Watchtower 2012, en

34567MAY 1, 2012

RELIGIONANDPOLITICS

SHOULD THEY MIX?

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showsus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thatGod’s Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform theearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who isnow ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuouslysince 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripturequotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.

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MAY 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER

3 A Question for Jesus5 How Did Jesus View Politics?6 What Should Christians Do Today?8 How Do Christian Teachings Affect Communities?

10 Sincere Believer and Responsible Citizen—How to Be Both

REGULAR FEATURES12 Keys to Family Happiness—Rebuilding Trust

16 Learn From God’s Word—What Is the Good News About Religion?

18 The Bible Changes Lives

22 Our Readers Ask . . .Did the First-Century Christians Participate in Politics?

23 Did You Know?

24 My Bible Lessons

31 Draw Close to God—The Rewarder of All Who Serve Him

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE26 You Can Choose a Successful Future—How?

28 Life in Bible Times—The Farmer

32 “Safeguard Your Heart!”

JESUS CHRIST has been describedas “the most influential figure in

the religious history of mankind.”So, imagine that we could ask himthe question, Should religion be in-volved in politics? What would hesay? While on earth, he answered thatquestion by his words and deeds. Forinstance, in his renowned Sermon onthe Mount, Jesus gave guidelines thathelp his followers to discernwhat rolethey should play in their communi-ties. Let us consider some points fromthat famous sermon.

AQuestionfor Jesus

Many God-fearing people feelthat religion should be involved inpolitics. They believe that religioncan play a vital part in solvinghumankind’s problems. However,other sincere believers think thatreligion and politics should beseparate. What do you personallythink of religion’s role in politics?Should those powerful forces workhand-in-hand?

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ MAY 1, 2012 3

Touch the Life of OthersJesus described the attitude his followers

should have toward the world. He stated:“You are the salt of the earth; but if the saltloses its strength, how will its saltness be re-stored? It is no longer usable for anythingbut to be thrown outside to be trampled onby men. You are the light of the world. . . .

Let your light shine before men, that theymay see your fine works and give glory toyour Father who is in the heavens.” (Mat-thew 5:13-16) Why did Jesus compare hisfollowers to salt and light?

Jesus’ words imply that his followers arelike salt, not for just a small group, but for allofmankind. They are like light, not for a lim-ited number of people, but for all who wantto see clearly. By using those word pictures,Jesus made it clear that he did not want hisfollowers to isolate themselves from society.Why not?

Note the following: Salt cannot preservefood if it is not mixed with a food item. Alamp cannot dispel darkness from a room ifthe lamp is kept away from that room. It is,therefore, no wonder that Jesus never com-manded his disciples to move to an isolatedcorner of the earth to establish communities

of believers. Nor did he encourage his fol-lowers to live insulated lives behind thewalls of religious institutions. Instead, as saltneeds to touch food and light needs to dispeldarkness, so Christians need to have an im-pact on the lives of others.

“No Part of the World”However, Jesus’ instructions that his fol-

lowers should interact with their fellowmen raise an important question about aChristian’s attitude toward politics. Why so?Shortly before his death, Jesus prayed to Godin behalf of his followers: “I request you, notto take them out of the world, but to watchover them because of the wicked one. Theyare no part of the world, just as I am no partof the world.” (John 17:15, 16) So, then, howis it possible for Christians to be no part ofthe world but, at the same time, be involvedin their local community? To find out, let usconsider three additional questions:

Jesus made it clear that hedid not want his followers to isolatethemselves from society

˙ How did Jesus view politics?

˙ What should Christians do today?

˙ How do Christian teachingsaffect communities?

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The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semi-monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NewYork, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis,Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societyof Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Pe-riodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at addition-al mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. � 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofPennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

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THE Gospel writers describe several eventsin Jesus’ ministry that brought him face-

to-face with politics. For instance, shortly af-ter Jesus’ baptism at about the age of 30, theDevil offered him the position of world ruler.Later in his ministry, a crowd wanted tomake him their king. Still later, people triedto turn him into a political activist. How didJesus react? Let us consider these events.

World ruler. The Gospels state that the Dev-il offered Jesus rulership over “all the king-doms of the world.” Think of how muchgood Jesus could have done for sufferingmankind if he had wielded the power of aworld ruler! What politically oriented indi-vidual sincerely concerned with mankind’sadvancement could resist such an offer? ButJesus refused it.—Matthew 4:8-11.

King. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries weredesperate for a ruler who could solve their

economic and political problems. Impressedby Jesus’ abilities, the people wanted Je-sus to join the political process. What washis reaction? Gospel writer John states: “Je-sus, knowing they were about to come andseize him to make him king, withdrew againinto the mountain all alone.” (John 6:10-15)Clearly, Jesus refused to become involved inpolitics.

Political activist. Note what happened daysbefore Jesus was put to death.Disciples of thePharisees, who favored independence fromthe Roman Empire, joined by Herodians,members of a political party favoring Rome,approached Jesus. They wanted to force himto take a political position. They asked if theJews should pay taxes to Rome.

Mark recorded Jesus’ response: “ ‘Why doyou put me to the test? Bring me a denariusto look at.’ They brought one. And he said tothem: ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’

HowDid JesusView Politics?

6 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ MAY 1, 2012

TRUEChristians today donot participate inpolitics. Why not? Because they follow

Jesus’ example. He said about himself: “I amno part of the world.” Regarding his follow-ers, he stated: “You are no part of the world.”(John 15:19; 17:14) Consider some reasonswhy Christians should not become involvedinpolitics.1. Human ability is limited. The Biblestates that humans have neither the abilitynor the right to govern themselves. “It doesnot belong to man who is walking,” wrotethe prophet Jeremiah, “even to direct hisstep.”—Jeremiah 10:23.

Just as humans were not created to fly suc-cessfully on their own strength, so they werenot created to rule successfully by them-selves. Speaking about the limits of govern-ment, historian David Fromkin noted: “Gov-ernments are composed of human beings;therefore they are fallible and their pros-pects are uncertain. They exercise a certainpower, but only a limited one.” (The Ques-tion of Government) No wonder the Bible

warns us not to put our trust in man!—Psalm146:3.2. Wicked spirit forces currently have aninfluence. When Satan offered Jesus worldrulership, Jesus did not deny that the Devilhad the power to offer him all the kingdomsof theworld. In fact, on a later occasion, Jesuscalled Satan “the ruler of the world.” Someyears later the apostle Paul described Satan as“the god of this system of things.” (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4) Paul wrote to fellowChristians: “We have a wrestling . . . againstthe world rulers of this darkness, against thewicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.”(Ephesians 6:12) Behind the scenes, wickedspirit forces are the real rulers of this world.How should that fact influence our view ofpolitics?

Think of this comparison: Just as smallboats are swept along by powerful sea cur-rents, human political systems are pulledalong by powerful, wicked spirit forces. Andjust as the sailors in those boats can do littleto change those powerful currents, politi-

What Should ChristiansDoToday?

