Leitura Diária Da Bíblia

Examining
the Scriptures
Daily
2016
es16-E
150706
Examining
the Scriptures
Daily
2016
_______________________________________________________________________________
Name
Examining
the Scriptures
Daily
2016
2015
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
Publishers
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
of New York, Inc.
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
April 2015 Printing
This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part
of a worldwide Bible educational work
supported by voluntary donations.
Examining the Scriptures Daily2016

English (es16-E)
Made in the United States of America
2016 Yeartext
Let your brotherly love continue.
Hebrews 13:1.
How can you distinguish a true follower of Jesus Christ
from someone who merely claims to be one? Jesus answered that question when he said: By this all will know
that you are my disciplesif you have love among yourselves.John 13:35.
What type of love did Jesus expect his followers to display? Was it the kind he mentioned in his Sermon on the
Mount when he advised: Continue to love your enemies?
(Matt. 5:44) Or was it the sort of love he spoke of when
he said: You must love your neighbor as yourself? (Mark
12:31) Actually, the love that Jesus was speaking about is
a much deeper love. He had just told his disciples: I am
giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also love one another. He
also said: No one has love greater than this, that someone
should surrender his life in behalf of his friends. (John 13:
34; 15:13) This was a self-sacricing lovea love that would
go to the point of giving ones life in behalf of another.
Jesus practiced what he preached. His life exemplied
this self-sacricing love. Consider what happened when an
armed mob came to arrest him in the garden of Gethsemane. Although he knew that the mobs actions would lead to
his death, Jesus focused on his disciples instead of on himself. If you are looking for me, he said, let these men go.
Yes, Jesus loved them to the end.John 13:1; 18:1-9.
Did Jesus disciples understand what he expected of
them? Indeed they did. The apostle Peter later wrote:
Christ suered for you, leaving a model for you to follow
his steps closely. Peter also spoke of having unhypocritical brotherly aection and urged fellow believers to love
one another intensely from the heart. (1 Pet. 1:22; 2:21)
And the apostle Paul gave this advice, which is our yeartext for 2016: Let your brotherly love continue.Heb. 13:1.
Why did both Peter and Paul speak of brotherly love?
Because it is intertwined with the self-sacricing love that
Jesus expected his disciples to display. Such love was evident in the early Christian congregation. After Pentecost 33 C.E., the 3,000 newly baptized believers, many of
whom had traveled from afar, needed provisions in order
to extend their stay in Jerusalem so that they could learn
more. Regarding the disciples, the account states: All
those who became believers were together and had everything in common, and they were selling their possessions
and properties and distributing the proceeds to all, according to what each one needed. (Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-37) The
same brotherly love exists among Jehovahs people today,
as shown by the assistance given when brothers and sisters
suer the privations of war and the losses caused by natural disasters.
How about us? It is a mistake to think that we will automatically display self-sacricing brotherly love in times of
trial. Would we be willing to give our life for those whom
we disdain, hold grudges against, or barely talk to? Remember, they may also face the challenge of giving their lives in
our behalf. Yes, to continue showing brotherly love, we have
to be demonstrating it in the rst place.1 Pet. 2:17.
We are surrounded by a world of selsh people, who have
such mottoes as Put yourself rst and Every man for
himself. That spirit can easily inuence us. If brotherly
love is to become an integral part of our personality, it must
be regularly cultivated and practiced.Rom. 7:21-23; Eph.
4:22-24; Col. 3:9-14.
How can we know whether we are showing brotherly
love? Paul mentioned a number of things to consider, such
as being hospitable, keeping in mind those in dicult situations, doing good, and constantly praying in behalf of others. (Heb. 13:2, 3, 16, 18) In short, we need to keep the needs
of others clearly in view. So ask yourself: Do I show hospitality and share what I can with my brothers and sisters?
Have I helped them to feel loved and needed, irrespective
of their age or station in life? Am I keeping their needs in
mind, seeing if I can supply what they lack and praying in
their behalf? Do I have a spirit of generosity and look for
ways to do good to others? Am I a trustworthy friend? If
you are showing love in such ways, then by all means, let
your brotherly love continue.
How to Use This Booklet

On the following pages, you will nd a Scripture text for each
day and comments on that text. Although the text and comments may be read at any time, many nd it advantageous to
consider them in the morning. Then they can reect on such
thoughts throughout the day. Discussing the text as a family is
most benecial. Bethel families around the world do so before
having breakfast.
The comments are taken from the Watchtower (w) issues of
April 2014 through March 2015. Figures following the date of the
Watchtower issue refer to the number, in order, of each study article (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) that appears in that issue. This is followed
by the paragraphs where the material is found. (See illustration below.) Additional information on the subject matter can
be found in the article itself. To nd where each article starts,
see the front cover of that issue of The Watchtower.
Friday, January 1
Give thanks to Jehovah, for he is
good.Ps. 106:1.

Jehovah, the Giver of every

good g ift and every perfect
present, is indeed worthy of our
thanks. (Jas. 1:17) As our loving
Shepherd, he tenderly cares for all
our physical and spiritual needs.
(Ps. 23:1-3) . . . When faced with difcult trials, we could easily become
overwhelmed and lose sight of our
blessings.Ps. 116:3. w15 1/15 1:1-3
Paragraph number(s) where

text and comments are found
Article number
Date of Watchtower issue
Year of Watchtower issue
2016
JANUARY
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AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
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JUNE
OCTOBER
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MAY
JULY
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MARCH
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NOVEMBER
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DECEMBER
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Friday, January 1
good.Ps. 106:1.
Jehovah, the Giver of every good
gift and every perfect present, is
indeed worthy of our thanks.
(Jas. 1:17) As our loving Shepherd,
he tenderly cares for all our physical and spiritual needs. (Ps. 23:
1-3) He has proved to be our refuge and strengthespecially in
times of distress! (Ps. 46:1) Today,
many take their blessings for granted. Inuenced by the commercial
world and its advertising, millions
of people strive to obtain more instead of being content with what
they have. We too can be aected
by this unappreciative spirit. Like
the ancient Israelites, we could become ungrateful and lose appreciation for our precious relationship
with Jehovah and for the blessings
that we have received from him.
(Ps. 106:7, 11-13) When faced with
dicult trials, we could easily become overwhelmed and lose sight
of our blessings.Ps. 116:3. w15 1/15
1:1-3
Saturday, January 2
The little one will become a
thousand.Isa. 60:22.
In the 20th century, millions of
people died as a result of warfare,
especially during the two world
wars. But as World War II was raging in 1942, Nathan Knorr, who was
then taking the lead among Jehovahs Witnesses, delivered the convention discourse PeaceCan It
Last? That talk presented evidence
from Revelation chapter 17 that the
war then raging would lead, not to
Armageddon, but to a time of

peace. (Rev. 17:3, 11) The conclusion of World War II did not bring total peace. According to one count,
there were 331 episodes of armed
conict between 1946 and 2013. Millions died. During those years, however, many countries enjoyed relative peace, and Jehovahs people
took advantage of that situation to
proclaim the good news. What has
been the result? In 1944, there were
fewer than 110,000 Kingdom publishers worldwide. Today, there are
some 8,000,000! w15 2/15 4:6, 7
Sunday, January 3
By faith Moses, when grown up,
refused to be called the son of
Pharaohs daughter.Heb. 11:24.
Moses knew what Egypt had to offer. He belonged to the royal household. He was instructed in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians.
(Acts 7:22) Within his grasp
were the wealth, power, and privilege that a common Egyptian
could only dream of! Yet, when he
was 40 years of age, Moses made
a decision that must have baed
the royal Egyptian family who had
adopted him. He chose, not even
the normal life of a common Egyptian, but a life among slaves! Why?
Moses had faith. (Heb. 11:24 -26)
By faith, Moses saw far more
than the physical world around him.
As a spiritual man, Moses had faith
in the One who is invisible, Jehovah, and in the fulllment of Gods
promises. (Heb. 11:27) We too need
to see more than what appears to
our physical eyes. We must be the
sort who have faith.Heb. 10:38,
39. w14 4/15 1:1-3
Monday, January 4
He became overjoyed in the holy
spirit and said: I publicly praise
you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have carefully
hidden these things from wise and
intellectual ones.Luke 10:21.
Can you imagine what it was like
to see Jesus Christ become overjoyed in the holy spirit? Perhaps
you picture his features lit up by a
broad smile, his eyes twinkling with
pleasure. What was it that moved
him so? He had recently sent out 70
of his disciples to preach the
good news of Gods Kingdom. He
was keenly interested in how they
would handle their assignment.
There were many powerful enemies
of the good news, such as the clever and highly educated scribes and
Pharisees. They inuenced many to
look down on Jesus as a mere carpenter and on his disciples as uneducated and ordinary men. (Acts
4:13; Mark 6:3) Nonetheless, the disciples returned from their mission
aglow with excitement. They had
preached despite opposition, even
from demons! w15 3/15 1:1
Tuesday, January 5
Let your words always be gracious, . . . so that you will know
how you should answer each person.Col. 4:6.
A number of years ago, a Christian sister was discussing the Bible
with her unbelieving husband. During their discussion, her husband
said that he believed in the Trinity.
Discerning that he might not have
realized what the Trinity teaching
is all about, she tactfully asked, Do
you believe that God is God, that Jesus is God, and that the holy spirit
is God; yet, there are not three Gods

but one God? Surprised, the husband said, No, I dont believe that!
A lively conversation about the true
nature of God then ensued. That experience illustrates the value of
asking tactful, well-chosen questions. Also, we do not need to feel
intimidated by challenging topics,
such as the Trinity, hellre, or the
existence of a Creator. If we rely on
Jehovah and on the training he provides, we can often give a persuasive answer, one that may reach the
heart of our listeners. w14 5/15 1:1, 2
Wednesday, January 6
You must love Jehovah your God.
Matt. 22:37.
Jehovahs Son, Jesus Christ, declared: I love the Father. (John
14:31) Jesus also said: The Father
has aection for the Son. (John 5:
20) That should not surprise us. After all, for ages during Jesus prehuman existence, he was Gods
master worker. (Prov. 8:30) As Jehovah and Jesus worked together,
the Son learned much about his Fathers qualities and had innumerable reasons to love him. Love involves a feeling of deep aection for
someone. The psalmist David sang:
I have aection for you, O Jehovah, my strength. (Ps. 18:1) That
is how we should feel about God.
But can we really love God, since
we cannot see him? (John 4:24) Yes,
love for Jehovah is possible, and
we are commanded in the Scriptures to express that love. For example, Moses told the Israelites:
You must love Jehovah your God
with all your heart and all your soul
and all your strength.Deut. 6:5.
w14 6/15 1:1-3
Thursday, January 7
Present yourself with all your supporters before Jehovah tomorrow,
you and they and Aaron.
Num. 16:16.
At rst glance, all the men standing before High Priest Aaron
seemed to be loyal worshippers of
Jehovah. Unlike Aaron, however,
the others were arrogant renegades
attempting to usurp the priesthood. (Num. 16:1-11) They had deluded themselves into thinking
that God would accept their worship. But such an expectation was
insulting to Jehovah, who can read
hearts and could see their hypocrisy. (Jer. 17:10) Appropriately, the
day before, Moses had predicted:
In the morning Jehovah will make
known who belongs to him. (Num.
16:5) Sure enough, Jehovah dierentiated between genuine worshippers and counterfeit ones when a
re came out from Jehovah and
consumed [Korah and] the 250 men
oering the incense. (Num. 16:35;
26:10) At the same time, Jehovah
spared the life of Aaron, signaling
approval of the real priest and genuine worshipper of God.1 Cor. 8:3.
w14 7/15 1:1, 2
Friday, January 8
It is not good for the man to continue to be alone. I am going to
make a helper for him, as a complement of him.Gen. 2:18.
Gods gift of a woman was unique
in that she was to be the mans
perfect helper. She would also have
the special privilege of bearing children. In fact, Adam named his wife
Eve, because she was to become the
mother of everyone living. (Gen. 3:
20; ftn.) What an amazing gift God
gave that rst human couple!
They had the ability to produce other perfect humans. By this means,
the earth would eventually become
a paradise populated by perfect
people who would have other living
things in subjection. (Gen. 1:27, 28)
To receive the blessings set before
them, Adam and Eve would have to
obey Jehovah and acknowledge his
rulership. (Gen. 2:15-17) Only under those circumstances could they
fulll Gods purpose for them. Sadly, though, they were inuenced by
the original serpent, Satan, and
sinned against God.Rev. 12:9; Gen.
3:1-6. w14 8/15 1:1-3
Saturday, January 9
The weapons of our warfare are
not eshly.2 Cor. 10:4.
Is it the will of God that true
Christians go to war and kill people of a dierent nationality? During the last 100 years, that has often been done by many who
called themselves Christians. Catholic army chaplains have blessed
troops and their weapons in wars
against Catholics of an opposing
nation. The same has been true of
Protestant chaplains. World War II
is a prime example of the resulting
slaughter. What did Jehovahs
Witnesses do in that time of war?
The historical record shows that
they maintained a position of Christian neutrality. What was the basis
for their stand? It was primarily the
example and teachings of Jesus. He
said: By this all will know that
you are my disciplesif you have
love among yourselves. (John 13:
35) They also took to heart the extended application of the reasoning that the apostle Paul presented
in writing to Christians in Corinth.
2 Cor. 10:3. w14 9/15 1:1, 2
Sunday, January 10
Faith is the assured expectation of
what is hoped for.Heb. 11:1.
We often say that Gods Kingdom
is the only solution to all our problems. What basis is there for us to
have unshakable faith in the Kingdom? The Messianic Kingdom is an
arrangement established by the Almighty himself to accomplish his
purpose regarding his creation. The
Kingdom is based on an unshakable foundationJehovahs absolute right to rule. Important aspects
of the Kingdomits king, his corulers, the domain of their rulehave
all been legally established by
means of covenants, that is, by legal contracts or arrangements in
which one of the binding parties is
either God or his Son, Jesus Christ.
Reecting on these covenants will
enhance our understanding of how
Gods purpose is sure to become a
reality and will help us to see how
stable this arrangement is.Eph. 2:
12. w14 10/15 1:1, 2
Monday, January 11
Look! The people of Israel are
more numerous and mightier than
we are.Ex. 1:9.
Consequently, the Egyptians
forced the Israelites into harsh slavery. They made their life bitter with
hard labor, as they worked with clay
mortar and bricks and in every form
of slavery in the eld. (Ex. 1:13, 14)
Pharaoh even decreed that all Hebrew male babies should be put to
death at their birth. (Ex. 1:15, 16)
It was at that time that Moses was
born. When he was three months
old, he was hidden by his mother
in the reeds of the Nile, where
Pharaohs daughter found him.

She later adopted him. Providentially, during his early years, Moses was brought up by his faithful
mother, Jochebed, and he became
a loyal servant of Jehovah. (Ex. 2:110; Heb. 11:23-25) Jehovah took notice of the suerings of his people
and decided to deliver them from
their oppressors, under the leadership of Moses. (Ex. 2:24, 25; 3:9, 10)
They would thus become a people
redeemed by Jehovah.Ex. 15:13;
Deut. 15:15. w14 11/15 4:5, 6
Tuesday, January 12
Listen to me, all of you, and understand the meaning.Mark 7:14.
A person may hear the sounds of
someone speaking to him. He
may even note the tone of voice. But
of what use would that be to him if
he did not understand the meaning
of the words being spoken?
(1 Cor. 14:9) In a similar way, thousands heard what Jesus was
saying. He even spoke to them in
a language that they could understand. However, not all of them understood the meaning of his words.
For this reason, Jesus told them the
above. Why did many fail to understand the meaning of what Jesus
said? Some had preconceived opinions and wrong motives. Jesus said
of such ones: You skillfully disregard the commandment of God in
order to keep your tradition. (Mark
7:9) These people did not really try
to get the meaning of his words.
They did not want to change their
ways and views. Their ears may
have been open, but their hearts
were tightly shut!Matt. 13:13-15.
w14 12/15 1:1, 2
Everyone who keeps on looking at
a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matt. 5:28.
The disastrous path of immorality often starts with the eyes.
(2 Pet. 2:14) Many Christians who
have fallen into wrongdoing have
weakened their moral defenses by
viewing pornography, reading erotic literature, or watching lurid material on the Internet. Others have allowed themselves to
be entertained by sexually explicit movies, stage shows, or television programs. Some have visited nightclubs and strip shows or
have gone to massage parlors for
sensual massages. In a world that
lacks restraint and that thrives on
every sort of immorality, it is all too
easy for a deceitful and desperate
heart to spawn romantic feelings
for someone other than a marriage
mate. (Jer. 17:9, 10) Jesus said: Out
of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual
immorality.Matt. 15:19. w15 1 /15
4:4, 5
Thursday, January 14
Solid food belongs to mature people, to those who through use
have their powers of discernment
trained to distinguish both right
and wrong.Heb. 5:14.
Discernment is good judgment
the ability to tell right from wrong
and then choose the wise course. It
has been dened as the ability to
make sound judgements in spiritual
matters. A discerning worshipper

speaks and acts in ways that please
God. Such a person chooses words
that help others rather than hurt
them. (Prov. 11:12, 13) He is slow
to anger. (Prov. 14:29) He walks
straight ahead, sticking to the right
course on his journey through life.
(Prov. 15:21) How can we acquire
discernment? We must study Gods
Word and apply what we learn.
(Prov. 2:1-5, 10, 11) It is especially helpful to consider the example
of Jesus, the most discerning man
who ever lived. w15 2/15 2:10
Friday, January 15
He gave ve talents to one, two to
another, and one to still another.
Matt. 25:15.
In the parable of the talents, Jesus clearly reveals an obligation
resting on his anointed followers.
We need to understand the meaning of this parable, for it aects all
true Christians, whether they have
the hope of a heavenly reward or
of an earthly one. Jesus gave the
parable of the talents as part of the
answer to his disciples question
about the sign of [his] presence
and of the conclusion of the system
of things. (Matt. 24:3) Thus, the
parable nds its fulllment in our
time and is part of the sign that Jesus is present and ruling as King.
The parable of the talents is one of
four related illustrations recorded at Matthew 24:45 to 25:46. The
other threeabout the faithful and
discreet slave, the ten virgins, and
the sheep and the goatsare also
part of Jesus answer to the question about the sign of his presence.
w15 3/15 3:1-3
Saturday, January 16
If you warn someone wicked and
he does not turn back from his
wickedness and from his wicked
course, he will die for his error,
but you will certainly save your
own life.Ezek. 3:19.
True Christians already enjoy a
friendship with Jehovah and the
hope of eternal life. Yet, we recognize that it is our responsibility to
warn the wicked one to turn from
his wicked course so that he
may stay alive. (Ezek. 3:17, 18) Of
course, we do not preach merely to
avoid bloodguilt. We love Jehovah,
and we love our neighbor. Jesus illustrated what love and mercy really mean in his parable of the neighborly Samaritan. We might ask
ourselves, Am I, like the Samaritan, moved with pity to give a
witness? After all, we would never want to be like the priest and the
Levite in the parable, excusing ourselves and going by on the opposite side. (Luke 10:25-37) Faith in
Gods promises and love for neighbor will motivate us to have a full
share in the preaching work before
time runs out. w14 4/15 2:14
Sunday, January 17
Let each one keep seeking, not his
own advantage, but that of the
other person.1 Cor. 10:24.
As Christians, most of us lead
busy lives. We set priorities and
plan our schedule carefully. (Eph.
5:16; Phil. 1:10) If something interrupts our schedule, we may feel
frustrated. We therefore appreciate it when others respect our time,
showing reasonableness when they
approach us and in the amount of
our time that they take. Bearing in
mind the Golden Rule, how can we

show that we respect those to whom
we preach? (Matt. 7:12) We should
try to determine the best time to
approach householders. When are
people usually at home? When are
they likely to be receptive? In
some parts of the world, our houseto-house work is most productive
in the late afternoon or early evening. If that is true in your witnessing area, could you arrange to do at
least some of your house-to-house
preaching during those hours of the
day? w14 5/15 2:11, 12
Monday, January 18
Love is patient and kind.
1 Cor. 13:4.
Putting into practice what Paul
wrote concerning love can prevent
many problems, can result in happiness, and can bring us Gods
blessing. (1 Cor. 13:4-8) Just as God
has shown patience and kindness in
dealing with imperfect humans, we
need to be patient and kind when
others make mistakes and are
thoughtless, or even rude. Love
is not jealous, so true love will not
allow us to covet another persons
possessions or privileges in the
congregation. Moreover, if we have
love, we will not brag or get pued
up with pride. After all, haughty
eyes and an arrogant heartthe
lamp that guides the wicked is sin.
(Prov. 21:4) Love will cause us to
behave in a decent way toward our
neighbor. We will not lie to him,
steal from him, or do anything else
that would violate Jehovahs laws
and principles. Love will also prevent us from looking out only for
our own interests instead of showing concern for those of others.
Phil. 2:4. w14 6/15 2:14-16
Tuesday, January 19
Flee from youthful desires.
2 Tim. 2:22.
When it comes to protecting our
friendship with Jehovah, we must
act swiftly and decisively. This is the
spirit behind Pauls words above.
At the time, Timothy was already
a grown man, possibly in his 30s.
Still, foolish youthful desires are
not always restricted by age. When
confronted with such desires, Timothy was to ee from them. In other words, Timothy was to renounce
unrighteousness. (2 Tim. 2:19) Jesus conveyed a similar message
when he said: If your eye makes
you stumble, tear it out and throw it
away from you. (Matt. 18:9) Today,
Christians who take this counsel to
heart deal decisively with spiritual
threats, without hesitation or procrastination. Some who had problems with alcohol before becoming
Witnesses have made the personal
choice to abstain from alcoholic
beverages altogether. Others avoid
certain types of entertainment that
are not in themselves wrong but
that can fuel personal moral weaknesses.Ps. 101:3. w14 7/15 2:18, 19
I do all things for the sake of the
good news, in order to share it
with others.1 Cor. 9:23.
Paul had an earnest desire to relate to as many people as possible
in his ministry. (1 Cor. 9:19-22) Notice that it was Pauls hope to gain
Jews . . . , to gain those under law
. . . , to gain those without law . . . ,
to gain the weak. Yes, he wanted to
reach people of all sorts, so
that [he] might by all possible
means save some. (Acts 20:21) How
can we imitate Pauls attitude as we
prepare to share the truth with

all sorts of people in our territory? (1 Tim. 2:3, 4) Suggested presentations appear in Our Kingdom
Ministry each month. Try them. But
if other topics are weighing on the
minds of people in your territory,
formulate interest-arousing presentations to meet those needs. Think
about the environment in which you
live, about the other people who live
there, and about what concerns
them the most. Then, think of a
scripture that addresses their
needs. w14 8/15 2:14, 15
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and handed himself
over for me.Gal. 2:20.
How can we counteract feelings
of discouragement? One of the most
powerful ways to do so is to meditate on the ransom. That is what the
apostle Paul did. He knew how he
felt at timesmiserable. (Rom. 7:24)
But he also knew that Christ died,
not for perfect people, but for sinners. Paul recognized that the ransom applied to him personally. That
same viewpointseeing the ransom
as a personal gift from Jehovahcan
help you tremendously. This does
not mean that discouragement will
instantly vanish. To an extent, some
of us may have to battle this subtle attack until the new world.
But remember: The prize will go to
those who do not give up. We are
ever closer to the glorious day when
Gods Kingdom will establish peace
and restore all faithful humans to
perfection. Be determined to enter
into that Kingdomeven if through
many tribulations. w14 9/15 2:20, 21
Friday, January 22
It will not be like the covenant that
I made with their forefathers . . . ,
my covenant that they broke.
Jer. 31:32.
How do the Law covenant and the
new covenant compare? The Law
covenant was between Jehovah and
natural Israel; the new covenant is
between Jehovah and spiritual Israel. Moses was the mediator of the
former covenant; Jesus is the Mediator of the new one. The Law covenant was validated by means of animal blood; the new covenant
was validated by the shed blood of
Jesus. And the nation of Israel was
organized through the Law covenant under Moses; those in the
new covenant are organized under Jesusthe Head of the congregation. (Eph. 1:22) The new covenant relates to the Kingdom in that
it produces a holy nation that has
the privilege of becoming kings and
priests in that heavenly Kingdom.
That nation constitutes the secondary part of Abrahams ospring.
(Gal. 3:29) The new covenant thus
reinforces the Abrahamic covenant.
w14 10/15 2:7, 12, 13
I will certainly set my face against
the one who is eating the blood,
and I will cut him o from among
his people.Lev. 17:10.
Jehovah commanded the Israelites not to eat any sort of
blood. Abstaining from bloodanimal or humanis a Christian requirement as well. (Acts 15:28, 29)
We shudder at the very thought of
having God set his face against us
and cut us o from his congregation. We love him and want to obey
him. Even when confronted with a
life-threatening situation, we are

determined not to cave in to the
pleas and demands of those who do
not know Jehovah and who do
not care to obey him. Yes, we expect
to be ridiculed for abstaining from
blood, but we choose to be obedient to God. (Jude 17, 18) Do you understand why Jehovah commands
us not to eat any sort of blood? Do
you grasp the reason why God considers blood to be sacred? He essentially views blood as equivalent to
life.Gen. 9:4. w14 11/15 2:10, 14
Sunday, January 24
They collected the ne ones into
containers, but the unsuitable they
threw away.Matt. 13:48.
Understanding the lesson of this
illustration helps us to avoid being
overly distraught or disappointed if
a Bible student or one of our children does not make the truth his
own. This may happen despite all
our best eorts. Agreeing to have a
Bible study or being raised around
the truth does not automatically
mean that a person will develop a
strong personal relationship with
Jehovah. Those unwilling to submit
to Jehovahs rulership will eventually be separated from Gods people.
Does this mean that those who have
left the truth will never be allowed
to return to the congregation? Or
if someone fails to dedicate his life
to Jehovah, will he be forever classied as someone unsuitable? No.
There is still a window of opportunity for such ones before the outbreak of the great tribulation. It is
as if Jehovah calls out to them: Return to me, and I will return to you.
Mal. 3:7. w14 12/15 2:9, 11, 12
Monday, January 25
To the extent that you did it to one
of the least of these my brothers,
you did it to me.Matt. 25:40.
Early in his discourse found in
Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus
indicated that the sign of his presence would include a remarkable
featurethe good news of the Kingdom would be preached in all the
inhabited earth. (Matt. 24:14) And
just prior to talking about the sheep
and the goats, he related the illustration of the talents. Jesus gave
that illustration to stress to his
spirit-anointed disciples, his brothers, that they must zealously engage in the preaching work. However, the small number of anointed
ones left on earth during Jesus
presence face an enormous challengethat of preaching to all the
nations before the end comes.
The illustration of the sheep and
the goats shows that the anointed
would have help. Therefore, a
primary way that those judged to
be sheep show kindness to Christs
brothers is by supporting them in
the preaching work. w15 3/15 4:9, 10
Tuesday, January 26
If you turn to doing good, will you
not be restored to favor? But if
you do not turn to doing good,
sin is crouching at the door, and
its craving is to dominate you.
Gen. 4:7.
All of Jehovahs warnings are
really evidence of his loving, watchful care for us as individuals.
True, the words of the Bible have
been there for centuries, the publications prepared by Gods organization are written for millions, and
the counsel at the meetings is intended for the whole congregation.

Still, in all these cases, Jehovah directed your attention to his Word so
that you could adjust your inclinations. Thus it can be said that this
is evidence of Jehovahs loving personal care for you. To benet from
Gods warnings, we must rst realize that he is truly concerned about
us. Then we must respond positively to his Word, striving to eliminate
any thoughts that are displeasing
to God. (Isa. 55:6, 7) If we heed the
warnings we are given, we will
spare ourselves a lot of heartache.
w14 4/15 5:4, 6, 7
There will be great tribulation
such as has not occurred since the
worlds beginning until now, no,
nor will occur again.Matt. 24:21.
Regarding his invisible presence
and the conclusion of the system of
things, Jesus said the above. This
unparalleled tribulation will start
when Jehovah brings destruction
on Babylon the Great, the world
empire of false religion, by using
the political powers. (Rev. 17:3-5, 16)
What will come next? After false religion is destroyed, Satan and various elements of his world will attack
Jehovahs servants. Concerning
Gog of the land of Magog, for example, the Scriptures foretell: You
will come against them like a storm,
and you will cover the land like
clouds, you and all your troops and
many peoples with you. Because
Jehovahs Witnesses have no armed
forces and are the most peaceful
people on earth, they will appear
to be easy targets. But what a mistake attacking them will prove to be!
Ezek. 38:1, 2, 9-12. w14 5/15 4:2, 3
I was a herdsman, and I took care
of sycamore g trees.Amos 7:14.
We see in the case of the prophet
Amos that Jehovah noticed the potential of one of his servants, even
though he might have appeared to
many to be rather insignicant or
unassuming. Amos bold response
to the corrupt priest Amaziah
conrmed that Jehovah had chosen the right person and could use
his abilities that might not at rst
seem obvious. (Amos 7:12, 13, 16, 17)
Yes, Jehovah notices the potential
in each of his servants. He assured King David that he would always guide him, with his eye upon
him. (Ps. 32:8) Do you see why that
should be encouraging to us? Even
though we may lack self-condence,
Jehovah can help us to go beyond
our perceived limits and reach
goals that we would not have imagined. Just as an instructor watches
an inexperienced rock climber attentively in order to help him nd
the best handholds, Jehovah is willing to guide us as we make spiritual
advancement. w14 6/15 4:6-8
Friday, January 29
Pay attention to what you are
hearing.Mark 4:24.
The world is so saturated with
conicting religious teachings
and doctrines that many people
feel that searching for the true religion is futile. However, Jehovah
has made his guidance abundantly clear for those who are willing to
take advantage of it. We have to decide whom we will listen to. Since it
is practically impossible to listen to
two voices simultaneously, we need
to know the voice of Jesus and listen to him. He is the one whom Jehovah appointed over His sheep.
(John 10:3-5) Jehovahs counsel is
clear and right, but we must pay attention and listen to it by preparing our heart to receive it. If we are
not careful, we could give ear to Satans wicked advice instead of Gods
loving counsel. Never allow worldly
music, videos, TV shows, books, associates, educators, or so-called experts to control your life.Col. 2:8.
w14 8/15 4:6, 7
Look up, please, to the heavens
and count the stars, if you are able
to do so. . . . So your ospring will
become.Gen. 15:5.
How reassuring those words must
have been to Abraham! Every time
he gazed up at the starry heavens,
he would be reminded of Jehovahs
promise to multiply his ospring.
And in Gods due time, Abraham did
produce an heir, just as was promised. (Gen. 21:1, 2) Like Abraham,
we too are awaiting the fulllment
of Gods promises. (2 Pet. 3:13) If
we do not keep our minds xed on
the things above, the fulllment of
these promises could appear to be
delayed and we might slow down in
our spiritual activities. For example, did you make sacrices in the
past in order to engage in the pioneer ministry or in some other form
of expanded service? If so, you are
to be commended. What about now?
Remember, Abraham kept in mind
the city having real foundations.
(Heb. 11:10) He put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as
righteousness.Rom. 4:3. w14 10/15
4:8, 9
Sunday, January 31
Just as the Father taught me, I
speak these things.John 8:28.
Noahs sons helped their father
build the ark, and then they
went into it. (Gen. 7:1, 7) Because
they valued what they had received
through him, they had the privilege
of helping to preserve the human
race and reestablish true worship
on a cleansed earth. (Gen. 8:20; 9:
18, 19) Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel were taken to Babylon in 617 B.C.E. They could easily
have just blended into the Babylo-
nian way of life. But they did not.

It is apparent from their actions
that they remembered their heritage, what they had been taught.
The four were richly blessed for adhering to the spiritual lessons they
had learned when they were young.
(Dan. 1:8, 11-15, 20) Jesus received
much from his Father, and he truly
valued it. And it was his desire that
others benet from what he had received. (Luke 4:18, 43) He helped
his listeners to see the need for being no part of the world.John 15:
19. w14 12/15 4:9-11
Monday, February 1
Tuesday, February 2
You have hidden these things from

the wise and intellectual ones and
have revealed them to young
children.Matt. 11:25.
Moses . . . [chose] to be mistreated

with the people of God rather than
to have the temporary enjoyment of
sin.Heb. 11:24, 25.
Of course, Jesus did not mean

that his disciples were children in a
literal sense. Rather, he knew that
they seemed to be children compared to the intellectual and highly educated ones in the land, who
were wise in their own eyes. More
important, Jesus taught his followers to be like children, remaining
humble and teachable. (Matt. 18:
1-4) How did they benet from being humble? By means of holy spirit, Jehovah helped them to grasp
vital spiritual truths while the wise
and intellectual ones, who scorned
them, remained blinded by Satan
and by their own pride. No wonder Jesus was so pleased! It made
him happy to see the way Jehovah
revealed deep spiritual truths to
humble people of all sorts, regardless of their education or intellectual gifts. He was delighted that
his Father approved of this way of
teaching. w15 3/15 1:2, 3
With eyes of faith, Moses recognized that the enjoyment of sin

was temporary. Others might have
reasoned that even though Egypt
was steeped in idolatry and spiritism, it had risen to become a world
power, while Jehovahs people suffered as slaves! Yet, Moses knew
that God could change matters. Although self-indulgent ones
seemed to be thriving, Moses had
faith that the wicked would shrivel away. As a result, he was not
enticed by the temporary enjoyment of sin. How can you resist
the temporary enjoyment of sin?
Never forget that sinful pleasure is
eeting. With eyes of faith, see that
the world is passing away and so
is its desire. (1 John 2:15-17) Meditate on the future of unrepentant
sinners. (Ps. 73:18, 19) When tempted to engage in sinful conduct, ask,
What future do I want for myself?
w14 4/15 1:2, 4, 5
Wednesday, February 3
Do nothing out of contentiousness
or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you.
Phil. 2:3.
What is humility? In this proud
world, some may think that humility suggests weakness or lack of
condence. Often, though, just
the opposite is true. Showing humility calls for strength and courage. Humility has been dened as
the attitude opposite of pride and
arrogance. In the Christian Greek
Scriptures, the word translated
humility may be rendered lowliness of mind. Humility begins with
the way we think about ourselves.
Humility is to know how lowly we
really are before God, says one Bible dictionary. If we are truly humble before God, we will also refrain from estimating ourselves to
be above our fellow humans. (Rom.
12:3) It is not easy for imperfect humans to cultivate humility. But we
can learn to be humble if we reect
on our standing before God and
follow in the footsteps of his Son.
w15 2/15 1:4
Thursday, February 4
When anyone replies to a matter before he hears the facts, it is foolish
and humiliating.Prov. 18:13.
Before delving into a discussion
of the Bibles viewpoint on a certain topic, we do well to try to determine what our listener really believes. Otherwise, we might spend
a lot of time refuting an idea that
he never believed in the rst place!
(1 Cor. 9:26) Tactful questions can
help us to learn why a person believes what he does. For instance,
what if someone we meet in the
ministry says that he does not believe in God? It might be easy to assume that the person has been inuenced by secular views, such as
the theory of evolution. (Ps. 10:4)
However, some people have lost
faith in God because of the intense
suering they have personally seen
or experienced. They may nd it
hard to reconcile such suering
with the existence of a loving Creator. Therefore, well-thought-out
questions may help us to determine
the best way to assist the person.
Prov. 20:5. w14 5/15 1:3, 5
Friday, February 5
God . . . does not dwell in handmade temples.Acts 17:24.
Is it futile to search for God? No,
for he wants us to nd him. The
apostle Paul made that clear when
he gave a witness to a group assembled on the Areopagus. That
took place within sight of the
Parthenona temple dedicated to
Athena, the patron goddess of ancient Athens. Imagine that you are
there as Paul speaks about the
God who made the world and all
the things in it and then explains
that He does not dwell in handmade temples. The apostle adds
that God made out of one man
every nation of men to dwell on the
entire surface of the earth, and he
decreed the appointed times and
the set limits of where men would
dwell, so that they would seek God,
if they might grope for him and
really nd him, although, in fact,
he is not far o from each one of
us. (Acts 17:25-27) Yes, people can
nd God. Over seven and a half
million Witnesses of Jehovah really have found himand they truly
love him. w14 6/15 1:5
Saturday, February 6
The solid foundation of God remains standing, having this seal,
Jehovah knows those who belong
to him, and, Let everyone calling
on the name of Jehovah renounce
unrighteousness.2 Tim. 2:19.
In the apostle Pauls day, certain
professed Christians adopted false
teachings; yet, they continued to
associate with the congregation.
To the casual observer, these apostates might not have been dierent
from others in the congregation.
But their apostasy presented a danger to faithful Christians. These
wolve s in sheeps clothing began subverting the faith of some.
(2 Tim. 2:16-18) Paul was sure that
Jehovah could recognize hypocritical worship, and he was likewise
convinced that Jehovah could identify those who are obedient to Him.
Paul manifested his strong conviction when writing under inspiration
to Timothy. After referring to the
spiritual harm that apostates were
already inicting upon some within the congregation, Paul wrote the
words of todays text. w14 7/15 1:3, 4
Sunday, February 7
Through one man sin entered into
the world and death through sin.
Rom. 5:12.
Both Adam and Eve sinned, but
Adam was held re sponsible for
their wrongdoing. The rst human
pair were led to think that they did
not need Jehovah as their Ruler.
That raised this vital question of
sovereignty: Who has the right to
rule? To provide an answer for all
eternity, God allowed rule indepen-
dent of him to continue for a time.

