovah cannot see what
they are doing. How foolish to believe that we can hide our conduct from Jehovah! (Prov. 15:3)
God wants to help such ones and
prompts his earthly representatives to try to assist them. (Gal.
6:1) However, just as human governments can revoke the citizenship of a person who commits
certain acts, Jehovah will revoke
the citizenship of those who unrepentantly break his standards.
(1 Cor. 5:11-13) Nevertheless, he
is merciful. Those who repent and
change their course of conduct
can regain a good standing with
Jehovah and remain as Kingdom
citizens. (2 Cor. 2:5-8) What an
honor we have to serve such a loving King! w12 8/15 2:12
If he has committed sins, it will
be forgiven him.Jas. 5:15.
Never forget that God is truly merciful and that he drew you
into the congregation because
he saw your potential. (Ps. 103:
8, 9) So as long as you maintain
a complete heart toward Jehovah, he will never give up on you.
(1 Chron. 28:9) While praying on
his last night with his 11 faithful apostles, Jesus said these unforgettable words in their behalf: Watch over them because
of the wicked one. (John 17:15)
Jesus concern was not limited to
his apostles, but it extends to all
his followers. Hence, we can be
sure that Jehovah will answer Jesus prayer by watching over us
during these critical times. For
those walking in integrity [Jehovah] is a shield . . . He will guard
the very way of his loyal ones.
(Prov. 2:7, 8) Yes, the way of integrity is not without its challenges, but it is the only way to
everlasting life and true freedom.
(Rom. 8:21) Let no one lure you
from it! w12 7/15 2:17, 18
I shall not take away my
integrity!Job 27:5.
Job experienced extreme pressures. Ever ything in his life
seeme d to go wrong. (Job 3:3,
11) Making matters worse, he
did not fully understand why all
those things happened to him.
Still, he never gave up. He maintained his integrity and his faith
in God. What a ne example for
us to imitate! Consider, too, the
apostle Pauls example. He experienced dangers in the city, in
the wilderness, and at sea. He

speaks of hunger and thirst, cold
and nakedness. Paul also mentions sp ending a night and a
day in the deep, likely because
of one of the shipwrecks that he
went through. (2 Cor. 11:23-27)
Despite facing death for serving God, Paul had faith that God
would rescue him. (2 Cor. 1:810) Not many people have had
as many bad experiences as Paul
did. Nevertheless, many of us can
relate to his feelings and can take
comfort from his courageous example. w12 10/15 1:6, 7
Jehovahs day is coming exactly
as a thief in the night.
1 Thess. 5:2.
As used here, Jehovahs day
refers to the period that will start
with the destruction of false religion and will culminate in the war
of Armageddon. However, just
before that day of Jehovah begins, world leaders will be saying
Peace and security! (1 Thess.
5:3) This may refer to one event
or to a series of events. No matter
who will share in saying Peace
and security! that development
will indicate that Jehovahs day
is to b e gin. Paul could therefore state: Brothers, you are
not in darkness, so that that day
should overtake you as it would
thieves, for you are all sons of
light. (1 Thess. 5:4, 5) Unlike
mankind in general, we discern
the Scriptural signicance of current events. How exactly will this
prophecy about saying Peace
and security! be fullled? We
must wait and see. Therefore, let
us be determined to stay awake
and 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 Jehovah as your God? How do you
react when neighbors, colleagues,
classmates, or relatives speak
ill of Jehovah and make fun of
his Witnesses? Do you speak up
when Jehovahs name is being
reproached, trusting in his support? True, there is a time to
keep quiet, but we must not be
ashamed of being Witnesses of
Jehovah and followers of Jesus.
(Eccl. 3:1, 7; Mark 8:38) Although
we should be tactful and courteous in dealing with people who
are not favorably disposed, let us
not be like those Israelites who
became terried and were greatly afraid when they heard Goliaths taunting words. (1 Sam. 17:
11) Instead, let us act decisively in
order to sanctify Jehovah Gods
name. Our desire is to help people
to come to know Jehovah as the
God he really is. To that end, we
use his written Word in an eort to
help others to see the importance
of drawing close to God.Jas. 4:8.
w12 11/15 1:5
The weight of the gold that came
to Solomon in one year amounted to six hundred and sixty-six
talents of gold.2 Chron. 9:13.
Solomons annual revenue of
gold alone weighed some 25 tons!
However, what Solomon wrote in
the book of Ecclesiastes shows
that he was not misled into thinking that achievement and joy are
limited to those having wealth or
prominence. Not at all. He wrote:
I have come to know that there
is nothing better for them than

to rejoice and to do good during
ones life; and also that every man
should eat and indeed drink and
see good for all his hard work. It
is the gift of God. (Eccl. 3:12, 13)
And he realized that such pleasures are truly meaningful for the
one who has Gods approval, who
has a good relationship with Him.
Solomon rightly stated: The conclusion of the matter, everything
having been heard, is: Fear the
true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man.Eccl. 12:13.
w12 12/15 1:4, 5
Sunday, February 23
He went throwing the camp of
the Egyptians into confusion.
And he kept taking wheels o
their chariots so that they were
driving them with diculty.
Ex. 14:24, 25.
Compared with Pharaohs military forces in their war chariots, the Israelites move d at a
ponderous pace. Yet, there was
no possibility that the Egyptians
would overtake them, for Jehovah was ghting for Israel. Once
all Israel was safely ashore on
the other side of the Red Sea, Jehovah directed Moses: Stretch
your hand out over the sea, that
the waters may come back over
the Egyptians, their war chariots
and their cavalrymen. As the soldiers tried to ee the onrushing
waters, Jehovah shook the Egyptians o into the midst of the
sea. There was no escape. Not
so much as one among them was
let remain. (Ex. 14:26-28) Jehovah thus showed that he has the
power to deliver his people from
any situation. w12 4/15 4:11, 12
Monday, February 24
A mere saron of the coastal
plain I am, a lily of the low
plains.Song of Sol. 2:1.
To these words of the Shulammite, the shepherd replie d:
Like a lily among thorny weeds,
so is my girl companion among
the daughters! (Song of Sol. 2:2)
Yes, they truly loved each other.
And because they primarily loved
God, their marital bond would be
strong indeed. In fact, the Shulammite said to her beloved shepherd: Place me as a seal upon
your heart, as a seal upon your
arm; because love is as strong as
death is, insistence on exclusive
devotion is as unyielding as Sheol is. Its blazings are the blazings of a re, the ame of Jah
[for it is from him]. Many waters themselves are not able to
extinguish love, nor can rivers
themselves wash it aw ay. If a
man would give all the valuable
things of his house for love, persons would p ositively despise
them. (Song of Sol. 8:6, 7) When
weighing wedlock, why should a
servant of Jehovah settle for anything less? w12 5/15 1:4, 5
I shall put enmity between you
and the woman and between
your seed and her seed.
Gen. 3:15.
So on after the reb ellion in
Eden, Jehovah made a promise
that a woman would produce
a seed. That seed would eventually bruise the serpent, Satan,
in the head. Jehovah later revealed that the seed would come
through Abraham, belong to the
nation of Israel, be a Judean, and
be a descendant of King David.
(Gen. 22:15-18; 49:10; Ps. 89:3, 4;

Luke 1:30-33) The principal part
of that seed proved to be Christ
Jesus. (Gal. 3:16) The secondary
part of the seed is made up of
the spirit-anointed members of
the Christian congregation. (Gal.
3:26-29) Jesus and these anointed ones unite to form Gods Kingdom, the instrument with which
God will crush Satan. (Luke 12:
32; Rom. 16:20) That rst prophecy given in Eden also stated that
Satan would produce a seed. His
seed would express enmity, or hatred, for the seed of the woman.
w12 6/15 1:4, 5
[Peer] into the perfect law that
belongs to freedom.Jas. 1:25.
The perfect law that belongs to
freedom is not the Mosaic Law,
for that code made transgressions manifest and was fullled
in Christ. (Matt. 5:17; Gal. 3:19)
To what law, then, was James referring? He had in mind the law
of the Christ, also called the law
of faith and the law of a free
people. (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 3:27; Jas.
2:12) The perfect law, therefore, encompasses ever ything
that Jehovah requires of us. Both
anointed Christians and the other sheep benet from it. (John
10:16) Unlike the law codes of
many countries, the perfect law
is neither complex nor burdensome but consists of simple commandments and basic principles.
(1 John 5:3) My yoke is kindly
and my load is light, said Jesus.
(Matt. 11:29, 30) Additionally,
the perfect law has no need for
a long list of sanctions, or penalties, for it is founded on love and
is engraved on minds and hearts.
Heb. 8:6, 10. w12 7/15 1:4, 5
The true knowledge will become
abundant.Dan. 12:4.
Following the de ath of the
apostles, foretold apostasy from
genuine Christianity developed
and spread like re. (Acts 20:2830; 2 Thess. 2:1-3) For centuries
thereafter, the true knowledge
w as far from abundant. However, in the 1870s, a small group
of sincere Christians in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., met together
to study the Bible diligently and
to search for the true knowledge. They called themselves Bible Students. These were not the
wise and intellectual ones from
whom Jesus said that knowledge
was to be hidden. (Matt. 11:25)
They were humble people who
sincerely desired to do Gods will.
Carefully and prayerfully, they
read, discussed, and meditated
on the Scriptures. They also compared Bible passages and examined the writings of others who
had made a similar search. Gradually, these Bible Students came
to discern truths that had been
obscured for centuries. w12 8/15
1:3, 4
Saturday, March 1
Become imitators of God.
Eph. 5:1.
One way to imitate Jehovah is
to adopt his viewpoint regarding
matters. Jehovah hates sin, and
so should we. Indeed, we ought
to move as far away from wrongdoing as possible and not see how
close we can get to it without being overcome by sin. For instance,
we need to guard against succumbing to apostasy, a sin that
would make us unt to glorify
Friday, February 28
His days shall amount to a
hundred and twenty years.
Gen. 6:3.
Jehovah did not have the ark
built and then decide when to
bring the floodwaters, as if he
needed to keep the timing of the
start of the Flood exible in case
the construction project ran behind schedule. Rather, long before he said anything to Noah
about building an ark, God xed
the time for the Flood to begin.
How do we know that? From Jehovahs words in todays text.
This was not a statement regarding the average human lifespan.
It was a judicial decree in which
Jehovah declared when he would
act to cleanse the earth of ungodliness. Since the Flood began in 2370 B.C.E., we infer
that God made this pronouncement in 2490 B.C.E. At that time,
Noah was 480 years old. (Gen. 7:6)
Some 20 years later, in the year
2470 B.C.E., Noahs sons began
to be born. (Gen. 5:32) About one
hundred years remained before
the Flood was to begin. w12 4/15
4:4, 5
God. (Deut. 13:6-9) Let us therefore have nothing to do with apostates or anyone who claims to be
a brother but who is dishonoring God. This should be the case
even if he is a family member.
(1 Cor. 5:11) We are not beneted
by trying to refute the arguments
of apostates or those who are critical of Jehovahs organization. In
fact, it is spiritually dangerous
and improper to peruse their information, whether it appears in
written form or it is found on the
Internet.Isa. 5:20; Matt. 7:6.
w12 5/15 4:12, 13
Sunday, March 2
I came to be beside him as a
master worker, and I came to be
the one he was specially fond of
day by day.Prov. 8:30.
It is logical that the bond between Jehovah and Jesus became
stronger as they worked together
and as the Son learned to imitate
his Fathers qualities. (Prov. 8:22,
23, 31) With the creation of other
intelligent creatures, the Son saw
how Jehovah dealt with each one,
and his appreciation for Gods
p ersonality surely de ep ene d.
Even the challenge that Satan
later launched against the rightfulness of Jehovahs sovereignty
gave the Son an opportunity to
learn how Jehovah would exercise
love, justice, wisdom, and power when He was confronted with
a dicult situation. This would,
in turn, no doubt have prepared
Jesus to cope with the diculties
that he himself later encountered
in his ministry on earth. (John 5:
19) Because of his close relationship with Jehovah, the Son explained the Father in richer detail than anyone else could ever
do. w12 4/15 1:6-8
Monday, March 3
There are seven kings: ve have
fallen, one is, the other has not
yet arrived.Rev. 17:10.
The rst head of the beast mentioned at Revelation 17:3 represents Egypt. Why? Because Egypt
was the rst major power to express enmity tow ard Go ds
people. The descendants of Abrahamthrough whom the promised seed of the woman would
comegrew numerous in Egypt.
Then, Egypt oppressed Israel. Satan attempted to wipe out Gods
people before the seed could arrive. How? By motivating Pharaoh to execute all male Israelite
children. Jehovah thwarted that
attempt and liberated his people
from enslavement to Egypt. (Ex.
1:15-20; 14:13) The second head
of the beast represents Assyria. This mighty kingdom also attempted to wipe out Gods people by attacking Jerusalem. Satan
may have had the goal of obliterating the royal line that would
eventually lead to Jesus. Jehovah
miraculously delivered his faithful people by destroying the invaders.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 what
is good.Amos 5:15.
The boundaries that Jehovah
has set for his intelligent creatures are for their benet and
protection. Take, for example,
the physical laws that govern energy and matter. People do not
complain of being oppressed by
those laws. Rather, they appreciate them, recognizing that natural laws are essential for their
welfare. Likewise, Jehovahs
moral and spiritual standards,
reected in the perfect law of
the Christ, are for mans benet.
(Jas. 1:25) This law also allows us
to satisfy all our proper desires
without harming ourselves or encroaching on the rights and freedoms of others. The secret, then,
to being truly freebeing able to
do what we desireis to cultivate
the right desires, those that harmonize with Jehovahs personality and standards. In other words,
we have to learn to love what Jehovah loves and to hate what he
hates, which the law of freedom
helps us to do. w12 7/15 1:6, 7
Wednesday, March 5
The words are made secret and
sealed up until the time of the
end.Dan. 12:9.
Today, we can grasp the meaning of prophecies that remained a
secret for ages but are now being fullled in this time of the
end. These include those found
throughout the Scriptures, especially in the Gospels and the book
of Revelation. Jehovah has even
helped us understand events that
we could not see with our eyes
the enthronement of Jesus, the
war in heaven, and the hurling
of Satan down to the earth. (Rev.
12:7-12) God has also given us insight into the meaning of what we
can seewars, earthquakes, pestilences, food shortages, as well
as godless people who contribute
to these critical times hard to
deal with. (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 21:
10, 11) How grateful we are that
the helper, Gods holy spirit,
has been sent to guide Jesus followers into all the truth! (John
16:7, 13) May we always treasure
the true knowledge and unselfishly share it with others!Dan.
12:4. w12 8/15 1:7, 8
Thursday, March 6
Whenever it is that they are saying: Peace and security! then
sudden destruction is to be
instantly upon them.
1 Thess. 5:3.
The rst phase of this sudden destruction is the attack
against Babylon the Great, the
world empire of false religion,
also known as the harlot. (Rev.
17:5, 6, 15) That attack against
all forms of false religion, including Christendom, is the start of
the great tribulation. (Matt. 24:
21; 2 Thess. 2:8) Gods Word iden-
ties the harlots attacker as a

wild beast with ten horns. A
study of the book of Revelation
shows that the wild beast refers
to the United Nations (UN). The
ten horns represent all present
p olitical p owers that supp ort
this scarlet-colored wild beast.
(Rev. 17:3, 5, 11, 12) How devastating will the attack be? The nations of the UN will plunder the
harlots wealth, expose her real
character, devour her, and completely burn her. Her destruction will be nal.Rev. 17:16.
w12 9/15 1:3, 5, 6
Friday, March 7
Have you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress?
Your power will be scanty.
Prov. 24:10.
In todays world so full of disasters, challenges, and pressures,
many feel overwhelmed. Even
some Christians have felt that
way. Lani, who was enjoying the
full-time service in Australia,
says that when she was diagnosed
with breast cancer, it was devastating and struck like a bolt of
lightning. She says, The treatments made me very ill, and I
was left with no self-esteem. On
top of everything else, she had
to care for her husband, who had
undergone spinal surgery. If we
nd ourselves in such a situation,
what can we do? We do well to remember that Satan wants to use
the tribulations we suer to undermine our faith. However, we
must not allow him to sap our
joy in this way. Meditating on
Biblical examples of servants of
God who faced lifes trials with
courage will help us to muster
up courage in the face of any adversities that we may encounter.
w12 10/15 1:8, 9
Saturday, March 8
It is unthinkable, on my part,
from Jehovahs standpoint, that
I should do this thing to my lord,
the anointed of Jehovah.
1 Sam. 24:6.
After David ed from him, Saul
took 3,000 chosen men out of all
Israel and went looking for David
in the wilderness. (1 Sam. 24:2)
Eventually, Saul unknowingly
went into the very cave where David and his men were. David could
have used this opp ortunity to
eliminate the king who threatened his life. After all, it was
Gods will for David to replace
Saul as king of Israel. (1 Sam. 16:
1, 13) Indeed, if David had listened to the advice of his men,
the king would have been killed.
(1 Sam. 24:4-7) But Saul was still
Gods anointed king. David did
not want to rob Saul of the kingship, since Jehovah had not yet
removed him. By only cutting o
the skirt of Sauls sleeveless coat,
David showed that he had no intention of harming Saul.1 Sam.
24:11. w12 11/15 1:8
Sunday, March 9
If you should suer for the sake
of righteousness, you are happy.
1 Pet. 3:14.
To cope with trials successfully, we need faith and courage.
What is faith? The apostle Paul
wrote: Faith is the title-deed
to the things we hope for. Faith
is being sure of things we cannot see. (Heb. 11:1, The Simple English Bible) If property has
been deeded to us, we are condent that we own it. Since we
have faith that God always fullls
his word, it is as though we are
holding a valuable deed. Our faith

makes us certain that we will see
the fulllment of the Bible-based
promises we hope for, and we are
sure about spiritual realities, although we cannot see them. Courage has been dened as spiritual,
emotional, and moral fortitude to
speak and act without fear in the
face of obstacles and dangers.
(The New Interpreters Dictionary
of the Bible) If we have courage,
we are strong, valiant, even bold
at times.Mark 6:49, 50; 2 Tim.
1:7. w13 1/15 1:1-3
Monday, March 10
Solomon began to do what was
bad in the eyes of Jehovah.
1 Ki. 11:6.
Solomon eventually straye d
from the course of faithful obedience. Gods Word states: It came
about in the time of Solomons
growing old that his wives themselves had inclined his heart to
follow other gods; and his heart
did not prove to be complete with
Jehovah his God like the heart
of David his father. (1 Ki. 11:4)
Rightly displeased, Jehovah told
Solomon: For the reason that
. . . you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I laid in
command upon you, I shall without fail rip the kingdom away
from o you, and I shall certainly
give it to your servant. (1 Ki. 11:
11) How tragic! Though Solomon
had been a success in many ways,
in time he disappointed Jehovah.
In the most important area of life
faithfulness to GodSolomon
failed. Each of us can ask, Am I
determined to make sure that the
lesson learned from Solomons
life will help me to be a success?
w12 12/15 1:7, 8
Tuesday, March 11
Keep on reproving them with severity, that they may be healthy
in the faith.Titus 1:13.
For some who committed serious sins, their conduct has required that they be disfellowshippe d. For those who have
been trained by it, the discipline
has helped them to become spiritually restored. (Heb. 12:11) What
if we have a relative or a close
friend who is disfellowshipped?
Now our loyalty is on the line, not
to that person, but to God. Jehovah is watching us to see whether we will abide by his command
not to have contact with anyone
who is disfellowshipped. (1 Cor.
5:11-13) We live in a treacherous,
disloyal world. Yet, all around us
in the Christian congregation, we
can nd loyal examples to imitate. Their life course speaks for
them, as if to say: You are witnesses, God is also, how loyal
and righteous and unblamable
we proved to be to you believers.
(1 Thess. 2:10) May we all remain
ever steadfast in our loyalty to
God and to one another. w12 4/15
2:16, 18
Wednesday, March 12
He is changing times and seasons, removing kings and setting
up kings.Dan. 2:21.
Jehovah Go d provide d the
means to measure time long before he cre ate d man. On the
fourth creative day, God said:
Let luminaries come to be in the
expanse of the heavens to make
a division between the day and
the night; and they must serve as
signs and for seasons and for days
and years. (Gen. 1:14, 19, 26) In
harmony with Jehovahs will, that
is, of course, what took place.

Until now, however, scientists
have debated the nature of time.
Time is one of the worlds deepest mysteries, states one encyclopedia. No one can say exactly what it is. Yet, Jehovah fully
understands time. After all, he is
the Creator of the heavens, . . .
the Former of the earth and the
Maker of it. Jehovah is also the
One telling from the beginning
the nale, and from long ago the
things 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 ood
came and swept them all away.
Matt. 24:39.
Most of mankind today take no
note of the warnings that Gods
servants proclaim. Many even deride the idea of Gods intervening in human affairsas people did in Noahs day. (2 Pet. 3:
3-7) Yet, in that hostile environment, how did Noah use his
time? After being informed of
Gods intentions and receiving
his commission, Noah built an
ark to preserve men and animals
alive. (Gen. 6:13, 14, 22) Noah also
proclaimed Jehovahs impending judgment. The apostle Peter calls him a preacher of righteousness, indicating that Noah
strove to help his neighbors appreciate the gravity of their situation. (2 Pet. 2:5) Do you think
that it would have been reasonable for Noah and his family to
focus their eorts on developing
a business, getting ahead among
their contemporaries, or establishing a comfortable lifestyle?
Of course not! Knowing what lay
ahead, they avoided such distractions. w12 6/15 3:3, 4
Friday, March 14
Though against me war should
rise, even then I shall be
trusting.Ps. 27:3.
Why is our preaching activity
on the increase despite worsening world conditions? Why do we
give freely of our time and energy
while many are experiencing economic reversals? How can we remain courageous when many others fear the future? An inspired
song of King David, recorded in
Psalm 27, gives us the answers.
David begins this psalm with the
words: Jehovah is my light and
my salvation. Of whom shall I be
in fear? Jehovah is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I
be in dread? (Ps. 27:1) While
fear can exert a weakening inuence, the feeling of dread is even
more severe. But no underlying
dre ad should agitate one who
fears Jehovah. (1 Pet. 3:14) When
we make Jehovah our stronghold,
we will reside in security and be
undisturbed from dread of calamity.Prov. 1:33; 3:25. w12 7/15
3:1, 2
Saturday, March 15
Go therefore and make disciples
of people of all the nations.
Matt. 28:19.
Citizens of human governments
will publicly rally support for a
political party, even going from
door to door to do so. On a much
larger scale, Kingdom citizens
vigorously support Gods Kingdom both on the street and from
door to door. In fact, The Watchtower, which announces Jehovahs Kingdom, is now the most
widely distribute d j ournal on
earth! One of the greatest priv-
ileges we have is that of telling

others about Gods Kingdom.
Are you zealously engaging in
the preaching work? Soon Gods
Kingdom will be the only government ruling the earth. It will
oversee all aspects of daily life,
not only spiritual but also civil. Will you be a good citizen of
Gods Kingdom at that time? Now
is the time to prove that you will
be. In all the decisions you make
each day, do all things for Jehovahs glory and thus prove that
you are carrying on as a good citizen of Gods Kingdom.1 Cor.
10:31. w12 8/15 2:15, 16
Sunday, March 16
Look! I am making all things
new.Rev. 21:5.
Do we yearn for the day when
God makes all things new, removing the problems we now face?
Though we have ample reason for
believing that the end of Satans
system is very near, it can be difcult to wait patiently for that
day. Yet, the Bible shows that we
must have patience. Like Gods
servants before us, we will receive what God has promised if
we have strong faith and wait patiently for his time to fulll those
promises. (Heb. 6:11, 12) Jehovah himself has been patient. He
could have put an end to wickedness at any time, but he is waiting
for the right time. (Rom. 9:20-24)
Jehovah has been patient, knowing that it would take time to answer the questions raised by the
rebellion in Eden. Having thorough knowledge of the deeds and
attitudes of individuals in heaven
and on earth, he certainly is acting in our best interests.Heb. 4:
13. w12 9/15 3:1-3
Monday, March 17
Keep proving what you yourselves are.2 Cor. 13:5.
Whether you are newly baptized or have been serving God
for decades, you need to examine yourself periodically. Proving
true to our dedication vow means
that we must be faithful in all
matters. For example: Are you
married? Then continue to honor the precious vow you made to
love and cherish your marriage
mate. Have you signed a business
contract or lled out an application form for theocratic privileges? Then be true to your commitments and to what you have
promised. Have you accepted an
invitation to a meal by someone
of humble means? Then do not
cancel it if a seemingly better invitation is made by someone else.
Or have you promised someone
you met in the house-to-house
ministry that you would call again
to give that person further spiritual help? Then by all means let
your Yes mean Yes, and Jehovah
will bless your ministry.Matt. 5:
37; Luke 16:10. w12 10/15 4:14, 15
Tuesday, March 18
I exhort you as aliens and temporary residents.1 Pet. 2:11.
Peter spoke of those who, like
him, had been anointed by holy
spirit and given a new birth to a
living hope to rule with Christ in
the heavens. (1 Pet. 1:3, 4) It was
tting to apply the term temporary residents to anointed ones
in the rst century. As is true of
the remnant of this group alive
today, their existence on earth
was not permanent. The apostle Paul, himself a member of the
anointed little ock, explained:

As for us, our citizenship exists
in the heavens, from which place
also we are eagerly waiting for
a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Luke 12:32; Phil. 3:20) Given that
their citizenship exists in the
heavens, at death anointed ones
will leave the earthly scene for
something far better, immortal
life in the heavens. (Phil. 1:21-23)
Thus, in a very literal way, they
could be termed mere temporary residents of the earth under
Satans control. w12 12/15 3:1, 2
Wednesday, March 19
He that conducts himself as a
lesser one among all of you is the
one that is great.Luke 9:48.
The year was 32 C.E. Jesus was
in the district of Galilee when difculties arose. A few of his apostles were arguing about who was
the greatest among them. (Luke
9:46-48) Patiently but rmly, Jesus helped the apostles to see
the need for humility. The Greek
word translate d lesser one
means someone who is modest,
humble, lowly, insignicant, or of
little esteem and inuence. Jesus
used a young child to make clear
to his apostles that they should
be humble and modest. That admonition is as applicable to true
Christians today as it was in the
rst century. We may nd it challenging to conduct ourselves as
lesser onesat least in some circumstances. The human tendency toward pride may motivate us
to seek prominence. The competitive environment in which we
live and the spirit of the world
might inuence us to be egotistical, combative, or manipulative.
w12 11/15 3:1, 3
Thursday, March 20
The blessing of Jehovahthat is
what makes rich, and he adds
no pain with it.Prov. 10:22.
If you are a young person who is
contemplating a career, how can
you choose the right path? Would
training and employment in the
eld that you are considering allow you to pursue Kingdom interests more fully, or would it distance you from Jehovah? (2 Tim.
4:10) Is your goal to imitate the
lifestyle of people whose happiness rises and falls dep ending on the size of their bank account or stock portfolio? Or will
you choose to reect the condence of David, who wrote: A
young man I used to be, I have
also grown old, and yet I have not
seen anyone righteous left entirely, nor his ospring looking for
bread? (Ps. 37:25) Remember,
one path will distance you from
Jehovah, while the other path
will lead you to the best life ever.
(Mal. 3:10) Which path will you
choose? w13 1/15 2:10
Friday, March 21
When you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, . . . begin eeing to the
mountains.Matt. 24:15, 16.
For the Christians who had ed
to the mountains, heeding Jesus
instructions meant saving their
lives. They saw rsthand that Jehovah knows how to deliver his
people. What lesson can we learn
from this account? As events unfold during the great tribulation,
Christians will need to heed instructions from Gods Word and
organization. For example, Jesus command to begin eeing
to the mountains has a modernday application. Just what form

our ight will take remains to be
seen. However, we can be sure
that Jehovah will make clear the
meaning of those instructions
when the time comes for us to follow them. Since our deliverance
will depend on obedience, we do
well to ask ourselves: How do I
respond to instructions that Jehovah provides for his people
now? Am I quick to respond, or
do I hesitate to obey?Jas. 3:17.
w12 4/15 4:13, 15, 16
Saturday, March 22
She is free to be married to whom
she wants, only in the Lord.
1 Cor. 7:39.
Jehovah cares ab out your
choice of marriage mate. With regard to inhabitants of Canaan,
the Israelites were commanded:
You must form no marriage alliance with them. Your daughter
you must not give to his son, and
his daughter you must not take
for your son. For he will turn your
son from following me, and they
will certainly serve other gods;
and Jehovahs anger will indeed
blaze against you, and he will certainly annihilate you in a hurry. (Deut. 7:3, 4) Centuries later, Ezra the priest declared: You
yourselves have acted unfaithfully in that you gave a dwelling to
foreign wives so as to add to the
guiltiness of Israel. (Ezra 10:10)
If a dedicated servant of Jehovah married an unbeliever, this
would be an act of disobedience
to God. And it would be illogical
to expect blessings while admitting in prayer, Jehovah, I deliberately disobeyed you, but please
bless me anyway. w12 5/15 1:6, 7
Sunday, March 23
The thoughts of men . . . are as
an exhalation.Ps. 94:11.
The vast and reliable wisdom
found in the Bible indicates that
the book is from a Source higher than man. The apostle Paul
wrote: Who has come to know
the mind of Jehovah, that he may
instruct him? (1 Cor. 2:16) That
verse is based on what the prophet Isaiah asked those of his day:
Who has taken the proportions
of the spirit of Jehovah, and who
as his man of counsel can make
him know anything? (Isa. 40:
13) The answer, of course, is no
one. No wonder that applying
Scriptural counsel on marriage,
children, entertainment, association, industriousness, honesty, and morality brings superior
results! We never get bad advice
from the Bible. Humans, on the
other hand, are simply not wise
enough to recommend what always works. (Jer. 10:23) Their advice is constantly being revised
and updated as they come to realize that earlier advice was awed.
w12 6/15 4:11
Monday, March 24
Let each one of you individually
so love his wife as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife
should have deep respect for her
husband.Eph. 5:33.
The Bible compares Christs relationship with the congregation to that of a husband with
his wife. This should at once impress on us the direction a husband should give and the love
and care he needs to exercise
as well as the subjection the
wife should manifestwithin
the marital union. (Eph. 5:22-
32) When Paul wrote: In this

way husbands ought to be loving their wives as their own bodies, about which way was he
speaking? (Eph. 5:28) His preceding words drew attention to the
way in which Christ also loved
the congregation and delivered
up himself for it, . . . cleansing it
with the bath of water by means
of the word. Indeed, to work in
harmony with Jehovahs purpose
for gathering all things together again in the Christ, a husband
must be alert to feed his family
spiritually. w12 7/15 4:15
Tuesday, March 25
What God has yoked together let
no man put apart.Matt. 19:6.
To avoid the pit of adultery,
reect on the meaning of marital commitment. Never think
that your theocratic privileges
are more important than your
spouse. Moreover, be aware that
frequently spending time away
from your mate for nonessential
activities may indicate a weakness in your marriage and can
lead to temptation and possibly
to serious sin. If you are an elder,
though, what about the ock?
The apostle Peter wrote: Shepherd the ock of God in your care,
not under compulsion, but willingly; neither for love of dishonest gain, but eagerly. (1 Pet.
5:2) Congregation members in
your care certainly should not
be ignored. However, you should
not fulfill your role as a shepherd at the expense of your role
as a husband. It would be pointlesseven dangerousto focus
all your attention on feeding the
congregation while your mate is
starving at home. w12 8/15 4:
14, 15
Wednesday, March 26
[Holy spirit] will guide you into
all the truth.John 16:13.
Just as anointed Christians do,
alert members of the great crowd
are sticking close to Gods appointed channel for dispensing
spiritual food. (Ps. 119:130) Thus
strengthene d, they to o prove
themselves ready for Christs return, staying active even under
serious trial. In one Nazi prison
camp, for example, at rst the
brothers had only one copy of the
Bible. So they prayed for further spiritual food. Shortly thereafter they learned that a newly
imprisoned brother had managed
to smuggle a few new issues of
The Watchtower into the camp inside his wooden leg. Among the
survivors was an anointed brother named Ernst Wauer, who later recalled: Jehovah helped us
in a marvelous way to commit to
memory the fortifying thoughts
in the articles. Then he said:
Nowadays, it is so easy to get
spiritual food, but do we always
appreciate it? w12 9/15 4:14
Thursday, March 27
We all stumble many times.
Jas. 3:2.
What should we do upon realizing that we have committed a
sin like that mentioned at Leviticus 5:4? If we confess the specific sin to Jehovah, he will mercifully forgive us through the oce
of our High Priest, Jesus Christ.
(1 John 2:1, 2) To remain in Gods
favor, however, we must show
fruits that bet repentance by
not making a practice of such sins
and by doing our best to make
amends for any harm done by our
thoughtless speech. (Prov. 6:2, 3)

Of course, it is far better to think
carefully before making promises that we are unable to fulll.
(Eccl. 5:2) By proving faithful in
the nal test at the end of Jesus
Millennial Reign, we will never
again have reason to doubt anyones word. (Rev. 20:7-10) Every
Yes will mean Yes, and every No,
No. (Matt. 5:37) For everyone
then living will be a perfect imitator of our loving heavenly Father,
Jehovah, the God of truth.Ps.
31:5. w12 10/15 4:16, 18
Friday, March 28
Look! Your house is abandoned
to you.Matt. 23:38.
After Jesus w as sent to the
earth and the one perfect ransom sacrice was provided, Jehovah no longer accepted Israels
animal sacrices. (1 John 4:9, 10)
As a man, Jesus reected his Fathers viewpoint when he spoke
these moving words: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the
prophets and stoner of those sent
forth to her,how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her
chicks together under her wings!
But you people did not want it.
(Matt. 23:37) Thus, the sinful and
unrepentant nation was replaced
by spiritual Israel. (Matt. 21:43;
Gal. 6:16) But what about individual members of natural Israel?
They are welcome to benet from
Jehovahs forgiveness and mercy by exercising faith in God and
in the sacrice of Jesus Christ.
That opp ortunity will also b e
open to people who died without
repenting of their sins but who
are resurrected on a cleansed
earth.John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.
w12 11/15 4:16
Saturday, March 29
[Moses] continued steadfast as
seeing the One who is invisible.
Heb. 11:27.
We understand that se cular
work and money can help us to
care for our needs. We know that
re cre ation can refresh us and
that technology can be useful.
But pursuing any of these things
at the wrong time, to an extreme
degree, or in a way that interferes with our worship could distance us from Jehovah. Satan, of
course, would like that to happen. Still, you can prevent such a
calamity from befalling you and
your family! (Prov. 22:3) Draw
close to Jehovah, and stay close to
him. We have many Bible examples to instruct us in this regard.
Enoch and Noah walked with the
true God. (Gen. 5:22; 6:9) Jesus had Gods constant support
because he always did what was
pleasing to his heavenly Father.
(John 8:29) Imitate such examples. Always be rejoicing. Pray
incessantly. In connection with
everything give thanks. (1 Thess.
5:16-18) And let nothing distance
you from Jehovah! w13 1/15 3:
19, 20
Sunday, March 30
God saw everything he had made
and, look! it was very good.
Gen. 1:31.
Having reviewed his creative
works, Jehovah God announced
the beginning of a seventh day
not a 24-hour day, but a long
period of time during which he
has rested from further works of
e arthly cre ation. (Gen. 2:2)
Gods rest day still has not ended.
(Heb. 4:9, 10) The Bible does not
reveal exactly when it started.
It was some time after the cre-
ation of Adams wife, Eve, about