They said to him: ‘Caesar’s.’ Jesus then said:‘Pay back Caesar’s things toCaesar, but God’sthings to God.’” (Mark 12:13-17) Comment-ing on the reason for Jesus’ response, thebook Church and State—The Story of TwoKingdoms concludes: “He refused to act thepartof a political messiah and carefully estab-lished both the boundary of Caesar and thatof God.”

Problems such as poverty, corruption, andinjustice did not leave Christ unmoved. In

fact, the Bible shows that he was deeplytouched by the pitiful state of the peoplearound him. (Mark 6:33, 34) Still, Jesus didnot start a campaign to rid the world of in-justices, although some tried hard to get himembroiled in the controversial issues of theday.

Clearly, as these examples show, Jesus re-fused to get involved in political affairs. Butwhat about Christians today? What shouldthey do?


cians can do little to change the influence ofthose powerful spirit forces. Those forces arebent on corrupting humans beyond reformand on causing “woe for the earth.” (Revela-tion 12:12) Therefore, real change can bebrought about only by a person who is morepowerful than Satan and his demons. ThatPerson is Jehovah God himself.—Psalm 83:18; Jeremiah 10:7, 10.3. True Christians give allegiance only toGod’s Kingdom. Jesus and his disciplesknew that at a set time, God himself wouldestablish a government in heaven to ruleover the entire earth. The Bible calls this gov-ernment God’s Kingdom and reveals that Je-sus Christ has been appointed as its King.(Revelation 11:15) Since that Kingdom af-fects all humans, Jesus made “the good newsof the kingdom of God” the main subject ofhis teachings. (Luke 4:43) He also taught hisdisciples to pray: “Let your kingdom come.”Why? Because under that Kingdom, God’swill is sure to be done in heaven and onearth.—Matthew 6:9,10.

What, then,will happen toman-made gov-ernments? The Bible answers that the gov-ernments “of the entire inhabited earth” willbe destroyed. (Revelation 16:14; 19:19-21) Ifan individual truly believes that God’s King-dom is about to remove all man-made politi-cal systems, he logically would refrain fromsupporting those political systems. After all,if he tried to prop up doomed, man-madegovernments, he would, in effect, be taking astand against God.

While true Christians do not participate inpolitics, does that mean that they have no in-terest in trying to improve the communitiesin which they live? Consider the answer giv-en in the next article.

Jehovah’s Witnessesactively promoteGod’s Kingdom,not political reform

THE preceding articles considered whygenuine Christians do not participate in

politics. How, though, can Christians showthat they are interested in improving thecommunities in which they live? One way isby following Jesus’ command: “Go thereforeand make disciples of people of all the na-tions, baptizing them in the name of the Fa-ther and of the Son and of the holy spirit,teaching them to observe all the things Ihave commanded you.”—Matthew 28:19, 20.

There is a link between following Jesus’command to “make disciples” and carryingout his instruction to be like salt and light tothe world. (Matthew 5:13, 14) What is theconnection? And what effect can that workhave onpeople?

Christ’s Message—Preserving and Enlightening

Salt is a preservative; it can prevent decay.Similarly, the message that Jesus instructedhis followers to carry to people in all nationshas a preserving influence. Those who ac-cept and apply Jesus’ teachings protect them-selves from the moral decay so prevalent to-day. In what way? They learn how to avoidpractices that are harmful to health, such assmoking, and they develop such qualities aslove, peace, long-suffering, kindness, andgoodness. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Those quali-ties make them an asset to society. Christianswho share this preserving message with their

How Do ChristianTeachingsAffect Communities?

How is theChristianmessage likesalt?

8

neighbors make a valuable contribution totheir community.

What about the metaphor of light? Just asthe moon reflects the light from the sun, soChrist’s followers reflect the “light” from Je-hovahGod. They serve as reflectors by meansof the enlightening message they preach andthe good works they do.—1 Peter 2:12.

Jesus further highlighted the similarity be-tween being a light and being a disciple bysaying: “People light a lamp and set it, notunder the measuring basket, but upon thelampstand, and it shines upon all those inthe house. Likewise let your light shine be-fore men.” A shining lamp placedupon a lampstand is clearly visibleto all those around it. Similarly,the preaching activities and otherfineworks that trueChristians per-form should be clearly visible tothose living around them. Why?Jesus said that those who see thefine works will give glory, not tothe Christians, but to God.—Mat-thew 5:14-16.

A Collective ResponsibilityWhen Jesus said, “You are the light of the

world” and “let your light shine,” he was ad-dressing all his disciples. Jesus’ commissioncannot be accomplished by a few individualsscattered indifferent religions. Instead, all be-lievers are “the light.” Seven million Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, who live in more than 235lands, believe that it is their collective re-sponsibility to visit their neighbors to sharethemessage thatChristwants his followers toproclaim.

What is the theme of the message ofJehovah’s Witnesses? When Jesus gavehis preaching commission, he did not in-struct his followers to preach social or politi-cal reforms, union of Church and State, orany other secular ideology. Instead, he fore-

told: “This good news of the kingdom will bepreached in all the inhabited earth for a wit-ness to all the nations.” (Matthew 24:14)Thus, in obedience to Jesus’ instructions,true Christians today continue to speak totheir neighbors about God’s Kingdom—theonly government capable of bringing an endto Satan’s wicked system and ushering in arighteous new world.

In fact, when reading the Gospel accounts,two main things stand out about Jesus’ min-istry that have a bearing on the activities oftrue Christians today. Both are considered inthe next article.

How is Christ’s message likea lamp in a dark place?

9


WHAT were two of the characteristicsof Jesus’ ministry? First, Jesus sought

to change individual hearts, not politicalinstitutions. For instance, note what Jesusstressed in his Sermon on the Mount. Justbefore he spoke about the need to be like saltand light, he told his audience that true hap-piness belongs to those who are “consciousof their spiritual need.” He added: “Happyare the mild-tempered ones, . . . the pure inheart, . . . the peaceable.” (Matthew 5:1-11)Jesus helped his followers to see the impor-tance of adjusting their thinking and feel-ings to God’s standard of what is good andbad and the importance of serving Godwholeheartedly.

Second, when Jesus saw human suffering,his compassion for his fellow men movedhim to alleviate their misery. However, hedid not make it his goal to eliminate all suf-fering. (Matthew 20:30-34) He cured sickpeople, but sickness remained a fact of life.(Luke 6:17-19) He brought relief to the op-pressed, but injustice continued to cause suf-fering. He provided food for the hungry,but famines continued to plague mankind.—Mark 6:41-44.

Changing Hearts andAlleviating Suffering

Why did Jesus focus on changing heartsand alleviating suffering but not on chang-ing institutions or eliminating distress? Jesusknew that Godhad purposed to use His King-dom at a future time to put an end to all hu-man governments and erase the causes of allsuffering. (Luke 4:43; 8:1) Therefore, whenthe disciples once urged Jesus to spend more

time on curing the sick, Jesus said to them:“Let us go somewhere else, into the villagetowns nearby, that I may preach there also,for it is for this purpose I have gone out.”(Mark 1:32-38) Jesus alleviated the physicalsuffering of many, but he gave priority topreaching and teaching God’s word.