He knew that experience would
prove that rule independent of him
would fail. Over the centuries, such
rulership has plunged human society into one calamity after another. In the past century alone, about
100,000,000 people died in wars
and that includes millions of innocent men, women, and children. So
there already is mounting evidence
that it does not belong to man who
is walking even to direct his step.
(Jer. 10:23) Realizing that fact, we
acknowledge Jehovah as our Ruler.
Prov. 3:5, 6. w14 8/15 1:4, 5
Monday, February 8
We do not wage warfare according
to what we are in the esh.
2 Cor. 10:3.
True Christians, who have their
conscience trained by the Bible, do
not learn war or participate in warfare. As a result of holding to this
Christian position, thousands of
Witnesses, young and old, male
and female, have been persecuted.
Many have suered in forced-labor
camps and prisons. During the Nazi
era in Germany, some were even
murdered. Regardless of the vicious persecution they faced in
Europe, the Witnesses never forgot their commission to preach
the good news of Jehovahs Kingdom. They faithfully did soin prisons, in concentration camps, and
in exile. The strict neutrality of Jehovahs Witnesses has convinced
thousands of observers around the
globe that the Witnesses practice
genuine love of God and of neighbor. (John 13:35) In other words,
they are practicing true Christianity. w14 9/15 1:2-4
Tuesday, February 9
Did God really say that you must
not eat from every tree?Gen. 3:1.
After preparing our beautiful
planet for human habitation, Jehovah issued three decrees regarding humans: Our God would create
mank ind in his image, humans
were to expand Paradise globally
and ll the earth with righteous ospring, and humans were prohibited from eating from the tree of the
knowledge of good and bad. (Gen.
1:26, 28; 2:16, 17) After the creation
of man, adherence to the other two
decrees was all that was necessary
to have Gods purpose fullled. In
a villainous attempt to thwart Gods
purpose, Satan the Devil instigated a rebellion. He did so by focusing his attention on the decree he
could most easily inuencethe
one that required obedience on the
part of man. He tempted the rst
woman, Eve, to disobey the prohibition regarding the tree of the
knowledge of good and bad. (Gen.
3:1-5; Rev. 12:9) In doing so, Satan
challenged Gods right to rule over
His creation. w14 10/15 1:4, 5
Happy are your eyes because they
see and your ears because they
hear.Matt. 13:16.
Why were Jesus disciples able
to understand when others were
not? Because they were willing to
search for the real meaning behind
Jesus words, build on what they
had already accepted, and use what
they had heard in their personal
lives and in helping others. (Matt.
13:11, 12, 36, 51, 52) If we want to
understand Jesus illustrations, we
need to follow the example of his

faithful disciples. First, we need
to be willing to take the time to
study and meditate on what Jesus said, to do the necessary research, and to ask the appropriate
questions. This leads to knowledge.
(Prov. 2:4, 5) Next, we need to see
how that knowledge ts in with
what we already know, discerning
its benet to us personally. That results in understanding. (Prov. 2:2, 3)
Finally, we should use what we have
learned, putting it into action in
our lives. This shows wisdom on our
part.Prov. 2:6, 7. w14 12/15 1:3, 4
He was raised up.Matt. 28:6.
That the dead could live again
was not a new concept to Jesus
apostles; resurrections had occurred before they were born. They
knew that God had empowered the
prophets Elijah and Elisha to perform such miracles. (1 Ki. 17:17-24;
2 Ki. 4:32-37) A dead man had even
come to life when his body was
thrown into a grave and it touched
the bones of Elisha. (2 Ki. 13:20,
21) Very likely, all of us have been
greatly moved by reading accounts
of the resurrections that Jesus performed. When he restored a widows only son to life, she must have
been astonished. (Luke 7:11-15) On
another occasion, Jesus resurrected a 12-year-old girl. Imagine the
joy and wonder of her previously
grief-stricken parents when their
daughter was brought back to life!
(Luke 8:49-56) And how onlookers must have been thrilled when
they saw Lazarus step from the
tomb alive and well!John 11:3844. w14 11/15 1:3, 4
Friday, February 12
Show yourselves thankful . . . , encouraging one another with psalms,
praises to God, spiritual songs sung
with gratitude.Col. 3:15, 16.
We can learn much from the
apostle Paul about cultivating gratitude. Evidently, he meditated on
his blessings, for he frequently
expressed heartfelt thanks. Paul
well knew that he had been a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man. Hence, he gave thanks
that despite his past sinful conduct, God and Christ had shown
him mercy and had entrusted him
with a ministry. ( 1 Tim. 1 :12-14 )
Paul also deeply appreciated his
fellow Christians and often thanked
Jehovah for their ne qualitie s
and faithful service. (Phil. 1:3-5,
7; 1 Thess. 1:2, 3) And when Paul
faced trialsome situations, he was
quick to thank Jehovah for the
timely support that he received
from his spiritual brothers. (Acts
28:15; 2 Cor. 7:5 -7) It is not surprising, therefore, that Pauls writings encourage Christians with the
words of todays text. w15 1/15 1:5
The crowds were astounded at his
way of teaching.Matt. 7:28.
Jesus used good judgment when
he preached the good news, choosing gracious words that amazed
his listeners. (Luke 4:22) He often
let Gods Word speak for himreading, quoting, or referring to just the
right scriptures to make his point.
(Matt. 4:4, 7, 10; 12:1-5; Luke 4:1621) Jesus also explained the Scriptures, doing so in ways that moved
the hearts of his listeners. After his
resurrection, when speaking to two

disciples on their way to Emmaus,
he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures. The disciples later said:
Were not our hearts burning within us . . . as he was fully opening
up the Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:
27, 32) Jesus was mild-tempered
in his spirit and attitude. (Matt.
11:29) He was always patient with
his disciples despite their failings.
(Mark 14:34-38; Luke 22:24-27) He
remained calm even when he was
treated unjustly.1 Pet . 2 :23.
w15 2/15 2:11, 12
Sunday, February 14
Well done, good and faithful slave!
Matt. 25:21.
In the four illustrations recorded at Matthew 24:45 to 25:46, Jesus highlights traits that would distinguish his true followers in these
last days. In the illustration involving the faithful slave, Jesus highlights the need for the small group
of anointed ones entrusted with
feeding his domestics during the
last days to be faithful and discreet.
In the parable of the virgins, Jesus
stresses that all his anointed followers would need to be prepared
and to be vigilant, knowing that Jesus is coming but not knowing the
day or the hour. In the parable of
the talents, Jesus shows that the
anointed would need to be diligent
in carrying out their Christian responsibilities. Jesus directs the
nal illustration, the parable of the
sheep and the goats, to those with
an earthly hope. He emphasizes
that they would have to be loyal and
give full support to Jesus anointed
brothers on earth. w15 3/15 3:3
Monday, February 15
The Israelites became terried.
Ex. 14:10.
Was this predicament unexpected? Not at all. Jehovah had foretold: [Pharaoh] will chase after
them, and I will glorify myself by
means of Pharaoh and all his army.
(Ex. 14:4) Nevertheless, the Israelites saw only what appeared to
their physical eyesthe impassable
Red Sea in front of them, Pharaohs
swift war chariots behind them,
and an 80-year-old shepherd to lead
them! They felt trapped. Yet, Moses did not waver. Why not? Because his eyes of faith saw something far more powerful than a sea
or an army. He could see the salvation of Jehovah, and he knew that
Jehovah would ght for the Israelites. (Ex. 14:13, 14) Moses faith inspired Gods people. By faith they
passed through the Red Sea as on
dry land, the Bible says, but when
the Egyptians attempted it, they
were swallowed up. (Heb. 11:29)
Thereafter, the people began to
fear Jehovah and to put faith in Jehovah and in his servant Moses.
Ex. 14:31. w14 4/15 2:15, 16
Tuesday, February 16
I am trying to please all people in
all things, not seeking my own advantage, but that of the many, so
that they may be saved.
1 Cor. 10:33.
When we call at someones home,
we should always show respect for
the individual to whom we speak.
If we nd someone who is receptive, we should give a good witness
but we should not overstay our
welcome. The householder may
have set this time aside to do something else that he views as impor-
tant. If he says he is busy, we can

state that we will be briefand we
should keep our promise. (Matt. 5:
37) When ending a conversation, we
do well to ask the person when it
would be convenient for him to see
us again. Some publishers have
found it eective to say: I would
enjoy visiting you again. Would it
be best if I were to call or send a
text message before I stop by?
When we adapt to the schedule of
those in the territory, we are following the example of Paul, as noted in todays text. w14 5/15 2:13
Love never fails.
1 Cor. 13:8.
Genuine love is not easily provoked and does not keep account
of the injury. (1 Cor. 13:5) Were we
to hold a grudge, we would not be
pleasing God and would, in eect,
be tending a smoldering re that
could are up, harming us and others. (Lev. 19:18) Love makes us rejoice with the truth, but it will not
allow us to rejoice over unrighteousness, even if a person who
hates us is mistreated or suers
some injustice. (Prov. 24:17, 18) If
someone oends us but asks for
forgiveness, love moves us to forgive him. Love believes all things
in Gods Word and makes us grateful for the spiritual food we receive. Love hopes all things recorded in the Bible. We also pray
and hope for the best outcome in
trying circumstances. Love endures all things, whether these
are sins committed against us, persecution, or other trials. Moreover, love never fails. It will
be displayed by obedient humans
throughout all eternity.1 Cor. 13:
4-7. w14 6/15 2:14, 17, 18
The eyes of Jehovah are roving
about through all the earth to show
his strength in behalf of those
whose heart is complete toward
him.2 Chron. 16:9.
Before becoming a Witness, one
brother enjoyed the immoral atmosphere of the dance parties he
frequented. But after learning the
truth, he has completely avoided
dancing even at Witness gatherings
for fear of awakening improper desires or thoughts from his past. Of
course, Christians are not required
to abstain totally from alcohol,
dancing, or other things that are
not wrong in themselves. We are
all expected, however, to take decisive and thorough action to protect ourselves from spiritual dangers. The privilege of bearing Gods
name comes with responsibility. We
must renounce unrighteousness
and turn away from what is bad.
(Ps. 34:14) True, doing so is not always easy. But how comforting it is
to know that Jehovah will always
love those who belong to him and
who adhere to his righteous ways.
2 Tim. 2:19. w14 7/15 2:19, 20
Friday, February 19
The word of God is alive and exerts
power.Heb. 4:12.
You never know how people will
react to a well-chosen scripture.
For instance, two Witnesses in Australia knocked on a young womans
door. One of them asked her, Do
you know Gods name? and then
read one scripturePsalm 83:18.
I was oored! the woman says.
After they left, I drove 35 miles
(56 km) to a bookstore to check
other Bible translations and then

looked up the name in a dictionary.
Having convinced myself that Gods
name is Jehovah, I wondered what
else I didnt know. Soon thereafter,
she and her future husband began
studying the Bible, and later they
got baptized. Gods Word changes
the lives of those who read it and
develop faith in Jehovahs living
promises. (1 Thess. 2:13) The Bibles message is more powerful
than anything we might say to try
to reach the heart of another person. That is why, at every possible opportunity, we should use the
Word of God. It is alive! w14 8/15 2:
21, 22
Keep abstaining . . . from blood.
Acts 15:29.
The use of animal blood by ancient Israels high priest on the
annual Atonement Day helps us to
understand Gods view of blood.
Blood was reserved for special use.
It was to make atonement for the
sins of those seeking Jehovahs forgiveness. The blood of the bull and
the goat was to be spattered toward and before the cover of the
ark of the covenant. (Lev. 16:14, 15,
19) This action opened the way for
Jehovah to forgive the sins of the
Israelites. In addition, Jehovah decreed that if a man killed an animal for food, he was to pour out its
blood and cover it with dust, for
the life of every sort of esh is its
blood. (Lev. 17:11-14) All of this
is in harmony with Jehovahs earlier command to Noah and his descendants concerning blood. (Gen.
9:3-6) Jehovah God had prohibited
the consuming of blood to sustain
life. w14 11/15 2:10, 11
Sunday, February 21
We just had to celebrate and rejoice, for your brother was dead
but has come to life.Luke 15:32.
The illustration of the prodigal
son is a strong incentive for those
who have left the truth to return to
Jehovah without delay! They may
be spiritually exhausted, and the
way back may seem to be embarrassing and dicult. But it is worth
the eorteven the heavens will rejoice when they return. (Luke 15:
7, 11-32) Never would we want to
be so overly righteous that we
refuse to welcome repentant sinners back. This would result only
in spiritual ruin. (Eccl. 7:16) We
can learn another lesson from this.
Someone who leaves the congregation should be viewed as a lost
sheep, not a lost cause. (Ps. 119:
176) If we meet a person who has
strayed from the congregation, will
we oer loving and practical help
to assist him to return? Will we
promptly inform the elders so that
they can oer appropriate help? We
will if we wisely apply the lesson
we learn from Jesus illustration.
w14 12/15 2:12, 14, 15
Monday, February 22
Those whom Jehovah loves he
disciplines.Heb. 12:6.
We do not enjoy being counseled
or disciplined. (Heb. 12:5, 11) Yet,
think of what the one who is oering us counsel must consider. He
needs to be aware of what we are
doing that could aect our relationship with Jehovah God, he must
be concerned about our feelings,
and he has to be willing to devote
the time and eort needed to show
us from the Bible how we can adjust our course to be pleasing to
God. One brother who used his

phone to access pornographic Internet sites lent his phone to an
elder. When the elder began using the phone, questionable sites
appeared. This turned out to be
a blessing for our spiritually imperiled brother. He received timely counsel, beneted from the correction g iven, and eventually
overcame the bad tendencies. How
grateful we can be to our caring
heavenly Father, who sees even our
hidden sins and corrects us before
we go too far! w14 4/15 5:8, 9
Tuesday, February 23
I will come against those living in
security.Ezek. 38:11.
How will God respond to satanic eorts to destroy his people?
Jehovah will intervene in their behalf, exercising his right as Universal Sovereign. Jehovah considers an assault on his servants to
be an attack on him. (Zech. 2:8)
Therefore, our heavenly Father will
take prompt action in order to rescue us. That deliverance will come
to its climax with the destruction
of Satans world at Armageddon,
the war of the great day of God
the Almighty. (Rev. 16:14, 16) Regarding Armageddon, Bible prophecy states: Those slain by Jehovah in that day will be from one
end of the earth clear to the other
end of the earth. They will not be
mourned, nor will they be gathered
up or buried. They will become
like manure on the surface of the
ground. (Jer. 25:31-33) Armageddon will bring this wicked system of
things to an end. Satans world will
be out of the way, but the earthly
part of Jehovahs organization will
survive. w14 5/15 4:3-5
Look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of
others.Phil. 2:4.
Paul urged all Christians to look
out for the interests of fellow believers. The essence of Pauls counsel is that we should observe the
gifts that others have and acknowledge them. (Phil. 2:3) How do we
feel when someone shows interest
in the progress that we have made?
Usually, it stimulates us to make
additional progress, bringing out
the best in us. Likewise, when we
acknowledge the value of our fellow believers, we help them to
thrive and grow spiritually. All of
us need special attention from time
to time. Still, young or newly baptized brothers really need to sense
that they are involved in the congregations activities. This will help
them to understand that they do
have a place among us. On the other hand, failure to give tting recognition to such brothers may stie their desire to reach out for
more responsibilities.1 Tim. 3:1.
w14 6/15 4:9, 10
From among you yourselves men
will rise and speak twisted things to
draw away the disciples after themselves.Acts 20:30.
Sadly, the original Christian congregation gradually became corrupted. (Acts 20:29; 2 Pet. 2:2, 3;
Jude 3, 4) As indicated by Jesus,
such apostasy, promoted by the
wicked one, Satan, would grow
and obscure true Christianity until the conclusion of the system of
things. (Matt. 13:37-43) Then Jehovah would enthrone Jesus as King
over the world of mankind. That
happened in October 1914, marking the beg inning of the last

days of Satans wicked system.
(2 Tim. 3:1) Modern-day anointed
Christians pointed in advance to
October 1914 as a signicant date.
They based this on Daniels prophecy about a large tree that was cut
down and would grow again after
seven times. (Dan. 4:16) Jesus referred to this same period as the
appointed times of the nations in
his prophecy about his future presence and the conclusion of the system of things.Luke 21:24; Matt.
24:3. w14 7/15 4:9, 10
Friday, February 26
I do not understand what I am doing. For I do not practice what I
wish, but I do what I hate.
Rom. 7:15.
Satan knows that we have sinful tendencies, and he tries to induce us to cater to them. It then
becomes a formidable challenge
to maintain our integrity. (John 8:
44-47) Consider the case of a person who becomes so absorbed in
the pleasure of the moment that
he ends up doing something wrong
that he thought he would never do.
What led up to this sad situation?
Likely, the individual had gradually been losing sensitivity to Jehovahs voice. Either he failed to notice the warning signs regarding
what was happening to his heart or
he chose to ignore them. For example, he might have stopped praying, slowed down in the ministry,
or started missing meetings. Eventually, he succumbed to his desire
and did what he knew was wrong.
We can avoid such a disastrous mistake if we remain alert to any warning signs and act immediately to
correct matters. w14 8/15 4:8
You should know well the appearance of your ock.Prov. 27:23.
Shepherds in ancient Israel led a
rigorous life. They not only had
to endure heat and cold but also
had to protect their ocks from
predators, both animal and human.
Shepherds inspected the sheep regularly and treated any that were
sick or injured. They gave special
attention to the lambs because they
were delicate and lacked the
strength of full-grown sheep. (Gen.
33:13) In some respects, Christian
parents are like shepherds, displaying qualities that are valuable to literal shepherds. A good shepherd
carefully examines each sheep to
make sure that it is healthy. In a gurative sense, you can do the same
for your children. To do this, you
need to consider your childrens
actions and also their thoughts and
feelings. How can you accomplish
that? One of the best ways is to
have frequent conversations with
your children. w14 9/15 3:1-3
Sunday, February 28
Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.Acts 7:22.
A man who kept his mind xed on
the things above was Mose s.
His was no ordinary education.
Not only was Egypt the preeminent
power at the time but Moses was
living in Pharaohs household. Little wonder that with this advanced
education, Moses became powerful in his words and deeds. Imagine the possibilities this would have
opened up for him! Yet, Moses had
his mind set on more lofty matterson doing Gods will. Early in
his life, Moses own mother, Jochebed, had surely taught him about
the God of the Hebrews. Mose s
highly esteemed the knowledge of
Jehovah and considered it to be of
greater value than any other riches. He thereby forfeited the privileges and opportunities that would
likely have come to him because he
lived in Pharaohs household. (Heb.
11:24-27) Indeed, Moses spiritual
education and his faith in Jehovah
moved him to x his mind on the
things above.Col. 3:2. w14 10/15 4:
10, 11
Monday, February 29
If you will strictly obey my voice
and keep my covenant, you will certainly become my special property
out of all peoples, . . . a holy nation.
Ex. 19:5, 6.
Jehovah made a covenant with
the Israelites at Mount Sinai and
gave them that historic promise.
While in Egypt, before they were
reduced to slavery, the Hebrews
were organized as a tribal society, administrated by family heads,
or patriarchs. These family heads,
like the servants of Jehovah who
lived before them, acted as rulers,
judges, and priests to their households. (Gen. 8:20; 18:19; Job 1:4, 5)
Through Moses, however, Jehovah
gave the Israelites a law code that
would distinguish them from all
other nations. (Deut. 4:5-8; Ps. 147:
19, 20) The Law established a separate priesthood, and justice was
administered by the elders, who
were respected for their knowledge
and wisdom. (Deut. 25:7, 8) The
Law codied the religious and social activities of the newborn nation. w14 11/15 4:8, 9
Tuesday, March 1
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our
Lord, who imparted power to me,
because he considered me faithful by assigning me to a ministry,
although formerly I was a
blasphemer.1 Tim. 1:12, 13.
How can we imitate Pauls ne example in cultivating and expressing gratitude? Like Paul, we need to
meditate on what Jehovah has
done for us personally. (Ps. 116:12)
If you were asked, What blessings
from Jehovah are you grateful for?
how would you answer? Would you
include your precious relationship
with Jehovah? Or the forgiveness
that you receive because of your
faith in Christs ransom sacrice? Would you relate the names of
brothers and sisters who have stood
by you during various dicult
trials? Of course, your beloved marriage mate or your precious children would not escape your mention. Taking time to meditate on
such beautiful blessings from your
loving Father, Jehovah, will ll your
heart with gratitude and will move
you to give thanks every day.Ps.
92:1, 2. w15 1/15 1:5, 6
Wednesday, March 2
When Michael the archangel had
a dierence with the Devil and
was disputing about Moses body,
he did not dare to bring a judgment against him in abusive terms.
Jude 9.
As Michael the archangel, Jesus
had a dierence with the Devil
and was disputing with that wicked one. The issue involved Moses
body. Recall that after Moses died,
Jehovah buried the body in an unknown location. (Deut. 34:5, 6)
Whatever evil purpose the Devil

had in mind for Moses remains, Michael took a courageous stand. One
reference work notes that the Greek
terms rendered had a dierence
and disputing are also used in
relation to a legal dispute and
may suggest that Michael challenged the Devils right to take Moses body. Yet, the Chief Angel recognized that it was not his place to
bring judgment. Rather, he referred
the case to the Supreme Judge, Jehovah. Michael thus refrained from
overstepping his authority. What a
humble attitude! w15 2/15 1:6
Thursday, March 3
They were uneducated and
ordinary men.Acts 4:13.
In recent years, the spiritual instruction provided by Jehovahs organization has reected an increased emphasis on simplicity and
clarity. Consider three examples.
First, there is the simplied edition
of The Watchtower. This edition has
proved to be, in eect, a loving gift
to those who struggle with language
or nd reading a challenge. Family
heads are nding that their children
are now more involved in the study
of this journal, the main channel of
our spiritual feeding program. Second, there is the revised edition of
the New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures . Many Scriptures now
use fewer words, yet their meaning
is intact or even clearer. Third,
there are the recent refinements in
our understanding, such as the claried understanding of the faithful and discreet slave. (Matt. 24:4547) What a delight it is to learn such
truths and to teach them to new
ones! w15 3/15 1:1, 4-6
Friday, March 4
By faith Moses, when grown up,
refused to be called the son of
Pharaohs daughter.Heb. 11:24.
Moses faith shaped his choice of
career. He did not reason that
he could serve God as a member of
the royal court and then use his
wealth and privilege to help his Israelite brothers. Rather, Moses was
determined to love Jehovah with all
his heart, soul, and strength. (Deut.
6:5) Moses decision saved him
much heartache. Many of the treasures of Egypt that he gave up were
soon plunderedby the Israelites
themselves! (Ex. 12:35, 36) Pharaoh
was humiliated and executed. (Ps.
136:15) Conversely, Moses was
spared and was used by God to lead
an entire nation to safety. His life
had real meaning. If you are a
young servant of Jehovah, choose a
career that will enable you to
love Jehovah and serve him with
all your heart and all your soul. You
can be condent that such a course
will be for your own good.Deut.
10:12, 13. w14 4/15 1:6-8
Saturday, March 5
He reasoned with them from the
Scriptures.Acts 17:2.
In our ministry, we may meet
someone who believes that Jesus is
equal to God. What scriptures could
we use to reason on the matter? We
might invite the person to read
John 6:38, where Jesus is quoted
as saying: I have come down from
heaven to do, not my own will, but
the will of him who sent me. Then,
we could ask the person: If Jesus is
God, who sent him down from heaven? Would that One not be great-
er than Jesus? After all, the sender

is superior to the one who is sent.
Along similar lines, we could read
Philippians 2:9, which says: God exalted him [Jesus] to a superior position. We might then ask: If Jesus was equal to God before he died
and God later exalted him to a higher position, would that not put Jesus above God? Yet, how could anyone become superior to God? If the
person respects Gods Word and is
honesthearted, such reasoning may
move him to examine the subject
further.Acts 17:11. w14 5/15 1:7-9
Sunday, March 6
The solid foundation of God
remains standing.
2 Tim. 2:19.
What is signicant about Pauls
word choice in this scripture? This
is the only mention in the Bible of
the solid foundation of God. The
Bible uses the word foundation
as a metaphor for various things,
including literal Jerusalem as the
capital of ancient Israel. (Ps. 87:1, 2)
The role that Jesus plays in Jehovahs purpose is also compared to a
foundation. (1 Cor. 3:11; 1 Pet. 2:6)
What did Paul have in mind when
he wrote about the solid foundation of God? Paul mentions it in
the same context in which he quotes
Moses words about Korah and his
supporters, recorded at Numbers
16:5. Paul was evidently referring
to the events in Moses day in an effort to encourage Timothy and remind him of Jehovahs ability to detect and counteract rebellious acts.
Jehovahs purpose was not about
to be thwarted by apostates in the
congregation any more than it was
by Korah centuries before.Num.
16:35. w14 7/15 1:2, 4-6
Monday, March 7
You must love Jehovah your God
with your whole heart.
Matt. 22:37.
Our love for Jehovah should
spring from the heart. Jesus made
that clear when a Pharisee asked:
Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law? (Matt.
22:35, 36) What did Jesus mean
when he answered that we must
love God with our whole heart?
He meant that we must love Jehovah with our entire gurative heart,
aecting our desires, emotions, and
feelings. We must also love him with
our whole soul, or our life and
being. Moreover, we must love God
with our whole mind, or our full
intellect. In essence, we ought to
love Jehovah fully, without reservation. If we love God with our whole
heart, soul, and mind, we will be diligent students of his Word, will
wholeheartedly serve his purposes, and will zealously declare the
good news of the Kingdom. (Matt.
24:14; Rom. 12:1, 2) True love for Jehovah will draw us ever closer to
him.Jas. 4:8. w14 6/15 1:6-8
Tuesday, March 8
Man has dominated man to his
harm.Eccl. 8:9.
Some of the worst atrocities have
involved the abuse of women.
Worldwide, about 30 percent of
women report having been assaulted by a male partner. Males are
favored in some societies because
it is thought that they will grow up
to continue the family line and care
for their aging parents and grandparents. In certain lands, females are considered undesirable children, and far more baby
girls than baby boys are aborted.

The mistreatment of women certainly does not please God. He
treats women justly and respects
them. Jehovahs regard for women is evident from the fact that Eve
was created perfect and with
characteristics that made her, not a
slave, but a wonderful complement
of Adam. That is one reason why,
at the end of the sixth creative day,
God saw everything he had made,
and look! it was very good. (Gen. 1:
31) Yes, everything Jehovah made
was very good. He gave both men
and women a very good start!
w14 8/15 1:6, 7
Wednesday, March 9
You will be witnesses of me . . . to
the most distant part of the earth.
Acts 1:8.
From the start of his ministry, Jesus stressed the importance of proclaiming the good news of Gods
Kingdom. He chose 12 disciples to
share in laying the foundation
for a global ministry; afterward, he
trained a group of 70 disciples.
(Luke 6:13; 10:1) These were prepared to take the good news to others, at rst to the Jews. Then, a surprise! Jesus disciples were going to
take it to uncircumcised ones of the
nations. What a change that must
have been for zealous Jewish disciples! The apostle Peter was sent
to the home of Cornelius, an uncircumcised Gentile. Peter then recognized that God is impartial. Cornelius and his household were
baptized. Christianity was now expanding into a vast new eld; people in all nations could hear the
truth and accept it. (Acts 10:9-48)
Now the eld was the whole world.
w14 9/15 1:5, 6
Thursday, March 10
He will crush your head.
Gen. 3:15.
The Edenic promise not only emphasized that the instigator of the
rebellion in the garden of Eden and
all ill eects of his action would be
done away with but also identies
the means by which this would take
place. Who would the womans ospring prove to be? Since the
ospring is to crush the serpents
head, that is, bring to nothing the
spirit creature Satan the Devil, the
ospring would have to be a spirit person. (Heb. 2:14) Therefore, the
woman giving birth to the ospring
would also be of a spiritual nature.
While the ospring of the serpent
proliferated, the identity of the ospring and the woman remained a
mystery for almost 4,000 years.
Meanwhile, Jehovah made several
covenants that identify the ospring and assure His servants that
the ospring would be the means by
which God would undo the disaster
that Satan had brought on the human family. w14 10/15 1:6-8
Friday, March 11
[Christ] was put to death in the
esh but made alive in the spirit.
1 Pet. 3:18.
The apostles knew that Jesus
resurrection was dierent from the
resurrections that preceded it. People who were brought back to
life earlier came back with physical
bodies and eventually died again.
Jesus was resurrected with a spirit body that was imperishable. (Acts
13:34) Peter wrote that Jesus is at
Gods right hand, for he went to
heaven, and angels and authorities
and powers were made subject to
him. (1 Pet. 3:18-22) The previous
resurrections were both marvelous

and miraculous, but none compared
to this supreme miracle. Jesus resurrection had a profound impact on
his disciples. He was no longer dead
but was alive as a mighty spirit person whom no human could harm.
His resurrection proved that he was
the Son of God, and knowing that
fact, the disciples found their spirits lifted from that of profound sorrow to great joy. Furthermore, their
fear was replaced by courage.
w14 11/15 1:5, 6
Saturday, March 12
When [the mustard grain] has
grown, it is the largest of the vegetable plants and becomes a tree.
Matt. 13:32.
In Jesus illustration, the grain
represents the Kingdom message as well as what results
from the preaching of that message
the Christian congregation. Like
the mustard grain that is the tiniest of all the seeds, the Christian
congregation had small beginnings
in 33 C.E. However, within a few decades, the congregation grew rapidly. (Col. 1:23) This growth was benecial because Jesus tells us that
the birds of heaven were able to
nd lodging among its branches.
These gurative birds picture righthearted individuals who nd spiritual food, shade, and shelter within
the Christian congregation. (Compare Ezekiel 17:23.) Jesus used the
amazing growth of a mustard grain
to illustrate the power of Gods
Kingdom arrangement to expand,
protect, and conquer all obstacles.
Since 1914 the growth of the visible
part of Gods organization has been
phenomenal!Isa. 60:22. w14 12/15
1:7, 8
Sunday, March 13
The spirit itself bears witness
with our spirit that we are
Gods children.Rom. 8:16.
If you are an anointed Christian,
the heavenly hope is an important
subject of your personal prayers.
When the Bible speaks of being
promised in marriage to the heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, you
apply that to yourself, and you look
forward to being part of Christs
bride. (2 Cor. 11:2; John 3:27-29;
Rev. 21:2, 9-14) When God in his Word
expresses his love for his spiritual
children, you respond, That means
me.And when Jehovahs Word gives
instructions to his anointed sons,
holy spirit moves you to obey and
to say in your heart, That applies
to me. Gods spirit and your spirit
thus join in bearing witness that you
have the heavenly hope. On the other hand, if you are part of the great
crowd of other sheep, God has
given you the earthly hope. (Rev. 7:9;
John 10:16) You want to live forever
in Paradise, and you nd joy in meditating on what the Bible says about
future life on earth. w15 1/15 2:16-18
Monday, March 14
Let your words always be gracious,
seasoned with salt.Col. 4:6.
In conversations with fellow believers, we use words that build up
rather than tear down. (Eph. 4:29)
When we talk to others about Gods
Kingdom, we season our words
with salt. We try to discern the
needs and interests of householders and then choose our words accordingly. We remember that gracious words may open doorsand
hearts. In addition, when explain-
ing our beliefs, we try to let the Bible speak for us. Hence, we cite it as
an authority and read from it whenever possible. We recognize that the
Bibles message is far more powerful than anything we could possibly
say on our own authority. (Heb. 4:
12) Discernment enables us to control our spirit, making us slow to
anger. (Jas. 1:19) When others offend us, we try to discern what is
behind their words or actions. Such
insight can melt anger and help us
to overlook an oense.Prov. 19:
11. w15 2/15 2:15, 16
Tuesday, March 15
It is just like a man about to travel
abroad who summoned his slaves
and entrusted his belongings to
them.Matt. 25:14.
The man, or the master, in this illustration is Jesus. He traveled
abroad when he ascended to heaven
in 33 C.E. In an earlier parable, Jesus reveals his purpose of traveling
abroad, namely, to secure kingly
power for himself. (Luke 19:12) Jesus did not immediately secure full
Kingdom power when he got back
to heaven. Instead, he sat down at
the right hand of God, from then on
waiting until his enemies should be
placed as a stool for his feet. (Heb.
10:12, 13) The man in the illustration possessed eight talents, a huge
fortune in those days. In Jesus day,
a talent was equivalent to about
6,000 denarii. Earning a denarius a
day, the average worker had to labor some 20 years to earn just one
talent. Before traveling abroad, the
man distributed the talents among
his slaves, expecting them to do
business while he was gone. w15 3/15
3:4, 5
Wednesday, March 16
I will come against those living in
security.Ezek. 38:11.
Soon, our lives will seem to be in

peril. By the climax of the
great tribulation, the governments
of this world will have devastated
and completely destroyed religious
organizations that were larger and
more numerous than ours. (Rev.
17:16) Jehovah prophetically describes our vulnerable condition
as the land of unprotected settlements . . . , unprotected by walls,
bars, or gates. (Ezek. 38:10-12, 1416) With our physical eyes, it will
appear that we have no chance of
survival. How will you react? We
need not waver in fear. Why not?
Because Jehovah has foretold that
attack on Gods people. He has also
foretold the outcome. On that
day, the day when Gog invades the
land of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, my great rage
will are up. In my zeal, in the re
of my fury, I will speak. (Ezek.
38:18-23) God will then destroy all
those who want to harm Jehovahs
people. w14 4/15 2:17, 18
Thursday, March 17
With humility consider others
superior to you.Phil. 2:3.
We appreciate it when people are

straightforward yet tactful when
approaching us. How can we extend the same courtesy to those
we meet in our ministry? In many
territories, we need to make the
purpose of our visit clear to the
householder. True, we have valuable information the householder does not have, but suppose we
did not really introduce ourselves
and merely began our presentation abruptly with a question like

this: If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
We know that the purpose behind
such a question is to nd out what
is on the persons mind and then direct the conversation to the Bible.
However, the householder might
wonder: Who is this stranger, and
why is he asking me this question?
What is this all about? So we
should try to put the householder
at ease. How can we do so? The key
is to adjust our presentation to the
way that people in our area likely
want to be approached. w14 5/15 2:
14-16
Friday, March 18
See, the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!
John 1:29.
Jesus explained that he came,

not to be ministered to, but to
minister and to give his life
as a ransom in exchange for
many. (Matt. 20:28) The many
who would benet from Jesus ransom were not to be limited to repentant Jews. Rather, it is Gods
will that all sorts of people should
be saved, since the ransom takes
away the sin of the world! (1 Tim.
2:4-6) Did those early disciples of
Jesus have the needed courage to
keep on witnessing about him? Indeed they did. (Acts 5:30-32) Some
27 years after Pentecost 33 C.E., it
could be said that the message of
truth of the good news had
reached Jews and Gentiles in all
creation under heaven.Col. 1:5,
23. w14 7/15 4:7, 8
Memorial Bible reading:
(Events after sunset: Nisan 9)
Mark 14:3-9
Saturday, March 19
Learn from me, for I am mildtempered and lowly in heart.
Matt. 11:29.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke and acted in ways that
revealed genuine humility. He never called undue attention to himself. Instead, he directed all glory
to his Father. (Mark 10:17, 18;
John 7:16) He never talked
down to his disciples or made them
feel inferior. Rather, he dignied
them, praising them for the good
he saw in them and expressing his
condence in them. (Luke 22:31,
32; John 1:47) Jesus outstandingly
showed humility by his obedience.
(Phil. 2:5-8) Unlike arrogant individuals who disdain obedience, Jesus humbly submitted to Gods will
for him, becoming obedient to the
point of death. Is it not clear that
Jesus, the Son of man, was lowly
in heart? w15 2/15 1:7
(Daytime events: Nisan 9)
Mark 11:1-11
Sunday, March 20
The Son of man came . . . to give
his life as a ransom in exchange
for many.Matt. 20:28.
How would this ransom satisfy

justice? (1 Tim. 2:5, 6) As a perfect
man, Jesus had prospects similar
to those of Adam before he sinned.
Jehovahs purpose was to ll the
earth with Adams perfect ospring. Hence, with deep love for
his Father and for Adams descendants, Jesus gave up his human life
in sacrice. Yes, Jesus gave up a
perfect human life that corre-
sponded to what Adam had lost.

Thereafter, Jehovah restored his
Son to life as a spirit. (1 Pet. 3:18)
Jehovah could justly accept
the sacrifice of that one perfect
man , Jesus, as a ransom, or purchase price, to buy back Adams
family and give them the life prospects that Adam had forfeited. In
a sense, Jesus took the place
of Adam.1 Cor. 15:45. w14 9/15 4:
11, 12
Mark 11:12-19
Monday, March 21
This cup means the new covenant by
virtue of my blood.1 Cor. 11:25.
Those who rightly partake of

the Memorial emblems are absolutely sure that they are parties
to the new covenant. God has made
the new covenant with the spiritual
Israelites. (Gal. 6:15, 16) This covenant has been validated by Christs
sacrice and has been made operative by his shed blood. (Luke
22:20) Jesus is the Mediator of the
new covenant, and loyal anointed
ones taken into it receive a heavenly inheritance. (Heb. 8:6; 9:15)
Individuals entitled to partake of
the Memorial emblems know that
they have also been taken into the
Kingdom covenant. (Luke 12:32)
Because they are in the Kingdom
covenant, faithful anointed ones
will reign with Christ as heavenly
kings forever.Rev. 22:5. w15 1/15 2:
14, 15
Mark 11:2012:27, 41-44
Tuesday, March 22
I make a covenant with you.
Luke 22:29.
Unlike other covenants, in which

Jehovah is one of the parties to
the covenant, the Kingdom covenant is a personal covenant between Jesus and his anointed followers. The 11 faithful apostles had
stuck with Jesus in his trials. This
covenant assured them that they
would be with him in heaven and
sit on thrones to rule as kings and
serve as priests. (Luke 22:28, 30)
However, those 11 would not be the
only ones to have that privilege.
The gloried Jesus appeared to
the apostle John in a vision and
said: To the one who conquers I
will grant to sit down with me on
my throne. (Rev. 3:21) Thus, the
Kingdom covenant is made with
the 144,000 anointed Christians.
Rev. 5:9, 10; 7:4. w14 10/15 2:15, 16
Mark 14:1, 2, 10, 11; Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16
MEMORIAL DATE
After Sundown
Wednesday, March 23
You have an anointing from the
holy one.1 John 2:20.
Only those who have the witness

of the spirit that they are Gods
children should partake of the Memorial emblems. Those who have
received a spirit of adoption as
sons are Gods spirit-begotten
children. His spirit bears witness with their spirit, giving
them the realization that they are
Jehovahs anointed sons. (Rom. 8:

16, 17) Today, there is only a remnant of the 144,000 footstep followers of Christ, who have an anointing from the holy one, Jehovah. It
is by means of his spirit that they
cry out, Abba, Father! (Rom. 8:15)
What a blessed relationship they
have with God! w15 1/15 2:16
Mark 14:12-16; Matthew 26:17-19
Mark 14:17-72
Thursday, March 24
He is not here, for he was raised
up.Matt. 28:6.
Jesus was alive! Events of the

next 40 days left no doubt that Jesus had been resurrected. Summarizing the evidence, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
Among the rst things I handed
on to you was what I also received, that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures; and
that he was buried, yes, that he was
raised up on the third day according to the Scriptures; and that he
appeared to Cephas, and then to
the Twelve. After that he appeared
to more than 500 brothers at one
time, most of whom are still with
us, though some have fallen asleep
in death. After that he appeared to
James, then to all the apostles. But
last of all he appeared also to me as
if to one born prematurely.1 Cor.
15:3-8. w14 11/15 1:9, 10
Mark 15:1-47
Friday, March 25
The last Adam became a life-giving
spirit.1 Cor. 15:45.
How would mankind be freed

from their struggle with inherited
imperfection? Jehovah provided
for a Kingdom government made
up of the last Adam and chosen
associates from among mankind.
(Rev. 5:9, 10 ) Those associated
with Jesus in heaven will have experienced what it means to be imperfect. For a full thousand years,
their joint rulership will provide
assistance to those on earth, helping them to overcome the imperfection that they could not conquer
on their own. (Rev. 20:6) By the end
of the thousand years of Kingdom
rule, obedient mankind will have
been liberated from all enemies introduced by Adams disobedience.
w14 9/15 4:12-15
Matthew 27:62-66
Mark 16:1
Saturday, March 26
Christ suered for you, leaving a
model for you to follow his steps
closely.1 Pet. 2:21.
Of all the humans who have

walked the earth, no one is more
worthy of imitation than Jesus
Christ. Why is that? Jesus himself
once said: Whoever has seen me
has seen the Father also. (John
14:9) Jesus reects his Fathers personality so perfectly that observing the Son is like seeing the Father.Therefore, as we imitate Jesus,
we draw closer to Jehovah, the
greatest Personage in the uni-
verse. How, though, can we know

what Jesus is like? Thankfully, we
have an inspired written portrait of
Jesus. Jehovah provided that record, as found in the Christian Greek
Scriptures, because he wants us to
become acquainted with his Son
so that we can imitate him. w15 2/15
1:1, 2
Mark 16:2-8
Sunday, March 27
You must love your neighbor as
yourself.Matt. 22:39.
The command to love our neighbor as ourself is called the royal law. (Jas. 2:8) After referring
to some commandments of the Mosaic Law, Paul stated: Whatever other commandment there is,
is summed up in this saying: You
must love your neighbor as yourself. Love does not work evil to
ones neighbor; therefore, love is
the laws fulllment. (Rom. 13:810 ) So we need to keep on
showing neighbor love. As we meditate on why we should show love
for our neighbor, it is good to reect on Jesus statement that his
Father makes his sun rise on both
the wicked and the good and makes
it rain on both the righteous and
the unrighteous. (Matt. 5:4345) We need to display love toward
our neighbor, whether he is righteous or unrighteous. An important way to show such love is to
share the Kingdom message with
him. What blessings are in store for
our neighbor if he responds to the
good news with genuine appreciation! w14 6/15 2:19-21
Monday, March 28
You are my witnesses, declares
Jehovah.Isa. 43:10.
Sadly, the worlds news media has
largely ignored or even distorted
the most important facts of human
history. This is certainly the case
with what the almighty God stated by means of his ancient prophet Ezekiel: The nations will have
to know that I am Jehovah.
(Ezek. 39:7) But the Sovereign Ruler of the universe does not depend
on this worlds media. He has some
eight million Witnesses who tell
people of all nations about him and
his past and present dealings with
mankind. This army of Witnesses
also announces what God promises
to do for the future blessing of mankind. By giving this witness work
our priority, we prove true to our
God-given name. What a privilege it
is to bear the name Jehovah, for he
is the King of eternity, who says:
This is my name forever, and this
is how I am to be remembered from
generation to generation!1 Tim. 1:
17; Ex. 3:15. w14 7/15 3:2, 3
Tuesday, March 29
Draw close to God, and he will
draw close to you.Jas. 4:8.
Jehovah urges us in his Word to
draw close to him, and he promises us that if we do, he will
draw close to us. What an uplifting thought that is! Yet, many people think that it is unrealistic to believe that God wants to be close
to them; they feel that they are unworthy to approach him or that
he is too remote to be approached. Is closeness with Jehovah really possible? The fact is that
Jehovah is not far o from each
one who wants to nd him; it is

possible to get to know him. (Acts
17:26, 27; Ps. 145:18) Our God purposed that even imperfect humans
should be close to him, and he is
ready and willing to receive them
into his favor as close friends. (Isa.
41:8; 55:6) From personal experience, the psalmist could write about
Jehovah: O Hearer of prayer, to
you people of all sorts will come .
Happy is the one whom you choose
and bring near.Ps. 65:2, 4. w14 8/15
3:2, 3
Wednesday, March 30
The last enemy, death, is to be
brought to nothing.1 Cor. 15:26.
What about Satan, the one who
initially caused all the misery that
mankind has experienced? Revelation 20:7-15 provides the answer. In
a nal test of all perfect humans,
Satan will be permitted to try to
mislead them. The Devil and those
who follow his lead will be eliminated everlastingly in the second
death. (Rev. 21:8) Because those
within its grasp will be forever out
of existence, this death will never
be brought to nothing. The second
death is, however, no enemy of humans who love and serve their Creator. Perfected mankind will then
stand before Jehovah as fully approved for everlasting life, with no
enemies anywhere. The commission
given to Adam will have been accomplished without him. The earth
will abound with his ospring, who
will delight to oversee it and enjoy
its many life forms. May we never
lose appreciation for the way in
which Jehovah lovingly brings the
last enemy, death, to nothing!
w14 9/15 4:17, 18
Thursday, March 31
We are Gods fellow workers.
1 Cor. 3:9.
Jehovah is a worker who takes
pleasure in what he does. (Ps. 135:6;
John 5:17) To allow his intelligent creatures to experience a similar joyful and gratifying feeling of
accomplishment, Jehovah has assigned them pleasant and satisfying
work. For example, he involved his
rstborn Son in His creative
work. (Col. 1:15, 16) During his prehuman existence, Jesus was beside
God in heaven as a master work-
er. (Prov. 8:30) From beginning to

end, the Bible contains examples
showing that Jehovah has always
assigned work to his spirit sons. After Adam and Eve sinned and were
ejected from their Paradise home,
God posted at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the
aming blade of a sword that was
turning continuously to guard the
way to the tree of life. (Gen. 3:24)
And Revelation 22:6 reveals that Jehovah sent his angel to show his
slaves the things that must shortly
take place. w14 10/15 3:1, 2
Friday, April 1
Saturday, April 2
He was raised up.

