Watchtower: Examining the Scriptures Daily For the Year - 2014

8/20/2019 Watchtower: Examining the Scriptures Daily For the Year - 2014

1/129

Examining the Scriptures

Daily

2014

Large-Print Edition


2/129

Examining the Scriptures

Daily

2014Large-Print Edition

Name


3/129

˘ 2013WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY

OF PENNSYLVANIA

PublishersWatchtower 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 providedas part of a worldwide Bible educational work

supported by voluntary donations.

Examining the Scriptures Daily—2014—Large Print

English (eslp14-E)

Made in the United States of America


4/129

The petition “let your Kingdom come” is widely

known around the globe, especially in lands that pro-fess to be Christian. But how many people really knowwhat they are asking for when they make that requestin prayer? Would they repeat those words so readily if they knew that the coming of God’s Kingdom meansthe execution of judgment against all earthly gov-ernments 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) God’s Kingdom was estab-lished in 1914, with Jesus enthroned as King. (Rev. 12:10) (2) We are living in the last days of the presentsystem of things. (Matt. 24:3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5) (3) No gov-ernment or political party on earth has truly recog-nized God’s Kingdom or yielded to its sovereignty. (Ps.

2:2, 3; Rev. 11:17, 18) Why has God’s Kingdom been ig-nored? Do not many people yearn for better govern-ment, and is not much time and effort spent in tryingto patch up and improve current rule? Yes, but mostdo not realize whom they are up against and how muchcontrol that one exerts.

The Bible clearly tells us that “the whole world is

lying in the power of the wicked one” and that he, “theone called Devil and Satan, . . . is misleading the en-tire inhabited earth.” (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9) By clever-ly blinding people to the point that many do not evenbelieve he exists, Satan is able to maneuver the ma-

jority of mankind into rejecting God’s Kingdom andopposing His rule. (2 Cor. 4:4) That is where we as Je-hovah’s Witnesses come in. We have the privilege of

opening the eyes of people, “to turn them from dark-ness to light and from the authority of Satan to God.”(Acts 26:18) Today, almost eight million individuals

2014 Yeartext

“Let your Kingdom come.”—Matthew 6:10.


5/129

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

No, we will not convert the world. Indeed, Jesusdeclared that the majority of mankind would not find“the road leading off into life.” Rather, they would con-

tinue on “the road leading off into destruction.” (Matt.7:13, 14) Jesus foretold that the “good news of theKingdom [would] be preached in all the inhabitedearth for a witness to all the nations” before the endcomes. (Matt. 24:14) By referring to Noah’s day, Jesushelped us to appreciate how people would react to ourpreaching activity. Although Noah was “a preacher of

righteousness,” the people did not listen to his warn-ing of impending destruction. “They took no note untilthe Flood came and swept them all away.” (2 Pet. 2:5;Matt. 24:37-39) Today, only those who are righteouslydisposed heed the warning. They listen to the goodnews of God’s Kingdom, realizing that “it is, in fact,God’s 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 bereplaced with one government—God’s Kingdom un-der the rulership of Jesus Christ. (Isa. 9:7; Dan. 7:13,14; Rev. 11:15) But peace, justice, and righteousnesswill not be the only hallmarks of that perfect Kingdomrule. Our physical needs will also be fully cared for.(Ps. 72:16; 145:16) Even so, would we be content to haveall these blessings if sickness and death yet awaitedus? Kingdom rule will address these matters as well.God has decreed: “I am making all things new.” Sor-row and suffering 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 havepassed away.” Praise be to our God! Yes, Jehovah, “letyour Kingdom come”!—Rev. 19:6; 21:3-5.


6/129

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

The comments are taken from the Watchtower (w) issuesof April 2012 through March 2013. Figures following the dateof the Watchtower issue refer to the number, in order, of eachstudy article (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) that appears in that issue. This isfollowed by the paragraphs where the material is found. (See

illustration below.) Additional information on the subject mat-ter can be found in the article itself. To find where each arti-cle starts, see the front cover of that issue of The Watchtower.

How to Use This Booklet

Year of Watchtower issue

Date of Watchtower issueArticle number

Paragraph number(s) wheretext and comments are found

Wednesday, January 1

The works of the flesh aremanifest.—Gal. 5:19.

Note how “the works of the

flesh” breed disunity. (Gal. 5:19-21 ) Fornication separates theone practicing it from Jehovahand the congregation, and adul-tery can cruelly separate childrenfrom parents and innocent part-ners from marriage mates. . . .Do I air my grievances beforea wide audience, hoping to getsupport from several friends?’

w12 7/15 4:8, 9


7/129

2014

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S




1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 1819 20 21 22 23 24 2526 27 28 29 30 31

12 3 4 5 6 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 2223 24 25 26 27 28

12 3 4 5 6 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 2223 24 25 26 27 28 2930 31

1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 1920 21 22 23 24 25 2627 28 29 30

1 2 34 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20 21 22 23 2425 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 2122 23 24 25 26 27 2829 30

1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 1920 21 22 23 24 25 2627 28 29 30 31

1 23 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 1617 18 19 20 21 22 2324 25 26 27 28 29 3031

1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 2021 22 23 24 25 26 2728 29 30

1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 1819 20 21 22 23 24 2526 27 28 29 30 31

12 3 4 5 6 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 2223 24 25 26 27 28 2930

1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 2021 22 23 24 25 26 2728 29 30 31

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

APRIL MAY JUNE

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER


8/129


The works of the flesh aremanifest.—Gal. 5:19.

Note how “the works of theflesh” breed disunity. (Gal. 5:19-21) Fornication separates theone practicing it from Jehovahand the congregation, and adul-tery can cruelly separate childrenfrom parents and innocent part-ners from marriage mates. Un-cleanness affects a person’s uni-ty with God and with those wholove him. One who has attempt-ed to glue two things togetherknows that both surfaces must be

clean before a proper bond canbe forged. Engaging in brazenconduct demonstrates total dis-regard for God’s righteous laws.Each of the other works of theflesh separates people from oneanother and from God. Such con-duct is completely out of harmo-ny with the personality of Jeho-vah. Thus, each of us needs to ask

himself: ‘Just how earnest am Iin trying “to observe the onenessof the spirit in the uniting bondof peace”? (Eph. 4:3) Do I air mygrievances before a wide audi-ence, hoping to get support fromseveral friends?’ w12 7/15 4:8, 9

Thursday, January 2

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

—Luke 10:22.

Most people, whatever their be-liefs, have pondered over ques-tions related to God’s existence.However, when they failed toreach a satisfying conclusion,

many eventually gave up on theirsearch for God. Indeed, Satanhas “blinded the minds of the un-believers.” (2 Cor. 4:4) Little won-

der that the majority of mankindare left in ignorance and con-fusion as to the truth about theFather, the Creator of the uni-verse! (Isa. 45:18) Yet, it is vitalthat people learn the truth aboutGod. Why? Because only thosewho call “on the name of Jehovah”

will be saved. (Rom. 10:13) To callon God’s name involves becom-ing acquainted with Jehovah as aPerson. Jesus Christ disclosed tohis disciples this vital knowledge.He revealed the Father to them.w12 4/15 1:2, 3

Friday, January 3

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

husband.—1 Cor. 7:11.

Under what circumstancesmight a Christian wife “actual-ly depart”? Some have chosen toseparate because of a mate’s will-ful nonsupport. Others have done

so because of extreme physicalabuse or the absolute endanger-ment of a Christian’s spiritual-ity. Whether to depart or not isa personal decision. However,the baptized mate ought to givethis matter prayerful and hon-est consideration. A Christianwho is married to an unbeliev-

er should earnestly endeavor tokeep the marriage bond intact.Yet, a Christian need not feelguilty if, despite the Christian’ssincere effort to preserve theunion, an unbelieving mate re-fuses to remain with the believer.“If the unbelieving one proceedsto depart, let him depart,” wrotePaul. “A brother or a sister is not

in servitude under such circum-stances, but God has called you topeace.”—1 Cor. 7:15. w12 5/15 2:13-15, 17


9/129

Saturday, January 4

Men sp oke from God as theywere borne along by holy spirit.

—2 Pet. 1:21.