In their preaching work today, Jehovah’sWitnesses strive to imitate Jesus. They aremoved to alleviate suffering by giving practi-cal help to individuals in need. But theWitnesses do not strive to eliminate the

world’s injustices. They believe that God’sKingdom will erase the causes of all suffer-ing. (Matthew 6:10) Like Jesus, they endeav-or to change hearts but not political insti-tutions. That approach is realistic becauseman’s main problems are, not political, butmoral.

Responsible CitizensAt the same time, Jehovah’s Witnesses be-

lieve that it is their Christian responsibility tobe good citizens. Hence, they honor andrespect governmental authority. Throughtheir publications and their witnessing work,they encourage their neighbors to be law-abiding. However, when a government de-mands what is in direct conflict with whatGod commands, the Witnesses do not com-ply. They “obey God as ruler rather thanmen.”—Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7.

Jehovah’s Witnesses visit all those in theircommunity to offer Bible education free of

SincereBeliever and Responsible CitizenHowtoBeBoth

Jesus sought to change hearts,not political institutions

charge. As a result of this education, millionsof hearts have been changed. Eachyear, hun-dreds of thousands of people are helped toovercome such damaging practices as smok-ing, drunkenness, misuse of drugs, gam-bling, and sexual promiscuity. They have be-come morally responsible citizens becausethey have learned to apply Bible principlesin their lives.—See the article “The BibleChanges Lives,” onpage 18 of this magazine.

In addition, Bible education helps fam-ily members to deepen their respect forone another and to improve communica-tion—between spouses as well as parentsand children and among the children them-selves. These are factors that strengthen fam-ily bonds. Stronger families, in turn, result instronger communities.

After reviewing the points that have beenconsidered in these articles, what do youthink: Does the Bible approve of those whomix religion and politics? The answer isclear; it does not. But should true Christiansbe responsible citizens? Yes, they should.How can they do so? By following Jesus’command to be like salt and like light to theworld.

Those who strive to apply these practicaldirections of Christ will bring benefits tothemselves and their families—as well as tothe community in which they live. Jeho-vah’s Witnesses in your area will be gladto share more information with you aboutthe Bible education program that is current-ly being carried on inyour community.�

� If you prefer, you can also contact Jehovah’s Witness-es at www.watchtower.org

Jehovah’sWitnesses

believeit is their

responsibilityto be good

citizens

11


Steve�: “I never imagined that Jodi would commit adultery.I lost all trust in her. Words cannot describe how difficult it was for meto forgive her.”

Jodi: “I understand why I lost Steve’s trust. It took many years for meto prove my regret.”

THE Bible gives victims ofadultery the option to

decidewhether todivorce ornot.� (Matthew 19:9) Steve,quoted above, decided notto get a divorce. Both heand Jodi resolved to savetheir marriage. They soonlearned, however, that thismeant much more than justcontinuing to live togeth-er. Why? Because, as not-ed in their comments, Jodi’sinfidelity shattered all trustbetween them. Since mutu-al trust is vital to maritalhappiness, they had workto do.

If you and your mate arestriving to save your mar-riage after as great a setback as adultery, youobviously face a difficult challenge. The firstseveral months after the news is broken maybe especially trying. But you can succeed!How can you rebuild trust? The wisdomfound in the Bible can help. Consider the fol-lowing four suggestions.

� Names have been changed.� For help in making such a decision, see Awake! is-

sues of April 22, 1999, page 6, and August 8, 1995, pag-es 10 and 11.

1 Be Honest With Each Other. “Nowthat you have put away falsehood, speaktruth,” wrote the apostle Paul. (Ephesians 4:25) Lies, half-truths, and even silence un-dermine trust. So you need to speak openlyand honestly with each other.

At first, you and your mate may be tooupset to discuss the infidelity. Eventually,though, you will need to talk candidly aboutwhat happened. You may choose not to dis-

KEYS TO FAMILY HAPPINESS

Rebuilding Trust


cuss every detail, but avoiding the subject it-self is not wise. “Initially, I found talkingabout the affair incredibly difficult and dis-tasteful,” says Jodi, quoted above. “It wassomething I deeply regretted and just want-ed to lock away and forget.” However, thislack of communication caused problems.Why? Steve says, “Because Jodi didn’t wantto talk about the infidelity, I remained sus-picious.” In retrospect, Jodi acknowledges,“Not discussing it with my husband hin-dered the healing process.”

Without a doubt, any discussion about thebetrayal will be painful. Debbie, whose hus-band, Paul, committed adultery with his sec-retary, says: “I had a lot of questions. How?Why?What did they talk about? I became anemotionalwreck, thinkingabout it constant-ly and asking even more questions as theweeks went by.” Paul says: “Understandably,at times the conversations Debbie and I hadbecame heated. But we always apologized toeach other later. Those honest discussionsdrew us closer together.”

How can you take some of the strainout of such discussions? Remember thatyour primary purpose is, not to punish yourpartner, but to learn from the tragedy andto strengthen your marriage. For example,Chul Soo and his wife, Mi Young, examinedtheir relationship in the light of Chul Soo’sinfidelity. “I discovered that I had been toobusy with private interests,” says Chul Soo.“I was also overly concerned with pleasingothers and meeting their expectations. I hadbeen giving them most of my time and at-tention.As a result, I hadbeen spending littletime with my wife.” This insight enabledbothChul Soo and MiYoung to make chang-es that, in time, helped strengthen their mar-riage.

TRY THIS: If you are the unfaithful mate,refrain from making excuses or blaming

your spouse. Take responsibility for your ac-tions and the hurt you caused. If you are theinjured mate, do not scream at your spouseor use abusive language. By avoiding suchspeech, you will encourage your spouse tocontinue talking openly to you.—Ephesians4:32.

2 Work as a Team. “Two are better thanone,” states the Bible. Why? “Because theyhave a good reward for their hard work. Forif one of them should fall, the other canraise his partner up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10)That principle is especially true when youare working hard to rebuild trust.

Together, you and your mate can make astand against the mistrust that has infectedyour relationship. However, you both needto be committed to saving the marriage. Ifyou try to cope individually, you may be set-ting yourself up for more problems. Youneed to vieweach other as partners.

That is what Steve and Jodi found. “It tooktime,” says Jodi, “but Steve and I worked to-gether as a team to build a solid union. I wasdetermined never to cause him such painagain. And although Steve was hurting, heresolved not to let our marriage fall apart.Eachday, I looked for ways to reassure himofmy loyalty, and he continually showed hislove for me. For this, I will always be gratefulto him.”

TRY THIS: Together, resolve to work as ateam to restore trust in your marriage.

3 Replace Old Habits With New. Afterwarning his listeners against adultery, Jesuscounseled: “If, now, that right eye of yoursis making you stumble, tear it out andthrow it away from you.” (Matthew 5:27-29) If you are the offending mate, can youthink of actions or attitudes that, for the


sake of your marriage, should be torn outand thrown away?

