Comments You Will Not Hear at the 07-17-11 WT Study (MAY 15, 2011, pages 16-20 )(MOST IMPORTANT PERSON)
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g = Awake
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WHO IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
PERSON IN YOUR LIFE?
“You alone are the Most High over all the earth.”—PS. 83:18.
OPENING COMMENTS
Is God really the most important in a jw life, or God as the WTS defines him and represents him? Can a jw get to God without going through the WTS/FDS/GB? Can a jw get to Jesus without going through the WTS/FDS/GB?
Who is the door to salvation?
1) WT organization
2) Jesus
3) God
"To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." Watchtower 1983 February 15 p.12
Bible students need to get acquainted with the organization of the “one flock” Jesus spoke about at John 10:16. They must appreciate that identifying themselves with Jehovah’s organization is essential to their salvation. Our Kingdom Ministry 1990 November p. 1
Or is it:
"I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasturage." John 10:9
Déjà vu:
START OF ARTICLE
1, 2. With regard to our personal salvation, why is
it not enough just to know Jehovah’s name?
PERHAPS the first time you saw Jehovah’s
name was when it was shown to you at
Psalm 83:18. You may have been surprised
to read those words: “That people may know
that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone
are the Most High over all the earth.” Since
then, you no doubt have used this same
scripture to help others come to know our
loving God, Jehovah.—Rom. 10:12, 13.
COMMENTS
When was the first time you found out that “Jehovah” does not appear in the early New Testament manuscripts? Or saw the WTS explanation why they put it in? Can you find where Jesus himself used “Jehovah” in reference to his father, or did he rather address him as Father, as all respectful children do when referring to a parent, not by their first name?
Why use an OT scripture to help Christians come to know God? Is it because NT scriptures do not show Jesus referring to him as “Jehovah” but “father”?
http://www.jwinfoline.com/Documents/Jehovahs_name/who_removed_jehovah_from_nt.htm
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/jehovah.php
http://www.watchtower.org/e/na/article_06.htm
“THE position of God's name is unshakable in the Hebrew Scriptures, the "Old Testament." Although the Jews eventually stopped pronouncing it, their religious beliefsprevented them from removing the name when they made copies of older manuscripts of the Bible. Hence, the Hebrew Scriptures contain God's name more often than any other name…
To understand this, remember that the manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures that we possess today are not the originals. The actual books written by Matthew, Luke and the other Bible writers were well used and quickly wore out. Hence, copies were made, and when those wore out, further copies were made of those copies. This is what we would expect, since the copies were usually made to be used, not preserved.”
(Are we to understand then that although the copies today of the Hebrew Scriptures are not the originals that somehow the name was retained but for the same reason it was not retained in the Christian Greek Scriptures?)
2 Although it is important for people to
know Jehovah’s name, such knowledge in
itself is not enough. Notice how the psalmist
highlights yet another truth essential to
our salvation when he says: “You alone are
the Most High over all the earth.” Yes, Jehovah
is the most important Person in the
whole universe. As the Creator of all things,
he has the right to expect full submission
from all his creatures. (Rev. 4:11) For good
reason, then, we need to ask ourselves,
‘Who is the most important person in my
life?’ It is vital that we carefully analyze our
answer to that question!
COMMENTS
Have you ever looked at the older WT publications written by Russell and Rutherford and seen how little “Jehovah” appears in them?
“As Creator of all things, he has the right to expect full submission from all his creatures”—does this mean that because our parents were DNA donors, that as children we should submit fully, even if they are abusers or adhere to ethics we know are wrong even as children?
What does the WTS teach as to submission to the GB?
http://thegoverningbody.org/submit_leadership_governing_body_jehovahs_witnesses/
The Issue in the Garden of Eden
3, 4. How was Satan able to deceive Eve, and with
what result?
3 The seriousness of this question can be
clearly seen in the events that developed
back in the garden of Eden. There the rebellious
angel who later became known as Satan
the Devil enticed the first woman, Eve,
to put her own desires ahead of Jehovah’s
command not to eat the fruit of a certain
tree. (Gen. 2:17; 2 Cor. 11:3) She succumbed
to this enticement and thereby showed a
lack of respect for Jehovah’s sovereignty. Eve
did not acknowledge Jehovah as the most
important Person in her life. But how was Satan
able to deceive Eve?
COMMENTS
How seriously can we take a “story” that says that a perfect woman who has contact with God without a mediator, thinks a snake can talk and does not wonder who and what is behind it? If a snake talked to me, I would run to my husband right away (or think I was like Harry Potter and was a parselmouth and could understand parsel tongue).
