Here are my notes from the R.C yesterday, the talk called "Jehovah – The greatest example of endurance". Many of you will understand why I found it offensive.
Jehovah has taken the hard option of choosing to endure:
- reproach to his holy name
- attack on his universal sovereignty
- observing man's morals and this wicked world degrade
- feeling disappointment about the rebellions in heaven and earth
- taunts from Satan
- heartache witnessing his weak, defenceless servants suffer, particularly children, quoting Zachariah chapter 7 verses 9 to 11
- seeing his witnesses suffer like in Russia at the moment
- temporarily feeling grief and pain about his servants who lost their lives faithful such as Abraham
- seeing the paradise earth he made turned into ruin
he has chosen to endure this, taking the hard option, for the benefit of angels and humans, providing a firm answer to Satan. Man can't live without Jehovah. His mercy extends to allow the privilege of preaching by the Great Crowd.
If Jehovah ended this wicked system thirty years ago, would you be here today? His love is apparent.
Illustration of a couple choosing to not abort an unborn disabled child but raise it in love and care, enduring its disabilities to be able to show it love.
What we can learn? Endurance motives us to action, the main one being the witnessing work.
Angels are required to endure persecution from demonic forces.
All we need to do is endure "just a little while longer".
Jehovah is happy and remains optimistic. So should we.
He is, of course, perfect, but we are failures.
Humans can only endure with help from Jehovah at R.C's like this.
Jehovah knows the optimum time when to bring Armageddon.
We must endure as long as necessary but it is comforting to know that Jehovah is enduring at the same time.
We have been granted beautiful aids including the Bible, brotherhood, congregation meetings, privilege of prayer and, above all, the privilege of preaching, along with our hope of paradise.
Don’t give up - your reward will be rich and full.