6,000 years ago. Ahead of us lies
the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, which will ensure the
fulllment of Gods purpose in
creating the earth to be an everlasting paradise lled with perfect mankind. (Gen. 1:27, 28; Rev.
20:6) Can you be sure that you will
have such a happy future? Indeed
you can! For God proceeded to
bless the seventh day and make
it sacred. This was a guarantee
that no matter what unforeseen
problems might arise, Gods purpose would unfailingly come true
by the end of his rest day.Gen.
2:3. w12 10/15 3:1, 2
Monday, March 31
We are fellow workers for your
joy.2 Cor. 1:24.
With that expression, Paul referred to himself and his close
associates. Why do we draw that
conclusion? Well, in the same letter, Paul reminded the Corinthians of two of these associates
when he wrote: Jesus . . . was
preached among you through us,
that is, through me and Silvanus
and Timothy. (2 Cor. 1:19) Moreover, whenever Paul used the
term fellow workers in his letters, it always referred to his close
associates, such as Apollos, Aquila, Prisca, Timothy, Titus, and
others. (Rom. 16:3, 21; 1 Cor. 3:
6-9; 2 Cor. 8:23) Hence, by saying: We are fellow workers for
your joy, Paul assured the Corinthians that he and his companions wanted to do all they could to
promote the joy of all members of
the congregation. Today, Christian elders have the same desire.
They want to do all they can to
help their brothers to serve Jehovah with rejoicing.Ps. 100:2;
Phil. 1:25. w13 1/15 5:4
Tuesday, April 1
I was making greater progress in
Judaism than many of my own
age.Gal. 1:14.
Fluent in Hebrew and Greek,
Saul had Roman citizenship,
which accorde d him muchcoveted privileges and rights.
Had he chosen to ke ep pursuing such worldly success, he
could likely have gained personal prominence and nancial security. Instead, he chose a course
that to othersperhaps even to
some relativesse eme d to b e
sheer folly. Why? Paul loved Jehovah and desired his approval more than riches and prominence among men. Gaining an
accurate knowledge of the truth,
Paul came to value the ransom,
the Christian ministry, the hope
of life in heaventhings that the
world largely ignores. No matter what trials came his way, Paul
was determined to be faithful to
God, to endure in true worship.
That is a goal that is lacking on
the worlds agenda for success.
Do you share Pauls determination? w12 12/15 1:10-12
Wednesday, April 2
My son, know the God of your
father and serve him with a
complete heart.1 Chron. 28:9.
Gods Word often refers in a gurative way to parts of the human
body. For instance, the patriarch
Job stated: There is no violence
upon my palms. King Solomon
observed: A report that is good
makes the bones fat. Jehovah assured Ezekiel: Harder than int,
I have made your forehead. And
the apostle Paul was told: You
are introducing some things that
are strange to our ears. (Job 16:

17; Prov. 15:30; Ezek. 3:9; Acts 17:
20) One part of the human body,
though, is referred to guratively
in the Bible far more often than
any other. It is the one mentioned
in a prayer by faithful Hannah:
My heart do es exult in Jehovah. (1 Sam. 2:1) In fact, Bible
writers mention the heart nearly
a thousand times, almost always
in a gurative sense. It is of utmost importance that we understand what the heart represents
because the Bible states that we
need to safeguard it.Prov. 4:23.
w12 4/15 3:1, 2
Thursday, April 3
Who has created these things?
Isa. 40:26.
In the physical world, precise
timing can be seen on a microscopic as well as on a macroscopic scale. Atoms vibrate at
consistent rates. International
time-standard clocks regulated by atomic vibrations are accurate to 1 second in 80 million
years. The movement of planets
and stars is also precisely timed.
Their predictable positions in
the sky have been used to mark
the seasons and to navigate. Jehovahthe Maker of these reliable timepiecesis indeed vigorous in power and deserves our
praise. Precise timing can be observed in the world of biology.
The life cycles of many plants and
animals are regulated by internal
clocks. Many birds instinctively
know when to begin their migration. (Jer. 8:7) Humans too have
internal clocks, usually governed
by the 24-hour cycle of day and
night. (Ps. 104:24) Yes, the Great
Timekeeper is all-wise and allpowerful. w12 5/15 3:3, 4
Friday, April 4
The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and proceeded to lay
siege to it.Dan. 1:1.
Jehovah allowed the Babylonians to overthrow Jerusalem
and to take his people into captivity. (2 Ki. 20:16-18) He foretold that the line of human kings
who were said to sit on Jehovahs
throne in Jerusalem would be remove d. (1 Chron. 29:23) However, Jehovah also promised that
a descendant of King David, one
who had the legal right, would
come and reclaim that authority.
(Ezek. 21:25-27) Another prophecy indicated that the Jews would
still be worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem when the promised Messiah, or Anointed One,
arrived. (Dan. 9:24-27) An earlier prophecy, written before Israel was taken captive to Babylon,
stated that this person would be
born in Bethlehem. (Mic. 5:2) If
those prophecies were to be fullled, the Jews would have to be
liberated from captivity, return to
their homeland, and rebuild the
temple. w12 6/15 1:9-11
Saturday, April 5
He who peers into the perfect
law that belongs to freedom and
who persists in it . . . will be happy in his doing it.Jas. 1:25.
The original Greek word translated peers means to stoop to
look into, which implies concentrated eort. Yes, if we want
the law of freedom to aect our
mind and heart, we must do our
part by diligently studying the
Bible and prayerfully meditating on what we read. (1 Tim. 4:15)
At the same time, we must persist, or endure, in applying Gods
Word, thus making the truth our

way of life. Jesus expresse d a
similar thought when he said to
some who believed in him: If
you remain in my word, you are
really my disciples, and you will
know the truth, and the truth will
set you free. (John 8:31, 32) We
know the truth in the fullest
sense when we make it our way
of life. Then we can rightly say
that the word of God is at work
in us, molding our personality so
that we more closely reect our
heavenly Father.1 Thess. 2:13.
w12 7/15 1:10, 11
Sunday, April 6
Happy are the eyes that behold
the things you are beholding.
Luke 10:23.
In April 1881, a call for 1,000
pre achers w as issue d in the
Watch Tower. That call showed
that the Bible Students recognized that an essential work of
true Christians is to preach the
go o d news. But the call for
1,000 full-time preachers was optimistic, since only a few hundred attended the meetings of
the Bible Students at that time.
After reading a tract or a magazine, however, many people recognize d the ring of truth and
readily responded to the call. For
example, after reading an issue
of the Watch Tower and a booklet
published by the Bible Students,
in 1882 a reader from London,
England, wrote: Please instruct
me how and what to preach so as
to accomplish the blessed work
God wishes done. By 1885, about
300 Bible Students were sharing
in the colporteur service. Those
full-time ministers had the same
objective as we do todaythat of
making disciples of Jesus Christ.
w12 8/15 1:8-11
Monday, April 7
You will be bound to come up
against my people.
Ezek. 38:16.
Knowing in advance about this
attack on Gods people does not
make us overly anxious. Rather, our main concern is, not our
own salvation, but the sanctication of Jehovahs name and the
vindication of his sovereignty. In
fact, Jehovah declared more than
60 times: You will have to know
that I am Jehovah. (Ezek. 6:7;
see footnote.) Hence, we look forw ard with intense interest to
the fulllment of that outstanding aspect of Ezekiels prophecy, trusting that Jehovah knows
how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial. (2 Pet. 2:9)
Meanwhile, we want to use every
opportunity to strengthen our
faith so that we will be able to
keep our integrity to Jehovah no
matter what tests we may face.
What should we do? We should
pray, study Gods Word and meditate on it, and share the Kingdom
message with others. By doing so,
we keep our hope of everlasting
life rm, like an anchor.Heb.
6:19; Ps. 25:21. w12 9/15 1:8, 9
Tuesday, April 8
God proceeded to bless the seventh day and make it sacred, because on it he has been resting
from all his work that God has
created for the purpose of
making.Gen. 2:3.
After Gods rest day began, disaster struck. Satan, an angelic son of God, set himself up as
a rival god. He told the rst lie
and deceived Eve so that she disobeyed Jehovah. (1 Tim. 2:14)
Eve, in turn, got her husband to
join the rebellion. (Gen. 3:1-6)

Even at that low point in universal history when Gods truthfulness w as b eing calle d into
question, Jehovah did not see the
need to conrm with an oath that
his purpose would still come true.
Instead, in words that would be
understood in Gods due time,
he simply stated how the rebellion would be crushed: I shall
put enmity between you [Satan]
and the woman and between your
seed and her seed. He [the promised Seed] will bruise you in the
head and you will bruise him in
the heel.Gen. 3:15; Rev. 12:9.
w12 10/15 3:2, 3
Wednesday, April 9
Make known to me the way in
which I should walk.Ps. 143:8.
We may face a challenging situation in which our associates try
to pressure us into following their
human reasoning instead of supporting us in doing Jehovahs will.
Some may even encourage us to
take action without considering
Gods will in connection with a
particular matter. (1 Sam. 26:811) To stand rm, we need to have
clearly in mind Jehovahs view
of the matter and to be determined to stick to his ways. David
prayed to Jehovah God: Teach
me to do your will. (Ps. 143:5, 10)
Rather than relying on his own
ideas or giving in to another persons urgings, David was eager
to be taught by God. He meditated on all of Jehovahs activity and willingly kept himself concerned with the work of Gods
own hands. We ourselves can discern Gods will by delving into
the Scriptures and meditating on
the many Biblical accounts of Jehovahs dealings with humans.
w12 11/15 1:10, 11
Thursday, April 10
Who the Father is, no one knows
but the Son, and he to whom the
Son is willing to reveal him.
Luke 10:22.
Jesus revealed the Father to his
disciples by means of his conduct. So when Philip asked Jesus:
Show us the Father, Jesus could
rightly say: He that has seen me
has seen the Father also. (John
14:8, 9) When a leper begged Jesus to cure him, Jesus touched
the man who was full of leprosy and told him: I want to. Be
made clean. Upon being cured,
the leper no doubt could see Jehovahs hand in what Jesus did.
(Luke 5:12, 13) Also, at the time
of Lazarus death, the disciples
must have felt the Fathers compassion when Jesus groaned in
the spirit and became troubled
and gave way to tears. Though
Jesus knew that he was going
to resurrect Lazarus, he felt the
pain that was evident among Lazarus family and friends.John
11:32-35, 40-43. w12 4/15 1:10
Memorial Bible reading:
(Daytime events: Nisan 9)
John 12:12-19; Mark 11:1-11
Friday, April 11
Love one another.
John 13:34.
Love makes us want to do good
things for other people. (Rom. 13:
8-10) For example, love for our
spouse will keep the marriage
bed free of delement. Love for
the elders, coupled with respect
for their work, will help us to be
obedient and submissive to their
direction. Children who love their
parents obey and honor them and
do not speak negatively about
them. If we love our fellow humans, we will not view them as
inferior or speak to them disrespectfully. (Jas. 3:9) And elders

who love Gods sheep will treat
them with tenderness. (Acts 20:
28, 29) The quality of love should
also stand out in our ministry.
Despite the apathy or negative
response of some, we will keep
on preaching the good news. If
we truly love God and our neighbor, we will view the Kingdompreaching work as a great privilege and will carry it out joyfully.
Matt. 10:7. w12 5/15 4:14-16
John 12:20-50
Saturday, April 12
This good news of the kingdom
will be preached.Matt. 24:14.
It was Jehovahs purpose that
the descendants of Adam and Eve
ll the earth. When Satan seduced Eve and then Adam disobeyed, God did not abandon his
purpose. He did not panic, make
hasty decisions, or overreact, giving up on the human family. Instead, he conceived a way to accomplish what he purposed for
humans and for planet Earth.
(Isa. 55:11) Jehovah has exercised great self-control and patience, even waiting thousands of
years for some aspects of his purpose to work out the best way. Jehovah has also waited patiently so that more people can have
everlasting life. Right now, he
is making preparations to save
a great crowd. (Rev. 7:9, 14;
14:6) Jehovah reaches out to people by means of our preaching
work. The Kingdom message is
the best possible news for humankindyes, it is good news.
w12 9/15 3:4, 5
Luke 21:1-36
Sunday, April 13
No man that has put his hand to
a plow and looks at the things
behind is well tted for the
kingdom of God.Luke 9:62.
We are fast approaching Gods
day of judgment. None of us want
to disappoint Jehovah or Jesus.
They have entrusted us with precious privile ges of service in
these last days. How we cherish the condence they have in
us! (1 Tim. 1:12) Regardless of
whether our hope is to enjoy life
in heaven or in Paradise on earth,
let us b e determine d to stay
faithful to our God-given assignment to preach and make disciples. We still do not know the exact day or hour that Jehovahs day
will arrive, and do we really need
to know? We can and will continue
to prove ourselves ready. (Matt.
24:36, 44) As long as we fully trust
in Jehovah and put his Kingdom
rst, we will not be disappointed.
Rom. 10:11. w12 9/15 4:17-19
Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16; Luke 22:1-6
Memorial Date
After Sundown
Monday, April 14
All those desiring to live with
godly devotion in association
with Christ Jesus will also be
persecuted.2 Tim. 3:12.
It is good to keep in mind that
we cannot remove all problems
that beset us. Acts 14:22 tells
us: We must enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations. Rather than becoming
dejected, why not view them as
opportunities to manifest courage based on your faith in Gods
ability to help you? Even in times
of disaster, Jehovah gives real
help through the encouragement

found in his Word, our supportive brotherhood, and the strength
provided by holy spirit. Focusing on these things will lift us
up. Instead of dwelling on negative events, do what is practical to cope with each problem and
focus on the positive aspects of
your life.Prov. 17:22. w12 10/15
1:10, 11
Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16;
Luke 22:7-13
(Events after sunset: Nisan 14)
John 13:1-5; 14:1-3
Tuesday, April 15
He that has endured to the end
is the one that will be saved.
Matt. 24:13.
For us to be preserved alive
when God executes judgment on
Satans world, we must maintain
our integrity to the end. But this
does not mean that Jehovah expects us to endure in our own wisdom or strength. The Bible assures us: God is faithful, and he
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along
with the temptation he will also
make the way out in order for you
to be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:
13) What do those words imply?
For Jehovah to make sure that we
are not tempted beyond what we
can bear, he has to know everything ab out us, including the
challenges we face, our individual makeup, and just how much we
can take. Does God really know
us that well? Yes. The Scriptures
reveal that Jehovah knows each
of us intimately.Ps. 139:1-6.
w12 4/15 5:1, 2
John 19:1-42
Wednesday, April 16
We know that all creation keeps
on groaning together and being
in pain together until now.
Rom. 8:22.
Since 1914, millions have chosen to become willing subjects of
Gods enthroned King, Christ Jesus. They refuse to be supporters of Satans world. Instead, they
use their lives and assets in support of Gods Kingdom, serving
its interests. (Rom. 14:7, 8) Soon
Christ will destroy Satans wicked
system. Christs perfect government will free the earth of sin and
sorrow. It will remove all traces of
rebellion against Jehovahs rightful sovereignty. Loyal servants of
God will be in a position to become permanent residents of the
earthly Paradise. (Rev. 21:1-5) In
a full sense, creation will then
have been set free from enslavement to corruption and have the
glorious freedom of the children
of God.Rom. 8:21. w12 12/15 3:
4, 5, 7
Matthew 27:62-66
(Events after sunset: Nisan 16)
John 20:1
Thursday, April 17
He judges and carries on war in
righteousness.Rev. 19:11.
Soon all present-day nations
will face Jesus Christ and
his heavenly forces in the nal
battle against Gods rulership,
which b attle is calle d in Hebrew HarMagedon. (Rev. 16:
14, 16; 19:12-16) Over 2,500 years
ago, the prophet Daniel was inspired to foretell the outcome for
human governments in conict
with Gods purpose, writing: In
the days of those kings the God
of heaven will set up a kingdom

that will never be brought to ruin.
And the kingdom itself will not
be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end
to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite. (Dan. 2:44) Man-made national boundaries will no longer
exist. Such a thrilling prospect
should motivate all of us to continue praising and honoring our
Creator, Jehovah God, as best we
can. w12 12/15 4:16, 17
John 20:2-18
Friday, April 18
Be courageous and strong . . .
You will bring the sons of Israel
into the land.Deut. 31:23.
The Israelites were about to
take possession of Canaan. To
succeed as their leader, Joshua needed God-given wisdom. He
also had to exercise faith in Jehovah and prove to be courageous
and strong. The wisdom, courage,
and faith shown by Joshua during the long conquest of Canaan
must have strengthened the Israelites. In addition to valor in battle, however, they needed what
might be called quiet courage to
do what Joshua urged them to do.
At the end of his life, in his farewell address, he said: You must
be very courageous to keep and
to do all that is written in the
book of the law of Moses by never turning away from it. (Josh.
23:6) We too need the courage to
obey Jehovah at all times. This
includes occasions when mere
men demand that we act contrary
to Gods will. (Acts 4:18-20; 5:29)
If we prayerfully rely on Jehovah,
he will help us to take such a courageous stand. w13 1/15 1:5, 6
Saturday, April 19
There is no searching out of
[Jehovahs] understanding.
Isa. 40:28.
One way to cultivate humility
is to ponder over the greatness
of Jehovah in comparison to us.
Commenting on certain aspects
of Jehovahs magnicence, the
apostle Paul wrote: O the depth
of Gods riches and wisdom and
knowledge! How unsearchable his
judgments are and past tracing
out his ways are! (Rom. 11:33) Although mankinds knowledge of
many things has increased greatly since Paul wrote those words,
that statement still holds true.
No matter how much we know,
it should humble us to realize
that there is no limit to what
can be learned about Jehovah, his
works, and his ways. It is noteworthy that Jehovah himself displays humility. Consider this: We
are Gods fellow workers. (1 Cor.
3:9) Imagine that! Jehovah, the
Go d of unmatche d gre atness,
dignies us in this way by giving
us an opportunity to carry out our
ministry using his Word, the Bible. w12 11/15 3:4, 6
Sunday, April 20
Jehovah is my light and my
salvation.Ps. 27:1.
The metaphor Jehovah is my
light draws attention to the fact
that Jehovah frees us from ignorance and spiritual darkness. A
literal light may reveal a danger or an obstacle on our pathway, but it does not remove it. We
must act wisely on what we see.
In a similar way, Jehovah reveals
to us the basic meaning of world
events. He alerts us to the dangers of this system of things. He
provides us with Bible princi-
ples that always work, but we

must apply what we learn. When
we do, we can act with more wisdom than either our enemies or
our te achers. (Ps. 119:98, 99,
130) Davids words at Psalm 27:1
show that he must have recalled
how Jehovah had delivered, or
saved, him on previous occasions.
(1 Sam. 17:37, 49, 50; 18:11, 12; 19:
10) Jehovah will again become to
his servants what he was to David
a salvation. How? By delivering his worshippers through the
coming great tribulation.Rev.
7:14; 2 Pet. 2:9. w12 7/15 3:3, 4
Monday, April 21
Moses was instructed in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians.
Acts 7:22.
This education was likely intended to prepare Moses for a
care er in Pharaohs court. He
could have become prominent in
the most powerful government of
the day, having the luxuries, privileges, and pleasures that such
a position would aord him. But
was enjoyment of these things
Moses objective? Because of the
training that he received from
his real parents early in life, Moses likely knew what Jehovah had
promised his ancestors Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Moses exercised
faith in those promises. He must
have thought carefully about his
future and his loyalty to Jehovah. So when the time came to
choose between being an Egyptian prince or an Israelite slave,
what did he decide? Moses chose
to be ill-treated with the people of God rather than to have
the temporary enjoyment of sin.
(Heb. 11:24-26) Later, he followed
Jehovahs guidance regarding
how he should use his life.Ex. 3:
2, 6-10. w12 6/15 3:5, 6
Tuesday, April 22
Come . . . out from the snare of
the Devil.2 Tim. 2:26.
The Devil stalks Jehovahs servants. His goal is not necessarily to destroy them, as a big-game
hunter kills prey. Rather, the
Devils main goal is to capture
his quarry alive and use the person as he sees t. (2 Tim. 2:2426) To catch prey alive, a trapper may use a snare of some sort.
He may try to get the animal to
come out into the open where he
can capture it with a noose. Or
he may use a hidden trap that
has a trigger and takes the animal by surprise. The Devil uses
similar snares to catch Gods servants alive. If we want to avoid
being caught, we must be alert
and heed warning signs indicating that one of Satans snares,
or traps, is nearby. Three of the
traps that the Devil has used with
a measure of success are (1) uncontrolled speech, (2) fear and
pressure, and (3) excessive guilt.
w12 8/15 3:1, 2
Wednesday, April 23
Bodily training is benecial for
a little.1 Tim. 4:8.
The Bible is not anti-fun, nor
do es it depict re cre ation and
entertainment as a w aste of
time. It even says that there is
a time to laugh and a time to
skip about, and it encourages a
healthy amount of rest. (Eccl. 3:4;
4:6) If you are not careful, however, recreation and entertainment could distance you from
Jehovah. How? Much of the danger centers on two aspectswhat
type you choose and how much
time you sp end on it. To day,
much of what is available glories things that God hates, including violence, spiritism, and
illicit sex. Therefore, you need to
scrutinize the type of recreation
and entertainment that you engage in and the eect it has on
you. Consider, too, the amount
of time you spend on recreation
and entertainment. Ask yourself,
Do I spend so much time in leisure pursuits that I have little
time left for spiritual activities?
Phil. 1:10, 11. w13 1/15 2:11-13
Thursday, April 24
The mans being alone is not
good; I will make him a helper to
match him.Gen. 2:18,
Byington.
Jehovah knows ever ything
there is to know about mankind
and marriage. He implanted a
sexual need in humans so that
they would be fruitful and become many. (Gen. 1:28) God understands fe elings of loneliness, for prior to creating the rst
woman, he said the words of todays text. Jehovah is also fully
aware of the joy possible within
the bonds of matrimony. (Prov. 5:
15-18) Because of sin and imperfection, no present-day marriage
is perfect. Among Jehovahs servants, however, wedlock can result in true happiness if Gods
Word is followed. For instance,
consider Pauls clear counsel on
intimate relations in marriage.
(1 Cor. 7:1-5) It is not Scripturally required that marriage mates
limit sexual relations to eorts to
produce ospring. Such intimacy can rightly ll emotional and
physical needs. But perverted
practices certainly do not please
God. w12 5/15 1:9, 10
Friday, April 25
Your word is a lamp to my foot,
and a light to my roadway.
Ps. 119:105.
The Bible is a marvelous gift
that Jehovah has provide d
by means of his holy spirit. Take
delight in reading it daily, and
your love for it and its Author
will grow. (Ps. 1:1, 2) Open each
study session with prayer, asking for Gods spirit to direct your
thoughts. (Luke 11:13) The Bible contains Gods thoughts, so as
you meditate on what it says, you
can make Gods thinking your
thinking. While you continue to
grow in accurate knowledge of
the truth, live by what you learn.
Peer into the Scriptures as you
would into a mirror. If you thus
see that you should make changes, do so. (Jas. 1:23-25) Utilize
Gods Word as a sword to defend
your beliefs and to cut away false
teachings in the hearts of meek
ones. (Eph. 6:17) As you do so,
be grateful that the prophets
and men who were used to pen
the message of the Bible truly
2 Pet. 1:21. w12 6/15 4:17, 18
Saturday, April 26
Do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them
up in the discipline and mentalregulating of Jehovah.
Eph. 6:4.
Parents do well to remember
that they are carrying out an assignment from Jehovah. Sadly, in the world today, many have
no natural aection. (2 Tim. 3:
1, 3) Countless fathers shirk their
responsibilitiesto the dismay
and detriment of their children.
Where but in the family do children form their rst impressions
of love and authority? Parents

who have taught those lessons
successfully have worked in harmony with Jehovahs administration. By making our homes havens of love where we put away
all anger and wrath and abusive
speech, we are teaching our children vital lessons about how to
show love and how to respect authority. This will prepare them
for life in Gods new world. We
need to realize, however, that the
Devil, the one who rst disrupted
universal peace, will strongly oppose our eorts to do Gods will.
w12 7/15 4:16, 17
Sunday, April 27
Abundant peace belongs to those
loving [Gods] law, and for them
there is no stumbling block.
Ps. 119:165.
If you nd yourself tempted
to develop an improper romantic relationship, meditate on the
damaging consequences of fornication and adultery. (Prov. 7:
22, 23; Gal. 6:7) Those who commit immorality displease Jehovah and hurt their spouse and
themselves. (Mal. 2:13, 14) In
contrast, contemplate the benets that come to those who maintain chaste conduct. Not only do
they have the hope of living forever but they also enjoy the best
life now, including a clean conscience. (Prov. 3:1, 2) So love the
truth, and ke ep strict w atch
that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons in these
wicked times. (Eph. 5:15, 16) We
are well-equipped to protect ourselves from the traps set by Satan. Jehovah has given us what we
need to stand rm and quench
all the wicked ones burning missiles!Eph. 6:11, 16. w12 8/15 4:
18, 19
Monday, April 28
Let us set matters straight
between us, says Jehovah.
Isa. 1:18.
Yes, we should recognize our
sinfulness, repent of our errors,
earnestly beseech Jehovah for
forgiveness, and ask him to create
in us a pure heart. (Ps. 51:10) If we
have sinned seriously, we should
also seek the spiritual assistance
of the elders. (Jas. 5:14, 15) Regardless of our circumstances, it
is comforting to bear in mind that
Jehovah is as he described himself to Mosesa God merciful
and gracious, slow to anger and
abundant in loving-kindness and
truth, preserving loving-kindness
for thousands, pardoning error
and transgression and sin. Jehovah has not changed. (Ex. 34:6, 7)
Using a powerful comparison, Jehovah promised repentant Israelites the complete removal of the
stain of their sins, making what
was scarlet as white as snow.
What, then, does Jehovahs forgiveness me an for us? A complete pardon for our sins and errors, provided that we manifest a
grateful and repentant attitude.
w12 11/15 4:17, 18
Tuesday, April 29
The kingdom [of God] will crush
and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to
times indenite.Dan. 2:44.
Can you imagine what the fulllment of that will mean for you
personally? Man-made national
boundaries, which today in some
sense mark every human as a foreigner, will no longer exist. Already, Jehovahs Witnesses pay
little attention to the nationality of those in their midst. Re-
cently, for example, several of

their smaller branch oces were
merged to simplify the work of
oversight and to improve efficiency in accomplishing the
preaching of the good news of
the Kingdom. (Matt. 24:14) As far
as legal requirements permitted,
national barriers were ignored
when such consolidations were
made. That is yet another visible
proof that Jesus Christ as Jehovahs rightfully enthroned Ruler
is breaking down human barriers,
and he is the one who will soon
complete his conquest!Rev.
6:2. w12 12/15 4:16-18
Wednesday, April 30
My sin is in front of me
constantly.Ps. 51:3.
A poet wrote: Of all sad words
of tongue or p en, the saddest
are these: It might have been!
The poet was J. G. Whittier, and
he was referring to things that
we regret, that we wish we could
do over and do dierently. Regret is mental sorrow, pain of
mind, at something done or perhaps left undone, and it can mean
to weep again. We all have done
things we wish we could go back
and do dierently. What regrets
do you have? Some people have
made grievous mistakes in their
lives, even committing serious
sins. Others have not done anything so bad, but they wonder
whether some of their choices in
life were really the best. Some
people have been able to overcome the past and continue on
with their lives. Others are continually plagued with if onlys
about their past. Which are you?
Do you wish that you could serve
God without regretsat least
from this day forward? w13 1/15
4:1, 2
Thursday, May 1
Take these things away from
here! Stop making the house of
my Father a house of merchandise!John 2:16.
What conclusion do you draw
from Jesus cleansing of the temple? Visualize the scene: Jesus
made a whip of rop es, and he
drove out those selling cattle and
sheep. He scattered the coins of
the money changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:1315, 17) That forceful action made
the disciples recall the prophetic
words of King David: Sheer zeal
for your house has eaten me up.
(Ps. 69:9) By taking rm action,
Jesus showed a strong desire to
defend true worship. Do you see
in that account the Fathers personality? It reminds us that God
has not only the unlimited power to wipe wickedness from the
face of the earth but also the ardent desire to do so. This depiction of Jesus strong reaction to
wrongdoing reveals how the Father must feel as he looks at the
wickedness that is rampant on
earth today. How reassuring that
is to us when we are coping with
injustices! w12 4/15 1:11
Friday, May 2
The wife should have deep respect for her husband.
Eph. 5:33.
A wife who is guided by Jehovahs Word and his holy spirit
can do much to make her home
a place of tranquillity and happiness. It is natural for a Godfearing husband to love his wife
and protect her physically and
spiritually. She yearns for his
love, and that requires that she
be lovable. The truly wise wom-
an has built up her house, says