4 Satan used several subtle tactics in his
conversation with Eve. (Read Genesis 3:1-5.)
First, Satan did not use Jehovah’s personal
name. He simply spoke of “God.” By
contrast, the writer of Genesis used Jehovah’s
personal name in the first verse of
that chapter. Second, instead of speaking
of God’s “command,” Satan merely asked
about what God had “said.” (Gen. 2:16)
In this subtle way, Satan may have tried
to minimize the importance of that command.
Third, although speaking only to
Eve, he used the plural form of the pronoun
“you.” In so doing, he may have tried to appeal
to her pride, endeavoring to make her
feel important—as if she were the spokesperson
for herself and her husband. The result?
Eve evidently took it upon herself to
speak for both of them by saying to the serpent:
“Of the fruit of the trees of the garden
we may eat.”
COMMENTS
Satan did not use God’s personal name….did Jesus? Was Jesus a deceiver?
Command…said—we are talking about the original language of the Bible not just an English version?
What does Genesis 2:16 say in entirety (not the just the snippet) and in context? Where is “said” used? Or was it Genesis 3:1?
16 And Jehovah God also laid this command upon the man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction.
1 Now the serpent proved to be the most cautious of all the wild beasts of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it began to say to the woman: “Is it really so that God said YOU must not eat from every tree of the garden?”
MAY HAVE tried to minimize
MAY HAVE tried to appeal to her pride
EVIDENTLY speak for both them (speak for Adam her husband and HEAD)
Once again the WTS adds to the Bible as it has for so many years with the so-called Bible dramas at the conventions.
5. (a) On what did Satan get Eve to focus her attention?
(b) What did Eve show by eating of the forbidden
fruit?
5 Satan also distorted the facts. He implied
that God was unfair in demanding
that Adam and Eve “must not eat from every
tree of the garden.” Next, Satan got Eve to
think about herself and how she could
supposedly improve her lot in life, becoming
“like God.” Eventually, he got her to focus
on the tree and its fruit rather than on her
relationship with the One who had given
her everything. (Read Genesis 3:6.) Sadly,
by eating of the fruit, Eve showed that Jehovah
was not the most important Person in
her life.
COMMENTS
Doesn’t the WTS use implication to distort the Bible? Or poor memories and study habits?
“Consistently” by WTS definition:
*** w93 1/15 p. 5***The Watchtower has consistently presented evidence to honesthearted students of Bible prophecy that Jesus’ presence in heavenly Kingdom power began in 1914.
*** Thousand Years book chap. 11pp. 187-188 par. 7***Due to this fact, when Charles T. Russell began publishing his own religious magazine in July of 1879, he published it under the title “Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.” He had already become familiar with Wilson’s The Emphatic Diaglott, which translated the Greek word pa·rou·si′a as “presence,” not “coming,” in Matthew 24:3 and elsewhere. The new magazine was heralding Christ’s invisible presence as having begun in 1874. This presence was to continue until the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, when the Gentile nations would be destroyed and the remnant of the “chaste virgin” class would be glorified with their bridegroom in heaven by death and resurrection to life in the spirit.
Snippet “like God”—what does the Bible say Eve thought that meant? Oh, there isn’t anything in the Bible said by Eve defining what she thought that meant.
The Issue in Job’s Day
6. How did Satan challenge Job’s record of integrity,
and what opportunity was thereby given to Job?
6 Centuries later, the faithful man Job had
an opportunity to show who was the most
important Person in his life. When Jehovah
confronted Satan with Job’s record of integrity,
Satan retorted: “Is it for nothing that
Job has feared God?” (Read Job 1:7-10.) Satan
did not deny that Job was obedient to
God. Instead, he questioned Job’s motives.
He slyly accused Job of serving Jehovah, not
out of love, but out of selfish interest. Only
Job could answer that charge, and he was
given the opportunity to do so.
COMMENTS
Did you ever have your motives questioned by so-called loving fellow jws?
But notice that it was Job’s children that died, his servants, his property all stripped from him…Job did not die.
God allowed Satan to do these things…will God allow Satan to put to death our children for us to prove our faith…is that how God operates?
James 1:13 When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.
7, 8. What trials did Job have to deal with, and
what did he show by his faithful endurance?
7 Jehovah allowed Satan to bring a series
of disasters upon Job, one after the other.