Over a period of 1,610 years—spanning from 1513 B.C.E. to98 C.E.—some 40 different menwrote the Bible. The Greek ex-pression rendered “borne along”has the sense “to bear or carryfrom one place to another,” andit “can be variously rendered: bemoved, be driven, let oneself bemoved.” Acts 27:15 uses it in de-scribing a boat that was seizedand moved, or driven along a cer-

tain course, by the wind. Bibleprophets and writers were “bornealong by holy spirit” in that Godcommunicated with, motivated,and guided them by means of hisactive force. That being the case,they wrote, not their own ideas,but God’s thoughts. Sometimesthe inspired prophets and writersdid not even know the meaning of

what they foretold or were writ-ing. (Dan. 12:8, 9) Yes, “all Scrip-ture is inspired of God” and is freeof 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 wordis “the anxiety of this system of things.” In these “critical timeshard to deal with,” there is muchthat could make you anxious.(2 Tim. 3:1) With the high cost of living and rising unemployment

rates, you may find it difficult tomake ends meet. You may alsobe anxious about the future andwonder, ‘Will I have enough in-

come after I retire?’ Because of such anxiety, some have been ledto pursue riches, thinking thatmoney will guarantee security.The other factor is “the deceptive

power of riches.” That elementcombined with anxiety can chokethe word. The Bible acknowl-

edges that “money is for a protec-tion.” (Eccl. 7:12) However, thepursuit of riches is not wise. Manyhave found that the more theystruggle to acquire riches, themore materialism entraps them.Some have even become slavesto riches.—Matt. 6:24. w12 8/154:3-5

Monday, January 6

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

more.—Matt. 25:16.

Although the anointed had ford e ca de s l oo ke d t o 191 4 a s amarked year, they did not clearlyunderstand what would happen.

One brother later recalled, “A fewof us seriously thought we weregoing to heaven during the firstweek of that October [1914].” Justthink how discouraging it couldhave been to expect the end andfor it not to occur! Moreover, thebrothers faced opposition relatedto World War I. A period of rela-

tive inactivity, like sleep, set in.But in 1919, there was a call towake up! Jesus had come to God’sspiritual temple, and a time forinspection arrived. Some, how-ever, failed that inspection andconsequently lost their privilegeto continue in the King’s “busi-ness.” The majority of anointedones, though, showed unshak-

able loyalty and a strong desireto serve their Master even duringthe difficult war years. w12 9/154:11, 12


10/129

Tuesday, January 7

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

—2 Chron. 33:6.

Some 360 years after David be-gan to rule, Manasseh becameking of Judah. His 55-year-longreign was infamous for wicked-ness, and his detestable prac-tices brought condemnation fromJehovah. Eventually, Manassehwas taken from his homeland andthrown into a Babylonian pris-on. There he “kept humbling him-self greatly” and “kept praying”to God. (2 Chron. 33:12, 13) What

was Jehovah’s response to Ma-nasseh’s prayers? “He let himself be entreated by [Manasseh] andHe heard his request for favor.”Like David before him, Manas-seh recognized the seriousness of his sins and was truly repentant.That is why God forgave Manas-seh and restored him to the king-ship in Jerusalem. As a result,

“Manasseh came to know that Je-hovah is the true God.” (2 Chron.33:13) How heartening it is tohave this evidence that our mer-ciful God forgives those who aregenuinely repentant! w12 11/15 4:11-13


I am not lying.—Gal. 1:20.On occasion, Paul found it nec-

essary to swear to the truthful-ness of what he wrote. When somein Corinth accused Paul of beinguntrustworthy, he wrote in his de-fense: “God can be relied uponthat our speech addressed to youis not Yes and yet No.” (2 Cor. 1:

18) At the time of writing that,Paul had left Ephesus and wastraveling through Macedonia onhis way to Corinth. Originally,

he had planned to revisit Cor-inth before going into Macedo-nia. (2 Cor. 1:15, 16) But sometime after making his originalplans, Paul received disturbingnews that disunity and immoral-ity were being tolerated in Cor-inth. (1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1) To correct

the situation, he wrote strongcounsel in his first letter to theCorinthians. Then, instead of sailing directly from Ephesusto Corinth, Paul decided to givehis brothers time to apply hiscounsel so that when he even-tually arrived, his visit could bemore encouraging.—2 Cor. 1:23.w12 10/15 4:6, 7

Thursday, January 9

You must do according to allthat for which the foreigner calls

to you.—1 Ki. 8:43.

A foreigner is basically someonewho is in a land that is not his ownor is a person who comes into a

community or group from outsideof it. This well describes Jeho-vah’s Witnesses. They owe theirprimary allegiance to a heaven-ly government, God’s Kingdomunder Christ. Thus, they main-tain strict neutrality in politicalmatters, even if some people viewthem as strangely out of place intoday’s society. Foreigners are of-

ten recognized by characteristicscommon to their minority group.It may be the language theyspeak, their customs, their phys-ical characteristics, even theirstyle or manner of dress. Still, thethings they have in common withall other humans, regardless of nationality, are more significantthan any of those characteristics.

In fact, Jehovah originally pur-posed that all humans be unitedas one family under one rulership—his rulership. w12 12/15 4:11-13


11/129

Friday, January 10

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

Peter responded to Jesus’ ques-tion with these words: “Lord,whom shall we go away to? Youhave sayings of everlasting life;

and we have believed and come toknow that you are the Holy Oneof God.” (John 6:68, 69) Did thismean that Peter fully understoodall that Jesus had just said aboutHis coming sacrifice? (John 6:53-60) Probably not. Even so, Pe-ter was determined to be loyal toGod’s anointed Son. Peter did notreason that Jesus must have thewrong view of things and that if given time, He would recant whatHe had said. No, Peter humblyrecognized that Jesus had “say-ings of everlasting life.” Like-wise today, how do we react if weencounter a point in our Chris-tian publications from “the faith-ful steward” that is hard to un-

derstand or that does not matchwith our thinking? We should tryhard to get the sense of it ratherthan merely expecting that therewill be a change to conform to ourviewpoint.—Luke 12:42. w12 4/152:10, 11

Saturday, January 11

All have sinned and fall short of

the glory of God.—Rom. 3:23.

As Jehovah’s servants, we cer-tainly want to honor and glori-fy our Creator in everything wedo. All too often, however, whatwe desire to do is not what wedo. Paul had to contend with thatproblem personally. (Rom. 7:21-25) Explaining why we have such

a struggle, Paul wrote the wordsof today’s text. Yes, through in-heritance from sinful Adam,m an ki nd b e ca me s ubj e ct t o

the harsh mastery of ‘King Sin.’(Rom. 5:12; 6:12) What is sin? Itis anything contrary to Jehovah’spersonality, ways, standards, andwill. Sin mars a person’s relation-ship with God. Sin causes us tomiss the mark, even as an archercan shoot an arrow but miss his

target. We can sin intentionally orby mistake. (Num. 15:27-31) Sin isdeeply ingrained in humans andcreates a barrier between themand their Creator. (Ps. 51:5; Isa.59:2; Col. 1:21) Unquestionably,sin is the worst disability afflict-ing humankind. w12 5/15 4:4, 5

Sunday, January 12

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

you.—Jer. 30:2.

Although Jehovah used dicta-tion when precise wording wascrucial, in most cases thoughtsrather than specific words weremiraculously conveyed to the

hearts and minds of Bible writ-ers, permitting them to choosetheir own words to express them.“The congregator sought to findthe delightful words and the writ-ing of correct words of truth,”states Ecclesiastes 12:10. TheGospel writer Luke “traced allthings from the start with accu-racy, to write them in logical or-

der.” (Luke 1:3) God’s spirit en-sured that human imperfectiondid not taint his message. God’sgreat wisdom is made evident inhis use of humans to write theBible. Words convey not just in-formation but also emotions andfeelings. By allowing imperfectmen to choose the wording for theideas they received through holy

spirit, God conveyed his messagewith warmth, variety, and the ap-peal of human emotions and feel-ings! w12 6/15 4:5-7


12/129

Monday, January 13

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

peace.—Jas. 3:18.

We cannot maintain righteousconduct in the absence of peace.Our growth in spiritual mattersis hindered if we have person-al traits that could disrupt peacewith our brothers. But by beingquick to forgive and by workingfor the well-being of others, weengender conditions that resultin true prosperity. Furthermore,“gifts in men” can be a real force

for unity. They have been givento help us to “attain to the one-ness in the faith.” (Eph. 4:8, 13)When elders work along with usi n s ac re d s er vi ce a nd of ferperceptive observations basedon God’s Word, they assist us tomake progress in putting on thenew personality. (Eph. 4:22-24)Do you see in their counsel Je-

hovah’s efforts to prepare youfor life in the new world underthe rule of his Son? Elders, doyou try to readjust others withthat objective in view?—Gal. 6:1.w12 7/15 4:10-12

Tuesday, January 14

Never be anxious and say,

“What are we to eat?” or, “Whatare we to drink?” or, “What arewe to put on?” For all these arethe things the nations are eager-ly pursuing. For your heavenly

Father knows you need all thesethings.—Matt. 6:31, 32.

To avoid being strangled by ma-terialism, periodically reappraise

your lifestyle. Never would youwant to be like Esau, who showedby his actions that he despisedspiritual things! (Gen. 25:34; Heb.

