... the text for June 27, 2020

Accept ... the sword of the spirit, that is, God's Word. - Eph. 6:17

The comments make this interesting point:

But we must learn to use it skillfully when defending our beliefs - or adjusting our own thinking.

 This "sword" is not an offensive weapon, meaning that we don;'t attack other people with it. It's clear from the comment above, that it is used in three ways: to teach others about Jehovah, to cut out wrong attitudes and, thoughts, and to defend ourselves against the influence of the world, ruled by Satan. (John 5:19)

To use this "sword", we need to wield it every day. That is, to read it. I participate in meetings in American Sign Language (ASL). The public talk I watched today made this wonderful point:
The speaker showed us a picture of a "Play" and "Pause" button. The "play" button was green, while the "pause" was red. So, he pointed out that the green means to watch the Bible verses, and then "pause" was to stop, and meditate on what you have just seen.

I encourage you: Don't read the Bible like it's a novel you have to burn through to get to the end. Stop occasionally to let your eyes rest, and let your brain think about what that scripture said about Jehovah. Think about how Jehovah deals with imperfect humans. Think about how different characters in the Bible felt about Jehovah or how they worshiped him.

If we do this often enough, we will be able to wield it skillfully, recalling scriptures that apply to different situations or when making important decisions. Doing this will help you improve on learning what Jehovah thinks about a matter, as that is more important than your own thinking on a matter.

John 17:3 explains just how important it is to take in the knowledge of Jehovah and conform to His way of thinking. I encourage you all to continue in your efforts and you will be the happier for it.

Stay safe!

.. the text for June 26, 2020

The hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he has offered a sacred service to God. - John 16:1

The comments today talk about conscience. Religious fanatics who kill for their religion have existed for a long time, from the famous Crusades, the Spanish Inquisitions, to ISIS and terrorist groups today. Their acts clearly violate the thinking of the One they claim to be doing all of this for. Exodus 20:13 clearly says, "You must not murder."

Yes, Israel fought the people in Canaan under God's direction, but Jehovah is The True Judge. If he decides a people should be wiped out, it is His perfect judgement that decides that.

 Taking it upon ourselves to be the judges and executioners of others due to the "sins against you" is wrong.  When we've been shown contempt or discrimated against or put down or treated as an inferior or oppressed by dominant people, learn to maintain self-control and leave it with Jehovah, who will judge righteously and perfectly.

The comments encourage us to carefully and diligently study God's Word, and meditate on the lessons we learn from it. If we train our consciences toe accept Jehovah's thoughts and feelings, we will not be switching from one extreme to the other.

The other day, I saw several headlines on Yahoo that illustrate the world's conscience. One headline described a biracial woman being set on fire in her car. She didn't die, but was hospitalized. The police are investigating this as a hate crime. In another headline, an episode of The Office TV show was edited to remove a "blackface performance" because it was racist. So, it's clear that most people's conscience is either too sensitive or too calloused.

It's important to obtain and reflect Jehovah's thinking. We will be more balanced and reasonable people if we do so.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 25, 2020

How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell toget in unity. - Ps. 133:1

The comments ask this question:

Could you "widen out," that is, do it to a greater extent and more consistently? (2 Cor. 6:11-13)

The organization of Jehovah's Witnesses are unified worldwide by having the same teachings. We all study the same material, view the same videos, read the same Bible.

The psalmist was referring to another unity, one in which we all associate with one another as friends. Because of imperfection, there is always room for improvement.

If you feel that brothers and sisters don't associate with you enough, you are not invited anywhere and no one calls you, should you sit there and be sad about it?

There's the maxim that's true: If you want friends, you need to be a friend. So, waiting for other people to connect with you will be a long wait. I've always been much of a loner. I don't like the way I sound when I speak, so I stay quiet most of the time. When I was in school, occasionally I would hang out with the other kids, playing dodgeball or handball. But, most of the time, I wandered the field behind our school and meditated.

But, I do need interaction with others and communication, so what can I do? Reach out to others. Show them that I'm thinking about them. If I want to do something, I will invite them over.

That's not easy. "Well, I've invited so an so and they just never accepted, they always had an excuse or other arrangements." That's true. I have done the same, only to get stood up time and again. Should I give up? No.

I can't expect others to drop everything for me. Everyone has their own schedule, they have other people to consider. So, in order to apply the scripture today, I need to be the one to reach out, and continue doing so when it seems pointless or maybe they don't care. I have to keep trying.

Why is it important? Because we need each other to face thecoming great tribulation. That's not a time to try to go it alone, to survive on your own mettle and resources. We need to help our brothers and sisters, and they need to help us.

It's not about picking someone up and carrying them on our back. It's holding them up so that they can keep moving forward.

Jesus, when speaking of the coming Great Tribulation, "unless Jehovah had cut short the days, no flesh would be saved." (Mark 13:20) That means it's going to be bad! He also indicated that anything like it has never happened before and will not occur again. It's going to be truly awful and scary. We can depend on our brothers and sisters to provide assitance, but they need to depend on us for the same thing.