(Job 1:12-19) How did Job react to this reversal
of circumstances? We are told that he
“did not sin or ascribe anything improper to
God.” (Job 1:22) But Satan was still not silenced.
He further complained: “Skin in behalf
of skin, and everything that a man has
he will give in behalf of his soul.”* (Job 2:4)
Satan alleged that if Job personally suffered,
he would decide that Jehovah was not the
most important Person in his life.
COMMENTS
Disasters upon Job?
Job 1:12 Accordingly Jehovah said to Satan: “Look! Everything that he has is in your hand. Only against him himself do not thrust out your hand!” So Satan went out away from the person of Jehovah.
13 Now it came to be the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother the firstborn. 14 And there came a messenger to Job, and he proceeded to say: “The cattle themselves happened to be plowing and the she-asses were grazing at the side of them 15 when the Sabeans came making a raid and taking them, and the attendants they struck down with the edge of the sword; and I got to escape, only I by myself, to tell you.”
16 While this one was yet speaking that one came and proceeded to say: “The very fire of God fell from the heavens and went blazing among the sheep and the attendants and eating them up; and I got to escape, only I by myself, to tell you.”
17 While that one was yet speaking another one came and proceeded to say: “The Chaldeans made up three bands and went dashing against the camels and taking them, and the attendants they struck down with the edge of the sword; and I got to escape, only I by myself, to tell you.”
18 While this other one was yet speaking, still another one came and proceeded to say: “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother the firstborn. 19 And, look! there came a great wind from the region of the wilderness, and it went striking the four corners of the house, so that it fell upon the young people and they died. And I got to escape, only I by myself, to tell you.”
*Some Bible scholars feel that the expression “skin in
behalf of skin” may imply that Job would selfishly be
willing to allow his children and animals to lose their
skins, or lives, as long as he could keep his own skin, or
life. Others feel that the expression emphasizes that a
person would be willing to lose some skin if it meant
saving his life. For example, a person may hold up his
arm to avert a blow to his head, thus losing some skin
to save his skin. Whatever the idiom meant, it obviously
implied that Job would gladly give up everything as
long as he could keep his life. (Comment: I checked the whole WT-CD and could not find a case of any explanation of this phrase, why now?)
COMMENTS
So who are these Bible scholars? Not even a quote to Google.
8 Job was disfigured by a disgusting disease
and then pressured by his wife to curse
God and die. Later, three false comforters accused
him of misconduct. (Job 2:11-13; 8:2-6; 22:2, 3)
However, through all this suffering,
Job refused to give up his integrity.
(Read Job 2:9,10.) He showed by his faithful
endurance that Jehovah was the most important
Person in his life. Job also demonstrated
that it is possible for an imperfect human
to answer, although in a limited way,
the false accusations of the Devil.—Compare
Proverbs 27:11.
COMMENTS
“pressure” implies a continuous force, is that what she did with one statement? Or is this adding to the Bible again?
Job 2:9 Finally his wife said to him: “Are you yet holding fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Three false comforters—can they be elders in the WTS congregations?
*** w04 8/15p. 14par. 8***Further, by means of false comforters, Satan sought to ‘crush Job with words,’ first insinuating that he must have committed some serious sin and then directly condemning him as a wrongdoer.
Note that false accusations about Job came from Job’s fellow believers on earth.
Limited—what does that mean, deficient, not enough; not able to provide ransom?
Eve failed to focus on her relationship with Jehovah
Jesus’ Perfect Answer
9. (a) How did Satan try to tempt Jesus with regard
to personal desire? (b) What was Jesus’ reaction to
this temptation?
9 Shortly after Jesus’ baptism, Satan tried
to entice Jesus to pursue selfish desires
rather than to keep Jehovah as the most
important Person in his life. The Devil presented
Jesus with three temptations. First, he
tried to appeal to fleshly desire, tempting Jesus
to turn stones into bread. (Matt. 4:2, 3)
Jesus had just fasted for 40 days and was very
hungry. So the Devil urged him to misuse
his miraculous powers to satisfy his hunger.
How did Jesus react? Unlike Eve, Jesus
focused on Jehovah’s Word and immediately
rejected the temptation.—Read Matthew 4:4.
COMMENTS
Matthew 4:4 = Deut. 8:3 (Jehovah)
Notice that the WTS throws in phrases such as “immediately rejected.”
What would happen to the average human who fasted 40 days consecutively? Would they be feeling hunger pains?