Proverbs 14:1, but the foolish
one tears it down with her own
hands. A wise and loving wife
contributes greatly to the success and happiness of her family. She also shows that she really
appreciates Gods gift of marriage. Husbands and wives who
base their union on Jesus example in dealing with his congregation show gratitude for Gods
gift of marriage. (Eph. 5:22-25)
What blessings sp ouses enj oy
when they truly love each other and never let pride, the childish silent tre atment, or other
unchristian traits mar their marriage! w12 5/15 1:12, 14, 15
Saturday, May 3
Get up, eat much esh.
Dan. 7:5.
More than a centur y b efore
Daniels time, Jehovah revealed
through the prophet Isaiah details about the world power that
would conquer Babylon. Jehovah
disclosed not only the manner in
which the city of Babylon would
be defeated but also the name of
the conqueror. That leader was
Cyrus the Persian. (Isa. 44:28
45:2) Daniel received two other visions regarding the MedoPersian World Power. In one, the
kingdom was depicted as being
like a bear that was raised up on
one side. In a separate vision,
Daniel saw this dual world power
symbolized by a two-horned ram.
(Dan. 8:3, 20) Jehovah used the
Medo-Persian Empire to fulll
prophecy by overthrowing Babylon and restoring the Israelites
to their homeland. (2 Chron. 36:
22, 23) However, this same power later came close to eradicating Gods people.Esther 1:1-3;
3:8, 9; 8:3, 9-14. w12 6/15 1:12, 13
Sunday, May 4
Where the spirit of Jehovah is,
there is freedom.2 Cor. 3:17.
How does holy spirit contribute to our freedom? Among other things, it produces within us
qualities that are essential to
freedomlove, joy, peace, longsuering, kindness, goodness,
faith, mildness, self-control.
(Gal. 5:22, 23) Without those
qualities, especially love, no society can be truly freea fact that
is obvious in the world today. Interestingly, after listing the spirits fruitage, the ap ostle Paul
added: Against such things there
is no law. What did he mean? The
fruitage of Gods spirit is not restricted by any law that can limit its growth. (Gal. 5:18) After all,
what would be the point of such
a law? It is Jehovahs will that
we cultivate Christlike qualities
forever and display them without restriction. Those who are enthralled by the worlds spirit and
who indulge their eshly desires
may think they are free. (2 Pet.
2:18, 19) The reality, however, is
quite the opposite. w12 7/15 1:
13, 14
Monday, May 5
Be courageous and strong. . . .
Jehovah your God is with you.
Josh. 1:9.
To have the courage needed to
do Gods will, we must study and
apply his Word. That is what Joshua was told to do when he became
Moses successor: Be courageous
and very strong to take care to do
according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.
. . . This book of the law should
not depart from your mouth, and
you must in an undertone read
in it day and night, in order that

you may take care to do according to all that is written in it;
for then you will make your way
successful and then you will act
wisely. (Josh. 1:7, 8) Joshua followed that counsel, and his way
was successful. If we do likewise,
we will have greater courage and
success in Gods service. Joshua
must have been greatly strengthened when he heard Jehovahs
words, as recorded in todays text.
Jehovah is with us too. So let us
not suer shock or be terried
regardless of our trials. w13 1/15
1:7, 8
Tuesday, May 6
This good news of the kingdom
will be preached in all the inhabited earth.Matt. 24:14.
Today, there are about 109,400
congregations throughout the
world, and some 895,800 brothers and sisters serve as pioneers.
Nearly eight million people now
accept the true knowledge, applying it in their lives. (Dan. 12:4;
Isa. 60:22) This is particularly impressive, since Jesus foretold that
his disciples would be objects of
hatred by all people because of
his name. He added that his followers would be persecuted, imprisoned, and even killed. (Luke
21:12-17) Despite the opposition
of Satan, his demons, and opposers among mankind, Jehovahs
people have enjoyed phenomenal
success in carrying out their commission to make disciples. Today,
they are preaching in all the inhabited earth, from tropical jungles to frigid tundra, in mountains, in deserts, in cities, and
in the most remote countryside.
This could never have been accomplished without divine backing. w12 8/15 1:13
Wednesday, May 7
I will call forth against [Gog]
throughout all my mountainous
region a sword, is the utterance
of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.
Against his own brother the
sword of each one will come to
be.Ezek. 38:21.
Panic-stricken, those on Satans side will be thrown into confusion and will turn their weapons against their own ranks
warrior against warrior. However, havoc is also to come Satans
way. Jehovah states: Fire and
sulphur I shall rain down upon
[Gog] and upon his bands and
upon the many peoples that will
be with him. (Ezek. 38:22) What
will be the result of this divine action? The nations will have to
realize that their crushing defeat is brought about by the order of Jehovah himself. Then, as
did the ancient Egyptian attackers who pursued the Israelites at
the Red Sea, Satans forces may
cry out in desperation: Jehovah
certainly ghts for them! (Ex. 14:
25) Yes, the nations will be forced
to acknowledge Jehovah.Ezek.
38:23. w12 9/15 1:11, 12
Thursday, May 8
Store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust consumes, and where
thieves do not break in and
steal.Matt. 6:20.
In recent times, some countries
have suered severe disasters.
Notably, many brothers in these
lands have shown remarkable resilience. This does not mean that
it was easy. Yet in each case, they
put the disaster behind them and
moved on in Jehovahs service.
In September 2009, over 80 per-
cent of Manila, Philippines, was

flo oded by torrential rains. A
wealthy man who lost much said,
The ood was a great equalizer, bringing diculties and sufferings to both the rich and the
poor. Building ones life around
material things, which can so
quickly disappear, often brings
disappointment. How much wiser it is to center our life on our
relationship with Jehovah, which
can remain intact no matter what
happens around us!Heb. 13:5, 6.
w12 10/15 1:12, 13
Friday, May 9
Jehovah felt regrets that he had
made men in the earth, and he
felt hurt at his heart.Gen. 6:6.
I was devastated, says one sister whose daughter was disfellowshipped. It may be dicult
for those who have never experienced such a loss to appreciate
how devastating it can be. Nevertheless, it would be unwise to
let the improper course of a disfellowshipped family member
distance you from Jehovah.
How, then, can you cop e with
the profound grief that arises
when a family member leaves
Jehovah? D o not blame yourself for what happened. Jehovah has put a choice before humans, and each dedicated and
baptized family member must
carry his own load of responsibility. (Gal. 6:5) Ultimately,
Jehovah holds the sinnernot
youresponsible for his or her
choice. (Ezek. 18:20) Also, do not
blame others. Respect Jehovahs
arrangement for discipline. Take
your stand against the Devilnot
against shepherds who act to protect the congregation.1 Pet. 5:
8, 9. w13 1/15 2:16-18
Saturday, May 10
Truly I say to you, One of you
will betray me.Matt. 26:21.
The night of his last Passover
celebration, Jesus announced to
Peter, James, and John in the
garden of Gethsemane: Look!
My betrayer has drawn near. Imme diately, Judas app eare d in
the garden with his coconspirators, and going straight up to
Jesus he said: Good day, Rabbi! and kissed him very tenderly. (Matt. 26:46-50; Luke 22:47,
52) Judas betrayed righteous
blood and handed Jesus over to
Christs enemies. And for what
did money-loving Judas do that?
For a mere 30 pieces of silver!
(Matt. 27:3-5) The name Judas
has been synonymous with traitor ever since, especially one
who betrays another under the
guise of friendship. Judas met a
shameful end because of his having turned traitor against the
anointed of Jehovah. (Acts 1:1820) How vital it is that we reject any tendency we may have
toward blind ambition or greed,
which would cause us to lose Jehovahs favor! w12 4/15 2:6, 7
Sunday, May 11
Trust in Jehovah with all your
heart and do not lean upon your
own understanding. In all your
ways take notice of him, and
he himself will make your paths
straight.Prov. 3:5, 6.
Many marriages that seemed to
be headed for failure have in time
turned out to be very successful.
Christians who refuse to give up
quickly on a dicult marriage often enjoy a ne reward. Consider what can happen in a religiously divided household. The apostle
Peter wrote: You wives, be in

subjection to your own husbands,
in order that, if any are not obedient to the word, they may be
won without a word through the
conduct of their wives, because of
having been eyewitnesses of your
chaste conduct together with
deep respect. (1 Pet. 3:1, 2) Yes,
because of his mates ne conduct, an unbeliever may embrace
the true faith! Such a saved marriage honors God and can be a
great blessing for the husband,
the wife, and any children they
may have. w12 5/15 2:8, 9
Monday, May 12
It crushed the iron, the copper,
the molded clay, the silver and
the gold.Dan. 2:45.
The Anglo-American World
Power will not be replaced by
some future world power. This
last world power may be weaker
than that represented by the legs
of iron, but it will not disintegrate
on its own. (Dan. 2:33, 34) Does
the number of toes of the image
have special meaning? Consider:
In other visions, Daniel mentions
specic numbersfor example,
the number of horns on the heads
of various beasts. Those numbers are significant. However,
when describing the image, Daniel does not mention the number
of toes. Therefore, the number
seems no more signicant than
the fact that the image had multiple arms, hands, ngers, legs,
and feet. Daniel does specically mention that the toes would be
made of iron and clay. From his
description, we can conclude that
the Anglo-American World Power
is the one that will be dominating when the stone representing Gods Kingdom hits the feet
of the image. w12 6/15 2:10, 11
Tuesday, May 13
I shall certainly give you a wise
and understanding heart.
1 Ki. 3:12.
When he was still a young man,
Solomon humbly said in prayer: I
am but a little boy. I do not know
how to go out and how to come
in. He then prayed for a wise and
obedient heart. (1 Ki. 3:7-9) Jehovah answered that sincere request, and he will do the same
for you, whether you are young
or old. Of course, Jehovah will
not give you miraculous insight
and wisdom. But he will make
you wise if you earnestly study
his Word, pray for holy spirit, and
take full advantage of the spiritual provisions made available
through the Christian congregation. (Jas. 1:5) Indeed, by these
means, Jehovah makes even his
young servants wiser than all
those who ignore his counsel,
even the so-called wise and intellectual ones of this world.
Luke 10:21; Ps. 119:98-100.
w12 7/15 2:10
Wednesday, May 14
Jehovah is our Judge, Jehovah is
our Statute-giver, Jehovah is our
King.Isa. 33:22.
To remain Kingdom citizens,
we need not only to know Gods
standards but also to love them.
Many citizens of human governments say that they agree with
the laws and standards of the
country in which they live. However, when they find a re quirement to be inconvenient and
feel that nobody is looking, they
break the law. Often, these people are men pleasers. (Col. 3:22)
Kingdom citizens live by a higher standard. We gladly obey Gods
laws, even when no other human
is looking. Why? Because we love

the Lawmaker. (Luke 10:27) A
foundation law of Gods Kingdom
is that all citizens imitate Christ.
(1 Pet. 2:21) Regarding Jesus example, the apostle Paul wrote:
Let each of us please his neighbor in what is good for his upbuilding. For even the Christ did
not please himself. (Rom. 15:
2, 3) For the sake of peace in the
congregation, a mature Christian
is willing to yield without resentment to the consciences of others.Rom. 14:19-21. w12 8/15
2:7, 8
Thursday, May 15
As the last enemy, death is to be
brought to nothing.
1 Cor. 15:26.
Two groups can be mentioned
who will come in line to benet
from that. For the great crowd,
who live now, it will be possible
to survive into the promised new
world with unending life in view.
(Rev. 7:9) For the billions who
have already been snatched up by
death, it will be possible to experience a resurrection. Can you
imagine the joy and excitement
when those in the former group
welcome back the latter? A close
look at some of the resurrection
accounts in the Bible can give us a
foretaste of what it might be like.
(Mark 5:38-42; Luke 7:11-17) Indeed, seeing our dead loved ones
come back to life will produce in
us a marvelous sensation of joy
and exhilaration. Jesus said: The
hour is coming in which all those
in the memorial tombs will hear
his voice and come out. (John 5:
28, 29) None of us have ever seen
such a thing take place; it will
surely be one of the grandest of
the things unseen.2 Cor. 4:18.
w12 9/15 2:14, 15
Friday, May 16
In showing honor to one another
take the lead.Rom. 12:10.
Is it wrong to oer our observation if we se e something in
the congregation that we feel
ne eds adjustment? No. In the
rst century, an issue arose over
which there was much disputing.
The brothers arranged for Paul
and Barnabas and some others
of them to go up to the apostles
and older men in Jerusalem regarding this dispute. (Acts 15:2)
No doubt each of those brothers had an opinion on the subject and an idea of how the matter
might be handled. However, once
each one expressed his thought
and a spirit-directed decision was
made, the brothers did not continue to bring up their individual opinions. After the letter with
the decision reached the congregations, they rejoiced over
the encouragement and were
made rm in the faith. (Acts 15:
31; 16:4, 5) Likewise today, once
we bring a matter to the attention of the responsible brothers,
we should be content to leave it to
their prayerful consideration.
w12 10/15 2:12, 13
Saturday, May 17
Is it the blood of these men that
I should drink at the risk of their
souls?1 Chron. 11:19.
On one o ccasion, D avid expressed his craving for a drink
of the water from the cistern of
Bethlehem. Three of Davids
men forced their way into the city
then occupied by the Philistinesand brought back the water. However, David did not consent to drink it, but poured it out
to Jehovah. (1 Chron. 11:15-18)
David knew from the Law that
blood should be poured out to Jehovah and not e aten. He also

understood why this should be
done. David knew that the soul
of the esh is in the blood. However, this was water, not blood.
Why did David refuse to drink
it? He appreciated the principle behind the legal requirement.
To David, the water was as precious as the blood of the three
men. Therefore, it was unthinkable for him to drink the water.
Instead, he poured it out on the
ground.Lev. 17:11; Deut. 12:23,
24. w12 11/15 1:12, 13
Sunday, May 18
Where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
Matt. 6:21.
In a sense, a persons earthly
treasure could include prestige,
fame, or p ower. Jesus made a
point similar to the one Solomon made in the book of Ecclesiastesworldly treasures are
not lasting. As you have likely
seen in the world around you, all
such treasures are perishable and
can be easily lost. Professor F.
Dale Bruner writes of such treasures: It is well known that fame
is ckle. Last Saturdays hero
is next seasons has-been. This
years nancial success is next
years bankruptcy. . . . [Jesus]
loves human beings. He urges
them to avoid the inevitable despair that comes with evanescent
glory. It doesnt last. Jesus does
not want [his] disciples [to be] disappointed. Every day the world
turns over on someone who was
just sitting on top of it. Though
most people would agree with
those comments, how many allow
the reality behind them to alter
their approach to life? Will you?
w12 12/15 1:13, 14
Monday, May 19
Forgetting the things behind and
stretching forward to the things
ahead.Phil. 3:13.
As a young Pharisee, Paul did
things that he later regretted. For
example, he led a campaign of vicious persecution against Christs
disciples. The Bible record states
that immediately after the martyring of Stephen, Saul [later
known as Paul] . . . began to deal
outrageously with the congregation. Invading one house after another and, dragging out both men
and women, he would turn them
over to prison. (Acts 8:3) As a
devout Jew, Saul believed that it
was his God-given duty to stamp
out Christianity. So he pursued
the Christians with brutal cruelty, breathing threat and murder
against . . . both men and women, trying to destroy them. (Acts
9:1, 2; 22:4) Pauls values changed
as soon as he became a Christian.
Instead of being a erce enemy
of Christianity, he became an ardent advocate of it.Acts 9:3-22.
w13 1/15 4:4-6
Tuesday, May 20
More than all else that is to be
guarded, safeguard your heart.
Prov. 4:23.
Bible writers use heart to describe mans entire inner self. It
encompasses such aspects as our
desires, thoughts, disposition, attitudes, capabilities, motivations,
and goals. (Deut. 15:7; Prov. 16:9;
Acts 2:26) As one reference work
states, it is the sum total of the
interior man. In some cases,
heart has a narrower meaning.
For example, Jesus said: You
must love Jehovah your God with
your whole heart and with your

whole soul and with your whole
mind. (Matt. 22:37) In this instance, heart refers to the emotions, desires, and feelings of
the inner person. By mentioning heart, soul, and mind separately, Jesus emphasized that we
must express our love for God in
our feelings as well as by the way
we lead our life and use our mental faculties. (John 17:3; Eph. 6:6)
But when heart is mentioned by
itself, it stands for the total inner
person. w12 4/15 3:2, 4
Wednesday, May 21
His invisible qualities are clearly seen from the worlds creation
onward, because they are perceived by the things made.
Rom. 1:20.
The book of creation teaches
us much about Jehovahs invisible qualities, but it leaves unanswered such important questions as, What does the future
hold for mankind? For the answer, we must turn to what God
has revealed in the pages of his
Word, the Bible. When we examine it, we nd prophecies that
have always been fullled right
on time! Jehovah can reveal what
is yet to occur because he can
foresee the future accurately.
Moreover, what the Scriptures
foretell happens on time because
Jehovah God can cause events
to take place according to his
purpose and timetable. Jehovah
wants his worshippers to understand Scriptural prophecies and
benet from them. Although God
is not limited by our perception of
time, we can relate to the terms
he uses when he foretells that an
event will occur at a specic time.
Ps. 90:4. w12 5/15 3:5, 6
Thursday, May 22
You keep seeking great things for
yourself. Do not keep on seeking.
Jer. 45:5.
We cannot be sure what great
things Baruch was seeking for
himself. We do know, though,
that they were things with no future, things that would end when
the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. D o you
see in that a lesson for us? Obtaining lifes necessities requires
that we make some plans for the
future. (Prov. 6:6-11) But how
wise would it be to invest a lot of
time and energy in pursuits that
are not of lasting value? Granted, Jehovahs organization continues to plan for new Kingdom
Halls, branch facilities, and other theocratic projects. These endeavors, however, do have a future because their objective is
that of promoting Kingdom interests. It would be appropriate for
all of Jehovahs dedicated people
to set similar priorities when they
make plans. Are you convinced
in your heart that you are seeking rst the kingdom and [Jehovahs] righteousness?Matt. 6:
33. w12 6/15 3:8, 9
Friday, May 23
When the evildoers approached
against me . . . , they themselves
stumbled and fell.Ps. 27:2.
Have you experienced Jehovahs assistance in dicult circumstances? For instance, have
you prayed intensely about a distressing problem and then seen
how Jehovah gave you wisdom or
strength to cope with that trial?
Or can you recall how obstacles to
your joyful service were removed
or how a large door of activity
was opened to you? (1 Cor. 16:9)
What eect does remembering

such events have on you now?
Do not those memories continue to persuade you that Jehovah
can help you to overcome or endure even more serious obstacles
or adversities? (Rom. 5:3-5) What
if a powerful government were to
hatch a plot to exterminate Jehovahs Witnesses as an organization? Many men in modern times
have attempted to do just that
but have failed. Recounting how
Jehovah has helped his people in
the past will instill in us condence to face the future.Dan. 3:
28. w12 7/15 3:5, 6
Saturday, May 24
The tongue is a re.
Jas. 3:6.
In a gurative sense, the Devil would like to set the Christian
congregation ablaze. If he succeeds, he can drive its members
away from that safe haven right
into his clutches. How might we
unwittingly collaborate with him
and thus be entrapped by him?
The disciple James likened the
tongue to a re. (Jas. 3:6-8) If
we fail to control our tongue, we
could start a gurative wildre in
the congregation. How might this
happen? Consider the following
scenario: At a congregation meeting, an announcement is made
that a certain sister has been appointed a regular pioneer. After
the meeting, two publishers discuss this announcement. One expresses joy and has good wishes
for the new pioneer. The other
questions the pioneers motives
and implies that she is merely
seeking prominence in the congregation. It is not hard to see
which one is more likely to set the
congregation ablaze through her
speech. w12 8/15 3:3, 4
Sunday, May 25
Congregate the people.
Deut. 31:12.
International and district conventions have been a feature of
the modern-day history of Jehovahs Witnesses for as long as
most of us can remember. Thousands of years ago, Gods people
also held holy conventions. The
assembly at the base of Mount Sinai was the first large gathering of Gods people for spiritual instruction on record. On that
thrilling occasion, which participants no doubt never forgot, Jehovah gave the Israelites a demonstration of his power when he
gave them his Law. (Ex. 19:2-9,
16-19; 20:18; Deut. 4:9, 10) That
event was key to Gods subsequent dealings with Israel. Not
long thereafter, Jehovah established a means by which to summon his people. He ordered Moses to make two silver trumpets
that would be used to call the
whole assembly to meet at the
entrance of the tent of meeting.
(Num. 10:1-4) Try to imagine the
excitement on such occasions!
w12 9/15 5:1-3
Monday, May 26
I do lift up my hand in an oath
to Jehovah.Gen. 14:22.
Perfect creatures who love God
and imitate him do not need to
make an o ath; they alw ays
tell the truth and have complete
trust in one another. But things
change d with the intro duction of human sin and imperfection. Eventually, when lying and
deception were common among
men, it be came ne cessary for
them to swear to the truthfulness of important matters. Making oaths was a legal tool that the
patriarch Abraham used to good

advantage on at least three occasions. (Gen. 21:22-24; 24:2-4, 9)
This occurred, for example, when
he returned from defeating the
king of Elam and his allies. (Gen.
14:17-20) When the king of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham
for rescuing the kings people
from the invading armies, Abraham swore: From a thread to a
sandal lace, no, I shall take nothing from anything that is yours, in
order that you may not say, It was
I who made Abram rich. Gen.
14:21-23. w12 10/15 3:4, 5
Tuesday, May 27
God kept making it grow.
1 Cor. 3:6.
Although Jehovah is the one
who makes the se e ds that we
plant and water grow, he bestows
upon us an honorable position of
working with him. (1 Cor. 3:9) Is
that not an astonishing example
of humility on Gods part? Surely Jehovahs example of humility should be of great encouragement to each of us to behave as a
lesser one. Gods example of humility had a tremendous eect on
the psalmist David. He sang to
Jehovah: It is your humility that
makes me great. (2 Sam. 22:36)
David attributed any greatness
he had in Israel to Jehovahs humilityto Gods condescending,
or humbling himself, to pay attention to him. (Ps. 113:5-7) Is it
any dierent with us? In the way
of qualities, abilities, and privileges, what do any of us have that
we did not receive from Jehovah? (1 Cor. 4:7) The person who
conducts himself as a lesser one is
great in that he becomes more
valuable as a servant of Jehovah.
Luke 9:48, ftn. w12 11/15 3:6, 7
Wednesday, May 28
Keep abstaining from eshly
desires.1 Pet. 2:11.
Some desires, when satised in
the manner decreed by the Creator, are not wrong in themselves.
For example, there are the normal desires to enjoy good food
and drink, to participate in refreshing activities, and to nd
delight in wholesome companionship. Even the desire for sexual pleasure with ones marriage
mate is tting and has its place.
(1 Cor. 7:3-5) Peter, though, correctly limited the fleshly desires of which he was speaking
to those that carry on a conict
against the soul. Making it obvious just what is meant, some
Bible translations speak of eshly lusts (King James Version) or
sinful desires (New International Version). Clearly, any human
desire that conicts with Jehovahs expressed purpose and that
could negatively aect ones good
relationship with God must be
kept in check. Otherwise a Christians hope of keeping his soul
alive could be seriously endangered. w12 12/15 3:8, 9
Thursday, May 29
A word at its right time is O how
good!Prov. 15:23.
Elders today see the imp ortance of putting their feelings
of appreciation for their brothers into words. (Prov. 3:27) Whenever an elder does that, he tells
his brothers, in eect: I noticed
what you did. I care about you.
And fellow believers denitely
need to hear the elders reassuring words. A sister in her mid-50s
spoke for many when she said:
At work I seldom get a compli-
ment. Theres a cold and competitive climate. So when an elder commends me for something
Ive done for the congregation,
its so refreshing, so energizing! It makes me feel loved by my
heavenly Father. A brother who
received heartfelt commendation said: The elders words gave
me a real boost! Indeed, by sincerely commending fellow believers, an elder lifts their spirit and
deepens their joy. That, in turn,
will give them added strength to
keep on walking on the road to
life and not tire out.Isa. 40:31.
w13 1/15 5:9
Friday, May 30
No man can come to me unless
the Father, who sent me, draws
him.John 6:44.
Each p erson whom Jehovah
draws becomes part of a worldwide congre gation of genuine
friends who love what is right.
Our loving God helps such ones
to gain his approval. He has also
been selecting from among humankind prospective members of
his heavenly government. Upon
gaining their heavenly position,
these devoted ones will help obedient humans to reach perfection
and endless life. Clearly, even
while he is patiently waiting, Jehovah has been working to fulll his promisesfor our good. It
can be challenging to keep this in
mind as we grow older or suer
in this wicked system. We might
become discouraged or feel that
God is slow to fulll his promises. (Heb. 10:36) Never forget that
he has good reasons for being patient and that he is employing the
intervening time for the benet
of his loyal servants.2 Pet. 2:3;
3:9. w12 9/15 3:5, 7
Does it seem farfetched that

God would take an intimate interest in lowly humans? The
psalmist David p ondered this
question, saying to Jehovah the
words of todays text. Perhaps his
question was prompted by Davids own experience. In him, the
youngest son of Jesse, Jehovah
had found a man agreeable to his
heart and had taken him from
following the ock to become a
leader over Israel. (1 Sam. 13:14;

2 Sam. 7:8) Imagine how David
must have felt upon realizing that
the Creator of the universe had
paid attention to his private meditations, the musings of a shepherd boy! It is no less astonishing
to contemplate the remarkable
personal interest that Jehovah
is showing in us today. He is collecting together in true worship
the desirable things of all the nations, and he is helping his servants to maintain their integrity.
Hag. 2:7. w12 4/15 5:3, 4
Sunday, June 1
Monday, June 2
By faith Rahab the harlot did

not perish.Heb. 11:31.
Solomon . . . did not follow Jehovah fully like David his father.
1 Ki. 11:6.
Saturday, May 31
What is mortal man that you
keep him in mind?Ps. 8:4.
Because of her acts of faith and

courage, Rahab and her household were sp are d when the
city of Jericho fell to the Israelites. (Jas. 2:25) Of course,
Rahab abandoned her immoral life so as to please Jehovah.
Some who have become Christians have had the faith, courage, and moral strength to make
similar changes to please God.
After Joshuas death, the Moabitess Ruth courageously took her
stand for true worship. When her
widowed mother-in-law, Naomi,
urged Ruth to return to her own
people, the Moabitess replied:
Do not plead with me to abandon you, to turn back from accompanying you . . . Your people
will be my people, and your God
my God. (Ruth 1:16) Ruth meant
that. In time, Naomis kinsman
Boaz married Ruth, who bore a
son and became an ancestress of
David and of Jesus. Yes, Jehovah
blesses acts of faith and courage.
Ruth 2:12; 4:17-22; Matt. 1:1-6.
w13 1/15 1:9, 10
Davids son Solomon was greatly favored by Jehovah God. In

time, however, Solomon failed to
show respect for Gods Law. He
did not heed Jehovahs command
that an Israelite king should
not multiply wives for himself.
(Deut. 17:17) In fact, Solomon
married many foreign women.
When he grew old, his wives
themselves had inclined his heart
to follow other gods. (1 Ki. 11:
1-5) If unbelievers make romantic advances toward us, does our
response reect a viewpoint like
that of David or one like Solomons? True worshippers are told
to marry only in the Lord. (1 Cor.
7:39) If a Christian chooses to get
married, he or she should marry a
fellow believer. And if we discern
the spirit of this Scriptural requirement, we will not only refrain from marrying an unbeliever
but also refrain from entertaining
any romantic advances from such
an individual. w12 11/15 1:15, 16
Tuesday, June 3
There . . . arose a heated dispute
among them over which one of
them seemed to be greatest.
Luke 22:24.
Jesus disciples had a problem.
They kept arguing ab out who
was greater. (Mark 9:33-35; 10:
43; Luke 9:46) From his long experience with the Father, Jesus
knew how Jehovah feels about
such prideful tendencies. (2 Sam.
22:28; Ps. 138:6) Moreover, Jesus
had seen such inclinations manifested by Satan the Devil. That
egotistic individual cared greatly about prominence and position. Hence, how grieved Jesus
must have been to see an ambitious attitude continue among
the disciples he had trained! It
was even found among the ones
he had chosen as apostles! They
showed an ambitious attitude
until the very last day of Jesus
life on earth. Yet, Jesus kept on
reproving them with kindness,
without ever losing hop e that
they would eventually learn to
imitate his own humble mental
attitude.Luke 22:25-27; Phil. 2:
5-8. w12 4/15 1:12
Wednesday, June 4
Its feet were partly of iron and
partly of molded clay.
Dan. 2:33.
A prophecy in the book of Daniel describes an image in human
form that represents successive
world powers. The final world
power is depicted as the feet and
toes. This indicates that no other human world power will appear on the scene. During World
War I, Britain and the Unite d
States forged a special partnership. Yes, the fth part of Daniels image is the Anglo-American
World Power. That the feet and

toes are made up of iron and clay
pictures the weakened state of
the Anglo-American World Power. The same prophecy indicates
that Gods Kingdom, pictured by
a large stone, was cut from the
mountain of Jehovahs sovereignty in 1914. That stone is now hurtling toward its targetthe feet
of the image. At Armageddon,
the feet and the rest of the image
will be smashed. (Dan. 2:44, 45)
Thus, the Anglo-American World
Power will still be the dominant
world power when Armageddon
strikes. How thrilling it will be to
witness the complete fulllment
of this prophecy! w12 9/15 1:13, 14
Thursday, June 5
You, O Jehovah, are good and
ready to forgive.Ps. 86:5.
It is normal to b e de eply
grieved when a b elove d family member leaves Jehovah and
is disfellowshipped. Yet, if you
choose the path of resentment
tow ard Jehovah, you will distance yourself from him. Really,
what your beloved family member nee ds to se e is your resolute stance to put Jehovah above
everything elseincluding the
family bond. So to cope with the
situation, be sure to maintain
your own spirituality. Do not isolate yourself from your faithful Christian brothers and sisters. (Prov. 18:1) Pour out your
feelings to Jehovah in prayer.
(Ps. 62:7, 8) Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail. (1 Cor. 5:
11) Stay absorbed in spiritual activities. (1 Cor. 15:58) However, it
is not wrong for you to entertain
the hope that your loved one will
return. w13 1/15 2:16, 19, 20
Friday, June 6
He is . . . humble.
Zech. 9:9.
Jesus Christs course of humility and obedience on earth culminated in his death on a torture
stake. He thus proved beyond a
doubt that humans can remain
loyal to Jehovah even when tested to the extreme. Jesus also
showed that Satan was wrong in
claiming that humans serve Jehovah for selsh reasons. (Job 1:911; 2:4) Christs record of perfect integrity also upheld the
rightfulness and righteousness
of Jehovahs universal sovereignty. (Prov. 27:11) By his death on a
torture stake, Jesus also paid the
ransom price for mankind. (Matt.
20:28) This provided an opportunity for sinful humans to live forever, and it satised the demands
of righteousness. (Rom. 5:18) Jesus death opened up the prospect of immortal life in heaven
for spirit-anointed Christians and
everlasting life on earth for the
other sheep.John 10:16; Rom.
8:16, 17. w12 11/15 2:9-11
Saturday, June 7
I myself returned that I might
see all the acts of oppression
that are being done under the
sun, and, look! the tears of those
being oppressed, but they had no
comforter.Eccl. 4:1.
Things are similar, if not worse,
today. Who among us has not shed
tears for some reason? True, at
times they may be tears of joy.
Generally, though, tears reect
the outpouring of an anguished
he art. Be cause of the tragic
eventssmall and largethat

befall us, mankind is sorely in
ne e d of comfort and relief.
That is what the Thousand Year
Reign will bring to its subjects:
[God] will wipe out every tear
from their eyes, and death will
be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. (Rev. 21:4) As wonderful as it is that mourning, outcry,
and pain will be no more, Gods
promise even includes doing away
with mankinds ultimate enemy
death. w12 9/15 2:10, 12
Sunday, June 8
To the point of excess I kept on
persecuting the congregation of
God and devastating it.
Gal. 1:13.
Paul was not proud of having
to write such things about himself, but neither did he try to act
as though none of that had ever
happened. (1 Cor. 15:9; Phil. 3:6;
1 Tim. 1:13) He was well-aware
that he had made serious mistakes. (Acts 26:9-11) Pauls example clearly shows that if we
confess our sins and change our
course, Jehovah is willing to blot
out even grievous sins on the basis of Jesus ransom sacrifice.
What a good lesson this is for any
who nd it hard to believe that
the benets of Christs sacrice
could be meant for them personally! (1 Tim. 1:15, 16) Even though
Paul had been a rabid persecutor of Christ, he could write: The
Son of God . . . loved me and handed himself over for me. (Gal. 2:
20; Acts 9:5) Yes, Paul learned the
principle of how to serve without
amassing more regrets. Is that
something that you have learned?
w13 1/15 4:6, 8
Monday, June 9
Serve [Jehovah] with a complete
heart . . . ; for all hearts Jehovah
is searching.1 Chron. 28:9.
Jehovah is the Examiner of all
hearts, including ours. (Prov. 17:3;
21:2) And what he nds in our
heart has a strong bearing on our
relationship with him and on our
future. Thus, we have good reason
to follow Davids inspired counsel by doing our utmost to serve
Jehovah with a complete heart.
Our zealous activities as Jehovahs people show that we have,
indeed, a deep desire to serve God
with a complete heart. To check
that our resolve to serve God is
not weakeningthat we are not
letting our guard downwe need
to peer regularly into our heart.
How can we do that? Obviously, our inner personality is unseenmuch as the core, or heart,
of a tree cannot be seen. Still, as
Jesus mentioned in the Sermon
on the Mount, just as fruits reveal
the condition of a tree, so our activities demonstrate the true condition of our heart.Matt. 7:1720. w12 4/15 3:5-7
Tuesday, June 10
There are four kingdoms from
his nation that will stand up, but
not with his power.Dan. 8:22.
In one vision, D aniel saw
Gre e ce depicte d as a le op ard
with four wings, indicating that
this empire would conquer swiftly. (Dan. 7:6) In another vision,
Daniel described how a goat with
a prominent single horn quickly kills a two-horned ram, MedoPersia. Jehovah told Daniel that
the goat symbolized Greece and
the large horn depicted one of
its kings. Daniel further recorded that the large horn would be
broken and four smaller horns

would grow in its place. Even
though this prophecy was written hundre ds of ye ars b efore
Greece became dominant, every
detail came true. Alexander the
Great, the most prominent king
of ancient Greece, led the charge
against Medo-Persia. This horn
was soon broken, though, the
great king dying at the height of
his power and at only 32 years of
age. Then, his kingdom was eventually divided among four of his
generals.Dan. 8:20-22. w12 6/15
1:15
Wednesday, June 11
They are no longer two, but one
esh. Therefore, what God has
yoked together let no man put
apart.Matt. 19:6.
Whether single or married, all
of us need to bear in mind Jesus
words. Coveting another persons
marriage mate is a sin. (Deut. 5:
21) If any Christian begins to entertain such a covetous desire, he
or she should act quickly to rout
out the unclean desire, even at
the cost of great emotional pain
because of having allowed selfish cravings to develop. (Matt. 5:
27-30) It is vital to correct such
thinking and suppress the sinful
yearning of a treacherous heart.
(Jer. 17:9) Even many of those
who have known little or nothing
about Jehovah God and his wonderful gift of marriage have
shown at least a measure of gratitude for the marital bond. How
much more so should we who are
dedicated to the happy God, Jehovah, rejoice in all of his provisions and give evidence that we
really appreciate Gods gift of
marriage!1 Tim. 1:11. w12 5/15
1:17, 18
Thursday, June 12
Happy are those conscious of
their spiritual need.Matt. 5:3.
If you are a parent, think about
how your example aects your
children. What do they see as being most important to youyour
career or your friendship with Jehovah? If they see that status,
prestige, and wealth have rst
place in your life, might they
follow you on such a disastrous
path? Could they lose a measure
of respect for you as a parent?
One young Christian states: My
father works and works, and then
he brings home luxuries rather than necessities. As a result,
were known as the family that
has a lot of money rather than as
the family that encourages others in spiritual pursuits. I would
take my fathers spiritual support
over his money any day. Parents,
do not distance yourself from Jehovah by putting too much emphasis on your career. By your example, show your children that
you truly believe that the greatest wealth we can possess is spiritual, not material. w13 1/15 2:8, 9
Friday, June 13
him.John 6:44.
When you began associating
with the Christian congregation,
you did not join some sort of social club. Rather, you came into
the congregation because Jehovah drew you. What moved him
to do so? Did he see a righteous,
God-fearing person? Not at all!
you may say. What, then, did God
see? He saw a heart that would
be receptive to his liberating law,
a heart that would submit to his
kind inuence. Within the congregation, Jehovah has nurtured

your heart by feeding you spiritually, setting you free from religious falsehoods and superstitions, and by teaching you how to
develop the Christlike personality. (Eph. 4:22-24) As a result, you
have the privilege of being among
the only people in the world who
can rightly be called a free people. (Jas. 2:12) The freedom that
you enjoy now among Gods people is just a foretaste of the freedom that lies ahead. w12 7/15 1:
15, 16
Saturday, June 14
I have made your name known.
John 17:26.
From his childho o d on, Jesus left us a pattern of humility. Although he was raised by
imperfect parentsJoseph and
MaryJesus humbly continued
subject to them. (Luke 2:51) As
an adult, Jesus showed humility by giving priority to the doing of Jehovahs will, not his own.
(John 4:34) During his ministry,
Jesus Christ used Gods personal name and helped sincere people to gain an accurate knowledge of Jehovahs attributes and
His purp ose for mankind. Jesus also lived in harmony with
what he taught about Jehovah.
In the model prayer, for example, the rst point Jesus mentioned was: Our Father in the
heavens, let your name be sanctied. (Matt. 6:9) Jesus thus instructed his followers to make the
sanctication of Jehovahs name
a matter of prime concern. Moreover, throughout his ministry Jesus gave Jehovah the credit for
what he accomplished on earth.
John 5:19. w12 11/15 2:7, 8
Sunday, June 15
[Jesus] sat down at the right hand
of God, from then on awaiting until his enemies should be
placed as a stool for his feet.
Heb. 10:12, 13.
After his resurrection, Jesus received authority in heaven and
on earth. (Matt. 28:18) He uses
that authority to accomplish Jehovahs purp ose according to
the timetable God has set. Jesus p atiently waite d at Go ds
right hand until 1914 for his enemies to be placed as a stool for
his feet. (Ps. 110:1, 2) He soon will
go into action to bring an end to
Satans system. Meanwhile, Jesus patiently works with people
and leads them to waters of life.
(Rev. 7:17) Do you see in Jesus
example the way you should view
Jehovahs timetable? Jesus was
no doubt eager to do whatever
his Father asked of him; still, he
was willing to wait for Gods time.
As we await the end of Satans
wicked system, we all need godly
patience, never running ahead of
God or giving up because we are
discouraged. w12 9/15 3:9, 10
Monday, June 16
You received free, give free.
Matt. 10:8.
The true knowledge has become abundant through the
printed word. (D an. 12:4) The
Watchtower is now publishe d
in 195 languages. It is the most
widely circulated magazine on
earth, with a circulation of 42,182,000 copies each issue. In second place is its companion magazine Awake! with a circulation of
41,042,000 in 84 languages. Additionally, about 100 million books
and Bibles are printed each year.
This mammoth work is nanced

by means of voluntary donations.
That alone is staggering to those
in the printing industry who understand the cost of presses, paper, ink, and other materials. A
brother who is involved in global
purchasing said: Business people who visit our printeries are
amazed that such a technologically advanced, high-production
facility can be nanced by voluntary donations. They are equally
impressed that our Bethel workforce is so young and happy.
w12 8/15 1:14, 15
Tuesday, June 17
I know you by name.
Ex. 33:17.
Many of our brothers and sisters say that their joy is enhanced
when elders show personal interest in them. One basic way in
which elders do so is by following
the example set by David, Elihu,
and Jesus himself. (2 Sam. 9:6;
Job 33:1; Luke 19:5) Each of these
servants of Jehovah showed sincere interest in another person
by using the individuals name.
Paul too appreciated the importance of remembering and using
the names of fellow believers. He
concluded one of his letters by
greeting more than 25 brothers
and sisters by name. (Rom. 16:315) Some elders have a hard time
remembering names. Still, when
they make a real eort to do so,
they are, in eect, telling their
fellow believers, You are important to me. Elders will particularly add to their brothers joy
when they remember their names
as they call on them for comments during the Watchtower
Study or other meetings.Compare John 10:3. w13 1/15 5:6, 7
Wednesday, June 18
lesser one . . . is the one that is
great.Luke 9:48.
A humble person has heartfelt
gratitude for Jehovahs provisions, including spiritual food.
Hence, such an individual is a diligent student of the Bible and
an avid reader of the Watchtower
and Awake! magazines. When we
manifest humble appreciation by
reading and studying our Bibleb ase d publications, we make
spiritual advancement, and Jehovah is able to use us more fully in
his service. (Heb. 5:13, 14) He who
conducts himself as a lesser one is
great in another way. Every congregation has qualied men appointed under the guidance of
Jehovahs holy spirit to serve as
elders. They make arrangements
for such spiritual matters as congregation meetings, field service, and shepherding. When we
manifest the attitude of a lesser one by willingly supporting
these arrangements, we contribute to the joy, peace, and unity of
the congregation.Heb. 13:7, 17.
w12 11/15 3:9, 10
Thursday, June 19
I am not alone, because the
Father is with me.John 16:32.
Jesus acknowledged that there
would be problems during the
time of his presence, but he said:
Do not be terried. (Luke 21:9)
With him as our King and with
the Creator of the universe backing us up, we have every reason
for condence. Note some expressions of the strong conviction of
Gods servants. David said: Jeho-
vah is my strength and my shield.