12:16) And surely you should notbe like the rich man who was in-vited to sell his belongings, giveto the poor, and follow Jesus. In-stead of doing so, the man “wentaway grieved, for he was holdingmany possessions.” (Matt. 19:21,22) Ensnared by riches, that man

lost out on a great privilege—thatof being able to follow the great-est man who ever lived! Be care-ful not to lose out on the privi-lege of being a disciple of JesusChrist. To counteract undue wor-ry about material things, heedthe admonition given in today’stext. 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 opportunitiesfor us to show a fine spirit. Eachof us can do much good if we dis-

play a forgiving spirit when oth-ers offend us. God’s Word tellsus: “Continue putting up with oneanother and forgiving one anoth-er freely if anyone has a cause forcomplaint against another. Evenas Jehovah freely forgave you, sodo you also.” (Col. 3:13) The ex-pression “if anyone has a cause for

complaint” suggests that theremay be valid reasons for becom-ing irritated with others. How-ever, rather than being overlyconcerned about their foibles anddisturbing the peace of the con-gregation, we try to imitate Jeho-vah and forgive freely, moving onin our service together. We shouldalso pray for holy spirit. (Luke 11:

13) God’s spirit will help us dis-play true Christian qualities indealing with others.—Gal. 5:22,23. w12 10/15 2:1, 14, 15


13/129

Thursday, January 16

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

The perfect humans, Adam andEve, were a part of Jehovah’speaceful and harmonious uni-versal family. They were able to

communicate with him personal-ly, worship him, and be blessedby him. That harmonious rela-tionship was interrupted whenhumans, influenced by Satan, re-belled against Jehovah’s sover-eignty. Since 1914, however, theMessianic Kingdom has been tak-ing progressive steps to restorethat unity and harmony. (Eph. 1:9, 10) During the Thousand YearReign, marvelous things present-ly “unseen” will be brought to re-ality. (2 Cor. 4:18) Then comes“the end,” that is, the close of Christ’s Millennial Reign. (1 Cor.15:24) What will happen then?Though given “all authority . . . inheaven and on the earth,” Jesus is

not ambitious. He has no inten-tion of usurping Jehovah’s place.He humbly “hands over the king-dom to his God and Father.” Hewill use his unique position andauthority “to the glory of God.”—Phil. 2:9-11. w12 9/15 2:17, 18

Friday, January 17

What is looked for in stewards is

for a man to be found faithful.—1 Cor. 4:2.

A steward may have many finequalities and abilities, yet none of them would matter if he was ir-responsible or disloyal to his mas-ter. Faithfulness is essential tobe an effective, successful stew-ard. If we are faithful, we will

be rewarded; that is certain. If we are not faithful, we will suf-fer loss. (Matt. 25:14-18, 23, 26,28-30) Jesus pointed out the con-

sequences of unfaithfulness. Hesaid: “A certain man was richand he had a steward, and thisone was accused to him as han-dling his goods wastefully. So hecalled him and said to him, ‘Whatis this I hear about you? Handin the account of your steward-

ship, for you can no longer man-age the house.’” (Luke 16:1, 2)Because the steward squanderedthe property of his master, themaster dismissed him. What apowerful lesson for us! We cer-tainly never want to be unfaithfulin what is asked of us. w12 12/152:15-17


You will find refreshment foryour souls.—Matt. 11:29.

Jesus assured his followers thatby drawing close to him and prac-ticing his teachings, they wouldbe refreshed, for his yoke waskindly and his load was light.

People of both sexes and of allages felt at ease in his presence.(Matt. 11:30) In his associationwith the common people of Is-r ae l, Je su s h ad c om p as si onfor them because they were dis-advantaged, and he gave lovingattention to their needs. NearJericho, he encountered a blindbeggar named Bartimaeus and

his unnamed blind companion.They persistently asked for Je-sus’ help, but the crowd sternlyurged the men to be quiet. Howeasy it would have been to ignorethe pleas of the blind men! In-stead, Jesus asked that they bebrought to him, and moved withpity, he restored their sight. Yes,Jesus imitated his Father, Jeho-

vah, by displaying humility andshowing mercy to lowly sinners.—Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52.w12 11/15 2:12, 13


14/129

Sunday, January 19

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

As the work of constructing theark progressed, Noah and his

family must have wondered howGod would accomplish his pur-pose and when the Flood wouldbegin. Yet, their lack of knowl-edge of these details did not stopthem from getting the ark built.Seven days before the floodwatersfell—just enough time for Noahand his family to load the animalsinto the ark—Jehovah finally told

Noah exactly when the Floodwould begin. Hence, when thefloodgates of the heavens wereopened, everything was ready.(Gen. 7:1-5, 11) The account of theFlood testifies to Jehovah’s skillnot only as a Timekeeper but alsoas a Deliverer. As he counts downto the end of the present sys-

tem of things, we can be sure thateverything Jehovah has purposedwill take place at his appointedtime, to the very “day and hour.”—Matt. 24:36; Hab. 2:3. w12 4/154:7, 8

Monday, January 20

There is no man that does not

sin.—2 Chron. 6:36.To be in the proper position to

reflect God’s glory, we must hon-estly recognize our sinful nature.We need to acknowledge our sin-ful inclinations and work to con-trol them so that we can pro-gress to the p oint of trulyglorifying God. As worshippers

of Jehovah, we must continual-ly make a self-examination to de-termine whether we are measur-ing up to his righteous standards.

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

Tuesday, January 21

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

A cc or di ng t o Jo hn , u p o n ascarlet-colored wild beast—theimage of the wild beast—rides asymbolic harlot, dominating it.She bears the name “Babylon theGreat.” (Rev. 17:1-6) This harlot

fittingly stands for all false reli-gion, foremost of which are thechurches of Christendom. Reli-gious organizations have giventheir blessing to the image of thebeast and have tried to exert in-fluence over it. However, duringthe Lord’s day, Babylon the Greathas seen the waters, the peoplewho support her, dry up dramat-

ically. (Rev. 16:12; 17:15) False re-ligion, however, will not just fadeaway. The harlot will remain apotent force, attempting to bendkings to her will until God plantsan idea in the hearts of those inpower. (Rev. 17:16, 17) Soon Je-hovah will cause the political ele-ments of Satan’s system, as rep-

resented by the United Nations,to attack false religion and de-stroy her influence.—Rev. 18:7, 8,15-19. w12 6/15 2:15-17


15/129


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

—1 Cor. 15:33.

Human governments may pro-vide health alerts regarding foodsand medicines. Obviously, notall foods and medicines are bad.But if a specific product poses athreat, the government may is-sue balanced warnings to pro-tect its citizens. If the govern-ment did not do so, it would beguilty of negligence. Similar-ly, God’s Kingdom issues time-ly warnings about specific moral

and spiritual dangers. For in-stance, the Internet has becomea useful way to provide communi-cation, education, and enter-tainment. God’s organizationmakes use of the Internet andaccomplishes much good with it.However, many sites on the In-ternet are morally and spiritu-ally dangerous. Web sites that

promote pornography pose anobvious threat to the spiritualhealth of Kingdom citizens. Fordecades, the faithful slave haswarned us about such sites. Howgrateful we are for these spiritu-al health alerts! w12 8/15 2:10, 11


To do your will, O my God, I have delighted, and your law iswithin my inward parts.

—Ps. 40:8.

Throughout history, nationshave w age d b rut al w ar s inthe name of freedom. How muchmore, then, should you be willingto fight spiritually for your Chris-

tian freedom! Realize that yourenemies are not just Satan, theworld, and its poisonous spir-it. You also have to contend with

your own imperfections, includ-ing a treacherous heart. (Jer.17:9; Eph. 2:3) Yet, with Jehovah’shelp, you can win the fight. Whatis more, each victory—large orsmall—will have at least two pos-itive effects. First, you will makeJehovah’s heart rejoice. (Prov. 27:

11) Second, as you taste the liber-ating power of God’s “perfect lawthat belongs to freedom,” you willbecome even more determinedto remain on the ‘narrow road’ toeverlasting life. In time, you willenjoy the more expansive free-dom that lies ahead for Jehovah’sloyal ones.—Jas. 1:25; Matt. 7:13,

14. w12 7/15 2:15, 16

Friday, January 24

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

We live in a time of adversi-ties. The earth has been inundat-ed with disasters. Earthquakes,tsunamis, fires, floods, volca-

noes, tornadoes, typhoons, andhurricanes have wreaked havocon humankind. In addition, fam-ily problems and personal di-lemmas have brought fear andsorrow. How can we successfullyface life with courage? (Rom.15:4) Consider David. Among oth-er things, he had to put up withthe wrath of a king, enemy at-tacks, the abduction of his wives,treachery in his own ranks, andemotional distress. (1 Sam. 18:8, 9; 30:1-5; 2 Sam. 17:1-3; 24:15, 17; Ps. 38:4-8) The Bible ac-counts of David’s life clearly re-veal the pain these adversitiescaused him. However, they didnot destroy him spiritually. Full

of faith, he said: “Jehovah is thestronghold of my life. Of whomshall I be in dread?”—Ps. 27:1, 5,10. w12 10/15 1:1, 3, 4


16/129


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

Earthshaking events will soonoccur. The fulfillment of Bible

prophecies confirms this fact, sowe need to keep on the watch.What will help us to do that? Theapostle Paul urges us to “keepour eyes . . . on the things un-seen.” Yes, we need to bear inmind our reward of everlastinglife, be it in heaven or on earth.As the context shows, Paul wrotethese words to encourage fellow

believers to focus on the happyoutcome of their faithful course.Doing so would also help them tocope with trials and persecution.(2 Cor. 4:8, 9, 16-18; 5:7) Paul’s ad-monition contains an importantprinciple: To keep our hope firm,we must look beyond the thingsthat are immediately before us.