Obviously, you need to break off contactwith the other party in the adultery.� (Prov-erbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 15:33) Paul, quotedearlier, changed his work schedule and hiscell-phone number so that he no longer in-teracted with the other woman. However,those efforts failed to break all contact. Paulwas so determined to rebuild trust with hiswife that he left his job. He also got rid of hiscell phone and used only his wife’s phone.Has the inconvenience been worth the ef-fort? His wife, Debbie, says: “It has been sixyears, and I still occasionally worry that shewill try to make contact. But I now trust thatPaul will not succumb to temptation.”

If you are the guilty mate, you may alsoneed to make changes to your personality.For example, you may have a flirtatiousmanner, or you may enjoy fantasizing aboutromantic relationships with other people. Ifso, “strip off the old personalitywith its prac-tices.” Replace former habits with new onesthat will strengthen your mate’s confidencein you. (Colossians 3:9, 10) Has your up-bringing made it difficult for you to expressaffection? Even if it feels awkward at first, begenerous in your expressions of love and re-assurance to your spouse. Steve recalls: “Jodiwould often show affection with a touch ofher hand, and she regularly said ‘I loveyou.’”

For a time, you would do well to be com-pletely open about your daily activities. MiYoung, mentioned earlier, states: “Chul Soomade a point of telling me everything thathappened during each day, even the mostunimportant things, in an attempt to showme he had nothing to hide.”

� If for a period of time some contact is unavoidable(such as at work), this should be limited to what is ab-solutely necessary. Deal with the other party in the pres-ence of others and with your mate’s full knowledge.

TRY THIS: Ask each other what actions arelikely to help rebuild trust. List them, andthen put them into practice. Also, add toyour routine some activities that you canenjoy together.

4 Know When to Move On. Do not bequick to conclude that it is time to start liv-ing as if everything were back to normal.Proverbs 21:5 cautions: “Everyone that ishasty surely heads for want.” It will taketime—perhaps years—to restore trust.

If you are the betrayed mate, allow your-self time to forgive fully. Mi Young recalls: “Iused to think it was strange if a wife couldnot forgive her unfaithful husband. I couldnot understand why she would be so angryfor so long. However, when my husband wasunfaithful to me, I understood why forgive-ness is difficult.” Forgiveness—and trust—arelikely to come gradually.

That said, Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 states thatthere is “a time to heal.” At first, you mayfeel that isolating yourself emotionally fromyour spouse is the safest course. However,doing so indefinitely will not help you to re-build trust in your mate. To heal the breach,forgive your mate and express that forgive-ness by sharing your intimate thoughts andfeelings with your spouse. Also encourageyour mate to share his or her joys and con-cerns.

Do not nurture bitterness. Work to over-come it. (Ephesians 4:32) You may find ithelpful to meditate on God’s own example.He was deeply hurt when his worshippers inancient Israel turned away from him. Jeho-vah God even likened himself to a betrayedmarriage mate. (Jeremiah 3:8, 9; 9:2) But hedid not “stay resentful to time indefinite.”(Jeremiah 3:12) When his people returnedto him in genuine repentance, he forgavethem.


Eventually, when both of you are satisfiedthat the necessary changes in your relation-shiphave beenmade, youwill gain a sense ofsecurity. Then, instead of giving constant at-tention to merely saving your marriage, youcan focus together on other goals. Even so,schedule regular periods of time to evaluateyour progress. Do not become complacent.Deal with minor setbacks, and confirm yourcommitment to each other.—Galatians 6:9.

TRY THIS: Instead of trying to get yourmarriage back to the way it was, think ofyourselves as building a new and strongerrelationship.

You Can SucceedIn times of uncertainty, remember this:

God is the Originator of the marriagearrangement. (Matthew 19:4-6) Therefore,with his help, you can make your marriagesucceed. All the couples mentioned aboveapplied the Bible’s wise counsel and wereable to save their marriage.

It has now been more than 20 years sincethe crisis in Steve and Jodi’s relationship.

Steve sums up their road to recovery thisway: “It was after beginning to study the Bi-ble with Jehovah’s Witnesses that we madethe most significant improvement. The helpwe gained was invaluable. As a result, wemade it through those tough times.” Jodisays: “I feel richly blessed that we were ableto endure through that terrible time. Bystudying the Bible together, and with a lot ofhard work, we now have a wonderful mar-riage.”

ASK YOURSELF . . .ˇ What were my reasons for decidingto preserve my marriage despite pastinfidelity?ˇ What positive qualities can I see inmy mate right now?ˇ How did I show love in little wayswhen my mate and I were courting,and how can I do that again?


1. Is all religion good?Many religious groups include sincere people

who want to please God. He sees those people andcares about them. Sadly, though, some peoplehave used religion for evil purposes. In the past, re-ligious leaders have even tortured their opponents.(2 Corinthians 4:3, 4; 11:13-15) Today, according tonews reports, some religious leaders have encour-aged terrorism or supported war, or they have beeninvolved in child abuse.—Read Matthew 24:3-5,11,12.

The Bible teaches that there are two types of reli-gion—true religion and false religion. False religiondoes not teach the truth about God. Nevertheless,Jehovah God wants people to know the truth abouthim.—Read 1 Timothy 2:3-5.

2. What is the good news about religion?God does not want people to be deceived by reli-

gions that claim to love him but misrepresent him.In fact, adherents of those religions love beingfriends with the world that is controlled by Satanthe Devil. (James 4:4; 1 John 5:19) God’s Word de-scribes religions that give their allegiance to humangovernments rather than to God as being like aprostitute. The Bible calls this harlot by the name“Babylon the Great,” after the ancient city wherefalse religion began after the Flood of Noah’s day.Soon, God will bring a sudden end to religion thatdeceives and oppresses mankind.—Read Revelation17:1, 2, 5,17; 18:8, 23, 24.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

What Is the Good NewsAbout Religion?

This article considers questions youmay have raised and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

The Complete Encyclopedia ofIllustration/J. G. Heck

17

3. How will God bring joy to every land?The coming judgment on false religion is good

news. It will bring worldwide relief from oppres-sion. Never again will false religions mislead and di-vide mankind. Everyone living will be united inworship of the only true God.—Read Isaiah 11:9;Revelation 18:20, 21; 21:3, 4.

4. What should sincere people do?Jehovah has not forgotten the sincere people

who are scattered among false religions world-wide. He is now gathering such people into unityby teaching them the truth.—Read Micah 4:2, 5.

Jehovah welcomes into his family those whowant to serve him. Even if our friends and relativesare upset when we start to serve Jehovah, we gainmuch. We gain friendship with God, a new and lov-ing “family,” and the prospect of having everlastinglife.—Read Mark 10:29, 30; 2 Corinthians 6:17,18.

For more information, see chapters 15 and 16 ofthis book, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?