In him my heart has trusted, and
I have been helped, so that my
heart exults. (Ps. 28:7) Paul expressed his unwavering confidence, saying: In all these things
we are coming o completely victorious through him that loved
us. (Rom. 8:37) What is evident in
these expressions? Each reveals
unwavering trust in Jehovah. Our
developing similar condence in
God can give us the courage to
face any of todays adversities.
Ps. 46:1-3. w12 10/15 1:14, 15
Friday, June 20
Stop storing up for yourselves
treasures upon the earth.
Matt. 6:19.
Some religious leaders have
preached that it is wrong to strive
after success and that all eort to
succeed should be stied. Note,
though, that Jesus was not condemning all such eort. Rather,
he was exhorting his disciples to
redirect their eort, admonishing them to store up imperishable treasures in heaven. (Matt.
6:20) Our foremost desire should
be to strive to be a success as Jehovah would view it. Yes, Jesus
words remind us that we have a
choice as to what we will pursue.
The fact is, though, that we will
pursue what is in our heart, what
is of value to us. If it is in our
heart to please Jehovah, we can
trust that he will see to it that we
have the things we need. Referring to our material needs, Jesus
assured us: Keep on . . . seeking
rst the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other
things will b e adde d to you.
Matt. 6:31-33. w12 12/15 1:13,
15, 16
Saturday, June 21
him.John 6:44.
How does Jehovah draw sheeplike ones to his Son? Through the
preaching of the good news and
the operation of holy spirit. If you
are a dedicated Christian, you too
were drawn by God to true worship. Just as our heavenly Father
saw something valuable in the
heart of Lydia, he saw something
good in you. When you began listening to the good news, Jehovah helped you to grasp it by supplying holy spirit. (Acts 16:13-15;
1 Cor. 2:11, 12) When you endeavored to apply what you learned,
he blessed your eorts to do his
will. When you dedicated your
life to him, his heart rejoiced. Indeed, ever since you started on
the road to life, Jehovah has been
with you each step of the way.
Having helped us to begin walking with him, Jehovah does not
now leave us to our own devices
to remain faithful. He knows that
just as we did not come into the
truth on our own, we will not stay
in the truth on our own.1 Pet. 1:
4, 5. w12 4/15 5:5-7
Sunday, June 22
When seventy years have been
fullled I shall call to account
against the king of Babylon and
against that nation . . . their
error.Jer. 25:12.
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim
the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, the word of Jehovah occurred to Jeremiah concerning all
the people of Judah. (Jer. 25:1)
Jehovah foretold the devastation
of Jerusalem and the deportation
of the Jews from the land of Ju-
dah to Babylon. There they would

serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Babylonian armies destroyed Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E.,
and Jews from Judah were indeed deported to Babylon. But
what was to happen at the end
of 70 years? Jeremiah prophesied:
This is what Jehovah has said,
In accord with the fullling of
seventy years at Babylon I shall
turn my attention to you people, and I will establish toward
you my good word in bringing
you back to this place. (Jer. 25:
11; 29:10) This prophecy was fullled right on timein 537 B.C.E.
w12 5/15 3:7
Monday, June 23
I was making greater progress in
Judaism than many of my own
age.Gal. 1:14.
Before Pauls conversion to
Christianity, he had what seemed
to be a promising future. He had
studied Jewish law with one of
the most famous teachers of his
day. He had received authority
from the Jewish high priest. (Acts
9:1, 2; 22:3; 26:10) Yet, all of that
changed when Paul realized that
Jehovah was no longer blessing
the Jews as a nation. Paul recognized that a career in the Jewish system had no value from Jehovahs point of view; it had no
future. (Matt. 24:2) This former
Pharisee went so far as to say
that compared with his new, enlightened understanding of Gods
purposes and the privilege of the
Christian ministry, what he once
thought was important he now
considered to be a lot of refuse.
Paul abandoned his pursuits in
Judaism and dedicated the rest of
his days on earth to preaching the
good news.Phil. 3:4-8, 15; Acts
9:15. w12 6/15 3:10, 11
Tuesday, June 24
One thing I have asked from Jehovah . . . that I may dwell in
the house of Jehovah all the days
of my life.Ps. 27:4.
Jesus revealed that rendering
acceptable worship to Jehovah
would no longer be contingent on
having one grand structure that
was blessed by God. (John 4:2123) The apostle Paul indicated in
Hebrews chapters 8 to 10 that a
great spiritual temple came into
existence at Jesus baptism in
29 C.E., when he presented himself to do Jehovahs will. (Heb.
10:10) This great spiritual temple is the arrangement Jehovah
has made so that we, through
our faith in Jesus ransom sacrice, can approach God acceptably. How do we worship there?
By praying with true hearts in
the full assurance of faith; by declaring our hope publicly without
wavering; and by considering, inciting, and encouraging fellow
worshippers at our congregation
meetings and during family worship. (Heb. 10:22-25) Appreciation for the arrangement of true
worship forties us in these critical last days. w12 7/15 3:7
Wednesday, June 25
Is it for nothing that Job has
feared God?Job 1:9.
When we hear that a brother is
reaching out for some privilege of
service, do we readily believe that
his motives are pure, or do we
suspect that he is driven by selfinterest? If we have a tendency to
be cynical, it is good to remember that the Devil questioned the
motives of Gods faithful servant
Job. (Job 1:10, 11) Rather than being suspicious of our brother, we
would do well to consider why we
are critical of him. Do we really

have good reason for being that
way? Or has our heart been poisoned by the unloving spirit so
prevalent during these last days?
(2 Tim. 3:1-4) Another reason
why we might be critical of others is that we desire to make our
own accomplishments more noticeable. In eect, we may be attempting to look taller by pushing others down. Or we may be
trying to excuse our own failure
to take positive action. Whether
pride, envy, or insecurity is driving us, the result is destructive.
w12 8/15 3:5, 6
Thursday, June 26
The path of the righteous ones is
like the bright light that is
getting lighter and lighter until the day is rmly established.
Prov. 4:18.
In the modern history of Jehovahs people, there have been
landmark conventionsevents
that marked major developments
in theocratic activities or Scriptural understanding. The rst
major convention that the Bible
Students held after World War I
was in 1919 in Cedar Point, Ohio,
U.S.A. That gathering, attended
by some 7,000, was marked by the
launching of a global preaching
campaign. In 1922, during a nineday convention at the same location, dramatic impetus was given
to this activity by Joseph F. Rutherford, who told his attentive audience: The world must know
that Jehovah is God and that Jesus Christ is King of kings and
Lord of lords. . . . Therefore advertise, advertise, advertise, the
King and his kingdom. Attendees, and inde ed Go ds p eople
worldwide, joyfully embrace d
that exhortation. w12 9/15 5:6
Friday, June 27
Mans wrath does not work out
Gods righteousness.Jas. 1:20.
When you are very angry, giving
yourself time to calm down and
view the situation more dispassionately may help you to
avoid responding in an unforgiving way that you may later regret. (Ps. 4:4; Prov. 14:29; Jas.
1:19) What, though, if a negative emotion persists? Try to determine why you are upset. Is it
because you have been treated
unfairly, perhaps discourteously? Or is it because you feel that
the other person deliberately attempted to hurt you? Was his or
her action really so bad? Analyzing and understanding the reason for your reaction will allow
you to consider what would be
the best and Scripturally proper response. (Prov. 15:28; 17:27)
By adopting such an approach,
dicult though it may be, you
permit Gods word to examine
the thoughts and intentions of
[your] heart and guide you in imitating Jehovahs forgiving attitude.Heb. 4:12. w12 11/15 5:7, 8
Saturday, June 28
By means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly
bless themselves.Gen. 22:18.
The Bible describes more than
40 dierent occasions when Jehovah God made sworn oaths. Perhaps the best-known example
was in Gods dealings with Abraham. Over a period of many years,
Jehovah had made several covenant promises to Abraham that
when combined show that the
promised Seed would descend
from Abraham through his son
Isaac. (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17;
15:5, 18; 21:12) Then Jehovah put

Abraham to a severe test, commanding him to oer up his beloved son. Without delay, Abraham obeyed and was about to
sacrifice Isaac when an angel
of God stopped him. Then God
made this oath: By myself I do
swear . . . that by reason of the
fact that you have done this thing
and you have not withheld your
son, your only one, I shall surely bless you and I shall surely
multiply your se e d like the
stars of the heavens and like the
grains of sand that are on the seashore.Gen. 22:1-3, 9-12, 15-17.
w12 10/15 3:6
Sunday, June 29
Maintain your conduct ne
among the nations.1 Pet. 2:12.
Foreigners, temp orar y residents in a land not their own,
are at times criticized. Simply
because they differ from their
neighb ors, they may even b e
viewed as if they were evildoers.
Their speech, their actions, their
dress, perhaps even their appearance may be somewhat dierent.
But when they do good works,
that is to say, when their conduct
is ne, negative comments about
their being dierent are proved
groundless. Similarly, true Christians dier from many of their
neighbors in certain respects, as
in conversation or choice of entertainment. Their dress and grooming often identify them as being
dierent from most in the community. These dierences have
sometimes led misinformed individuals to accuse them of being,
as it were, evildoers. However,
other people may praise them for
their way of life. Yes, ne conduct
can work to counteract unjustied criticism. w12 12/15 3:11-13
What is an especially vital way

in which elders show personal interest in their brothers and add
to the congregations joy? By taking the initiative to reach out to
those who need encouragement.
(Acts 20:28) When elders do so,
they imitate spiritual shepherds
of old. Note, for instance, what
the faithful overseer Nehemiah
did when he saw that some of his

Jewish brothers had grown spiritually weak. The account states
that he immediately rose up and
encouraged them. (Neh. 4:14) Today, elders want to do the same.
They rise uptake the initiativeto help fellow believers to
be rm in faith. To give such personal encouragement, they visit
their brothers and sisters in their
homes if circumstances allow.
During such shepherding visits,
they want to impart some spiritual gift to them. w13 1/15 5:10
Tuesday, July 1
Wednesday, July 2
Send out your light and your

truth. May these themselves lead
me. May they bring me to your
holy mountain.Ps. 43:3.
Run in such a way that you may

attain [the prize].1 Cor. 9:24.
Monday, June 30
I am longing to see you, that I
may impart some spiritual gift
to you in order for you to be
made rm.Rom. 1:11.
In his Word, God has preserved

for the use of his people the very
name he chose for himself. The
Scriptures rst mention Jehovah
God in a history of the heavens
and the earth. (Gen. 2:4) Gods
name was miraculously inscribed
several times on the stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. For instance, the first
commandment began: I am Jehovah your God. (Ex. 20:1-17)
Gods name lives on because the
Sovereign Lord Jehovah has preserved his Word and his name despite all satanic eorts to eliminate them. (Ps. 73:28) In his Word,
Jehovah has also preserved the
truth. Though religious error
abounds worldwide, how thankful
we are that God has given us spiritual light and truth! Whereas the
masses of mankind walk in darkness, we joyfully keep on walking in God-given spiritual light.
1 John 1:6, 7. w13 2/15 1:2, 3
As Christians, we are in a race

a symbolic footrace. Our focus must be on running to win.
Our race is not a sprint in which
speed is the key to victory. And it
denitely is not a mere jog with
frequent idle moments. Rather,
it can be likened to a marathon
wherein endurance is necessary
for victory. The Bible tells us to
run in this gurative race. (1 Cor.
9:25-27) The prize is everlasting
life, either in heaven for anointed
Christians or on earth for the rest
of the participants. Unlike most
athletic contests, this race allows
for all who enter and who endure
to the end to win the prize. (Matt.
24:13) Contestants lose only if
they fail to run according to the
rules or do not cross the nish
line. Furthermore, this is the only
race that oers the prize of everlasting life. However, crossing the
nish line is not easy. It takes discipline and certainty of purpose.
w13 3/15 1:2-4
Thursday, July 3
Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who has sent you this day
to meet me! And blessed be your
sensibleness, and blessed be you
who have restrained me this day
from entering into bloodguilt.
1 Sam. 25:32, 33.
What lesson can we learn from
the account involving David and
Nabal? (1 Sam. 25:9-13, 21, 22) Jehovah used Abigail to restrain
David from taking a false step. He
does much the same for us today.
Of course, we should not expect
that God will send someone to intervene whenever we are about to
make a mistake; nor can we presume to know precisely how God
will act in any given situation or
what he will allow in the outworking of his purpose. (Eccl. 11:5)
Nonetheless, we can be condent
that Jehovah is always aware of
our circumstances and will help
us to remain faithful to him. He
assures us: I shall make you have
insight and instruct you in the
way you should go. I will give advice with my eye upon you.Ps.
32:8. w12 4/15 5:9, 10
Friday, July 4
Many will rove about, and the
true knowledge will become
abundant.Dan. 12:4.
Bible prophecy pointed to the
exact time1914when the app ointe d times of the nations
[would be] fullled and Kingdom rule would begin in heaven.
(Luke 21:24; Dan. 4:10-17) How
should recognizing that Kingdom rule has begun and that we
are living in the time of the end
aect us? Many see the worsening world conditions yet fail to
acknowledge that these develop-
ments fulll Bible prophecy regarding the last days. They may
expect this system to fall apart
one day or may believe that somehow human eorts will achieve
peace and security. (1 Thess.
5:3) But what about us? If we recognize that we are living deep
in the last days of Satans world,
should we not endeavor to use the
remaining time to serve the God
of times and seasons and help
others come to know him? (Dan.
2:21; 2 Tim. 3:1) We ought to make
wise decisions about how we use
our time.Eph. 5:15-17. w12 5/15
3:9, 11
Saturday, July 5
Look! Your house is abandoned
to you.Matt. 23:38.
Rome played a key role in the
fulllment of the prophecy recorded at Genesis 3:15. Satan
used Roman ocials to deliver a blow that temporarily crippled the seed, bruising it in the
heel. How so? They tried Jesus
on the false charge of sedition
and had him executed. (Matt. 27:
26) But that wound soon healed
because Jehovah resurrected Jesus. The religious leaders of Israel conspired with Rome against
Jesus, and the majority of the nation also rejected him. (Acts 2:
22, 23) Thus, Jehovah abandoned
natural Israel as his people. He
now chose a new nation, the Israel of God. (Gal. 3:26-29; 6:16)
That nation was the congregation
of anointed Christians made up of
both Jews and Gentiles. (Eph. 2:
11-18) After Jesus death and resurrection, the seed of the serpent
continued to express animosity
toward the seed of the woman by
attempting to wipe out the Christian congregation, the secondary
part of the seed. w12 6/15 1:17, 18
Sunday, July 6
The creation itself also will be
set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious
freedom of the children of God.
Rom. 8:21.
The creation refers to mankind with the earthly hope, those
who will benet from the revealing of Gods spirit-anointe d sons. That reve aling will
begin when these sons, resurrected to the spirit realm, share
with Christ in cleansing the earth
of evil and preserving a great
crowd into the new system of
things. (Rom. 8:19; Rev. 7:9, 14)
Redeemed mankind will then experience a completely new freedomfreedom from the inuence of Satan and the demons.
(Rev. 20:1-3) Thereafter, Christs
144,000 fellow kings and priests
will continue to liberate mankind
by pro gressively applying the
benets of the ransom sacrice
until Adamic sin and imperfection have been fully erased. (Rev.
5:9, 10) Having proved faithful
even under test, humans will have
attained the very perfection of
freedom that Jehovah has purposed for them. w12 7/15 1:17, 18
Monday, July 7
Let him call the older men of the
congregation to him, and let
them pray over him.Jas. 5:14.
Could the desire to receive glory from humans aect even dedicated servants of God? Suppose a
young man is assigned to preach
in an area where he is fairly wellknown in the community but is
not yet known as one of Jehovahs
Witnesses. Will he shrink back in
fear? Or what if someone is ridiculed for his pursuit of theo-
cratic goals? Will he allow those

without clear spiritual vision to
inuence his choices in life? Or
perhaps a Christian has committed a serious sin. Will he hide his
wrongdoing because he is afraid
of losing his standing in the congregation or because he does not
want to disappoint loved ones?
In the latter case, if his foremost
thought is to repair his relationship with Jehovah, he will call
the older men of the congregation and seek their help.Jas. 5:
15, 16. w13 2/15 4:9
Tuesday, July 8
[Gods] will is that all sorts of
men should be saved and come
to an accurate knowledge of
truth.1 Tim. 2:4.
Jehovah wants people to come
to know the truth so that they
can worship him properly and receive his blessing. By making the
true knowledge known, Jehovah
has gathered a faithful remnant
of anointe d Christians. (D an.
12:4) Out of all nations and tribes
and peoples and tongues, he is
also gathering a great crowd,
who have the hope of living forever on earth. (Rev. 7:9) The expansion of true worship over the
past 130 years points to the overwhelming conclusion that God
and his appointed King, Jesus
Christ, have been with Jehovahs
servants on e arthdire cting,
protecting, organizing, and educating them. Their growth also
underscores the certainty that
Jehovahs promises for the future
will be fullled. The earth will
certainly be lled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are
covering the very sea. (Isa. 11:9)
What blessings mankind will then
experience! w12 8/15 1:16, 17
Wednesday, July 9
We pronounce happy those who
have endured.Jas. 5:11.
What practical steps can we
take to strengthen our faith,
building up our patience? It is key
that we apply Gods counsel. For
instance, reect on reasons that
you have for putting the Kingdom rst in your life. Can you put
forth increased eort to apply the
counsel found at Matthew 6:33?
That might mean spending more
time in the ministry or adjusting some aspects of your lifestyle.
Do not overlo ok how Jehovah
has blessed your eorts up till
now. He might have enabled you
to conduct a new Bible study or
helped you to receive the peace
of God that excels all thought.
(Phil. 4:7) As you thus focus on
benets that you personally have
received from following Jehovahs
instructions, you will increase
your appreciation for patience.
(Ps. 34:8) And as your faith grows,
it will become easier to wait for
the blessings we know will come.
Jas. 5:7, 8. w12 9/15 3:11-13
Thursday, July 10
The peace of God that excels all
thought will guard your hearts
and your mental powers by
means of Christ Jesus.Phil. 4:7.
Christian courage is not selfreliance. Rather, it is a result of
our getting to know God and relying on him. We can do this by
studying his written Word,
the Bible. Also, prayer can help
in all kinds of situations. Do we
take full advantage of this avenue of help to gain strength in
the midst of adversities? Other
vital provisions are association at
meetings and keeping active in

the Kingdom-preaching work.
(1 Tim. 4:16) Many have found
that by helping others to build
faith in Jehovah, they strengthen their own faith. In so doing,
they keep their mind o their
own problems and keep focused
on the more important things.
(Phil. 1:10, 11) Jehovah has provided abundant help to meet todays adversities with courage.
By taking advantage of all these
provisions, we can face diculties successfully.2 Cor. 4:17, 18.
w12 10/15 1:16-21
Friday, July 11
Deaden, therefore, your body
members that are upon the earth
as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness,
which is idolatry.Col. 3:5.
Although David was exemplary in many ways, he committed
several serious sins. (2 Sam. 11:
2-4, 14, 15, 22-27; 1 Chron. 21:
1, 7) Over the course of his life,
however, David proved repentant
when he sinned. He walked before God with integrity of heart.
(1 Ki. 9:4) Why can we say that?
Because David tried to act in accord with Jehovahs will. Despite
our imperfection, we can remain
in Jehovahs favor. With that objective in mind, let us study Gods
Word diligently, meditate deeply on what we learn from it, and
act decisively on what we store
in our heart. In eect, we will
then be praying to Jehovah like
the psalmist who made this humble request: Teach me to do your
will, for you are my God.Ps.
143:10. w12 11/15 1:17-19
Saturday, July 12
The dragon grew wrathful at the
woman, and went o to wage
war with the remaining ones of
her seed, who observe the commandments of God.Rev. 12:17.
Imagine this: You are testifying in court against a global criminal organization. Its leader is
a very intelligent, powerful, and
ruthless liar and murderer. How
would you feel when you stepped
outside the court at days end?
Safe? Hardly! Indeed, you would
have good reason for requesting protection. This scenario illustrates the situation of Jehovahs servants, who boldly testify
for Jehovah and fearlessly expose his vicious archenemy, Satan! But has Satan been able to
silence Gods people? No! In fact,
we continue to thrive spirituallya reality that can have only
one explanation: Jehovah is still
our refuge, a real dwelling for
us, especially during these last
days. (Ps. 90:1; Isa. 54:14, 17) That
said, however, Jehovah cannot be
a secure dwelling for us if we allow Satan to lure us away from our
dwelling place. w13 3/15 4:10
Sunday, July 13
What is looked for in stewards
is for a man to be found
faithful.1 Cor. 4:2.
Our being truly successful does
not dep end on our achievements or position in the eyes of
the world. Moreover, true success
is not measured by having a certain responsibility in the Christian arrangement. Such a blessing, though, can be related to
what truly is the basis for success, our obedience and faithfulness to God. And we must endure
in being faithful. Jesus said: He
that has endured to the end is the

one that will be saved. (Matt. 10:
22) Would you not agree that being saved is an undeniable evidence of success? Strive to be
faithful whatever your circumstances are. It is worth the effort. Be condent that Jehovah
will bless you richlynow and
throughout eternity. Never forget
the words that Jesus directed to
anointed Christians: Prove yourself faithful even to death, and
I will give you the crown of life.
(Rev. 2:10) That indeed is real
success! w12 12/15 1:17, 19
Monday, July 14
They buried [Jehoiada] in the
City of David along with the
kings, because he had done good
in Israel and with the true God
and His house.2 Chron. 24:16.
Our courage and faith are
strengthened when we see that
God is with those who put his interests and the welfare of fellow believers ahead of their own
concerns. For example, consider
High Priest Jehoiada and his wife,
Jehosheba. After King Ahaziah
died, Athaliah, his mother, killed
the remaining royal ospring
except Jehoash and seized the
throne. Jehoiada and Jehosheba had taken the risk of rescuing
Ahaziahs son Jehoash and had
kept him hidden for six years. In
the seventh year, Jehoiada had
Jeho ash pro claime d king and
had Athaliah put to death. (2 Ki.
11:1-16) Jehoiada later supported King Jehoash in repairing the
temple. And when Jehoiada died
at 130 years of age, he was buried with the kings. More over,
the courageous deeds of Jehoiada and his wife preserved the royal line from David to the Messiah.
w13 1/15 1:11
Tuesday, July 15
Just like Nimrod a mighty
hunter in opposition to Jehovah.
Gen. 10:9.
Nimrods domain included Babel and other cities between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
(Gen. 10:10) It was possibly under his direction that the building of Babel and its tower began about 2269 B.C.E. Contrary
to Jehovahs will that mankind
spread throughout the e arth,
those builders said: Come on!
Let us build ourselves a city and
also a tower with its top in the
heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves, for
fear we may be scattered over
all the surface of the earth. But
that scheme had to be abandoned
when Go d confuse d the language of all the earth and scattered the would-be tower builders. (Gen. 11:1-4, 8, 9) If Satan
had thus planned to start one religion with everyone worshipping
him, his plot was an utter failure. Throughout human history,
the worship of Jehovah has prevailed and is gaining momentum
with each passing day. w13 2/15 1:
19, 20
Wednesday, July 16
I have run the course to the
nish.2 Tim. 4:7.
Are you determined to run the
course to the nish? Then personal study is a must. Use the
Bible and our theocratic publications to help you do research,
meditate, and identify potential
stumbling blocks. Beg for holy
spirit to give you the spiritual
stamina you need. Remember, no
runner is doomed to fail in the
race for life just because he stum-
bles or falls on occasion. He can

get up and get back into the race.
He may even use potential stumbling stones as stepping stones,
learning valuable lessons from
any challenge to his faith. The Bible describes participation in the
race for everlasting life as active,
not passive. It is not like getting
on a bus that simply carries those
on board to victory. We must run
the race for life ourselves. As we
do, we can be condent of Jehovahs continued blessings now
and unending blessings to come
for all who nish the race.Jas.
1:12. w13 3/15 1:20, 21
Thursday, July 17
Keep on, then, seeking rst the
kingdom and his righteousness.
Matt. 6:33.
Jesus told his listeners what
sp e cic action on their p art
would demonstrate their inner
desire to serve Jehovah wholeheartedly. Indeed, by what we
put rst in our life, we make manifest what we are desiring, thinking, and planning deep down in
our heart. Examining our priorities in life is thus a tangible way
to check whether we are serving
Go d with a complete he art.
(1 Chron. 28:9) We have wisely accepted Jesus invitation to be his
followers and are now serving Jehovah every day. In this way, we
demonstrate how we feel in our
heart about Jehovah. Yet, even
though we are active in the congregation, we still ne ed to b e
aware of a potential risk to our
heart condition. What is it? Jesus
revealed that danger, saying: No
man that has put his hand to a
plow and looks at the things behind is well tted for the kingdom
of God.Luke 9:62. w12 4/15 3:
8, 10
Friday, July 18
To the married people I give instructions, yet not I but the Lord.
1 Cor. 7:10.
When Christians get married,
they make a vow before Goda
resp onsibility not to be taken
lightly. (Eccl. 5:4-6) In the sense
that he is the Originator of the
marital arrangement, Jehovah
has yoked together those united in wedlock. (Mark 10:9) This
yoke exists in Gods sight regardless of the laws that sanctioned
the wedding. Servants of Jehovah
should view marriage as a binding arrangement whether they
were his worshippers at the time
of their wedding or not. When a
Christians marriage succeeds, it
is a joy and brings honor to Jehovah. If it fails, it is a heartache
at best. An unmarried Christian
who is contemplating wedlock is
in a position to get marriage o
to a ne start by following Gods
guidance. On the other hand, a
person who makes an unwise decision when choosing a husband
or a wife may experience dissatisfaction and grief. w12 5/15 2:1, 3
Saturday, July 19
Follow his steps closely.
1 Pet. 2:21.
The greatest of all of Jehovahs
dedicated servants is Jesus. After
being baptized, Jesus devoted the
rest of his life on earth to preaching the good news and honoring
Jehovah. The obvious conclusion
for a Christian who recognizes Jehovah as his Master is that serving Him should have priority in
his life. Is it yours? (Ps. 71:15;
145:2) Over the years, Jehovahs
organization has repeatedly encouraged Christians to consider
prayerfully whether they could

pione er. For various re asons,
the circumstances of some faithful servants of Jehovah do not allow them to devote themselves to
the preaching work an average of
70 hours per month. They should
not feel bad about this. (1 Tim.
5:8) But what about you? Have
you seriously considered entering the regular pioneer ranks? By
pursuing a theocratic career, you
will be pursuing truly worthwhile
and lasting goals. And you will be
following Jesus perfect example.
w12 6/15 3:12, 13, 15
Sunday, July 20
In case my own father and my
own mother did leave me, even
Jehovah himself would take me
up.Ps. 27:10.
Since Jehovah is ready to support his servants when others
desert them, would he not also
sustain them during any other sort of tribulation? If, for instance, we are concerned about
how to provide materially for our
family, can we not be certain that
Jehovah will help us? (Heb. 13:
5, 6) He understands the circumstances and needs of all his loyal servants. Jehovah has promised to help, protect, and deliver
his people, as a group, physically and spiritually, and we trust in
him. (Ps. 37:28; 91:1-3) The crowd
that survive the great tribulation must indeed be great. (Rev.
7:9, 14) Thus that crowd, as a
group, will be shielded from extinction throughout the remainder of the last days. They will be
supplied with everything they
need to endure trials and to safeguard their relationship with Jehovah. w12 7/15 3:9, 10, 14
Monday, July 21
Trembling at men is what lays a
snare.Prov. 29:25.
The Roman Governor Pontius
Pilate knew that Jesus was an innocent man and apparently did
not want to harm him. In fact,
Pilate said that Jesus had done
nothing deserving of de ath.
Nevertheless, Pilate condemned
him to death. Why? Because Pilate succumbed to pressure from
the mob. (Luke 23:15, 21-25) If
you release this man, you are not
a friend of Caesar, cried those
opposers, thus applying pressure
in order to get their way. (John
19:12) Pilate may have feared that
he would lose his positionor
possibly his lifeif he sided with
Christ. So he allowed himself to
be led into doing the Devils will.
Pilate had little knowledge about
Christ. Still, he knew that Jesus
was innocent and was no ordinary man. But Pilate lacked humility and love for the true God.
The Devil easily caught him alive.
w12 8/15 3:8, 9, 12
Tuesday, July 22
He will bruise you in the head.
Gen. 3:15.
The apostle John reports what
will happen to Satan. Jesus Christ
the angel . . . with the key
of the abysswill seize Satan
and his demons, hurl them into
the abyss, and keep them there
for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:
1-3; Luke 8:30, 31; 1 John 3:8)
That action constitutes the initial
stage of the bruising of the serpents head. What is the abyss
into which Satan and the demons
will be hurled? The Greek word
abyssos use d by John me ans
ver y or exce e dingly de ep.