We need to focus on significantevents 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 thename of Jehovah of armies, theGod of the battle lines of Israel,

whom you have taunted.

—1 Sam. 17:45.What moved young David to

challenge Goliath, a fully armedgiant who was about nine and ahalf feet (2.9 m) tall? (1 Sam. 17:4,ftn.) Was it David’s courage? Wasit his faith in God? Both quali-ties played a vital role in his actof valor. However, respect for Je-

hovah and for his great name es-pecially motivated David to takea stand against that toweringgiant. Indignantly, David asked:

“Who is this uncircumcised Phi-listine that he has to taunt thebattle lines of the living God?”(1 Sam. 17:26) Relying on the trueGod, David brought down thePhilistine champion with a singleslingstone. Not only on that occa-sion but throughout his life, Da-

vid trusted in Jehovah and heldthe divine name in the highestesteem. Indeed, David urged fel-low Israelites to ‘boast in Jeho-vah’s holy name.’—1 Chron. 16:8-10. w12 11/15 1:3, 4

Monday, January 27

You will make your way success-

ful and . . . act wisely.—Josh. 1:8.

What does it mean to be suc-cessful in life? Ask people thatquestion, and you will find thattheir answers vary greatly. Many,for example, define success interms of outstanding achieve-ment in financial, professional, or

academic pursuits. Others factorin relationships—how well theyrelate to family, friends, or work-mates. One who serves God mighteven link success to a positionof responsibility in the congre-gation or to achievements in theministry. But what matters mostis whether Jehovah views us as

successful, for our very lives de-pend on his approval. When giv-ing Joshua the weighty assign-ment of leading the Israelitesinto the Promised Land, Jeho-vah told him to read the Mosa-ic Law “day and night” and to becareful to obey what was writ-ten in it. God assured him: “Thenyou will make your way success-

ful and then you will act wisely.”(Josh. 1:7, 8) And you know thatJoshua did prove to be successful.w12 12/15 1:1, 3


17/129

Tuesday, January 28

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

—Gen. 2:23.

H ow h ap py t he f ir st m an,Adam, was to receive a wife! Nowonder he waxed poetic! AfterJehovah had caused Adam to fallinto a deep sleep, He createdthis beautiful woman from oneof the man’s ribs. Adam laternamed her Eve. God united thetwo in happy wedlock. Since Je-hovah used Adam’s own rib as abase for creating her, Adam andEve were closer than any present-

day husband and wife. In his in-imitable wisdom, Jehovah plant-ed within humans the capacityfor romantic love—a quality thatwould draw men and women to-gether. Says The World Book En-cyclopedia: “A man and womanwho marry hope to share a sexu-al relationship and a permanentromantic attraction.” That has

happened countless times amongJehovah’s people. Of course, mar-riages are not made in heaven,but God will guide Christiansin this and other aspects of lifeif they pray for direction and areled by his spirit.—Gal. 5:18, 25.w12 5/15 1:1-3


Truly the God of you men is . . . a Revealer of secrets.—Dan. 2:47.

Which gov ernments will bedominating the earth when God’sKingdom brings an end to hu-man rulership? We know the an-swer—it has been disclosed to usby the “Revealer of secrets,” Je-

hovah God. He enables us to dis-cern the identity of those govern-ments through the writings of theprophet Daniel and the apostle

John. Jehovah revealed to thosemen a series of visions involving asuccession of beasts. He also toldDaniel the meaning of a vision-ary dream depicting an immensemetal image. Jehovah had thoseaccounts recorded and preservedin the Bible for our benefit. (Rom.

15:4) He did so to strengthen ourhope that soon his Kingdom willcrush all human governments.(Dan. 2:44) Taken together, theaccounts of Daniel and John notonly identify eight kings, or hu-man rulerships, but also show thesequence in which those powerswould appear. w12 6/15 1:1-3


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

We are living in a time of in-creasing greed, lawlessness, andviolence. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) In re-sponse, governments make morelaws, strengthen police forces,

and install electronic surveil-lance. In some countries, privatecitizens try to increase their safe-ty by installing alarm systemsin their homes, as well as extralocks and even electric fences.Many refuse to go out at nightor to let their children play out-side unattended—day or night.Clearly, freedom is on the wane,

and the trend will likely contin-ue. Indeed, the more that peo-ple disregard the moral and spir-itual boundaries established byGod, the more society as a wholesuffers. This worsening conditionalso affects us as Jehovah’s ser-vants. Nevertheless, we have thehope of seeing an end to man-kind’s enslavement to sin and

corruption and of enjoying whatthe Bible calls “the glorious free-dom of the children of God.”—Rom. 8:21. w12 7/15 1:1, 2


18/129

Friday, January 31

Make disciples of people of all thenations . . . And, look! I am withyou all the days until the con-clusion of the system of things.

—Matt. 28:19, 20.

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

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

Saturday, February 1

Look! a great crowd, which noman was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peo-

ples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the

Lamb.—Rev. 7:9.

After 1914, The Watchtower

made this significant statement:“Brethren, those of us who are inthe right attitude toward God arenot disappointed at any of His ar-rangements. We did not wish ourown will to be done; so when wefound out that we were expect-ing the wrong thing in October,1914, then we were glad that the

Lord did not change His Plan tosuit us. We did not wish Him todo so. We merely wish to be ableto apprehend His plans and pur-poses.” This attitude of humili-ty and devotion still characteriz-es the Lord’s anointed. They aresticking close to God’s appointedchannel for dispensing spiritualfood. And now “a great crowd” of

“other sheep,” Christians with anearthly hope, are imitating theirwatchfulness and zeal.—John 10:16. w12 9/15 4:13, 14

Sunday, February 2

They did not give ear.—Neh. 9:30.

We cannot rightly conclude thatJehovah automatically forgivesall humans for their sins. In thisregard, let us compare the atti-tude of David and Manasseh with

that of the wayward people of Is-rael and Judah. God sent Nathanto confront David and give himan opportunity to change his at-titude. David gratefully acceptedthis offer. When Manasseh foundhimself in sore straits, he wasmoved to sincere repentance. Of-ten, however, the inhabitants of Israel and Judah did not repent.

Therefore, Jehovah did not for-give them. Instead, he repeated-ly had his prophets declare howhe viewed their disobedient con-duct. Even after the exiles re-turned from Babylon to theirhomeland, Jehovah continuedto raise up faithful messengers,such as the priest Ezra and theprophet Malachi. When the peo-

ple acted in harmony with Jeho-vah’s will, they experienced great

joy.—Neh. 12:43-47. w12 11/154:15


19/129

Monday, February 3

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

How serious is the matter of let-ting our Yes mean Yes? The Bi-ble clearly warns that a person

who is “false to agreements” isamong those who are “deservingof death.” (Rom. 1:31, 32) Pharaohof Egypt, Judean King Zedeki-ah, and Ananias and Sapphira areamong the bad examples high-lighted in the Bible of individualswhose Yes did not mean Yes. Theyall fared badly and stand as warn-ing examples for us. (Ex. 9:27, 28,

34, 35; Ezek. 17:13-15, 19, 20; Acts5:1-10) Living “in the last days,”we are surrounded by people whoare “disloyal,” people “having aform of godly devotion but prov-ing false to its power.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5) As much as possible, we mustavoid such bad association. In-stead, we should regularly gath-

er with those who strive always tolet 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 selfish and nationalisticworld, it is refreshing to find in-

dividuals who can and do lookbeyond national borders. Thefounder of the television networkCNN, Ted Turner, commentsabout his work with a number of talented individuals from vari-ous nations: “I came to see thosefrom other countries not as ‘for-eigners,’ but as fellow citizens of

the planet.” In lands around theglobe, only Jehovah’s Witnesseshave adopted God’s way of think-ing as a group. By learning to see

things as Jehovah does, they havebeen able mentally and emotion-ally to break down national barri-ers. Instead of treating membersof differing national groups withdistrust, suspicion, or even out-right hatred, they have learned to

cherish the variety of character-istics and abilities of these groupsas something beautiful. Have youreflected on this accomplishmentand how it has benefited you per-sonally in dealing with others?w12 12/15 4:2, 14, 15

Wednesday, February 5

They are no longer two, but one flesh.—Matt. 19:6.