Matt. 28:6.

thousand.Isa. 60:22.
Not many days after Jesus died,

the apostle Peter faced a formidable and hostile group of men.
They were powerful Jewish religious leadersthe very ones who
had orchestrated Jesus death. The
men demanded an explanation. Peter had healed a man who had been
lame from birth, and they wanted
to know by what power or in whose
name Peter had done this. The
apostle courageously answered:
In the name of Jesus Christ
the Nazarene, whom you executed on a stake but whom God raised
up from the dead, by means of him
this man stands here healthy in
front of you. (Acts 4:5-10) Earlier,
Peter had fearfully denied Jesus
three times. (Mark 14:66-72) What
accounted for his courage now that
he was before the religious leaders? Holy spirit played a vital role,
but so did Peters certainty that
Jesus had been resurrected.
w14 11/15 1:1, 2
Perhaps we live in an area where

there are few Witnesses or
where we do not see a lot of immediate results in our preaching work.
Yet, remembering that the Kingdom
arrangement can overcome all obstacles will strengthen us to endure. For example, when Brother Edwin Skinner arrived in India
in 1926, there were only a handful
of Witnesses in that country. Initially, there was little progress, and
the work was described as hard
going. But he kept on preaching
and saw how the Kingdom message
overcame great obstacles. In 2013
there were over 37,000 active Witnesses in India, with over 108,000 attending the Memorial. In the same
year that Brother Skinner arrived
in India, the work had just started
in Zambia. Now over 170,000 publishers preach there, and 763,915 attended the Memorial in 2013. This
means that 1 in every 18 persons in
Zambia attended. What amazing
growth! w14 12/15 1:8, 9
Sunday, April 3
Go . . . and make disciples of people of all the nations.Matt. 28:19.
As Jesus followers did that
work, eventually the good news of
the Kingdom [would] be preached
in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations. (Matt. 24:
14) The disciples loved both Jesus
and the good news. Yet, they might
well have wondered just how they
could possibly carry out their commission. After all, they were few in
number. Jesus, whom they proclaimed to be the Son of God,
had been put to death. His disciples
were viewed as uneducated and ordinary. (Acts 4:13) And their message ran counter to the teachings
of the prestigious religious leaders.
Whatever concerns they may have
had, the disciples got busy preaching the good news not only in Jerusalem and Samaria but throughout
the then-known world. Although the
disciples experienced diculties,
within 30 years the good news was
being preached in all creation under heaven and was bearing fruit
and increasing in all the world.
Col. 1:6, 23. w15 2/15 3:1, 2, 4
Monday, April 4
Pray constantly. Give thanks for
everything. This is Gods will
for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thess. 5:17, 18.
When we have our blessings rmly xed in mind and heart, we are
ready to pray to Jehovah and oer
thanksgiving. (Ps. 95:2; 100:4, 5)
Many view prayer as merely a way
to ask God for things. We, however,
know that Jehovah is pleased when
we express thanks for what we
have. The Bible contains numerous

heartwarming prayers of thanksgiving, including those oered by
Hannah and Hezekiah. (1 Sam. 2:
1-10; Isa. 38:9-20) So imitate those
faithful servants who showed a
grateful spirit. Yes, thank Jehovah
in prayer for the blessings that you
have. The benets from doing so
are many. Your spirits will be lifted, you will grow in love for Jehovah, and you will draw ever closer
to him.Jas. 4:8. w15 1/15 1:7
Tuesday, April 5
It is to us God has revealed them
through his spirit.1 Cor. 2:10.
If you have been serving Jehovah

for decades, you may have noticed
a gradual shift in the way our literature explains many of the narratives recorded in the Bible. How
so? In times past, it was more common for our literature to take what
might be called a type-antitype approach to Scriptural accounts. The
Bible narrative was considered the
type, and any prophetic fulllment
of the story was the antitype. Why
have things changed? As we might
expect, over the years Jehovah has
helped the faithful and discreet
slave to become steadily more discreet. (Matt. 24:45-47) Discretion
has led to greater caution when it
comes to calling a Bible account a
prophetic drama unless there is a
clear Scriptural basis for doing so.
Thus, we nd that our literature
today focuses more on the simple,
practical lessons about faith, endurance, godly devotion, and other
vital qualities that we learn about
from Bible accounts. w15 3/15 1:7, 9,
10, 12
Wednesday, April 6
[Moses] considered the reproach of
the Christ to be riches greater
than the treasures of Egypt.
Heb. 11:26.
Moses was commissioned as the
Christ, or Anointed One, in
that he was selected by Jehovah to
lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses
knew that carrying out this commission would be dicult, even a reproach. One of the Israelites
had earlier sneered: Who appointed you as a prince and a judge over
us? (Ex. 2:13, 14) Later, Moses himself asked Jehovah: How will Pharaoh ever listen to me? (Ex. 6:12)
How did Jehovah help Moses?
First, Jehovah assured Moses: I
will prove to be with you. (Ex. 3:
12) Second, Jehovah inspired condence by explaining one aspect of
the meaning of his name: I Will Become What I Choose to Become.
(Ex. 3:14) Third, he endowed Moses
with miraculous power that proved
that Moses was indeed sent by God.
(Ex. 4:2-5) Fourth, Jehovah gave
Moses a partner and spokesman,
Aaron, to help him carry out his assignment.Ex. 4:14 -16. w14 4/15 1:
9, 10
Thursday, April 7
All things . . . that you want men
to do to you, you also must do to
them.Matt. 7:12.
What are some ways in which we
follow the Golden Rule in our ministry? We treat each householder
as an individual. We show respect
for the householders home and other property. We endeavor to participate in the ministry at times when
householders are most likely to be
at home and receptive. And we introduce our message in a way that
is well-received in the local territory. Many benets come from

treating those in our territory as
we would like to be treated. By acting in a kind and considerate manner, we are letting our light shine,
are underscoring the value of Scriptural principles, and are giving glory to our heavenly Father. (Matt. 5:
16) We may attract more people to
the truth by the way we approach
them. (1 Tim. 4:16) Whether those
to whom we preach accept the Kingdom message or not, we have the
satisfaction of knowing that we are
doing our best to accomplish our
ministry.2 Tim. 4:5. w14 5/15 2:17, 18
Friday, April 8
By him we have life and move and
exist.Acts 17:28.
Why should we love God? One reason is that Jehovah is our Creator
and our Provider. He has given us
our splendid earthly home. (Ps. 115:
16) He also provides food and other
things we need in order to sustain
our life. Therefore, Paul could tell
the idolatrous residents of Lystra
that the living God . . . did not leave
himself without witness in that
he did good, giving you rains from
heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and lling your
hearts with gladness. (Acts 14:1517) Also, God has made possible the
removal of the sin and death we inherited from Adam. (Rom. 5:12) Indeed, God recommends his own
love to us in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom.
5:8) Undoubtedly, our heart overows with love for Jehovah because
he has made it possible for us to receive forgiveness of our sins if we
are repentant and exercise faith in
Jesus ransom sacrice.John 3:16.
w14 6/15 1:9, 10
Saturday, April 9
The solid foundation of God remains standing, having this seal.
2 Tim. 2:19.
Pauls word picture recorded at
2 Timothy 2:19 depicts a foundation
with a message on it, as if imprinted with a seal. In ancient times,
it was not uncommon to display an
inscription on a buildings foundation, perhaps showing who built it
or who owned it. Paul was the rst
Bible writer to use this particular
illustration. The seal on the solid foundation of God has two
pronouncements. First, Jehovah
knows those who belong to him and
second, Let everyone calling on
the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness. This reminds us of
what we read at Numbers 16:5. What
lesson can we learn from the seal
in Pauls word picture? For those
who belong to God, Jehovahs values and principles can be summed
up in two fundamental truths:
(1) Jehovah loves those who are loyal to him, and (2) Jehovah hates unrighteousness. w14 7/15 1:8, 9
Sunday, April 10
In the last days critical times hard
to deal with will be here.
2 Tim. 3:1.
The Bible foretold that wicked
conduct would prevail in the last
days. Human wrongdoing has become so widespread that these
truly are critical times. Throughout mankinds history, however, the
Sovereign Lord Jehovah has
shown favor to men and women who
have trusted in him, have obeyed
his laws, and have submitted to him
as their Ruler. (Ps. 71:5) When God
destroyed the violent ancient world
by means of the Flood in the days
of Noah, very few humans survived.

If Noahs brothers and sisters were
still alive at that time, they too died
in the oodwaters. (Gen. 5:30) But
as many women as men survived the
Deluge. The survivors were Noah,
his wife, his three sons, and their
wives. They were preserved because they feared God and did his
will. The billions of humans now living descended from those eight individuals who had Jehovahs backing.Gen. 7:7; 1 Pet. 3:20. w14 8/15
1:8, 9
Monday, April 11
You received free, give free.
Matt. 10:8.
Jehovahs organization takes the
commission to preach the good
news of the Kingdom worldwide
very seriously, as shown by the support given to the many translation
teams around the world. Millions
upon millions of tracts, brochures,
and magazines have been distributed in campaigns throughout the
world, without charge to the public. The expense has been covered
by the voluntary donations of Jehovahs Witnesses. As devoted Christian preachers and teachers, Jehovahs Witnesses are so convinced
that they have found the truth that
they make great sacrices in order
to share the message with people
of other nations and ethnic groups.
Many have simplied their life,
learned another language, and
adapted to a dierent culture in order to share in this vital Christian
work. This international preaching
and teaching work is another factor
that convinces many people that Jehovahs Witnesses are the true followers of Christ Jesus. w14 9/15 1:
10, 11
Tuesday, April 12
All the families of the ground will
certainly be blessed by means of
you.Gen. 12:3.
This is the earliest recorded account of the Abrahamic covenant
the covenant that Jehovah God
made with Abraham. It went into effect in 1943 B.C.E., when 75-yearold Abraham left Haran and
crossed the Euphrates River. Jehovah restated his promise to Abraham a number of times, adding further details. (Gen. 13:15-17; 17:1-8,
16) And when Abraham demonstrated unshakable faith in Gods promises by showing willingness to oer
up his only son, Jehovah reinforced
the covenant with an unconditional
promise. (Gen. 22:15-18; Heb. 11:17,
18) After the Abrahamic covenant
went into eect, Jehovah gradually revealed important details about
the ospring of the woman. (Gen.
3:15) The ospring would descend
from Abraham, would be many in
number, would have a kingly function, would destroy all enemies, and
would be a blessing for many others. w14 10/15 1:9, 10
Wednesday, April 13
Keep abstaining . . . from blood.
Acts 15:29.
Any one of us could suddenly nd
ourselves facing the blood issue.
Or a family member or dear friend
could unexpectedly be confronted
with the issue of whether to accept
a blood transfusion or not. During
such a crisis, decisions also need to
be made regarding blood fractions
and medical procedures. Therefore, it is very important to do research and prepare for a possible
emergency. Along with prayer, such
measures will help us to take a rm

stand and avoid compromising on
the matter. Surely we do not want to
sadden Jehovahs heart by accepting something that his Word condemns! Many medical professionals and other advocates of blood
transfusion appeal to people to donate blood in hopes of saving lives.
However, Jehovahs holy people acknowledge that the Creator has the
right to say how blood is to be treated. To him, any sort of blood is
sacred. (Lev. 17:10) We must be determined to obey his law on blood.
w14 11/15 2:10, 15
Thursday, April 14
God made you alive.Eph. 2:1.
What a contrast there is between young servants of Jehovah
and youths of this world! Many who
do not serve Jehovah lead a selfcentered way of life, focusing only
on what they want. Some researchers call them Generation Me. By
the way they talk and dress, they
give evidence of disdain for the older generation, whom they view as
not with it. That spirit is all
around us. Thus, young servants of
Jehovah nd that it takes real effort to avoid it and to accept Gods
view. Even in the rst century, Paul
found it necessary to urge fellow
believers to avoid the spirit that is
now at work in the sons of disobedience and in which they at one
time walked. (Eph. 2:2, 3) Young
ones who see the need to avoid that
spirit and to work unitedly with all
their brothers are to be commended. (Eph. 4:25) As we approach the
end of this old world, working together unitedly will become ever
more important. w14 12/15 3:3, 4
Friday, April 15
Those who [marry] will have tribulation in their esh.1 Cor. 7:28.
It is not unusual for married couples to experience some tribulation in their esh. Why? Simply
dealing with everyday troubles can
strain marital ties. Hurt feelings,
misunderstandings, and miscommunications caused by the imperfect tongue can be a challenge
in the best of marriages. (Jas. 3:2,
5, 8) Many couples also have
diculty in coping with demanding employment while caring for
children. Stress and exhaustion
make it dicult for some couples
to take the time they need in order to strengthen their marriage. Their love and respect for
each other may be eroded by nancial diculties, health problems,
or other hardships. Furthermore,
the foundation of what seemed to
be a strong marriage can be undermined by the works of the esh,
such as sexual immorality, brazen
conduct, hostility, strife, jealousy, ts of anger, and dissensions.
Gal. 5:19-21. w15 1/15 3:2
Saturday, April 16
You will be hated.Matt. 24:9.
The early Christians benefited from Roman law, which was in

force throughout the empire. Similarly, present-day Christians benet from legal provisions. However,
freedom to exercise certain rights
had to be legally established in the
courts. (Phil. 1:7) When legal action was brought against Jehovahs people in the United States,
appeals to higher courts repeatedly upheld their right to be Kingdom
proclaimers. Courts of other coun-
tries have also upheld our freedom

of worship and the right to preach
publicly. In some lands, we have
lost court battles, but we have applied to international courts. For
example, as of June 2014, the European Court of Human Rights has
ruled in our favor in 57 cases that
are binding on all nations of the
Council of Europe. Even though
we are hated by all the nations,
the courts of many countries have
ruled that we have the right to
practice true worship. w15 2/15 4:
13, 14
Sunday, April 17
I must also declare the good news
of the Kingdom of God to other
cities.Luke 4:43.
Jesus attached great importance

to his preaching and teaching
work. By means of it, he cultivated a eld that had rich potential.
Earlier, he told his disciples: Lift
up your eyes and view the elds,
that they are white for harvesting.
(John 4:35-38) He had in mind the
ingathering of many other honesthearted ones who would become
his disciples. Like a good farmer,
Jesus would not leave unattended a eld that was ripe for harvesting. Hence, shortly after his resurrection and before his ascension to
heaven, he gave his disciples the
weighty commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples. (Matt.
28:18-20 ) Jesus thus entrusted
them with a precious treasure, the
Christian ministry. (2 Cor. 4:7) He
was, in eect, committing to them
his belongingshis talents.
(Matt. 25:14) Put simply, the talents refer to the responsibility to
preach and make disciples. w15 3/15
3:6, 7
Monday, April 18
Do not be afraid. Stand rm and
see the salvation of Jehovah.
Ex. 14:13.
Your faith in the outcome of the
great and awe-inspiring day of Jehovah will help you to see the salvation of Jehovah and to maintain
your integrity. (Joel 2:31, 32) Prepare now for those thrilling events
by continuing steadfast as seeing
the One who is invisible! (Heb. 11:
27) Strengthen your friendship with
Jehovah God through regular study
and prayer. Moses had such a close
friendship with Jehovah and was
used so powerfully by him that the
Bible says that Jehovah knew Moses face-to-face. (Deut. 34:10) Moses was an extraordinary prophet.
By faith, however, you too can know
Jehovah as intimately as you would
if you could actually see him. If you
constantly take notice of him in all
your ways, as Gods Word encourages you to do, he will make your
paths straight.Prov. 3:6. w14 4/15
2:18, 19
Tuesday, April 19
He reasoned with them from the
Scriptures.Acts 17:2.
How might we reason with an individual who feels that bad people
should be tormented forever in hellre? First, we could assure him that
the wicked will be punished.
(2 Thess. 1:9) Then, we could
have him read Genesis 2:16, 17,
which shows that the penalty for
sin is death. We might explain that
by his sin, Adam caused the entire
human race to be born as sinners. (Rom. 5:12) But we can point
out that God said nothing about being punished in hellre. We could
then ask, If Adam and Eve were in
danger of being tormented forever,

would it not have been fair to warn
them of that? We could then read
Genesis 3:19, where sentence was
pronounced after their sin but nothing was said about hellre. Instead,
Adam was told that he would return
to the dust. We might ask, Would
it have been fair to tell Adam that
he would go back to the ground if
he was really going to a ery hell?
That may cause the person to think
more deeply on this subject. w14 5/15
1:7, 10
Wednesday, April 20
The members of the body that seem
to be weaker are necessary.
1 Cor. 12:22.
We are living in a competitive

world where strength and youth
are frequently exalted. Many do
whatever it takes to get their way,
often trampling on the feelings of
those who are weaker. We do not
condone such behavior, yet we may
unconsciously develop a negative
view of those who regularly need
assistance, even in the congregation. But we can develop a more
balanced view, one like Gods. We
can gain insight into the way Jehovah views human weakness
from an illustration recorded in
Pauls rst letter to the Corinthians. In chapter 12, Paul reminds
us that even the least attractive or
the weakest part of the human
body has a function. (1 Cor. 12:12,
18, 21-23) Aspects of this concept
of the human body have been challenged by some evolutionists.
Nevertheless, ndings in the study
of anatomy show that body parts
once considered useless actually
do perform essential functions.
w14 6/15 3:3, 4
Thursday, April 21
You are my witnesses.
Isa. 43:10.
One way Israelite parents witnessed was by teaching their
children about Gods dealings
with their forefathers. For example,
when being instructed to observe
the Passover each year, the people
were told: When your sons ask you,
What does this observance mean
to you? you must say, It is the sacrice of the Passover to Jehovah,
who passed over the houses of the
Israelites in Egypt when he plagued
the Egyptians, but he spared
our houses. (Ex. 12:26, 27) Those
parents may also have explained
to their children that when Moses
rst approached Egypts ruler to
ask permission for the Israelites to
worship Jehovah in the wilderness,
Pharaoh replied: Who is Jehovah,
that I should obey his voice to send
Israel away? (Ex. 5:2) At the Red
Sea, the answer to Pharaohs question became clear for all to see. Jehovah wasand isthe Almighty.
Also, the Israelite nation became
living witnesses that Jehovah is the
true God and the Fulller of his
promises. w14 7/15 3:5
Friday, April 22
Jehovah is near to all those calling
on him, to all who call on him in
truth.Ps. 145:18.
Put yourself in Asas situation.
Zerah the Ethiopian has come
against Judah with 1,000,000 men
and 300 chariots. (2 Chron. 14:8-13)
How would you react to the sight
of such a huge army? Outnumbered
about 2 to 1, King Asas reaction
demonstrated his close and trusting
relationship with Jehovah. He fer-
vently called out: Help us, O Jehovah our God, for we are relying
on you. What enabled Asa to trust
fully in Gods guidance and protection? The Bible says that Asa did
what was right in the eyes of Jehovah and that his heart was complete with Jehovah. (1 Ki. 15:11,
14) We too need to serve God with
a complete heart. It is absolutely vital that we do so if we are to enjoy
a close relationship with him now
and in the future. How thankful we
can be that Jehovah has taken the
initiative to draw us to him and to
help us to form and maintain a close
bond with him! w14 8/15 3:3, 5, 6
Saturday, April 23
God is not unrighteous so as to
forget your work.Heb. 6:10.
Jehovah remembers the loving labors of all who faithfully serve him,
whether their circumstances in life
permit them to do much or little. In
the rst century, Jesus launched a
work that was to reach global proportions. (Luke 3:21-23; 4:14, 15, 43)
His apostles took the lead in the expansion of this preaching work.
(Acts 5:42; 6:7) Some Christians,
such as Philip, served as evangelizers and missionaries in Palestine.
(Acts 8:5, 40; 21:8) Paul and others
traveled farther aeld. (Acts 13:2-4;
14:26; 2 Cor. 1:19) Somefor example, Silvanus (Silas), Mark, and
Lukealso served as copyists or
writers. (1 Pet. 5:12) Christian sisters worked along with these faithful brothers. (Acts 18:26; Rom.
16:1, 2) Their exciting experiences help to make the Christian Greek
Scriptures a thrill to read and demonstrate that Jehovah remembers
his servants favorably. w14 9/15 5:1-3
Sunday, April 24
Moses . . . refused to be called the
son of Pharaohs daughter, choosing to be mistreated with the people of God rather than to have the
temporary enjoyment of sin.
Heb. 11:24, 25.
Moses was given the best secular
education that was available in his
day, but did he use it to advance his
career in Egypt, make a name for
himself, or acquire material possessions? No. Clearly, Moses used his
spiritual education to advance Jehovahs purpose. He was keenly interested in Jehovah and His people.
At 40 years of age, Moses thought
that he was ready to help liberate
Gods people from Egyptian bondage. (Acts 7:23-25) However, before Jehovah could give him that assignment, Moses needed something
more. He needed to cultivate such
qualities as humility, patience, mildness, and self-control. (Prov. 15:33)
Moses needed training that would
prepare him to endure the trials and
hardships that lay ahead. w14 10/15
4:11-13
Monday, April 25
You should no longer go on walking just as the nations [do].
Eph. 4:17.
If we make the right decisions, we
can have a satisfying life now
and put ourselves in line to inherit
the earthto have everlasting life.
There are so many wonderful blessings in store for us that we cannot
even imagine them all. (Matt. 5:5;
19:29; 25:34) Granted, God does not
give us things automatically. He requires something of us. (1 John 5:
3, 4) But to serve him faithfully now
is denitely worth it! What a great

privilege it is to have received so
much from God! We have accurate
knowledge of his Word and a clear
understanding of the truth about
him and his purposes. We enjoy the
privilege of bearing his name and
being his Witnesses. God promises
us that he is on our side. (Ps. 118:7)
May all of us, whether young or old,
show our appreciation by living our
life in a way that manifests a keen
desire to give Jehovah the glory
forever.Rom. 11:33-36; Ps. 33:12.
w14 12/15 4:19-21
Tuesday, April 26
Deaden . . . your body members
. . . as respects sexual immorality,
uncleanness, uncontrolled sexual
passion.Col. 3:5.
The word deaden indicates that
we must take strong measures
to ght against immoral eshly desires. We will avoid anything
that might arouse in us sexual
desire for someone other than our
mate. (Job 31:1) As we conform our
lives to Gods will, we learn to abhor what is wicked and cling to
what is good. (Rom. 12:2, 9) The
new personality reects the image
of the One who created it, Jehovah himself. (Col. 3:10) What
blessings result when husbands and
wives fortify their moral defenses
by clothing themselves with the
tender aections of compassion,
kindness, humility, mildness, and
patience! (Col. 3:12) They also enjoy greater marital harmony when
they let the peace of the Christ control [their] hearts. (Col. 3:15; ftn.)
How rewarding it is for couples to
have tender aection for one another!Rom. 12:10. w15 1/15 4:10, 11
Wednesday, April 27
You will actually drink the milk of
nations.Isa. 60:16.
Many inventions of the past 200
years have helped us to accomplish our commission to make
disciples. (Matt. 28:19, 20) In fulllment of the prophecy that Jehovahs people would drink the milk
of nations, we have made wise use
of resources of the nations, such as
modern technology, in order to produce the Bible and Bible literature
in many languages. Clearly, we have
strong evidence of Gods blessing.
Of course, Jehovah does not rely on
our help to accomplish his purposes. Yet, our loving heavenly Father
allows us to be his fellow workers,
thus enabling us to show our love
for him and for our neighbor. (1 Cor.
3:9; Mark 12:28-31) May we take advantage of our opportunities to proclaim the Kingdom message, the
most important work on earth. By
all means, let us show how thankful
we are that Jehovah has guided and
blessed our global teaching work!
w15 2/15 4:16, 17
Thursday, April 28
I am with you all the days until the
conclusion of the system of things.
Matt. 28:20.
The anointed are spearheading
the greatest preaching campaign
in history. Without a doubt, Jesus
is with them, guiding their eorts.
The growing number of prospective
sheep count it a privilege to support Christs brothers not only in
the preaching work but also in other practical ways. For example, they
give nancial contributions and
help to build Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls, and branch facilities, and
they loyally obey those appointed to

take the lead. (Heb. 13:17) Soon the
angels will unleash the destructive
winds of the great tribulation. This
will occur after all the remaining
ones of Christs brothers left on
earth have received their nal sealing. (Rev. 7:1-3) Before Armageddon breaks out, anointed ones will
be taken to heaven. (Matt. 13:41-43)
Therefore, now is the time for those
who hope to be judged as sheep to
support Christs brothers loyally.
w15 3/15 4:16-18
Friday, April 29
When under trial, let no one say:
I am being tried by God.
Jas. 1:13.
We may become impatient when
a trialsome period seems to have
no end. Suppose you are driving a
car on a highway and get stuck in
trac. Trying to nd another
route, you might get lost or end up
taking more time to reach your destination than you would had you patiently remained on course. Similarly, if you stick to the paths
outlined in Gods Word, in time you
will arrive at your destination. Jehovah may hold o from intervening in our trials because he wants
us to receive vital training. (1 Pet. 5:
6-10) No, God does not cause trials.
Your adversary, the Devil, is causing most adversities. Yet, God can
use a dicult situation to help us
grow spiritually. He sees our suering, and because he cares for us,
he will make sure that it will continue only for a little while. Do
you appreciate Jehovahs watchful
care when you suer trials, condent that he will provide a way out?
2 Cor. 4:7-9. w14 4/15 5:15, 16
Saturday, April 30
thousand and the small one a
mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah,
will speed it up in its own time.
Isa. 60:22.
Worldwide, there are now well
over 7,900,000 Witnesses, with millions more associating with them,
especially during the annual observance of the Memorial. We do not
boast in numbers, for it is God who
keeps making things grow. (1 Cor. 3:
5-7) Nevertheless, it is evident that
the great crowd is growing and becoming greater with each passing
year. (Rev. 7:9) There has been remarkable growth in the number
of Gods servants because Jehovah
himself is backing his Witnesses.
(Isa. 43:10-12) At one time, the
anointed remnant were like the little one, but their number grew as
other spiritual Israelites were
brought into Gods organization. (Gal. 6:16) Because of Jehovahs blessing over the years, the increase continues with the gathering
of the great crowd. w14 5/15 4:7, 8
Sunday, May 1
Monday, May 2
May the God who gives hope ll you

with all joy and peace.Rom. 15:13.
They are subverting the faith of

some.2 Tim. 2:18.
God-given hope enables us to

endure te sts of faith. Anointed
ones who prove faithful even to
death will be given the crown of
heavenly life. (Rev. 2:10) Integritykeepers with an earthly hope will
enjoy eternal blessings in the promised global Paradise. (Luke 23:43)
These prospects ll us with joy and
peace, as well as love for the Giver
of every good gift and every perfect present. (Jas. 1:17) We may be
deeply saddened by the death of a
loved one, but because of the Godgiven resurrection hope, we do not
sorrow as those do who have no
hope. (1 Thess. 4:13) Out of love,
Jehovah God yearns to resurrect
the dead, especially faithful ones,
like upright Job. (Job 14:15) Imagine the joyous reunions when resurrected ones are welcomed back to
life here on earth. How our hearts
swell with love for our heavenly Father, who has given us the marvelous resurrection hope! w14 6/15 1:
11, 12
Timothy and other faithful ones

were likely perturbed by the actions of apostates in their midst.
Some Christians may have questioned why such individuals were
allowed to remain in the congregation. Faithful ones might have wondered whether Jehovah really distinguished between their resolute
loyalty to him and the hypocritical
worship of apostates. (Acts 20:29,
30) Pauls letter no doubt strengthened Timothys faith by reminding
him of what happened when faithful Aaron was vindicated and hypocritical Korah and his companions
were exposed, rejected, and destroyed. In eect, Paul was saying
that even though there were counterfeit Christians in their midst, Jehovah would recognize those who
really belonged to him, just as he
did in the days of Moses. (Num. 26:
10) Jehovah never changes; he is
dependable. He hates unrighteousness, and in due time he brings unrepentant wrongdoers to justice.
w14 7/15 1:3, 10-12
Tuesday, May 3
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him
lord.1 Pet. 3:6.
It is hard to imagine that serious cries of complaint would have
come from the lips of Abrahams
respectful wife, Sarah, when they
left the comforts of Ur and became
temporary residents living in tents
in another land. Consider also Rebekah, who was a blessed gift from
Jehovah and became an excellent
wife. It is no surprise that her husband, Isaac, fell in love with her,
and . . . found comfort after the loss
of his mother. (Gen. 24:67) And
how glad we are today that we have
in our midst godly women who are
like Sarah and Rebekah! During
their years of slavery in Egypt, the
Israelites increased greatly in number, and Pharaoh decreed that all
Hebrew male babies were to be destroyed at birth. However, consider
the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and
Puah. Because they had reverential
fear of Jehovah, they courageously
refused to practice infanticide. He
therefore rewarded them with their
own families.Ex. 1:15-21. w14 8/15
1:10, 11
Wednesday, May 4
We must enter into the Kingdom of
God through many tribulations.
Acts 14:22.
Does it shock you that you can
expect to face many tribulations
before you gain the prize of everlasting life? Likely not. Whether
you are new in the truth or you are
a longtime servant of Jehovah, you
know that hardship is an aspect of
life in Satans world. (Rev. 12:12)
Besides diculties that are common to menproblems that aect
all imperfect humansChristians
face an additional type of tribulation. (1 Cor. 10:13) What is it? Intense opposition because of their
steadfast obedience to Gods laws.
Jesus told his followers: A slave
is not greater than his master. If
they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you. (John 15:20)
Who is behind such opposition? Ultimately, it is Satan, whom the Bible
describes as a roaring lion who
is seeking to devour Gods people. (1 Pet. 5:8) Satan will use any
means he can to try to break the integrity of Jesus disciples. w14 9/15
2:1, 2
Thursday, May 5
I will put enmity between you and
the woman and between your ospring and her ospring.
Gen. 3:15.
The woman producing the ospring is none other than the Jerusalem abovethe heavenly part
of Gods organization, made up of
loyal spirit creatures. (Gal. 4:26, 31)
As the Abrahamic covenant promised, the ospring of the woman
would bring blessings to mankind.
(Gen. 12:1-3) The Abrahamic covenant points to the King and to his
corulers in Gods Kingdom, and it
forms the legal foundation of the
Kingdom of the heavens. (Heb. 6:
13-18) It is an everlasting covenant, states Genesis 17:7. It remains in eect until the Messianic Kingdom destroys Gods enemies
and all the families of the earth
have been blessed. (1 Cor. 15:23-26)
In fact, those who will then live on
earth will benet in an everlasting
way. Gods covenant with Abraham
shows that Jehovah is determined
to fulll his purpose that righteous
humans ll the earth!Gen. 1:28.
w14 10/15 1:6, 11, 12
Friday, May 6
[David] foresaw and spoke about
the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he forsaken in the
Grave nor did his esh see corruption.Acts 2:31.
Gods Word foretold the resurrection of Jesus. For example, David wrote that Gods chief loyal one would not be left in the
Grave. (Ps. 16:10) On the day of
Pentecost 33 C.E., the apostle Peter applied that prophetic verse to
Jesus. (Acts 2:23-27) A reason why
we know that Jesus was restored to
life is that we have the testimony of
many witnesses. Over a period of
40 days, the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples in the garden where the tomb was located as
well as on the road to Emmaus and
elsewhere. (Luke 24:13-15) On those
occasions, he spoke to individuals, including Peter, and to groups.
Why, the resurrected Jesus once
appeared to a crowd of more than
500 people! Testimony involving so
many eyewitnesses cannot be discounted. w14 11/15 1:11, 12
Saturday, May 7
The Kingdom of the heavens is like
leaven that a woman took and
mixed with three large measures of
our until the whole mass was fermented.Matt. 13:33.
This illustration refers to the
Kingdom message and what it produces. The whole mass of our
represents all the nations, and the
fermenting process pictures the
spread of the Kingdom message by
means of the preaching work. The
spreading of the leaven is initially unseen. It is not until some time
later that the eects become evident. Jesus used this illustration
to show that the Kingdom me ssage has power to spread pervasively and to cause changes. The
Kingdom message has reached the
most distant part of the earth.
(Acts 1:8) However, the changes
caused by the message are not always discernible; some of the effects may even go unnoticed at
rst. But there is changenot just
change with regard to numbers
but also change in the personality
of those who accept this pervasive
message.Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:22, 23.
w14 12/15 1:10, 11
Sunday, May 8
Show yourselves thankful.
Col. 3:15.
Why should we remain alert to
the danger of losing our appreciation for Jehovahs goodness? Because we have inherited a tendency to be unthankful. Consider: Our
original parents, Adam and Eve,
were placed in a paradise garden.
All their needs were lled, and
they had the prospect of living forever in peace. (Gen. 1:28) But they
did not appreciate their blessings.
They greedily desired more. As a
result, they lost everything. (Gen.
3:6, 7, 17-19) Surrounded by an unthankful world, we too could begin to lose sight of all that Jehovah
has done for us. We could begin to
take our friendship with him for
granted. We might lose appreciation for the privilege that we have
to be part of our worldwide brotherhood. We could become absorbed
in things of this world that will
soon pass away. (1 John 2:15-17)
To avoid that downward spiral, we
want to meditate on our blessings
and regularly thank Jehovah for
the privilege we have of being his
people.Ps. 27:4. w15 1/15 1:5, 8
Monday, May 9
Who are you to be judging your
neighbor?Jas. 4:12.
Humility restrains us from overstepping our authority. If we recognize that we are not authorized
to sit in judgment, we will not be
quick to criticize others for their
faults or question their motives.
(Luke 6:37) Humility helps us to
avoid being overly righteous,
looking down on those who may
not have the abilities or privileges
that we have. (Eccl. 7:16) Humble
elders do not view themselves as
superior to fellow believers. Rather, such shepherds consider others superior and conduct themselves as lesser ones. (Phil. 2:3;
Luke 9:48) If we are truly lowly in
heart, our words will reect humility. (Luke 6:45) In conversations
with others, we will avoid focusing
on our own achievements and privileges. (Prov. 27:2) Instead, we will
look for the good in our brothers
and sisters and commend them for
their positive qualities, abilities,
and accomplishments.Prov. 15:23.
w15 2/15 1:8, 10
Tuesday, May 10
The Kingdom of the heavens may
be likened to ten virgins who took
their lamps and went out to meet
the bridegroom.Matt. 25:1.
Who is the bridegroom of the parable? Clearly, Jesus was talking
about himself. Why, on a dierent
occasion, he even referred to himself as the bridegroom! (Luke 5:34,
35) What about the virgins? In the
parable, Jesus says that the virgins
have the responsibility to be ready
with their lamps lit when the bridegroom arrives. Note the similar di-
rections that Jesus gave to his little ock of anointed followers: Be

dressed and ready and have your
lamps burning, and you should be
like men waiting for their master
to return from the marriage. (Luke
12:32, 35, 36) Furthermore, both
the apostle Paul and the apostle
John were inspired to liken Christs
anointed followers to chaste virgins. (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 14:4) Clearly,
Jesus intended the parable recorded at Matthew 25:1-13 as counsel
and a warning to his anointed followers. w15 3/15 2:2, 4
Wednesday, May 11
He considered me faithful by
assigning me to a ministry.
1 Tim. 1:12.
It is Jehovah who has commissioned you to a ministry, and he will
help you to succeed. How? First, Jehovah reassures you: I will fortify
you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand
of righteousness. (Isa. 41:10) Second, he reminds you that his promises are trustworthy: I have spoken, and I will bring it about. I have
purposed it, and I will also carry it
out. (Isa. 46:11) Third, Jehovah endows you with power beyond what
is normal to accomplish your ministry. (2 Cor. 4:7) Fourth, to help you
endure in your assignment, our caring Father gives you a global brotherhood of true worshippers who
keep encouraging one another and
building one another up. (1 Thess.
5:11) As Jehovah equips you to fulll your assignments, your faith in
him will grow and you will appreciate that your privileges in his service are riches greater than any
earthly treasure. w14 4/15 1:12, 13
Thursday, May 12
Let your words always be gracious,
seasoned with salt, so that you will
know how you should answer each
person.Col. 4:6.
In our ministry, we may meet
someone who believes that all good
people go to heaven. Such a belief
may aect the way the householder
interprets the Bible. For example,
suppose we were to consider with
him Revelation 21:4. The person
might assume that the blessings described in that verse apply to life in
heaven. How could we reason with
him? Rather than using additional
proof texts, we could focus on a detail right in that scripture. It says
that death will be no more. We
could ask the person if he agrees
that in order for something to be
no more, it had to exist in the rst
place. Likely, he will say yes. Then
we could point out that there has
never been death in heaven; people die only here on earth. Logically, then, Revelation 21:4 must be referring to future blessings here on
earth.Ps. 37:29. w14 5/15 1:11
Friday, May 13
The members of the body that seem
to be weaker are necessary.
1 Cor. 12:22.
Pauls illustration of the human
body highlights that all members of
the Christian congregation are useful. Unlike Satan, who strips humans of their dig nity, Jehovah
views all of his servants, including those who seem to be weaker,
as necessary. (Job 4:18, 19) That
thought should help each of us to
feel good about our role in the local
congregation and about being part
of the congregation of Gods people earth wide. Think of a time, for
example, when you held out your