It is also translated unfathomable, boundless, and the innite void. Thus, it is a place
completely out of reach of anyone except Jehovah and his appointed angel with the key of
the abyss. There, Satan will be
in a state of deathlike inactivity so that he might not mislead
the nations anymore. Truly, that
roaring lion will be silenced!
1 Pet. 5:8. w12 9/15 1:15, 16
Wednesday, July 23
Not one word out of all the good
words that Jehovah your God
has spoken to you has failed.
They have all come true for you.
Josh. 23:14.
Joshua witnesse d Jehovahs
fear-inspiring deeds in Egypt and
in the wilderness. Hence, near
the end of his life, Joshua could
with heartfelt conviction say to
his fellow Israelites the words of
todays text. Likewise today, Jehovah is proving true to his word.
By means of his Son, he foretold that during the last days,
the Kingdom message would be
preached in all the inhabited
earth. (Matt. 24:14) Who else
but God Almighty could foretell
such a work, see that it is done,
and use many unlettered and ordinary people to accomplish it?
(Acts 4:13) Hence, when we share
in this work, we actually share in
the fulllment of Bible prophecy. We honor our Father and show
that we really mean it when we
pray: Let your name be sanctied. Let your kingdom come. Let
your will take place, as in heaven,
also upon earth.Matt. 6:9, 10.
w13 3/15 5:7, 8
Thursday, July 24
By myself I do swear.
Gen. 22:16.
Why did God swear to Abraham
that His promises would come
true? It was to reassure those who
would become joint heirs with
Christ, making up the secondary
part of the promised seed, and
to strengthen their faith. (Gal. 3:
29) As the apostle Paul explained,
Jehovah stepped in with an oath,
in order that, through two unchangeable things [his promise
and his oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we . . . may
have strong encouragement to lay
hold on the hope set before us.
(Heb. 6:13-18) Anointed Christians are not the only ones who
benet from Gods sworn oath
to Abraham. By means of Abrahams seed, Jehovah swore that
people of all nations of the earth
[would] bless themselves. (Gen.
22:18) Such blessed ones include
Christs obedient other sheep,
who have set before them the
hop e of everlasting life on an
earthly paradise.John 10:16.
w12 10/15 3:6-8
Friday, July 25
lesser one . . . is the one that is
great.Luke 9:48.
The one behaving as a lesser
one is great, or more valuable to
Jehovahs organization, because
his humility makes him a good
and useful servant of God. Jesus had to admonish his disciples
to behave as lesser ones because
some of them were inuenced by
the prevailing spirit of the day. A
reasoning entered among them
as to who would be the greatest
of them, states Luke 9:46. Might
we also begin to reason that we

in some way are better than our
fellow believers or are superior to
people in general? Many in the
world around us are motivated by
pride and selshness. Let us distance ourselves from the proud
by acting humbly. When we do so
and put Jehovahs will to the fore,
we become more refreshing associates. Jesus admonition to conduct ourselves as lesser ones truly is motivating. Should we not
strive to manifest the spirit of a
lesser one in all aspects of life?
w12 11/15 3:11, 12
Saturday, July 26
People say, Look! A man gluttonous and given to drinking
wine, a friend of tax collectors
and sinners.Matt. 11:19.
Jesus, the only man ever to live
in perfect faithfulness to God,
was falsely accused. The fact was,
though, that his course of wisdom in serving God disproved the
claims that he was a wrongdoer.
Wisdom is proved righteous by
its works, Jesus said. That is so
today too. As an example, some
of their neighbors view as strange
the brothers and sisters serving
at the Bethel complex in Selters,
Germany. But the mayor of the
community spoke out in their behalf, reasoning: The Witnesses
who serve there have their own
way of life, but one that in no way
disturbs the lives of others in the
community. A similar conclusion
was recently reached in connection with Jehovahs Witnesses living in Moscow, Russia. They had
been falsely accused of a number
of wrong acts. Then in June 2010,
the European Court of Human
Rights in Strasbourg, France, exonerated them. w12 12/15 3:13, 14
Sunday, July 27
Repent, therefore, and turn
around.Acts 3:19.
Have you done things that you
now regret? Have you ever wasted valuable energy and time on
the wrong pursuits? Did you act
in some way that resulted in harm
to others? Many people worry
about these things. To worry continually means to plague oneself,
vex oneself, persecute oneself. It
causes great anxiety. Does worrying solve any problems? Not one!
Imagine trying to move forward
by rocking for hours in a rocking chair, expending all that energy but getting nowhere! Instead of worrying, some positive
action on your part may produce
good results. You can apologize
to the person you wronged, perhaps restoring good relations.
You can avoid whatever led up
to the wrong act, thereby preventing future problems. Then
again, you may simply have to live
through some situations of life.
But worry is nothing but a form of
paralysis that can leave one unable to serve God fully. And there
is no reward for worry! w13 1/15 4:
9-11
Monday, July 28
Keep strict watch that how you
walk is not as unwise but as wise
persons.Eph. 5:15.
Around the world, advanced
electronic devices are now commonplace. Used properly, such inventions can be useful tools. Used
improperly, they can come between us and our heavenly Father. Consider computers. A
computer can be an eective research and communication tool
and at times a source of refresh-
ing entertainment. We can, however, also become obsessed with

computer technology. Marketers cleverly convince people that
they must have the latest products. One young man so passionately desired a particular tablet
computer that he secretly sold
one of his kidneys to buy it. What
a shortsighted sacrice! It is even
more tragic to sacrice your intimacy with Jehovah through misuse or overuse of technology. To
help break his bad habit of being online late into the night,
one Christian set his computer
to shut itself down when it was
time for him to go to bed. w13 1/15
3:3, 4
Tuesday, July 29
Death spread to all men because
they had all sinned.Rom. 5:12.
We are grateful that God has revealed the truth about his means
to deliver us from the legacy of sin
and death inherited from Adam.
We realize that Jesus came, not
to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom
in exchange for many. (Mark 10:
45) How good it is to know about
the release by the ransom paid
by Christ Jesus! (Rom. 3:22-24)
First-century Jews and Gentiles
needed to repent of their sins and
to exercise faith in Jesus ransom
sacrice. Otherwise, they could
have no forgiveness. The situation is the same today. (John 3:16,
36) If a person clings to false doctrines, such as the Trinity and the
immortality of the soul, he cannot benet from the ransom. But
we can. We know the truth about
the Son of [Gods] love, by means
of whom we have our release by
ransom, the forgiveness of our
sins.Col. 1:13, 14. w13 2/15 2:
15, 16
Wednesday, July 30
Thursday, July 31
Out of the heart come wicked

reasonings.Matt. 15:19.
When that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you
into all the truth.John 16:13.
The wicked reasonings that

Jesus spoke of are views or attitudes that can taint many aspects
of life. For example, a p erson
could have a distorted sense of
loyalty to his relatives. Of course,
Christians want to have natural
aection for relatives, not being
like many who lack such aection
in these last days. (2 Tim. 3:1, 3)
It is possible, though, to go to extremes in showing that aection.
Many feel that blood is thicker
than water. Thus, they might defend or side with relatives at all
costs, taking it personally if a relative is oended. Think of what
strong feelings of that kind led
Dinahs brothers to do. (Gen. 34:
13, 25-30) And imagine what was
in Absaloms heart, leading him
to murder his half brother Amnon. (2 Sam. 13:1-30) Were not
wicked reasonings behind those
cases? w13 3/15 2:13, 15
Friday, August 1
Do not hurry yourself in your
spirit to become oended, for the
taking of oense is what rests
in the bosom of the stupid ones.
Eccl. 7:9.
Many situations in life provoke
negative reactions. While you
are driving your automobile, for
instance, suppose another car
nearly collides with your vehicle. How will you react? You have
read about episodes of road rage
in which an individual became so
angry that he attacked the other
Jesus was willing to share the

information he had about the Father, revealing Him fully to others. (Matt. 11:27) In addition, Jesus gave his disciples intellectual
capacity that [they might] gain
the knowledge of the true one,
Jehovah God. (1 John 5:20) What
does that mean? Jesus opened up
his followers minds so that they
could understand his teachings
about the Father. He did not hide
his Father in a cloud of mystery
by teaching that He was part of
an incomprehensible Trinity. Did
Jesus reveal everything that he
knew about his Father? No, he
wisely held back from sharing
many things he knew. (John 16:
12) Why? Because at the time, his
disciples were not able to bear
such knowledge. Jesus waited
until the disciples became mature and able to comprehend certain facts about the Father. Jesus kindly took into account their
limitations. w12 4/15 1:14, 15
driver. As a Christian, however,
you certainly would not want to
do such a thing. How much better it would be to take a moment
to analyze matters. Perhaps you
were partly to blame for what
took place because you were distracted in some way. Or the other
driver may have had a mechanical problem with his car. The
point of this scenario is that we
can lessen anger, disapp ointment, and other negative emotions with understanding, openmindedness, and a willingness to
forgive. Do not take things so personally. w12 11/15 5:9, 10
Saturday, August 2
They will have to know that my
name is Jehovah.Jer. 16:21.
At the convention in Columbus, Ohio, in 1931, the Bible Students were absolutely thrilled to
accept the name Jehovahs Witnesses. Then in 1935, in Washington, D.C., Brother Rutherford
identied the great crowd, described in Revelation as standing before the throne and before the Lamb. (Rev. 7:9-17) In
1942, in the midst of World War II,
Nathan H. Knorr delivered the
thrilling discourse PeaceCan
It Last? In it, he identied the
scarlet-colored wild beast of
Revelation 17 and indicated that
there would still be much preaching to do after the war. At an international convention in New
York City in 1950, the audience
was delighted to receive the New
World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, the rst installment of a modern-language
Bible that restored Gods name
to its rightful place in his Word.
w12 9/15 5:7, 8
Sunday, August 3
You will be objects of hatred by
all the nations on account of my
name.Matt. 24:9.
During the last days of this system of things, since 1914, that hatred has become especially intense. Over the decades, in many
parts of the world, there have
been bans and restrictions on the
eld ministry and the Bible literature of Jehovahs Witnesses. Such restrictions still exist in
certain lands. Try as the nations
may, however, they will never
succe e d in stamping out true
worship! Jehovahs powerful arm

will prove to be with his people.
(Deut. 11:2) If we stick to Jehovah and stand rm in the truth,
he and his Son, Jesus Christ, will
do their part, and God will not allow anyone or anything to snatch
us out of His hand. (John 10:28,
29) Jehovah is ready to extend
whatever help is needed so that
we may obey him as the Universal
Sovereign and remain loyal subjects of the Messianic Kingdom.
w13 2/15 3:11-13
Monday, August 4
Be swift about hearing, slow
about speaking.Jas. 1:19.
Prior to making a shepherding
visit, an elder needs to take some
time to think about the individual he will visit. Such forethought
will help an elder to have a conversation that will be meaningful, not trivial. During shepherding visits, an elder allows his
brothers and sisters to express
themselves while he listens attentively. One sister said: Its so
comforting when an elder listens
with his heart. (Luke 8:18) Who
will benet from receiving shepherding visits? Paul admonished
his fellow Christian elders to pay
attention . . . to all the ock.
(Acts 20:28) Indeed, all members of the congregation need to
receive encouragement, including those publishers and pioneers
who have faithfully been carrying out their ministry year after
year. Why do they need the support of spiritual shepherds? Because sometimes such spiritually
strong ones too are nearly overwhelmed by the pressures exerted by this wicked world. w13 1/15
5:10-12
Tuesday, August 5
Let us consider one another to
incite to love and ne works, not
forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the
custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you
behold the day drawing near.
Heb. 10:24, 25.
Jehovah is ple ase d with all
those seeking refuge in him;
hence, even after our coming to
know God, we want to continue regularly associating with the
congregation of others who know
him. (Nah. 1:7) In a world lled
with discouragement, we are wise
to surround ourselves with our
encouraging brothers and sisters.
What are the benets? You will
nd in the congregation individuals who will incite you to love
and ne works. The mutual love
Paul wrote about to the Hebrews
calls for a brotherhood, a community of like-minded worshippers, a congregation. Displaying
this kind of love involves interacting with other Christians, which
we can do by regularly attending meetings and participating in
them. w13 3/15 3:13
Wednesday, August 6
Search through me, O God, . . .
and lead me in the way of time
indenite.Ps. 139:23, 24.
One way we can benet from
Jehovahs loving dire ction is
through p ersonal study. By
means of the publications of the
faithful and discreet slave, Jehovah provides a wealth of Scriptural counsel. (Matt. 24:45) To benet from it, however, we must take
the time to study it and apply
what we learn. Personal study
is one means by which Jehovah
can guard [us] from stumbling.

(Jude 24) Have you ever studied
something in our literature that
seems to have been written just
for you? Accept the correction as
coming from Jehovah. Just as a
friend might tap you on the shoulder to bring something to your attention, Jehovah can use his spirit to draw your attention to an
aspect of your conduct or personality that youand no doubt
many others like youneed to
improve. By being sensitive to
the leadings of the spirit, we allow Jehovah to guide our steps.
w12 4/15 5:12
Thursday, August 7
persons, buying out the opportune time.Eph. 5:15, 16.
Buying out the opp ortune
time is not easy in a world full of
distractions. Just as the days of
Noah were, warned Jesus, so the
presence of the Son of man will
be. How were the days of Noah?
It had b e en foretold that the
world of that time would come to
an end. At that time, wicked humans would drown in the waters
of a global deluge. As a preacher
of righteousness, Noah faithfully declared Gods message to the
people of his day. (Matt. 24:37;
2 Pet. 2:5) But they were eating
and drinking, men marrying and
women being given in marriage,
. . . and they took no note until
the ood came and swept them
all away. Jesus therefore warned
his followers: Prove yourselves
ready, because at an hour that
you do not think to be it, the Son
of man is coming. (Matt. 24:38,
39, 44) We must prove to be like
Noah, not like the people of his
day. w12 5/15 3:11, 12
Friday, August 8
I do repent in dust and ashes.
Job 42:6.
Some have the tendency to let
past failings overwhelm them
to the point that they feel that
they are unworthy in Gods eyes.
They may feel beyond the reach
of Go ds mercy b e cause they
strayed o course either so far or
so often. The fact is, though, that
no matter what they may have
done in the past, they can repent,
change, and ask for forgiveness.
(Acts 3:19) Jehovahs mercy and
loving-kindness can be extended
to them, even as it has been to
so many others. We all must follow the divine formula for acquiring peace of mind: He that is covering over his transgressions will
not succeed, but he that is confessing and leaving them will be
shown mercy. (Prov. 28:13; Jas.
5:14-16) Thus, we can confess to
God, pray for his forgiveness, and
take steps to right the wrong.
(2 Cor. 7:10, 11) If we have done
these things, then we can enjoy
the mercy of the One who forgives in a large way.Isa. 55:7.
w13 1/15 4:11
Saturday, August 9
His power must become mighty.
Dan. 8:24.
We can identify the seventh
head of the wild beast of Revelation chapter 13 by comparing
Johns vision with Daniels vision of the frightening tenhorned beast. (Dan. 7:7, 8, 23, 24)
The beast that Daniel saw represented the Roman World Power. In the fth century C.E., the
Roman Empire began to fragment. The ten horns sprouting
from the head of that fearsome
beast represent kingdoms that
grew out of that empire. By the

mid-18th century, Britain was
on its way to become the dominant power on the world scene.
Though Britain gaine d dominance, colonies in North America broke away. By the time the
Lords day began in 1914, Britain
had built the largest empire in
history and the United States had
become the greatest industrial
power on earth. During World
War I, the United States forged a
special partnership with Britain.
The seventh head of the beast
had now emerged as the AngloAmerican World Power. w12 6/15
2:3-5
Sunday, August 10
O God, you have taught me from
my youth on, and until now I
keep telling about your wonderful works.Ps. 71:17.
We are grateful that we do not
wander in darkness but enjoy
spiritual light from God. (Prov. 4:
18, 19) So let us diligently study
Gods Word and zealously share
the truth with others. As Jehovahs dedicated people, we recognize the related issues of divine
sovereignty and human integrity. Inde e d, we pro claim the
undeniable truth that Jehovah
is the Universal Sovereign, worthy of our wholehearted devotion.
(Rev. 4:11) With his spirit upon
us, we also declare good news to
the meek, bind up the brokenhearted, and comfort those who
mourn. (Isa. 61:1, 2) Despite Satans futile attempts to dominate
Gods people and all mankind,
we deeply appreciate our spiritual heritage and are determined
to maintain our integrity to God
and laud the Sovereign Lord Jehovah now and forever.Ps. 26:
11; 86:12. w13 2/15 2:19, 20
Monday, August 11
They will no more teach each
one his companion and each one
his brother, saying, Know Jehovah! for they will all of them
know me, from the least one of
them even to the greatest one of
them.Jer. 31:34.
Certainly, you should want to
know Jehovah and to be part of
his people. A prerequisite to receiving such benets is having
your sins forgiven on the basis
of Christs ransom. The very fact
that you can be forgiven should
move you to be forgiving toward
others, even those who might be
the object of hard feelings. Your
being willing to rid your heart
of any ill will that you may have
will be good for your heart. You
will thus show not only that you
want to serve Jehovah but also
that you are coming to know him
better. You will be like those of
whom Jehovah said through Jeremiah: You will actually seek me
and nd me, for you will search
for me with all your heart. And I
will let myself be found by you.
Jer. 29:13, 14. w13 3/15 2:18, 19
Tuesday, August 12
His commandments are not
burdensome.1 John 5:3.
Adam and Eve faile d to appreciate their wonderful LifeGiver and the freedom that he
had given them. Instead, they
chose the illegitimate freedom
oered by Satan, which was moral independence. But instead of
nding more freedom, our original parents sold themselves and
their future ospring into bondage to sin, with disastrous consequences. (Rom. 5:12) If Satan
could induce two perfect humans

not to mention a number of
spirit creaturesto reject Gods
sovereignty, he could deceive us
too. His strategy remains much
the same. He tries to mislead us
into thinking that Gods standards are burdensome and rob
us of fun and excitement. That
thinking can exert a lot of power if we are repeatedly exposed
to it. Bad association greatly
inuence d me, espe cially b e cause I was afraid of having a different opinion from my peers,
said a 24-year-old sister who had
engaged in sexual immorality.
w12 7/15 2:2, 3
Wednesday, August 13
Behave in a manner worthy of
the good news.Phil. 1:27.
The Greek expression that Paul
used for the word behave may
also be rendered carry on as citizens. That phrase had special
signicance for the congregation in Philippi. Why? Because
it seems that Philippi was one
of a select group of cities where
the inhabitants had been granted a form of Roman citizenship.
Roman citizens in Philippi and
throughout the Roman Empire
were proud of their status and
enjoyed special protection under
Roman law. Members of the congregation in Philippi had greater reason for being proud. Paul
reminded them that as anointed Christians their citizenship
existed in the heavens. (Phil.
3:20) They were citizens, not of a
mere human empire, but of
Gods Kingdom. As such, they
enjoyed unparalleled protection
and b enets.Eph. 2:19-22.
w12 8/15 2:1, 2
Thursday, August 14
Man has dominated man to his
injury.Eccl. 8:9.
During 6,000 years of human
history, self-determination and
self-rule have brought a tragic abundance of pain and suering to mankind. What do we see
today? Aside from wars and uprisings, there are the devastating
problems of poverty, disease, destruction of the environment, climate change, and more. Government ocials have warned that if
we do not change our businessas-usual attitude, the outcome
will b e disastrous. Under the
Messianic King Jesus Christ and
his 144,000 corulers, Gods Kingdom will take progressive steps to
undo all the damage done to humans and their home, the planet Earth. The Thousand Ye ar
Reign will bring about the fulllment of the heartwarming promise by Jehovah God: I am creating new heavens and a new earth;
and the former things will not be
called to mind, neither will they
come up into the heart.Isa. 65:
17. w12 9/15 2:2, 3
Friday, August 15
The undeserved kindness of the
Lord Jesus Christ be with the
spirit you people show.
Philem. 25.
When writing to fellow believers, the apostle Paul repeatedly
expressed his hope that God and
Christ would approve of the spirit
that the congregations displayed.
Thus, when Paul used expressions such as the Lord be with
the spirit you show, he was encouraging his brothers to show a
spirit in harmony with Gods will
and the Christlike personality.

(2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 6:18; Col. 3:912) Today, we do well to ask ourselves: What kind of spirit do I
show? How can I more fully manifest a spirit that pleases God?
Can I improve in contributing to
the overall positive spirit of the
congregation? To illustrate, in
a eld of sunowers, each ower contributes its glowing face to
the overall beauty of the ower
patch. Are we one of the owers
that adds to the overall beauty of
the congregation? Certainly, we
should strive to be one. w12 10/15
2:1, 3
Saturday, August 16
I set the pattern for you, that,
just as I did to you, you should
do also.John 13:15.
It is the nal night of Jesus life
on earth, and he spends it with
his apostles in the upper room
of a house in Jerusalem. During
the course of the evening meal,
Jesus gets up and puts aside his
outer garments. He girds himself with a towel. Then he puts
water into a basin and begins
to wash the feet of the disciples
and to dry them o with the towel. He then puts on his outer garments. Why did Jesus perform
this humble act? (John 13:3-5) Jesus himself explained: Do you
know what I have done to you? . . .
If I, although Lord and Teacher,
washed your feet, you also ought
to wash the feet of one another. (John 13:12-14) By displaying
a willingness to perform such a
lowly task, Jesus gave his apostles
an object lesson that would be
deeply engraved on their minds
and would encourage them to
be humble in the days ahe ad.
w12 11/15 2:1, 2
Sunday, August 17
You do not belong to yourselves.
1 Cor. 6:19.
Slavery evokes images of people
oppresse d and in b ondage,
whose work and sacrices bring
benets, not to themselves, but
to those who own and dominate
them. Yet, Jesus indicated that
his disciples would be humble
servants, or slaves. There is nothing deme aning or oppressive,
though, about this slavery involving true Christians. These slaves
enjoy a position of honor, trust,
and respect. Consider, for example, the comments Jesus made
about one slave shortly before
His death. Christ foretold that he
would assign duties to a faithful
and discreet slave. (Matt. 24:4547) It is signicant that in a parallel account, that slave is called
a steward. (Luke 12:42-44) Most
faithful Christians now alive are
not among those who make up
that faithful steward. However,
the Scriptures show that all who
serve God have a stewardship.
w12 12/15 2:1-3
Monday, August 18
They would not . . . worship any
god at all except their own God.
Dan. 3:28.
In the seventh century B.C.E.,
three Hebrew servants of Jehovah were given clear evidence
that God rewards faith and courage. King Nebuchadnezzar assembled Babylons dignitaries
and demanded that they worship
a towering image of gold. Any who
would not do so were to die in a
ery furnace. The three Hebrews
respectfully told Nebuchadnezzar: Our God whom we are serving is able to rescue us. Out of
the burning ery furnace and out
of your hand, O king, he will rescue us. But if not, let it become
known to you, O king, that your
gods are not the ones we are serving, and the image of gold that
you have set up we will not worship. (Dan. 3:16-18) The thrilling rescue of the three Hebrews is
vividly describ ed at Daniel 3:
19-30. Although we are not likely to be threatened with death in
a ery furnace, we do face tests
of integrity and can be sure that
God will bless us for our faith and
courage. w13 1/15 1:13
Tuesday, August 19
You are my witnesses, is the
utterance of Jehovah.
Isa. 43:12.
Our spiritual heritage includes
the blessing of enjoying accurate knowledge of Gods Word
and a clear understanding of the
truth about him and his purposes. It also involves a very special privilege. That privilege became part of our spiritual legacy
at our convention in Columbus,
Ohio, U.S.A., in 1931. The letters JW appeared on the printed
program. One sister said: Speculations were made as to what JW
stood forJust Wait, Just Watch,
and the correct one. We had been
called Bible Students, but we
adopted the name Jehovahs Witnesses by resolution on Sunday,
July 26, 1931. It was a thrill to
receive that Scriptural name. I
will never forget the tremendous
shout and applause that vibrated
through that meeting place, recalled one brother. No one else in
the world wanted that name, but
God has blessed us in the use of
it for over eight decades. What a
special privilege it is to be Jehovahs Witnesses! w13 2/15 1:4, 5
We all stumble many times.
Jas. 3:2.
Perhaps you have use d the
words stumble and fall interchangeably to describe a spiritual condition. These Bible expressions can, but do not always, have
the same sense. For instance, notice the wording of Proverbs 24:
16: The righteous one may fall
even seven times, and he will
certainly get up; but the wicked ones will be made to stumble by calamity. Jehovah will
not allow those trusting in him
to stumble or to experience a fall
an adversity or a setback in
their worshipfrom which they
cannot recover. We are assured
that Jehovah will help us get
up so that we can continue giving him our utmost devotion. How
comforting that is for all who love
Jehovah deeply from the heart!
For those loving Jehovahs law,
no stumbling block exists that
can permanently knock them out
of the race for life.Ps. 119:165.
w13 3/15 1:4-6
Thursday, August 21
No man that has put his hand to
a plow and looks at the things
behind is well tted for the kingdom of God.Luke 9:62.
It is commendable if we share
regularly in such wholesome and
satisfying activities as attending
congregation meetings and participating in eld service. But
serving Jehovah with a complete
heart involves more. (2 Chron.
25:1, 2, 27) If deep down in his
heart a Christian continues to
love the things behindthat
is, certain aspects of the worlds
way of lifehe is in danger of losing his good standing with God.

(Luke 17:32) Only if we truly abhor what is wicked [and] cling
to what is good will we be well
tted for the kingdom of God.
(Rom. 12:9) All of us, therefore,
need to make sure that nothing in
Satans world, no matter how useful or pleasant it may seem to be,
holds us back from being wholehearted in caring for Kingdom interests.2 Cor. 11:14; Phil. 3:13,
14. w12 4/15 3:10, 13
Friday, August 22
Out of the depths I have called
upon you, O Jehovah. O Jehovah, do hear my voice. May your
ears prove to be attentive to the
voice of my entreaties.
Ps. 130:1, 2.
Some youths begin dating when
they are not ready for the responsibilities associated with married life. Certain individuals nd
a prospective mate on the Internet and rush into what proves to
be a very unhappy marriage. Others commit a serious sin during
courtship and marry anyway, but
they may begin their married life
with little respect for each other. Some Christians do not marry
only in the Lord and suer the
often painful consequences of a
religiously divided household.
(1 Cor. 7:39) If that is your experience, pray for Gods forgiveness
and help. He does not remove the
eects of a persons past errors,
but he does assist repentant ones
to cope with trials. Put your heart
into pleasing him now and forever, and the joy of Jehovah will
be your stronghold.Neh. 8:10.
w12 5/15 2:3, 4
Saturday, August 23
I will most gladly spend and be
completely spent for your souls.
2 Cor. 12:15.
Being a shepherd involves hard
work. At times, elders sp end
sleepless nights in prayerful concern for Gods ock or in giving
spiritual support to fellow believers. (2 Cor. 11:27, 28) Still,
elders carry out their responsibility fully and gladly, just as
Paul did. Indeed, out of love for
his brothers, Paul fully spent
himself in strengthening them.
(2 Cor. 2:4; Phil. 2:17; 1 Thess. 2:8)
No wonder the brothers dearly
loved Paul! (Acts 20:31-38) We as
Gods servants today also love our
caring Christian elders and thank
Jehovah in our personal prayers
for providing them. They add to
our joy by showing personal interest in us. We feel enriched by
their shepherding visits. Moreover, we are grateful that they
stand ready to come to our aid
at moments when we feel overwhelmed by the pressures of this
world. Yes, such attentive Christian elders truly are fellow workers for our joy. w13 1/15 5:15, 16
Sunday, August 24
Those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in that day
from one end of the earth clear
to the other end.Jer. 25:33.
As the end of this system of
things draws closer, Satan will
intensify his attacks upon Jehovahs servants. Then will come
the day of [Go ds] w arring
against his enemies. (Zech. 14:
3-5) No section of the earth will
escape destruction. The forces
lined up on Satans side in the
battle will be tremendous. (Rev.
19:19-21) Warfare always brings
suering, even to the eventual victors. Food may run short.

Property may be lost. Standards
of living may drop. Personal freedoms may be curtailed. If such
hardships befall us, how will we
react? Will we panic? Will we renounce our faith under pressure?
Will we lose hope and sink into
despondency? How vital it will
be during the great tribulation to
maintain our faith in Jehovahs
saving power and to remain in
Jehovahs valley of protection!
Hab. 3:17, 18. w13 2/15 3:14-16
Monday, August 25
Do not let sin continue to rule as
king in your mortal bodies
that you should obey their desires. Neither go on presenting
your members to sin as weapons
of unrighteousness.
Rom. 6:12, 13.
Our initially becoming a Christian dep ende d on repentance
and on turning around, or
turning away from our sins. Repentance, however, is an ongoing
process. As imperfect humans,
we still have sin lurking within us like a coiled snake ready to
strike. (Rom. 3:9, 10) Let us remain sharp-eyed, not ignoring
our faults. Happily, Jehovah is patient with us while we earnestly
struggle to resist our weaknesses
and make needed changes. (Phil.
2:12; 2 Pet. 3:9) A great help is
to take control of our use of time
and resources, turning away from
selsh pursuits. Also, reect on
your dedication. The most precious possession we have is our
personal relationship with Jehovah. He knows those who belong
to him. (Isa. 44:5) Prayerfully examine the quality and the depth
of your relationship with him.
w13 3/15 3:14, 16
Tuesday, August 26
Having sustenance and covering, we shall be content with
these things.1 Tim. 6:8.
The commercial world is doing
its utmost to convince us that
we cannot live without its many
products and every new model
that comes on the market. But
true Christians do not want Satans world to dictate their priorities. (1 John 2:15-17) As for those
who have retired from secular
employment, what better way to
use their time than in the pioneer
ministry, putting Jehovahs service rst? All dedicated servants
of Jehovah can ask themselves:
What is my primary objective in
life? Am I putting Kingdom interests rst? Do I imitate Jesus selfsacricing attitude? Am I heeding Jesus advice to follow him
continually? Could I adjust my
schedule in order to devote more
time to the Kingdom-preaching
work or to other theocratic pursuits? Even if my circumstances
do not at the moment allow me to
expand my service, am I continuing to cultivate a self-sacricing
spirit? w12 6/15 3:16, 17
Instruct me, O Jehovah, in your
way, and lead me in the path of
uprightness on account of my
foes.Ps. 27:11.
Acting in harmony with this
prayer means paying careful attention to any Bible-based direction that we receive through
Jehovahs organization and applying it at once. Many who have
rid themselves of needless debt
can testify that applying wise
counsel to simplify their life has
b enefite d them during the
recent economic crises. Rather than nding themselves burdened with possessions they can
no longer aord, they are free to
expand their ministry. Each of us
does well to ask himself, Do I immediately apply everything I read
in the Bible and in the publications of the faithful and discreet
slave, even when it requires making personal sacrices? (Matt.
24:45) By allowing Jehovah to instruct us and lead us in the path
of uprightness, we will have no
cause for fear. w12 7/15 3:15, 16
Thursday, August 28
We pray to God that you may do
nothing wrong, . . . that you may
be doing what is ne, though
we ourselves may appear disapproved.2 Cor. 13:7.
Success in resisting pressure involves a combination of such elements as accurate knowledge,
humility, modesty, love for God,
and fear of Jehovah, not humans.
If our faith is built on accurate
knowledge, we will courageously
speak about our beliefs with conviction. This will help us to resist pressure and conquer fear
of man. Of course, we must never overestimate our own strength.
Instead, we should humbly recognize that we need Gods power in order to resist pressure. We
need to pray for Jehovahs spirit and must let love for him motivate us to uphold his name and
standards. Moreover, we need to
prepare for pressure before we
face a test. For instance, advance
preparation along with prayer
can help our children to respond
eectively when their peers try
to induce them to do something
wrong. w12 8/15 3:13
Friday, August 29
He that is humble in spirit will
take hold of glory.Prov. 29:23.
It may be that we are progressing toward Christian maturity
but a fellow believer counsels us.
His honest observations could
help us if we do not raise a defensive shield because of pride, the
desire to save face, or the temptation to justify our course. Or
supp ose you are working on a
project with a fellow believer.
Will your collaboration be inuenced by concern over who gets
the credit for your good ideas and
hard work? Overseers and those
reaching out for such an oce
should likewise beware of seeking praise from men. (1 Tim. 3:1;
1 Thess. 2:6) How should a brother respond when he receives sincere commendation for a job well
done? Does he readily recognize
that his achievement was possible only by Jehovahs undeserved
kindness and that any hope for
future success still depends on
Gods blessing and help?1 Pet.
4:11. w13 2/15 4:10, 11
Saturday, August 30
It will without fail come true. It
will not be late.Hab. 2:3.
Something that interferes with
our manifesting godly patience
is a wait-and-see attitude. What
does that mean? Well, a person
who lacks condence that the end
is near might start to make alternate arrangements, so to speak,
in case things do not work out as
Jehovah said they would. In other words, he might be thinking, I
will wait and see if Jehovah really is true to his word. He might
then try to make a name for him-
self in this world, to seek nancial security instead of putting

Gods Kingdom rst, or to trust in
higher education to secure a comfortable life now. Really, though,
would that not be evidence of a
lack of faith? Remember that
Paul urged us to become imitators of those faithful ones who
re ceived promises from Jehovah through faith and patience.
(Heb. 6:12) Jehovah will not allow this wicked system to exist
any longer than is absolutely necessary according to his purpose.
w12 9/15 3:16
Sunday, August 31
The god of this system of things
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.2 Cor. 4:4.
Sadly, some within the Christian congregation give evidence
that, at least to a degree, they feel
comfortable in Satans world. If
you feel that way even a little,
pray about the matter. Remember, this world is Satans. It reects his cold, self-serving spirit.
(Eph. 2:1, 2) In order to resist Satans machinations, we need to
take full advantage of the spiritual provisions that Jehovah makes
for his household of faith, for
those who make him their dwelling. These provisions include
Christian meetings, family worship, and gifts in menshepherds appointed by God to comfort and support us as we struggle
with lifes challenges. (Eph. 4:812) Brother George Gangas, who
was a member of the Governing
Body for a number of years, wrote:
When I am among [Gods people]
I feel at home with my family, in a
spiritual paradise. Do you feel
the same way? w13 3/15 4:11, 12
Monday, September 1
Let . . . anger and wrath and
screaming and abusive speech
be taken away from you.
Eph. 4:31.
We are happy when people respond favorably to our ministry,
for then they may benet from
the message we bear. Sometimes,
however, the resp onse is anything but peaceable. What then?
Jesus said that the p e ace we
wished on the household should
remain with us. (Luke 10:1, 5, 6)
In any case, we should be able to
leave each door with peace in our
hearts, regardless of how people
treat us. If we were to respond
to a provocation by getting upset, we could not maintain our
peace. Strive to maintain your
peace in all situations, not just
in the Christian ministry. Naturally, willingness to forgive others
does not mean that you have to
approve of their wrong behavior
or minimize the damage it does.
Forgiving, though, does mean
letting go of any resentment for
such wrongs and maintaining
your own peace. So be forgiving!
Eph. 4:32. w12 11/15 5:11, 12
Tuesday, September 2
You yourselves will become to me
a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.Ex. 19:6.
Jehovah began to fulll his side
of the Law covenant by arranging
for a tent of worship and a priesthood that made it possible for
sinful humans to approach him.
Israel, on the other hand, quickly forgot their dedication to God
and pained even the Holy One of
Israel. (Ps. 78:41) For example,
while Moses was busy receiving
further instructions on Mount Sinai, the Israelites became im-
patient and began to lose faith

in God, thinking that Moses had
deserted them. So they made a
golden image of a calf and said
to the people: This is your God,
O Israel, who led you up out of
the land of Egypt. (Ex. 32:1, 4)
Then they held what they called
a festival to Jehovah and bowed
down and sacriced to their manmade image. Upon seeing that,
Jehovah told Moses: They have
turned aside in a hurry from the
way I have commanded them to
go.Ex. 32:5, 6, 8. w12 10/15 3:
10, 12
Wednesday, September 3
For the Lords sake subject yourselves to every human creation:
whether to a king as being
superior or to governors.
1 Pet. 2:13, 14.
Jehovahs Witnesses worldwide
fulll this requirement for Christians as outlined by Peter. Although being no part of the wicked world, true Christians willingly
subject themselves to government authorities in their relative positions, even as Paul instructed them. (Rom. 13:1, 5-7)
When Jehovahs Witnesses conduct themselves as temporary
residents in the present system, they are not doing so as
part of some silent civil protest;
neither do they oppose or interfere with others who make their
own political or social decisions.
(1 Pet. 2:11) Unlike some other
religious groups, Jehovahs Witnesses refrain from meddling in
politics. They never try to dictate policy matters to civil authorities. The idea that they would
attempt to disrupt public order
or undermine the government is
completely without foundation!
w12 12/15 3:15, 16
Thursday, September 4
Draw close to God, and he will
draw close to you.Jas. 4:8.
Parents, you need not control
your childrens every move, but
you do need to monitor their computer use. D o not ab andon
them to online immorality, violent games, spiritism, and bad association just to keep them busy
and out of your way. If you do,
they may conclude, Since Dad
and Mom dont care, it must be
all right. As parents, it is your job
to shield your childrenincluding teenagersfrom anything
that could distance them from
Jehovah. Even animals protect
their young from danger. Imagine what a mother bear would do
if someone threatened her cubs!
(Compare Hosea 13:8.) Help your
children to arrange wholesome
association with other exemplary Christians, young and old. And
remember, your children need
you to spend time with them! So
make time to laugh, play, work,
and draw close to God together.
w13 1/15 3:5, 6
Friday, September 5
God . . . turned his attention to
the nations to take out of them a
people for his name.
Acts 15:14.
During a milestone governing
body meeting in Jerusalem in
49 C.E., the disciple James said:
It is written, After these things
I shall return and rebuild the
booth of David that is fallen down
. . . in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with
people of all the nations, people
who are called by my name, says
Jehovah. (Acts 15:13-18) The
booth [or, royal house] of David
fell when King Zedekiah was dethroned. (Amos 9:11) However,

that b ooth would b e rebuilt
with Davids descendant Jesus as
the permanent King. (Ezek. 21:
27; Acts 2:29-36) As James pointed out at that historic meeting,
this prophecy of Amos was being
fullled in the gathering of Kingdom heirs from both Jews and
Gentiles. Today, a remnant of
anointed Christians and millions
of Jesus other sheep are united in declaring Bible truth as servants of Jehovah.John 10:16.
w13 2/15 2:1, 2
Saturday, September 6
Jehovah showed me, and, look!
two baskets of gs.Jer. 24:1.
In 617 B.C.E., the nation of Judah was in a bad spiritual state.
God gave a vision about what the
future held, illustrating it with
two types of gsvery good gs
and very bad ones. (Jer. 24:1-3)
The bad gs meant King Zedekiah and others like him who faced
severe treatment by King Nebuchadnezzar and his tro ops.
But what of Ezekiel, Daniel and
his three companions already
in Babylon, and some Jews soon
to b e taken there? They were
like good gs. A remnant of them
would return to rebuild Jerusalem. In time, that did occur. (Jer.
24:8-10; 25:11, 12; 29:10) Jehovah
said of those represented by the
good gs: I will give them a heart
to know me, that I am Jehovah;
and they must become my people. (Jer. 24:7) How encouraging
that is! God is willing to give individuals a heart to know him.
In this case, the heart relates to
ones disposition. Certainly, you
want to have such a heart and to
be part of his people. w13 3/15
2:3, 4
Sunday, September 7
The little one himself will become
a thousand, and the small one a
mighty nation.Isa. 60:22.
Conventions at which Jehovah
gathered his faithful Witnesses after periods of persecution or
ban were intensely moving. Adolf
Hitler had vowed to destroy Jehovahs Witnesses in Germany, but
107,000 of them lled his former
parade grounds in Nuremberg
during a convention in 1955. Many
of those present could not hold
back their tears of joy! Among the
166,518 delegates at three Godly
Devotion conventions held in Poland in 1989 were large numbers
of delegates from what were then
the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, and from other Eastern
European countries. For some,
it was the first time they had
attende d a gathering of more
than 15 or 20 of Gods people.
And imagine the joy at the 1993
Divine Teaching International Convention in Kiev, Ukraine,
where 7,402 were immersedthe
largest baptism of Jehovahs Witnesses on re cord.Hag. 2:7.
w12 9/15 5:9
Monday, September 8
Become imitators of me, even as
I am of Christ.1 Cor. 11:1.
How grateful we are that Jesus
through his teachings and conduct willingly revealed his Father
to us! We need to imitate Jesus by
revealing the Father by our words
and deeds. Keep in mind that
many we meet in eld service do
not know who God is. Their view
of God may be obscured by false
teachings. We may share with
them what we know about Gods
name, his purpose for humans,
and his personality as revealed in
the Bible. Moreover, we may discuss with fellow believers some

