June 15, 2010
Find Security Among God's People
WHILE on vacation, Joe and his wife
were snorkeling on a tropical coral
reef teeming with fish of all colors and sizes.
They swam a little farther out to admire the
reef below. When the seabed dropped away
into a blue abyss, Joe’s wife said, “I think
we’re going out too far.” “Relax,” Joe replied.
“I knowwhat I’m doing.” Joe recalls wondering
soon thereafter, ‘Where have all the fish
gone?’ With horror, he saw the reason. Out
of the deep blue, a sharkwas heading straight
for him. There he was, completely at itsmercy.
When the sharkwas just a fewfeet away, it
veered off and disappeared.
2 A Christian can become so enamored
with the attractions of Satan’s system
of things—entertainment, work, possessions—
that he does not realize that he is getting
deeper into dangerouswaters. “My experience
made me think about the company
we keep,” says Joe, who is a Christian elder.
“Swim where it’s safe and enjoyable—in the
congregation!” Do not swim into deep water,
where you may find yourself spiritually isolated
and in peril. If ever you find yourself
there, immediately head back to ‘safe water.’
Otherwise, you might run the risk of being
devoured spiritually.
3 Today, the world is a dangerous place for
Christians. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Satan knows that
his days are numbered, and he is out to devour
the unwary. (1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:12, 17)
However, we are not without protection. Je-
hovah has provided his people with a safe
spiritual refuge—the Christian congregation.
4 Secular society offers only a limited
amount of security—whether physical or
emotional. Many people feel that their physical
security is threatened by crime, violence,
the high cost of living, and even environmental
issues. All face the problems of advancing
age and ill health. And others who
have jobs, homes, adequate finances, and a
reasonable degree of health may wonder
howlong these will last.
5 Emotional security has likewise proved
elusive for many. Sad to say, multitudes
who had hoped to find peace and fulfillment
in marriage and with a family
have found that their expectations have
gone unfulfilled. Spiritually speaking, many
churchgoers have been left bewildered and
disoriented, questioning the value of the
guidance that they have received. That is especially
so in the light of the questionable
conduct and unscriptural teachings of their
religious leaders. Hence, many people feel
that they have little choice but to hope in
science or in the goodwill and good sense of
fellow humans. It is not surprising, then,
that people around us feel extremely insecure
or that they simply prefer not to
think too deeply about their future.
6 What a contrast in outlook there is between
those who are part of the Christian
congregation and those who are not! Even
though we as Jehovah’s people have to face
many of the same issues and problems our
neighbors face, our reaction is quite different.
(Read Isaiah 65:13, 14; Malachi 3:18.)
Why? Because we find in the Bible a satisfying
explanation for the condition in which
humanity finds itself, and we are equipped
to deal with life’s challenges and problems.
As a result, we are not overly anxious about
the future. Being worshippers of Jehovah affords
us protection from unsound and unscriptural
reasoning, immoral practices,
and the consequences of such. Members
of the Christian congregation thus experience
a tranquillity unknown to others.
—Isa. 48:17, 18; Phil. 4:6, 7.
7 Some examples may help us to reflect
on the security enjoyed by those
who serve Jehovah in contrast with
those who do not. These examples may
move us to examine our own reasoning
and practices and to consider whether
we might more fully apply God’s counsel,
which is designed to protect us.—Isa. 30:21.
“My Feet Had Almost Turned Aside”
8 From early on in mankind’s history,
those who chose to serve and obey Jehovah
sought to avoid close association with those
who did not. Indeed, Jehovah indicated that
therewould be enmity between hisworshippers
and those who followed Satan. (Gen. 3:
15) Because of their firm stand for divinely
inspired principles, God’s people have acted
differently from those who surround them.
(John 17:15, 16; 1 John 2:15-17) Taking such
a stand has not always been easy. Indeed,
some among Jehovah’s servants have on occasion
questioned the wisdom of a self sacrificing
course of life.
9 One of Jehovah’s servants who found
himself wondering whether he had made
wise decisions was the writer of Psalm 73,
likely one of Asaph’s descendants. The
psalmist asked why it is that the wicked often
seem to be successful, happy, and prosperous,
while some who strive to serve God
suffer trials and hardships.—Read Psalm 73:
1-13.
10 Have you ever found yourself asking
questions like the ones the psalmist recorded?
If so, there is no need to feel excessively
guilty or to think that your faith is crumbling.
Actually, a number of Jehovah’s servants,
including some whom Jehovah used
towrite the Bible, had similar thoughts. (Job
21:7-13; Ps. 37:1; Jer. 12:1; Hab. 1:1-4, 13) Indeed,
all who desire to serve Jehovah must
come to grips with and accept the answer to
this problem: Is serving and obeying God
the best thing to do? This reflects the issue
that Satan raised in the garden of Eden. It is
central to the universal question of divine
sovereignty. (Gen. 3:4, 5) So all of us do well
to consider the matter that the psalmist
raised. Should we envy wicked boasters who
seem to be getting along just fine? Should
we ‘turn aside’ from serving Jehovah and
imitate them? That, of course, is exactly
what Satanwould like us to do.