MY PAST: I enjoyed a comfort-able upbringing. My father wasan officer in the British army, so our familymoved a lot. Besides Scotland, we lived in En-gland, Germany, Kenya, Malaysia, Ireland,and Cyprus. From the age of eight, I attendedboarding schools in Scotland. I eventuallygraduated from Cambridge University.

At the age of 20, I began an eight-yearcareer in the oil business. At first, I did thiswork in South America, then later in Africa,and finally in Western Australia. After mov-ing to Australia, I set up an investment firm,which I eventually sold.

The proceeds from that sale enabled me toretire at the age of 40. I used my new-found time to travel. I motorcycled around

Australia twice, and I made atrip around the world. My lifeseemed good.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGEDMY LIFE: Even before retir-ing, I wanted to find someway to thank God for thelife I was enjoying. I startedgoing to the Anglican Church,in which I had been raised.But the church didn’t providemuch instruction from the Bi-ble. Next, I studied with theMormons, but Iwas dissuadedby their lackof reliance on theBible.

One day, Jehovah’s Wit-nesses knocked on my door. I could seeimmediately that they base their teachingssquarely on the Bible. One scripture theyshared with me was 1 Timothy 2:3, 4. Thoseverses say that it is God’s will that “allsorts of men should be saved and come toan accurate knowledge of truth.” I was im-pressed that the Witnesses emphasized notjust knowledge but accurate knowledge basedon the Bible.

Studying theBiblewith Jehovah’s Witness-es helped me to acquire such accurate knowl-edge. For example, I learned that God andJesus are not part of some mysterious Trini-ty; rather, they are two distinct individuals.

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

WHAT did a man from Scotland find to be more rewarding than a successfulbusiness career? What helped a man in Brazil to put away an immoral lifestyleand quit smoking crack cocaine? How was a man in Slovenia able to give uphis habit of binge drinking? Read what these people have to say.

“My life seemedgood.”—JOHN RICKETTS

YEAR BORN: 1958

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: SCOTLANDHISTORY: SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN


(John 14:28; 1 Corinthians 11:3) I was de-lighted to learn that simple truth. I was alsoannoyed that I had wasted so much effort inthe past trying to comprehend the incompre-hensible!

I soon began attending meetings of Je-hovah’s Witnesses. I was impressed by thefriendliness and moral fiber of everyonethere—they seemed like saints. Their genu-ine love convinced me that I had found thetrue religion.—John 13:35.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: After I was bap-tized, I met a wonderful woman namedDiane. She had been raised as one of Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, and she had many finequalities that I found attractive. In time, we

were married. Diane’s friendship and sup-port have been a true blessing from Jehovah.

Diane and I developed a strong desire tomove to an area where there was a greaterneed for preachers of the Bible’s good news.In2010, wemoved to Belize, Central America.Here we minister to people who have a lovefor God and a real thirst for Bible knowledge.

It brings me peace of mind finally to knowthe truth about God and his Word, the Bible.As a full-time minister, I have had the joy ofteaching the Bible to a number of others.There is nothing better than watching Bibletruth improve someone’s life—just as it didmine. At last, I have found the best way tothank God for the life I enjoy.

MY PAST: I grew up in Avare, aquiet little town in the stateof Sao Paulo. Its residents aremainlyof the working class.

My father died while my mother was ex-pecting me. As a young boy, I dressed in mymother’s clotheswhile shewas out. I adoptedfeminine mannerisms, and people started to

view me as gay. In time, Ibegan having sex with otherboys and men.

By the time I reached mylate teens, I was actively seek-ing sexual partners (bothmale and female) whereverI could find them—in bars,nightclubs, and even church-es. At carnival time, I woulddress as awomananddance insamba-school parades. I wasvery popular.

Among my friends weregays, prostitutes, and drug ad-dicts. Some of them influ-enced me to try crack cocaine,and soon I was hooked. Some-

times we smoked all night long. At othertimes, I would isolate myself and spend theentire day smoking crack. I became so emaci-ated that a rumor went around that I hadAIDS.

“They were verykind to me.”—MAUR

ÍCIO ARA

ÚJO

YEAR BORN: 1967

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: BRAZILHISTORY: IMMORAL LIFESTYLE

HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE:About this time, I came in contact with Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. They were very kind to me.One of the Bible verses they read to me wasRomans 10:13, which says: “Everyone whocalls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”Those words impressed on me the impor-tance of using Jehovah’s name. Many times,after having smoked crack cocaine all nightlong, I would open the window, look up toheaven, andpray to Jehovah in tears, begginghim to help me.

Worried about my anguished mother, whosuffered deeply as she watched me destroymyself with drugs, I made up my mind tostop taking them. Soon after that, I acceptedthe Witnesses’ offer of a Bible study. They as-suredme that the studywould strengthenmyresolve to quit drugs—and it did!

As I continued studying theBible, I realizedthat I needed to change my lifestyle. It was es-pecially difficult to abandon my homosexualpractices, as these had been a part of me foras long as I could remember. One thingthat helped, though, was changing my envi-

ronment. I ended my old friendships andstopped going to bars and nightclubs.

Although it was not easy to make thesechanges, I found comfort in learning that Je-hovah cared for me and that he understoodmy struggle. (1 John 3:19, 20) By 2002, I hadstopped all homosexual practices, and in thatyear I was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: My mother wasso impressed by the changes I made that shealso began studying the Bible. Unfortunately,she has since suffered a stroke. Nevertheless,she has continued to develop love for Jeho-vah and for Bible truth.

For the past eight years, I’ve been engagedin the full-time ministry, spending most ofmy time teaching the Bible to others. I mustadmit that I have had to fight improper de-sires at times. But I take courage in knowingthat by choosing not to act on those desires, Ican be pleasing to Jehovah.

Drawing close to Jehovah and living in away that pleases him has boosted my self-respect. Today, I am a happy man.

MY PAST: I was born in Lju-bljana, the capital of Slovenia.I had a pleasant childhooduntil the age of four. Thenmy father committed suicide.After this tragedy, my moth-er had to work hard to putbread on the table for twogrowing boys, myolder broth-er and me.

At the age of 15, I moved inwith my grandmother. I en-joyed living with her, as manyof my friends lived in her

“I was a bottomlessbarrel.”—LUKA

ˇSUC

YEAR BORN: 1975

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: SLOVENIAHISTORY: BINGE DRINKER

20


neighborhood. I also had greater freedomthan I did when living at home. At the age of16, I started associating with people whowent drinking on the weekends. I let my hairgrow long, started dressing rebelliously, andlater took up smoking.

Although I experimented with variousdrugs, I stuck with drinking, as I found it tobe the most enjoyable. Soon I had gone fromdrinking a few glasses of wine to more than abottle at a time. I became an expert at hidingjust howdrunk I reallywas.Often, itwas onlythe smell of alcohol on my breath that indi-cated I had been drinking. Even then, no onehad any idea that I had perhaps downed sev-eral liters of wine or beer—and mixed withvodka at that!

Many times, I was the one who helped myfriends stay on their feet after a night at thedisco, even though, in all likelihood, I hadconsumed twice as much alcohol as theyhad. One day, I overheard one of my friendssay that Iwas a bottomless barrel—aderogato-ry expression in Slovenian for someone whocan outdrink others. That comment reallyhurt me.