Does the WTS use the Bible to answer questions? Or do they cite their “authority” as the basis? Jesus did not refer to his role as the Messiah as a source of authority. Where in the Bible does it say a person taking a blood transfusion is disassociating him/herself rather than being a candidate for disfellowshipping? Where in the Bible does it even discuss the WTS policy of disassociation? Can you think of any other WTS doctrine/policy that has no clear Bible support?
Do jws focus on God’s word or WTS publications?
"We must serve Jehovah in truth, as revealed in his Word and made clear in the publications of "the faithful and discreet slave." Watchtower 1996 May 15 p. 18
10. Why did Satan dare Jesus to hurl himself off the
battlement of the temple?
10 Satan also tried to goad Jesus into reacting
selfishly. He dared Jesus to hurl himself
off the battlement of the temple. (Matt. 4:5, 6)
What was Satan hoping to accomplish?
Satan alleged that if Jesus was not injured by
the fall, it would prove that he was “a son of
God.” Obviously, the Devil wanted Jesus to
be overly concerned about his own reputation,
even to the point of making a showy
display. Satan knew that a person might accept
a dangerous dare because of pride and a
desire not to lose face in front of others. Satan
misapplied a scripture, but Jesus showed
that He had a complete understanding of Jehovah’s
Word. (Read Matthew 4:7.) By rejecting
that dare, Jesus again proved that Jehovah was
the most important Person in his life.
COMMENTS
Matthew 4:5 = Deut. 6:6 (Jehovah)
Is the WTS overly concerned about their own reputation; leading to hiding child abuse cases in their midst so not to dishonor the organization? Not wanting to lose face? Are individual abused jws expected to suffer personal loss rather than “bring reproach upon…organization”?
*** w96 3/15 p. 15 par. 4***Certainly, the course of loyalty to Jehovah God is to suffer personal loss rather than bring reproach upon Jehovah and his organization.
Notice the choice of these words: goad, dared, alleged, prove, obviously, overly, complete.
11. Why did Jesus refuse the Devil’s offer of all the
kingdoms of the world?
11 In his last desperate attempt, Satan offered
Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.
(Matt. 4:8, 9) Jesus immediately refused the
offer. He realized that accepting it would be
tantamount to rejecting Jehovah’s sovereignty—
God’s very right to be the Most High.
(Read Matthew 4:10.) In each case, Jesus
answered Satan by quoting scriptures
that contained Jehovah’s personal name.
COMMENTS
Matthew 4:10 = Deut. 6:13, 10:20 (Jehovah)
So did Satan have the kingdoms of the world in his control? Where was God’s place in this? Or was this a case as with Job that God ALLOWED Satan to hurt Jesus and the rest of humankind but is not considered testing them?
“immediately refused”
Is rejecting God’s sovereignty the issue for the WTS or the rejection of their authority? Or is it the same thing?
Which scriptures did Jesus quote, had to be from the OT; how many jws cross-referenced these scriptures?
When the WTS had the COs read the non-letters about changing the “crime” of accepting a transfusion from disfellowshipping to disassociating, was that based on a scripture?
Jesus rejected Satan’s temptations and focused on doing
Jehovah’s will
12. What difficult decision did Jesus face as he
neared the end of his earthly course, and what do
we learn from the way he reacted to that decision?
12 As Jesus neared the end of his earthly
course, he was confronted with a very difficult
decision. Throughout his ministry, he
had expressed his willingness to offer his life
as a sacrifice. (Matt. 20:17-19, 28; Luke 12:50;
John 16:28) However, Jesus realized that he
was also going to be falsely charged and convicted
under the Jewish legal system and be
executed as a blasphemer. This aspect of his
death troubled him deeply. He prayed: “My
Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away
from me.” But he continued: “Yet, not as I
will, but as you will.” (Matt. 26:39) Yes, Jesus’
faithfulness right up until his death
proved beyond a doubt who was the most
important Person in his life!
COMMENTS
Remember that Jesus’ ministry only lasted 3 years. How long have many jws been suffering, offering their life to “God’s” service? Their whole lives, 70 to 80 years or longer.
Remember Jesus was falsely charged and convicted by his fellow believers, not outsiders. What about jws today who put God ahead of the WTS?
Whose will do jws put first, God’s or the WTS? Are they always the same or does “new light” come into play? What happens if the WTS was wrong as they were from 1967 to 1980 regarding transplants being a df’ing offense? What about those df’d between 1967 and 1980, are they reinstated or are they wrong to have disobeyed the WTS?
Obey the organization even if they are wrong:
Our Answer to the Question
13. What lessons have we learned so far from the
examples of Eve, Job, and Jesus Christ?