One Christian woman was gladthat she trusted in God and putforth extra effort to save her mar-riage. “I was tempted to sepa-rate from my husband becauseof financial nonsupport and spir-itual endangerment,” she says.

“Then I realized that I too was atfault. We started communicatingagain, resumed our family study,and became regular at meetings.Our marriage blossomed anew.In time, my husband again qual-ified for congregation privileges.It was a hard lesson with a happyoutcome.” Whether we are single

or married, let us always act cou-rageously and hope in Jehovah. If we are encountering marital dif-ficulties, we should earnestlyseek to resolve them, remember-ing that those united in wedlockare “no longer two, but one flesh.”And let us bear in mind that if wepersevere in a divided household

despite hardships, we may expe-rience the joy of winning a mateover to true worship. w12 5/15 2:19, 20


20/129

Thursday, February 6

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

plained him.—John 1:18.

Jesus was especially qualifiedto reveal his Father. Why? Be-cause before all other forms of lifewere created, the spirit creaturewho later became the man Je-sus already existed in heaven as“the only-begotten Son of God.”(John 1:14; 3:18) What a uniqueposition! While no other crea-

ture existed, the Son basked inthe warmth of his Father’s atten-tion and learned about Him andHis qualities. The Father and Sonmust have communicated exten-sively and developed deep affec-tion for each other over aeons of time. (John 5:20; 14:31) What awealth of insight into his Father’s

personality the Son must havegained! (Col. 1:15-17) The Fa-ther designated the Son to be Hisspokesman, “The Word of God.”(Rev. 19:13) Therefore, Jesus wasin a unique position to reveal theFather to others. w12 4/15 1:4, 5

Friday, February 7

Do not be grieving God’s holyspirit.—Eph. 4:30.

Holy spirit is a force that pro-motes unity. Application of whatPaul wrote next is also essentialfor peace and unity: “Let all ma-licious bitterness and anger andwrath and screaming and abusive

speech be taken away from youalong with all badness. But be-come kind to one another, ten-derly compassionate, freely for-

giving one another just as Godalso by Christ freely forgave you.”(Eph. 4:31, 32) The words “be-come kind” suggest that at leastto a certain degree, we may nothave been kind and that we mayneed to improve. How appropri-

ate that we train ourselves toconsider the feelings of othersahead of our own! (Phil. 2:4) Per-haps something we are think-ing of saying would evoke a laughor would make us appear intelli-gent, but would it be kind? Givingthought to this matter in advancewill help us to “become kind.”w12 7/15 4:13, 14


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

While most major books of re-ligion say very little, if anything,about God, the Bible acquaints uswith Jehovah God and his activi-

ties. It helps us to see the manyfacets of his personality. The Bi-ble reveals God not only as an all-powerful, wise, and just God butalso as a God who loves us. (John3:16) Moreover, the Bible tells us:“God is not partial, but in everynation the man that fears himand works righteousness is ac-

ceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34,35) In a sense, the availabili-ty of the Bible testifies to thistruth. Linguists say that of some6,700 languages spoken in theworld today, approximately 100cover 90 percent of the world’spopulation. Still, the Bible hasbeen translated, either in whole

or in part, into more than 2,400languages. Nearly everyone in theworld has access to at least partsof it. w12 6/15 4:9


21/129

Sunday, February 9

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

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

By the end of Christ’s Millenni-al Reign, the earthly subjectsof the Kingdom will have beenbrought to perfection. They willfollow Jesus’ example and hum-bly and willingly acknowledge Je-hovah’s sovereignty. They willhave the opportunity to demon-strate their desire to do that bysuccessfully passing the finaltest. (Rev. 20:8-10) Thereafter, all

rebels—human and spirit—willbe eliminated forever. What a joy-ful and jubilant time that will be!The entire universal family willhappily praise Jehovah, who willbe “all things to everyone.” (1 Cor.15:28; Ps. 99:1-3) Will the gloriousKingdom realities just ahead mo-tivate you to focus your attentionand efforts on doing God’s will?

Can you avoid being sidetrackedby the false hope and comfortthat Satan’s world offers? Will youstrengthen your resolve to sup-port and uphold Jehovah’s sover-eignty? w12 9/15 2:19, 20

Monday, February 10

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

An improper romantic relation-ship could develop at your placeof employment. In fact, a secu-lar study revealed that more thanhalf of adulterous women andnearly 3 out of 4 adulterous menhad illicit relations with a work-mate. Does your secular workrequire that you associate with

members of the opposite sex? If so, what is the nature of your rela-tionship with them? Do you haveboundaries in place that keep it

professional and that do not al-low it to become something more?For example, a Christian sistermight make a male coworker herconfidant, even telling him abouther marital problems. In anoth-er situation, after becomingfriendly with a female cowork-

er, a Christian man might rea-son: “She values my opinion andreally listens when I talk to her.And she appreciates me. I wish Igot more of this kind of treatmentat home!” Can you see how Chris-tians in such situations could bevulnerable to committing adul-tery? w12 8/15 4:11, 12

Tuesday, February 11 I am not conscious of anythingagainst myself. Yet by this I amnot proved righteous, but he that

examines me is Jehovah.—1 Cor. 4:4.

Each member of the congrega-tion should make it his or her goal

to contribute to the wholesomespirit of the congregation. Afterprayerful consideration, we maydecide that we personally can im-prove in displaying an upbuildingspirit. If so, we should not hesi-tate to let ourselves be examinedin the light of God’s Word. (Heb.4:12) Today’s text shows that Paulwas very concerned about his

actions. As we strive to act inharmony with the wisdom fromabove, not taking ourselves orour position too seriously, we willcontribute to a wholesome spir-it in the congregation. By hav-ing a forgiving spirit and thinkingpositively of others, we will en-

joy peaceful relations with fellowworshippers. (Phil. 4:8) As we do

these things, we can be confidentthat Jehovah and Jesus will bepleased ‘with the spirit we show.’—Philem. 25. w12 10/15 2:16, 17


22/129


Let each one prove what his ownwork is, and then he will havecause for exultation in regard tohimself alone, and not in com-

parison with the other person.—Gal. 6:4.

Rather than compare what wedo with what others do, we shouldfocus on what we personally areable to do. This will protect us notonly from being puffed up withpride but also from being discour-aged. In evaluating ourselves,we should recognize that circum-stances change. Perhaps because

of poor health, age, or various re-sponsibilities, we cannot do allwe used to. We can also consid-er what responsibilities we haveor yearn to have. For reasonswe may not readily understand,some privileges may be extendedmuch later than expected. Rath-er than being envious of whatothers may have been assigned to

do, all of us can concentrate onhandling the responsibilities wedo have. In the new world, Jeho-vah will see to it that the properdesires of all his servants are sat-isfied. w12 12/15 2:18-20


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

Common people benefited fromJesus’ humility because they be-came recipients of his help, histeachings, and his encourage-ment. Actually, all redeemablemankind will reap long-term ben-efits from Jesus’ ransom sacrifice.What about Jesus? Did his humili-ty benefit him? Yes, for Jesus told

his disciples: “Whoever humbleshimself will be exalted.” (Matt.23:12) Those words proved to betrue in his own case. Paul ex-

plains: “God exalted [Jesus] to asuperior position and kindly gavehim the name that is above everyother name, so that in the nameof Jesus every knee should bendof those in heaven and those one arth and t hos e under theground, and every tongue should

openly acknowledge that JesusChrist is Lord to the glory of Godthe Father.” Because of Jesus’course of humility and faithful-ness on earth, Jehovah God ex-alted his Son, giving him author-ity over creatures in heaven andon earth.—Phil. 2:9-11. w12 11/152:12, 14, 15

Friday, February 14 Jehovah himself has borne wit-ness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you your-self have dealt treacherously.

—Mal. 2:14.

In heart harmony with his Fa-ther, Jesus taught that one cannot

drive away or cast off an inno-cent mate and act as if nothinghas happened. (Matt. 19:3-6, 9)How can those who are marriedremain loyal to their mates? God’sWord says: “Rejoice with the wife[or husband] of your youth” and,“See life with the wife [or hus-band] whom you love.” (Prov. 5:18; Eccl. 9:9) As both mates grow

older, they must be “fully pres-ent” in their relationship, bothphysically and emotionally. Thatmeans being attentive to eachother, spending time with eachother, and drawing closer to eachother. They have to focus on pre-serving their marriage and theirrelationship with Jehovah. Tothat end, couples need to study

the Bible together, regularly workin the ministry together, and praytogether for Jehovah’s blessing.w12 4/15 2:13-15


23/129


Persevere in prayer.—Rom. 12:12.