I started to think about what I was doingwith my life. I was overcome by feelings ofworthlessness. It seemed that nothing I didin life had any meaning.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE:About this time, I noticed that one of myclassmates had changed; his disposition hadbecome milder. Curious about his transfor-mation, I invited him out to a cafe. Duringour conversation, he explained that he hadbegun to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Wit-nesses. He shared some of the things he was

learning, all ofwhichwere completely new tome, as I had not had any kind of religious up-bringing. I began attending meetings of theWitnesses and studying the Bible with them.

Studying the Bible opened my eyes tomany powerful, motivating truths. For exam-ple, I learned thatwe are living inwhat the Bi-ble calls “the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Ialso learned that God will soon remove badpeople from the earth and grant good peoplethe opportunity to enjoy everlasting life inParadise. (Psalm 37:29) I felt a strong desire toclean up my life so that I could be amongthose good people.

I began telling my friends about the Bibletruths that I was learning. Most ridiculed mefor what I shared with them, but this turnedout to be a blessing indisguise. Their reactionhelped me to see that they were not truefriends. I came to realize that my drinkingproblem was closely related to my choice ofassociates. Allweek long, they looked forwardto the weekend so that they could get drunkagain.

I broke off those friendships and replacedthem with upbuilding association with Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. Being in their company wasa source of great encouragement—these werepeople who sincerely loved God and whoreally tried to live by his standards. Gradually,I was able to give up my habit of binge drink-ing.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I’m grateful toJehovah that I no longer need alcohol to feelhappy. I really don’t know where I wouldhave ended up had I continued in my formerways. But I amconvinced thatmy life is betternow.

For the past seven years, I have been privi-leged to serve at the branch office of Jeho-vah’s Witnesses in Slovenia. Knowing Jeho-vah and serving him has given my life truemeaning.

ˇ Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus gave hisdisciples clear instructions on how to carry outtheir ministry, but he did not include any politi-cal advice. (Matthew 28:18-20) Hence, his disci-ples continued to live by the formula that Jesushad provided earlier: “Pay back Caesar’s thingsto Caesar, but God’s things to God.”—Mark12:17.

How did that formula help Jesus’ followers tolive in the world but be no part of it? Where didthey draw the line as to what things belong tothe State, or Caesar, and what things to God?

The apostle Paul viewed participating in poli-tics as stepping across the line. “Paul was will-ing to use his Roman citizenship to demand theprotections of the judicial process due him, buthe engaged in no lobbying on the public policyissues of the day,” states the book Beyond GoodIntentions—A Biblical View of Politics.

What guidelines did Paul give to fellow Chris-tians? The same book adds: “His letters tobelievers in such important cities as Corinth,Ephesus, and even Rome betrayed no interestin secular political squabbles.” The book alsonotes that Paul “commanded submission togovernment, but in none of his many letters didhe ever detail even one policy for the local

church to urge on public institutions.”—Romans12:18; 13:1, 5-7.

Christians living decades after the death ofPaul kept firmly in place the same division be-tween their obligations to God and to the State.They remained respectful toward political pow-ers but refrained from political activities. BeyondGood Intentions states about those believers:“Though they believed they were obligatedto honor the governing authorities, the earlyChristians did not believe in participating in po-litical affairs.”

Some 300 years after the death of Christ,however, things changed. Theologian CharlesVilla-Vicencio says: “When the political struc-tures were changed under Constantine, Chris-tians apparently flocked to participate in the civ-il service and the army and to accept politicaloffice.” (Between Christ and Caesar) What wasthe result? At the end of the fourth century C.E.,that blend of religion and politics had becomethe State religion of the Roman Empire.

Today, many religions that claim to followChrist continue to encourage their members toparticipate in politics. Those religions, however,are not imitating Christ, nor are they followingthe example of the first-century Christians.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Did the first-century Christiansparticipate in politics?


ˇ The account at Acts 18:12, 13 statesthat Jews in Corinth accused Paul ofproselytizing illegally and that they ledhim to “the judgment seat,” or be�ma(a Greek word meaning “step”). An-cient Corinth had an elevated outdoorplatform, or stand, near the center ofthe agora, or marketplace, which mayhave been just a few steps from the syn-agogue. The position of this stand al-lowed it to be used to address the pop-ulace. Built of blue and white marbleand lavishly decorated with delicatecarvings, the speakers’ stand was fur-nished with two waiting rooms thathad marble benches and mosaic floors.

That speakers’ stand seems to be thejudgment seat where the apostle Paulstood before the proconsul Gallio, Ro-

man governor of Achaia. From thisspot, seated officials would hear casesand announce their judicial decisions tothe assembled crowd.

In Greek city states, it was normal forthe assembly to meet in front of such abe�ma, from which all civic businesswas conducted. In their accounts of Je-sus’ trial, the Greek texts of both Mat-thew 27:19 and John 19:13 refer to Pon-tius Pilate’s addressing the crowd fromhis be�ma.—Acts 12:21.

DID YOU KNOW?

What was the “judgment seat” to which the apostle Paulwas led?

ˇ The apostle Paul stated regarding theearly Christians: “We preach Christ im-paled, to the Jews a cause for stumblingbut to the nations foolishness.” (1 Co-rinthians 1:23) Why would the mannerin which Jesus died cause some tostumble?

Regarding Jesus’ manner of deathand the culture of those living in theMiddle East in the first century, Biblecommentator Ben Witherington III saysthat it was “the most shameful way todie in that world. It was not seen as anoble martyrdom of any sort.” Wither-ington further states: “People in thatworld believed that the manner of your

death most revealed your character. Onthat basis, Jesus was a scoundrel, a manwho committed treason against thestate, a man who deserved the punish-ment used for slave revolts.” Given thatcultural background, it does not seemreasonable to claim that the early Chris-tians fabricated the accounts about Je-sus’ death and resurrection.

Why were some Jews stumbled by the mannerof Jesus’ death?

My Bible Lessons

See the animalsnear Noah’s ark.

Which ones moo,and which onesbark?

ACTIVITIES Have your child point to:Ark Bear DogElephant Giraffe LionMonkey Pig SheepZebra Rainbow Tree

Try to imitate the sounds of:Dog Lion MonkeyPig Sheep

AGES 3 AND

UNDER

Every animal,shortandtall,

Noah’sarksaved them all.

Genesis 7:7-10; 8:15-17

25


HOW can you achieve a life that is trulysuccessful? One way is to use the re-

markable ability you have to consider thepossible long-term consequences of deci-sions you make now.

Admittedly, you may find it difficult tomake decisions that promote your lastingwelfare. Why? Because so many around ussubscribe to get-it-now thinking. You may re-alize, for example, that applying Bible coun-sel can help you to build strong family rela-tionships. (Ephesians 5:22–6:4) But to do so,you must regularly invest time in your fami-ly, while resisting pressure to become overlyabsorbed in work, recreation, or entertain-ment. As in so many areas of life, you mustchoose between short-term gratification andlong-term success. How can you find thestrength needed to choose a wise course?Take the following four steps.