13 What have we learned so far? In the case
of Eve, we learn that those who cave in to
selfish desires or feelings of self-importance
reveal that Jehovah is not the most important
Person in their life. By contrast, from
Job’s integrity-keeping course, we learn that
even imperfect humans can show that they
put Jehovah first by faithfully enduring adversities—
even when the cause of such troubles
is not fully understood by them. (Jas. 5:11)
Finally, Jesus’ example teaches us to be
willing to suffer shame and not to put too
much importance on our personal reputation.
(Heb.12:2) But how can we apply these
lessons?
COMMENTS
So what does the WTS consider “selfish desires” and “feelings of self-importance” in jws today? EDUCATION
Troubles not fully understood—don’t worry some elder or other jw will tell you it is due to hidden sin if you don’t understand.
So where is the main source of shaming for jws—within their own organization, congregation, families and fellow believers, not outsiders.
Better to suffer shame as a victim of sexual abuse by another jw than shame the organization and reveal it to non-jws.
14, 15. How did Jesus’ reaction to temptation differ
from that of Eve, and how can we imitate Jesus?
(Comment on illustration on page 18.)
14 Never allow temptations to make you forget
Jehovah. Eve allowed her attention to be
directed to the temptation immediately in
front of her. She saw that the fruit “was good
for food and that it was something to be
longed for to the eyes, yes, the tree was
desirable to look upon.” (Gen. 3:6) What
a contrast to Jesus’ reaction to the three
temptations! Each time, he saw beyond the
immediate temptation and considered the
consequences of his actions. He relied on
God’s Word and also used Jehovah’s name.
COMMENTS
Remember this is a woman without the wit to wonder why a snake was talking to her and why she understood it.
Jesus used God’s name only in quoting from the scriptures; he still continued to address God as father, not by his first name, a disrespectful practice by sons to their human fathers.
15 When we are faced with temptations to
do things that are displeasing to Jehovah,
on what do we focus our attention? The
more we focus on the temptation, the stronger
that wrong desire will be. (Jas. 1:14, 15)
We need to take quick action to root out the
desire, even if that action may seem as drastic
as, in effect, removing a part of our body.
(Matt. 5:29, 30) Like Jesus, we need to focus
on the consequences of our actions—how
they will affect our relationship with Jehovah.
We must recall what his Word, the Bible,
says. Only in this way can we prove that
Jehovah is the most important Person in
our life.
COMMENTS
“take quick action”
His Word = WT publications
Can jws understand the Bible without WT publications? When they smuggled in material to countries was it more important to smuggle in WT publications or Bibles?
16-18. (a) What may cause our hearts to become
weighed down? (b) What will help us to cope with
distressing circumstances?
16 Never allow personal tragedies to embitter
you against Jehovah. (Prov. 19:3) As we draw
ever closer to the end of this wicked world,
more and more of Jehovah’s people are being
affected by disasters and tragedies. We
do not expect miraculous protection at this
time. Even so, like Job, we may find that our
hearts are weighed down when we lose loved
ones or suffer personal difficulties.
COMMENTS
End of this wicked world = eternal destruction of 7 billion non-jw men, women, children, babies (even inutero)
Jehovah’s people = only jws = where is Christ, weren’t Jesus’ followers known as Christians due to divine providence (Acts)
We cannot expect miraculous protection?! As a group but not as individuals…many jws will find that preposterous…10,000 at one hand and 1,000 at the other hand and they will survive….Psalm 91 (this is a concept that lives on just like Jesus is the mediator of the other sheep).
Depressed? You probably did something wrong because DEPRESSION = SIN.
*** w82 6/1 p. 10***One depressed Christian who deeply appreciated the visits of her loving shepherds to help her was convinced that she had lost God’s spirit. “Really, try to think hard and see if there is something bad you’ve done,” said an elder at one point. The woman just sat there and cried. “But I can’t think of anything. Do you want me to make something up? Will that help?” she sobbed.
17 Job did not understand why Jehovah allowed
certain things to happen, and at times
we may not understand why bad things
happen. Perhaps we have heard of faithful
brothers who were killed by an earthquake,
such as those in Haiti, or by some other natural
disaster. Or we may know of an integrity
keeper who has become a victim of an act of
violence or has died in a terrible accident. Or
we might even find ourselves plagued by
some distressing circumstances or perceived
injustices. Our anguished hearts may cry
out: ‘Why, Jehovah. Why me? What did I do
wrong?’ (Hab. 1:2, 3) What will help us cope
at times like that?