Bible accounts that reveal Gods
personality in a way that we did
not appreciate before. That way,
they too may benet. How about
revealing the Father by your conduct as you strive to imitate Jesus? When people see in our actions the love of Christ, they will
be drawn to the Father as well
as to Jesus. (Eph. 5:1, 2) What a
wonderful privilege we have of
helping people to see Jehovah
in the way we conduct ourselves!
w12 4/15 1:17-19
Jehovah, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger.
Ex. 34:6.
Jehovahs patience with Israel
had a limit, and that limit
was reached when the Jewish nation rejected and killed his Son.
(Matt. 23:37, 38) The eshly descendants of Israel ceased to be
Gods name people. In the main,
they became spiritually dead,
like a withered tree. (Luke 23:31)
How did this aect their attitude
toward the divine name? History
indicates that, in time, the Jews
developed a superstitious attitude toward Gods name, viewing
it as something that they should
not pronounce. (Ex. 20:7) Gods
name gradually became disassociated from Judaism. It no doubt
hurt Jehovah to se e his name
treated so disrespectfully. (Ps.
78:40, 41) However, God, whose
name is Jealous, clearly would
not forever attach it to a people
who had disowned him and whom
he had disowned. (Ex. 34:14) This
fact should impress upon us the
importance of treating our Creators name with great respect.
w13 3/15 5:10, 11
Let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that
are upbuilding to one another.
Rom. 14:19.
A person who behaves as a lesser one pursues peace with everyone and especially with his or her
own marriage mate. (Luke 9:48)
Consider the area of recreation. A
couple may dier in their preferences when it comes to entertainment. Perhaps the husband likes
to stay quietly at home during leisure time and read a book. On
the other hand, the wife may prefer going out for a meal or visiting friends. Would it not be easier
for the wife to respect her husband when she sees that he manifests humility and gives sincere
consideration to her likes and
dislikes rather than being concerned only about his own preferences? And how the husband
loves and appreciates his wife
when he sees that she does not
just try to get her own way but
considers his wishes! The marriage bond is strengthened when
each partner behaves as a lesser one.Phil. 2:1-4. w12 11/15 3:
13, 14
He is changing times and seasons, removing kings and setting
up kings.Dan. 2:21.
Continuing in the Kingdompreaching work in these last days
requires faith in Jehovahs timing. The changing world situation may call for some changes in
how the disciple-making work is
carried on. The organization may
occasionally make adjustments
to address the needs of our activity as Kingdom proclaimers. We
demonstrate faith in the God of
times and seasons by fully cooperating with such adjustments

as we serve loyally under his Son,
the head of the congregation.
(Eph. 5:23) Jehovah wants us to
pray to him freely with complete
condence that he will provide
needed help at the right time.
(Heb. 4:16) Does that not demonstrate his loving concern for us
as individuals? (Matt. 6:8; 10:2931) We show our faith in Jehovah
God by praying regularly for his
help and then acting in harmony with our prayers and his direction. Furthermore, we remember
to pray for our fellow believers.
w12 5/15 3:15, 16
Friday, September 12
All the things that were written
aforetime were written for our
instruction.Rom. 15:4.
Absalom, a son of King David,
w as an exceptionally go o dlooking man. In time, however,
like Satan, he let greedy ambition ll his heart, for he began to
covet his fathers throne, to which
he was not entitled. In a sly attempt to seize the kingship, Absalom feigned deep concern for
his fellow Israelites while cleverly
insinuating that the kings court
lacked regard for them. Yes, just
like the Devil in the garden of
Eden, Absalom presented himself
as a benefactor, at the same time
cruelly maligning his own father.
(2 Sam. 15:1-5) Did Absaloms
clever scheme succeed? To some
extent, yes, for the Bible account
states: Absalom kept stealing
the hearts of the men of Israel.
(2 Sam. 15:6) In the end, though,
Absaloms arrogance led to his
own downfall, his death, and the
death of the thousands who were
overreached by him.2 Sam. 18:
7, 14-17. w12 7/15 2:4-6
I saw a wild beast . . . with ten
horns and seven heads.
Rev. 13:1.
Shortly after the start of the
L ords day, the seventh he ad
launched an attack on Gods peoplethe remaining ones of
Christs brothers on earth. (Matt.
25:40) Jesus indicated that during his presence, a remnant of the
seed would be active on earth.
(Matt. 24:45-47; Gal. 3:26-29)
The Anglo-American World Power w aged w ar with those holy
ones. (Rev. 13:3, 7) During World
War I, it oppressed Gods people, banned some of their publications, and threw representatives of Jehovahs organization
into prison. The seventh head of
the wild beast as much as killed
the preaching work for a period of time. Jehovah foresaw this
dramatic event and revealed it
to John. God also told John that
the secondary part of the seed
would be revived to increased
spiritual activity. (Rev. 11:3, 7-11)
The history of Jehovahs modernday servants conrms that those
events took place. w12 6/15 2:2, 6
Sunday, September 14
I shall give to peoples the change
to a pure language.Zeph. 3:9.
Some human governments require that those applying for citizenship speak the dominant language of the country. Even after
being granted citizenship, people may strive for years to master the new language. They may
quickly learn the rules of grammar but may take some time to
learn to pronounce the words correctly. Similarly, Gods Kingdom
requires that its citizens learn
what the Bible calls the pure language. What is that language?
It is the truth ab out Go d and
about his purposes as found in the
Bible. We speak the pure language when our conduct is in accord with Gods laws and principles. Citizens of Gods Kingdom
may learn basic Bible teachings
quickly and get baptized. Even
after their baptism, however,
they must strive to speak the
pure language better and better.
In what way? Each of us needs to
close the gap between what we
know about Bible principles and
what we practice. w12 8/15 2:4
Monday, September 15
[Jesus] went journeying from
city to city . . . , preaching and
declaring the good news of the
kingdom of God.Luke 8:1.
We are now privileged to share
in the gre atest work ever entrusted to Gods human servants
that of declaring the Kingdom
message and making disciples.
(Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20) How grateful we are for Jesus matchless example! Like him, we need faith
and courage in order to preach
the Kingdom message. With
Gods help, we can be like courageous Noah, an intrepid preacher of righteousness to a world of
ungodly people about to perish
in a global deluge. (2 Pet. 2:4, 5)
Prayer helps us to carry out the
preaching work. When certain
persecuted followers of Christ
prayed that they might speak
Gods word with boldness, that
plea was answered. (Acts 4:29-31)
If you are somewhat timid about
preaching from house to house,
Jehovah will answer your prayers
for greater faith and courage.
Ps. 66:19, 20. w13 1/15 1:18, 19
I shall . . . rebuild the booth of
David.Acts 15:16.
When the Jews were taken into
captivity in Babylon, it was clear
that the booth of David had fallen. Since false religion ran rampant in Babylonia, how did Gods
people survive spiritually during their 70-year exile there from
607 B.C.E. to 537 B.C.E.? The
same way we survive as Jehovahs people in this world under Satans control. (1 John 5:
19) A rich spiritual heritage has
help ed to make such survival
possible. Jewish exiles in Babylon did not have the Holy Scriptures in complete form, but they
did have knowledge of the Mosaic Law, with its Ten Commandments. They knew the songs of
Zion, could recall many proverbs, and were acquainted with
the exploits of earlier servants of
Jehovah. Yes, those exiles wept
when they remembered Zion, and
they did not forget Jehovah. (Ps.
137:1-6) That kept them alive
spiritually even in Babylon, with
its many false doctrines and practices. w13 2/15 2:1, 3, 4
The heart is more treacherous
than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?Jer. 17:9.
Modern physicians can use advanced technology to see what
the condition of a heart is and
how it is functioning. Jehovah,
though, can do much more, as he
did in Jeremiahs day. God is outstandingly qualied, as we see
from his words: I, Jehovah, am
searching the heart, . . . to give
to each one according to his ways,

according to the fruitage of his
dealings. (Jer. 17:10) Searching the heart involves no medical
exam of the literal heart, which
in 70 or 80 years might beat some
three billion times. Rather, Jehovah was speaking of the gurative heart. That heart refers to
a persons entire inner self, encompassing his desires, thoughts,
disposition, attitudes, and goals.
You have such a heart. God can
examine it, and to a degree, you
can do so too. w13 3/15 2:6
On three occasions in the year
every male of yours will appear
before the face of the true Lord,
Jehovah.Ex. 23:17.
Jehovah required that the Israelites assemble in Jerusalem
for three seasonal festivals each
yearthe Festival of Unfermented Cakes, the Festival of Weeks
(later called Pente cost), and
the Festival of Booths. Recognizing the great spiritual value
of these festivals, many family
heads attended with their entire
family. (1 Sam. 1:1-7; Luke 2:41,
42) Think about what it meant
for an Israelite family to make
that journey. Joseph and Mary,
for example, would travel about
60 miles (100 km) one way from
Nazareth to Jerusalem. It must
have been quite an experience for
them to travel and prepare meals
together and to organize suitable sleeping arrangements in unfamiliar locations. Yet, conditions
were safe enough for a 12-year-old
like Jesus to be allowed a certain
amount of freedom.Luke 2:4446. w12 9/15 5:11, 12
We received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is
from God.1 Cor. 2:12.
What is the spirit of the world?
It is the same spirit as that mentioned at Ephesians 2:2, which
says: You at one time walked according to the system of things of
this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the
spirit that now operates in the
sons of disobedience. This air is
the worlds spirit, or mental attitude, and it surrounds us like literal air. It is everywhere. It is
often manifested in the no-oneis-going-to-tell-me-what-to-do
or the ght-for-your-rights attitude of so many people today.
They constitute the sons of disobedience of Satans world. Such
attitudes are not new. In Moses
time, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rose up against those in authority in the congregation of Israel. (Num. 16:3, 12-14) Jehovah
was clearly not pleased with their
spirit. He executed all the rebels.
Num. 16:28-35. w12 10/15 2:4, 5
If I, although Lord and Teacher,
washed your feet, you also ought
to wash the feet of one another.
For I set the pattern for you, that,
just as I did to you, you should do
also.John 13:14, 15.
When Jesus washed the feet of
the apostles, it was not the rst
time he highlighted the value
of humility. On an earlier occasion when some of the apostles
showed a competitive spirit, Jesus set a young child beside him,
and He told them: Whoever receives this young child on the basis of my name receives me too,
and whoever receives me receives

him also that sent me forth. For
he that conducts himself as a
lesser one among all of you is the
one that is great. (Luke 9:46-48)
Aware that the Pharisees sought
prominence, Jesus said later in
his ministry: Everyone that exalts himself will be humbled and
he that humbles himself will be
exalted. (Luke 14:11) Clearly, Jesus wants his followers to be humble, that is, lowly in mind and free
of pride and arrogance. w12 11/15
2:2, 3
Who really is the faithful
steward?Luke 12:42.
In ancient times, a steward was
often a trusted slave assigned to
supervise the household or business aairs of his master. Typically, stewards had considerable
authority and were charged with
managing household belongings,
money, and other servants. We
can see this in the case of Eliezer,
who was entrusted with the care
of Abrahams extensive belongings. It may have been Eliezer
whom Abraham sent to Mesopotamia to choose a wife for his son
Isaac. What an important and farreaching assignment! (Gen. 13:2;
15:2; 24:2-4) Abrahams greatgrandson Joseph looked after the
household of Potiphar. (Gen. 39:
1, 2) In time, Joseph came to have
a steward of his own, who was
appointed over Josephs house.
That steward arranged hospitality for Josephs ten brothers. And
at Josephs command, he orchestrated matters concerning the
stolen silver cup. Clearly, stewards enjoyed positions of great
trust.Gen. 43:19-25; 44:1-12.
w12 12/15 2:3-5
The dead themselves do not
praise Jah.Ps. 115:17.
How are you fe eling? This
common expression betrays a
grim reality. Because our rst
parents allowed Satan to distance
them from Jehovah, we are all
subject to illness. Sickness serves
Satans purpose, for when we are
sick, it is harder for us to serve Jehovah. And if we die, we cannot
serve him at all. Naturally, then,
we want to do what we can to stay
healthy. And we should be concerned about our brothers health
and welfare. However, it is not
appropriate to promote health or
beauty products and practices
before or after meetings at the
Kingdom Hall or at assemblies or
conventions. On such occasions,
oering health advice or products
solicited or unsolicitedcan
detract from our spiritual purpose and rob others of their joy.
(Rom. 14:17) How a person addresses health concerns must be
his or her own decision. Further,
no one has a solution to all illness.
w13 1/15 3:7-9
Jehovah will . . . war against
those nations.Zech. 14:3.
On October 30, 1938, millions of
people in the United States were
listening to a popular radio program that featured theatrical
plays. The performance that evening was an adaptation of the
science ction novel The War of
the Worlds. Actors p ortraying news announcers described
the landing of an invasion force
from Mars that would cause widespread destruction on Earth. Al-
though it had been announced

that the radio pro gram w as a
play, many listeners thought that
the attack was real and became
frightened. Some even took certain measures in an attempt to
protect themselves from imaginary aliens. Today there is a real
war looming on the horizon. However, p eople are failing to respond to its approach. This war is
foretold, not in a science ction
novel, but in Gods inspired Word,
the Bible. It is the war of ArmageddonGods war against this
wicked system of things.Rev.
16:14-16. w13 2/15 3:1, 2
Let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.
1 Cor. 10:12.
Pilots who y one of the most
successful aircraft ever built have
a preight inspection checklist
consisting of more than 30 items.
If they do not carefully follow the
checklist each time before takeo, the pilots increase the possibility of a tragic accident. Do
you know what type of pilot is
especially urged to complete the
checklist every time? It is the
very experienced pilot! The seasoned pilot could easily become
complacent and fail to carry out
the preight inspection in every
detail. Like a safety-minded pilot, you can use a type of checklist
to make sure that your faith will
not falter when you need it most.
Whether you are newly baptized
or you have been serving God for
many years, regularly checking
the depth of your faith and devotion to Jehovah God is essential.
Failure to check on this regularly
and diligently can lead to spiritual ruin. w13 3/15 3:1, 2
persons, buying out the opportune time for yourselves.
Eph. 5:15, 16.
Excessive time spent on entertainment can rob us of time needed for personal study. One brother observes: It is so easy to let
personal study slip. Entertainment is more available now than
ever before, and it is less expensive than ever before. It is available on TV, on the computer, and
on the phone. We are surrounded by it. Unless we are careful,
time needed for in-depth personal study can gradually diminish
until it all but disappears. Each
of us does well to ask: How often do I take time to dig deeper
in my study of Gods Word? Is it
only when I have a talk or a meeting part to prepare? If so, perhaps we could make better use
of the evening set aside for family worship or personal study to
treasure up the spiritual wisdom
that Jehovah provides to safeguard us for salvation.Prov. 2:
1-5. w12 4/15 5:13
Whoever divorces his wife, except
on the ground of fornication, and
marries another commits
adultery.Matt. 19:9.
Those who experience heartache in the marital relationship may wonder: Is my unhappy marriage really worth saving?
If only I could turn back the clock
and be gin again with another
marriage mate! They may dream
of breaking the bondOh, to be
free again! Why not get a divorce?
Even if I cannot get a Scriptural

divorce, why not separate and enjoy life again? Instead of thinking in those terms or fantasizing about what might have been,
Christians should make the best
of their current state by seeking
Gods guidance and following it.
If a Christian were to get a divorce, he or she may or may not be
Scripturally free to get married
again. It is vital to weigh prayerfully any thought of divorce when
neither mate has been guilty of
sexual immorality. w12 5/15 2:5, 6
God is the one that, for the sake
of his good pleasure, is acting
within you in order for you both
to will and to act.Phil. 2:13.
Some may not feel particularly
inclined to pioneer or qualied to
do soeven if their circumstances would allow it. (Ex. 4:10; Jer.
1:6) Then what? Might this not
be a suitable subject for prayer?
Certainly. If you do not feel motivated to expand your ministry, ask Jehovah to give you both
the desire and the ability to do so.
(2 Pet. 3:9, 11) Noah, Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus were all devoted men. They used their time
and energy to proclaim Jehovahs
warning message. They did not
allow themselves to be distracted. The end of the present system of things is imminent; hence,
all of us who have dedicated our
lives to God need to be sure that
we are continuing to do our utmost in following these excellent Scriptural examples. (Matt.
24:42; 2 Tim. 2:15) By doing so,
we can please Jehovah and reap
his rich blessings.Mal. 3:10.
w12 6/15 3:18, 19
[God] will make you rm, he will
make you strong.1 Pet. 5:10.
Whether we have served God
for a few months or for several decades, we want to serve him forever. Patience helps us to endure
until we gain salvation, no matter how much time remains in
this system. Jehovah is now giving us the opportunity to prove
our complete trust in his decisions andif necessaryto be
willing to suer evil for the sake
of his name. (1 Pet. 4:13, 14) God
is also giving us training that
can help us to have the patience
needed for salvation. Jesus has all
authority in heaven and on earth,
and nothing can snatch you away
from his protective careexcept
you. (John 10:28, 29) There is no
need to fear the future or even
death. Those who patiently endure to the end will be saved. So
we must make sure that we do not
allow the world to seduce us and
make us stop relying on Jehovah.
Instead, be determined to grow
in faith and use the time of Gods
patience wisely.Matt. 24:13;
2 Pet. 3:17, 18. w12 9/15 3:17, 18
Hold a good conscience, so that
in the particular in which you
are spoken against they may
get ashamed who are speaking
slightingly of your good
conduct.1 Pet. 3:16.
There may be times when you
feel that you can help someone
who has wronged you to appreciate Christian standards. The
apostle Paul wrote: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him something to
drink; for by doing this you will
heap ery coals upon his head.
Do not let yourself be conquered

by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good. (Rom.
12:20, 21) By your graciousness
in the face of provocation, you
may soften even the hardest of
attitudes and bring out the good
in p eople. By showing understanding, empathyeven compassionfor the oender, you
might be able to help him learn
Biblical truths. A mild response
gives the individual an opportunity to reect on your ne conduct.1 Pet. 2:12. w12 11/15 5:13
He that is humble in spirit will
take hold of glory.Prov. 29:23.
When you hear the word glory,
what comes to your mind? The radiant splendor of creation? (Ps.
19:1) The praise and glory given to humans having exceptional
wealth, wisdom, or accomplishments? In the Scriptures, the
original-language words for glory convey the sense of heaviness. In ancient timeswhen
money was made of precious metalsthe heavier the coin, the
greater its value. Words used to
express the idea of weightiness
came to be understood guratively to mean that which is treasured, magnicent, or impressive. While we may be impressed
with the power, position, or reputation of another person, what
does God look for in humans?
The Scriptures actually speak of
a glory that God confers on humans. For example, Proverbs 22:4
states: The result of humility
and the fear of Jehovah is riches
and glory and life. And the disciple James wrote: Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah,
and he will exalt you.Jas. 4:10.
w13 2/15 4:1, 2
Wednesday, October 1
Let us not give up in doing what
is ne.Gal. 6:9.
Endurance is vital for a Christian today. You will face trials,
but Jehovah will help you. Keep
praying for holy spirit. You will
feel relief as he replaces grief
with j oy, anguish with p e ace.
(Matt. 7:7-11) No matter what
pressures confront you, never go
back, never give up. What wonderful riches are ours because we
are known by Jehovah! Therefore,
if you have recently come to know
God and got baptized, what now?
Continue to get to know Jehovah
better, growing to spiritual maturity. And if you have been baptized for many years, what now?
You too must continue to deepen and broaden your knowledge
of Jehovah. May we never become
complacent in our relationship
with him. Instead, we should all
check ourselves from time to time
to ensure that we are continuing
to grow in our relationship with
our loving Father, Friend, and
GodJehovah.2 Cor. 13:5, 6.
w13 3/15 3:17, 18
Thursday, October 2
We have a wrestling . . . against
the wicked spirit forces in the
heavenly places.Eph. 6:12.
Love for Jehovah moved us to
dedicate ourselves to him. Since
then, many of us have proved for
years that we are determined to
keep our heart complete toward
Jehovah. However, Satan has not
given up on us. Our heart is still
his target. Of course, he may realize that we will not simply abandon Jehovah abruptly. Therefore,
he slyly employs this system of
things in an eort to weaken our

heartfelt zeal for God gradually.
(Mark 4:18, 19) Why is that method of Satan so eective? Because
by his weakening our zeal ever
so gradually, we are not aware of
it. Yes, the inuences of Satans
world may cause our zeal to diminish little by little. If that happens, Satan has succee de d in
reducing our heartfelt zeal for Jehovahs service to something less.
If not alert, a Christian may not
even notice the gradual change.
Matt. 24:42; 1 Pet. 5:8. w12 4/15
3:14, 15
Friday, October 3
The righteous one may fall . . . ,
and he will certainly get up.
Prov. 24:16.
Some individuals continue to
harbor guilt over sins for which
they have actually been forgiven.
If that is true of you, remember
that Jehovah forgave Peter and
the other apostles for abandoning
His beloved Son in Jesus greatest hour of need. Jehovah forgave
the man who was expelled from
the congregation in Corinth for
agrant immorality but who later repented. (1 Cor. 5:1-5; 2 Cor.
2:6-8) Gods Word speaks of gross
sinners who repented and were
forgiven by God. (2 Chron. 33:2,
10-13; 1 Cor. 6:9-11) Jehovah will
forgive and forget your past errors if you are truly repentant
and accept his mercy. The ransom can cover the sins of all who
have fallen into sin and have repented. Faith in the ransom can
lift the burden of excessive guilt
from your shoulders and can give
you strength to serve God with
your whole heart, mind, and soul.
Matt. 22:37. w12 8/15 3:16, 17
Saturday, October 4
I bend my knees to the Father,
to whom every family in heaven and on earth owes its name.
Eph. 3:14, 15.
Family. What does that word
bring to your mind? Warmth?
Happiness? Working together toward a common goal? A safe haven
in which to grow, learn, and share
ideas? Likely it does if you are
part of a caring family. Jehovah
himself is the Originator of the
family. He purposed that all his
creatures in heaven and on earth
enjoy a sense of security, mutual trust, and genuine unity. After
they sinned, humans were no longer part of Gods universal family, but Jehovahs purpose was not
thwarted. He will make sure that
the Paradise earth will be fully inhabited with the ospring of
Adam and Eve. (Gen. 1:28; Isa. 45:
18) He has made every preparation to fulll this purpose. A number of these arrangements are
brought to our attention in the Bible book of Ephesians. Understanding them will enable us to
cooperate with Jehovahs purpose
to unite his creation. w12 7/15
4:1, 2
Sunday, October 5
They will actually sit, each one
under his vine and under his g
tree, and there will be no one
making them tremble.Mic. 4:4.
In to days world, ade quate
housing is a serious problem. People are packed into crowded cities. Many have to manage with
makeshift dwellings in shantytowns and city slums. Having
a house of their own remains a
mere dre am for them. Under
Kingdom rule, the desire of every
resident to have his own home

will be fullled, for it was prophesied through Isaiah: They will
certainly build houses and have
occupancy; and they will certainly plant vineyards and eat their
fruitage. (Isa. 65:21) Yet, having a home of their own is not the
only prospect. After all, some today live in their own home, a few
even in a mansion or on a grand
estate. But there is always the
worry that the home can be lost
through some nancial reverses
or that burglarsor worsewill
break in. How different everything will be under Kingdom rule!
w12 9/15 2:4, 5
Monday, October 6
[Abraham] was awaiting the city
having real foundations, the
builder and maker of which city
is God.Heb. 11:10.
Are you resolved to stand out as
being dierent from this wicked
world? Granted, doing so is not
always easy. But with Gods help
and with support from your fellow Christians, you can succeed.
Remember, you are not alone. All
who want to serve Jehovah have a
ght on their hands! (Eph. 6:12)
Still, it is a ght we can win if we
trust in Jehovah and make him
our secure dwelling. Also, imitate
Abraham by keeping your eyes on
the prize. (2 Cor. 4:18) The city
that Abraham awaited proved to
be the Messianic Kingdom. In a
sense, we do not have to await it.
It is now ruling in heaven. What
is more, mounting evidence indicates that it will soon take full
control of the earth. Is that Kingdom real to you? Does it inuence
your outlook on life, your view of
the present world, and your priorities?2 Pet. 3:11, 12. w13 3/15 4:
13, 14
Tuesday, October 7
You are a priest to time indenite according to the manner
of Melchizedek!Ps. 110:4.
During the reign of King David,
Jehovah made two sworn promises for the b enefit of all who
obey him. First, he swore to David that his throne would last
forever. (Ps. 89:35, 36; 132:11,
12) Second, Jehovah inspired David to foretell that, in time, a
unique King would also serve as
mankinds High Priest. In Israel
the kingship and priesthood were
completely separate. The priests
were from the tribe of Levi, and
the kings were from the tribe of
Judah. But concerning his illustrious future heir, David foretold that he would be both a king
and a priest. In fulllment of that
prophecy, Jesus Christ, the promised Seed, now rules from heaven. Also, he serves as mankinds
High Priest by helping repentant
ones to come into an acceptable
relationship with God.Heb. 7:
21, 25, 26. w12 10/15 3:13, 14
Humble yourself.
Prov. 6:3.
To apologize is dicult for most
people. However, servants of God
cultivate the spirit of a lesser
one by admitting their mistakes
and asking for forgiveness. They
are also ready to forgive others
for their transgressions. Whereas
pride fosters division and contention, forgiveness promotes peace
within the congregation. We may
need to humble ourselves by
sincerely apologizing to another
person if we are unable to honor

an agreement because of circumstances beyond our control. Although he may be able to assign
a measure of blame to the other
party, the humble Christian concerns himself with his own failings and is willing to admit them.
(Prov. 6:1-5) How grateful we are
for the Scriptural encouragement
to cultivate the spirit of a lesser one!Luke 9:48. w12 11/15 3:
17-19
Thursday, October 9
Have love for the whole association of brothers, be in fear of
God.1 Pet. 2:17.
Jehovahs Witnesses have a
healthy fear of displeasing God,
and this provides them with added motivation to do his will. They
are happy to be serving Jehovah
as part of a worldwide association of brothers and sisters who
have the same desire. Therefore,
it is only natural for them to have
love for the whole association of
brothers. Such brotherly love,
which is so rare in todays selsh
society, comes at times as a surprise to non-Witnesses. For example, a tour guide working with
an American travel agency was
amazed at the aection and assistance shown by the Witnesses
to foreign delegates at an international convention in Germany
in 2009. She said that in all her
years of serving as a guide, she
had never seen anything like it.
Have you heard similar reactions
of people who observed the Witnesses at a convention that you
have attended? w12 12/15 3:18
Friday, October 10
You, O Jehovah, are good and
ready to forgive; and the lovingkindness to all those calling upon
you is abundant.Ps. 86:5.
There is power in prayer; it accomplishes much with God. David expressed his deep feelings
in a prayer of faith that is beautifully preserved in the Psalms.
(Ps. 32:1-5) As David admitted,
trying to repress a guilty conscience wore him out! He apparently suered ill eects mentally and physically and lost joy
be cause of his failure to confess. What brought David pardon
and relief? Only a confession to
God. Jehovah answered Davids
prayers and strengthened him
to go ahead with his life and accomplish something worthwhile.
Similarly, if you pray sincerely
from the heart, you can be condent that Jehovah will give his
keen attention to your supplication. If past wrongs trouble you,
rectify them to the extent that
you can and then believe Jehovahs assurance that he has forgiven you! w13 1/15 4:12
Saturday, October 11
They do not know the voice of
strangers.John 10:5.
Researchers have found that
the task of simultaneously dierentiating between many sounds
becomes increasingly dicult
when it involves listening to human spee ch. This means that
when you hear two voices at the
same time, you have to choose
which one you will focus on. Your
selection will depend on which
one you want to listen to. The
Jews who wished to do the desires
of their father, the Devil, did not
listen to Jesus. We receive messages from the house of wisdom

and from the house of stupidity. (Prov. 9:1-5, 13-17) Both wisdom and stupidity keep crying
out to us, as it were, and that
presents us with a choice. Whose
invitation will we accept? The
answer depends on whose will
we wish to do. Jesus sheep listen to his voice and follow him.
(John 10:16, 27) They are on the
side of the truth. (John 18:37)
Such humble ones take hold of
glory.Prov. 3:13, 16; 8:1, 18; 29:
23. w13 2/15 4:13, 14
Sunday, October 12
God for the rst time turned his
attention to the nations to take
out of them a people for his name.
Acts 15:14.
As people who are called by
[Gods] name, the members of
the new nation of spiritual Israel used the divine name, certainly doing so when quoting from
the Hebrew Scriptures. (Acts 15:
17) Thus, when the apostle Peter
addressed an international audience of Jews and proselytes at
Pentecost 33 C.E., he used Gods
name a number of times. (Acts 2:
14, 20, 21, 25, 34) The early Christians honored Jehovah, so he, in
turn, blessed their eorts in the
pre aching work. Likewise to day, Jehovah blesses our ministry when we proudly proclaim his
name and show it to interested
ones, in their own Bibles if possible. We thus introduce them to
the true God. What a privilege
for them and for us! That introduction may in some cases be
the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Jehovah that will
grow ever stronger and last forever. w13 3/15 5:12, 13
Monday, October 13
How loyal and righteous and
unblamable we proved to be.
1 Thess. 2:10.
What do Delilah, Absalom, and
Judas Iscariot have in common?
They were all disloyalDelilah
to the man who loved her, Judge
Samson; Absalom to his father,
King David; Judas to his Master,
Christ Jesus. In each case, their
deplorable actions wreaked havoc on others! But why should this
be of concern to us? A modernday author lists betrayal among
todays most common vices. That
is to be expected. When giving
the sign of the conclusion of the
system of things, Jesus said:
Many . . . will betray one another. (Matt. 24:3, 10) To betray
means to give up to, or place in
the power of an enemy, by treachery or disloyalty. Such a lack of
loyalty conrms that we are living in the last days when, Paul
foretold, people would be disloyal, . . . betrayers. (2 Tim. 3:1, 2, 4)
Disloyalty and betrayal cause
pain and suering. Indeed, such
acts are an ominous sign of the
times! w12 4/15 2:1, 2
Tuesday, October 14
True worshipers will worship the
Father with spirit and truth,
for, indeed, the Father is looking
for suchlike ones to worship him.
John 4:23.
Our spiritual heritage includes
a wealth of accurate and valuable information from the past.
For example, consider Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs and their families must
have had discussions about how
to please Jehovah. So it is not sur-
prising that upright Joseph rejected sexual immorality so as