In-depth study of the Scrip-tures and meditative Bible read-ing are essential to fortify our de-termination to avoid grave sin and

to please Jehovah. (Ps. 119:11, 47,48) We also need to “persevere inprayer.” We can and should praythat Jehovah help us to serve himin an acceptable way. To that end,we can properly ask him for holyspirit, for more faith, for strengthto resist temptation, and for abili-ty to ‘handle the word of the trutharight.’ (2 Tim. 2:15; Matt. 6:13;Luke 11:13; 17:5) As a child de-pends on his father, so we need todepend on our heavenly Father,Jehovah. If we ask him to help usserve him more fully, we can haveconfidence that he will do so. Maywe never feel that we are a both-er to him! Instead, in prayer let uspraise him, thank him, seek his

direction especially when undertrial, and ask that he help us toserve him in ways that glorify hisholy name.—Ps. 86:12; Jas. 1:5-7.w12 5/15 4:9, 10

Sunday, February 16

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

A ft er f al se r el ig io n i s d e-stroyed, the wild beast, Satan’searthly political setup, will begoaded into an attack on God’sKingdom. Unable to reach intoheaven, the kings of the earth willvent their rage on those on earthwho support God’s Kingdom. Theresult is inevitable. (Rev. 16:13-16; 17:12-14) Daniel describes one

aspect of the final battle. (Dan. 2:44) The wild beast mentioned atRevelation 13:1, its image, andthe two-horned wild beast will be

destroyed. The Anglo-AmericanWorld Power will be the domi-nant world power when false re-ligion is eradicated. The prophe-cies of Daniel and John have beenfulfilled to the smallest detail.We can be confident that the de-struction of false religion and the

battle of Armageddon will sooncome. God has revealed these de-tails in advance. Will we pay at-tention to the prophetic warn-ings? (2 Pet. 1:19) Now is the timeto take sides with Jehovah and tosupport his Kingdom.—Rev. 14:6, 7. w12 6/15 2:18, 19

Monday, February 17

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

—Heb. 4:13.

Those who ignore warnings is-sued by the faithful slave in-evitably cause harm to them-selves and to their loved ones.Some have become addicted

to viewing pornography or havecommitted immorality and thendeluded themselves into think-ing that Jehovah cannot see whatthey are doing. How foolish to be-lieve that we can hide our con-duct from Jehovah! (Prov. 15:3)God wants to help such ones andprompts his earthly representa-tives to try to assist them. (Gal.

6:1) However, just as human gov-ernments can revoke the citizen-ship of a person who commitscertain acts, Jehovah will revokethe citizenship of those who un-repentantly break his standards.(1 Cor. 5:11-13) Nevertheless, heis merciful. Those who repent andchange their course of conductcan regain a good standing with

Jehovah and remain as Kingdomcitizens. (2 Cor. 2:5-8) What anhonor we have to serve such a lov-ing King! w12 8/15 2:12


24/129

Tuesday, February 18

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

Never forget that God is tru-ly merciful and that he drew youinto the congregation because

he saw your potential. (Ps. 103:8, 9) So as long as you maintaina complete heart toward Jeho-vah, he will never give up on you.(1 Chron. 28:9) While praying onhis last night with his 11 faith-ful apostles, Jesus said these un-forgettable words in their be-half: “Watch over them becauseof the wicked one.” (John 17:15)

Jesus’ concern was not limited tohis apostles, but it extends to allhis followers. Hence, we can besure that Jehovah will answer Je-sus’ prayer by watching over usduring these critical times. “Forthose walking in integrity [Jeho-vah] is a shield . . . He will guardthe very way of his loyal ones.”

(Prov. 2:7, 8) Yes, the way of in-tegrity is not without its chal-lenges, but it is the only way toeverlasting life and true freedom.(Rom. 8:21) Let no one lure youfrom it! w12 7/15 2:17, 18


I shall not take away my

integrity!—Job 27:5.Job experienced extreme pres-

s u re s. E ve r yt hi ng i n h is l ifeseemed to go wrong. (Job 3:3,11) Making matters worse, hedid not fully understand why allthose things happened to him.Still, he never gave up. He main-tained his integrity and his faith

in God. What a fine example forus to imitate! Consider, too, theapostle Paul’s example. He ex-perienced ‘dangers in the city, in

the wilderness, and at sea.’ Hespeaks of ‘hunger and thirst, coldand nakedness.’ Paul also men-tions spending ‘a night and aday in the deep,’ likely becauseof one of the shipwrecks that hewent through. (2 Cor. 11:23-27)Despite facing death for serv-

ing God, Paul had faith that Godwould rescue him. (2 Cor. 1:8-10) Not many people have hadas many bad experiences as Pauldid. Nevertheless, many of us canrelate to his feelings and can takecomfort from his courageous ex-ample. w12 10/15 1:6, 7


Jehovah’s day is coming exactlyas a thief in the night.

—1 Thess. 5:2.

As used here, “Jehovah’s day”refers to the period that will startwith the destruction of false reli-gion and will culminate in the warof Armageddon. However, just

before that day of Jehovah be-gins, world leaders will be saying“Peace and security!” (1 Thess.5:3) This may refer to one eventor to a series of events. No matterwho will share in saying “Peaceand security!” that developmentwill indicate that Jehovah’s dayis to begin. Paul could there-

fore state: “Brothers, you arenot in darkness, so that that dayshould overtake you as it wouldthieves, for you are all sons of light.” (1 Thess. 5:4, 5) Unlikemankind in general, we discernthe Scriptural significance of cur-rent events. How exactly will thisprophecy about saying “Peaceand security!” be fulfilled? We

must wait and see. Therefore, letus be determined to “stay awakeand keep our senses.”—1 Thess.5:6; Zeph. 3:8. w12 9/15 1:3, 4


25/129

Friday, February 21

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

Are you proud to have Jeho-vah as your God? How do youreact when neighbors, colleagues,classmates, or relatives speakill of Jehovah and make fun of his Witnesses? Do you speak upwhen Jehovah’s name is beingreproached, trusting in his sup-port? True, there is “a time tokeep quiet,” but we must not beashamed of being Witnesses of Jehovah and followers of Jesus.(Eccl. 3:1, 7; Mark 8:38) Although

we should be tactful and cour-teous in dealing with people whoare not favorably disposed, let usnot be like those Israelites who“became terrified and were great-ly afraid” when they heard Goli-ath’s taunting words. (1 Sam. 17:11) Instead, let us act decisively inorder to sanctify Jehovah God’s

name. Our desire is to help peopleto come to know Jehovah as theGod he really is. To that end, weuse his writtenWord in an effort tohelp others to see the importanceof drawing close to God.—Jas. 4:8.w12 11/15 1:5


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

Solomon’s annual revenue of gold alone weighed some 25 tons!However, what Solomon wrote inthe book of Ecclesiastes showsthat he was not misled into think-

ing that achievement and joy arelimited to those having wealth orprominence. Not at all. He wrote:“I have come to know that there

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

Sunday, February 23

He went throwing the camp of the Egyptians into confusion.

And he kept taking wheels off their chariots so that they were

driving them with difficulty.—Ex. 14:24, 25.

Compared with Pharaoh’s mili-tary forces in their war chari-ots, the Israelites moved at aponderous pace. Yet, there wasno possibility that the Egyptianswould overtake them, for Jeho-vah was fighting for Israel. Onceall Israel was safely ashore onthe other side of the Red Sea, Je-hovah directed Moses: “Stretchyour hand out over the sea, thatthe waters may come back overthe Egyptians, their war chariotsand their cavalrymen.” As the sol-diers tried to flee the onrushingwaters, “Jehovah shook the Egyp-tians off into the midst of thesea.” There was no escape. “Notso much as one among them was

let remain.” (Ex. 14:26-28) Jeho-vah thus showed that he has thepower to deliver his people fromany situation. w12 4/15 4:11, 12


26/129

Monday, February 24

A mere saffron of the coastal plain I am, a lily of the low

plains.—Song of Sol. 2:1.

To these words of the Shulam-m it e, t he s h ep he rd r ep l ie d :“Like a lily among thorny weeds,so is my girl companion amongthe daughters”! (Song of Sol. 2:2)Yes, they truly loved each other.And because they primarily lovedGod, their marital bond would bestrong indeed. In fact, the Shu-lammite said to her beloved shep-herd: “Place me as a seal uponyour heart, as a seal upon your

arm; because love is as strong asdeath is, insistence on exclusivedevotion is as unyielding as She-ol is. Its blazings are the blaz-ings of a fire, the flame of Jah[for it is from him]. Many wa-ters themselves are not able toextinguish love, nor can riversthemselves wash it away. If aman would give all the valuable

things of his house for love, per-sons would positively despisethem.” (Song of Sol. 8:6, 7) Whenweighing wedlock, why should aservant of Jehovah settle for any-thing less? w12 5/15 1:4, 5

Tuesday, February 25

I shall put enmity between you

and the woman and betweenyour seed and her seed.

—Gen. 3:15.

Soon after the rebellion inEden, Jehovah made a promisethat a “woman” would producea “seed.” That seed would even-tually bruise the serpent, Satan,in the head. Jehovah later re-

vealed that the seed would comethrough Abraham, belong to thenation of Israel, be a Judean, andbe a descendant of King David.