11 What helped the psalmist overcome his
doubts? Although he admitted nearly turning
aside from righteousness, his viewpoint
changed when he entered “the grand sanctuary
of God”—that is, when he associated
with spiritual people in God’s tabernacle
or temple and reflected on God’s purpose.
Then it became clear to the psalmist that he
did not want to share the lot of evildoers.He
could see that their course and choices in life
put them on “slippery ground.” All those
immorally leaving Jehovah, the psalmist
perceived, will inevitably come to their end
in “sudden terrors,” whereas those serving
Jehovah will be supported by him. (Read
Psalm 73:16-19, 27, 28.) No doubt you have
seen the truth of that statement. Living for
self without regard for divine law might
seem attractive to many, but the bad consequences
of such a course are inescapable.
—Gal. 6:7-9.
12 What else do we learn from the experience
of the psalmist? He found security
and wisdom among God’s people. He started
reasoning clearly and logically when he
went to the place where Jehovah was worshipped.
Similarly today, we can find wise
counselors and enjoy wholesome spiritual
food at congregation meetings. For good
reason, then, Jehovah tells his servants to attend
Christian meetings. There they will feel
encouraged and will be incited to act wisely.
—Isa. 32:1, 2; Heb.10:24, 25.
Choose Your Companions Wisely
13 Jacob’s daughter Dinah was an example
of one who got into serious trouble because
of associating with worldly companions.
The Genesis account about her tells us
that she was in the habit of associating with
the young Canaanite women in the area
where her family dwelled. The Canaanites
did not have the same high moral standards
as Jehovah’s worshippers. On the contrary,
what archaeologists have found indicates
that the Canaanites’ ways led to their land
becoming filled with idolatry, immorality,
depraved sex worship, and violence. (Ex. 23:
23; Lev. 18:2-25; Deut. 18:9-12) Recall the
outcome of Dinah’s association with these
people.
14 A local man, Shechem, described as
“the most honorable of the whole house of
his father,” saw Dinah “and then took her
and lay down with her and violated her.”
(Gen. 34:1, 2, 19) What a tragedy! Do you
suppose Dinah ever imagined that such a
thing could happen to her? Perhaps she was
simply seeking the friendship of the local
youths, whom she considered harmless.
However, Dinahwas greatly deceived.
15 What does this account teach us? That
we simply cannot socialize with unbelievers
and hope to suffer no ill consequences. The
Scriptures state that “bad associations spoil
useful habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33) On the other
hand, association with people who share
your beliefs, your high moral standards, and
your love for Jehovah is a safeguard. Such
good association will encourage you to act
wisely.—Prov.13:20.
“You Have Been Washed Clean”
16 The Christian congregation has helped
many individuals to cleanse themselves of
defiling practices. When the apostle Paul
wrote his first letter to the congregation in
Corinth, he commented on changes that
Christians there had made to live in conformity
with God’s standards. Some had been
fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals,
thieves, drunkards, and so on. “But you
have been washed clean,” Paul told them.
—Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
17 People who have no faith lack sound
guiding principles. They set their own
course or they may simply be adrift in a sea
of moral abandon, as was true of some of
those ancient Corinthians before they became
believers. (Eph. 4:14) Accurate knowledge
of God’sWord and purposes, however,
has the power to transform for the better
the lives of all who apply the Scriptures.
(Col. 3:5-10; Heb. 4:12) Many who today
are members of the Christian congregation
can tell you that before learning of
and adopting Jehovah’s righteous standards,
they lived without moral restraint. Yet, they
were unsatisfied and unhappy. They found
peace only when they began associating
with God’s people and living in accord with
Bible principles.
18 In contrast, some who in the past chose
to leave the ‘safe water’ of the Christian
congregation now bitterly regret that decision.
One sister, whom we will call Tanya,
explains that she was “raised around
the truth,” but when she was 16, she left
the congregation to “pursue worldly enticements.”
Among the results she experienced
were an unwanted pregnancy and an abortion.
She now says: “The three years I spent
away from the congregation left ugly scars
on my emotions that will not go away.
Something that continues to haunt me is
that I killed my unborn child. . . . I want to
tell all the young ones who are wishing they
could ‘taste’ the world even for just a little
while: ‘Don’t!’ It may taste good at first, but
it leaves an extremely bitter aftertaste. The
world has nothing but misery to offer. I
know. I tasted it. Stay in Jehovah’s organization!
It’s the only way of life that brings happiness.”
19 Just think what would become of you if
you were to abandon the protective environment
of the Christian congregation. Many,
recalling their futile course of life before
they accepted the truth, simply shudder at
the thought. (John 6:68, 69) You can continue
to find security and protection from the
woes and misery so common in Satan’s
world by staying in close company withyour
Christian brothers and sisters. Association
with them and regular attendance at congregation
meetings will continually remind
you of the wisdom of Jehovah’s righteous
standards and will encourage you to live by
them. You have every reason to ‘laud Jehovah
in the big congregation,’ just as the
psalmist did.—Ps. 35:18.
20 Of course, for various reasons, all Christians
go through times when it seems difficult
for them to maintain their Christian
integrity. They may just need to be pointed
in the right direction. What can you—and
indeed the rest of the congregation—do to
assist fellow believers at such times? The
next article will examine how you can ‘keep
comforting and building up’ your brothers.
—1 Thess. 5:11.