arm to an elderly person who was
in need of help. You may have had
to adjust your pace. Did not providing assistance serve a useful purpose as well as make you feel good?
Yes, when we respond to the needs
of others, we experience the joy of
caring for them, and we grow in patience, love, and maturity. (Eph. 4:
15, 16) Our loving Father knows
that a congregation that values all
members, regardless of their limitations, reects balance and love.
w14 6/15 3:5
Saturday, May 14
You should be holy, because I,
Jehovah your God, am holy.
Lev. 19:2.
The Israelites were commanded
to train their children to observe
Gods standards of holiness. (Deut.
6:6, 7) What a ne pattern this sets
for Christian parents today, who
must likewise train their children
in the ways of holiness, thereby
helping them to bring honor to
Gods glorious name! (Prov. 1:8;
Eph. 6:4) When the Israelites were
faithful, they gave a ne witness
to Gods name. They had been told:
All the peoples of the earth will
have to see that Jehovahs name
has been called upon you, and they
will be afraid of you. (Deut. 28:
10) Sadly, however, Israelite history was mostly a record of unfaithfulness. Time and again, they
returned to the worship of manmade idols. Moreover, like the Canaanite gods they worshipped, they
became cruel, sacricing their children and oppressing the poor. What
a powerful lesson this is for us to
strive always to be holy in imitation
of the Most Holy One, whose name
we bear! w14 7/15 3:6, 7
Sunday, May 15
Draw close to God, and he will draw
close to you.Jas. 4:8.
Jehovah showed his love for the
human family by creating our beautiful earthly home. He still expresses his love for us by sustaining
our life by means of his marvelous physical provisions. (Acts 17:28;
Rev. 4:11) More important, Jehovah looks after our spiritual needs.
(Luke 12:42) He also assures us
that he personally listens as we
pray to him. ( 1 John 5:14 ) However, the foremost way in which
God draws us to himself and we are
drawn to him is through the love he
expresses by means of the ransom.
(1 John 4:9, 10, 19) Jehovah sent
his only-begotten Son to the earth
so that we might be delivered from
sin and death. (John 3:16) Jehovah
has made it possible even for people who lived before the time of
Christ to benet from the ransom.
From the moment Jehovah prophesied about a future Savior for
mankind, the ransom was as good
as paid from his viewpoint, for he
knew that his purpose would not
fail.Gen. 3:15. w14 8/15 3:7, 8
Monday, May 16
The one who has dealings with the
stupid will fare badly.Prov. 13:20.
A child could drift away gradually on a spiritually dangerous path,
being tempted by harmful association or degrading entertainment.
To prevent such a situation from
developing, act quickly if you recog nize potential weak spots.
Work at fortifying Christian qualities that your children have but
that may need to be strengthened.
(2 Pet. 1:5-8) The regular period

for family worship is an excellent
time for you to do that. In outlining
this arrangement, the October 2008
Kingdom Ministry stated: Family
heads are encouraged to shoulder
their responsibility before Jehovah
to ensure that a meaningful, regular program of family Bible study
is followed. Are you taking full advantage of this loving provision to
shepherd your children? Trust that
your children deeply appreciate
your putting priority on taking care
of their spiritual need.Matt. 5:3;
Phil. 1:10. w14 9/15 3:10, 11
Tuesday, May 17
Let your light shine before men, so
that they may see your ne works
and give glory to your Father who is
in the heavens.Matt. 5:16.
Moses was given specic instructions for building the tabernacle
and organizing the prie sthood ,
which he followed closely. (Ex. 39:
32; 40:12-16) Even today, we benet from his faithfulness in fullling that assignment. How so? The
apostle Paul explained that those
features of the Law were illustrative of good things to come. (Heb.
9:1-5, 9; 10:1) The work God gives
his servants diers from time to
time according to the progressive
outworking of his purpose. Still,
the work they have been assigned
has always gloried Jehovah and
beneted believing mankind. This
certainly applies to the things Jesus accomplished, both during his
prehuman existence and later while
he was here on earth. (John 4:34;
17:4) Similarly, the work assigned
to us today glorie s Jehovah.
1 Cor. 15:58. w14 10/15 3:5, 6
Wednesday, May 18
You must not take vengeance nor
hold a grudge against the sons
of your people, and you must love
your fellow man as yourself.
Lev. 19:18.
If we are to please Jehovah, we
must hold rmly to his laws and
principles, never adopting an unholy, compromising attitude toward
them. Although we are not under
the Mosaic Law, its requirements
give us insight into what is acceptable or unacceptable in Gods sight.
For example, Jehovah expects us
to refrain from taking vengeance,
and he wants us to avoid harboring a grudge. (Rom. 12:19) Were
we to ignore divine laws and principles, the Devil would be delighted, and we might bring reproach on
Jehovah. Even if someone has deliberately hurt us, let us not allow
ourselves to be vessels in which resentment is stored. God has given
us the privilege of being earthen
vessels containing the treasure of
the ministry. (2 Cor. 4:1, 7) Acidlike
resentment does not belong in such
vessels! w14 11/15 3:3, 4
Thursday, May 19
Get out of this place, because
Jehovah will destroy the
city!Gen. 19:14.
In the past, Jehovah was pleased
to protect his people when they
unitedly helped one another to face
distressing times. Modern-day servants of God, whether young or
old, can learn from Bible examples.
One such example involved Lot.
Lot and his family were in a perilous situation because destruction
was going to come on Sodom, the
city where they lived. Gods angels

urged Lot to leave and to nd safety in the mountainous region, saying: Escape for your life! (Gen.
19:12-22) Lot obeyed, and his two
daughters cooperated with him
in leaving the city. Sadly, others
close to them did not. To the younger men who were engaged to Lots
daughters, the older man seemed
to be joking. That cost them their
lives. Only Lot and his daughters,
who stuck close to him, survived.
w14 12/15 3:5, 6
Friday, May 20
A threefold cord cannot quickly be
torn apart.Eccl. 4:12.
The cornerstone of a secure marriage is loyalty and submission to
the One who instituted marriage.
Husbands and wives can include
Jehovah in their marriage by following his loving guidance. The Bible says about Gods anc ient
people: Your own ears will hear
a word behind you saying, This
is the way. Walk in it, in case you
should go to the right or in case
you should go to the left. (Isa. 30:
20, 21) Today, couples can hear
Jehovahs word by reading Gods
Word together. (Ps. 1:1-3) They can
further strengthen their marriage
by means of a Family Worship program that is both enjoyable and
spiritually refreshing. Daily prayer
together is also invaluable in building a marriage that can withstand
the onslaughts of Satans world.
When couples work hard to keep
God in their marriage by engaging in spiritual activities together,
they are bonded to God and to each
other in a close and happy union.
w15 1/15 3:5, 6
Saturday, May 21
This good news of the Kingdom will
be preached in all the inhabited
earth for a witness to all the
nations.Matt. 24:14.
Jesus disciples knew that they
could not accomplish the preaching work on their own. Jesus had
said that he would be with them
and that the holy spirit would assist them. (Matt. 28:20) In some
respects, circumstances existing
in the world of that day may have
been favorable for Kingdom
preaching. The book Evangelis m
in the Early Church states: Probably no period in the history of the
world was better suited to receive
the infant Church than the rst
century AD . . . By the second century Christians . . . began to argue that it was a divine providence
which had prepared the world for
the advent of Christianity. To what
extent God maneuvered rstcentury developments to make extensive preaching work possible,
the Bible does not say. But this
much is certain: Jehovah wanted
the good news to be preached, and
Satan did not. w15 2/15 3:1, 5, 6
Sunday, May 22
[He] entrusted his belongings to
them.Matt. 25:14.
The parable of the talents reveals
that the master gave to one slave
ve talents, to another two, and
to still another just one. (Matt. 25:
15) Although each slave received
a dierent number, the master expected all of them to be diligent in
using the talents, that is, in serving to the best of their ability in
the ministry. (Matt. 22:37; Col. 3:
23) In the rst century, starting
at Pentecost 33 C.E., Christs followers began doing business with

the talents. Their diligence in the
preaching and disc iple-mak ing
work is well-documented in the
Bible book of Acts. (Acts 6:7; 12:
24; 19:20) After the death of the
apostles, Satan fomented apostasy, which ourished for many centuries. During that time, there were
no sustained eorts to fulll the
commission to make genuine disciples of Christ. But that would all
change during the harvest, that
is, the last days.Matt. 13:24-30, 3643. w15 3/15 3:4, 8
Monday, May 23
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Prov. 30:8.
Jehovah does not want his servants to live in abject poverty, and
migration is one of the oldest remedies for poverty. (Ps. 37:25) To
avoid starvation, the patriarch Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy
food. (Gen. 42:1, 2) Today, most
who choose to emig rate do not
leave their homes because they are
starving. They may, however, be laboring under crushing debt. Others
simply desire to raise their familys
standard of living. In Jesus day,
many people were likewise poor
and disadvantaged, and they may
have felt that they would be happier and more secure if only they
had more money. (Mark 14:7) But
Jesus wanted people to place their
hope elsewhere. He wanted them to
rely on the Source of lasting riches
Jehovah. In Jesus Sermon on the
Mount, he explained that real happiness and security do not depend
on material things, nor on our own
eorts, but on our friendship with
our heavenly Father. w14 4/15 3:4, 5
Tuesday, May 24
God is a God not of disorder but of
peace.1 Cor. 14:33.
Jehovah, the Creator of the universe, does things in an organized
manner. His rst creation was his
only-begotten spirit Son, who is
called the Word because he is
Gods principal spokesman. The
Word has served Jehovah for ages,
for the Bible states: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God. A little over 2,000
years ago, God sent the Word to the
earth, where he faithfully did his
Fathers will as the perfect man Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-3, 14) During
his prehuman existence, Gods Son
served loyally as His master worker. (Prov. 8:30) By means of him,
Jehovah brought into existence
many millions of other spirit creatures in heaven. (Col. 1:16) Regarding such angels, one Bible account
informs us: A thousand thousands
kept ministering to [Jehovah].
(Dan. 7:10) Gods numerous spirit creatures are referred to as the
well-organized armies of Jehovah.Ps. 103:21. w14 5/15 3:1, 2
Wednesday, May 25
A word spoken at the right time
how good it is!Prov. 15:23.
We can stimulate fellow believers
to make spiritual advancement by
working along with them. An elder
might ask a young brother who is
good at using computers to print
some information from jw.org that
could be encouraging for the elderly ones who do not have computers. Or if you are involved in doing work around the Kingdom Hall,
why not invite a young brother to
work along with you? Such initiatives will give you the opportunity to observe young ones and oer
commendation and see the results.
More and more people are joining
with us in the worldwide congregation. All experienced Christians
not just elderscan help young
brothers and new ones to achieve
their full potential. Thus more and
more will take up the full-time ministry, and more and more will be
qualied to teach others.2 Tim.
2:2. w14 6/15 4:18, 19
Thursday, May 26
If you are being reproached for the
name of Christ, you are happy, because the spirit of glory, yes, the
spirit of God, is resting upon you.
1 Pet. 4:14.
It is good for us to remember that
in the rst century, genuine Christians were hated by manyif not
the majorityof their contemporaries. Can the inspired words of
todays text be applied to Jehovahs Witnesse s today? Ye s, indeed, because we bear witness to
Jesus kingship. Thus, being hated for bearing Jehovahs name is
the same as being reproached for
the name of [Jesus] Christ, who
said to his opposers: I have come
in the name of my Father, but you
do not receive me. (John 5:43) So
the next time you experience opposition in your witne ssing work ,
take courage. Such mistreatment is
proof that you have Gods smile of
approval and that his spirit is resting upon you. At the same time, remember that ne increases are being enjoyed in many parts of the
world. w14 7/15 4:14-16
Friday, May 27
Guard against every sort of greed.
Luke 12:15.
Greed may start small, but if it
is not curbed, it can grow rapidly and overcome a person. The Bible account of Achan illustrates
the power of g reed . Note how
quickly Achans greed progressed.
He stated: When I saw among the
spoil a good-looking ocial garment from Shinar and 200 shekels
of silver and one gold bar weighing 50 shekels, I desired them, so I
took them. Instead of rejecting the
wrong desire, Achan greedily stole
the goods and hid them in his tent.
When Achans wrongdoing came to
light, Joshua told him that Jehovah would bring disaster upon him.
Achan and his family were stoned
to death on that very day. (Josh. 7:
1 1 , 21 , 24 , 25 ) Greed is an everpresent danger that can overtake
us. While we may occasionally have
an unwholesome thought or imagine immoral things, it is vital that
we bring our mind under control
and not allow our desires to escalate to the point that we commit a
sin.Jas. 1:14, 15. w14 8/15 4:13
Saturday, May 28
They embraced Paul and aectionately kissed him.Acts 20:37.
Circuit overseers and their wives
are often viewed as spiritually
strong, resilient people. This is
true of them, yet they too need encouragement, companionship in
the ministry, and inclusion in a balanced amount of recreation. What
if they get sick and are hospitalized, perhaps needing surgery or
physical therapy? How refreshing
they nd it when local brothers and
sisters assist with their needs and
take a personal interest in them.

We can imagine the concern that
the beloved physician Luke, writer of the book of Acts, must have
shown toward Paul and other traveling companions. (Col. 4:14; Acts
20: 5 21 :18) Traveling overseers
and their wive s need and cherish close friends. One circuit overseer wrote: My friends seem to
know when I need encouragement.
They ask discerning que stions,
and this helps me to talk about
what concerns me. Just by being
good listeners, they are a great
help. w14 9/15 5:13, 14
Sunday, May 29
Where are your gods that you made
for yourself? Let them rise up if
they can save you in your time of
calamity.Jer. 2:28.
Israel did not prove faithful to Jehovah. They allowed themselves to
be inuenced by nations that worshipped gods of wood and stone.
Instead of producing ne fruitage by practic ing pure worship
and acting as Jehovahs faithful
witnesses, Israel produced the rotten fruitage of idolatry. (Hos. 10:
1, 2) Thus, Jesus told the hypocritical Jewish leaders of his day:
The Kingdom of God will be taken
from you and be given to a nation
producing its fruits. (Matt. 21:43)
Only those in the new covenant,
foretold by Jehovah through his
prophet Jeremiah, could be part of
that new nation, spiritual Israel. Of
the spiritual Israelites who would
be brought into that new covenant,
Jehovah had prophesied: I will become their God, and they will become my people. (Jer. 31:31-33) Jehovah made spiritual Israel his
people in the rst century. w14 11/15
4:17-19
Monday, May 30
Tuesday, May 31
Keep this mental attitude in you

that was also in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 2:5.
Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate.Eph. 4:32.
What sort of disposition did Jesus have? He was humble. Humility moved him to be self-sacricing
in his ministry. Preaching to others about the good news of Gods
Kingdom was foremost in his mind.
(Mark 1 :38; 13:10 ) Je sus viewed
Gods Word as the nal authority. (John 7:16; 8:28) He diligently
studied the Holy Scriptures so that
he could quote them, defend them,
and explain them. By being humble and zealous in our ministry
and personal Bible study, we will
be more Christlike in our thinking.
Even in his exalted position, Jesus
will humbly submit to his Fathers
will, and so should we. (1 Cor. 15:28;
Phil. 2:9-11) How so? By giving our
wholehearted support to the work
that we have been instructed to do,
that is, to make disciples of people of all the nations. (Matt. 28:
19) Also, we want to work what is
good toward all, doing good to our
neighbor and to our brothers.Gal.
6:10. w14 10/15 4:17, 18
Wednesday, June 1
I am longing for all of you with such
tender aection as Christ Jesus
has.Phil. 1:8.
Jesus felt tender compassion for
others. When he saw his friend
Mary and those with her weeping
over the death of her brother, Lazarus, Jesus openly gave way to
tears. (John 11:32-35) Then, likely stirred by heartfelt pityjust as
when he raised a widows sonhe
resurrected Lazarus. (Luke 7:1115; John 11:38-44) By means of that
Grac ious speech is without a

doubt one of the keys to marital
stability. How sad it would be if
marriage mates spoke to each other with less respect than they do
to total strangers or even to their
pets! When couples lash out with
malicious bitterness, anger, wrath,
screaming, and abusive speech,
they erode the spiritual defenses of
their marriage. (Eph. 4:31) Instead
of undermining their marriage with
constant criticism or biting sarcasm, couples need to buttre ss
their relationship with words that
are kind, tender, and compassionate. A husband and wife do not
solve their problems by screaming
or by refusing to talk to each other.
Instead, they fortify their marriage
by choosing not to let disagreements become habitual or deteriorate into protracted arguments.
Therefore, even in dicult situations, endeavor to make what you
say gracious, both in your tone of
voice and in your choice of words.
Col. 4:6. w15 1/15 4:13-15
tender act , Jesus may have put
Lazarus in line to receive life in
heaven. On an earlier occasion, Jesus felt tender aection for a
crowd that came to him. Impelled
by compassion, he started to
teach them many things. (Mark 6:
34; Kingdom Interlinear) What a lifechanging experience that was for
any who responded to his teachings! Note that Jesus tenderness
was more than a feeling; it moved
him to take the initiative to help
others.Matt. 15:32-38; 20:29-34;
Mark 1:40-42. w15 2/15 1:11, 12
Thursday, June 2
The bridegroom came.
Matt. 25:10.
Jesus prophecy recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25 contains
eight references to his coming;
in each case, a form of the same
Greek word is used. In every instance, Jesus was referring to the
time during the great tribulation
when he will come to carry out the
judging work and then the destruction of this world system of things.
Evidently, then, this parable of the
ten virgins applies during the last
days, but its climax comes during the great tribulation. (Matt.
25:1-13) What is the parables basic message? Remember the context. Jesus had just discussed his
faithful and discreet slave. (Matt.
24:45-47) That slave would prove to
be a small group of anointed men
who would take the lead among
Christs followers during the last
days. Jesus warned those men that
they must remain faithful. Next, he
broadened his focus and gave this
parable to admonish all his anointed followers to keep on the watch
lest they miss out on their precious
reward. w15 3/15 2:5, 6
Friday, June 3
[Moses] looked intently toward the
payment of the reward.
Heb. 11:26.
Like his forefather Abraham, Moses was condent that Jehovah can
resurrect the dead. (Luke 20:37, 38;
Heb. 11:17-19) The prospect of future blessings helped Moses not to
view his 40 years as a fugitive and
his 40 years in the wilderness as
a wasted life. Although he did not
have all the details regarding the
outworking of Gods promises, his
eyes of faith could see the unseen

reward. Do you look intently toward the payment of your reward?
Like Moses, we still do not have all
the details regarding Gods promises. For example, we do not know
when the appointed time is for the
great tribulation. (Mark 13:32, 33)
Yet, we know far more about the
future Paradise than Moses knew.
Even without all the details, we
have enough divine promises about
life under Gods Kingdom to look
intently toward it. A clear mental image of the new world will
move us to seek that Kingdom rst.
w14 4/15 1:14, 15
Saturday, June 4
Jesus spoke to the crowds by
illustrations.Matt. 13:34.
Simple illustrations are often the
best kind to use. For example, when
explaining to a householder that
God is superior to Jesus, we can
mention that both God and Jesus
used a family reference when describing their relationship. God referred to Jesus as his Son, and Jesus spoke of God as his Father.
(Luke 3:21, 22; John 14:28) Next, we
might ask: If you wanted to teach
me that two people are equal, what
type of family relationship would
you use to illustrate the point?
The person may mention siblings
even twins. If he does, we could
point out how natural that comparison seems to be. Then we might
ask: If you and I could come up
with this illustration so readily,
would not Jesusthe Great Teacherhave thought of the same comparison? Instead, he spoke of God
as being his Father. Jesus thus portrayed God as being older and having more authority than he had.
w14 5/15 1:12, 13
Sunday, June 5
Many are the hardships of the righteous one, but Jehovah rescues him
from them all.Ps. 34:19.
Because we know that our loving
God is always ready to help those
who are faithful to him, we
feel secure as part of the ock of
his pasture. (Ps. 79:13) Moreover,
Gods love for us will be evident in
what he will accomplish in our behalf through the Messianic Kingdom. After his chosen King, Jesus
Christ, rids the earth of violence,
oppression, and wickedness, obedient mankind will be blessed with
lasting peace and prosperity. (Ps.
72:7, 12-14, 16) Right now, however,
Jehovah has favored us with the
priceless privilege of serving as
his Witnesses. (Isa. 43:10-12) We
love God for granting us this opportunity to support his sovereignty and to bring true hope to people
in this troubled world. Moreover,
we can speak with faith and conviction because we are declaring good
news based on the Word of the true
God, whose hope-inspiring promises never fail.Josh. 21:45; 23:14.
w14 6/15 1:13, 14
Monday, June 6
him.2 Chron. 16:9.
Jehovah is intensely interested in
those who belong to him. Therefore, we can have absolute condence that what we do for Jehovah out of a clean heart is never
in vain. (1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Cor. 15:58) It
is also sobering to know that Jehovah does not tolerate hypocriti-
cal worship. As his eyes are roving about through all the earth,
he can detect those whose heart
is not complete toward him. Jehovah detests a devious person,
says Proverbs 3:32, such as one
who deliberately puts up a front,
feigning obedience while practicing sin in secret. Although a devious person may skillfully deceive
other humans for a while, Jehovahs almightiness and righteousness guarantee that the one covering over his transgressions will not
succeed.Prov. 28:13; 1 Tim. 5:24;
Heb. 4:13. w14 7/15 1:13, 14
Tuesday, June 7
[Abigail] was discerning and
beautiful.1 Sam. 25:3.
Abigail was a noteworthy woman
who lived in the 11th century B.C.E.
She had discernment, whereas her
husband, Nabal, was harsh, worthless, and senseless. David and his
men protected Nabals possessions
for a time, but when they asked for
provisions, he screamed insults at
them and gave them nothing. This
angered David so much that he
planned to do away with Nabal and
his men. Hearing about this, Abigail took food and drink to David
and his men, thereby preventing
bloodshed. ( 1 Sam. 25 :8 -18 ) David later said to her: Praise Jehovah the God of Israel, who sent you
this day to meet me! (1 Sam. 25:
32) In 455 B.C.E., among those who
helped to repair the walls of Jerusalem were the daughters of Shallum, a prince of half the district of
Jerusalem. (Neh. 3:12) They willingly did menial work. How we appreciate the many Christian women who joyfully support theocratic
building projects in various ways
today! w14 8/15 1:13, 14
Wednesday, June 8
A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you.
John 15:20.
More than once, Paul was persecuted because of his faith.
(2 Cor. 11:23-27) One such incident
occurred in Lystra. After healing
a man who was lame from birth,
Paul and his companion Barnabas
were hailed as gods. The two had
to beg the ecstatic crowd not to
worship them! All too soon, however, Jewish opposers arrived, and
they used slander to poison the
minds of the people. Quickly the
tide turned! The people now pelted Paul with stones and left him
for dead. (Acts 14:8-19) After visiting Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. There they strengthened the
disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith and saying: We
must enter into the Kingdom of
God through many tribulations.
Acts 14:21, 22. w14 9/15 2:2-4
Thursday, June 9
Your throne will be rmly established forever.2 Sam. 7:16.
Jehovah made this covenant with
David during Davids reign in Jerusalem, promising him that the
Messiah would be his descendant.
(Luke 1:30-33) Thus, Jehovah further narrowed the line of descent
of the ospring of the woman and
established that an heir of David
would have the legal right to the
throne of the Messianic Kingdom.
(Ezek. 21:25-27) Through Jesus, Davids kingship will be rmly established forever. (Ps. 89:34 -37)
Yes, the Messiahs rule will nev-
er become corrupt, and its accomplishments will last forever! While

the Davidic covenant makes it certain that the ospring would have
a kingly function, that role alone
would not suce to bring blessings to people of all nations. (Gen.
3:15) For them to be truly blessed,
they would have to be freed from
their sinful state and brought into
Jehovahs universal family. To accomplish this requires that the ospring also serve in a priestly capacity. w14 10/15 1:14, 15
Friday, June 10
You will not leave me in the Grave.
Ps. 16:10.
One reason why we know that Jesus resurrection occurred is the
zeal that his disciples showed in
proclaiming it. Zealously bearing
witness to the resurrection of the
Christ exposed them to persecution, suering, and death. If Jesus
had not been raised upif it was
all a hoaxwhy would Peter risk
his life to proclaim Christs resurrection to the relig ious leaders, who hated Jesus and had plotted his death? It was because Peter
and the other disciples were certain that Jesus was alive and was
directing the work that God wanted done. Moreover, Jesus resurrection assured his followers that
they too would be resurrected .
For instance, Stephen died with
the conviction that there would be
a resurrection of the dead. (Acts
7:55-60) We would probably never have heard of Jesus had he not
been resurrected. But we have solid reasons to believe that Jesus
is alive and is now guiding and directing us as we proclaim the good
news far and wide. w14 11/15 1:11,
13, 14
Saturday, June 11
You will receive power when the
holy spirit comes upon you, and you
will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the most distant part of the
earth.Acts 1:8.
The unseen power of the Kingdom message to change people has
particularly been evident in countries where the Kingdom work is legally restricted. It is hard to know
how far the message has reached
in such countries, and we are often surprised by the results. Take
Cuba, for example. The Kingdom
me ssage reached there in 1910,
and Brother Russell visited Cuba
in 1913. However, the progress was
slow at rst. What do we now see in
Cuba? In 2013, there were over 96,000 publishers preaching the good
news, and 229,726 attended the Memorialthat is 1 out of every 48 inhabitants of that island nation.
Even in countries that are not under ban, the Kingdom message may
have reached into areas where local Witnesses think that little witnessing can be done.Eccl. 8:7;
11:5. w14 12/15 1:11, 13
Sunday, June 12
Go, therefore, and make disciples
of people of all the nations.
Matt. 28:19.
First-century Christians made
good use of the Roman system of
roads. Roman engineers constructed over 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of
roads that linked nearly every province. The roads cut through forests,
crossed deserts, and scaled mountains. In addition to their system of
roads, the Romans could take advantage of some 17,000 miles (27,-
000 km) of navigable rivers and canals. Roman ships traveled some
900 sea routes that linked hundreds
of ports. Christians could therefore
travel throughout the Roman world.
There were dicultie s, but the
apostle Paul and others could journey throughout the realm without
passports and visas. There were no
immigration and customs checks.
Outlaws feared Roman punishment,
so roads were relatively safe. Travel by sea was similarly safe because
Romes navies kept sea lanes free of
piracy. w15 2/15 3:1, 9, 10
Monday, June 13
The peace of God . . . will guard
your hearts.Phil. 4:7.
Having a grateful heart can help
us to cope with grievous trials.
We may feel overwhelmed if we
are suddenly confronted with lifealtering circumstances, such as the
unfaithfulness of a marriage mate,
a life-threatening illness, the death
of a loved one, or the devastating eects of a natural disaster.
At such times, we will be comforted and strengthened by reecting on our blessings. Irina, a regular pioneer in North America, was
married to an elder who proved
unfaithful and abandoned her and
their children. What helped Irina to
go on serving Jehovah faithfully?
She says: I am grateful for Jehovahs personal care for me as an individual. By choosing to count my
blessings each day, I can see what
a privilege it is to be known and
loved by our protective heavenly
Father. I know that he will never
abandon me. Her joyful spirit continues to sustain her, and she is a
source of encouragement to others.
w15 1/15 1:9, 10, 13
Tuesday, June 14
They will become one ock, one
shepherd.John 10:16.
Jesus illustration of the sheep
and the goats teaches us that those
with the earthly hope have the honor of loyally supporting Je sus
anointed brothers in the preaching
and teaching work. (Matt. 25:31-46)
During these critical last days, the
two groups work together as one
ock in zealously carrying out
the work of making disciples. The
Master rightly expects results. His
faithful disciples in the rst century certainly increased his belongings. What about in this time of
the end? Jesus faithful, hardworking servants have carried out the
greatest preaching and disciplemaking work in history. Their collective eort has resulted in hundreds of thousands of new disciples
being added to the ranks of Kingdom proclaimers each year, making the preaching and teaching
work an outstanding feature of the
sign of Jesus presence in Kingdom
power. Surely their Master must be
pleased! w15 3/15 3:9, 10
Wednesday, June 15
Keep . . . seeking rst the Kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these
other things will be added to you.
Matt. 6:33.
We can trust that Jehovah will
bless us as he promises. Seeking
rst Gods righteousness includes
viewing family obligations as Jehovah does. The Law of Moses contains this principle that applies to
Christians: Parents need to give
their own children spiritual training. (Deut. 6:6, 7) God has assigned
this responsibility to the parents,
not to grandparents or to anyone

else. King Solomon stated: Listen,
my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the instruction of your mother. (Prov. 1:8)
Jehovah intended that both parents be physically present to share
in guiding and teaching their children. (Prov. 31:10, 27, 28) Much of
what children learn from their parents, especially in spiritual matters, comes from hearing them converse about Jehovah on a daily
basis and from observing their example rsthand. w14 4/15 3:6, 7
Thursday, June 16
Lift up your eyes to heaven and see.
Who has created these things?
Isa. 40:26.
Regarding stars, the Houston,
Texas, Chronicle reports on a recent
study suggesting that there are
300 sextillion of them. . . . That is
a 3 followed by 23 zeros. The stars
are organized into galaxies, each
containing billions or even trillions of stars, as well as many planets. Most galaxies are further organized into groups called clusters
and into larger superclusters. Like
the righteous spirit creatures in
heaven, the physical heavens are
superbly organized . ( Dan. 7:10 )
Therefore, it is logical to conclude
that Jehovah would organize his
servants on earth. That is vitally important because they have so
much important work to do. The
splendid record of faithful service established by Jehovahs worshippers past and present provides
powerful evidence that he has been
with them and that he is a God not
of disorder but of peace.1 Cor.
14:33, 40. w14 5/15 3:3, 4
Friday, June 17
Happy is anyone who shows consideration to the lowly one.Ps. 41:1.
When we assist the lowly one,
not only do we imitate Jehovah but
we also gain his approval. (Eph.
5:1) Admittedly, though, a negative
view of those in need may at times
hold us back from assisting them.
Or because we are not sure of what
we should say, we may feel embarrassed and withdraw from some
who are having a hard time. Cynthia, a sister whose husband abandoned her, comments: If brothers avoid you or do not act the way
you would expect close friends
to act, it can hurt. When you are
going through trials, you need people around you. David of old knew
the feeling of being avoided. (Ps.
31:12) We will likely be more empathetic if we remember that some of
our dear brothers and sisters
have been weakened by adverse
c ircumstance ssuering from
poor health, living in a divided
household, or coping with depression. We might nd ourselves in a
similar situation one day. w14 6/15
3:7, 8
Saturday, June 18
How long, O Jehovah?
Isa. 6:11.
Isaiah wanted to know for how
long Gods nation would remain
unrepentant. Gods answer? Until the cities crash in ruins without
an inhabitant and the houses are
without people and the land is ruined and desolate. (Isa. 6:8-11) Isaiah received his commission in the
last year of King Uzziahs reign, or
about 778 B.C.E. He continued his
prophetic service for some 46 years

until after 732 B.C.E., well into the
reign of King Hezekiah. That was
125 years before Jerusalems destruction in 607 B.C.E. Thus, ample
advance notice of what was going
to happen to their nation in the future was given to Gods people.
Today, Jehovah has also had his
people give ample notice of what
lies ahead. For 135 years, from its
very rst issue, The Watchtower has
called on its readers to be awake to
the fact that Satans wicked rulership will soon end and be replaced
by the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ.Rev. 20:1-3, 6. w14 7/15
3:8, 9
Sunday, June 19
It is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous . . . through
the release by the ransom paid by
Christ Jesus.Rom. 3:24.
What a vital role Jesus has in our
being close to God! Only through
Jesus can humble people come to
know Jehovah and enjoy closeness
and intimacy with him. How do the
Scriptures highlight this truth?
Paul wrote: God recommends his
own love to us in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. (Rom. 5:6- 8) Jesus ransom
sacrifice was provided , not because we are worthy, but because
we are loved. No man can come to
me unless the Father, who sent me,
draws him, said Jesus. On another
occasion, he stated: No one comes
to the Father except through me.
(John 6:44; 14:6) It is by means of
holy spirit that Jehovah draws individuals to himself through Jesus
and helps them to remain in His
love with everlasting life in view.
Jude 20, 21. w14 8/15 3:8, 9
Monday, June 20
In a good pasture I will feed them.
Ezek. 34:14.
Parents, do you not have a similar goal spiritually? You want to
guide your children to serve Jehovah. You want your children to feel
as did the psalmist who wrote: To
do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is deep within
me. (Ps. 40:8) Young ones who develop such appreciation will dedicate their life to Jehovah and get
baptized . Understandably, they
should take such a step when they
are mature enough to make that decision and have a genuine desire
to serve Jehovah. What, though,
if your children do not seem to be
making spiritual progressperhaps
even questioning their faith? Strive
to inculcate in them a love for Jehovah God and an appreciation for
all that he has done. (Rev. 4:1 1 )
Then when they are in a position
to do so, they will be able to make
a personal decision about worshipping God. w14 9/15 3:13, 14
Tuesday, June 21
Be obedient to those who are taking
the lead among you.Heb. 13:17.
Faithful servants of Jehovah
have always been eager to submit
to theocratic direction. We may initially lack full understanding of the
reasons for carrying out our assigned work in a particular way.
Nevertheless, we are fully aware of
the benets of cooperating with Jehovah in any adjustments that he
sees t to make. A strong desire to
accomplish Jehovahs will is seen
in the way the elders take the lead
in the congregation. (2 Cor. 1:24;
1 Thess. 5:12, 13) They manifest a

willingness to work hard and to
keep in step with changing circumstances. They eagerly adjust to new
ways in which our work of preaching Gods established Kingdom is
to be done. Although some may at
rst have been hesitant about organizing telephone witnessing, harbor witnessing, or public witnessing, they soon saw good results.
Are you eager to try new witnessing initiatives? w14 10/15 3:8, 9
Wednesday, June 22
Stop keeping company with anyone
called a brother who is sexually
immoral.1 Cor. 5:11.
A heartrending experience for
Aarons family is recorded at Leviticus 10:1-11. They must have been
devastated when re from heaven
consumed Aarons sons Nadab and
Abihu at the tabernacle. What a
test of faith it was for Aaron and
his family not to mourn their dead
relatives! Are you personally proving yourself holy with regard to not
associating with family members
or others who have been disfellowshipped? We may not face as severe a test as that experienced by
Aaron and his family. But what if
we were invited to attend and participate in a church wedding of a
non-Witness relative? No explicit
Scriptural command forbids us to
attend, but there are Bible principles involved in making such a decision. Of course, we try to avoid
oending our relatives, but it is
usually best to speak with them in
a kind, though straightforward,
waywell in advance of the event.
w14 11/15 3:5-7
Thursday, June 23
A vast mixed company also went
with them.Ex. 12:38.
When the Israelites left Egypt,
they did not do so as various independent g roups, each g roup
going its own way. And when Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea and Jehovah split the sea
apart, Moses did not go through
alone or with just a few of the Israelites. Rather, with Jehovahs protection, the entire congregation
passed through. (Ex. 14:21, 22, 29,
30) They displayed a spirit of unity,
and they were accompanied by a
vast mixed company, non-Israelites
who sided with them. It is unimaginable that a few individuals, perhaps a group of young ones, would
have gone o on their own, taking
a route that they viewed as preferable. Would it not have been senseless to do so and miss out on Jehovahs protection? (1 Cor. 10:1) The
early Christians were also noted
for working together. (Acts 2:42)
This unity was especially evident
during persecution, when they particularly needed one another.Acts
4:23, 24. w14 12/15 3:7, 9
Friday, June 24
The head of every man is the Christ;
in turn, the head of a woman is the
man.1 Cor. 11:3.
The context of that statement
tells husbands how they should exercise their headshipin the same
way that Christ exercises his authority over man. Jesus was never tyrannical or harsh but was always loving , k ind , reasonable,
mild-tempered, and lowly in heart.
(Matt. 11:28-30) Christian husbands
do not need to demand repeatedly
that their wives show them respect.