(Gen. 22:15-18; 49:10; Ps. 89:3, 4;Luke 1:30-33) The principal partof that seed proved to be ChristJesus. (Gal. 3:16) The secondarypart of the seed is made up of the spirit-anointed members of the Christian congregation. (Gal.3:26-29) Jesus and these anoint-

ed ones unite to form God’s King-dom, the instrument with whichGod will crush Satan. (Luke 12:32; Rom. 16:20) That first proph-ecy given in Eden also stated thatSatan would produce a “seed.” Hisseed would express enmity, or ha-tred, for the seed of the woman.w12 6/15 1:4, 5


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

“The perfect law that belongs tofreedom” is not the Mosaic Law,for that code made transgres-sions manifest and was fulfilledin Christ. (Matt. 5:17; Gal. 3:19)

To what law, then, was James re-ferring? He had in mind “the lawof the Christ,” also called “the lawof faith” and “the law of a freepeople.” (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 3:27; Jas.2:12) “The perfect law,” there-fore, encompasses everythingthat Jehovah requires of us. Bothanointed Christians and the “oth-er sheep” benefit from it. (John10:16) Unlike the law codes of many countries, “the perfect law”is neither complex nor burden-some but consists of simple com-mandments and basic principles.(1 John 5:3) “My yoke is kindlyand my load is light,” said Jesus.(Matt. 11:29, 30) Additionally,“the perfect law” has no need for

a long list of sanctions, or penal-ties, for it is founded on love andis engraved on minds and hearts.—Heb. 8:6, 10. w12 7/15 1:4, 5


27/129


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

Following the death of theapostles, foretold apostasy fromgenuine Christianity developedand spread like fire. (Acts 20:28-

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

Friday, February 28

His days shall amount to ahundred and twenty years.

—Gen. 6:3.

Jehovah did not have the arkbuilt and then decide when tobring the floodwaters, as if he

needed to keep the timing of thestart of the Flood flexible in casethe construction project ran be-hind schedule. Rather, long be-fore he said anything to Noahabout building an ark, God fixedthe time for the Flood to begin.How do we know that? From Je-hovah’s words in today’s text.This was not a statement regard-ing the average human lifespan.It was a judicial decree in whichJehovah declared when he wouldact to cleanse the earth of un-godliness. Since the Flood be-g a n i n 2 3 7 0 B . C . E . , w e i n f e rthat God made this pronounce-ment in 2490 B.C.E. At that time,Noah was 480 years old. (Gen. 7:6)Some 20 years later, in the year2470 B.C.E., Noah’s sons beganto be born. (Gen. 5:32) About onehundred years remained beforethe Flood was to begin. w12 4/154:4, 5

Saturday, March 1

Become imitators of God.

—Eph. 5:1.

One way to imitate Jehovah isto adopt his viewpoint regardingmatters. Jehovah hates sin, andso should we. Indeed, we oughtto move as far away from wrong-doing as possible and not see howclose we can get to it without be-

ing overcome by sin. For instance,we need to guard against suc-cumbing to apostasy, a sin thatwould make us unfit to glorify

God. (Deut. 13:6-9) Let us there-fore have nothing to do with apos-tates or anyone who claims to be

a brother but who is dishonor-ing God. This should be the caseeven if he is a family member.(1 Cor. 5:11) We are not benefitedby trying to refute the argumentsof apostates or those who are crit-ical of Jehovah’s organization. Infact, it is spiritually dangerousand improper to peruse their in-

formation, whether it appears inwritten form or it is found on theInternet.—Isa. 5:20; Matt. 7:6.w12 5/15 4:12, 13


28/129

Sunday, March 2

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

day by day.—Prov. 8:30.

It is logical that the bond be-

tween Jehovah and Jesus becamestronger as they worked togetherand as the Son learned to imitatehis Father’s qualities. (Prov. 8:22,23, 31) With the creation of otherintelligent creatures, the Son sawhow Jehovah dealt with each one,and his appreciation for God’spersonality surely deepened.Even the challenge that Satan

later launched against the right-fulness of Jehovah’s sovereigntygave the Son an opportunity tolearn how Jehovah would exerciselove, justice, wisdom, and pow-er when He was confronted witha difficult situation. This would,in turn, no doubt have preparedJesus to cope with the difficultiesthat he himself later encountered

in his ministry on earth. (John 5:19) Because of his close relation-ship with Jehovah, the Son ex-plained the Father in richer de-tail than anyone else could everdo. w12 4/15 1:6-8

Monday, March 3

There are seven kings: five have

fallen, one is, the other has notyet arrived.—Rev. 17:10.

The first head of the beast men-tioned at Revelation 17:3 repre-sents Egypt. Why? Because Egyptwas the first major power to ex-p re ss e nm it y t ow a rd G od ’speople. The descendants of Abra-ham—through whom the prom-

ised seed of the woman wouldcome—grew numerous in Egypt.Then, Egypt oppressed Israel. Sa-tan attempted to wipe out God’s

people before the seed could ar-rive. How? By motivating Pha-raoh to execute all male Israelitechildren. Jehovah thwarted thatattempt and liberated his peoplefrom enslavement to Egypt. (Ex.1:15-20; 14:13) The second headof the beast represents Assyr-

ia. This mighty kingdom also at-tempted to wipe out God’s peo-ple by attacking Jerusalem. Satanmay have had the goal of oblit-erating the royal line that wouldeventually lead to Jesus. Jehovahmiraculously delivered his faith-ful people by destroying the in-vaders.—2 Ki. 19:32-35; Isa. 10:5,6, 12-15. w12 6/15 1:6-8

Tuesday, March 4

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

The boundaries that Jehovahhas set for his intelligent crea-tures are for their benefit andprotection. Take, for example,

the physical laws that govern en-ergy and matter. People do notcomplain of being oppressed bythose laws. Rather, they appre-ciate them, recognizing that nat-ural laws are essential for theirwelfare. Likewise, Jehovah’smoral and spiritual standards,reflected in “the perfect law” of the Christ, are for man’s benefit.

(Jas. 1:25) This law also allows usto satisfy all our proper desireswithout harming ourselves or en-croaching on the rights and free-doms of others. The secret, then,to being truly free—being able todo what we desire—is to cultivatethe right desires, those that har-monize with Jehovah’s personali-ty and standards. In other words,

we have to learn to love what Je-hovah loves and to hate what hehates, which the law of freedomhelps us to do. w12 7/15 1:6, 7


29/129

Wednesday, March 5

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

end.—Dan. 12:9.

Today, we can grasp the mean-ing of prophecies that remained a“secret” for ages but are now be-

ing fulfilled in this time of theend. These include those foundthroughout the Scriptures, espe-cially in the Gospels and the bookof Revelation. Jehovah has evenhelped us understand events thatwe could not see with our eyes—the enthronement of Jesus, thewar in heaven, and the hurlingof Satan down to the earth. (Rev.12:7-12) God has also given us in-sight into the meaning of what wecan see—wars, earthquakes, pes-tilences, food shortages, as wellas godless people who contributeto these “critical times hard todeal with.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 21:10, 11) How grateful we are that“the helper,” God’s holy spirit,

has been sent to guide Jesus’ fol-lowers “into all the truth”! (John16:7, 13) May we always treasure“the true knowledge” and unself-ishly share it with others!—Dan.12:4. w12 8/15 1:7, 8

Thursday, March 6

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

sudden destruction is to beinstantly upon them.

—1 Thess. 5:3.

The first phase of this “sud-den destruction” is the attackagainst “Babylon the Great,” theworld empire of false religion,also known as “the harlot.” (Rev.17:5, 6, 15) That attack against

all forms of false religion, includ-ing Christendom, is the start of the “great tribulation.” (Matt. 24:21; 2 Thess. 2:8) God’s Word iden-

tifies the harlot’s attacker as a“wild beast” with “ten horns.” Astudy of the book of Revelationshows that the wild beast refersto the United Nations (UN). “Theten horns” represent all presentpolitical powers that supportthis “scarlet-colored wild beast.”

(Rev. 17:3, 5, 11, 12) How devas-tating will the attack be? The na-tions of the UN will plunder theharlot’s wealth, expose her realcharacter, devour her, and “com-pletely burn her.” Her destruc-tion will be final.—Rev. 17:16.w12 9/15 1:3, 5, 6

Friday, March 7

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

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

In today’s world so full of disas-ters, challenges, and pressures,many feel overwhelmed. Evensome Christians have felt that

way. Lani, who was enjoying thefull-time service in Australia,says that when she was diagnosedwith breast cancer, it was dev-astating and struck like a bolt of lightning. She says, “The treat-ments made me very ill, and Iwas left with no self-esteem.” Ontop of everything else, she hadto care for her husband, who had

undergone spinal surgery. If wefind ourselves in such a situation,what can we do? We do well to re-member that Satan wants to usethe tribulations we suffer to un-dermine our faith. However, wemust not allow him to sap our

joy in this way. Meditatin g onBiblical examples of servants of God who faced life’s trials with

courage will help us to musterup courage in the face of any ad-versities that we may encounter.w12 10/15 1:8, 9


30/129

Saturday, March 8

It is unthinkable, on my part, from Jehovah’s standpoint, that I should do this thing to my lord,

the anointed of Jehovah.—1 Sam. 24:6.