not to sin against God. (Gen.
39:7-9) Christian traditions were
also handed down orally or by example. Among these were points
re garding the L ords Evening
Meal that the apostle Paul passed
on to Christian congregations.
(1 Cor. 11:2, 23) Today, details
needed for us to worship Go d
with spirit and truth are part of
his written Word. (John 4:24) The
Bible is for the enlightenment of
all mankind, but we as Jehovahs
servants especially appreciate it.
w13 2/15 1:6
The Lord turned and looked
upon Peter, and Peter recalled
the utterance of the Lord when
he said to him: Before a cock
crows today you will disown me
three times.Luke 22:61.
Peter manifested fear of man,
stumbling badly at times; yet,
he remained loyal to Jesus and
Jehovah. For example, he publicly denie d his Master, not
just once, but three times. (Luke
22:54-60) Later, Peter failed to
act in a Christian manner, treating Gentile believers as if they
were somehow not as go o d as
circumcised Jewish Christians.
The apostle Paul, however, saw
the matter clearlythere was no
room for class distinctions in the
congregation. Peters attitude
was wrong. Before Peters conduct could sour the brotherhood,
Paul acted by counseling Peter
directly, face-to-face. (Gal. 2:1114) Was Peters pride so wounded
that he quit the race for life? No.
He seriously considered Pauls
counsel, applied it, and kept on in
the race. w13 3/15 1:12
Thursday, October 16
Jehovah is near to those that are
broken at heart; and those who
are crushed in spirit he saves.
Ps. 34:18.
David faced many distressing
circumstances in his life. (1 Sam.
30:3-6) His inspired words reveal
that Jehovah knew his feelings.
(Ps. 56:8) God knows our feelings
as well. When we are broken at
heart or crushed in spirit, he
draws near to us. This in itself
may give us a measure of comfort, as it did David, who sang:
I will be joyful and rejoice in
your loving-kindness, in that you
have seen my aiction; you have
known about the distresses of my
soul. (Ps. 31:7) But Jehovah does
more than just notice our distress. He sustains us by providing comfort and encouragement.
One way he does this is by means
of Christian meetings. The stress
of dealing with the injustices of
Satans world can wear us down.
Meeting together with our brothers refreshes us and helps us retain our joy in serving Jehovah.
w12 4/15 5:14, 15
Friday, October 17
May Jehovah rebuke you.
Jude 9.
As Michael the archangel, Jesus did not go beyond his authority when he had a dierence with
the Devil about Moses body. Instead, Gods Son showed humility and modesty. He was pleased
to have Jehovah, the Supreme
Judge of the universe, handle
matters in His own way and time.
The things Jesus learned during his prehuman existence undoubtedly included the prophecies foretelling details of his life
on earth as the Messiah. Hence,

he likely knew in advance that
unpleasant experiences awaited
him. Yet, Jesus accepted the assignment to live on earth and
die as the promise d Messiah.
Why? Highlighting the humility
of Gods only-begotten Son, the
apostle Paul wrote: Although he
was existing in Gods form, [he]
gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be
equal to God. No, but he emptied
himself and took a slaves form
and came to be in the likeness
of men.Phil. 2:6, 7. w12 11/15
2:5, 6
Let them have in subjection . . .
every moving animal that is
moving upon the earth.
Gen. 1:26.
In the process of creation, Jehovah made humans last, the apex
of his earthly works. Adam and
Eve, and eventually all humans,
were mandated to have dominion over the animal creation and
therefore would be at peace with
them. So we should not be surprised when we read in the Bible
that peace will come to prevail
between humans and animals.
(Isa. 11:6-9; 65:25) Why not? Recall that when Noah and his family emerged from the ark after the
Flood, Jehovah told them: A fear
of you and a terror of you will continue upon every living creature
of the earth. That was for the
animals self-preservation. (Gen.
9:2, 3) Could not Jehovah remove
a measure of that fear and terror, so that his original mandate
would be fulfilled? (Hos. 2:18)
What an enjoyable time awaits all
who will survive to live on earth
then! w12 9/15 2:7, 9
Sunday, October 19
Choose for yourselves today
whom you will serve.
Josh. 24:15.
A person with a choice has options and a degree of control over
the direction his or her life will
take. To illustrate: Imagine that a
man who is walking on a road suddenly nds that it becomes two
diverging paths. Which will he
choose to follow? The Bible contains numerous examples of people who faced a similar situation.
For example, Cain had to decide
whether to act on his anger or
to control it. (Gen. 4:6, 7) Joshua had to choose between serving
the true God or worshipping false
gods. Joshuas goal was to stay
close to Jehovah; hence, he chose
a path that took him in that direction. Cain had no such goal, and
he chose the path that took him
farther away from Jehovah. At
times, we may face a fork-in-theroad decision. If that happens,
keep in mind your destination,
or goalto bring glory to Jehovah in all that you do and to avoid
anything that would cause you to
draw away from him.Heb. 3:12.
w13 1/15 2:1-3
Monday, October 20
This is the heritage of Jehovahs
servants.Isa. 54:17,
Byington.
In part, our spiritual heritage
consists of recently published
accounts proving that Jehovah
is on our side. (Ps. 118:7) This
makes us feel secure, even when
we are persecuted. A heartening part of our ever-increasing
spiritual heritage is this promise:
Any weapon whatever that will
be formed against you will have
no success, and any tongue at all

that will rise up against you in
the judgment you will condemn.
This is the hereditary possession
[or, heritage, By] of the servants
of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from me, is the utterance
of Jehovah. (Isa. 54:17) Nothing
in Satans arsenal of weapons can
do us permanent harm. Satan has
tried to destroy Gods Word, eliminate the name Jehovah, and suppress the truth. But he certainly
is no match for Jehovah, who has
foiled all these eorts. w13 2/15
1:7, 8
Tuesday, October 21
All the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.Jer. 9:26.
We nd a clue as to the meaning of uncircumcised in heart in
what God urged the Jews to do:
Take away the foreskins of your
hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; that my
rage may not go forth . . . on account of the badness of your dealings. But from where did their
bad dealings originate? From inside, from their heart. (Mark 7:
20-23) Their heart was stubbornly rebellious. Their motives and
thinking were displeasing to him.
(Jer. 5:23, 24; 7:24-26) God told
them: Get yourselves circumcised to Jehovah, and take away
the foreskins of your hearts.
(Jer. 4:4; 18:11, 12) Hence, Jews
in Jeremiahs day needed gurative heart surgerycircumcision of the hearteven as those
in Moses time did. (Deut. 10:16;
30:6) To take away the foreskin of
their heart meant getting rid of
what made their heart unresponsivetheir thinking, aections,
or motives that were in conict
with Gods.Acts 7:51. w13 3/15
2:7-9
We are not ignorant of his
designs.2 Cor. 2:11.
How can we protect ourselves
against the schemes of Satan and
maintain a complete heart toward Jehovah? Prayer is vital.
Paul encouraged fellow believers
to stand rm against the machinations of the Devil. Then he
urged them: With every form of
prayer and supplication . . . , carry on prayer on every occasion.
(Eph. 6:11, 18; 1 Pet. 4:7) How will
such prayers aect us? Paul stated: In everything by prayer and
supplication along with thanksgiving let your petitions be made
known to God; and the peace of
God that excels all thought will
guard your hearts. (Phil. 4:6, 7)
Yes, we have to pray fervently and
frequently in order to maintain
a complete heart toward Jehovah. (Luke 6:12) Hence, ask yourself, How earnest and frequent
are my prayers? (Matt. 7:7; Rom.
12:12) Your answer reveals much
about the depth of your heartfelt
desire to serve God. w12 4/15 3:
16, 18
He did not waver in a lack of
faith.Rom. 4:20.
Now is not the time to waver in
a lack of faith; it is the time to
become powerful by faith. Gods
enemiesSatan and those under
his inuenceare trying to stop
the work that Jesus assigned to
His followers, including us. (Matt.
28:19, 20) Despite the Devils attacks, we know Jehovah as a living God, who is a Savior of all
sorts of men, especially of faithful ones. He knows how to de-
liver people of godly devotion out

of trial. (1 Tim. 4:10; 2 Pet. 2:9)
Soon, Jehovah will bring an end
to this wicked system of things.
While we have not been given all
the details and the exact time
when this will occur, we do know
that at just the right time, Christ
will do away with Gods enemies,
and Jehovahs sovereignty will
be vindicated. May we never fall
into the snare of thinking that
all things are continuing ex actly as from creations beginning.2 Pet. 3:3, 4; 1 Thess. 5:1.
w12 5/15 3:17, 18
Friday, October 24
Absalom kept stealing the
hearts of the men of Israel.
2 Sam. 15:6.
Today, Satan continues to use
Absaloms in his attempt to steal
the hearts of Jehovahs servants.
Jehovahs standards are too restrictive, they may say. And look
at all those people who do not
serve Jehovah. They have all the
fun! Will you see through such
contemptible lies and remain loyal to God? Will you recognize that
only Jehovahs perfect law, the
law of the Christ, can lead you
to true freedom? (Jas. 1:25) If so,
cherish that law, and never be
tempted to misuse your Christian
freedom. (1 Pet. 2:16) How sad
that many young ones in the truth
and even a number of older
oneshave had to learn the hard
way that sinful pleasures often
come at great cost! (Gal. 6:7, 8) So
ask yourself: Do I recognize Satans schemes for what they really
arecruel deceptions? Do I view
Jehovah as my closest Friend, the
one who always tells the truth
and wants what is best for me?
Isa. 48:17, 18. w12 7/15 2:6, 7, 9
The kingdom will partly prove to
be strong and will partly prove
to be fragile.Dan. 2:42.
Daniel 2:41 describes the feet of
the image that King Nebuchadnezzar saw as being a mixture of
iron and clay, as one kingdom,
not many. The clay, therefore,
represents elements within the
sphere of inuence of the AngloAmerican World Power, elements
that make it weaker than the solid iron of the Roman Empire. The
clay is referred to as the offspring of mankind, or the common people. (Dan. 2:43) In the
Anglo-American World Power,
people have risen up to claim
their rights through civil rights
campaigns, lab or unions, and
independence movements. The
common people undermine the
ability of the Anglo-American
World Power to act with ironlike
strength. Also, opposing ideologies and close election results
that do not end up in a clear majority have weakened the power base of even popular leaders,
so that they have no clear mandate to implement their policies.
2 Tim. 3:1-3. w12 6/15 2:9
Sunday, October 26
Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our
God is one Jehovah.Deut. 6:4.
Jesus quoted that statement,
and would any true Christian disagre e with him? (Mark 12:29)
The Trinity doctrine runs counter to the commission Jesus gave
his followers to make disciples of
people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
holy spirit. (Matt. 28:19) To be
baptized as a genuine Christian
and one of Jehovahs Witnesses, a

person must acknowledge the supremacy of the Father, Jehovah,
as well as the position and authority of Gods Son, Jesus. The
baptism candidate must also believe that the holy spirit is Gods
active force, not part of a Trinity. (Gen. 1:2) An individual who
continues to believe in the Trinity
cannot be baptized in symbol of a
valid dedication to Jehovah God.
How grateful we are that our spiritual legacy has protected us from
believing this God-dishonoring
teaching! w13 2/15 2:6, 7
Monday, October 27
How is it that you are turning
back again?Gal. 4:9.
Christians in Galatia needed to
check on the depth of their faith
and to appreciate their spiritual
freedom. By means of his sacrice, Jesus had opened the way for
those exercising faith in him to
come to know God in a most extraordinary waythey could become sons of God! To remain in
that most blessed relationship,
the Galatians would have to reject the teachings of Judaizers,
who were insisting that they observe the Mosaic Law. Why, uncircumcised Gentiles in the congregations had never even been
under the Law! Jews and Gentiles
alike needed to make spiritual
progress. This involved recognizing that they could not establish
their righteousness through the
Mosaic Law arrangement. The
apostle Pauls counsel to the Galatians was recorded for a purpose: to prevent true Christians
in any period from turning their
backs on the riches of Bible truth
and returning to the things behind. w13 3/15 3:3, 4
Tuesday, October 28
Let us go up to the mountain of
Jehovah, to the house of the God
of Jacob; and he will instruct us
about his ways, and we will walk
in his paths.Isa. 2:3.
A person desiring to become a
citizen of a human government
might have to learn something
about that governments history. Likewise, those desiring to be
Kingdom citizens do well to learn
all they can about Gods Kingdom. Human governments also
require that their subjects learn
and obey the laws of the land. It
seems only reasonable, then, that
Jehovah should expect us to learn
and obey the laws and principles
that govern all Kingdom citizens.
(John 15:10; 1 John 5:3) Human
laws are often awed and may be
unfair. In contrast, the law of Jehovah is perfect. (Ps. 19:7) Do we
delight in Gods law and read his
Word each day? (Ps. 1:1, 2) The
only way we can learn Gods law is
to study it for ourselves. Nobody
else can do this for us. w12 8/15
2:5, 6
These men . . . are . . . disregarding lordship and speaking abusively of glorious ones.Jude 8.
Obviously, such a spirit has no
place in the Christian congregation. Older men in the congregation are not perfect, just as they
were not perfect in the time of
the apostles. Elders may make
mistakes that aect us personally. If that happens, how inappropriate it would be for any member of the congregation to react
according to the worlds spirit, vehemently demanding jus-
tice or that something be done

about this brother! Jehovah may
choose to overlook certain minor
failings. Can we not do the same?
Because of what they perceive
as defects in the elders, some individuals who engage in serious
wrongdoing in the congregation
have refused to appear before a
committee of elders assigned to
help them. This could be likened
to a patient who loses out on the
benets of a treatment because
he does not like something about
the doctor. w12 10/15 2:6, 7
Keep on the watch.
Matt. 25:13.
Imagine that a prominent ofcial asks you to drive him to an
important appointment. A few
minutes before leaving to pick
him up for the me eting, however, you realize that there is
not enough fuel in your vehicle
to make the trip. You need to
rush o to purchase some. As you
do, the ocial arrives. He looks
around but cannot nd you. He
cannot wait, so he asks someone else to drive him. You soon
get back and realize that the ofcial has left without you. How
would you feel? In his parable of
the virgins, Jesus used a similar
situation to illustrate why during the time of the end, some
anointed Christians would prove
to be faithful and discreet, but
others would not. (Matt. 25:1-12)
He emphasized his point by saying: Keep on the watch, therefore, because you know neither
the day nor the hourthat is,
when Jesus would actually execute Gods judgment on Satans
world. w12 9/15 4:1, 3
Friday, October 31
The righteous one may fall . . . ,
and he will certainly get up.
Prov. 24:16.
Some lapse into minor sin
even repeatedlybecause of
some weakness. But they are still
righteous in Jehovahs eyes if
they continue to get up, that is,
sincerely repent and strive to resume a course of loyal service. We
can see that from the way God
dealt with ancient Israel. (Isa.
41:9, 10) Proverbs 24:16 focuses
on the positive, our getting up
Saturday, November 1
with the help of our merciful God.

(Isa. 55:7) Expressing their condence in us, Jehovah God and Jesus Christ kindly encourage us
to get up. (Ps. 86:5; John 5:19)
Even if a runner stumbles or falls
in a marathon, he may have time
to recover and nish the course
if he acts with urgency. In our
race for everlasting life, we do not
know the day and hour when the
end of the race will come. (Matt.
24:36) Still, the less we stumble,
the more likely we are to keep a
steady pace, stay in the race, and
finish it successfully. w13 3/15
1:7, 8
There is a day coming,

belonging to Jehovah.
Zech. 14:1.
Sunday, November 2
O Jehovah, you yourself have
proved to be a real dwelling for
us.Ps. 90:1.
What is this day? It is the

Lords day, which began when
the kingdom of the world became the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ. (Rev. 1:10; 11:
15) That day started in 1914 with
the birth of the Messianic Kingdom in the heavens. Decades before 1914, Jehovahs worshippers
declared to the nations that the
end of the appointed times of
the nations would come in that
year and that the world would enter into an unequaled period of
trouble. (Luke 21:24) How did the
nations respond? Instead of paying heed to that timely warning, political and religious leaders scorned and persecuted those
zealous anointed evangelizers.
In doing so, these world leaders mocked Almighty God himself, for anointed Kingdom ambassadors represent heavenly
Jerusalemthe Messianic Kingdomof which they are a part.
Heb. 12:22, 28. w13 2/15 3:4
Do you feel at home in the present world? If not, you are in good
company! Throughout the ages,
all who have truly loved Jehovah
have felt like strangers, or aliens,
in this system of things. For example, while moving from encampment to encampment in the
land of Canaan, faithful worshippers of God publicly declared
that they were strangers and
temporary residents. (Heb. 11:
13) Likewise, Christs anointed
followers, whose citizenship exists in the heavens, view themselves as aliens and temporary
residents in the present system
of things. (Phil. 3:20; 1 Pet. 2:11)
Christs other sheep are also no
part of the world, just as [Jesus
was] no part of the world. (John
10:16; 17:16) Nevertheless, Gods
people are not without a home.
In fact, we enjoy the protection of
the most secure and loving home
imaginable, one that is discerned
through eyes of faith. w13 3/15
4:1, 2
Monday, November 3
The eyes of Jehovah are in every
place.Prov. 15:3.
Although D avid w as a Go dfearing man, he did commit serious sins. Two of these involved a
married couple, Uriah and Bathsheba. The kings sin of adultery
with Bath-sheba was compounded by his having innocent Uriah
killed. The consequences of those
sins were painful for all involved.
Nevertheless, the way that God
corrected David reveals a great
de al ab out Jehovahs forgiveness. He sent his prophet Nathan
to David. Being a God of forgiveness, Jehovah was apparently interested in nding a basis for extending mercy. Do you not nd
this approach on Jehovahs part
heartwarming? He did not force
David to confess but simply had
Nathan present the king with a
story that illustrated the badness of his sins. (2 Sam. 12:1-4)
How eective that way of handling matters proved to be! David realized the gravity of what he
had done and contritely admitted: I have sinned against Jehovah.2 Sam. 12:5-14. w12 11/15
4:3, 5-7
Tuesday, November 4
An overseer must be free from
accusation as Gods steward.
Titus 1:7.
App ointe d to shepherd the
ock of God, overseers give direction and take the lead in the
congregations. (1 Pet. 5:1, 2) Of
course, resp onsibilities var y.
Still, all Christian overseers are
expected to carry out their duties faithfully; all must render
an account to God. (Heb. 13:17)
What, though, of the many loyal
Christians who are not overseers?
The apostle Peter wrote a letter

to Christians in general, stating:
In proportion as each one has
received a gift, use it in ministering to one another as ne stewards of Gods undeserved kindness expressed in various ways.
(1 Pet. 1:1; 4:10) God has in his
undeserved kindness imparted to
all of us gifts, assets, abilities, or
talents that we can use to benet fellow believers. Accordingly,
all who serve God are stewards,
and with their stewardship comes
honor, trust, and responsibility.
w12 12/15 2:6, 7
Wednesday, November 5
Gray-headedness is a crown of
beauty when it is found in the
way of righteousness.
Prov. 16:31.
It is appropriate to b e concerned about our appearance.
But we need not try too hard to
erase all signs of aging. Those
signs can be evidence of maturity, dignity, and inner beauty. For
example, note the words of todays text. That is how Jehovah
views us, and we should try to
view ourselves as he does. (1 Pet.
3:3, 4) Is it wise, therefore, to
risk unnecessary and potentially dangerous surgical procedures
or medical treatments merely to
make oneself more physically attractive? The joy of Jehovah is
a source of true beauty that radiates from the inside, regardless
of age or health. (Neh. 8:10) Only
in the new world will we be completely healthy and regain youthful beauty. (Job 33:25; Isa. 33:24)
Until then, showing practical wisdom and faith will help us to stay
close to Jehovah while we make
the best of our present circumstances.1 Tim. 4:8. w13 1/15
3:10
Thursday, November 6
Turn, please, the counsel of
Ahithophel into foolishness,
O Jehovah!2 Sam. 15:31.
Consider tre acherous Absalom. Iname d with ambition,
he was determined to usurp the
throne of his father, King David.
Absalom rst stole the hearts of
the men of Israel by ingratiating himself with them, using
sly promises and insincere expressions of aection. He would
embrace and kiss them, as if he
were truly interested in them and
their needs. (2 Sam. 15:2-6) Absalom even won over Davids trusted condant Ahithophel, who
turne d traitor and j oine d the
coup. In Psalms 3 and 55, David
describes how such disloyalty affected him. (Ps. 3:1-8; 55:12-14)
Absalom exposed his shameless
disregard for Gods sovereignty
by his ambitious scheming and
blatant conspiracy against Jehovahs appointed king. (1 Chron.
28:5) In the end, the uprising
failed, and David continued to
rule as the anointed of Jehovah.
w12 4/15 2:5
Friday, November 7
Do you, . . . the one teaching
someone else, not teach
yourself?Rom. 2:21.
A faile d marriage may cast
doubt on ones spiritual state.
The apostle Paul raised this serious question: If indeed any man
does not know how to preside
over his own household, how will
he take care of Gods congregation? (1 Tim. 3:5) In fact, when
both mates profess to be Christians and yet their marriage fails,
observers may think that such individuals do not really practice
what they preach. (Rom. 2:22-24)

When baptized marriage mates
are planning to separate or to divorce each other on unscriptural
grounds, something surely is spiritually wrong in their life. Scriptural principles are apparently
not being applied by one partner or perhaps by both partners.
If they were truly trusting in Jehovah with all their heart, there
would b e little re ason for b elieving that they could not avoid
a failed marriage.Prov. 3:5, 6.
w12 5/15 2:7, 8
Men spoke from God as they
2 Pet. 1:21.
Where do we come from? Why
are we here? Where are we going?
Why is the world the way it is?
What happens to us when we
die? People around the globe ask
these questions. How would we
know the answers to these and
other important questions if we
did not have the inspired Word
of God? How, though, was Gods
message transmitted by holy spirit to Bible writers? Did they receive precise wording or just ideas
that they could express in their
own words? Consider how a businessman might compose a letter.
When precise wording is important, he writes the letter himself or dictates it to his secretary word for word. The secretary
types it, and the letter bears the
businessmans signature. At other times, he provides only the
principal ideas, and the secretary
prepares the letter, using her own
style or vocabulary. The businessman may then proofread it. In the
end, the letter is viewed as coming from him. w12 6/15 4:1, 4
Sunday, November 9
You have taken hold of my right
hand. . . . You will take me even
to glory.Ps. 73:23, 24.
How does Jehovah do this? Jehovah leads his humble servants
to glory by honoring them in numerous ways. He blesses them
with an understanding of his
will. (1 Cor. 2:7) He bestows upon
those who listen to his word and
obey him the honor of a close personal relationship with him. (Jas.
4:8) Jehovah also entrusts his servants with the glorious treasure
of the Christian ministry. (2 Cor.
4:1, 7) And this ministry leads to
glory. Faithful ones are honored
with a good name with Jehovah,
and they are likely to be well spoken of by other servants of God.
(1 Sam. 2:30; Prov. 11:16; 22:1)
What about the future of those
who hope in Jehovah and keep
his way? They are promised: He
[Jehovah] will exalt you to take
possession of the earth. When the
wicked ones are cut o, you will
see it. (Ps. 37:34) They look forward to experiencing the incomparable honor of receiving everlasting life.Ps. 37:29. w13 2/15
4:3-5
Monday, November 10
He is a God, not of the dead, but
of the living.Luke 20:38.
As Satans world nears its end,
its pangs of distress will get
worse. (Matt. 24:7, 8) Things will
denitely get worse during the
great tribulation. Infrastructures
will collapse, and people will fear
for their very lives. (Hab. 3:16,
17) Out of sheer desperation, they
will, as it were, seek refuge in
the caves and in the rock-masses
of the mountains. (Rev. 6:1517) But neither literal caves nor
mountainlike political and commercial organizations will aord

any protection. Jehovahs people, however, will continue to enjoy the safety of their real dwelling, Jehovah God. (Ps. 90:1) Even
those who might die faithful before the great tribulation begins
remain secure with Jehovah, for
they are all living to him. Yes, to
Jehovah, his loyal ones who have
died faithful to him are as good
as alive; their resurrection is a
certainty.Eccl. 7:1. w13 3/15 4:
15-17
Tuesday, November 11
He purposed . . . an administration . . . to gather all things
together again in the Christ.
Eph. 1:9, 10.
This administration will carry
out its objective in two stages.
The rst stage prepares the congregation of anointed ones for life
in heaven under Jesus Christ as
their spiritual Head. This stage
began at Pentecost 33 C.E. when
Jehovah started to gather those
who would rule with Christ in
heaven. (Acts 2:1-4) Since the
anointe d have b e en de clare d
righteous for life on the basis of
Christs ransom sacrice, they
readily acknowledge that they
have been adopted as Gods children. (Rom. 3:23, 24; 5:1; 8:1517) The second stage prepares
those who will dwell in Paradise
on earth. The great crowd make
up the initial part of this group.
(Rev. 7:9, 13-17; 21:1-5) During
the Thousand Year Reign, they
will be joined by billions of resurrected ones. (Rev. 20:12, 13)
Those proving faithful will be
adopted as earthly children of
God.Rom. 8:21; Rev. 20:7, 8.
w12 7/15 4:3, 4
We are not ignorant of [Satans]
designs.2 Cor. 2:11.
Since we are not ignorant of Satans designs, we can avoid being overreached by the Devil. We
will not be caught in his snares,
or traps, if we pray for wisdom
to deal with our trials. (Jas. 1:5)
We need to act in harmony with
our prayers by engaging in regular personal study and by applying Gods Word. The Bible study
aids provided by the faithful and
discreet slave shed light on the
traps set by the Devil and help
us to avoid them. Prayer and Bible study promote in us a love for
what is good. But it is equally important that we develop a hatred
for what is bad. (Ps. 97:10) Meditating on the consequences of
pursuing selsh desires can help
us to avoid them. (Jas. 1:14, 15)
When we learn to hate what is bad
and truly love what is good, the
bait that Satan places in his traps
repels us; it holds no allure. How
thankful we are that God helps
us so that we are not overreached
by Satan!Matt. 6:13. w12 8/15 3:
18-20
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the
wrath; for it is written: Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says
Jehovah.Rom. 12:19.
Can you rightly condemn another person? No. (Matt. 7:1, 2)
But you can be condent that justice lies in Gods hands. If you
feel that you have been the victim of an injustice and nd it difcult to forgive a wrongdoer who
has repented, it would be good
to realize that the oender too
is a victim. He or she also suers
the eects of inherited imperfection. (Rom. 3:23) Jehovah feels

compassion toward all imperfect mankind. Therefore, it is appropriate to pray for the oender. It is unlikely that we would
continue being angry with someone for whom we are praying. And
that we should avoid harboring
resentment toward even those
who mistreat us is clear from Jesus words: Continue to love your
enemies and to pray for those
persecuting you.Matt. 5:44.
w12 11/15 5:14, 15
Friday, November 14
I rejoiced when they were saying
to me: To the house of Jehovah
let us go.Ps. 122:1.
Although many things have
changed over the centuries, the
essential aspects of conventions
have not. In Bible times, conventioners had to make sacrices to
attend. So do many today. Yet,
the benets are well worth the effort. These events wereand still
areimportant spiritual occasions. They provide us with information and understanding that
are critical to our maintaining a
close relationship with God. Conventions motivate us to apply
what we learn, help us to avoid
problems, and encourage us to
stay focused on pursuits and interests that will refresh us rather than weigh us down. (Ps. 122:
2-4) However, certain things have
changed in the way conventions
are organized. Some conventions
had lasted eight days! There were
morning, afternoon, and evening
sessions. Field service was a regular part of the program. Volunteers worked long and hard
to prepare breakfast, lunch, and
supper for attendees. w12 9/15 5:
15, 17
Do not swear at all.
Matt. 5:34.
Jesus said this in condemnation
of the casual habit that many
people have in their daily conversation of repeatedly swearing to
this or to that, without ever intending to do what they say. Do
Jesus words mean that all making of oaths is bad? How could
that be? Jehovah God and his
righteous servant Abraham made
sworn oaths on important occasions. Also, Gods Law required
the taking of a sworn oath to settle certain disputes. (Ex. 22:10,
11; Num. 5:21, 22) Thus, it may be
necessary for a Christian to swear
to tell the truth when testifying
in a court of law. Or, on a rare occasion, a Christian might nd it
necessary to make a sworn oath
to assure others of his intentions
or to help settle a matter. In fact,
when Jesus himself was put under oath by the high priest, he
did not object to it but responded
truthfully to the Jewish Sanhedrin.Matt. 26:63, 64. w12 10/15
4:1, 2
Sunday, November 16
You are opening your hand and
satisfying the desire of every
living thing.Ps. 145:16.
What about those of you who
have made sacrices to serve Jehovah full-time? Perhaps you
gave up a promising career or a
successful business to have more
time for Kingdom pursuits. Or
perhaps you remained unmarried
or if married, decided to forgo
having children to make yourself
available for service that other-
wise would not have been possible for you. You made those decisions on the basis of your deep
love for Jehovah and an earnest
desire to help others who wanted
to serve him. You need not think
that you would have been better
o had you lived your life dierently. You can have the deep satisfaction of knowing that you did
what you knew to be right in your
case and that you did your best to
serve Jehovah. He will not forget
your life of self-sacrice. In the
real life yet to come, he will reward you with blessings far better than any you can now imagine!
1 Tim. 6:19. w13 1/15 4:15, 16
Monday, November 17
I cannot put up with the use of
uncanny power.Isa. 1:13.
Often called spiritualism, the
practice of spiritism playe d
a notable role in 19th-century
thinking. Zions Watch Tower of
May 1885 therefore said: The belief that the dead are alive in another sphere or condition of being
is not new. It was part of the religion of the ancients, and was the
very root of all mythology. The
article added that the unscriptural idea of the dead communicating with the living has given
cover and force to the deceptions
practised by demons under the
guise of dis-embodied spirits of
men. They have eagerly availed
themselves of this mode of concealing their identity, and have
thus perpetuated their sway over
the minds and lives of many. The
early booklet What Say the Scriptures About Spiritism? gave similar warnings, as have our more recent publications. w13 2/15 2:11
Go your way out of your country and from your relatives . . .
to the country that I shall show
you.Gen. 12:1.
We can only imagine how Abraham, then Abram, felt when Jehovah told him to do that. If
Abraham felt any anxiety, it no
doubt melted away with Jehovahs next words: I shall make
a great nation out of you and I
shall bless you . . . And him that
calls down evil upon you I shall
curse. (Gen. 12:2, 3) With those
words, Jehovah took it upon himself to become a secure dwelling
for Abraham and for his descendants. (Gen. 26:1-6) Jehovah fullled his promise. For example,
he prevented Pharaoh of Egypt
and King Abimele ch of Gerar
from violating Sarah and doing
away with Abraham. He protected Isaac and Rebekah in a similar
manner. (Gen. 12:14-20; 20:1-14;
26:6-11) We read: [Jehovah] did
not allow any human to defraud
them, but on their account he reproved kings, saying: Do not you
men touch my anointed ones, and
to my prophets do nothing bad.
Ps. 105:14, 15. w13 3/15 4:4, 5
You have taken hold of my right
hand. With your counsel you will
lead me.Ps. 73:23, 24.
Christians today have good reason for imitating Hannahs example of regularly worshipping Jehovah. (1 Sam. 1:4-8) We need to
be faithful in attending meetings. As we all have experienced,
meetings provide vital encouragement. (Heb. 10:24, 25) The
warmth of Christian fellowship
comforts us. A simple expression
made in a talk or comment may
touch our heart. In conversation

before or after a meeting, a fellow believer may give us a listening ear or share consoling words.
(Prov. 15:23; 17:17) As we raise
our voices in song to Jehovah, our
spirits are uplifted. Especially
when we are beset by disquieting
thoughts do we need the encouragement that we receive at meetings, where Jehovah sustains us
with his own consolations and
supports us in our determination
to remain faithful. (Ps. 94:18, 19)
How grateful we are that Jehovah safeguards us for salvation!
w12 4/15 5:16-18
We . . . reect like mirrors the
glory of Jehovah.2 Cor. 3:18.
In one way or another, all of us
resemble our parents. Therefore,
it is not surprising to hear someone say to a boy, You are just like
your father. A girl may be told,
You remind me of your mother.
And children often imitate
what they see in their parents.
But what about us? Can we imitate our heavenly Father, Jehovah? Although we have not seen
him, we can perceive his precious
qualities by studying his Word,
by observing his creation, and
by meditating on the Scriptures
and especially on the words and
deeds of Gods Son, Jesus Christ.
(John 1:18; Rom. 1:20) In practicing godly devotion, we should display the qualities of the One who
made us. Anointed ones and their
earthly companions reect Jehovahs glory in their life and ministry. (2 Cor. 4:1) Are you reecting Jehovahs glory by your godly
conduct and by your activity as a
re gular Kingdom pro claimer?
w12 5/15 4:1-3
Friday, November 21
The law of Jehovah is perfect . . .
making the inexperienced one
wise.Ps. 19:7.
Without the Holy Scriptures,
our primary teacher would be
personal experience. With personal experience as our teacher,
could we ever have the same sentiments as the psalmist had toward the law of Jehovah? The
sad reality, though, is that some
have allowed the love they rst
had for Bible truth to cool o.
(Rev. 2:4) They no longer walk
in the w ay that ple ases Jehovah. (Isa. 30:21) That does not
have to happen to us. We can and
should work at maintaining our
appreciation for the Bible and its
teachings. The Bible is an important gift from our loving Creator. (Jas. 1:17) What will help us
deepen our appreciation for the
word of God? A key is reecting
on how Bible writers were guided
to write the Scriptures. That involves calling to mind some of the
abundant evidence of its inspiration. Doing so should stimulate us
to read from Gods Word daily and
to apply its counsel.Heb. 4:12.
w12 6/15 4:1, 2
You know neither the day nor
the hour.Matt. 25:13.
Our not knowing when the end
will arrive allows us to reveal
what is really in our heart. In
fact, not knowing dignies us, allowing us to use our free will in
manifesting our loyalty to Jehovah. Although we look forward to
surviving the end of this system,
we serve Jehovah because we love
him, not merely to get life. (Ps.
37:4) We nd pleasure in doing his
will, and we realize that God is
teaching us to benet ourselves.