Rather, they continue dwelling
with them according to knowledge
[showing them consideration; understanding them, ftn.]. They assign them honor as to a weaker vessel, the feminine one. (1 Pet. 3:7)
In public and in private, husbands
show by their re spectful words
and compassionate actions that
their wives are precious to them.
(Prov. 31:28) Such loving headship
wins a wifes love and respect and
brings Gods blessing on the marriage. w15 1/15 3:7, 8
Saturday, June 25
him.2 Chron. 16:9.
God wants us to search for what
is good, love what is good, and
do what is good so that he may
show favor to us. (Amos 5:14, 15;
1 Pet. 3:11, 12) Think, for example,
of the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah
and Puah. When Israel was under
the yoke of slavery in Egypt, these
two women feared God more than
they feared Pharaoh, who had ordered them to kill all the male Hebrew children at birth. Evidently,
their godly conscience moved them
to preserve the lives of the babies.
Shiphrah and Puah were later given families of their own. (Ex. 1 :
15-17, 20, 21) Their good deeds did
not escape Jehovahs roving eyes.
Occasionally, we may feel that no
one cares about the good we do.
But Jehovah cares. He takes note
of every good deed we have done,
and he will repay us.Matt. 6:4, 6;
1 Tim. 5:25; Heb. 6:10. w14 4/15 5:
17, 18
Sunday, June 26
There will be great tribulation such
as has not occurred since the
worlds beginning until now, no,
nor will occur again.Matt. 24:21.
The earthly part of Jehovahs
organization is moving ahead in
various ways. For instance, our
understanding of Bible truth is
constantly becoming clearer. This
is to be expected, for the path
of the righteous is like the bright
morning light that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight. (Prov. 4:18) But we might
well ask: Am I keeping pace with
renements in our understanding
of Scriptural truth? Is it my custom to read the Bible daily? Am I an
avid reader of our publications? Do
I and my loved ones have a weekly Family Worship evening? Most
of us will agree that it is not too
hard to do these things. Often it is
just a matter of setting aside time
to do them. And how important it
is to take in accurate Scriptural
knowledge, apply it, and make spiritual progressespecially now that
the great tribulation is drawing so
close! w14 5/15 4:2, 10
Monday, June 27
Let us . . . approach the throne of
undeserved kindness with freeness
of speech, so that we may receive
mercy and nd undeserved kindness to help us at the right time.
Heb. 4:16.
Jehovah wants the best for us.
( Ps. 1 :1- 3 ) He provide s ample
guidance just when we need it. Although he was perfect, Jesus depended on regular communication
with Jehovah, and he prayed incessantly. Jehovah supported and di-
rected Jesus in marvelous ways. He

sent angels to minister to him, provided His holy spirit to help him,
and guided him in selecting the
12 apostles. Jehovahs voice was
heard from the heavens, expressing His support and approval of Jesus. (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:12, 13;
Luke 6:12, 13; John 12:28) Like Jesus, we need to pour out our heart
in prayer to God. (Ps. 62:7, 8; Heb.
5:7) Through prayer, we can stay
in close communication with Jehovah and successfully follow a
course in life that brings honor to
him. w14 8/15 4:15
Tuesday, June 28
We continually remember your
faithful work, your loving labor.
1 Thess. 1:3.
Full-time servants have significant responsibilities in the most
important work the world has ever
known. (Matt. 28:19, 20) Could you
or your congregation lend a hand
if the parents of full-time servants
need help? Those who enter the
full-time ministry do so, not to gain
nancially, but to giveto Jehovah
and to others. They deeply appreciate any help you can render. A
sister serving in a foreig n land
echoes the feelings of many: Even
a note expressing apprec iation
shows that others are thinking of
you and that they are happy about
what you are doing. Serving Jehovah full-time is truly the most rewarding way of life. It is challenging, instructive, and fullling. And
it is ne preparation for the longlasting joyful service that awaits all
faithful servants of Jehovah under
Gods Kingdom. May all of us continually remember those in the fulltime service. w14 9/15 5:20-22
Wednesday, June 29
Thursday, June 30
Let the husband give to his wife her

due, and let the wife also do likewise to her husband.1 Cor. 7:3.
You were once not a people, but

now you are Gods people.
1 Pet. 2:10.
A husband needs to understand

that the marriage due involve s
more than just physical union. A
wife is more likely to enjoy marital intimacies if her husband is loving and aectionate at times other
than when they have intercourse.
When both show loving consideration, they are more likely to satisfy each others emotional and physical needs. Although there is no
excuse for marital unfaithfulness,
a lack of tenderness could contribute to a spouses seeking aection
and intimacy from someone else.
(Prov. 5:18; Eccl. 9:9) When each
mate seeks, not his own advantage, but that of the other person
and renders the marriage due as an
expression of love rather than as a
duty, aectionate intimate relations can strengthen the marriage
bond.1 Cor. 10:24. w15 1/15 4:16-18
Pentecost 33 C.E. was a milestone

in the history of Jehovahs people on earth. A radical change took
place. On that day, by means of his
spirit, Jehovah brought forth a new
nationspiritual Israel, the Israel of God. (Gal. 6:16) For the rst
time since the days of Abraham,
Gods people would no longer be
identied by eshly circumcision.
Instead, regarding each member of
that new nation, Paul wrote: His
circumcision is that of the heart by
spirit. (Rom. 2:29) The rst members of Gods new nation were the
apostles and over a hundred other
disciples of Christ who had met together in an upper room in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:12-15) These received
the outpouring of the holy spirit,
which made them spirit-begotten
sons of God.Rom. 8:15, 16; 2 Cor.
1:21. w14 11/15 5:1, 2
Friday, July 1
to him, reassuring them that they

would nd refreshment for themselves. (Matt. 11:28-30) Jesus assured his followers that God had
tender concern for each of His worshippers, including the little ones
those who may seem unimportant from the standpoint of the
world. (Matt. 18:12-14; Luke 12:6, 7)
How can we imitate Jesus in showing tenderness? Such emotions may
not come naturally to us, but the Bible urges us to work at cultivating
them. Then, tenderness will move
us to want to make a dierence in
the lives of others, especially those
who may be like a bruised reed or
a smoldering wick. w15 2/15 1:13-15
No crushed reed will he break, and

no smoldering wick will he extinguish.Isa. 42:3.
The apostle Matthew applied
those words of Isaiah to Jesus.
(Matt. 12:20) Jesus tender heart
moved him to speak tenderly to
others, especially to the downtrodden. He spoke in a way that lifted
the spirits of those who were guratively like a bruised reed or the
wick of an oil lamp about to go out.
He preached a message of hope to
bind up the brokenhearted. (Isa.
61:1) He invited those who were
toiling and loaded down to come
Saturday, July 2
Five were discreet.
Matt. 25:2.
The ve discreet virgins truly
prepared themselves, bringing extra oil in their asks along with
their lamps. Have faithful anointed ones likewise proved to be prepared? They have indeed! Throughout the last days, anointed
Christians have acted like those
discreet virgins, prepared to carry
out their assignment faithfully until the end. They count the cost of
faithful service, realizing from the
outset that their assignment will
mean giving up many of the material advantages available in Satans
world. They devote themselves exclusively to Jehovah and serve him,
not with some date or deadline in
mind, but out of love and loyalty to
him and to his Son. They maintain
their integrity, refusing to adopt
the spirit of this wicked world and
its materialistic, immoral, and selfish attitude s. They thus remain
ready, steadily shining as illuminators, undaunted by any apparent
delay in the arrival of the Bridegroom.Phil. 2:15. w15 3/15 2:4, 7, 8
Sunday, July 3
If we hope for what we do not see,
we keep eagerly waiting for it with
endurance.Rom. 8:25.
We do not view any years in Jehovahs service as wasted time.
Rather, we are convinced that the
things seen are temporary, but the
things unseen are everlasting .
(2 Cor. 4:16-18) Faith allows us to
discern the convincing evidence
of realitie s that are not seen.
(Heb. 11:1; ftn.) A physical person
does not see the precious value of
serving Jehovah. To such a per-
son, spiritual treasures are foolishness. (1 Cor. 2:14) We, however,

hope to enjoy everlasting life and
witness the resurrection, things
unseen by the world. Like the philosophers of Pauls day who called
him an ignorant chatterer, most
people today think that the hope
we preach is sheer nonsense. (Acts
17:18) Since we are surrounded by
a faithless world, we must ght to
maintain our faith. Supplicate Jehovah that your faith may not give
out.Luke 22:32. w14 4/15 1:17-19
Monday, July 4
I will open my mouth with
illustrations.Matt. 13:35.
Some believe that Satan is in
charge of hellre. We could ask
them: Imagine that your child has
become very rebellious and is doing many bad things. How would
you react? Likely, the parent
would say that he would correct
his child. (Prov. 22:15) But what
would he do if the child rejected all eorts to help him? Most parents would say that eventually they
would have no choice but to punish
the child. We could then ask, What
if you found out that an evil person had inuenced your child to become so rebellious? No doubt, the
parent would be angry with such a
person. Driving home the point of
the illustration, we might ask the
parent, Knowing that an evil individual had inuenced your child,
would you ask that person to punish
your child for you? The answer, of
course, would be no. Clearly, then,
God would not use Satan to punish the very same people who have
been inuenced by the Devil himself to do bad things! w14 5/15 1:
12, 14
Tuesday, July 5
You comforted and soothed me.
Ps. 94:19.
Jehovah shows mercy to those
who suer. (Isa. 49:13) Bible study
can make us so keenly aware of Jehovahs loving concern for us that
we are inclined to respond with
deep love for him. Also, we should
pray to God regularly. Our prayers
draw us ever closer to the Hearer of prayer. (Ps. 65:2) When we
discern that God is answering our
prayers, our love for him deepens. For instance, we may have
seen that he does not allow us to
be tempted beyond what we can
bear. (1 Cor. 10:13) If we have anxiety and turn to Jehovah in earnest supplication, we may well experience the incomparable peace
of God. (Phil. 4:6, 7) At times, we
may say a silent prayeras Nehemiah didand come to realize that it
is being answered. (Neh. 2:1-6) As
we persevere in prayer, our love
for God grows and so does our condence that he will help us to cope
with further tests of faith.Rom.
12:12. w14 6/15 1:15, 16
Wednesday, July 6
Why do you judge your brother? Or
why do you also look down on your
brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Rom. 14:10.
It would be wrong to entertain
basele ss suspic ions about our
brothers and sisters. (Rom. 14:11,
12; 1 Cor. 13:7) What is more, having a tendency to distrust the integrity of others in the congregation
would be harmful to our own spirituality. Each Christian should examine his own actions. (Gal. 6:4)
Because of our sinful inclinations,

there is always the potential for inadvertently adopting traits that are
less than sincere. (Heb. 3:12, 13)
So from time to time, we might examine our motives for serving Jehovah. We may ask ourselves: Do I
worship Jehovah out of love for
him and in recognition of his sovereignty? Or do I place more emphasis on the physical blessings I
hope to enjoy in Paradise? (Rev. 4:
11) Surely we can all benet from
examining our own actions and removing any vestiges of hypocrisy
from our heart. w14 7/15 1:15, 16
Thursday, July 7
I [Jehovah] will pour out my spirit
on every sort of esh, and your sons
and your daughters will prophesy.
Joel 2:28.
Jesus was very kind to women. For
example, consider a woman who had
a ow of blood for 12 years. From behind, she approached Jesus in a
crowd and touched his garment. Instead of rebuking her, Jesus kindly said: Daughter, your faith has
made you well. Go in peace, and
be healed from your grievous sickness. (Mark 5:25-34) Some women who were Jesus disciples ministered to him and his apostles. (Luke
8:1-3) And at Pentecost 33 C.E.,
about 120 men as well as women received Gods spirit in a special way.
(Acts 2:1-4) By means of that miraculous event on the day of Pentecost,
God showed that he had transferred
his backing from apostate Israel to
the Israel of God, made up of both
men and women. (Gal. 3:28; 6:15, 16)
Among the Christian women who
shared in the ministry in the rst
century were the four daughters of
Philip the evangelizer.Acts 21:8, 9.
w14 8/15 1:16, 17
Friday, July 8
They strengthened the disciples,
encouraging them to remain in the
faith and saying: We must enter
into the Kingdom of God through
many tribulations.Acts 14:22.
At rst , that statement might
seem strange. After all, the prospect of going through many tribulations would seem distressing,
not encouraging. How is it, then,
that Paul and Barnabas strengthened the disciples with a message
that pointed to more tribulation?
We can nd the answer if we look
carefully at Pauls words. He did
not simply say: We must endure
many tribulations. Rather, he said:
We must enter into the Kingdom of
God through many tribulations. So
Paul strengthened the disciples by
emphasizing the positive result of a
faithful course. That reward was no
mere illusion. Indeed, Jesus stated:
The one who has endured to the
end will be saved. (Matt. 10:22) If
we endure, we will have a reward.
As Paul noted, though, we will face
many tribulations in the meantime.
w14 9/15 2:4-6
Saturday, July 9
You are a priest forever in the
manner of Melchizedek!Ps. 110:4.
Why would Jesus be a priest in
the manner of Melchizedek? Because long before any descendants
of Abraham inherited the Promised
Land, Melchizedek, the king of Salem, served as priest of the Most
High God. (Heb. 7:1-3) He was directly appointed by Jehovah to do
so. He is the only one mentioned in
the Hebrew Scriptures who served
as both a king and a priest. More-
over, since he was without a recorded predecessor or successor,

he can be called a priest for all
time, or forever. Jesus is directly
appointed to be a priest by means
of a personal covenant that Jehovah made with him, and he will remain a priest forever in the manner of Melchizedek. (Heb. 5:4-6)
This clearly shows that Jehovah
has legally bound himself to use
the Messianic Kingdom to accomplish his original purpose concerning humans on earth.Gen. 1:28.
w14 10/15 1:16, 17
Sunday, July 10
The one who exercises faith in me,
even though he dies, will come to
life.John 11:25.
That stunning statement will
come true without fail. Jehovah
has granted Jesus the power to restore to life not only those resurrected to spirit life in heaven but
also the billions who will awaken to
the prospect of everlasting life on
earth. Jesus atoning sacrice and
his resurrection mean that death
will be no more. Does that knowledge not strengthen you to endure
any trial and even face death with
courage? Moreover, belief in Jesus
resurrection motivates us to do
Gods will. Were it not for his sacricial death and subsequent resurrection, we would remain under
the condemnation of sin and death.
(Rom. 5:12; 6:23) If Jesus was not
resurrected, we might as well say:
Eat and drink, for tomorrow we
are to die. (1 Cor. 15:32) But we
do not focus on lifes pleasures. Instead, we cherish the resurrection hope and have every reason
to heed Jehovahs direction in all
things. w14 11/15 1:17, 19
Monday, July 11
Who has despised the day of small
beginnings?Zech. 4:10.
There is no need for us to
be overly concerned about how the
Kingdom message will reach the
millions who have not yet heard it.
Jehovah has everything under control. But what is our work? Gods
Word answers: Sow your seed in
the morning and do not let your
hand rest until the evening; for you
do not know which will have success, whether this one or that one,
or whether they will both do well.
(Eccl. 11:6) Of course, at the same
time, we should never forget to
pray for the success of the preaching work, especially in countries
where the work is restricted. (Eph.
6:18 -20 ) Additionally, we should
not be discouraged if we do not
at rst see results from our work.
We should never despise the day
of small beginnings. The results
may eventually turn out to be a lot
greater and more wonderful than
we had ever anticipated!Ps. 40:5;
Zech. 4:7. w14 12/15 1:14, 15
Tuesday, July 12
Let your petitions be made known
to God.Phil. 4:6.
When Super Typhoon Haiyan hit
the central Philippines in late 2013,
Sheryl, who was only 13 years old at
the time, lost virtually everything.
She said: I lost my home, and I
lost most of my family. Her father,
mother, and three siblings died in
the powerful storm surge. What has
helped Sheryl to get through this
tragedy without becoming bitter?
She has a grateful heart and re-
mains conscious of the blessings

she still has. I saw all that the
brothers and sisters did to bring
relief and encouragement to
those who needed help. I knew that
brothers all around the world were
praying for me. She added: I am
very thankful that Jehovah is my
God. He always gives us the things
we need . Yes, being conscious
of our blessings is a powerful antidote to being swallowed up by
grief. An appreciative heart helps
us to go on despite any distressing
events that we may face.Eph. 5:
20. w15 1/15 1:13
Wednesday, July 13
After a long time, the master of
those slaves came and settled
accounts with them.Matt. 25:19.
Je sus will come to settle accounts with his slaves toward the
end of the great tribulation just
ahead. What leads us to this conclusion? In his prophecy recorded in
Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus
repeatedly mentioned his coming.
Referring to the judgment during
the great tribulation, he said that
people will see the Son of man
coming on the clouds of heaven.
He urged his followers living in
the last days to be vigilant, saying:
You do not know on what day your
Lord is coming and the Son of
man is coming at an hour that you
do not think to be it. (Matt. 24:30,
42, 44) Hence, when Jesus said that
the master of those slaves came
and settled accounts, he was evidently referring to the time when
he will come to execute judgment
at the end of this system. w15 3/15
3:11
Thursday, July 14
No one can slave for two masters;
for either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will stick to the
one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.
Matt. 6:24.
Our Father, Jehovah, has committed himself to helping us obtain the things we really need if we
put the Kingdom and his righteousness rst in our lives. (Matt. 6:33)
Thus, true Christians always have
a choice. Jehovah promises to provide a way out that does not require compromising Bible principles, no matter what challenges we
face. (1 Cor. 10:13) When we wait
expectantly for Jehovah, when we
rely on him by praying for his
wisdom and direction and by following his commands and principles, then he will act in [our] behalf. (Ps. 37:5, 7) He will actively
bless our sincere eorts to serve
only him as the one true Master.
If we put him rst, he will make
our lives successful.Gen. 39:3.
w14 4/15 3:17
Friday, July 15
Stop judging that you may not be
judged.Matt. 7:1.
Rather than being judgmental or
suspicious, if a fellow believer has
been weakened by personal problems, our priority should be to provide spiritual assistance. (1 Thess.
5:14) If we pause to reect on our
brothers circumstances, we may
see their seeming frailty in a dierent light. Think of sisters who have
been enduring family opposition
for years. Some may be of humble
appearance and look fragile, yet

do they not demonstrate outstanding faith and inner strength? When
you see a single mother regularly
coming to meetings with her child
or children, are you not impressed
by her faith and determination?
And what of teenagers who stick
to the truth despite the bad inuences in school? In all modesty,
we recognize that such ones, who
may seem to be weaker, may be as
rich in faith as those among us
who have more favorable circumstances.Jas. 2:5. w14 6/15 3:9, 10
Saturday, July 16
Noah found favor in the eyes of
Jehovah.Gen. 6:8.
Noah was a righteous man who
proved himself faultless among
his contemporarie s. Because
Noah walked with the true God,
Jehovah instructed him to build a
huge ark. (Gen. 6:9, 14-16) Its design was well-suited for the preservation of human and animal life.
Obediently, Noah did everything
that Jehovah had commanded
him, and with the cooperation of
his family, he completed the building work in an organized way. After
living things were brought into the
ark, Jehovah shut the door. (Gen.
7:5 , 16 ) In 2370 B.C . E. when the
Flood came, Jehovah wiped every
living thing from the surface of the
earth, but he kept faithful Noah
and his family safe in the ark. (Gen.
7:23) Everyone on earth today is a
descendant of Noah, his sons, and
their wives. But all the faithless
people outside the ark perished because they had refused to listen
to Noah, a preacher of righteousness.2 Pet. 2:5. w14 5/15 3:6, 7
Sunday, July 17
For your sakes I will send to Babylon and bring down all the bars of
the gates.Isa. 43:14.
In line with that prophecy, a
world-shaking event happened one
night early in October 539 B.C.E.
While Babylons king and his noble s were drink ing wine from
holy vessels captured from Jerusalems temple and were praising
their man-made gods, the armies of
Media and Persia conquered Babylon. In 538 or 537 B.C.E., Babylons
conqueror, Cyrus, commanded the
Jews to return and rebuild Gods
temple in Jerusalem. All of this was
foretold by Isaiah, including Jehovahs promise that he would provide for and protect his repentant
people as they returned to Jerusalem. God called them the people
whom I formed for myself so that
they might declare my praise. (Isa.
43:21; 44:26-28) Once these former
exiles had returned and rebuilt Jehovahs temple in Jerusalem, they
became witnesses to the fact that
Jehovah, the only true God, always
fullls his word. w14 7/15 3:10, 11
Monday, July 18
Draw close to God, and he will draw
close to you.Jas. 4:8.
Without the Bible, how would
we have known that we can draw
close to our Creator? Without it,
how could we have learned about
the ransom and about our being
drawn to Jehovah through Jesus?
By means of his spirit, Jehovah inspired the writing of the Bible,
which reveals to us his appealing
personality as well as his grand
purposes. For example, at Exodus
34:6, 7, Jehovah described himself
to Moses as a God merciful and

compassionate, slow to anger and
abundant in loyal love and truth,
showing loyal love to thousands,
pardoning error and transgression and sin. Who would not be
drawn to someone like that? Jehovah knows that the more we learn
about him through the pages of
the Bible, the more real he will become to us and the closer we will
feel to him. How thankful we can
be, therefore, that Jehovah had his
Word written in a way we humans
can understand! w14 8/15 3:10, 11
Tuesday, July 19
My son, do not forget my teaching,
and may your heart observe my
commandments.Prov. 3:1.
In time, your children will have
to make a personal decision as to
whom they will serve. Do not think
that they will simply absorb your
faith through some sort of osmosis. They must make the truth their
own. If it seems that a child has
a problem doing that, why not go
back to basics? Help him or her to
reason on such questions as: How
do I know that God exists? What
convinces me that Jehovah God
really values me? Why do I believe
that Jehovahs standards are truly
for my good? Show yourself to be
a good shepherd by patiently guiding your child or children in proving that Jehovahs way is the best
way of life. (Rom. 12 :2) All true
Christians want to be imitators
of the Supreme Shepherd. (Eph.
5:1; 1 Pet. 2:25) Parents in particular need to know the appearance
of their ocktheir precious childrenand do all they can to guide
them toward the blessings Jehovah
has for them. w14 9/15 3:17, 18
Wednesday, July 20
Better is the end of a matter than its
beginning.Eccl. 7:8.
In recent years, a number of
branch oces have been merged
with others. Though such changes require that the brothers and
sisters serving at these branches make adjustments, before long
the advantages of the changes become clear to all involved. What a
joy it is for such willing workers
to play a part in the ongoing history of Jehovahs people! Because
of branch mergers, some Bethelites have been reassigned to serve
in the pioneer work. Among them
were Florian and Anja, who said:
We view our new assignment as
an exciting challenge. For us, it is
wonderful to be used by Jehovah
no matter where we serve. Even
though most of us may never have
to make such adjustments, can we
not imitate the willingness of these
brothers and sisters to put Kingdom interests rst? (Isa. 6:8) Jehovah always blesses those who cherish their privilege of working with
him, wherever that work may be.
w14 10/15 3:10, 15
Thursday, July 21
People will hand you over to tribulation and will kill you, and you will
be hated by all the nations.
Matt. 24:9.
As followers of Christ and Witnesses of Jehovah, we are persecuted in nations around the world.
This is to be expected. In the face
of such hatred , however, we
endure in the Kingdom-preaching
work and continue to prove ourselve s holy before Jehovah. Al-
though we are honest, clean-living,

and law-abiding citizens, why are
we so hated? (Rom. 13:1-7) Because
we have made Jehovah our Sovereign Lord! We render sacred service to him alone and will never
compromise on his righteous laws
and principles. (Matt. 4:10) We are
also no part of the world. Therefore, we are neutral with regard to
the worlds wars and political affairs. (John 15:18-21; Isa. 2:4) If
we are focused on Gods sovereignty and we trust in him, nobody can
cause us to compromise and be ensnared by cowardly fear.Prov. 29:
25. w14 11/15 3:8-10
Friday, July 22
You wives, be in subjection to your
husbands, as it is becoming in the
Lord.Col. 3:18.
One important way that a submissive wife shows respect for Jehovahs authority is by being cooperative and supportive within
the family circle. Realistically, not
all of a husbands decisions will be
to his wifes liking. Yet, if his decisions do not conict with Gods
laws, a submissive wife is willing
to yield. (1 Pet. 3:1) A wife has an
honorable place as her husbands
partner. (Mal. 2:14) She provides
valuable input concerning family
decisions by respectfully expressing her thoughts and feelings yet
remaining submissive. A wise husband will listen carefully to his
wifes expressions. (Prov. 31:1031 ) Loving submission, in turn,
promotes joy, peace, and harmony within the family and gives husbands and wive s the satisfaction that comes from knowing that
they are pleasing God.Eph. 5:22.
w15 1/15 3:9, 10
Saturday, July 23
Every kingdom divided against
itself comes to ruin.Matt. 12:25.
One of the darkest periods in human history nears. The prophet
Joel describes it as a day of darkness and gloom. (Joel 2:1, 2; Zeph.
1:14) For Gods people, it will be a
time for unity. During the coming
time of trouble for this system, we
will have to be truly united. The
spiritual unity that we will need
to have among ourselves could be
compared to the physical proximity of houses in ancient Jerusalem. Those dwellings were built so
close together that the psalmist described Jerusalem as a city that
is joined together as one. That enabled the inhabitants to help and
protect one another. Moreover,
their physical closeness could well
represent the spiritual unity of the
whole nation when all the tribes
of Jah assembled for worship. (Ps.
122:3, 4) Today and in the critical
days to come, we likewise need to
remain joined together as one.
w14 12/15 3:10, 11
Sunday, July 24
That good news that you heard . . .
was preached in all creation under
heaven.Col. 1:23.
The common, or Koine, Greek
language helped to promote good
communication and unity among
the early Christian congregations.
Greek was widely spoken and understood. Thus, Gods servants
could communicate with all kinds
of people, and this contributed
to the spread of the good news.
Moreover, Jews living in Egypt had
translated the Hebrew Scriptures
into Greek. People were familiar
with this Septuagint version, and
the early followers of Christ quoted freely from it. How could Christians use the Scriptures in their
ministry? Scrolls were cumbersome, for they had to be rolled
and unrolled, and usually there
was writing on only one side of the
parchment. The Gospel of Matthew
alone would ll an entire scroll.
But then came the codexthe earliest form of a book. It was a collection of pages bound together.
A reader could open a codex and
easily locate a passage of Scripture. w15 2/15 3:4, 11, 12
Monday, July 25
He ordered us to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness.
Acts 10:42.
All of us are subject to the law
of the Christ . (Gal. 6: 2 ) That
law includes all that Jesus taught.
Foremost among Jesus teachings
is that his followers should display
love. (John 13:35; Jas. 2:8) And one
of the primary ways we show love
for God, for Christ, and for our
neighbor is by preaching the good
news of the Kingdom. (John 15 :
10; Acts 1 :8 ) Je sus commanded
only a relatively small number of
his followersthose to whom he appeared after his resurrectionto
preach. (Acts 10:40-42; 1 Cor. 15:6)
But all his faithful rst-century
disciples recognized that the command applied to them, even if they
had not personally heard Jesus
speak. (Acts 8:4; 1 Pet. 1:8) Likewise today, Jesus has not personally spoken to any of the eight million
active Kingdom preachers. But all
recognize their obligation to exercise faith in Christ and to express
that faith by means of the witnessing work . Jas. 2 :18. w15 3/ 15 4 :
14, 15
Tuesday, July 26
I am engaging in the holy work of
the good news of God.Rom. 15:16.
Preaching the good news contributes to the sanctication of Jehovahs holy name. And it surely is
an inestimable privilege to be entrusted with the glorious good
news of the happy God. (1 Tim. 1:
11) God wants us to maintain good
spiritual health by sticking to him
and supporting his organization in
its various activities. Moses told
the Israelites: I take the heavens
and the earth as witnesses against
you today that I have put life and
death before you, the blessing and
the curse; and you must choose life
so that you may live, you and your
descendants, by loving Jehovah
your God, by listening to his voice,
and by sticking to him, for he is
your life and by him you will endure
a long time in the land that Jehovah
swore to give to your forefathers,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deut.
30:19, 20) Our life depends on doing Jehovahs will, loving him, obediently listening to his voice, and
sticking to him. w14 5/15 4:12, 13
Wednesday, July 27
You guide me with your advice.
Ps. 73:24.
Whenever we need guidance, we
can take notice of Jehovah by
consulting his Word to nd out his
view of matters and by seeking to
apply Bible principles. (Prov. 3:6)
Sometimes, though, a trialsome
situation lingers. You may have a
grievous personality conict with
someone in the congregation. For
instance, you may be hurt by a remark that you consider to be unkind. Yet, the brother who made the
remark receives privileges in the

congregation and seems to be wellthought-of by others. How can this
be? you wonder. Does Jehovah not
see? Will he not act? (Ps. 13:1, 2;
Hab. 1:2, 3) While you may feel that
the other party bears most of the
blame, God may view things differently. From his standpoint, you
may be more at fault than you realize. The comment that you considered to be so hurtful may, in fact,
have been well-deserved counsel
that you ought to give thought to.
w14 4/15 5:10, 12-14
Thursday, July 28
They . . . took along with them
John, the one also called Mark.
Acts 12:25.
During Pauls rst missionary
journey with Barnabas, Mark
served as an attendant, perhaps
caring for their physical needs.
However, when they reached Pamphylia, Mark suddenly left his companions in the lurch. They had to
travel without him north through
an area notorious for bandits. (Acts
13:5, 13) Apparently, though, Barnabas saw past Marks inconsistent behavior and later seized the
opportunity to complete his training. (Acts 15:37-39) This helped the
young man to become a mature
servant of Jehovah. Interestingly,
Mark was in Rome with Paul, who
was then imprisoned, and joined in
sending greetings to the Christians
in the Colossian congregation, and
the apostle spoke favorably of him.
(Col. 4:10) Imagine the feeling of
satisfaction that Barnabas must
have had when Paul even requested Marks assistance.2 Tim. 4:11.
w14 6/15 4:13
Friday, July 29
Teach me to do your will, for you
are my God. Your spirit is good;
may it lead me on level ground.
Ps. 143:10.
Although Jehovah make s his
counsel freely available, he does
not force anyone to follow it .
We need to ask for his holy spirit, and he will give it to us generously. (Luke 11:10-13) It is essential,
though, that we pay attention to
how we listen. (Luke 8:18) For example, it would be hypocritical to
ask Jehovah for help to overcome
an inclination toward immorality
while continuing to look at pornography or watch immoral movies. We
actually need to put ourselves in
places or circumstances where Jehovahs spirit is. We know that his
spirit is at the congregation meetings. Many servants of Jehovah
have avoided disaster by listening to Jehovah during our meetings. As a result, they have become
aware of wrong desires developing in their heart and have corrected their ways.Ps. 73:12-17. w14 8/15
4:16
Saturday, July 30
God made him both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you
executed on a stake.
Acts 2:36.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter
told the Jews: Repent , and let
each one of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit. (Acts 2:22, 23, 37, 38) That day,
some 3,000 people were added to
the new nation of spiritual Israel.
(Acts 2:41) Afterward, the zealous
preaching of the apostles continued to bear more fruit. (Acts 6:7)

Later, the preaching work was extended to the Samaritans, with
good success. Many were baptized
by the evangelizer Philip, but they
did not immediately receive the
holy spirit. The governing body in
Jerusalem sent the apostles Peter
and John to these Samaritan converts, and they laid their hands
on them, and they began to receive holy spirit. (Acts 8:5, 6, 1417) Hence, these Samaritans also
became spirit-anointed members of
spiritual Israel. w14 11/15 5:3, 4
Sunday, July 31
God will judge sexually immoral
people and adulterers.Heb. 13:4.
Some of Gods faithful servants
have weakened their moral defenses by associating with non-Witness
workmates after work hours. Even
during work hours, temptations
can arise. It was at his workplace
that a handsome young man named
Joseph realized that his employers wife was very attracted to him.
Day after day, she tried to seduce
him. Eventually, she grabbed hold
of him by his garment and said: Lie
down with me! But Joseph managed to run away from her. What
helped Joseph to keep his spiritual defenses intact? It was his rm
resolve not to damage his relationship with God that safeguarded his
chastity and integrity. As a result
of his resolute stand, he lost his job
and was unjustly imprisoned, but
Jehovah blessed him. (Gen. 39:1-12;
41:38-43) Whether at work or in a
private setting, Christians need to
avoid putting themselves in tempting situations with someone other
than their marriage mate. w15 1/15
4:8, 9
Monday, August 1
Persevere in these things.
1 Tim. 4:16.
Not everyone we preach to will
accept the Kingdom me ssage.
(Matt. 10:11-14) That would be true
even if we were to ask just the right
questions, use the best reasoning,
and come up with the nest illustrations. After all, relatively few responded to Jesus teachingand he
was the greatest Teacher ever to
walk the earth! (John 6:66; 7:45-48)
On the other hand, even if we feel
that we are not especially gifted,
we can be eective in our ministry. (Acts 4:13) Gods Word gives us
sound reason for believing that all
those . . . rightly disposed for everlasting life will accept the good
news. (Acts 13:48) So let us develop and maintain a balanced view of
ourselves and those with whom we
seek to share the good news of the
Kingdom. May we take full advantage of the training Jehovah provides, condent that it will benet
both us and those who listen to us.
Jehovah can help us to see how we
should answer each person.Col.
4:6. w14 5/15 1:15, 16
Tuesday, August 2
Turn away from what is bad and do
what is good.Ps. 34:14.
Have you ever seen the name Jehovah inscribed on a public building or on a museum artifact? Surely your reaction was one of keen
interest and excitement. After all,
Gods personal name occupies a
special place in our worshipwe
are Jehovahs Witnesses! On a global scale, no other group of people
today is as closely associated with
the divine name as we are. Yet, we
know that the privilege of bearing
Gods name comes with responsibility. Using the divine name does
not in itself bring us Jehovahs favor. We must live in harmony with
his moral standards. For that reason the Bible reminds us that Jehovahs people must turn away
from what is bad. The apostle Paul
clearly stated this principle when
he wrote: Let everyone calling on
the name of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness. (2 Tim. 2:19) As
his Witnesses, we are indeed renowned for calling on Jehovahs
name. w14 7/15 2:1, 2
Wednesday, August 3
[Loves] ames are a blazing re,
the ame of Jah.Song of Sol. 8:6.
The expre ssion the ame of
Jah that is used to describe love
speaks volumes. True love is the
ame of Jah in that Jehovah is the
Originator of such love. He created man in his image with the ability to love. (Gen. 1:26, 27) When God
presented the rst woman, Eve, to
the rst man, Adam, the words that
came out of Adams mouth were
nothing short of poetic. No doubt
Eve felt a closeness to Adam, from
whom she was taken. (Gen. 2 :
21-23 ) Since Jehovah has g iven
humans the capacity for showing
love, it is possible for a man and
a woman to have unswerving and
unfailing love for each other. The
love between the opposite sexes
has other characteristics besides
its potential for being constant and
enduring. Some of these are wonderfully portrayed in the Song of
Solomon, a story about the love
between a young woman from the
village of Shunem, or Shulem,
and her beloved shepherd. w15 1/15
5:3, 4
Thursday, August 4
Jehovah gives the command; the
women proclaiming the good news
are a large army.Ps. 68:11.
In the late 1800s, a few men and
women showed keen interest in
true worship. They were forerunners of those who now share in
the fulllment of Jesus prophetic words: This good news of the
Kingdom will be preached in all
the inhabited earth for a witness
to all the nations, and then the end
will come. (Matt. 24:14) The small
group of Bible Students has grown
to some 8,000,000 Witnesses of Jehovah today. More than 11,000,000
other individuals show interest in
the Bible and our work by attending the annual Memorial of Jesus
death. In most lands, the majority
of those present are women. Also,
women make up the greater number of over 1,000,000 full-time Kingdom proclaimers worldwide. God
has indeed granted faithful women
the privilege of participating in the
fulllment of the psalmists words,
as recorded in todays text. w14 8/15
1:18, 19
Friday, August 5
Whoever approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes
the rewarder of those earnestly
seeking him.Heb. 11:6.
What power and wisdom Jehovah
exercised in order to raise Jesus
to immortal heavenly life! Furthermore, God thus showed his ability to fulll all of His promises. Are
you not thankful to Jehovah, who
gave us the sure hope of the resurrection? The Scriptures provide
this assurance: Look! The tent of
God is with mankind, and he will

reside with them, and they will be
his people. And God himself will
be with them. And he will wipe out
every tear from their eyes, and
death will be no more, neither
will mourning nor outcry nor pain
be anymore. The former things
have passed away. That marvelous prospect was conveyed to the
faithful apostle John, who was told:
Write, for these words are faithful and true. From whom did John
receive the inspired revelation? It
came through the resurrected Jesus
Christ.Rev. 1:1; 21:3-5. w14 11/15 1:
20, 21
Saturday, August 6
good.Ps. 106:1.
Throughout history, Jehovahs
people have rejoiced in their blessings. For example, after being delivered from Pharaoh and his armies
at the Red Sea, the Israelites expressed their joy in songs of praise
and thanksgiving. (Ex. 15:1-21) Today, among our most treasured
blessings is our sure hope of deliverance from everything that causes us pain and distress. (Ps. 37:911; Isa. 25:8; 33:24) Imagine how we
will feel when Jehovah crushes all
his enemies and welcomes us into a
new world of peace and righteousness. What a day for thanksgiving
that will be! (Rev. 20:1-3; 21:3, 4)
Whatever may come upon us in the
meantime, we know that Jehovah
will never abandon us. (Deut. 31:8;
Ps. 9:9, 10) He will continue to provide everything we need to serve
him faithfully. Therefore, may we
reect joyfully on our blessings
and be moved to follow the admonition of todays text. w15 1/15 1:14, 15
Sunday, August 7
He continued steadfast as seeing
the One who is invisible.
Heb. 11:27.
Pharaoh was a formidable ruler
and a living god to the Egyptians.
Imagine, then, how Moses felt when
Jehovah told him: I will send you
to Pharaoh, and you will bring my
people the Israelites out of Egypt.
(Ex. 3:10 ) Moses went to Egypt,
proclaimed Gods message, and
incurred Pharaohs wrath. After
nine plagues struck the land, Pharaoh warned Moses: Make sure
that you do not try to see my face
again, for on the day you see my
face, you will die. (Ex. 10:28) Before Moses left Pharaohs presence,
he prophesied that the kings rstborn son would die. (Ex. 1 1:4 - 8)
Finally, Moses instructed every Israelite family to slaughter a goat
or a raman animal sacred to the
Egyptian god Raand to splash its
blood on their doorways. (Ex. 12:
5-7) How would Pharaoh react? Moses was not afraid. Why not? Note
the words of todays text. w14 4/15
2:1, 2
Monday, August 8
Jehovah your God is with you
wherever you go.Josh. 1:9.
Jehovah God really was with
Joshua wherever he went. For instance, consider what happened as
the Israelites were encamped near
the Canaanite city of Jericho. In
1473 B.C.E., Joshua sent two men to
spy out Jericho, and there they met
the prostitute Rahab. She hid them
on the roof of her house, concealing them from potential captors
sent out by Jerichos king. Rahab
told the Israelite spies: I do know

that Jehovah will give you the land
. . . , for we heard how Jehovah
dried up the waters of the Red Sea
before you . . . and what you did to
the two kings of the Amorites. She
added: Jehovah your God is God in
the heavens above and on the earth
beneath. (Josh. 2:9-11) Because
Rahab aligned herself with Jehovahs organization of that time, God
saw to it that she and her household were spared when the Israelites conquered Jericho. (Josh. 6:
25) Rahab exercised faith, had reverence for Jehovah, and showed respect for his people. w14 5/15 3:8, 9
Tuesday, August 9
I have other sheep, which are not
of this fold; those too I must bring
in, and they will listen to my voice,
and they will become one ock, one
shepherd.John 10:16.
Today, a great crowd of Jesus
other sheep give their loyal support to anointed Christians, who
make up the Israel of God. (Rev.
7:9, 10; Gal. 6:16) The great crowd
also share the God-given name Jehovahs Witne sse s. During the
Thousand Year Reign of Christ, the
great crowd will have the unspeakable joy of explaining to resurrected ones what it was like to be one
of Jehovahs Witnesses during the
last days of this system of things.
But our doing this will be possible
only if we prove true to our name
now and strive to remain holy. Also,
no matter how hard we try, we must
daily ask forgiveness for any lack
of holiness, recognizing that we
are sinners and that being allowed
to bear Gods holy name is an indescribably great honor.1 John 1:
8, 9. w14 7/15 3:12, 13
Wednesday, August 10
Holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation
of God.Acts 20:28.
It is important that we show appreciation for Gods arrangement
for shepherding his ock. Christian
elders are a provision from Jehovah, who always acts in our best interests. The elders are like a hiding place from the wind, a place of
concealment from the rainstorm,
like streams of water in a waterless
land, like the shadow of a massive
crag in a parched land. (Isa. 32:
1, 2) How we appreciate a shelter
from a strong wind or from a chilling rainstorm! When the hot sun is
beating down on us, we are grateful for the shade provided by a
crag. These gures of speech help
us to see that the elders provide
needed spiritual help and refreshment. By obeying those taking the
lead among us, we show how much
we appreciate these gifts in men
and give evidence of our love for
God and for Christ, the Head of the
congregation.Eph. 4:8; 5:23; Heb.
13:17. w14 6/15 1:19
Thursday, August 11
Into these very things, angels are
desiring to peer.1 Pet. 1:12.
Jehovah could have had the angels do the writing of the Scriptures. After all, they have a keen interest in us and our activities. No
doubt, the angels could have written down Gods message to mankind. But would they have seen
things from a human perspective?
Would they have been able to relate
to our needs, our weaknesses, and

our aspirations? No, Jehovah knew
their limitations in this regard. By
having humans write the Bible, Jehovah made it more personal for
us. We can understand the thinking and emotions of Bible writers
and others mentioned in the Scriptures. We can empathize with their
disappointments, doubts, fears,
and imperfections as well as rejoice in their joys and successes.
Like the prophet Elijah, all the Bible writers had feelings like ours.
Jas. 5:17. w14 8/15 3:12
Friday, August 12
You will be beaten in synagogues
and be put on the stand before
governors and kings.Mark 13:9.
As those words indicate, some
Christians will face tribulation in
the form of physical persecution,
perhaps at the instigation of religious or political leaders. (Acts 5:
27, 28) Consider Pauls example.
Did he cower at the thought of being subjected to such persecution?
Not at all. (Acts 20:22, 23) Paul
bravely stood up to Satans frontal
attacks and stated: I do not consider my own life of any importance to
me, if only I may nish my course
and the ministry that I received
from the Lord Jesus, to bear thorough witness to the good news of
the undeserved kindness of God.
(Acts 20:24) Clearly, Paul did not
feel intimidated by the prospect of
persecution. On the contrary, he
was determined to endure, come
what may. His primary concern was
to bear thorough witness despite
any tribulation. w14 9/15 2:7, 8
Saturday, August 13
I will put enmity between you and
the woman and between your
ospring and her ospring.
Gen. 3:15.
How intense would this enmity be? He [the ospring of the
woman] will crush your [Satans]
head, and you will strike him in the
heel, said Jehovah. The enmity between the serpent and the woman
would be so erce that Satan would
spare no eort to obliterate her
ospring. It is no wonder that the
psalmist cried out in prayer to God
about His chosen people: Look!
your enemie s are in an uproar;
those who hate you act arrogantly. With cunning they secretly plot
against your people; they conspire
against your treasured ones. They
say: Come, let us annihilate them
as a nation. (Ps. 83:2-4) The line
of descent of the ospring of the
woman had to be protected from
extermination and contamination.
To accomplish this, Jehovah made
binding legal arrangements that
would protect the fulllment of his
purpose. w14 10/15 2:1, 2
Sunday, August 14
If she cannot aord a sheep, she
must then take two turtledoves or
two young pigeons.Lev. 12:8.
According to the Mosaic Law, the
Israelites were to oer spec ic
sacrices. (Lev. 9:1- 4, 15-21) The
sacrices were to be unblemished
because they pointed to Jesus perfect sacrice. Moreover, with each
type of oering, or sacrice, a specic procedure was to be followed.
For example, consider what was
required of the mother of a newborn child. Leviticus 12:6 states:
When the days of her purication