1 Envision the Outcomeof Your DecisionsWhen facing a decision, envision the re-

sults as realistically as possible. The Bible ad-vises: “Shrewd is the one that has seen the ca-

lamity and proceeds to concealhimself.” (Proverbs 22:3) If youtake an honest look at the conse-quences, you will likely feel moti-vated to avoid a course that ispotentially harmful. On the oth-er hand, when you visualize thelong-term benefits of a wise deci-sion, you can strengthen your re-solve to act.

Ask yourself: ‘What will be the outcome ofmy decision in a year, or even 10 or 20 yearsfrom now? What will be the effect on myemotional and physical health? How will mychoice affect my family and others whom Icare about?’ Most important, ask: ‘Will mydecision be pleasing to God? How will it af-fect my friendshipwith him?’ Since the Bibleis inspired by God, it can help you discernwhat is pleasing to him and alert you topitfalls that you might otherwise overlook.—Proverbs 14:12; 2 Timothy 3:16.

2 Examine the Optionsfor YourselfRather than making their own decisions,

many simply imitate the people aroundthem.But a particular wayof lifewill not leadto success just because it is popular. Examinethe options for yourself. Take, for example,Natalie.� She explains: “I wanted a goodmarriage. But I could see that I was notgoing to get one the way that I was liv-ing. In college all my friends were very in-telligent young people. Yet, they continu-ally made bad decisions in their personallives. They were constantly changing boy-friends or girlfriends. Like them, Ihad several boyfriends. This wayoflife brought me a lot of emotionalpain.”

Natalie began to study the Bi-ble with Jehovah’s Witnesses.“Among the Witnesses,” she says,

� Names in this article have been changed.

You Can Choose a Successful FutureHOW?


“I saw happy young people and strong mar-riages. Although it was not easy for me, Igradually changed my values and lifestyle.”What was the result? “I always wanted tomarry someone whom I deeply admired,”says Natalie. “In time, I married a man whoshares my religious convictions. I feel thatGod has given me a family life better than Icould have ever dreamed of.”

3 Take a Long-Range ViewTo resist short-term thinking, you also

need a clear vision of the future you wantand a plan for how to achieve it. (Proverbs21:5) Do not limit your thinking to the 70 or80 years of a typical human life span. In-

stead, visualize yourself enjoyingthe everlasting future that the Bi-ble describes.

The Bible explains that bymeans of the ransom sacrifice ofChrist Jesus, God has made provi-sion for humans to gain everlast-ing life. (Matthew 20:28; Romans6:23) God promises that soon his

original purpose for mankind and the earthwill be fulfilled. Those who love God willhave the opportunity to enjoy life forever in abeautifully restored earth. (Psalm 37:11; Rev-elation 21:3-5) That future can be yours ifyou take a long-range view.

4 Work to Reach Your GoalsHow can you reach out for that promised

future? Start by taking in knowledge of God.(John 17:3) Accurate Bible knowledge willbuild your confidence that God’s promisesfor the future will be a reality. Such faith canstrengthen you to make any changes neededto gain God’s approval.

Consider Michael’s experience. He relates:“I began abusing alcohol and drugs when I

was 12. I belonged to a gang andexpected to die before I was 30. Myanger and frustration led to multi-ple attempts at suicide. I was hop-ing that there was more to life, butI just couldn’t find it.” While Mi-chael was in high school, a fellowgang member began to study the Bible withJehovah’s Witnesses. Michael agreed to dothe same.

What Michael learned from the Biblechanged how he envisioned his future. “Ilearned that in the future the earth will be re-stored to a paradise and that people will livein peace, free from anxiety. I began to see thisasmy future. Building a good friendshipwithJehovah became my goal. Yet, I had ups anddowns. Even after I started studying the Bi-ble, I got drunk a few times. And I got in-volved with a girl.”

How was Michael able to overcome set-backs and successfully change his life course?He says: “My Bible teacher encouraged me toread the Bible daily and to associate with oth-ers who wanted to please God. I realized thatmy gang associates were still influencing me.Although they had been like family to me, Ibroke those ties.”

Michael established short-term goals andpriorities that helped him to reach his largergoal of harmonizing his life with God’s stan-dards. You can do the same.Write down bothyour long-term objective and the interme-diate steps thatwill helpyou to reach it. Shareyour goals with those who will support you,and invite them to help you monitor yourprogress.

Do not postpone learning about God andapplying his direction in your life. Take stepsnow to build your love for God and hisWord, the Bible. Describing a person whoapplies Bible principles, God’s Word says:“Everything he does will succeed.”—Psalm 1:1-3.

JESUSoftenused farmingmethods and farmequipment to illustrate important teach-

ings. (Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 4:3-9; Luke13:6-9) Why? Because he lived in an agricul-tural society. Many who listened to him fol-lowed farming traditions that had remainedunchanged for centuries. They appreciatedhis references to their daily activities. Hecould relate to them, and they were movedby what he taught.—Matthew 7:28.

We can deepen our appreciation for Jesus’illustrations and for other Bible accounts if

we know a little about the first-century farm-er—the crops he planted, the tools he used,the challenges he faced.

Watch as a farmer goes about his work.Read the cited scriptures, and see what youlearn.

A Time to SowShielding his eyes from the sun’s first rays,

the farmer stands in his doorway and sniffsthe moist air. Rains have softened the sun-baked soil. Plowing time has come. He hoistsa light wooden plow to his shoulder andheads forhis field.

There, the farmer gathers his oxen, yokesthem together, and goads them into action.

LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES

The Farmer“[Jesus] said to his disciples: ‘Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few.Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.’ ”—MATTHEW 9:37, 38.

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The plow’s iron tip bites the stony ground. Itdoes not turn the earth but only scratches it,digging a shallow trench, or furrow (1).Stumbling left and right, the farmer strug-gles to keep the furrows straight—he neverlooks behind, or the plow would wander offtrack. (Luke 9:62) He needs to stay within hisboundary markers and make the best use ofhis small plot of land.

The field, now combed with furrows, isready for sowing. Carrying a bag of barley inone hand, the farmer sweeps the other handleft and right, scattering the precious seed(2). Hard-packed foot paths cut through hisfield, sohe takes great care that the seed landson “the good soil.”—Luke 8:5, 8.

After sowing comes harrowing. The farmerhitches thorn branches to his oxen and dragsthe branches across the field. Flocks of birdssquawk and peck, stealing seed before dirtcovers it. Later, the farmer uses a mattock

(3) to loosen the earth and remove weedsthat could choke his seedlings before theymature.—Matthew 13:7.

A Time to ReapMonths pass. Rain falls. Heads of ripe bar-

ley now sway in the sun, making the fieldslook white.—John 4:35.

Harvest is a busy time for the farmer andhis family. A reaper grabs the stalks of grainwith his left hand and swings an iron sicklewith his right (4). Others gather the grain,bind it into sheaves (5), and load it onto thedonkeys or carts (6) that will take it to the vil-lage threshing floor.