COMMENTS
What is a perceived injustice? Our imagination? Is being abused “perceived”? Oh, yes, “repressed memories”
Yes, the WTS finds it hard now to explain after all those years of guaranteeing protection and living into the new system without ever dying.
*** w756/15p.377par.10***Should we expect, moreover, that because Jehovah is on our side he will miraculously intervene to protect each one of us personally from death or injury during the “great tribulation”? Both Psalm 91:7-12 and Proverbs 3:25, 26 have been mistakenly cited by some as supporting this view…However, we can be assured that, as a group, Jehovah will protect them from being exterminated by their enemies during the “great tribulation,” and He, himself, will not touch them during his executing of adverse judgments.
***w89 6/15 p. 6 ***Millions of these are now looking forward to the swiftly approaching “war of the great day of God the Almighty,” which will cleanse this earth of all unrighteousness. By God’s undeserved kindness, they will survive that great tribulation without ever dying at all.
*** w84 9/15 p. 15 par. 18***Of whom was this “great multitude,” or “great crowd,” to be made up? Of people who would ascribe glory and honor to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ and who would be rewarded with everlasting life on a paradise earth into which they would pass without dying despite the greatest “tribulation” of all human history.
*** w83 1/1 p. 14 par. 16***The sheeplike ones will inherit this Paradise realm of the heavenly Kingdom. A “great crowd” of them will do so without ever dying off the face of the earth and needing a resurrection from the dead back to life on earth.
18 We need to be careful not to assume
that such events are an indication of Jehovah’s
disapproval. Jesus highlighted this fact
when referring to two tragedies that occurred
in his day. (Read Luke 13:1-5.) Many
calamities are the result of “time and unforeseen
occurrence.” (Eccl. 9:11) But no matter
what the cause of our distress, we can cope if
we focus our attention on “the God of all
comfort.” He will give us the strength required
to continue on faithfully.—2 Cor. 1:3-6.
COMMENTS
WE must not assume—or more likely the elders and other jws assume that bad things happen to bad jws.
19, 20. What helped Jesus to endure humiliating
situations, and what can help us to do the same?
19 Never allow pride or fear of shame to become
your prime focus. Jesus’ humility enabled
him to ‘empty himself and take a
slave’s form.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) He was able to
endure many humiliating situations because
of his reliance on Jehovah. (1 Pet. 2:23, 24)
By so doing, Jesus put Jehovah’s will first,
and this resulted in his being exalted to a
superior position. (Phil. 2:9) Jesus recommended
the same life course to his disciples.
—Matt. 23:11, 12; Luke 9:26.
COMMENTS
Humiliating = yes even by those who claim to be your fellow believers
So what exalted position will jws be elevated?
20 At times, certain tests of our faith may
be embarrassing. Still, we should have confidence
like that of the apostle Paul, who
said: “For this very cause I am also suffering
these things, but I am not ashamed. For I
know the one whom I have believed, and I
am confident he is able to guard what I have
laid up in trust with him until that day.”
—2 Tim. 1:12.
COMMENTS
Embarrassing??? For whom, the WTS, not bring reproach on them
21. In spite of the world’s selfish attitude, what is
your determination?
21 The Bible foretold that during our time
people would be “lovers of themselves.”
(2 Tim. 3:2) No wonder, then, that we are
surrounded by a me-first generation. May
we never be tainted by such a selfish attitude!
Rather, whether we are faced with
temptation, beset by tragedies, or confronted
with efforts to shame us, let each one of
us be determined to prove that Jehovah is indeed
the most important Person in our life!
COMMENTS
Lovers of themselves = how do jws show that they love others in an outstanding way? (Matthew 5:45-47)
Me-first generation = old phrase!
Tainted, selfish attitude
Who is shaming us? People in the organization?
During times of distress, we can focus on “the God of all comfort”
What Can We Learn From . . .
· the way Satan deceived Eve?
· Job’s reaction to personal tragedies?
· the main focus of Jesus’ attention?
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Sorry about the last few weeks, computer down, and work pressures. Another one of those “flog the flock” articles. Basically, all of you jws are selfish…imagine wanting to make a living wage, wanting a college degree to feel self-important.
Next week, O THE DEPTH OF GOD’S WISDOM. God’s or as defined by the WTS? With God’s knowledge of the future, being able to read human hearts, and all the physical and mental power to make things so, why has he had to be flexible? Just another boring article about the 144,000.
Love, Blondie