(Isa. 48:17) Another benet of our
not knowing the day or the hour is
that we thus have the opportunity to make Jehovahs heart glad.
When we serve him out of love
not because of a date or solely because of a rewardwe contribute to Jehovahs answer to the
baseless taunts of his adversary,
Satan. (Job 2:4, 5; Prov. 27:11)
Considering all the pain and sorrow that the Devil has caused, we
gladly stand up for Jehovahs sovereignty and reject Satans wicked rule. w12 9/15 4:5, 6
Sunday, November 23
Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be
submissive, for they are keeping
watch over your souls.
Heb. 13:17.
A Christians spirit may be tested if he is corrected or is relieved
of privileges in the congregation.
One young brother was tactfully counseled by the elders about
playing violent video games. Sadly, he did not receive the counsel
well and had to be deleted as a
ministerial servant because he no
longer met the Scriptural qualications. (Ps. 11:5; 1 Tim. 3:8-10)
Afterward, the brother made it
widely known that he did not
agree, repeatedly writing letters
critical of the elders to the branch
oce and even inuencing others in the congregation to do the
same. It is really counterproductive, though, for us to jeopardize
the peace of the entire congregation in an attempt to justify our
actions. How much better to view
reproof as a way to open our eyes
to see weaknesses that we were
not aware of and then quietly accept the correction.Lam. 3:28,
29. w12 10/15 2:8, 9
Monday, November 24
If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you.
Matt. 6:14.
A willingness to forgive those
who oend uswhether they are
members of the Christian congregation or notis essential
if we are to maintain peaceful
relations with family members,
friends, fellow humans, and Jehovah. The Scriptures indicate
that a willingness to forgive others regardless of how often they
oend us is a Christian requirement. Jesus used an illustration
ab out a slave who was forgiven a large debt by his master.
When this slave would not likewise show mercy to a fellow slave
who owed him a small amount,
his master had him thrown into
prison. (Matt. 18:21-34) Jesus
conclusion w as: In like manner my heavenly Father will also
deal with you if you do not forgive each one his brother from
your hearts. (Matt. 18:35) Hence,
anyone who desires Jehovahs
friendship is obliged to forgive
the shortcomings of his fellow human. w12 11/15 5:3-5
Jehovah knows how to deliver
people of godly devotion out of
trial.2 Pet. 2:9.
Suppose you are looking for
a j ob. If you live in a land
where work is scarce, you might
be tempted to accept the rst
job oerany oerthat comes
along. What, though, if the nature of the work conicts with Bible principles? What if the schedule or traveling involved will
impede your Christian activity or
take you away from your family? Should you accept the oer
anyway, thinking that an unsuitable job is better than no job? Remember, choosing the wrong path
could distance you from Jehovah.
(Heb. 2:1) Keep in mind your destination. Ask yourself, Where do I
want a job or career to take me? If
you view secular work as a means
to an endto support yourself
and your family in Jehovahs serviceJehovah will bless your efforts. (Matt. 6:33) Jehovah is not
stumped when you face a job loss
or an unexpected economic downturn.Isa. 59:1. w13 1/15 2:5, 6
Observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
Eph. 4:3.
We attain such unity when we
apply Jehovahs instruction and
allow ourselves to be molded by
Gods holy spirit. Although Jehovah has declared his anointed ones righteous as sons and the
other sheep righteous as friends
on the basis of Christs ransom
sacrifice, personal differences
will arise as long as any of us are
alive on earth in this system of
things. (Rom. 5:9; Jas. 2:23) Otherwise there would have been no
need for the inspired advice for us
to continue putting up with one
another. How is unity with fellow believers achieved? We need
to develop complete lowliness of
mind and mildness. (Eph. 4:1, 2)
Applying this counsel involves
yielding to the inuence of Gods
spirit and allowing it to produce
its fruitage in us. That fruitage
mends rifts between individuals,
in contrast with the works of the
esh, which are always divisive.
w12 7/15 4:6, 7
Stand rm against the
machinations of the Devil.
Eph. 6:11.
Satan the Devil has no compassion for humans, especially
for those who serve Jehovah. In
fact, Satan is waging war on the
anointed remnant. (Rev. 12:17)
Those stalwart Christians have
sp e arhe ade d the mo dern-day
Kingdom-preaching work and
have exposed Satan as the ruler of this world. The Devil also
has no love for the other sheep,
who support the anointed and
are in line for everlasting life
a prospect that Satan no longer has. (John 10:16) No wonder
he is wrathful! Whether we have
the heavenly hope or the earthly
hope, Satan certainly has no interest in our welfare. His goal is
to make us his victims. (1 Pet. 5:8)
To accomplish his aim, Satan has
set various traps, or snares. Since
he has blinded the minds of unbelievers, they do not accept the
good news and cannot see these
traps. However, the Devil also ensnares some who have accepted
the Kingdom message.2 Cor. 4:
3, 4. w12 8/15 4:1, 2
Friday, November 28
Happy are those conscious of
their spiritual need.Matt. 5:3.
Features that have long been
part of the convention program
are widely anticipated. Spiritual food at the proper time, giving us a better understanding of
Bible prophecies and teachings,
has come not only from discourses but also through new publications released at conventions.
(Matt. 24:45) Such releases are
often tools that help sincere in-
dividuals appreciate Scriptural

truths. Stimulating Bible-based
dramas encourage both young
and old to examine their motives
and guard against the pressures
exerted by the worlds ungodly
thinking. The baptism talk likewise oers all of us an opportunity to review our priorities in life
and to experience the joy of seeing others symbolize their dedication to Jehovah. Yes, long a
part of pure worship, conventions equip Jehovahs joyful people to serve him appropriately in
challenging times. w12 9/15 5:14,
18, 19
The city [Jerusalem] will actually be captured.Zech. 14:2.
The city is symbolic of Gods
Messianic Kingdom. It is represented on earth by its citizens,
the remnant of anointed Christians. (Phil. 3:20) Although Gods
people were outnumbered, misrepresented, opposed, and persecuted at the hands of attackers
during World War I, true worship
could not be crushed out of existence. There were the remaining ones of the people, that is,
the anointed remnant who loyally refused to be cut o from
the city. More attacks by the nations were yet to come against the
anointed remnant and their loyal
companions with an earthly hope.
(Rev. 12:17) World War II is a proof
of that. The integrity-keeping
course of Gods faithful anointed Witnesses spurs on Gods servants today to endure whatever
trials come their way, including
opposition from unbelieving relatives, workmates, or schoolmates
who ridicule them for their faith.
1 Pet. 1:6, 7. w13 2/15 3:4-7
Those he althful words are

found in Gods Word. (1 Tim. 6:3)
Just as an artists sketch provides
us with a general picture, the
pattern of truth provides a broad
outline for us to perceive and
follow what Jehovah requires of
us. After taking in knowledge,
we develop faith. But we should
continue to grow in both respects.
(2 Thess. 1:3) Growth involves a
progressive series of changes. To
grow means to increase, to enlarge. Thus, after baptism, we

need to continue to develop our
spirituality so that our growth
does not become stunted. During
our initial period of Bible study,
we may quickly grow spiritually
and then get baptized. In the following years, our continued spiritual growth may not be as noticeable. Nevertheless, we still need
to grow in faith and knowledge
to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the
fullness of the Christ.Eph. 4:
13. w13 3/15 3:7-9
Monday, December 1
Tuesday, December 2
Look! I am come . . . to do your

will, O God.Heb. 10:7.
Trust in Jehovah with all your

heart and do not lean upon your
own understanding.Prov. 3:5.
Sunday, November 30
Keep holding the pattern of
healthful words.2 Tim. 1:13.
With these meaningful words,

Jesus presented himself to God
to carry out all that was foretold
about the promised Seed, including his being bruised in the heel
by Satan. (Gen. 3:15) No other human has ever volunteered to
shoulder such a heavy responsibility. From he aven, Jehovah
voiced his complete trust in his
Son. (Luke 3:21, 22) Jesus always
practiced what he preached by
letting his Yes mean Yes. (Matt.
5:37) He allowed nothing to sidetrack him from the commission
he received from his Father to
preach the good news of Gods
Kingdom and to make disciples
of all whom God drew to Jesus.
(John 6:44) The Bible describes
the extent of Jesus truthfulness
in these well-known words: No
matter how many the promises of
God are, they have become Yes by
means of him. (2 Cor. 1:20) Indeed, Jesus is the nest example
of one who proved true to what he
promised his Father. w12 10/15
4:3, 4
In accord with Jehovahs will,

Christian elders have been entrusted with the resp onsibility of handling cases of wrongdoing in the congregation. These
brothers do not have the full insight that God does, but they aim
to make their decision harmonize with the direction given in
Gods Word under the guidance of
holy spirit. Hence, what they decide in such matters after seeking Jehovahs help in prayer will
reect his point of view. (Matt.
18:18) Here is where loyalty matters. Will you forgive and conrm your love for those judged to
be repentant? (2 Cor. 2:5-8) This
may not be easy, especially if you
are a victim of the wrongdoing or
are related to a victim. However,
by placing your trust in Jehovah
and his way of dealing with matters through the congregation,
you will act wisely. You will demonstrate that you really do forgive
freely. w12 11/15 5:16, 17
Wednesday, December 3
Is he the God of the Jews only?
Is he not also of people of the
nations?Rom. 3:29.
In ancient Israel, the rights of
non-Israelites were somewhat
limited, yet the Israelites were
required to treat foreigners respectfully and fairly. Foreigners
in ancient Israel beneted from
their close association with native Israelites. This reected Jehovahs thinking on the matter
as expressed by the apostle Paul
in todays text. By means of the
new covenant, the congregation
of anointed Christians replaced
literal Israel as the nation with
whom God was to have a spe cial relationship. It is therefore
called the Israel of God. (Gal. 6:
16) And as Paul explained, in
this new nation, there is neither
Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is
all things and in all. (Col. 3:11)
In that sense, then, there were to
be no foreigners in the Christian
congregation. w12 12/15 4:2-4
Thursday, December 4
You cannot slave for God and for
Riches.Matt. 6:24.
Money is not evil, nor is it wrong
to engage in honest business.
(Eccl. 7:12; Luke 19:12, 13) However, nurturing a love of money
will unavoidably distance us from
Jehovah. (1 Tim. 6:9, 10) The
anxiety of this system, extreme
concern about obtaining lifes necessities, can choke us spiritually. So can the deceptive power of riches, the mistaken belief
that riches bring lasting happiness and security. (Matt. 13:22)
The wrong view of money can

lead to wrong actions. (Prov. 28:
20) Promises of quick, easy money have enticed some to purchase
lottery tickets or to pursue multilevel marketing schemes, even
drawing in other members of the
congregation. Others have been
fooled by oers of unrealistically
high returns on investments. Do
not allow greed to cause you to be
defrauded. Use good sense. If an
oer seems too good to be true, it
probably is. w13 1/15 3:11, 12
Friday, December 5
Many . . . of the rulers actually
put faith in [Jesus], but because
of the Pharisees they would not
confess him.John 12:42.
How much better it would have
been for those rulers had they
not given so much importance to
what the Pharisees thought! Earlier in his ministry, Jesus had
cle arly identifie d why many
would not receive him and put
faith in him. (John 5:39-44) The
nation of Israel had been anticipating the arrival of the Messiah for centuries. When Jesus began teaching, some individuals
may have discerned from Daniels prophecy that the appointed time for Christs appearance
had arrived. Months earlier when
John the Baptizer came preaching, many were saying: May he
perhaps be the Christ? (Luke 3:
15) But those versed in the Law
failed to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Pinpointing the reason, Jesus asked them: How can you
believe, when you are accepting
glory from one another and you
are not seeking the glory that
is from the only God? w13 2/15
4:6, 7
Saturday, December 6
We . . . shall walk in the name
of Jehovah our God to time indenite, even forever.Mic. 4:5.
Walking in Gods name involves
at least three things. First, we
must proclaim that name to others, recognizing that only those
who call on the name of Jehovah will be saved. (Rom. 10:13)
Second, we need to reflect Jehovahs qualities, especially his
love. And third, we walk in Gods
name when we joyfully submit to
his righteous standards, lest we
bring reproach on our Fathers
holy name. (1 John 4:8; 5:3) Are
you determined to walk in the
name of Jehovah our God to time
indefinite? We have willingly
come to know Jehovah. We are
proud to bear his name and to
be his ob edient name pe ople.
Hence, we look to the future with
condence in the promise recorded at Psalm 9:10: Those knowing your name will trust in you,
for you will certainly not leave
those looking for you, O Jehovah.
w13 3/15 5:16-18
Sunday, December 7
God is not partial, but in every
nation the man that fears him
and works righteousness is acceptable to him.Acts 10:34, 35.
It is disrespectful to consider
those of another nation to be inferior to people in ones own country. More than that, such an attitude indicates an ignorance of the
facts. The publication The Races
of Mankind states: The races
of mankind are what the Bible
says they arebrothers. Brothers are often quite dierent, but
they are brothers nonetheless. Of

course, no matter where we reside, foreigners live among us.
That was also the case with the
ancient Israelites, who by means
of the Law covenant were in a
special relationship with Jehovah
God. The rights of non-Israelites
were somewhat limited, yet the
Israelites were required to treat
them resp e ctfully and fairly.
What a ne example for us to follow! There is no room for partiality or prejudice among true Christians. w12 12/15 4:1, 2
Monday, December 8
Do your utmost to present
yourself approved to God, a
workman with nothing to be
ashamed of.2 Tim. 2:15.
It has been said that life can be
understood by looking back but
that it must be lived by lo oking ahead. So instead of worrying about the past, we should
be concerned about the present
and the future. As the great tribulation nears, we do not want
to be plagued with such anxious
thoughts as these: Could I have
done more in Gods service? Why
didnt I pioneer when I had the
opportunity? What prevented me
from reaching out to serve as a
ministerial servant? Did I make a
real eort to put on the new personality? Am I the sort of person
Jehovah wants in his new world?
Instead of just worrying about
such sobering questions, we want
to use them to analyze ourselves
and make sure that we are giving our best in Jehovahs service.
Otherwise, we could be continuing in a way of life that may result
in even more regrets. w13 1/15 4:
13, 14
Tuesday, December 9
Your word is truth.
John 17:17.
In Biblical Hebrew, the term
often translated truth p ertains to something that is true,
trustworthy, faithful, or factual. The Greek word rendered
truth denotes that which conforms to fact or to what is proper
and right. Jehovah has preserved
spiritual truth and has made
knowledge of it available to us
in ever-increasing abundance.
(2 John 1, 2) Our comprehension of the truth steadily becomes clearer, for the path of the
righteous ones is like the bright
light that is getting lighter and
lighter until the day is rmly established! (Prov. 4:18) Of course,
we fully agree with Jesus, who
said in prayer to God the words of
todays text. Gods written Word
contains the truth of the good
news, which consists of the whole
body of Christian teachings. (Gal.
2:14) In part, these include facts
about Jehovahs name, his sovereignty, Jesus ransom sacrice,
the resurrection, and the Kingdom. w13 2/15 1:17, 18
Let your petitions be made
known to God.Phil. 4:6.
When beset with trials, endeavor to me ditate prayerfully on
praiseworthy things. (Phil. 4:6-9)
In Jehovahs strength, we will
withstand trials, not allowing
troubling situations to be stumbling blocks. Sadly, over the years
some have let the imperfections
of others knock them out of the
race for life. Dierences in viewpoints in matters of conscience
have become stumbling blocks
for them. (1 Cor. 8:12, 13) If some-
one oends us, will we allow this

to become a major issue? The Bible admonishes Christians to stop
judging, to forgive others, and to
avoid insisting on personal rights.
(Luke 6:37) When you face a possible stumbling stone, ask yourself: Am I judging others based
on my own preferences? Knowing that my brothers are imperfect, will I let someones lack
of perfection take me out of the
race? Love for Jehovah can help
us be resolved not to allow anything another human does hinder
us from crossing the nish line.
w13 3/15 1:18, 19
By this all will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love
among yourselves.
John 13:35.
As disciples of Christ and as
Witnesses of Jehovah, we are enjoined to love one another. Jesus said that love is the identifying mark of true Christians. Our
love extends beyond the brotherhood, though. We endeavor to
show love toward those who are
not related to us in the faith.
This is something all of us can
and should do. We also have a
work to do. We have been given
a precious giftthe knowledge
of the truth. God expects us to
share that knowledge with others. (Matt. 28:19, 20) Sharing the
truth is, after all, a loving thing to
do. Of course, circumstances differ from Christian to Christian.
Not all can do the same in the
ministry. Jehovah understands
that. The important thing is to do
all that we personally can. Thus
we display unselsh love for God
and for our neighbor. w12 12/15 2:
11, 13, 14
Friday, December 12
The dead . . . are conscious of
nothing at all.Eccl. 9:5.
The Jews were in a position to
know the truth ab out the
dead. When Greece was divided
among the generals of Alexander
the Great, however, eorts were
made to unite Judah with Syria by such means as Greek religion and Hellenic culture. As a result, the Jews accepted the false
teachings that the human soul
is immortal and that there is an
underworld place of torment. Although the righteous man Job did
not have the Scriptures, he knew
the truth about death. He also
realized that Jehovah is a loving
God who would have a yearning
to resurrect him. (Job 14:13-15)
Abraham too believed in the resurrection. (Heb. 11:17-19) Since it
is impossible to resurrect someone who cannot die, those Godfearing men did not believe in the
immortality of the human soul.
Gods spirit undoubtedly helped
Job and Abraham to understand
the state of the dead and to exercise faith in the resurrection.
w13 2/15 2:12-14
Suppose . . . they do say to me,
What is his name? What shall
I say to them?Ex. 3:13.
Considering that Gods name
was long known, what was the
point of Moses question? Evidently, he wanted to know more
about the person represented by
the namefacts that would convince Gods people that He really
would deliver them. Moses concern was warranted, for the Israelites had been slaves for some
time. They would likely wonder
whether the God of their forefathers could deliver them. Indeed, some Israelites had even
taken up the worship of Egyptian
gods! (Ezek. 20:7, 8) How did Jehovah reply to Moses question?
In part, he said: This is what
you are to say to the sons of Israel, I SHALL PROVE TO BE has
sent me to you. Then he added: Jehovah the God of your forefathers . . . has sent me to you.
God revealed that he will become
whatever he chooses to become
so as to accomplish his purpose,
that he will always prove true to
his word.Ex. 3:14, 15. w13 3/15
5:4, 5
Sunday, December 14
Jonathan began to love [David]
as his own soul.1 Sam. 18:1.
Jonathan, King Sauls eldest
son, would likely have been the
heir to the throne of Israelexcept for one thing. Jehovah chose
David to be Israels next king.
Jonathan respected Gods decision and did all he could to
strengthen Davids hand, even
to the point of risking his own life
to stand up for David in front of
Saul. Jonathan loyally told David:
You yourself will be king over Israel, and I myself shall become
second to you. (1 Sam. 20:30-34;
23:16, 17) It is no wonder that after Jonathans death, David expressed his sorrow and his love for
him in a mournful song. (2 Sam.
1:17, 26) Jonathan was completely submissive to the Sovereign,
Jehovah, and he fully supported David as the anointed of God.
Likewise today, we should willingly support the brothers who
have been appointed to take the
lead among us.1 Thess. 5:12, 13;
Heb. 13:17, 24. w12 4/15 2:8, 9
Monday, December 15
If someone, because of conscience toward God, bears up
under grievous things and suffers unjustly, this is an agreeable thing.1 Pet. 2:19.
With a desire to please Jehovah,
most single Christians choose
de dicate d fellow b elievers as
marriage mates. Even then, however, circumstances may take an
unexpected turn. On rare occasions, for example, a mate may
develop serious emotional problems or b e disfellowshipp e d.
What should a Christian do if
his or her marriage bond seems
hopelessly frayed? Must I keep
on trying to save my marriage no
matter what happens? you might
ask. Nobody can or should make
such a decision for you. Yet, there
are sound reasons for not giving up on a marital bond that
is weakening. The godly man or
woman who endures the trials of
a dicult marriage for the sake
of conscience is precious to God.
(1 Pet. 2:20) By means of his Word
and spirit, Jehovah will help a
Christian who makes earnest efforts to strengthen a strained
marriage. w12 5/15 2:10, 11
Tuesday, December 16
I saw another wild beast.
Rev. 13:11.
John was given a vision of a twohorned wild beast that spoke like
a dragon. What does this strange
beast represent? It has two horns,
so it is a dual power. John was
seeing the Anglo-American World
Power in a special role. (Rev. 13:
11-15) This wild b e ast promotes the making of an image
of the wild beast. John wrote that
the image of the beast would ap-
pear, disappear, and then rise

again. That is exactly what happened to an organization promoted by Britain and the United
States, one that was intended to
unite and represent the worlds
kingdoms. This organization appeared after World War I and was
known as the League of Nations.
It disappeared with the onset of
World War II. During that war,
Gods people declared that according to the prophecy in Revelation, the image of the wild
beast would ascend again. And
rise it didas the United Nations.
Rev. 17:8. w12 6/15 2:12, 13
From the suns rising even to its
setting my name will be great
among the nations.Mal. 1:11.
Apostasy began to infect the
early Christian congregation, especially after the death of the
apostles. (2 Thess. 2:3-7) False
teachers even adopted the Jewish tradition of not using Gods
name. But would Jehovah allow
his memorial name to be erased?
Never! Granted, its exact pronunciation cannot now be determined, but the name has endured. Over time, it has appeared
in various translations of the Bible, as well as in the writings of
Bible scholars. As for Gods servants, the year 1931 was particularly noteworthy, for in that year
the International Bible Students,
as Gods people were then called,
adopted the Scriptural name Jehovahs Witnesses. (Isa. 43:1012) They thus announced to the
world that they were proud to be
servants of the only true God,
to be a people for his name,
praising that name.Acts 15:14.
w13 3/15 5:14, 15
The one trusting in his riches
he himself will fall.
Prov. 11:28.
When we put rst the kingdom
and his righteousness, Jehovah
blesses our balanced eorts to
obtain lifes necessities. (Matt. 6:
33; Eph. 4:28) He does not want us
to be falling asleep during meetings because of overwork or to be
sitting in the Kingdom Hall worrying about money. Yet, many in
the world around us believe that
only by devoting themselves to
making money can they have a
secure future and take it easy later in life. They often push their
children toward the same materialistic goal. Jesus showe d
that such thinking is unreasonable. (Luke 12:15-21) This may remind us of Gehazi, who thought
he could indulge his greed while
still maintaining his good standing with Jehovah. (2 Ki. 5:20-27)
Resting our hope on our savings,
investments, or ability to earn
money in this system amounts to
resting our hope on the god of
this system, Satan.2 Cor. 4:4;
1 Tim. 6:17. w13 1/15 3:13, 15
Friday, December 19
The eyes of Jehovah are upon the
righteous ones, and his ears are
toward their supplication.
1 Pet. 3:12.
Intimacy with Jehovah does not
develop overnight. Time must
pass for us to come to know and
love him. So in coming to know
the Person of Jehovah better, be
determined to set aside time to
read his Word daily. Gods friends
grow spiritually through their
sincere prayers and good association. (Mal. 3:16) Like a loving parent, Jehovah is attentive to our
prayerful cries for help. Hence,

we need to persevere in prayer.
(Rom. 12:12) We cannot remain
a full-grown Christian unless we
have the help of God. The pressures of this system are too great
to resist and overcome by ourselves. If we cease to persist in
prayer, we cut ourselves o from
the constant fund of strength
that God is willing and able to
supply. Are you satisfied with
the quality of your prayers, or do
you see the need to make further
progress in that area?Jer. 16:19.
w13 3/15 3:11, 12
The mountain of the olive trees
must be split at its middle.
Zech. 14:4.
What does that mountain represent? How will it be split at its
middle and become two mountains? Why does Jehovah refer to
them as my mountains? (Zech.
14:5) In the Bible, mountains can
represent kingdoms, or governments. Also, blessings and protection are associated with Gods
mountain. (Ps. 72:3; Isa. 25:6, 7)
Thus, the mountain of the olive
trees on which God stands to the
east of earthly Jerusalem represents Jehovahs universal sovereignty, his supreme rulership.
What is indicated by the division of the mountain of the olive trees? The mountain, which
is to the east of Jerusalem, splits
in the sense that Jehovah establishes another rulership, a subsidiary one. This secondary rulership is the Messianic Kingdom
in the hands of Jesus Christ. That
is why Jehovah speaks of the two
mountains that result from the
splitting of the Mount of Olives
as being my mountains.Zech.
14:4, ftn. w13 2/15 3:8, 9
Sunday, December 21
Bad associations spoil useful
habits.1 Cor. 15:33.
Consider also the following
scriptures: I have not sat with
men of untruth; and with those
who hide what they are I do not
come in. (Ps. 26:4) He that is
walking with wise persons will
become wise, but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones
will fare badly. (Prov. 13:20) What
valuable lessons can we learn
from those texts? (1) Jehovah
wants us to be selective about our
associates. He wants to protect
us morally and spiritually. (2) We
are inuenced for good or for bad
by the people with whom we associate; that is simply a fact of
life. The way the verses above are
worded shows that Jehovah is appealing to our heart. How so? Notice that none of the verses are
set out as rules, such as you must
not . . . Rather, they are written as plain statements of truth.
In eect, Jehovah is saying to us:
Here are the facts. How will you
respond? What is in your heart?
w12 7/15 2:11, 12
Monday, December 22
The heart is more treacherous
than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?Jer. 17:9.
Two matters of vital concern
are our attitude toward sex and
our view of marriage. Those who
are not yet citizens of Gods Kingdom may condone homosexuality, consider p orno graphy to
be harmless fun, and think that
adultery and divorce are purely
personal matters. Kingdom citizens have abandoned such short-
sighted, self-centered attitudes.

Although many Christians formerly had an immoral lifestyle,
they now view sex and marriage
as gifts from God. They treasure
Jehovahs high standards and
wholeheartedly agree that those
who continue to engage in sexual
misconduct are not worthy of being Kingdom citizens. (1 Cor. 6:911) However, they also recognize
that the heart is treacherous. So
they appreciate receiving specic warnings that help them to
maintain high moral standards.
w12 8/15 2:9
In the last days critical times
hard to deal with will be here.
2 Tim. 3:1.
Some today who do not know
God also believe that the world as
we know it cannot go on for much
longer. Being afraid of some impending disaster, they have the
attitude: Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we are to die.
(1 Cor. 15:32) We, on the other
hand, are not fearful. We refuse
to isolate ourselves so as to cater to our own selsh longings.
(Prov. 18:1) Rather, we disown
ourselves and freely make use of
our time, energy, and other assets
to share the good news of Gods
Kingdom with others. (Matt. 16:
24) We nd pleasure in serving
God, especially in helping others
come to know him. Many in Satans world hate us, though, so we
may be persecuted for our faith.
(John 15:19; 16:2) Still, we do not
give out. Rather, we will draw
closer to Jehovah than we may
have imagined possible.Jas. 1:
2-4; 4:8. w12 9/15 4:7, 9
Take yourself a wife from the
daughters of Laban.Gen. 28:2.
Obeying Isaac, Jacob left the
security of his immediate family, who were living in Canaan, to
travel, evidently alone, hundreds
of miles to the area of Haran.
(Gen. 28:10) Perhaps he wondered: How long will I be away?
Will my uncle warmly welcome
me and grant me a God-fearing
wife? If Jacob had such anxieties,
these no doubt melted away when
Jehovah appeared to Jacob in a
dream, saying: Here I am with
you and I will keep you in all the
way you are going and I will return you to this ground, because
I am not going to leave you until I have actually done what I
have spoken to you. (Gen. 28:
15) How those kind words must
have reassured and comforted Jacob! Can you picture him thereafter, eager to see how God would
fulll His word? If you have left
home, perhaps to serve in a foreign land, you likely understand
Jacobs range of emotions. No
doubt, though, you have seen evidence of Jehovahs care for you.
w13 3/15 4:6, 7
What shall I do, Lord?
Acts 22:10.
With these sincere words, Paul,
then known as Saul, responded to
the direction of the gloried Lord
Jesus, who had appeared to him
in a vision to stop him from persecuting Christs disciples. As a result of this encounter, Saul humbly repented of his past course,
got baptized, and accepted the
special assignment given to him
to bear witness about Jesus to the
nations. Paul zealously spread
the Kingdom message throughout Asia Minor and into Europe,

establishing and revisiting many
congregations. Paul continued to
address Jesus as his Lord, acting in harmony with that expression until the end of his earthly life. (Acts 22:6-16; 2 Cor. 4:5;
2 Tim. 4:8) Paul was not like others of whom Jesus said: Why,
then, do you call me Lord! Lord!
but do not do the things I say?
(Luke 6:46) Yes, Jesus expects all
who accept him as their Lord to
be true to their word, as was the
apostle Paul. w12 10/15 4:5, 6
Friday, December 26
[Bath-sheba] sent and told David and said: I am pregnant.
2 Sam. 11:5.
Rather than have the adulterers condemned to death by human judges according to the Mosaic L aw, Jehovah mercifully
intervened, dealing with David
and Bath-sheba himself. (Lev. 20:
10) Perhaps a factor in Jehovahs forgiveness is the way David himself had shown mercy to
Saul. (1 Sam. 24:4-7; 2 Sam. 12:
13) As Jesus explained, Jehovah
treats us the way we treat others.
Stop judging that you may not be
judged, said Jesus, for with what
judgment you are judging, you
will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out,
they will measure out to you.
(Matt. 7:1, 2) What a relief it is
to know that Jehovah will forgive
our sinseven sins as serious as
adultery or murder! He will do so
if we have a forgiving spirit, if we
confess our sins before him, and
if we manifest a changed attitude
toward our bad actions. Seasons
of refreshing come from Jehovah
when sinners sincerely repent.
Acts 3:19. w12 11/15 4:9, 10
[Abraham] came to be called
Jehovahs friend.Jas. 2:23.
Go d promise d that through
Abraham and his descendants,
all families of the earthnot just
one nationwere to be blessed.
(Gen. 22:15-18) Although the fulllment of this God-given promise lay in the distant future, Abraham maintained his condence
in that fulllment. For over half
of his life, he and his family wandered from place to place. All the
while, Abraham maintained his
friendship with Jehovah. Despite
not knowing how long he would
have to wait to see his hope realized, Abrahams love for and devotion to Jehovah never wavered.
He kept his eyes fo cuse d, not
settling down to become a permanent resident in some nation.
(Heb. 11:14, 15) How wise it is for
us to follow Abrahams example
by living a simple life and not letting ourselves become overly concerned about material possessions, social positions, or career
goals! As was true of Abraham, we
are headed for something far better. w12 12/15 4:7-9
Sunday, December 28
I will glorify your name to time
indenite.Ps. 86:12.
By and large, Christendoms
churches have distanced themselves from Gods name. For example, the Revised Standard Version states in its preface: The
use of any proper name for the
one and only God . . . is entirely inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian Church.
Jehovahs Witnesses, on the oth-
er hand, are proud to bear Gods

name and to glorify it. (Isa. 43:10)
Furthermore, we count it a privilege to understand the meaning
of that name and the universal
issue involving its sanctication.
(Matt. 6:9) To know Gods name
involves much more than merely
being acquainted with the word
Jehovah. It includes knowing
Jehovahs reputation, as well as
his qualities, purpose, and activities as revealed in the Bible,
such as his dealings with his servants. Of course, Jehovah grants
this insight progressively, according to the outworking of his purpose.Prov. 4:18. w13 3/15 5:1-3
Monday, December 29
Not that we are the masters over
your faith, . . . for it is by your
faith that you are standing.
2 Cor. 1:24.
With these words, Paul acknowledged that the brothers in
Corinth stood rm, not because
of him or any other human, but
because of their own faith in God.
Hence, Paul saw no need to control the faith of his brothers, and
he had no desire to do so. He was
condent that they were faithful Christians who wanted to do
what was right. (2 Cor. 2:3) Today, elders follow Pauls example
by expressing condence in their
brothers faith and motives for
serving God. (2 Thess. 3:4) Rather than making rigid rules for
the congregation, elders rely on
Scriptural principles and direction from Jehovahs organization. After all, present-day elders
are not the masters over their
brothers faith.1 Pet. 5:2, 3.
w13 1/15 5:3
They loved the glory of men

more than even the glory of God.
John 12:43.
Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries,
false testimonies, blasphemies.
Matt. 15:19.
How human glory can obscure

divine glory can be illustrated
by comparing glory to light. Our
brilliant universe is abundantly
glorious. Do you remember when
you last looked into the sky on a
clear night and found yourself encompassed by thousands of stars?
The glory of the stars is aweinspiring. (1 Cor. 15:40, 41) When
viewed from the street of a well-lit
city, though, how does the same
sky appear? Why, city lights make
it almost impossible for us to see
the light emanating from distant
stars! Is this so because the lights
from roads, stadiums, and buildings are stronger or more beautiful than starlight? No! This happens because city lights are closer
to us and they interfere with what
we can perceive of Jehovahs creation. Similarly, if the wrong kind
of glory were too close to our
hearts, it could prevent us from
appreciating and seeking the enduring glory that Jehovah is willing to bestow. w13 2/15 4:6, 8, 9
If a brothers insensitive heart

moved him to commit adultery or
fornication and he remained unrepentant, he could lose Gods favor permanently. Yet, even a
person who has not committed
such a wrong might be allowing an improper desire to grow in
his heart. (Matt. 5:27, 28) This
is where making a personal examination of the heart may help.
If you scrutinized your heart,
would you nd an improper feeling toward someone of the opposite sex, secret longings that God
would not condone and that need
to be removed? Or a brother who
has not actually committed murders might let rancor fester in his
heart to the point of hating a fellow Christian. (Lev. 19:17) Will he
put forth eort to rid himself of
such emotions that could make
his heart unresponsive?Matt. 5:
21, 22. w13 3/15 2:13, 14

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Examining

are working together in unity to accomplish that task.

How to Use This Booklet

Note how the works of the

Paragraph number(s) where

der that the majority of mankind

come after I retire? Because of

the harsh mastery of King Sin.

12:16) And surely you should not

your own imperfections, including a treacherous he art. (Jer.

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has to taunt the

John. Jehovah revealed to those

Imagine yourself in Paradise.

work is enjoyable, your friends

Look! a great crowd, which no

They did not give ear.

After 1914, The Watchtower

We cannot rightly conclude that

things as Jehovah does, they have

giving one another just as God

professional and that do not allow it to become something more?

plains: God exalted [Jesus] to a

destroyed. The Anglo-American

the wilderness, and at sea. He

is nothing better for them than

(Gen. 22:15-18; 49:10; Ps. 89:3, 4;

ties the harlots attacker as a

holding a valuable deed. Our faith

is, of course, what took place.

ileges we have is that of telling

anointed little ock, explained:

to the mountains has a modernday application. Just what form

32) When Paul wrote: In this

thoughtless speech. (Prov. 6:2, 3)

ation of Adams wife, Eve, about

are strange to our ears. (Job 16:

Word, thus making the truth our

join the rebellion. (Gen. 3:1-6)

inferior or speak to them disrespectfully. (Jas. 3:9) And elders

help through the encouragement

of heaven will set up a kingdom

ples that always work, but we

of love and authority? Parents

cently, for example, several of

an has built up her house, says

in it day and night, in order that

cent of Manila, Philippines, was

Peter wrote: You wives, be in

is looking. Why? Because we love

blood should be poured out to Jehovah and not e aten. He also

your whole heart and with your

What eect does remembering

patriarch Abraham used to good

Does it seem farfetched that

leader over Israel. (1 Sam. 13:14;

By faith Rahab the harlot did

Because of her acts of faith and

Davids son Solomon was greatly favored by Jehovah God. In

World Power. That the feet and

eventssmall and largethat

broken and four smaller horns

kind inuence. Within the congregation, Jehovah has nurtured

This mammoth work is nanced