for a son or a daughter are completed, she will bring a young ram
in its rst year for a burnt oering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin oering to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the
priest. Gods requirements were
specic, but his loving reasonableness shines radiantly in the Law,
as shown in todays text. Though
poor, this worshipper was loved
and appreciated just as much as
the one bringing a more costly offering. w14 11/15 3:11
Monday, August 15
a treasure, hidden in the eld . . .
Again the Kingdom of the heavens
is like a traveling merchant seeking
ne pearls.Matt. 13:44, 45.
In the se two parable s, Je sus
showed that the truth is found in
dierent ways. Some people are
searching for it and have gone to
g reat lengths to nd it . Others, although not searching for it,
have found itperhaps by having
it brought to them. Whatever the
case, each man recognized the value of what he had found and was
willing to make huge sacrices to
get ahold of it. How can we benet
from these two illustrations? (Matt.
6:19-21) Ask yourself: Do I have
the attitude that these men had?
Do I treasure the truth in a similar way? Am I willing to make sacrices to get ahold of it, or do I allow
other things to distract me from
it? (Matt. 6:22-24, 33; Luke 5:27, 28;
Phil. 3:8) The deeper our heartfelt joy about nding the truth, the
stronger our determination to keep
it rst in our life will be. w14 12/15
1:16-18
Tuesday, August 16
Clothe yourselves with the tender
aections of compassion.
Col. 3:12.
The tender aections of compassion are part of the new personality that all Christians are expected to put on. (Col. 3:9, 10 )
How can you cultivate tender feelings for others? Open your heart
wide. (2 Cor. 6:11-13) Listen carefully when someone shares his feelings and concerns. (Jas. 1:19) Use
your imagination and ask yourself: If I were in his situation, how
would I feel? What would I need?
(1 Pet. 3:8) Do you know of a widow
who needs help with repairs on her
home? Is there an elderly Christian
who needs transportation to get to
the meetings, to go out in the ministry, or to go to the doctor? Even
a small act of kindness can make
a big dierence in the life of a fellow worshipper in need. (1 John 3:
17, 18) Above all, we can show tender concern for others by having a
full share in the ministry. There is
no greater way to make a dierence in the lives of honesthearted
ones! w15 2/15 1:14, 15
Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another
freely.Col. 3:13.
One of the cruc ial building
blocks of an enduring marriage
is forgiveness. The marriage relationship is undermined when a
couple keep a mental record of
old grudges and often use them as
ammunition for fresh attacks. Just
as cracks can weaken a building,
grievances and resentment can develop in our heart, making it increasingly dicult to be forgiv-
ing. By contrast, strong marriage

bonds are forged when husband
and wife treat each other in a forgiving way, as Jehovah treats them.
(Mic. 7:18, 19) True love does not
keep account of wrongs. (1 Cor.
13:5, ftn.) To counteract a tendency to be unforgiving, work on having a thankful and appreciative
disposition. Make a practice of giving your spouse sincere commendation. (Col. 3:15) Experience the
peace of mind, unity, and divine
blessings that come to those who
have a forgiving disposition.Rom.
14:19. w15 1/15 3:11-13
Thursday, August 18
The virgins who were ready went
in with him to the marriage feast.
Matt. 25:10.
A quality that helped those virg ins to be ready was vig ilance.
Would it be possible for individual anointed Christians to get sleepy
during a long nighttime vigil? Indeed. Note that Jesus says of the
ten virgins that they all became
drowsy and fell asleep. Jesus knew
well that even a willing, eager spirit
may be hampered by the weakness
of the esh. Faithful anointed ones
have heeded that implied warning
and have worked ever harder to remain vigilant, watchful. In the parable, all the virgins responded to
the nighttime shout: Here is the
bridegroom! But only the vigilant
ones endured to the end. (Matt.
25:5, 6; 26:41) What about faithful
anointed ones today? Throughout
the last days, they have responded to strong evidence that, in effect, cries out, Here is the bridegroomjust about to come. They
have also endured, keeping ever
ready for the Bridegroom to arrive.
w15 3/15 2:2, 9
Friday, August 19
If anyone does not provide for
those who are his own, and especially for those who are members
of his household, he has disowned
the faith and is worse than a person
without faith.1 Tim. 5:8.
The apostle Paul directed that
when older Christians cannot
make ends meet, their children and
grandchildren should repay their
parents and grandparents what
is due them. But Paul went on to
urge all Christians to be content
with their daily necessitiesfood,
clothing, and shelter. We should not
constantly be striving for a higher standard of living or for future
nancial security. (1 Tim. 5:4; 6:
6-10) To provide for ones own,
a Christian does not need to seek
material riches in this world, which
will soon pass away. (1 John 2:1517) We must not let the deceptive
power of riches or anxieties of
life put at risk our familys rm
hold on the real life in Gods righteous new world!Mark 4:19; Luke
21:34-36; 1 Tim. 6:19. w14 4/15 4:9
Saturday, August 20
The eyes of Jehovah are on the
righteous, and his ears listen to
their supplication.1 Pet. 3:12.
The righteous include a great
crowd who come out of the great
tribulation. (Rev. 7:9, 14) These
survivors are not just a crowd.
They are a great crowd a very
large number of people. Do you
see yourself among them as a survivor of the great tribulation?
Where do those mak ing up the
great crowd come from? They are
being brought together because of
what Jesus foretold as part of the

sign of his presence. He said: This
good news of the Kingdom will be
preached in all the inhabited earth
for a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come. (Matt. 24:
14) In these last days, this is the
chief work of Gods organization.
Because of the global preaching
and teaching activity of Jehovahs
Witnesses, millions of people have
learned to worship God with spirit
and truth.John 4:23, 24. w14 5/15
4:6, 7
Sunday, August 21
This good news of the Kingdom will
be preached.Matt. 24:14.
The postwar year of 1919 opened
up the possibility for a worldwide
witness to be given about Gods
means of salvation and the good
news of the established Kingdom.
Anointed Christians seized this opportunity to witness, resulting in
thousands more anointed ones being gathered to become Christs
joint heirs. From the mid-1930s onward, it became evident that Christ
had started to gather millions of
his other sheep, who would make
up a multinational great crowd.
Under the direction of anointed
Christians, this great crowd also
follow the courageous example of
Jesus and publicly make known
that they owe their salvation to God
and Christ. By enduring in this witness work and continuing to exercise faith in Christs ransom,
these ones will be privileged to
survive the g reat tribulation,
which will bring an end to Satans
world.John 10:16; Rev. 7:9, 10, 14.
w14 7/15 4:10-12
Monday, August 22
If errors were what you watch . . .
who, O Jehovah, could stand?
Ps. 130:3.
Had you been there with Moses
when Aaron made a statue of a
golden calf, how would you have
felt about Aarons weak excuses?
(Ex. 32:21-24) Or how would you
have considered Aarons attitude
when he criticized Moses for marrying a foreign woman? (Num. 12:
1, 2) How would you have reacted
when Aaron and Moses failed to
honor Jehovah at the time He miraculously provided water at Meribah? (Num. 20:10-13) In each of
these situations, Jehovah could
have punished Aaron on the
spot. But He discerned that Aaron was not a bad person or gravely at fault. And when he was confronted with his own mistakes, he
readily admitted them and supported Jehovahs judgments. (Ex. 32:
26; Num. 12:11; 20:23-27) Jehovah
chose to focus on Aarons faith and
repentant attitude. Centuries later, Aaron and his descendants were
still remembered as fearers of Jehovah.Ps. 1 15 :10-12 ; 135:19, 20.
w14 6/15 3:11, 12
Tuesday, August 23
Let the one who thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.
1 Cor. 10:12.
Consider King David of ancient
Israel. As a young person, he was
victorious over the Philistine giant
Goliath. David became a soldier, a
king, a protector, and a decisionmaker for a nation. But when David relied on himself, his heart deceived him and he committed a
serious sin with Bath-sheba, even
arranging to have her husband, Uriah, killed. When disciplined, David

humbly admitted his error and reestablished his relationship with
Jehovah. (Ps. 51:4, 6, 10, 11) So let
us heed the advice found in our
text for today and not become overcondent. Since we are unable to
direct our step, eventually we will
listen either to the voice of Jehovah or to the voice of his Adversary. (Jer. 10:23) May we pray constantly, follow the leadings of the
holy spirit, and always listen closely to Jehovahs voice.Isa. 30:21.
w14 8/15 4:17, 18
Let each one examine his own actions, and then he will have cause
for rejoicing in regard to himself
alone.Gal. 6:4.
The greatest privilege any human
can have is one that all of us share.
It is that of being a fellow worker
with Jehovah in the Christian ministry. This is a privilege to be cherished! As long as Satans world exists, our possibilities of service to
Jehovah may be limited. We may
have no control over our family responsibilities, health, or other circumstances. But that is no reason
to be unduly discouraged. Never
underestimate your potential for
working with God by bearing witne ss to his name and mak ing
known his Kingdom at every opportunity. Of prime importance is
that you are working with him to
the extent possible for you personally and that you are praying for his
blessing to be with your brothers
who are able to do more than you
can. Remember, every person who
praises Jehovahs name is precious
in his eyes! w14 10/15 3:16, 17
Thursday, August 25
The last enemy, death, is to be
brought to nothing.1 Cor. 15:26.
When they were created, Adam
and Eve had no enemies whatsoever. They were perfect humans
who lived in a paradise. They enjoyed a close relationship with
their Creator as his son and daughter. (Gen. 2:7-9; Luke 3:38) Their
life prospects were indicated in the
very commission God gave them.
(Gen. 1:28) To ll the earth and
subdue it could be accomplished
in a certain amount of time. But
to continue to have in subjection
every living creature that is moving
on the earth, Adam and Eve would
need to live forever, Adam never
having to abdicate his oversight by
dying. Although they had the prospect of living forever, Adam and
Eve were not immortal. To keep
living, they had to breathe, drink,
sleep, and eat. More important,
their lives depended on their relationship with their Life-Giver.
(Deut. 8:3) Accepting Gods guidance would be essential for their
continuing to enjoy life. w14 9/15
4:1, 3
Friday, August 26
We are members belonging to one
another.Eph. 4:25.
Jehovah is helping us to serve
him shoulder to shoulder. (Zeph.
3:8, 9) He is training us to t into
his eternal purpose. What does that
include? He purposes to gather
all things together in the Christ.
(Eph. 1:9, 10) Yes, he wants to unify all willing creatures throughout the universe, and he will succeed in doing this. Does that help
you to see the need to work united-
ly with Jehovahs organization? Jehovah is teaching us to attain unity now, with the objective of having
unity forever. Again and again,
the Scriptures tell us to have mutual concern for one another, to
have tender aection for one another, to keep comforting one another, and to be building one another up. (1 Cor. 12:25; Rom. 12:10;
1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11) Jehovah knows
that Christians are imperfect, and
this may make it challenging to be
united, so we need to work at freely forgiving one another.Eph. 4:
32. w14 12/15 3:14, 15
Saturday, August 27
Symeon [Peter] has related thoroughly how God for the rst time
turned his attention to the nations
to take out of them a people for his
name.Acts 15:14.
At a meeting of the governing
body of rst-century Christians
held in 49 C.E., the disciple James
stated the above. This new people
bearing Jehovahs name would include both Jewish and non-Jewish
believers. (Rom. 11:25, 26a) Later,
Peter wrote: You were once not a
people, but now you are Gods people. Peter outlined their mission
by stating: You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people for special possession, that
you should declare abroad the excellencies of the One who called
you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Pet. 2:9, 10) They
were to sound forth the praises of
the One they represented and publicly glorify his name. They were to
be courageous witnesses for Jehovah, the Universal Sovereign, to
Acts 1:8; Col. 1:23. w14 11/15 5:6, 7
Sunday, August 28
Tell me, are you a Roman?
He said: Yes.Acts 22:27.
Roman citizenship oered valuable rights and immunities. Paul
made use of his Roman citizenship
on several occasions. Faced with
scourging in Jerusalem, the apostle asked a Roman ocer: Is it lawful for you to scourge a Roman who
has not been condemned? It was
not. When Paul pointed out that
he was a Roman citizen by birth,
the men who were about to interrogate him under torture backed
away from him; and the military
commander became afraid. (Acts
22 : 25 -29) Pauls citizenship under Roman law aected how he
was treated in Philippi. (Acts 16:3540) In Ephesus, the city recorder
referred to the Roman legal system after he had calmed an angry
mob. (Acts 19:35-41) Pauls legal appeal while in Caesarea opened the
way for him to make a defense of
his faith before Caesar. (Acts 25:812) Thus, Roman law made possible
the defending and legally establishing of the good news.Phil. 1:7.
w15 2/15 3:13, 14
Monday, August 29
More bitter than death is the woman who is like a hunters net, whose
heart is like dragnets, and whose
hands are like prison chains.
Eccl. 7:26.
True love was rare in the days of
King Solomon of ancient Israel. He
wrote: One upright man out of a
thousand I found , but a woman
among them I have not found. This
alone I have found: The true God
made mankind upright, but they
have sought out many schemes.
(Eccl. 7:27-29, ftn.) Largely as a
result of the inuence of foreign

women who practiced Baal worship, moral standards had dropped
so low in his day that Solomon
found it dicult to nd a man or a
woman with good morals. Still, the
poem he wrote some 20 years earlier, the Song of Solomon, shows
that enduring love can exist between a man and a woman. It also
vividly portrays what that love is
like and how it is displayed. Both
married and single worshippers
of Jehovah can learn much about
such love by carefully considering
this Bible book. w15 1/15 5:2
Tuesday, August 30
You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among
the Jews, and they are all zealous
for the Law.Acts 21:20.
If we are to have Jehovahs favor and ble ssing as individuals, we must support his organization and accept adjustments in
our understanding of the Scriptures. Consider this: After Jesus
death, there were thousands of
Jewish Christians who were zealous for the Law and found it hard
to break free from it. (Acts 21:1720) With the help of Pauls letter to
the Hebrews, however, they accepted the fact that they had been sanctied, not by means of sacrices
oered according to the Law, but
through the oering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all time.
(Heb. 10:5-10) Undoubtedly, most
of those Christians of Jewish descent adjusted their thinking and
moved ahead spiritually. We too
need to study diligently and be
open-minded when there are adjustments in the understanding of
Gods Word or in our preaching
work. w14 5/15 4:15
Well done, good and faithful slave!
You were faithful over a few things.
I will appoint you over many things.
Matt. 25:21.
According to the parable of the
talents, when the master comes,
he nds that the rst two slaves
the one given ve talents and the
one given twohave proved faithful, each doubling his talents. The
master says the same thing to both
slaves, as noted in todays text.
What, then, may we expect when
the Master, the gloried Jesus,
comes for judgment in the future?

Those represented by the rst two
slaveshis hardworking anointed discipleswill already have received their nal sealing before the
great tribulation breaks out. (Rev.
7:1-3) Before Armageddon, Jesus
will give them their promised heavenly reward. Those with the earthly
hope who supported Christs brothers in the preaching work will have
been judged as sheep and will be
granted the privilege of living in
the earthly realm of the Kingdom.
Matt. 25:34. w15 3/15 3:12, 13
Thursday, September 1
Friday, September 2
You must love Jehovah your God.

Matt. 22:37.
Let everyone calling on the name

of Jehovah renounce unrighteousness.2 Tim. 2:19.
If you have a loving relationship

with Jehovah, you will be a doer of
the word, not a hearer only. (Jas. 1:
22-25) A doer has faith that produces such works as zealous
preaching activity and participation in Christian meetings. Because
you really love God, you will obey
Jehovahs perfect law, which covers everything he requires of you.
(Ps. 19:7-11) Love for Jehovah God
will cause you to turn to him often
in heartfelt prayer. Evidently alluding to the daily burning of incense
under the Law covenant, the psalmist David sang: May my prayer be
as incense prepared before you [Jehovah], my uplifted hands like the
evening grain oering. (Ps. 141:2;
Ex. 30:7, 8) May your humble petitions, your earnest supplications,
and your heartfelt words of praise
and thanksgiving to God be like the
sweet-smelling incense that symbolizes acceptable prayers.Rev. 5:8.
w14 6/15 1:20, 21
No text in the Hebrew Scriptures

matches Pauls quote. So, what
was the apostle referring to when
he said the above? Immediately preceding this statement, Paul quoted
from Numbers chapter 16, which relates the account of Korahs rebellion. The Bible says that Dathan and
Abiram, sons of Eliab, joined Korah
as leaders of the rebellion against
Moses and Aaron. (Num. 16:1-5) The
account reads: Jehovah then said
to Moses: Speak to the assembly
and tell them, Get away from
around the tents of Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram! Jehovah then put
to death all who had rebelled.
Conversely, loyal worshipperswho
by moving away renounced unrighteousnesswere preserved alive. It
is possible, then, that Paul was referring to the account at Numbers
16:5, 23-27. Such a conclusion would
be in harmony with Pauls words:
Jehovah knows those who belong
to him.2 Tim. 2:19. w14 7/15 2:4-7
Saturday, September 3
I will change the language of the
peoples to a pure language, so
that all of them may call on the
name of Jehovah, to serve him
shoulder to shoulder.Zeph. 3:9.
Jehovah undeniably blesses the
preaching work of Christian women
and supports them in times of trial.
With his help, for example, godly
women maintained their integrity under Nazi and Communist rule
when many of them suered and
some even lost their lives because
of their obedience to God. (Acts 5:
29) Today as in the past, our sisters
and all their fellow worshippers uphold Gods sovereignty. In eect,
as in the case of the ancient Israelites, Jehovah grasps their right
hand and says: Do not be afraid. I
will help you. (Isa. 41:10-13) In the
near future, godly men and women will transform the earth into a
paradise and help millions of resurrected ones to learn about Jehovahs purposes. Until then, whether male or female, let us cherish our
privilege of serving him shoulder
to shoulder. w14 8/15 1:21, 22
Sunday, September 4
This is the blood of the covenant
that Jehovah has made with you.
Ex. 24:8.
By means of the Law covenant,
the ancient nation of Israel was set
apart as Gods chosen nation. Jehovah now became their Judge, their
Lawgiver, and their King. (Isa. 33:
22) The history of Israel provides a
record of what happens when Gods
righteous standards are either observed or ignored. Since the Law
forbade intermarrying with pagans
and participation in false worship,

it was designed to prevent Abrahams line of descent from being
contaminated. (Ex. 20:4-6; 34:12-16)
Through that covenant, Israel had a
unique opportunity and privilege to
become a kingdom of priests, provided they met the stipulation to
obey Jehovahs laws. (Ex. 19:5, 6) Israel, however, failed to meet this requirement. Instead of esteeming the
arrival of the Messiah, the primary
part of Abrahams ospring, the nation rejected him. Consequently,
God rejected that nation. w14 10/15
2:3-5
Monday, September 5
Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial.
2 Pet. 2:9.
Today, many of our brothers and
sisters have shown determination
in enduring persecution. For example, in one country some Witnesses
have endured almost 20 years of imprisonment because of maintaining
their neutrality. They were denied
visits even from family members,
and some prisoners were beaten
and subjected to various forms of
torture. Our brothers elsewhere endure tribulations that arise suddenly. Should that happen to you, do
not give in to fear. Think of Joseph.
He was sold into slavery, but Jehovah rescued him out of all his tribulations. (Acts 7:9, 10) Jehovah can
do the same for you. Will you continue to trust in Jehovah, knowing that
he can deliver you from this wicked system of things and allow you to
enjoy everlasting life under the rule
of his Kingdom? You have every reason to do so and to face up to persecution courageously.1 Pet. 5:8, 9.
w14 9/15 2:9, 10
Tuesday, September 6
You must be holy.
Lev. 11:45.
In the book of Leviticus, holiness
is referred to more often than in any
other book of the Bible. Since this
quality is a requirement for all genuine worshippers of Jehovah, understanding and appreciating Leviticus will help us to prove ourselves
holy. The book of Leviticus, written by the prophet Moses, is part of
all Scripture that is benecial for
teaching. (2 Tim. 3:16) Jehovahs
name appears an average of ten
times in each chapter of the book.
Getting the sense of Leviticus will
strengthen us to avoid doing anything that would bring reproach on
the divine name. (Lev. 22:32) The
books frequent use of the words I
am Jehovah should remind us to
obey God. As recorded in Leviticus
chapter 8, Jehovah selected Aaron
to serve as Israels high priest, and
his sons were to serve as priests in
behalf of the nation. Thus, Aaron
represents Jesus Christ and Aarons sons represent Jesus anointed
followers. w14 11/15 2:1-3
Wednesday, September 7
He opened up their minds fully to
grasp the meaning of the
Scriptures.Luke 24:45.
It was still the day of Jesus resurrection. Two of the disciples were
walking to a village about seven
miles (11.2 km) from Jerusalem. Not
knowing that Jesus had been resurrected, they were heavyhearted because of recent events. Suddenly,
Jesus appeared and started walking with them. He was able to com-
fort these disciples. How? Starting with Moses and all the Prophets,
he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:13-15, 27) At that,
their hearts started to burn within them as he clearly explained
the Scriptures to them. (Luke 24:32)
That same evening, these two disciples returned to Jerusalem. Finding
the apostles, they related their experience to them. As they were
speaking, Jesus appeared to all of
them. However, his apostles were
terried. Doubts came up in their
hearts. How did Jesus strengthen
them? By doing what our text for today relates. w14 12/15 2:1, 2
Keep doing this in remembrance of
me.1 Cor. 11:24.
Night has fallen, but a full moon
bathes Jerusalem in soft light. It is
the evening of Nisan 14, 33 C.E. Jesus and his apostles have celebrated the Passover, commemorating
Israels deliverance from Egyptian
bondage 15 centuries earlier. With 11
loyal apostles, Jesus now institutes
a special mealone that will memorialize the death he will experience
before this day ends. (Matt. 26:1, 2)
Jesus says a blessing and passes
unleavened bread to the apostles,
saying: Take, eat. He takes a cup
of wine, again oers thanks, and
says: Drink out of it, all of you.
(Matt. 26:26, 27) Jesus will not pass
other food items to them, but he will
have much more to tell his faithful
followers on this momentous night.
So it was that Jesus instituted the
Memorial of his death, also called
the Lords Evening Meal.1 Cor.
11:20. w15 1/15 2:1-3
Friday, September 9
Speak consolingly to those who are
depressed.1 Thess. 5:14.
We can lift the spirits of depressed ones by expressing our genuine care and concern for them. We
can oer sincere commendation to
help them see their positive qualities and abilities. We can remind
them that Jehovah drew them to his
Son, so they must be precious in his
eyes. (John 6:44) We can reassure
them that Jehovah deeply cares for
his servants who are brokenhearted or crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18)
Our tender words can have a healing eect on those who need comfort. (Prov. 16:24) Elders have the
responsibility to nourish, encourage, and refresh Gods sheep. (Isa.
32:1, 2; 1 Pet. 5:2- 4) Hence, an elder who is tenderly compassionate
does not try to control the sheep,
making rules or using guilt to pressure them to do more when their circumstances do not permit them to.
Rather, he endeavors to bring joy to
their hearts, trusting that their love
for Jehovah will move them to serve
him as fully as possible.Matt. 22:
37. w15 2/15 1:16, 17
The door was shut.
Matt. 25:10.
Before the g reat tribulation
starts, all the faithful anointed on
earth will have received their nal
sealing. (Rev. 7:1-4) From then on,
their calling is sure. But think about
the years before the tribulation begins. What would happen to anointed ones who failed to remain watchful, who lost their integrity? They
would lose their heavenly reward.
Obviously, they would receive no

nal sealing prior to the start of the
tribulation. By that time, other faithful ones would be anointed. When
the tribulation starts, the foolish
ones might be shocked to see the destruction of Babylon the Great. It
may be only at that point that they
realize that they are not ready for
the arrival of the Bridegroom. At
that late hour, if they in desperation
ask for help, what would happen? Jesus parable gives us the grim answer. It would simply be too late.
Matt. 25:1-13. w15 3/15 2:4, 11
Sunday, September 11
The fear of Jehovahthat is
wisdom.Job 28:28.
To help Moses to acquire such
fear and act wisely, Jehovah drew
a contrast between humans and Almighty God. He asked: Who made a
mouth for man, or who makes them
speechless, deaf, clear-sighted, or
blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? (Ex. 4:
11) What was the lesson? Moses did
not need to be afraid. He was sent
by Jehovah, who would give Moses
whatever he needed to deliver
Gods message to Pharaoh. Besides,
Pharaoh was no match for Jehovah.
After all, this was not the rst time
Gods servants had been in danger
under Egyptian rule. Perhaps Moses meditated on how Jehovah had
protected Abraham, Joseph, and
even Moses himself during the
reigns of past Pharaohs. (Gen. 12:1719; 41:14, 39-41; Ex. 1:222:10) With
faith in Jehovah, the One who is
invisible, Moses courageously appeared before Pharaoh and proclaimed every word that Jehovah
commanded Moses to speak.Heb.
11:27. w14 4/15 2:5, 6
Monday, September 12
All things . . . that you want men
to do to you, you also must do to
them.Matt. 7:12.
How can we apply this Golden
Rule given by Jesus? Basically, by
taking two steps. First, we should
ask ourselves, If I were in the other persons shoes, how would I want
to be treated? Then, we need to follow through, accommodating the
other person to the extent possible. (1 Cor. 10:24) We often apply the
Golden Rule in our dealings with fellow believers. But Jesus did not indicate that we should extend this
consideration only to those related
to us in the faith. He actually mentioned the Golden Rule when he was
discussing how we are to treat people in general and even our enemies.
(Luke 6:27, 28, 31, 35) If we are to apply the Golden Rule toward our enemies, how much more should we
follow it when witnessing to people
many of whom may be rightly disposed for everlasting life!Acts 13:
48. w14 5/15 2:2, 3
Drawing near to God is good for
me.Ps. 73:28.
If we ponder over what the Bible
says about Jehovahs interactions
with his faithful servants of the
past, we will learn countless wonderful things about our God. Thus
we will come to know Jehovah very
well and come to love him deeply.
As a result, we will be able to draw
closer to him. (Ps. 25:14) We should
never draw away from Jehovah. If
we have allowed some distance
to develop between him and us,
we should act in accord with Hosea

12:6, which states: Return to your
God, maintain loyal love and justice,
and always hope in your God. Let
us, then, draw closer and closer to
Jehovah by reecting appreciatively on the ransom and by diligently
studying his Word, the Bible. (Deut.
13:4) May all of us continue to learn
new things about Jehovah and come
to appreciate even more the many
reasons to love him. And may Jehovah draw ever closer to us now and
throughout all eternity! w14 8/15 3:
16, 18, 19
Do not say: I will do to him just as
he has done to me.Prov. 24:29.
Have you ever heard someone say,
I will give him a taste of his own
medicine? Jesus recommended a
more positive way of handling difcult situations. This rule of conduct is so well-known that it is often
called the Golden Rule: Just as you
want men to do to you, do the same
way to them. (Luke 6:31) Jesus
meant that we should treat people
the way we would like to be treated and not repay unkindness with
unkindness. In marriage, it means
that we need to put into the relationship what we hope to get out of
it. Married people strengthen their
relationship when they are sensitive
to their mates feelings. We have
tried to put the Golden Rule into
practice, says a husband in South
Africa. True, there are times when
were upset, but we have worked
hard to treat each other the way we
would like to be treatedwith respect and dignity. w15 1/15 3:14, 15
Tell them to work at good, . . .
safely treasuring up for themselves
a ne foundation for the future, so
that they may get a rm hold on
the real life.1 Tim. 6:18, 19.
Despite our weaknesses and imperfections, Jehovah is pleased to
use us as his fellow workers. How
we cherish our privilege of working with our God in these last days!
Thus, we should be willing to postpone the pursuit of many of our personal interests, knowing that in his
new world, Jehovah will allow us
to enjoy the real lifeeverlasting
life in happy, peaceful conditions.
Think of what Moses told the Israelites shortly before they entered the
Promised Land: Jehovah your God
will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hands.
(Deut. 30:9) Once Armageddon is
past, those who have been busy
working with God will take possession of the land that he has promised them. Then, we will direct our
attention to a new work assignment
making the earth a beautiful paradise! w14 10/15 3:18, 19
Friday, September 16
Oer to God a sacrice of praise,
that is, the fruit of our lips that
make public declaration to
his name.Heb. 13:15.
Our lips should make public declaration to Jehovahs holy name.
Deaf brothers and sisters use sign
language to render such praise to
God. Housebound Christians praise
him by letter writing, telephone
witnessing, and preaching to attendants and visitors. Our sacrice of
praiseour giving praise to Jehovah by making known his name and

proclaiming the good newsshould
be commensurate with our health
and ability. It ought to be our best.
(Rom. 12:1; 2 Tim. 2:15) Our sacrices of praise are personal oerings voluntarily made to God because we love him. (Matt. 22:37, 38)
You surely want your sacrices of
praise to be acceptable to Jehovah.
Do you nd that you are allowing
television programs, video games,
sports activities, or hobbies to distract you and interfere with your
spiritual progress? w14 11/15 3:12-14
Go on bringing [your children] up
in the discipline and admonition of
Jehovah.Eph. 6:4.
Is that an easy assignment? No!
Children are faced with an onslaught of satanic propaganda as
well as with their own imperfect inclinations. (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 John 2:
16) Some parents have noted that
communication is more challenging
when their children become teenagersthey may tend to withdraw
and feel awkward about revealing
their thoughts and feelings. If that
is true of your children, what can
you do? Rather than force your son
or daughter into long, serious discussions, try to take advantage of
casual opportunities. (Deut. 6:6, 7)
You may need to put forth extra effort to do things together. You might
go for a walk or a drive with them,
play a game, or work together on
some chore around the house. Such
informal settings may help adolescents feel at ease and more inclined
to open up. w14 9/15 3:2, 4
The Kingdom of God will be taken
from you and be given to a nation
producing its fruits.Matt. 21:43.
In the rst century C.E., Jehovah
cast o the unfaithful nation of Israel. However, that did not mean that
he would be without an organization of loyal servants on earth. Jehovah transferred his blessing to a
dynamic new organization centered
on Jesus Christ and his teachings.
It had its start on the day of Pentecost 33 C.E. At that time, about 120
disciples of Jesus were gathered at
a place in Jerusalem when suddenly there was a noise from heaven, . . .
and it lled the whole house. Then
tongues as if of re became visible to them and were distributed,
and one came to rest on each one
of them, and they all became lled
with holy spirit and started to speak
in dierent languages. (Acts 2:1-4)
This amazing event furnished undeniable evidence that Jehovah was
backing the new organization, the
one consisting of Christs disciples.
w14 5/15 3:10, 11
The borrower is a slave to the
lender.Prov. 22:7.
Jehovah knows that we need some
money. But money cannot protect
and sustain us the way godly
wisdom can. (Eccl. 7:12; Luke 12:15)
In many cases, individuals underestimate the cost of going overseas
to work, and there are no guarantees that they will make money
abroad. In fact, there are grave dangers. Many emigrants return with
even greater debt. Rather than

being freer to serve God, they end
up serving those to whom they owe
money. The wise course is to avoid
going into debt in the rst place.
Seek Jehovahs direction before you
make decisions and commitments,
not after making them. Pray for his
holy spirit, wisdom, and guidance.
(2 Tim. 1:7) Ask the elders for Scriptural advice, and show your faith
and trust in Jehovahs promise to
help you by following his counsel.
2 Cor. 1:24. w14 4/15 4:10, 17
It is enough! Now, O Jehovah, take
my life away, for I am no better
than my forefathers.1 Ki. 19:4.
How did Jehovah feel when he
looked down from heaven and saw
his faithful prophet Elijah in despair? Did he reject his servant because he temporarily became depressed and lacked courage? Not
at all! Jehovah took into account
Elijahs limitations and dispatched
an angel. Twice the angel encouraged Elijah to eat. Thus, his upcoming journey would not be too
much for [him]. (1 Ki. 19:5-8) Yes,
even before giving any directions,
Jehovah listened to his prophet and
took practical measures to sustain
him. How can we imitate our caring
God? We should not be quick to
oer advice. (Prov. 18:13) It would
be better rst to take the time to
express our empathy to those who
may think that they are less honorable because of their personal circumstances. (1 Cor. 12:23) Then we
would be in a position to act appropriately, according to the true need.
w14 6/15 3:14-16
Look out that no one takes you
captive by means of the philosophy
and empty deception according to
human tradition.Col. 2:8.
Early detection of disease may
save a persons life. Similarly,
we can avert disaster if we quickly
identify tendencies that could lead
us into temptation. As soon as we
discover such leanings, it would be
wise for us to take immediate actionbefore we are caught alive
by [Satan] to do his will. (2 Tim.
2:26) What should we do if we notice that we have allowed our thinking and desires to drift away from
what Jehovah requires of us? Without delay, we must humbly return
to him, open our ears to his counsel, and listen to him with all our
heart. (Isa. 44:22) We must realize
that making a poor decision could
scar us so badly that we may have to
suer serious consequences in this
system of things. How much better
it is to avoid going astray by acting
promptly to prevent such a serious
mistake! w14 8/15 4:7, 9
This is what you are to say to the
Israelites, I Will Become has sent
me to you.Ex. 3:14.
To enhance our appreciation for
the honor of bearing Gods name,
it is good for us to meditate on its
meaning. Commonly translated Jehovah, the divine name comes from
a Hebrew verb that can describe action and can be translated to become. When commissioning Moses
to lead Gods people out of Egypt,
Jehovah revealed an aspect of his
personality by using a related verb

to describe his name, this time in
the rst person. The Bible record
states: God said to Moses: I Will
Become What I Choose to Become
[or, I Will Prove to Be What I Will
Prove to Be]. (Ex. 3:14, ftn.) Thus
Jehovah, in any circumstance, will
become whatever is needed to accomplish his purpose. To the onceenslaved Israelites, he proved to be
a Deliverer, a Protector, a Guide,
and a Provider who satised all
their material and spiritual needs.
w14 7/15 3:14, 15
Maintain your conduct ne among
the nations, so that . . . they may
be eyewitnesses of your ne works
and, as a result, glorify God.
1 Pet. 2:12.
We need to cultivate spiritual
qualities that will help us to pass
through the great tribulation into
Gods righteous new world. (Rev.
7:14) Are we able to get along with
people, including those whom we
consider to be temperamental or
overly sensitive? We do well to heed
the words of the apostle Peter, who
urged fellow believers: Honor men
of all sorts, have love for the whole
association of brothers. (1 Pet. 2:
17) Whether we are at home, at
work, at school, at play, or in the
ministry, we make every eort to
bring glory to Jehovah through our
ne conduct. True, as imperfect humans, we all make mistakes. (Rom.
3:23) But by continuing to ght the
ne ght of the faith, we can
successfully win the battle against
our imperfect esh.1 Tim. 6:12.
w14 10/15 4:14, 16
As for the tree of the knowledge of
good and bad, you must not eat
from it.Gen. 2:17.
After Eve was created, Adam informed her of Gods command.
She knew it well and was able to repeat it almost verbatim. (Gen. 3:1-3)
She did so to someone who presented himself as a serpent, a cautious
creature. The one behind the serpent was Satan the Devil, a spirit
son of God who had allowed himself to nurture a desire for independence and personal power. (Compare James 1:14, 15.) To achieve his
evil ends, he accused God of lying.
He assured Eve that reaching out
for independence would result, not
in death, but in becoming like God.
(Gen. 3:4, 5) Eve believed him, asserted her independence by eating
of the fruit, and persuaded Adam to
join her. (Gen. 3:6, 17) The Devil had
lied. (1 Tim. 2:14) Still, Adam listened to [his] wifes voice. Though
the serpent might have seemed to
be a friend, Satan the Devil was in
reality a cruel enemy who knew the
fatal consequences of his suggestion to Eve. w14 9/15 4:3, 5
They found him in the temple.
Luke 2:46.
Jehovah gives us Christian meetings to help us learn to stick together. We have often read the encouragement found at Hebrews 10:24, 25.
One purpose of these meetings is to
consider one another so as to incite to love and ne works. It is signicant, though, that the meetings
are provided so that we can be encouraging one another, and all the
more so as [we] see the day drawing near. As a youth, Jesus set a
good example of appreciation for

such arrangements. At the age of 12,
he was with his parents at a large
spiritual gathering. At one point,
he was missing but not because he
had wandered o to associate with
other youths. Instead, Joseph and
Mary found him engaged in a spiritual discussion with teachers at the
temple. Attending Christian meetings is not something that only adult
Christians can and should do. If you
are a youth, do you take advantage
of meetings to develop a bond of
closeness with your spiritual family? w14 12/15 3:16-18
I know that after my going away
oppressive wolves will enter in
among you and will not treat the
ock with tenderness.Acts 20:29.
Toward the end of his third missionary journey, Paul warned members of Gods name people by saying
the above. He added: From among
you yourselves men will rise and
speak twisted things to draw away
the disciples after themselves.
(Acts 20:30) This foretold apostasy had clearly manifested itself by
the end of the rst century. (1 John
2:18, 19) After the death of the apostles, that apostasy blossomed
and produced the churches of
Christendom. Apostate Christians
have even removed the divine name
from many of their translations of
the Bible. They have adopted pagan
rituals and have dishonored God
by their unscriptural dogmas, their
holy wars, and their immoral conduct. Thus, for centuries, Jehovah
had just a sprinkling of faithful worshippers on the earth but no organized people for his name.Acts
15:14. w14 11/15 5:8, 9
The proconsul . . . became a
believer.Acts 13:12.
Because the Jews were so widely dispersed throughout the Roman
world, many non-Jews became familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.
They learned that there is only one
true God and that those who
serve him are held to high ethical
and moral standards. Moreover, the
Hebrew Scriptures were lled with
prophecies concerning the Messiah. (Luke 24:44) Both Jews and
Christians understood that the Hebrew Scriptures were the inspired Word of God, which made it
possible for Paul to establish common ground with those whose
hearts were inclined toward righteousness. Accordingly, the apostle customarily entered synagogues
of the Jews and reasoned with them
from the Scriptures. (Acts 17:1, 2)
The Jews regularly met together in
synagogues or at open-air meeting
places. They sang songs, prayed,
and discussed the Scriptures. Similar practices are followed in Christian congregations today. w15 2/15 3:
16, 17
Love is as strong as death is.
Song of Sol. 8:6.
Love is a hallmark of a Christian marriage. But what type of love
is this? Is it love governed by Bible principles? (1 John 4:8) Does it
involve natural aectionthe kind
that family members have toward
one another? Does this love consist
of warm and tender attachment as
found between true friends? (John
11:3) Is it romantic love? (Prov. 5:
15-20) Actually, the true and abiding love between marriage mates
includes all of them. Love is best

sensed when it is expressed. How
vital that marriage mates not allow the activities of daily life to rob
them of exchanging expressions of
aection! Such expressions can contribute much to their security and
happiness. In those cultures where
marriages are often arranged and
the man and woman hardly know
each other before the wedding day,
their being conscious of the need to
express love verbally to each other
will help love to grow and the marriage to ourish. w15 1/15 5:9
There is where his weeping and the
gnashing of his teeth will be.
Matt. 25:30.
In the parable of the talents, the
last slave buried his talent instead
of doing business with it or even depositing it with the bankers. This
slave showed a bad spirit, for he deliberately worked against the masters interests. The master rightly
pronounced him wicked and sluggish. The master took the talent
away from him and gave it to the
one who had ten. The wicked slave
was then thrown out into the darkness outside. (Matt. 25:24-30; Luke
19:22, 23) Since this third slave hid
his talent, was Jesus here indicating that one third of his anointed
followers would prove to be wicked and sluggish? No. Rather, he was
warning them of the need to remain
diligentto do business with their
talentand avoid the attitudes and
actions of a wicked slave. (Matt. 25:
16) Jesus was warning his spiritual
brothers about what would happen
if they lost their sense of vigilance
and did not prove to be prepared.
w15 3/15 3:14, 15
One thing I have asked from Jehovahit is what I will look forthat
I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life.
Ps. 27:4.
As part of Jehovahs organization, what joy we now have in telling
others about Gods promised new
world! (2 Pet. 3:13) The meek will
possess the earth, says Psalm 37:11,
and they will nd exquisite delight
in the abundance of peace. People
will build houses and live in them
and will enjoy the work of their
hands. (Isa. 65:21, 22) There will

be no more oppression, poverty,
and hunger. (Ps. 72:13-16) Babylon
the Great will no longer deceive anyone, for she will not exist. (Rev. 18:
8, 21) The dead will be resurrected and given the opportunity to live
forever. (Isa. 25:8; Acts 24:15) What
thrilling prospects exist for millions
who have made a dedication to Jehovah! For such promises to become realities for us as individuals,
we must continue to make spiritual
progress, moving ahead with Gods
organization, always keeping pace
with it. w14 5/15 4:16, 17
Saturday, October 1
Sunday, October 2
Moses brought Aaron and his sons