The sun burns awhite hole in the center ofa clear blue sky. The family briefly rest in theshade of a fig tree. They laugh and talk andshare their quick meal of bread, parchedgrain, olives, dried figs, and raisins. They fin-ish with rapid gulps of springwater.—Deu-teronomy 8:7.

In a nearby field, gleaners gather leftovergrain (7). Some are poor and do not ownland.—Deuteronomy 24:19-21.

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Later, at the village threshing floor, thefarmer spreads the sheaves on an elevated,hard-packed floor. Oxen pull a heavy sledgeround and round (8). (Deuteronomy 25:4)Sharp stones and metal pieces embeddedin the undersurface of the sledge slice thestalks.

The farmer waits for the evening breeze tocome up. (Ruth 3:2) In the twilight, heslides a pronged wooden fork, or “winnow-ing shovel” (9), under the threshed sheavesand hurls the load into the air. (Matthew 3:

12) The heavy grain falls to the floor—thelighter chaff wafts away. Over and over hehoists his fork until he winnows all the grain.

At sunrise, the farmer’s wife and daughtersbegin sifting (10). They shake sieves full ofgrain and grit. The barley falls into baskets,while the rubbish is tossed aside. There hasbeen a bumper crop. Workers store some sur-plus grain in jars (11). The rest will be pouredinto storage pits.

Atop the threshing floor, the farmerstraightens his back, stretches his tired mus-cles, and surveys the fields that surroundthe village. He views with satisfaction theparchment-colored plots, covered in stubble—evidence of days of backbreaking labor. Hewatchesworkers tendvineyards andgroves ofolive, pomegranate, and fig trees. Nearby, aneighbor waves a greeting as he digs in asmall garden plot. The ground will yield cu-cumbers, lentils, beans, leeks, chickpeas, and

onions. The farmer pauses, raises hiseyes heavenward, and offers a brief,

heartfelt prayer, thanking God forthe good gifts that He gives.—Psalm 65:9-11.

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“THANK YOU.” Who does not enjoy hearingwords of gratitude for a job well done or a

gift given from the heart? We all want to feel thatour efforts are appreciated, especially by thosewe love. Of course, we love our God, Jehovah,above all. Does he value our efforts to servehim? Let us examine his dealings with Ebed-melech, a man who risked his life to save one ofGod’s prophets.—Read Jeremiah 38:7-13 and39:16-18.

Who was Ebed-melech? Evidently he was anofficer in the court of King Zedekiah of Judah.�Ebed-melech was a contemporary of Jeremi-ah, whom God sent to warn unfaithful Judahof its coming destruction. Though surround-ed by godless princes, Ebed-melech was God-fearing and had great respect for Jeremiah.Ebed-melech’s godly qualities were put to thetest when evil princes falsely accused Jeremiahof sedition and threw him into a miry cistern,leaving him to die. (Jeremiah 38:4-6) Whatwould Ebed-melech do?

Ebed-melech acted bravely and decisively,pushing aside any fear of reprisal from theprinces. He publicly approached Zedekiah andprotested the unjust treatment of Jeremiah. Per-haps pointing at the perpetrators, he told theking: “These men have done bad . . . to Jere-miah.” (Jeremiah 38:9) Ebed-melech prevailedand, at Zedekiah’s direction, took 30 men to goand rescue Jeremiah.

Ebed-melech now showed another desirabletrait: kindness. He took “worn-out rags andworn-out pieces of cloth and let them down toJeremiah . . . by means of the ropes.” Why the

� Ebed-melech is called “a eunuch.” (Jeremiah 38:7) Al-though this term literally referred to a male who had beencastrated, it was also used in a broader sense to refer toany official assigned duties in the court of the king.

rags and cloth? So that Jeremiah could cushionhis armpits, easing any chafing as he was beingpulled up from the muddy deep.—Jeremiah38:11-13.

Jehovah saw what Ebed-melech did. Did He appre-ciate it? Through Jeremi-ah, God told Ebed-melechthat Judah’s destructionwas imminent. Then Godgave Ebed-melech what onescholar calls “a quintupleguarantee of salvation.” Je-hovah said: “I will deliver you. . . You will not be given intothe hand of the men . . . Ishall without fail furnish youan escape . . . By the sword you will not fall . . .You will certainly come to have your soul as aspoil.” Why did Jehovah promise to keep Ebed-melech safe? Jehovah told him: “Because youhave trusted in me.” (Jeremiah 39:16-18) Jeho-vah knew that Ebed-melech had acted not onlybecause of his concern for Jeremiah but also be-cause of his trust and faith in God.

The lesson is clear: Jehovah appreciates whatwe do in serving him. The Bible assures us thathe remembers even the smallest act of worshipmotivated by a heart full of faith. (Mark 12:41-44) Are you moved to draw closer to this appre-ciative God? If so, you can be sure that he willlive up to what his own Word calls him: “The re-warder of those earnestly seeking him.”—He-brews 11:6.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

The Rewarder of All Who Serve Him

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR MAY:˛ Jeremiah 32-50

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Even in this troubled world, you can gain happiness from accurate Bible knowledge of God, his Kingdom,and his wonderful purpose for mankind. If you would welcome further information or would like to havesomeone visit you to conduct a free Bible study, please write to Jehovah’s Witnesses at the appropriateaddress listed on page 4.

www.watchtower.org wp12 05/01-E

The Bible mentions the heart nearly a thou-sand times. On most occasions, the Scrip-tures speak, not of the literal human heart,but of the figurative heart. What is the figu-rative heart? The term can refer to the in-ner self—what a person thinks, feels, and de-sires.

Why should we safeguard our figurativeheart? God moved King Solomon to write:“More than all else that is to be guarded, safe-guard your heart, for out of it are the sourcesof life.” (Proverbs 4:23) The quality of our lifenow and our prospects for future life dependon the condition of our figurative heart. Why?Because God sees what is in our heart. (1 Sam-

uel 16:7) It is the kind of person we are inside,in the “secret person of the heart,” that deter-mines how God feels about us.—1 Peter 3:4.

How can we safeguard our heart? The an-swer to that question will be discussed indepth during the conventions that Jehovah’sWitnesses will be holding around the worldbeginning this month. You are warmly invitedto attend all three days of this convention.�What you learn will help you to act in away that makes Jehovah God’s heart rejoice.—Proverbs 27:11.

� To find a convention near you, please visit the Web sitewww.jw.org. You may also contact Jehovah’s Witnesses inyour area or write to the publishers of this magazine.

“SAFEGUARDYOUR HEART!”DISTRICT CONVENTION OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

FRIDAY’S THEME“As for Jehovah, He Sees What the Heart Is”

—1 SAMUEL 16:7.

SATURDAY’S THEME“Out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth Speaks”

—MATTHEW 12:34.

SUNDAY’S THEME“Serve Jehovah With a Complete Heart”

—1 CHRONICLES 28:9.

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