After David fled from him, Saultook 3,000 chosen men out of allIsrael and went looking for Davidin the wilderness. (1 Sam. 24:2)Eventually, Saul unknowinglywent into the very cave where Da-vid and his men were. David couldhave used this opportunity toeliminate the king who threat-ened his life. After all, it was

God’s will for David to replaceSaul as king of Israel. (1 Sam. 16:1, 13) Indeed, if David had lis-tened to the advice of his men,the king would have been killed.(1 Sam. 24:4-7) But Saul was stillGod’s anointed king. David didnot want to rob Saul of the king-ship, since Jehovah had not yet

removed him. By only cutting off the skirt of Saul’s sleeveless coat,David showed that he had no in-tention of harming Saul.—1 Sam.24:11. w12 11/15 1:8

Sunday, March 9

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

—1 Pet. 3:14.To cope with trials successful-

ly, we need faith and courage.What is faith? The apostle Paulwrote: “Faith is the title-deedto the things we hope for. Faithis being sure of things we can-not see.” (Heb. 11:1, The Sim-

ple English Bible) If property has

been deeded to us, we are con-fident that we own it. Since wehave faith that God always fulfillshis word, it is as though we are

holding a valuable deed. Our faithmakes us certain that we will seethe fulfillment of the Bible-basedpromises we hope for, and we aresure about spiritual realities, al-thoughwe cannot see them. Cour-age has been defined as “spiritual,emotional, and moral fortitude tospeak and act without fear in theface of obstacles and dangers.”(The New Interpreter’s Dictionaryof the Bible) If we have courage,we are strong, valiant, even boldat times.—Mark 6:49, 50; 2 Tim.1:7. w13 1/15 1:1-3

Monday, March 10

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

—1 Ki. 11:6.

Solomon eventually strayedfrom the course of faithful obedi-ence. God’s Word states: “It cameabout in the time of Solomon’sgrowing old that his wives them-

selves had inclined his heart tofollow other gods; and his heartdid not prove to be complete withJehovah his God like the heartof David his father.” (1 Ki. 11:4)Rightly displeased, Jehovah toldSolomon: “For the reason that. . . you have not kept my cove-nant and my statutes that I laid incommand upon you, I shall with-

out fail rip the kingdom awayfrom off you, and I shall certainlygive it to your servant.” (1 Ki. 11:11) How tragic! Though Solomonhad been a success in many ways,in time he disappointed Jehovah.In the most important area of life—faithfulness to God—Solomonfailed. Each of us can ask, ‘Am I

determined to make sure that thelesson learned from Solomon’slife will help me to be a success?’w12 12/15 1:7, 8


31/129

Tuesday, March 11

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

in the faith.—Titus 1:13.

For some who committed seri-ous sins, their conduct has re-quired that they be disfellow-shipped. For “those who havebeen trained by it,” the disciplinehas helped them to become spiri-tually restored. (Heb. 12:11) Whatif we have a relative or a closefriend who is disfellowshipped?Now our loyalty is on the line, notto that person, but to God. Jeho-vah is watching us to see wheth-

er we will abide by his commandnot to have contact with anyonewho is disfellowshipped. (1 Cor.5:11-13) We live in a treacherous,disloyal world. Yet, all around usin the Christian congregation, wecan find loyal examples to imi-tate. Their life course speaks forthem, as if to say: “You are wit-nesses, God is also, how loyal

and righteous and unblamablewe proved to be to you believers.”(1 Thess. 2:10) May we all remainever steadfast in our loyalty toGod and to one another. w12 4/152:16, 18

Wednesday, March 12

He is changing times and sea-

sons, removing kings and settingup kings.—Dan. 2:21.

Je ho va h G o d p ro vi de d t hemeans to measure time long be-fore he created man. On thefourth creative day, God said:“Let luminaries come to be in theexpanse of the heavens to makea division between the day and

the night; and they must serve assigns and for seasons and for daysand years.” (Gen. 1:14, 19, 26) Inharmony with Jehovah’s will, that

is, of course, what took place.Until now, however, scientistshave debated the nature of time.“Time is one of the world’s deep-est mysteries,” states one ency-clopedia. “No one can say exact-ly what it is.” Yet, Jehovah fullyunderstands time. After all, he is

“the Creator of the heavens, . . .the Former of the earth and theMaker of it.” Jehovah is also “theOne telling from the beginningthe finale, and from long ago thethings that have not been done.”—Isa. 45:18; 46:10. w12 5/15 3:1, 2

Thursday, March 13

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

—Matt. 24:39.

Most of mankind today take nonote of the warnings that God’sservants proclaim. Many even de-ride the idea of God’s interven-ing in human affairs—as peo-ple did in Noah’s day. (2 Pet. 3:

3-7) Yet, in that hostile envi-ronment, how did Noah use histime? After being informed of God’s intentions and receivinghis commission, Noah built anark to preserve men and animalsalive. (Gen. 6:13, 14, 22) Noah alsoproclaimed Jehovah’s impend-ing judgment. The apostle Pe-

ter calls him “a preacher of righ-teousness,” indicating that Noahstrove to help his neighbors ap-preciate the gravity of their sit-uation. (2 Pet. 2:5) Do you thinkthat it would have been reason-able for Noah and his family tofocus their efforts on developinga business, getting ahead amongtheir contemporaries, or estab-

lishing a comfortable lifestyle?Of course not! Knowing what layahead, they avoided such distrac-tions. w12 6/15 3:3, 4


32/129

Friday, March 14

Though against me war shouldrise, even then I shall be

trusting.—Ps. 27:3.

Why is our preaching activityon the increase despite worsen-

ing world conditions? Why do wegive freely of our time and energywhile many are experiencing eco-nomic reversals? How can we re-main courageous when many oth-ers fear the future? An inspiredsong of King David, recorded inPsalm 27, gives us the answers.David begins this psalm with thewords: “Jehovah is my light and

my salvation. Of whom shall I bein fear? Jehovah is the strong-hold of my life. Of whom shall Ibe in dread?” (Ps. 27:1) Whilefear can exert a weakening influ-ence, the feeling of dread is evenmore severe. But no underlyingdread should agitate one whofears Jehovah. (1 Pet. 3:14) When

we make Jehovah our stronghold,we “will reside in security and beundisturbed from dread of calam-ity.”—Prov. 1:33; 3:25. w12 7/153:1, 2

Saturday, March 15

Go therefore and make disciplesof people of all the nations.

—Matt. 28:19.Citizens of human governments

will publicly rally support for apolitical party, even going fromdoor to door to do so. On a muchlarger scale, Kingdom citizensvigorously support God’s King-dom both on the street and fromdoor to door. In fact, The Watch-

tower, which announces Jeho-vah’s Kingdom, is now the mostwidely distributed journal onearth! One of the greatest priv-

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

Sunday, March 16

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

Do we yearn for the day whenGod makes all things new, remov-ing the problems we now face?Though we have ample reason for

believing that the end of Satan’ssystem is very near, it can be dif-ficult to wait patiently for thatday. Yet, the Bible shows that wemust have patience. Like God’sservants before us, we will re-ceive what God has promised if we have strong faith and wait pa-tiently for his time to fulfill thosepromises. (Heb. 6:11, 12) Jeho-

vah himself has been patient. Hecould have put an end to wicked-ness at any time, but he is waitingfor the right time. (Rom. 9:20-24)Jehovah has been patient, know-ing that it would take time to an-swer the questions raised by therebellion in Eden. Having thor-ough knowledge of the deeds and

attitudes of individuals in heavenand on earth, he certainly is act-ing in our best interests.—Heb. 4:13. w12 9/15 3:1-3


33/129

Monday, March 17

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

Whether you are newly bap-tized or have been serving Godfor decades, you need to exam-

ine yourself periodically. Provingtrue to our dedication vow meansthat we must be faithful in allmatters. For example: Are youmarried? Then continue to hon-or the precious vow you made tolove and cherish your marriagemate. Have you signed a businesscontract or filled out an appli-cation form for theocratic privi-

leges? Then be true to your com-mitments and to what you havepromised. Have you accepted aninvitation to a meal by someoneof humble means? Then do notcancel it if a seemingly better in-vitation is made by someone else.Or have you promised someoneyou met in the house-to-house

ministry that you would call againto give that person further spiri-tual help? Then by a

Documents

Watchtower: Examining the Scriptures Daily For the Year - 2014