near and washed them with water.
Lev. 8:6.
On its own the ground bears fruit

gradually.Mark 4:28.
The washing of Aarons sons pregured the cleansing of those selected to be members of the
heavenly priesthood. The washing of the anointed is accomplished
by means of the word, and this requires that they wholeheartedly apply Christs teachings in their lives.
(Eph. 5:25-27) They are thus sanctied and cleansed. Are the great
crowd of Jesus other sheep also
made holy and cleansed by means of
Gods Word? (Rev. 7:9) Yes, they are!
When those with the earthly hope
read what the Bible says about the
importance and eectiveness of Jesus shed blood, they put faith in
these words and render sacred service day and night. (Rev. 7:13-15)
The eect of this continual cleansing is evident as they maintain ne
conduct. (1 Pet. 2:12) How pleased
Jehovah must be as he observes
their cleanness and unity as they
loyally follow their Shepherd, Jesus! w14 11/15 2:3-5
When an individual progresses to the point that he is motivated

to serve God, he bears fruit in the
sense that he dedicates his life to
Jehovah and gets baptized. Jehovah is the one who makes the truth
grow in the hearts of rightly disposed ones. (Acts 13:48; 1 Cor. 3:7)
We plant and water, but we do not
control the growth. We cannot force
it or speed it up. Just like the man
in Jesus illustration of the sower
who sleeps, we do not know how the
growth takes place. (Mark 4:27) It
often goes unnoticed by us as we
go about our normal, daily activities. In time, though, the Kingdom
seed may bear fruit. The new disciple then joins us in the harvest
work, and we benet from his assistance. (John 4:36-38) Dedication,
however, is something that must
spring from a willing heart motivated by love for God. Anything less
would not be acceptable to Jehovah.Ps. 51:12; 54:6; 110:3. w14 12/15
2:4-6
Monday, October 3
The gift God gives is everlasting
life by Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom. 6:23.
As Adams descendants, we inherited sin and death. (Rom. 5:12)
No imperfect human can give God
a ransom for his life or that of others. (Ps. 49:6-9) By his death, however, Jesus paid the only acceptable ransom pricehis perfect body
and shed blood. By presenting to
God the value of the ransom, Jesus
made it possible for us to be delivered from sin and death and to receive the gift of eternal life. (1 Cor.
15:21, 22) The ransom provision
proves that God loves the world of
mankind. (John 3:16) Jesus sacrice is evidence that he too loves us.
Why, during his prehuman existence as Gods master worker, Jesus was especially fond of the sons
of men! (Prov. 8:30, 31) Gratitude
to God and his Son should move us
to be present at the commemoration of Jesus death, thus obeying the command: Keep doing this
in remembrance of me.1 Cor. 11:
24. w15 1/15 2:4, 5
Tuesday, October 4
Though you do not see him now,
yet you exercise faith in him.
1 Pet. 1:8.
When we become disciples of
Christ, we embark on a journey.
That journey can lead us to life,
whether in heaven or on earth.
Jesus said: The one who has
endured to the end [the end of his
present life or the end of this wicked system of things] will be saved.
(Matt. 24:13) Yes, if we stick to a
life course of faithfulness, we can

come in line for salvation. Along the
way, however, we must be careful
not to get distracted or lost. (1 John
2:15-17) How can we stay on course
on our journey? Our Exemplar, Jesus, led the way. His journey was
recorded in the Bible. By studying
that record, we learn what Jesus is
like. We can come to love him and
exercise faith in him. (1 Pet. 1:8, 9)
Recall that the apostle Peter said
that Jesus left us a model for us to
follow his steps closely. (1 Pet. 2:
21) If we carefully follow his steps,
we will reach the goal of our faith
salvation. w15 2/15 2:1, 2
Wednesday, October 5
I tell you the truth, I do not know
you.Matt. 25:12.
During the great tribulation, faithful anointed ones cannot help any
who had turned unfaithful. There
will be no help available. It will simply be too late. What end, then, will
such ones face? Jesus explains what
happened when the foolish virgins
went o on their futile errand: The
bridegroom came. The virgins who
were ready went in with him to the
marriage feast, and the door was
shut. When Christ comes in his glory near the end of the tribulation, he
will gather his faithful anointed ones
to heaven. (Matt. 24:31; 25:10; John
14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:17) The door will,
indeed, be shut to the unfaithful
ones, who prove to be like the foolish virgins. They may, in eect, cry
out: Sir, Sir, open to us! But they
receive an answer like the one that
so many goatlike ones receive in that
hour of judgment: I tell you the
truth, I do not know you. How sad!
Matt. 7:21-23; 25:11, 12. w15 3/15 2:12
Thursday, October 6
Why should you be afraid of a mortal man who will die and of a son
of man who will wither like green
grass?Isa. 51:12.
Faith in Jehovah will help you to
conquer your fears. If powerful ofcials try to restrict your freedom
to worship God, it may seem that
your life, welfare, and future are in
human hands. You might even wonder if it is wise to continue serving
Jehovah and angering the authorities. Remember: The antidote to
fear of man is faith in God. (Prov. 29:
25) Focus your attention on your almighty Father. He sees, empathizes
with, and acts in behalf of those who
suer under unjust rulers. (Ex. 3:710) Even if you must defend your
faith before powerful ocials, do
not become anxious about how or
what you are to speak, for what you
are to speak will be given you in that
hour. (Matt. 10:18-20) Human rulers and government ocials are no
match for Jehovah. By strengthening your faith now, you can come to
see Jehovah as a real Person who is
eager to help you. w14 4/15 2:8, 9
Friday, October 7
Let your words always be
gracious.Col. 4:6.
In our ministry, we usually speak
to individuals . Each person has
his or her unique background
and problems. (2 Chron. 6:29) When
trying to share the good news with
someone, ask yourself: If our roles
were reversed, how would I want
this person to view me? Would I be
pleased if he viewed me only as a
nondescript resident of the neighborhood? Or would I prefer that he
get to know me as a person?
Considering such questions can re-
mind us to treat each householder as an individual. No one likes to

be labeled a negative person. Being imperfect, however, we sometimes say things that we later regret. (Jas. 3:2) If we were to speak
unkindly to someoneperhaps because we were having a bad daywe
would not want to be labeled rude
or inconsiderate. We would hope
that the other person would be understanding. Should we not show
others the same consideration?
w14 5/15 2:5, 6
Saturday, October 8
[The Samaritan] approached him
and bandaged his wounds.
Luke 10:34.
In an eort to help with the healing process, the neighborly Samaritan poured oil and wine on the
injured mans wounds. The two denarii left with the innkeeper for the
mans care amounted to about two
days wages. (Matt. 20:2; Luke 10:2937) It is often dicult to nd compassionate people like the neighborly Samaritan. Especially is this so in
these critical last days when multitudes have no natural aection,
are erce, and lack a love of goodness. (2 Tim. 3:1-3) Consider what
happened when Hurricane Sandy
struck New York City late in October 2012. In one hard-hit section of
the city, looters preyed on residents
who were already suering because
of a lack of electricity, heat, and
other necessities. In the same area,
Jehovahs Witnesses organized a
program that enabled them to help
one another as well as others. Christians do such things because they
love their neighbor. w14 6/15 2:3-5
Sunday, October 9
I will prove to be with you.
Ex. 3:12.
Can you imagine how you would
feel if you had to stand before the
most powerful ruler on earth and
speak up in behalf of Jehovahs people? You would likely feel anxious,
inadequate, and intimidated. What
could you do to add power to your
words as a representative of the almighty God? Moses was in that exact situation. Jehovah had told him,
the meekest of all the men on the
face of the earth, that he was being sent to Pharaoh to rescue
Gods people from their oppression
and slavery in Egypt. (Num. 12:3)
As events would prove, Pharaoh
was a disrespectful and arrogant
man. (Ex. 5:1, 2) Yet, Jehovah wanted Moses to order Pharaoh to let
several million of his slaves leave
the country! Understandably, Moses asked Jehovah: Who am I that
I should go to Pharaoh and bring
the Israelites out of Egypt? Moses
must have felt inadequate and incapable. But God assured him that
he would not be alone.Ex. 3:9-11.
w14 8/15 2:1, 2
Monday, October 10
Renounce unrighteousness.
2 Tim. 2:19.
Gods Word gives specic advice
concerning the types of unrighteousness that Christians must renounce or reject. For instance, in the
immediate context of 2 Timothy 2:19,
we nd that Paul tells Timothy not
to ght about words and to reject
empty speeches. (2 Tim. 2:14, 16,
23) Some members of the congregation were promoting apostate teach-
ings. Today, Jehovahs people are

not often confronted with apostasy
within the congregation. Still, when
exposed to unscriptural teachings,
regardless of the source, we must
decisively reject them. It would be
unwise to engage in debates with
apostates, whether in person, by responding to their blogs, or by any
other form of communication. Even
when the intention is to help the individual, such conversation would
be contrary to the Scriptural direction we are given. Rather, as Jehovahs people, we completely avoid,
yes reject, apostasy. w14 7/15 2:9, 10
Tuesday, October 11
I see in my body another law warring against the law of my mind
and leading me captive to sins law
that is in my body. Miserable man
that I am!Rom. 7:23, 24.
Satan would like to destroy your
relationship with Jehovah, whether
with frontal attacks of persecution
or by slowly nibbling away at your
faith through subtle attacks. One
of the most eective subtle tactics
Satan uses is discouragement. The
apostle Paul admitted to feeling discouraged at times. Now, why would
Paula spiritual giant who likely was a member of the rst-century
governing bodycall himself a miserable man? Paul said that he felt
this way because of his imperfections. He really wanted to do what
was right, but he felt another force
working against him. If you on occasion struggle with such feelings, do
you not nd it comforting to know
that even the apostle Paul faced a
similar challenge? w14 9/15 2:12
I will make with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah a new
covenant.Jer. 31:31.
Long before the Law covenant
was canceled, Jehovah foretold
through the prophet Jeremiah that
He would make with the nation of
Israel a new covenant. (Jer. 31:32,
33) That covenant would be unlike
the Law covenant in that it would
make possible the forgiveness
of sins without the need for animal
sacrices. Centuries later, Jesus instituted the Lords Evening Meal on
Nisan 14, 33 C.E. Speaking of the
cup of wine, he told his 11 faithful
apostles: This cup means the new
covenant by virtue of my blood,
which is to be poured out in your
behalf. (Luke 22:20) Matthews account quotes Jesus as saying regarding the wine: This means my
blood of the covenant, which is to
be poured out in behalf of many for
forgiveness of sins. (Matt. 26:27,
28) Jesus shed blood validates the
new covenant. That blood also
makes possible the forgiveness of
sins once and for all time. w14 10/15
2:7-9
Thursday, October 13
By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood
of that one, yes, the forgiveness of
our trespasses.Eph. 1:7.
The sacricial death of Jesus
Christ, who willingly handed himself over for us, has profound
meaning for all who love him and
his Father. (Gal. 2:20) Nonetheless,
it was what Jesus did after his death
and resurrection that truly released
us, making forgiveness of our sins
possible. Jesus fullled what was
foreshadowed in the Mosaic Law on
the Day of Atonement. On that

day, the high priest took some of
the blood of the sacricial animals
into the Most Holy of the tabernacle, and later into Solomons temple, and presented it before God,
as if in his presence. (Lev. 16:11-15)
In like manner, Jesus entered heaven itself with the value of his human blood and presented it to Jehovah. (Heb. 9:6, 7, 11-14, 24-28) How
grateful we are that we have our
sins forgiven and our consciences
cleansed because we exercise faith
in the blood of Jesus! w14 11/15 2:13
Friday, October 14
The one slow to anger is better
than a mighty man, and the one
controlling his temper than one
conquering a city.Prov. 16:32.
Do not expose your mates weaknesses or harp on his idiosyncrasiesnot even jokingly. Remember
that marriage is not a competition
to nd out who is stronger, who can
shout louder, or who can think of
the most cutting remark. True, we
all have aws, and sometimes
we upset others. But there is never a justiable reason for either a
husband or a wife to use sarcastic
and demeaning speech, or worse, to
shove or hit each other. (Prov. 17:
27; 31:26) It takes great moral
strength to imitate the greatest man
who ever lived, Jesus Christ, and to
control ones spirit. A man who verbally or physically abuses his wife is
anything but manly, and he will lose
his relationship with Jehovah. The
psalmist David, who himself was a
strong and courageous man, said:
Be agitated, but do not sin. Have
your say in your heart, upon your
bed, and keep silent.Ps. 4:4.
w15 1/15 3:16, 17
Saturday, October 15
another.Eph. 4:25.
Are you a young person? If so, be
assured that you, as a part of Jehovahs worldwide congregation, are
really appreciated. In many countries, a large number of those
getting baptized are young people. How encouraging it is to see so
many youths joining the ranks of
those who have decided to serve Jehovah! As a youth, do you enjoy being with other young people? Likely you do. A certain happiness
comes from enjoying pleasant times
with those of our own age. However,
whether we are young or old and regardless of our background, God
wants us to be united in worshipping him. The apostle Paul wrote
that Gods will is that all sorts of
people should be saved and come
to an accurate knowledge of truth.
(1 Tim. 2:3, 4) At Revelation 7:9, we
nd the description of Gods worshippers who come out of all nations and tribes and peoples and
tongues. w14 12/15 3:1, 2
Sunday, October 16
I, Jehovah, am . . . guiding you
in the way you should walk.
Isa. 48:17.
The Bible Students of the late
19th and early 20th centuries
faced many obstacles. Like the
rst-century Christians, they proclaimed a largely unpopular message. They were few in number, and
the world in general did not consider them highly educated. Moreover,
they would in time face the great
anger of Satan the Devil. (Rev. 12:
12) And their preaching work would

take place during the last days, an
era characterized by critical times
hard to deal with. (2 Tim. 3:1) Jehovah helped the Bible Students to
understand fundamental Scriptural truths that had long been obscured by Christendoms doctrines.
He is now using his people to make
the true knowledge known throughout the earth. Today, we see the fulllment of the prophecy found at
Daniel 12:4. Nearly 8,000,000 people
have embraced Bible truth and are
now declaring it worldwide. w15 2/15
4:1, 3
Monday, October 17
To the extent that you did it to one
of the least of these my brothers,
you did it to me.Matt. 25:40.
Jesus has been speaking to Peter,
Andrew, James, and John, his close
companions. They have just heard
him relate illustrations about the
faithful and discreet slave, the ten
virgins, and the talents. Jesus concludes his discussion with one more
parable. He describes a time when
the Son of man will judge all the
nations. How this illustration must
have fascinated his disciples! In it,
Jesus focuses on two groups, one
classed as sheep and the other as
goats. And he highlights an important third group that he identies
as brothers of the King. (Matt.
25:31-46) Jehovahs people have
long been intrigued by this illustration and rightly so, for in it Jesus
speaks about the fate of people. He
reveals why some will receive everlasting life while others will be cut
o in death forever. w15 3/15 4:1, 2
Tuesday, October 18
Jehovah is my helper; I will not be
afraid.Heb. 13:6.
People often comment about
how happy Jehovahs Witnesses
are, says a longtime elder in a
developing country. They also notice that even poor Witnesses are
always nicely dressed and appear
to be better o than others. This
harmonizes with the promise Jesus
made to those who put the Kingdom
rst. (Matt. 6:28-30, 33) Yes, your
heavenly Father, Jehovah, loves
you and wants only the best for you
and your children. The eyes of Jehovah are roving about through all
the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him. (2 Chron. 16:9)
He has given us his commandmentsincluding those relating to
family life and material needsfor
our benet. When we follow them,
we show that we love him and
trust in him. This is what the love
of God means, that we observe his
commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 5:3. w14 4/15 4:19, 20
Jesus began preaching and saying:
Repent, for the Kingdom of the
heavens has drawn near.
Matt. 4:17.
Jesus taught his disciples to do
the same work. He told them: You
will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the most distant part of the
earth. (Acts 1:8) The early followers of Christ denitely understood
what was required of them. At Antioch in Pisidia, for example, Paul
and Barnabas boldly told their Jewish opposers: It was necessary for
the word of God to be spoken rst
to you. Since you are rejecting it
and do not judge yourselves worthy
of everlasting life, look! we turn to
the nations. For Jehovah has commanded us in these words: I have
appointed you as a light of nations,
for you to be a salvation to the ends
of the earth. (Acts 13:14, 45-47)
Since the rst century, the earthly
part of Gods organization has been
making known his provision for salvation. w14 5/15 3:13
Assist those who are weak.
Acts 20:35.
You may know from personal experience that it can take time to recover from a debilitating physical
illness. Similarly, a Christian who
has been weakened by personal difculties or very trying circumstances may need time to regain
spiritual strength. True, our fellow
believer will need to strengthen his
own faith through personal study,
prayer, and other Christian activities. But will we show patience until
he regains his balance? And during
that recovery, will we show enduring love? Will we strive to help those
who are temporarily weak to feel
valued and to sense our Christian
aection? (2 Cor. 8:8) Never forget
that as we provide support to our
brothers, we experience the joy that
only giving can bring. We also cultivate our capacity for showing empathy and patience. But there is
more. The congregation as a whole
grows in warmth and love. Above
all, we imitate Jehovah, who considers every individual to be precious.
w14 6/15 3:18, 19
Friday, October 21
For this I have come into the
world, that I should bear witness
to the truth.John 18:37.
When on trial for his life, Jesus
Christ said those words to the
Roman governor of Judea. Jesus had just identied himself as
a king. Years later, the apostle
Paul referred to this courageous example of Jesus, who as a witness made the ne public declaration before Pontius Pilate. (1 Tim.
6:13) Indeed, it sometimes requires great courage to be a
faithful and true witness in Satans hate-lled world! (Rev. 3:14)
As a member of the Jewish nation,
Jesus was a witness of Jehovah by
birth. (Isa. 43:10) Indeed, he
turned out to be the greatest witness God has ever raised up in behalf of His name. Jesus zealously
witnessed about Gods Kingdom.
The Gospel writer Mark reported:
Jesus went into Galilee, preaching
the good news of God and saying:
The appointed time has been fullled, and the Kingdom of God has
drawn near. Repent, and have faith
in the good news. Mark 1:14, 15.
w14 7/15 4:1, 2
This is the way. Walk in it.
Isa. 30:21.
Throughout Bible history, individuals received guidance from Jehovah by various means. To some, God
spoke through angels or by means
of visions or dreams, thus revealing
to them what would happen in the
future. Jehovah also gave them specic work assignments. (Num. 7:89;
Ezek. 1:1; Dan. 2:19) Others received
direction through Jehovahs human
representatives. No matter how

Jehovahs people received his word,
those who followed his instructions were blessed. Today, Jehovah
guides his people by means of the
Bible, his holy spirit, and the congregation. (Acts 9:31; 15:28; 2 Tim. 3:
16, 17) The guidance that we receive
from him is clear. Also, Jesus conveys Jehovahs voice to us as he directs the congregation through the
faithful and discreet slave. (Matt.
24:45) We need to take this guidance
and direction seriously, for our
everlasting life depends on our obedience.Heb. 5:9. w14 8/15 4:1, 2
Sunday, October 23
In the day you eat from it you will
certainly die.Gen. 2:17.
Adam may well have understood
this day to be a 24-hour day. After
violating Gods command, he could
have expected Jehovah to act
before the sun set. About the
breezy part of the day, Jehovah approached the couple. (Gen. 3:8) He
held court, as it were, establishing
the facts from the responses that
Adam and Eve gave. (Gen. 3:9-13)
Then he pronounced sentence on
the wrongdoers. (Gen. 3:14-19) Were
he to execute them then and there,
his purpose regarding Adam and
Eve and their ospring would come
to nothing. (Isa. 55:11) Although he
conrmed the death penalty and
the eects of sin began immediately, he allowed Adam and Eve to
produce children who could benet
from other provisions that He would
make. Thus, from Gods standpoint,
Adam and Eve died on the day they
sinned, and they actually died within one day of 1,000 years.2 Pet.
3:8. w14 9/15 4:3, 7
Monday, October 24
Keep your minds xed on the
things above, not on the things on
the earth.Col. 3:2.
The rst-century Christian congregation in Colossae was under attack! Some within the congregation
were creating divisions by promoting adherence to the Mosaic Law.
Others were advocating the pagan
philosophy of asceticism, which involved extreme self-denial. In counteracting these false teachings, the
apostle Paul wrote an encouraging
letter, cautioning the Colossians:
Look out that no one takes you captive by means of the philosophy and
empty deception according to human tradition, according to the elementary things of the world and
not according to Christ. (Col. 2:8)
If those anointed Christians focused their minds on the elementary things of the world, they would
be turning their backs on Jehovahs
provision for salvation. (Col. 2:2023) Christs brothers were to keep
in mind their hope of receiving the
incorruptible inheritance that was
reserved for them in the heavens.
Col. 1:4, 5. w14 10/15 4:1, 2
Tuesday, October 25
You have become dull in your
hearing.Heb. 5:11.
Why was Paul so forceful, so direct? He was reecting Jehovahs
love and concern for those Christians who were trying to survive on
spiritual milk. (Heb. 5:12) Knowing
the fundamental doctrines of Christianity is vital. However, solid
food is needed to promote spiritual growth toward Christian maturity. Instead of progressing to
the point of teaching others, the
Hebrews needed to have some-
one teach them. Why? Because they

avoided solid food. Ask yourself:
Do I have the right attitude toward
solid spiritual food? Am I taking it
in? Or do I shy away from praying
and engaging in deep Bible study?
If so, might my study habits be part
of the problem? Not only are we to
preach to people but we are to teach
them and make disciples. (Matt. 28:
19, 20) Whether we have been dedicated servants of God for years or
for a comparatively short time, we
should continually take in solid spiritual food. w14 11/15 3:15-17
another.Rom. 12:5.
We can see proof of this principle
when disasters strike. In December 2011, a tropical storm caused severe ooding on the Philippine island of Mindanao. Overnight, more
than 40,000 homes were inundated,
including dozens of our brothers
homes. However, the branch oce
reports that even before the relief
committees were in operation,
Christian brothers from other areas
were sending help. Similarly, when
a massive earthquake and resulting tsunami struck eastern Japan,
many brothers and sisters suered
great losses. Some were left with
virtually nothing. A member of the
relief committee comments: Brothers from all over Japan were acting as one, trying to help one another. Brothers even came all the
way from the United States to help.
When asked why, they said, We are
united with our brothers in Japan,
and they need help. Are you not
proud to be part of an organization
that cares so much for its members?
w14 12/15 3:19, 20
Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality.Matt. 15:19.
Once illicit desires take root in
their treacherous hearts, two people who are attracted to each other may nd themselves discussing
matters that they should be sharing
only with their spouse. Soon, they
create more and more opportunities to be together, and seemingly
innocent and ostensibly accidental
encounters become more frequent.
As their feelings become more intense, their moral defenses weaken. The further they go down a sinful path, the more dicult it is to
stop, even though they know that
what they are doing is wrong.
(Prov. 7:21, 22) Ultimately, they are
drawn out and enticed [caught as
by bait, ftn.] by [their] own desire.
When the desire has become fertile,
it gives birth to sinin this case,
sexual immorality. (Jas. 1:14, 15)
How tragic! w15 1/15 4:5-7
Friday, October 28
Make disciples.
Matt. 28:19.
In 1900, only 8,000 automobiles
were registered in the entire
United States, and there were just
a few hundred miles of roads good
enough to drive them on. Worldwide, there are now more than one
and a half billion registered motorized vehicles and millions of
miles of good roads. Cars and roads
enable many of us to take the good
news to people who live in remote
areas. However, even if we lack convenient means of travel and must
walk great distances, we put
forth the eort needed to make dis-
ciples. (Matt. 28:20) Trucks, ships,

and trains make it possible to transport Bible-based literature to very
remote regions within weeks. Airplanes allow many to travel swiftly to conventions or to care for
theocratic assignments. Additionally, members of the Governing
Body and other brothers from world
headquarters y to many countries
to encourage and instruct fellow believers. Advancements in transportation thus help to promote unity
among Jehovahs people.Ps. 133:
1-3. w15 2/15 4:8, 9
[Teach] them to observe all the
things I have commanded you.
Matt. 28:20.
Does the commission to preach
really apply to those who are not
anointed with holy spirit? Yes. Jesus instructed all his disciples to
preach. After he was resurrected,
Jesus told his followers to make disciples, teaching them to observe
all the things he had commanded.
Included among those commands
was the commission to preach.
(Matt. 28:19) Therefore, all disciples
of Christ are to preach, whether
their hope is to rule in heaven or to
live on earth. (Acts 10:42) Also, the
book of Revelation indicates that
the preaching work would be done
both by the anointed and by others.
In the vision recorded in chapter 22,
John sees others, who are not of
the bride class. They too are told to
say, Come! This second group are
those who have the hope of living on
earth. Therefore, this vision clearly
indicates that all who accept the invitation to come have the responsibility to preach to others. w15 3/15
4:11-13
Sunday, October 30
Monday, October 31
So it will be in the conclusion of

the system of things.
Matt. 13:40.
Your expressions of aection

are better than wine.
Song of Sol. 1:2.
The conclusion of the system of

things began in 1914. During the
war that broke out that year, the few
thousand anointed Christians, the
sons of the Kingdom, were in spiritual captivity to Babylon the Great.
(Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) In 1919, Jehovah delivered them, making a clear
distinction between them and the
weeds, or imitation Christians. He
gathered the sons of the Kingdom
into an organized people, in fulllment of Isaiahs prophecy. (Isa.
66:8) Zion, Jehovahs organization
of spirit beings, brought forth her
spirit-anointed sons and organized
them into a nation. Just like the early Christians, the anointed sons of
the Kingdom were to be witnesses of Jehovah. (Isa. 43:1, 10, 11) As
such, they would stand out as dierent by their Christian conduct and
by their preaching this good news
of the Kingdom . . . for a witness to
all the nations.Matt. 24:14; Phil. 2:
15. w14 11/15 5:11, 12
Expressions of aection between

marriage mates have a positive effect. King Solomon oered to
make for the Shulammite girl
gold ornaments studded with silver. He showered her with praise,
saying that she was as beautiful as the full moon, as pure as the
sunlight. (Song of Sol. 1:9-11; 6:10)
But the young woman remained loyal to her beloved shepherd. What
strengthened and comforted her
during their separation? She tells
us. It was the memory of the shepherds expressions of aection.
For her, they proved to be better
than wine that makes the heart rejoice, and his name was as soothing as fragrant oil poured out on
the head. (Song of Sol. 1:3, 4; Ps.
23:5; 104:15) Yes, the pleasant memory of love that has been expressed
can enhance the enduring quality of
love. How important it is that marriage mates express their aection
for each other often! w15 1/15 5:10
Tuesday, November 1
in the Watchtower series The Bible Changes Lives. Some of the

people featured in these articles
were formerly thieves, drunkards,
gang members, or drug addicts.
Others were politicians, religious
leaders, or career-focused individuals. Some were pursuing an immoral lifestyle. Yet, all of them heard
the good news, accepted a Bible
study, made changes in their lives,
and came into the truth. Therefore,
we should never assume that certain people are beyond the reach of
the Kingdom message.1 Cor. 6:911. w14 5/15 2:7, 8
I have become all things to people

of all sorts, so that I might by all
possible means save some.
1 Cor. 9:22.
If someone you meet in the ministry seems to be belligerent, could it
be that he is under pressure or dealing with a serious health problem?
In many cases, householders who
initially were upset have responded favorably when Jehovahs people
treated them with mildness and respect. (Prov. 15:1; 1 Pet. 3:15) Many
experiences have been published
Wednesday, November 2
You heard that it was said: You
must love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.Matt. 5:43.
To the above, Jesus added: However, I say to you: Continue to love
your enemies and to pray for those
who persecute you, so that you may
prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens. (Matt. 5:
44, 45) The apostle Paul made a similar point when he wrote: If your
enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is
thirsty, give him something to
drink. (Rom. 12:20; Prov. 25:21)
According to the Mosaic Law, a person was to help an enemy to free
his animal that had fallen under its
load. (Ex. 23:5) By working together in such a way, former enemies
might become good friends. Because Christians show love, many
of our enemies have softened their
heart toward us. If we show love for
our enemieseven rabid persecutorshow happy we will be if some
of them embrace true Christianity!
w14 6/15 2:8
Thursday, November 3
Keep on making sure of what is
acceptable to the Lord.Eph. 5:10.
Dierences of opinion regarding
entertainment can result in foolish and ignorant debates. (2 Tim. 2:
23) Of course, when individuals promote entertainment that violates
Jehovahs moral standards, Christian elders should not tolerate such
behavior simply to avoid controversy. (Ps. 11:5; Eph. 5:3-5) Still, elders
are careful not to promote their
personal views. In the matter of entertainment, our organization does
not review specic movies, video
games, books, or songs in order to

rule on what we should avoid. Why
not? The Bible encourages each individual to train his powers of discernment . . . to distinguish both
right and wrong. (Heb. 5:14) The
Scriptures set forth basic principles that a Christian can weigh
when selecting entertainment. The
Bible teaches that family heads
have a measure of authority, so they
may choose not to allow certain entertainment in their household.
1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 6:1-4. w14 7/15 2:
11, 12
Friday, November 4
This is so that they may believe
that Jehovah . . . has appeared to
you.Ex. 4:5.
God put in Moses hand the means
by which he could prove that his
message was from Jehovah. What
seemed to others like nothing more
than a rod came to life by Gods
power! What force such a miracle
would add to Moses words, proving conclusively that he had Jehovahs backing! Hence, Jehovah told
him: You will take this rod in your
hand and perform the signs with it.
(Ex. 4:17) With that proof of Gods
authority in his hand, Moses could
go forth and condently represent
the true God before his own people
and before Pharaoh. (Ex. 4:2-4, 2931; 7:8-13) The same question may
be asked of us when we go forth to
share the Bibles message with others: What is that in your hand? In
many cases, the Bible will be in our
hand, ready for use. Although some
may view the Bible as nothing more
than a book, Jehovah speaks to us
through his inspired written Word.
2 Pet. 1:21. w14 8/15 2:5, 6
Saturday, November 5
This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do.Lev. 8:5.
The requirement that Israels
priesthood be physically clean has
real meaning for Jehovahs people
today. (Lev. 8:6) Those with whom
we study the Bible often notice that
our places of worship are clean and
also how neat and well-dressed we
are. Yet, the cleanness of the priesthood helps us to realize that anyone who ascends the elevated mountain of Jehovahs worship must have
a pure heart. (Ps. 24:3, 4; Isa. 2:
2, 3) Our sacred service to God must
be rendered with cleansed minds
and hearts as well as with clean
bodies. This calls for frequent selfexamination, after which some may
need to make signicant changes
so that they can be holy. (2 Cor.
13:5) For instance, a baptized person who deliberately views pornography should ask himself, Am I proving myself holy? Then he ought to
get help to end that vile practice.
Jas. 5:14. w14 11/15 2:3, 6
Sunday, November 6
[Jesus] took a loaf, said a blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, saying: Take it; this means my body.
Mark 14:22.
On that highly important occasion in 33 C.E., Jesus used unleavened bread left over from the Passover meal. (Ex. 12:8) In the
Scriptures, leaven at times denotes
corruption or sin. (Matt. 16:6, 11, 12;
Luke 12:1) Thus, Jesus use of unleavened bread was signicant because it ttingly represented his
sinless body. (Heb. 7:26) So bread
of that kind is used at the Memorial. The wine that Jesus used on Ni-
san 14, 33 C.E., represented Jesus

blood, as does the Memorial cup
of wine today. At Golgotha, a place
outside Jerusalem, his blood was
poured out for forgiveness of sins.
(Matt. 26:28; 27:33) Because the Memorial bread and wine symbolize
Jesus priceless sacrice oered in
behalf of obedient mankind and we
appreciate that loving provision, it
is appropriate that we personally
prepare for the annual observance
of the Lords Evening Meal. w15 1/15
2:6-8
Monday, November 7
Finally he struck down all the rstborn of Egypt.Ps. 78:51.
In the month of Nisan 1513 B.C.E.,
Jehovah told Moses and Aaron to
convey these unusual instructions
to the Israelites: Select a healthy
male sheep or goat, slaughter it, and
splash its blood on your doorways.
(Ex. 12:3-7) How did Moses respond?
The apostle Paul later wrote of him:
By faith he observed the Passover
and the splashing of the blood, so
that the destroyer might not harm
their rstborn. (Heb. 11:28) Moses
knew that Jehovah is trustworthy,
and he exercised faith in Jehovahs
promise to execute the rstborn
sons in Egypt. Moses own sons were
apparently in Midian, far away from
the destroyer. (Ex. 18:1-6) Yet, he
obediently instructed other Israelite families whose rstborn sons
were in danger. Lives were at stake,
and Moses loved his fellow man.
Promptly, the Bible states, Moses
called all the elders of Israel and
said to them: . . . Slaughter the Passover sacrice. Ex. 12:21. w14 4/15
2:10, 11
Tuesday, November 8
They spoke the word only to the
Jews.Acts 11:19.
The Jews in general did not accept
the good news, and calamity was to
befall them, for Jesus had warned
his disciples: When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let
those in Judea begin eeing to the
mountains, let those in the midst of
her leave, and let those in the countryside not enter into her. (Luke
21:20, 21) What Jesus foretold took
place. Because of a Jewish revolt,
Roman armies led by Cestius Gallus surrounded Jerusalem in 66 C.E.
Those forces suddenly withdrew,
however, and that gave Jesus followers an opportunity to leave Jerusalem and Judea. According to
the historian Eusebius, many ed
across the Jordan River to Pella in
Perea. In 70 C.E., Roman armies under General Titus returned and devastated Jerusalem. However, faithful Christians survived because
they heeded Jesus warning. w14 5/15
3:14, 15
The precious things of all the
nations will come in.
Hag. 2:7.
When parents watch their children play, they are often amazed by
the inborn abilities the young ones
have. One child may appear to have
natural agility or athletic ability,
while a sibling seems more at ease
with board games or some art or
craft. But regardless of their childrens gifts, parents nd pleasure
in discovering their potential. Jehovah too takes a keen interest in his
earthly children. They are precious

particularly because of their faith
and devotion. Yet, they have many
dierent talents. Some brothers are
gifted at public speaking, whereas
others excel at organizing matters.
Many sisters have a knack for learning foreign languages and use them
in the ministry, while others are outstanding examples of giving support to those who need encouragement or of caring for the sick. (Rom.
16:1, 12) Do we not appreciate being in the congregation with all such
Christians? w14 6/15 4:1, 2
[Jesus] was put to death in the
esh but made alive in the spirit.
1 Pet. 3:18.
Jehovah resurrected Jesus, not
as a human, but as an immortal
spirit creature. In proof of this, the
Lord Jesus materialized in human
form and gave evidence that he had
come back to life. On the very day
of his resurrection, he made at least
ve appearances to dierent disciples. (Matt. 28:8-10; Luke 24:13-16,
30-36; John 20:11-18) The fth time
Jesus appeared was to present himself to his apostles and others
who were gathered with them. On
that memorable occasion, he conducted, as it were, a study of Gods
Word. He opened up their minds
fully to grasp the meaning of the
Scriptures. Thus they came to understand that his death at the hands
of Gods enemies and his miraculous resurrection had been foretold
in the Scriptures. At the conclusion of that resurrection-day meeting, Jesus made clear to his audience what their responsibility was.
Luke 24:44-48. w14 7/15 4:3, 4
Friday, November 11
[My people] have abandoned me,
the source of living water, and dug
for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that cannot hold water.
Jer. 2:13.
Satan the Devil is intent on neutralizing the lifesaving guidance we
receive from Jehovah. Moreover,
our own treacherous heart could
interfere with how well we respond
to Jehovahs directives. (Jer. 17:9)
Satan tries to inuence the thinking
of people by providing false information and deceptive propaganda.
(1 John 5:19) In addition to printed
material, the globeincluding remote parts of the earthis blanketed with broadcasts via radio, TV,
and the Internet. Although such
sources may feature items of interest, they often advocate conduct
and standards that are contrary to
Jehovahs standards. For example,
the news and entertainment industries speak of same-sex marriage
as if it were acceptable, and many
people feel that what the Bible says
about homosexuality is extreme.
1 Cor. 6:9, 10. w14 8/15 4:3, 4
Miserable man that I am!
Rom. 7:24.
What causes some zealous servants of Jehovah to become discouraged? There could be a number
of reasons. Some may simply have
a tendency to think badly of themselves and their circumstances in
life. (Prov. 15:15) For others, negative feelings might be rooted in a
physical disorder that aects the
emotions. Whatever the cause, we
must remember who wants to
exploit those feelings. Really, who
wants us to get so discouraged that

we give up? Who wants you to feel
the same weighty condemnation
that looms over him? (Rev. 20:10)
It is Satan, of course. The truth is,
whether by means of some frontal
attack or through more subtle attacks, Satan has the same goalto
worry us, to weaken our zeal, and to
cause us to quit. Make no mistake,
Gods people are involved in spiritual warfare! Be determined not to
give up the ght. Keep focused on
the reward.2 Cor. 4:16, 17. w14 9/15
2:12, 14, 15
Sunday, November 13
This means my blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out in
behalf of many for forgiveness of
sins.Matt. 26:28.
God could apply the value of Jesus shed blood to Adams descendants. He could also adopt certain
devoted humans as sons by
anointing them with holy spirit.
(Rom. 8:14-17) Being considered to
be without sin in Gods eyes, they
would in a sense be like Jesus, the
sinless Son of God. These anointed
ones would become joint heirs with
Christ and have the opportunity
of becoming a kingdom of priests.
(Ex. 19:6) This was a privilege that
the nation of Israel under the Law
could have had. Concerning the
joint heirs with Christ, the apostle Peter stated: You are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare
abroad the excellencies of the One
who called you. (1 Pet. 2:9) How vital the new covenant is! It enables
Jesus disciples to become the secondary part of Abrahams ospring.
w14 10/15 2:8, 9
Monday, November 14
Do not drink wine or other alcoholic beverages . . . when you come
into the tent of meeting.
Lev. 10:9.
Does that passage mean that we
must not drink anything alcoholic
before going to a Christian meeting? Think about these points:
We are not under the Law. (Rom.
10:4) In some lands, our fellow believers use alcoholic beverages in
moderation at meals before attending meetings. Four cups of wine
were used at the Passover. When instituting the Memorial, Jesus had
his apostles drink wine that represented his blood. (Matt. 26:27)
The Bible condemns heavy drinking
and drunkenness. (1 Cor. 6:10; 1 Tim.
3:8) And many Christians would
feel impelled by their conscience to
abstain completely from alcoholic
beverages before engaging in any
form of sacred service. However,
circumstances vary from one country to another, and the important
thing is for Christians to conduct
themselves with holiness that pleases God.Lev. 10:10. w14 11/15 3:18
Tuesday, November 15
Be patient.Jas. 5:7.
We have to admit that we have no
control over the spiritual growth
of a Bible student. Modesty on our
part will help us to avoid the temptation to pressure or force a student to get baptized. We do all we
can to assist and support the person, but we humbly admit that ultimately the decision to make a dedication belongs to that person.
Even though the seed we sow does
not bear fruit, if we have done our
best to help the student, we realize
that this outcome is not a sign of unfaithfulness on our part. Jehovah

allows the seed of truth to ourish
only in a humble heart that is willing to make changes. (Matt. 13:23)
So we should not judge the eectiveness of our ministry merely by
the results. In Jehovahs eyes the
success of our ministry is not determined by the response of those
whom we teach. Rather, he treasures our faithful eorts regardless
of the results.Luke 10:17-20; 1 Cor.
3:8. w14 12/15 2:6, 7
Clothe yourselves with love, for it
is a perfect bond of union.
Col. 3:14.
Self-sacricing, Christlike love is
the mortar that binds the building
blocks of a sturdy marital union. It
makes the marriage unbreakable
in the face of irritating personality aws, daunting health challenges, distressing nancial crises,
and challenging in-law issues. True,
it takes loving devotion, loyal commitment, and earnest eort to make
a marriage succeed. Rather than
abandoning the marriage when difculties arise, marriage partners
should be determined to make their
relationship thrivenot just survive. Christian couples who are devoted to Jehovah and to each other
are motivated by their love for God
and for each other to resolve their
diculties, for love never fails.
(1 Cor. 13:8; Matt. 19:5, 6; Heb. 13:4)
Building a strong and happy marriage is particularly challenging in
the critical times in which we live.
(2 Tim. 3:1) But with Jehovahs help,
it is possible. w15 1/15 3:18-20
Be courageous and strong of
heart. Yes, hope in Jehovah.
Ps. 27:14.
We get courage by trusting in God
and following the steps of his Son.
(Ps. 28:7) During his ministry, Jesus
showed courage in various ways. He
boldly exposed the religious leaders
for misleading the people with false
teachings. (Matt. 23:13-36) He stood
rm against the worlds contaminating inuence. (John 16:33) He continued to preach despite pressure
from opposers. (John 5:15-18; 7:14)
Twice, he fearlessly cleansed the
temple, driving out those who were
deling the worship there. (Matt.
21:12, 13; John 2:14 -17) In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus fearlessly identied himself to the soldiers
who came to arrest him. Although
his own life was in danger, he spoke
up to protect his disciples. (John
18:1- 8) When questioned before
the Sanhedrin, he boldly armed
that he was both the Christ and the
Son of God, even though he knew
that the high priest was looking for
an excuse to have him killed.Mark
14:60-65. w15 2/15 2:3, 5, 6
Friday, November 18
I do not know you.
Matt. 25:12.
In the parable of the ten virgins,
was Jesus saying that many of
his anointed servants would prove
unfaithful and need to be replaced?
(Matt. 25:1-13) No. Remember, he
had just warned his faithful and
discreet slave never to turn into
an evil slave. (Matt. 24:45-51) That
did not mean that he expected such
an outcome. Similarly, this parable
conveys a powerful warning. Just
as ve virgins were foolish and ve

were discreet, each anointed one
has the full capacity to choose either a course of preparedness and
vigilance or a course of folly and
unfaithfulness. The apostle Paul
was inspired to make a similar point
when addressing his anointed fellow Christians. (Heb. 6:4 -9; compare Deuteronomy 30:19.) Note that
Pauls warning was very rm, but he
followed it up with a loving expression of his condence that better
things lay ahead of his Christian
brothers and sisters. Christ knows
that each of his anointed servants
can remain faithful and receive the
thrilling reward! w15 3/15 2:13
The eyes of Jehovah are everywhere, watching both the bad and
the good.Prov. 15:3.
Today, electronic eyes are everywhere. Should the widespread
use of surveillance cameras in
any way remind us of our loving Father, Jehovah? The Bible does say
that his eyes are everywhere. But
does this mean that he is constantly scrutinizing what we are doing?
Does God watch over us merely to
enforce his laws, with punishment
in mind? (Jer. 16:17; Heb. 4:13) Not
at all! Jehovah observes us primarily because he loves each one of
us and is interested in our welfare.
(1 Pet. 3:12) He shows this (1) by
warning us when we show bad inclinations, (2) by correcting us when
we take wrong steps, (3) by guiding us through principles found in
his Word, (4) by helping us when we
face various trials, and ( 5) by rewarding us when he notices the
good in us. w14 4/15 5:1-3
Sunday, November 20
I, Jehovah, am your God, the One
teaching you to benet yourself,
the One guiding you in the way you
should walk.Isa. 48:17.
Whether we are anointed Christians or we are members of the
great crowd, we can experience
the bright future promised in Gods
Word. To do so, however, we must
comply with Jehovahs requirements. (Isa. 48:18) Consider the Israelites under the Mosaic Law. One
purpose of the Law was to protect
the people of Israel by giving them
wholesome statutes regulating sexual conduct, business dealings,
child care, proper treatment of fellow humans, and so forth. (Ex. 20:
14; Lev. 19:18, 35-37; Deut. 6:6-9)
Complying with Gods requirements
benets us in similar waysand we
certainly do not nd it burdensome
to do his will. (1 John 5:3) In fact, as
the Israelites were safeguarded by
the Law, our compliance with Jehovah Gods laws and principles not
only protects us but also keeps us
healthy in the faith.Titus 1:13.
w14 5/15 4:9
Monday, November 21
Do not withhold good from those
to whom you should give it if it is
within your power to help.
Prov. 3:27.
When we notice a good quality in
another Christian, do we express
how much we value that ne trait?
In Romans chapter 16, Paul gave
recognition to more than 20 fellow
believers for qualities that made
them dear to his heart. (Rom. 16:3-7,
13) There may be ne results when
we give genuine commendation. For
instance, each time we express appreciation for well-handled assignments or praiseworthy eorts, we
give our fellow believers an incentive to serve Jehovah more fully.
Jr me, a missionary in French
Guiana, has helped many young
men to qualify for missionary service. He says: I have noticed that
when I compliment young brothers
on specic points in their ministry
or for giving well-thought-out comments, they grow in condence. As
a result, they develop their abilities
further. w14 6/15 4:15-17
We hear them speaking in our
languages about the magnicent
things of God.Acts 2:11.
May we continue to treasure our
privilege of being Witnesses of the
magnicent things that Jehovah
God has done and of his promises
for the future. True, such witnessing is not always easy. Many of our
brothers work in territories where
there is a lot of apathy, ridicule,
or outright persecution. We can do
just as the apostle Paul and his companions did. Paul said: We mustered up boldness by means of
our God to tell you the good news
of God in the face of much opposition. (1 Thess. 2:2) So let us never give up. Rather, may we be determined to be true to our dedication
as Satans system crashes in ruins.
(Isa. 6:11) We cannot do this in our
own strength, but following the example of the early Christians, we
must pray that Jehovah by means of
his spirit will give us the power beyond what is normal.2 Cor. 4:1, 7;
Luke 11:13. w14 7/15 4:6, 13
Pride is before a crash.
Prov. 16:18.
What power our sinful tendencies
exert on us! Take, for example,
pride. This trait can interfere with
our listening to the voice of Jehovah and can lead us to take a disastrous course. A proud person has
an exaggerated opinion of himself.
He may feel that he has the right
to do whatever he wants and that
no one can tell him what to do. So
he may feel that he is above the direction and counsel of fellow Christians, the elders, or even Gods organization. For such a person, the
sound of Jehovahs voice becomes
very faint. During Israels wilderness trek, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against the authority of Moses and Aaron. Because of
pride, the rebels made independent
arrangements to worship Jehovah.
How did Jehovah respond? He executed them. (Num. 26:8-10) What
a crucial lesson this historical account teaches us! Rebellion against
Jehovah leads to disaster.Isa. 13:
11. w14 8/15 4:10, 11
Through one man sin entered into
the world and death through
sin, and so death spread to all men
because they had all sinned.
Rom. 5:12.
The rst to die was faithful Abel.
(Gen. 4:8) Then Adams other ospring grew old and died. Did they
inherit sin as well as death? The
apostle Paul answers: Through the
disobedience of the one man many
were made sinners. (Rom. 5:19)
Sin and death inherited from Adam
thus became implacable enemies
of mankind, inescapable for imperfect humans. We cannot exactly describe all that was involved in
passing on their sad inheritance to
Adams immediate and more distant
ospring, but passed on it was. Fittingly, the Bible refers to inherited
sin and death as the shroud that is
enveloping all the peoples and the
covering that is woven over all the
nations. (Isa. 25:7) This suocating covering, or shroud, this intricate webwork of condemnation, entraps all people. So the fact is that
in Adam all are dying.1 Cor. 15:
22. w14 9/15 4:8, 9
Friday, November 25
We are overturning reasonings and
every lofty thing raised up against
the knowledge of God.
2 Cor. 10:5.
We need to be vigilant in guarding against attacks on our spirituality. Has the worlds view of material pursuits made inroads into our
lives? The things we love are usually evident by our thoughts and actions. Jesus said: Where your
treasure is, there your heart will
be also. (Matt. 6:21) To determine where our heart is leading us,
it is good to examine ourselves
from time to time. Ask yourself:
How much time do I spend thinking
about money matters? Do concerns
over business prospects, investments, or reaching out for a more
comfortable lifestyle occupy large
blocks of my time? Or do I strive to
maintain an eye that is focused on
spiritual matters? (Matt. 6:22) Jesus indicated that those who place
primary emphasis on storing up
treasures on the earth put themselves in grave spiritual danger.
Matt. 6:19, 20, 24. w14 10/15 4:4, 5
Many peoples will go and say:
Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of
the God of Jacob.Isa. 2:3.
The ocking of many humans to
worship Jehovah with his people in this time of the end was foretold by two ancient prophets. Isaiah prophesied the above. Likewise,
the prophet Zechariah foretold that
many peoples and mighty nations
will come to seek Jehovah of armies
in Jerusalem and to beg for the favor of Jehovah. He depicted them
as ten men out of all the languages
of the nations who, symbolically
speaking, would take hold of the
robe of spiritual Israel, saying: We
want to go with you, for we have
heard that God is with you people.
(Zech. 8:20-23) The other sheep
go with the spiritual Israelites in
the work of preaching the good
news of the Kingdom. (Mark 13:10)
They become a part of Gods people, one ock with the anointed,
under the ne shepherd, Christ
Jesus.John 10:14-16. w14 11/15 5:
14, 15
Sunday, November 27
Happy are those conscious of their
spiritual need.Matt. 5:3.
When one has had many material things from childhood, there is
a tendency not to appreciate them
fully. For example, a person who
grows up in a wealthy household
may take for granted many of the
things he has. This can be the case
with youths who because of a lack of
experience may not yet fully discern
what things in life are truly valuable. For many in the world, life
revolves around material thingsa
good salary, a nice home, or the latest high-tech devices. However, if

these are our only concerns, something important is missingspiritual riches. Sadly, millions today have
not even begun to look for these.You
young ones who have been raised by
Christian parents must be careful
not to lose sight of the value of what
you have received in the form of a
spiritual inheritance. A lack of appreciation could result in sad consequences that might aect you for
the rest of your life. w14 12/15 4:1, 2
Monday, November 28
[Marry] only in the Lord.
1 Cor. 7:39.
The Song of Solomon provides
lessons for unmarried Christians,
especially for those looking for a
mate. The young woman felt no love
for Solomon. Putting the daughters
of Jerusalem under oath, she said:
Do not try to awaken or arouse love
in me until it feels inclined.
(Song of Sol. 2:7; 3:5) Why? Because
it is simply not proper to develop a
romantic attachment for just anyone who comes along. A Christian
desiring to marry, then, is wise to
wait patiently for the one he or she
can truly love. A single person who
wants to marry refrains from forming romantic ties with unbelievers
and looks for a mate only among loyal worshippers of Jehovah. Moreover, to face lifes realities while
maintaining marital peace and spiritual unity calls for faith in and devotion to Goddesirable qualities
to look for in a prospective marriage mate. Those are the very
qualities that the shepherd and the
young woman found in each other.
w15 1/15 5:11, 14
Do not be afraid. I will help you.

Isa. 41:13.
He will put the sheep on his right

hand, but the goats on his left.
Matt. 25:33.
Jehovah purposed that his people

proclaim the good news on an unprecedented scale in our day, and
nothing can prevent him from accomplishing that purpose. Just as
he delivered the ancient nation of
Israel from Babylon, Jehovah has
rescued his present-day servants
from Babylon the Great, the world
empire of false religion. (Rev. 18:
1-4) He has taught us for our own
good, has blessed us with peace,
and has helped us to impart his
teaching to others. (Isa. 48:16-18)
This does not mean that Jehovah
exercises his foresight so that he
knows and then inuences every development on earth in order to advance the Kingdom-preaching work.
Some conditions have favored our
witnessing activity, but only with
Jehovahs help have we been able
to endure such situations as persecution and other hardships
that make it dicult to carry out
our commission in this world that is
lying in Satans power.1 John 5:19.
w15 2/15 4:2
Thursday, December 1
You are my witnesses, declares
Jehovah.Isa. 43:10.
The Israelites worshipped their
God, Jehovah, whereas the other
nations worshipped their own deities. At the time of the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah compared the world
situation to that of a court trial. He
challenged the gods of the nations
to produce witnesses to conrm
their divinity. (Isa. 43:9) The gods of
the nations were unable to produce
Today, we have a clear understanding of the illustration of

the sheep and the goats. Regarding
the identity of those mentioned, Jesus is the Son of man, the King.
Those referred to as my brothers
are spirit-anointed men and women,
who will rule with Christ from heaven. (Matt. 25:31, 40; Rom. 8:16, 17)
The sheep and the goats represent individuals from all nations.
These ones are not anointed by holy
spirit. What about the timing of the
judgment? This judgment will occur
toward the end of the great tribulation just ahead. And what of the reason why people will be judged as either sheep or goats? The outcome
hinges on how they have treated the
remaining ones of Christs spiritanointed brothers on earth. With
the end of this system so close at
hand, how grateful we are that Jehovah has progressively shed light
on this illustration and on the related illustrations recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25! w15 3/15 4:7
any evidence of their godship. They
were mere idols that were speechless and that needed to be carried
around. (Isa. 46:5-7) On the other
hand, Jehovahs chosen people
were to attest loud and clear that
Jehovah is the one true God. In effect, their stance was to be like that
later set forth for Gods present-day
people by the prophet Micah: All
the peoples will walk, each in the
name of its god, but we will walk in
the name of Jehovah our God forever and ever.Mic. 4:5. w14 11/15 4:
14-16
Friday, December 2
They will all be taught by Jehovah.
John 6:45.
Many young ones associated with
the congregation were not raised by
Christian parents. If you are one of
them, think what a wonderful privilege you are now enjoying because
you know and serve the Creator!
There are billions of people on the
earth. Thus, it is a real blessing to
be among those whom Jehovah has
kindly drawn to himself and to
whom he has revealed Bible truth.
(John 6:44) Only about 1 in every
1,000 people alive today has an accurate knowledge of the truth, and
you are one of them. Should that
not give all of us, no matter how we
learned the truth, cause for rejoicing? (1 Cor. 2:12) Gener, who lives in
Asia, says: My hair stands on end
when I think about it. Who am I to
be known by Jehovah, the Owner of
the universe? (Ps. 8:4) A Christian
sister from the same area said: Students feel very proud just to be recognized by their teacher. How much
more of a privilege it is to be known
by Jehovah, the Grand Instructor!
w14 12/15 4:14, 15
Saturday, December 3
Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of judgment by him
has arrived.Rev. 14:7.
Now is the time to declare that
message. We must warn our neighbors to get out of Babylon the Great,
so that they do not receive part
of her plagues. (Rev. 18:4) The
other sheep join anointed Christians in begging those who are alienated from God to become reconciled to him. (John 10:16; 2 Cor. 5:
20) We are convinced that the hour
of judgment has, indeed, arrived.

We also have faith that Jehovah
has not exaggerated the urgency of
our preaching and disciple-making
work. In vision, the apostle John
saw four angels standing on the
four corners of the earth, holding
tight the four winds of the earth.
(Rev. 7:1) By faith, do you see those
angels poised to release the destructive winds of the great tribulation on
this world? If you see those angels
with your eyes of faith, you will be
able to share the good news with
condence. w14 4/15 2:12, 13
Sunday, December 4
In no way are we giving any cause
for stumbling, so that no fault may
be found with our ministry.
2 Cor. 6:3.
In todays crime-lled world,
many householders are suspicious of strangers. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) We
should avoid adding to such suspicion. For example, suppose we approach a house and knock on the
front door. If no one answers, we
could be tempted to look through
the window or walk around the
property, searching for the householder. In your area, would that
most likely disturb the householder? What might his neighbors think?
True, we should be thorough in our
preaching work. (Acts 10:42) We are
eager to spread a positive message,
and our motives are good. (Rom.
1:14, 15) Nevertheless, we wisely
avoid doing anything that could unduly disturb people in our witnessing territory. When we show respect
for the home and property of those
in our territory, our conduct may attract some individuals to the truth.
1 Pet. 2:12. w14 5/15 2:10
Monday, December 5
Make disciples of people of all the
nations.Matt. 28:19.
By doing our part to fulll that
commission, we try to help our
neighbor to leave the broad and
spacious road that leads to destruction and get on the cramped road
leading o into life. (Matt. 7:13, 14;
22:39) Through eective return visits and home Bible studies, we have
the satisfaction of helping people
to conform to Gods righteous
standards. This may result in quite
a change in a Bible students lifestyle. (1 Cor. 6:9-11) It is heartwarming, indeed, to see how God helps
those rightly disposed for everlasting life to make needed changes
and come into a close relationship
with him. (Acts 13:48) In the case
of many, despair is thus replaced
by joy, and undue anxiety by condence in our heavenly Father.
How good it is to observe the spiritual progress made by new ones! Do
you not agree that it is a blessing to
demonstrate love for our neighbor
in this special way as Kingdom proclaimers? w14 6/15 2:11, 13
Tuesday, December 6
If anyone keeps clear of the latter
ones, he will be an instrument for
an honorable use.2 Tim. 2:21.
Paul wrote about a large house
with utensils . . . for an honorable
use but others for a use lacking honor. (2 Tim. 2:20) He admonished
Christians to separate themselves
from the utensils that are used for a
purpose lacking honor. In a
house, some utensils may become
contaminated by dangerous substances or unsanitary conditions.
The householder will keep such implements separate from clean utensils, such as those used for cooking.
Likewise, Jehovahs people today,
striving to live clean lives, should
avoid intimacy with individuals in
the congregation who persistently
disregard Jehovahs principles.
(1 Cor. 15:33) If this is true of some
inside the congregation, how much
more should we turn away from
having close association with those
outside the congregation, many of
whom are lovers of money, without love of goodness, and lovers of
pleasures rather than lovers of
God!2 Tim. 3:1-5. w14 7/15 2:14-16
Wednesday, December 7
The word of God is alive and
exerts power.Heb. 4:12.
The Bible contains Gods promises concerning the things that will
occur under the rule of his Kingdom. All of Jehovahs promises
are dynamic, not static, because he
is constantly working toward their
fulllment. (Isa. 46:10; 55:11) Once a
person realizes this about Jehovahs Word, what he reads in the Bible can exert a powerful force in
his life. Yes, Jehovah has put in our
hand his living written Word with
which we can prove that our message is credible and is from him. No
wonder that after writing to the Hebrews, Paul urged his spiritual protg Timothy to do his utmost to
handle the word of the truth aright.
(2 Tim. 2:15) How can we apply
Pauls counsel? By reading aloud
well-chosen scriptures that can
touch the hearts of those who will
listen to us. The tracts that were released in 2013 were designed to help
us do just that. w14 8/15 2:6, 7
Take your stand against him, rm
in the faith.1 Pet. 5:9.
To do that, we need to prepare
our mind and heart, to train ourselves now to do what is right. We do
not know what our spiritual warfare
may involve in the future. Therefore,
would it not be wise to do some signicant training during a time of relative peace? Paul wrote to the Corinthians: Keep testing whether you
are in the faith; keep proving what
you yourselves are. (2 Cor. 13:5)
One way that we can heed Pauls inspired advice is by making a serious self-examination. Ask yourself
such questions as: Do I persevere in
prayer? When faced with peer pressure, do I obey God as ruler rather than men? Do I attend Christian
meetings regularly? Am I bold in
speaking about my beliefs? Do I really try to put up with my fellow believers shortcomingsjust as they put
up with mine? Am I submissive to
those taking the lead in the local
congregation and to those responsible for doing so in the worldwide
congregation? w14 9/15 2:16, 17
Friday, December 9
This cup means the new covenant
by virtue of my blood.Luke 22:20.
When did the new covenant go
into eect? Not when Jesus made
reference to it on his last night on
earth. For it to go into operation,
Jesus blood had to be poured out
and its value had to be presented to
Jehovah in heaven. Moreover, the
holy spirit needed to be poured out
on those who would be joint heirs
with Christ. (Rom. 8:17) Hence, the
new covenant went into eect at
Pentecost 33 C.E. when Jesus loy-
al disciples were anointed with holy

spirit. Though the former Law covenant was in a sense made obsolete
when Jehovah announced through
Jeremiah that He would conclude a
new covenant with Israel, it did not
actually end until the new covenant
went into eect. (Heb. 8:13) When
that happened, God could view both
Jewish and uncircumcised Gentile
believers in the same light, since
their circumcision is that of the
heart by spirit and not by a written code.Rom. 2:29. w14 10/15 2:8,
10, 11
Strengthen the hands that hang
down and the feeble knees, and
keep making straight paths
for your feet.Heb. 12:12, 13.
When Israels priesthood was installed, a rams blood was applied
to the right ear, thumb, and big toe
of High Priest Aaron and his sons.
(Lev. 8:22-24) This use of blood signied that the priests would obediently do their best to carry out their
duties. Similarly, High Priest Jesus
set a perfect example for anointed
ones and the other sheep. His ear
was attuned to Gods guidance. Jesus hands were used in carrying
out Jehovahs will, and his feet never strayed from a holy course.
(John 4:31-34) Anointed Christians and Jesus other sheep must
follow the integrity-keeping course
of their High Priest. All worshippers of Jehovah must obediently
comply with the directives found in
Gods Word and thereby avoid grieving his spirit. (Eph. 4:30) They must
make straight paths for their feet.
w14 11/15 2:7, 8
Sunday, December 11
a dragnet let down into the sea
and gathering sh of every kind.
Matt. 13:47.
Jesus likened the preaching of the
Kingdom message to all mankind
to the lowering of a large dragnet
into the sea. Just as such a net indiscriminately catches large numbers of sh of every kind, our
preaching work attracts millions of
people of all kinds. (Isa. 60:5) Not
all those attracted to the truth will
take a stand for Jehovah. Many have
associated with us at our meetings.
Others have been willing to study
the Bible with us but are not willing to make a commitment. (1 Ki.
18:21) Still others are no longer associating with the Christian congregation. Some youths have been
raised by Christian parents and yet
have not developed a love for Jehovahs standards. No matter what the
situation, Jesus emphasized that
everyone needs to make a personal
decision. Those who do are viewed
by him as the precious, or desirable, things of all the nations.
Hag. 2:7; ftn. w14 12/15 2:9, 10
Monday, December 12
The one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and
drinks judgment against himself.
1 Cor. 11:29.
Paul warned Memorial partakers:
You cannot be drinking the cup of
Jehovah and the cup of demons; you
cannot be partaking of the table of
Jehovah and the table of demons.
(1 Cor. 10:16-21) If a person who partakes of the emblems at the Lords
Evening Meal has committed a serious sin, he should seek spiritual assistance. (Jas. 5:14 -16) If such an
anointed one has produced fruits

that bet repentance, then he
is not showing contempt for Jesus
sacrice by partaking of the Memorial emblems. (Luke 3:8) Therefore, as we personally prepare for
the Memorial, we would nd it benecial to give prayerful thought to
our God-given hope. No dedicated
servant of Jehovah and faithful follower of his Son would want to show
disrespect for Jesus sacrice by
partaking of the Memorial emblems
if he or she actually lacks clear evidence of being an anointed Christian. w15 1/15 2:11-13
Tuesday, December 13
[Be] always ready to make a defense before everyone who demands of you a reason for the hope
you have.1 Pet. 3:15.
Young ones, at school you prove
yourselves courageous when you
readily identify yourselves as Witnesses of Jehovah, even if doing so
means being teased by classmates
or others.You thereby show that you
are proud to bear Jehovahs name.
(Ps. 86:12) You may face pressure to
accept evolution as a fact. But you
have sound reasons to be condent
of your Bible-based belief in creation. You can use the brochure The
Origin of LifeFive Questions Worth
Asking to give a convincing answer
to those who question your beliefs.
Then you will nd satisfaction in
knowing that you have upheld the
truth of Gods Word. As true Christians, we all need to keep speaking
with boldness by the authority of
Jehovah. (Acts 14:3) What reasons
do we have to preach with boldness, or courage? We know that what
we preach is the truth because it
is based on the Bible.John 17:17.
w15 2/15 2:7, 8
Keep on the watch.
Matt. 25:13.
Because Jesus directed the parable of the ten virgins to his anointed followers, should we conclude
that this passage contains no benet for Christs other sheep? (John
10:16; Matt. 25:1-13) Far from it!
Remember, the message of the parable is simple: Keep on the watch.
Does that apply only to the anointed? Jesus once said: What I say to
you, I say to all: Keep on the watch.
(Mark 13:37) Jesus requires all his
followers to prepare their hearts
for faithful service and to meet the
same standard of watchfulness. So
all Christians follow the lead set by
the anointed in this regard, imitating their good example and putting
the ministry rst in life. The vain request of the foolish virgins to have
the discreet ones give up some of
their oil reminds us that no one can
be faithful for us, can stay in the
truth for us, or can keep on the
watch for us. Each of us will answer
to the righteous Judge whom Jehovah has appointed. w15 3/15 2:14
Sin is crouching at the door . . .
Will you get the mastery over it?
Gen. 4:7.
Jehovah wanted Cain to respond
to the warning and to be restored
to favor. Having divine favor would
preserve a good relationship with
God. What about us today? Jehovahs eyes penetrate our heart;
we cannot conceal our true inclinations and motivations from him.
Our loving Father wants us to fol-
low the pathways of righteousness;

yet, he does not force us to change
the course we are on. Through his
Word, the Bible, he warns us when
we are headed in the wrong direction. How? In our daily Bible reading, we often come across a passage
that helps us to overcome bad tendencies and unwholesome inclinations. In addition, our Christian
publications may shed light on a
problem with which we may have
been struggling and show us
how we can overcome it. And at our
congregation meetings, all of us receive counsel that comes at just the
right time! w14 4/15 5:4, 5
Friday, December 16
The word of Jehovah kept growing
and prevailing.Acts 19:20.
Christianity ourished in the rst
century.To fare well spiritually, each
Christian had to put forth personal
eort. Diligent study of the Scriptures, regular attendance at meetings for worship, and zealous activity in the Kingdom-preaching work
were essential. Such activities contributed to the spiritual health and
unity of Jehovahs people at that
time, even as they do today. Those
associated with the well-organized
early congregations beneted greatly from the willing and helpful efforts of overseers and ministerial
servants. (Phil. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:1-4) And
what a delight it must have been
when traveling elders, such as Paul,
visited the congregations! (Acts 15:
36, 40, 41) The similarities between
our worship and that of the rstcentury Christians are remarkable.
How grateful we are that Jehovah
organized his servants then as well
as now! w14 5/15 3:15, 16
Jehovah is with you, you mighty
warrior.Judg. 6:12.
At the time the angel said this,
Gideon felt anything but mighty.
He acknowledged his doubts and
his own sense of insignicance.
But as the ensuing conversation
revealed, Jehovah certainly had
a much more positive view of his
servant than Gideon had of himself. (Judg. 6:11-16) Jehovah trusted Gideon to deliver Israel because
He had observed his skills. For one
thing, Jehovahs angel had noticed
how Gideon threshed wheat with
all his might. Something else had
caught the angels attention. In Bible times, farmers usually beat out
grain in an open area to take advantage of the wind, which would blow
away the cha. Surprisingly, Gideon was secretly threshing wheat
in a winepress in order to conceal
his meager harvest from the Midianites. What a clever strategy! No wonder that in Jehovahs eyes, Gideon
was more than a cautious farmer
he was a shrewd man.Yes, Jehovah
saw his potential and worked with
him. w14 6/15 4:4, 5
Sunday, December 18
You will be witnesses of me . . . to
Acts 1:8.
Why did Jesus say: You will be
witnesses of me, not of Jehovah?
Jesus could have said the latter, but
the ones whom he addressed
were Israelites and as such were already witnesses of Jehovah. Now
Jesus disciples would have to make
known a new feature of Jehovahs
purposesomething far grander
than Israels deliverances from slavery in Egypt and later from captivi-
ty in Babylon. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the

basis for freedom from the worst
form of captivity, namely, slavery to
sin and death. At Pentecost 33 C.E.,
Jesus newly anointed disciples
made known to the people the magnicent things of God, and many
who heard responded. Thus, from
his Fathers right hand in heaven,
Jesus began to see his name take on
greater meaning as thousands repented and put faith in him as Jehovahs means of salvation.Acts 2:5,
11, 37-41. w14 7/15 4:5, 6
Monday, December 19
Man must live . . . on every word
that comes from Jehovahs mouth.
Matt. 4:4.
How can those who love Gods
righteousness avoid being swept
along by todays ood of satanic
propaganda? How can they separate
the good from the bad? By keeping on guard according to [Gods]
word! (Ps. 119:9) Gods written
Word contains essential guidance that enables us to distinguish truthful information from deceptive propaganda. (Prov. 23:23)
We need to learn how to apply Bible principles in our life. For example, long before Moses recorded Jehovahs law against adultery, the
young man Joseph understood that
such conduct was a sin against God.
He never even considered disobeying Jehovah when Potiphars wife
tried to entice him to do what was
wrong. (Gen. 39:7-9) Joseph did not
allow her voice to deafen him to the
voice of God. Essential to distinguishing right from wrong is listening to Jehovahs voice and shutting
out the incessant din of satanic propaganda. w14 8/15 4:5
Do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become
downhearted.Col. 3:21.
If your children are to open up to
you, they need to view you as available and approachable. When parents always appear to be too busy
to talk, youths in the family are likely to keep their problems to themselves. And what about being approachable? More is involved than
simply saying the words, You
can come to me anytime. Your
teens need to sense that you will
neither discount their problems nor
overreact to them. Instead, aim for
a balanced approach. A young sister named Emily observes: When
my parents talk to me about dating,
they dont make the subject seem
negative. They emphasize the joy of
getting to know someone and nding a marriage mate. This has
helped me to feel comfortable talking to them about it. In fact, I want
to involve them in any relationship I
have rather than hide it from them.
You too can show that you are approachable by patiently listening
to your children.Jas. 1:19. w14 9/15
3:6-8
I was beside him as a master
worker.Prov. 8:30.
Following his Fathers example,
Jesus also assigned important work
to his disciples. Arousing in them
eager expectation for what they
could accomplish, he said: Most
truly I say to you, whoever exercises faith in me will also do the
works that I do; and he will do works
greater than these, because I am
going my way to the Father. (John
14:12) To stress the urgency of such

works, Jesus explained: We must
do the works of the One who sent
me while it is day; the night is coming when no man can work. (John
9:4) Even prior to Jesus day, humans were given fullling work to
do. Although Adam and Eve failed
to perform the assignment they
were given, others did as God directed. (Gen. 1:28) Noah was given specic instructions on how to
build an ark to preserve life through
the great Deluge. Thanks to his conscientiousness in doing so, we are
here today!Gen. 6:14-16, 22; 2 Pet.
2:5. w14 10/15 3:1, 3, 4
Happy is the people whose God
is Jehovah!Ps. 144:15.
As early as the 20th century
B.C.E., Jehovah had a distinct people on earth. Abraham, called the
father of all those having faith, was
the head of a household numbering into the hundreds. (Rom. 4:11;
Gen. 14:14) Rulers in Canaan considered him to be a great chieftain
and treated him with respect. (Gen.
21:22; 23:6, ftn.) Jehovah made a
covenant with Abraham and his descendants. (Gen. 17:1, 2, 19) God told
Abraham: This is my covenant between me and you, that you and
your ospring after you will keep:
Every male among you must get circumcised. . . . And it will serve as
a sign of the covenant between me
and you. (Gen. 17:10, 11) Accordingly, Abraham and all the male members of his household were circumcised. (Gen. 17:24-27) Circumcision
was a physical sign that distinguished Abrahams descendants as
the only people who were in a covenant relationship with Jehovah.
w14 11/15 4:2
Friday, December 23
With the burial of a donkey he will
be buried.Jer. 22:19.
We can nd Bible accounts of
some who received a rich spiritual
heritage but failed to appreciate it.
That was true in the family of one
prophet, Samuel, who served Jehovah from a young age and had a
ne record with God. (1 Sam. 12:
1-5) Samuel set an example that his
sons, Joel and Abijah, would have
done well to imitate. However, they
did not appreciate this, and they
turned out to be bad. The Bible record tells us that unlike their father,
they perverted justice. (1 Sam. 8:
1-5) It was similar with King Josiahs sons. Josiah set a superb example in worshipping Jehovah. (2 Ki.
22:8; 23:2, 3, 12-15, 24, 25) Yet, when
three of his sons and one grandson
in time became kings, not one of
them showed appreciation for what
had been passed on to him. (2 Ki.
23:31-34; 24:8, 9, 18, 19) How sad to
see that these men who had such a
promising background and the opportunity to do what was right let it
go to waste! w14 12/15 4:4-6, 8
Unless Jehovah guards the city,
it is in vain that the guard stays
awake.Ps. 127:1.
Shortly before the nation of Israel
entered the Promised Land, tens of
thousands of men committed sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab. As a result, 24,000
perished at Jehovahs hand. Imaginethe Israelites were so close to
the realization of their longawaited inheritance, yet they lost
out on wonderful blessings because
of succumbing to temptation. (Num.

25:1-5, 9) That disastrous example was recorded for a warning to
us upon whom the ends of the systems of things have come. (1 Cor.
10:6-11) Now in the nal part of
the last days, Gods servants are
on the threshold of a righteous new
world. (2 Tim. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:13) Sadly, though, some of Jehovahs worshippers have let down their guard.
They have been ensnared by immorality and have reaped the bitter
consequences of immoral conduct.
Such ones run the risk of losing out
on eternal blessings. w15 1/15 4:1, 2
Sunday, December 25
True knowledge will become
abundant.Dan. 12:4.
For centuries, the clergy of Christendom discouraged and opposed
the reading of the Bible, even
being responsible for the death of
some who translated it. During the
19th century, however, Bible societies made the Bible available, in
whole or in part, in some 400 languages. By the end of that century, many people owned a Bible but
lacked accurate knowledge of
Scriptural teachings. The Bible Students knew that they had to preach,
and they tirelessly explained what
the Bible taught. In addition, Jehovahs people have used and distributed various versions of the Bible. Since 1950, they have published
the New World Translation of the
Holy Scriptures, in whole or in part,
in over 120 languages. The 2013 English edition of the New World Translation will make the rendering of it
into other languages less challenging. In turn, using a clear, easy-toread Bible helps us to carry out our
preaching work. w15 2/15 4:3-5
Monday, December 26
He will separate people one from
another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matt. 25:32.
In the illustration of the sheep and
the goats, Jesus does not directly
mention the preaching work. Why,
then, can it be said that it emphasizes the importance of preaching?
Note that Jesus is teaching by
means of an illustration. Obviously, he is not talking about separating literal sheep from literal goats.
Likewise, he is not saying that
each individual judged to be a sheep
must literally feed, clothe, nurse,
or visit one of his brothers in prison. Rather, he is illustrating the attitude that the gurative sheep
display toward his brothers. He describes the sheep as righteous because they recognize that Christ
has a group of anointed brothers
still on earth, and the sheep loyally
support the anointed during these
critical last days. With them, the
sheep zealously proclaim the good
news of the Kingdom.Matt. 10:4042; 25:40, 46; 2 Tim. 3:1-5. w15 3/15 4:
6, 8, 9
Who will rescue me from the body
undergoing this death?Rom. 7:24.
Jehovah could rescue Paul from
death. Isaiah wrote: He will swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away
the tears from all faces. (Isa.
25:8) Like a father who removes the
cause of his childrens suering
and dries their eyes, Jehovah takes
great joy in bringing Adamic death
to nothing! In this he has a collaborator. First Corinthians 15:22 reads:
Just as in Adam all are dying, so

also in the Christ all will be made
alive. Similarly, after Paul asked
Who will rescue me? he continued: Thanks to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:25) Plainly, the love that moved Jehovah to
create mankind did not grow cold
with the rebellion of Adam and Eve.
And the one who shared with Jehovah in the work of bringing the
rst couple into existence did not
lose his special fondness for their
ospring.Prov. 8:30, 31. w14 9/15 4:
9, 10
I will make you a great nation, and
I will bless you.Gen. 12:2.
When Jehovah directed Abraham
to move his household to the land of
Canaan, he willingly complied. Because of Abrahams faith and
obedience, Jehovah established the
above-mentioned covenant with
him. Years later, however, Abraham
and his wife, Sarah, were still childless. Had Jehovah forgotten the
promise that he had made to Abraham? Moreover, life in Canaan was
not easy. Abraham and his household had left behind their home and
relatives in Ur, a prosperous city in
Mesopotamia. They traveled over
1,000 miles (1,600 km) to reach Canaan, where they lived in tents, endured famine, and faced marauders. (Gen. 12:5, 10; 13:18; 14:10-16)
Yet, they had no desire to return to
the comforts in Ur! (Heb. 11:8-12, 15)
Rather than focus on the things on
the earth, Abraham put faith in Jehovah. (Gen. 15:6; Col. 3:2) Yes, he
xed his mind on the things above
in that he concentrated on Gods
promises. w14 10/15 4:7, 8
Your people will be my people, and
your God my God.Ruth 1:16.
Jehovah did not forbid the presence of non-Israelites among his
people. He allowed a vast mixed
company of non-Israelites, including Egyptians, to accompany
his people when he delivered them
from Egypt. (Ex. 12:38; ftn.) Just before the Israelites crossed the Jordan to take possession of Canaan,
Moses told them that they must
love the foreign resident in their
midst. (Deut. 10:17-19) Gods chosen
people were to accept in their community any foreigners who were
willing to observe the basic laws
given by Moses. (Lev. 24:22) Some
foreign residents became worshippers of Jehovah, sharing the
feelings of the Moabite Ruth. Jehovah welcomed them as members of
the community of his chosen
people. (Num. 15:14, 15) When Solomons temple was dedicated to Jehovah, provision was made for nonIsraelite worshippers, as reected
in Solomons prayer.2 Chron. 6:32,
33. w14 11/15 4:11-13
Friday, December 30
From infancy you have known the
holy writings.2 Tim. 3:15.
You may have been raised by
parents devoted to Jehovah God.
It was from your parents that
you learned about the true God
and how to please him. This certainly has done much to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus and to help you to be completely equipped for Gods service.
(2 Tim. 3:14-17) A key question now
is, Will you show appreciation for
what you have received? That
may call on you to do some selfexamination. Consider such questions as: How do I feel about
being part of the long line of faithful
witnesses? How do I feel about being among the relatively few on
earth today who are known by
God? Do I appreciate what a
unique and grand privilege it is to
know the truth? Some youths have
been tempted to see what life in the
world is like. But there is no need
for us to experience the decadent
course of debauchery in this world
just to discover how excruciatingly
distressing that can be.1 Pet. 4:4.
w14 12/15 4:12, 13
I will certainly . . . make myself
known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know
that I am Jehovah.Ezek. 38:23.
When Gog begins the assault on
Gods people, Jehovah will tell
his servants: Go, my people, enter your inner rooms, and shut your
doors behind you. Hide yourself for
a brief moment until the wrath has
passed by. (Isa. 26:20; Ezek. 38:1012, 18-22) At that crucial time, Jehovah will give us lifesaving instructions, and the inner rooms might
well be connected with our local
congregations. If, therefore, we
wish to benet from Jehovahs protection during the great tribulation,
we must recognize that Jehovah
has a people on earth, organized
into congregations. We must continue to take our stand with them
and remain closely associated with
our local congregation. With all our
hearts, may we join the psalmist in
proclaiming: Salvation belongs to
Jehovah. Your blessing is upon your
people.Ps. 3:8. w14 11/15 5:16-18

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Examining

Examining the Scriptures Daily2016

How to Use This Booklet

Jehovah, the Giver of every

Paragraph number(s) where

Armageddon, but to a time of

is God; yet, there are not three Gods

Pharaohs daughter found him.

matters. A discerning worshipper

mind the Golden Rule, how can we

prepare to share the truth with

life-threatening situation, we are

the counsel at the meetings is intended for the whole congregation.

nian way of life. But they did not.

You have hidden these things from

Moses . . . [chose] to be mistreated

Of course, Jesus did not mean

With eyes of faith, Moses recognized that the enjoyment of sin

dent of him to continue for a time.

need to follow the example of his

resurrection, when speaking to two

tant. If he says he is busy, we can

other Bible translations and then

God. One brother who used his

happened in October 1914, marking the beg inning of the last

Whatever evil purpose the Devil

er than Jesus? After all, the sender

girls than baby boys are aborted.

resurrections were both marvelous

Soon, our lives will seem to be in

We appreciate it when people are

and merely began our presentation abruptly with a question like

Jesus explained that he came,

How would this ransom satisfy

sponded to what Adam had lost.

Those who rightly partake of

Unlike other covenants, in which

Only those who have the witness

Jehovahs anointed sons. (Rom. 8:

Jesus was alive! Events of the

How would mankind be freed

Of all the humans who have

verse. How, though, can we know

one who wants to nd him; it is

er. (Prov. 8:30) From beginning to

He was raised up.

The little one will become a

Not many days after Jesus died,

Perhaps we live in an area where

have. The Bible contains numerous

If you have been serving Jehovah

is well-received in the local territory. Many benets come from

of Noah, very few humans survived.

measures will help us to take a rm

The early Christians benefited from Roman law, which was in

tries have also upheld our freedom

Jesus attached great importance

danger of being tormented forever,