Unity is so important. Not just knowing hte same things, but we need to have thc close relationships.

There was this brother I knew, who apparently doesn't really like me that much. He purposly ignores me, despite my efforts to talk to him. The way Jehovah teaches us will be that he will find that I am the one he needs the most help from, and I will need his help when the time comes. Wouldn't that be a shame if that happens, and you know you need to help but you simply can't, because you've never taken the time to develop true love for that person? Jehovah may request an accounting for that.

So, let us do our best to promote unity with each other. Be willing to invite those you don't know that well to spend time with you or do some activity together. Even in the stay-at-home or lockdown, you can still Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime,  call or text someone and start with a simple hello, hope you're doing well and try to develop a good friendship.

And don't give up. Please. Even loners like me need people to talk to besides ourselves.

Stay safe!!

... the Bible reading for week of June 22-28, 2020 (Exodus 1-3)

t this
Exodus 1:20

So God dealt well with the midwives and the people kept increasing and becoming very mighty.

The midwives were told by the king to kill the sons but preserve the daughters. But, they feared Jehovah. So, it is obvious that the faith in God was passed down to the next generation. Because they obeyed Jehovah rather than man, they were blessed with families of their own. Jehovah truly appreciates efforts by his servants to remain obedient.

It is also clear that Jehovah did not abandon the Israelites, but helped them to prosper and become many, despite the oppression they suffered at Egypt's hand. He had told Abraham that they would be oppressed for 430 years, then he reaffirmed his promise to Jacob that the Israelites would be taken from Egypt and given the land of Canaan.

Ex. 2:10

... She [Pharaoh's daughter] named him Moses

This was interesting. In the new system, it would be cool to ask Moses what name his own mother called him. Also, it was Jehovah who caused the events to allow Moses to be nursed by his mother (and she got paid for it), so druing this time, she taught him about Jehovah. He did not forget his roots, though he grew up in the education that Egypt provided.

Ex. 2:17

... At this Moses got up and helped th womenand watered their flock.

Even at the time, when he ran from Egypt because he was wanted for murder, Moses was a humble man, and helped these women. He was approximately 40 years of age at this point, because he was 89 when Jehovah assigned him to deliver Israel and he has spent 40 years living in Midian.

Moses helped these women ithout expecting anything in return. He didn't demand payment or request anything. He decided to stay when Reuel, the father of the women, invited him and and gave him one of his daughters in marriage. His act of kindness was blessed by Jehovah.

At the end of chapter two, it talks about how Jehovah "remembered his covenant with Abraham", but Jehovah was right on time in delivering His people from bondage in Egypt.

Chapter 3 starts off with naming Moses' father-in-law as Jethro, not Reuel (in chapter 2). Research indicates that Jethro may have been a title, and that it was also common for Arabian chiefs to have more than one name, but Jethro/Reuel refer to the same person.

Ex. 3:9

The outcry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen also the harsh way the the Egyptians are oppressing them.

People who say that God doesn't see what's going on in the world today are mistaken. He is aware of everything, how people treat each other, how husbands and wives treat each other. In time, He takes action in ways that glorify His name and His sovreignty. Those who think He won't do anything will be in for a surprise!

Ex. 3:14

..."I Will Become What I Choose to Become"...

This is what Jehovah's name means. Simply put, He does whatever he wants to accomplish His will. Absolutely nothing can stop his will from succeeding. With the nation of Israel, He was their Savior, He fed them plentifully, He was their Leader, their Protector, their Law-giver. He does whatever He chooses becuase He truly has abolute freedome. A name to fear and respect.

Exodus is good to read how Jehovah dealt with his people, even when they acted foolishly and rebelled and complained many times.

Keep reading and stay safe!

... the text for June 24, 2020

Moses was by far thw meekest of the men. - Num.  12:3

The texts for today and yesterday taught me this about Jehovah: Jehovah picks the person for an assignment, because he knows that person will succeed. Man's imperfect gets in the way most of the time, so Jehovah is patient and considerate, teaching the lesson in the best way possible.

Moses was humble enough to try to not take the assignment, saying he couldn't speak well and other excuses, but Jehovah was patient with him, and gave him holy spirit to perform miracles.

Moses ended up being a great leader for Israel, boldly taking them out and guiding them through the wilderness. Jehovah blessed his efforts to lead over 3 million people. Moses continued to be humble, accepting counsel from his father-in-law and listening to all Jehovah told him.

Moses did his best to imitate the Almighty, and showed consideration and patience to others as Jehovah did to him.

We need to be the same way today. The world is full of independent thinkers, those who focus on their own needs before others. taking advamtage of those who appear weak. If we want Jehovah's favor and blessing, we need to be the opposite of proud, arrogant, contempuous people, and imitate Moses.

As we go through the book of Exodus, pay attention to how Jehovah treated Moses, and how Moses treated the Israelites, and look for ways to apply their example in your life.

... the text for June 23, 2020

Do not be mislead. Bad associations spoil useful habits. - 1 Cor. 15:33

A recent book I read had a chapter entitled "Have friends who want the best for you". It went on to explain how environment and association affect your own progress in life. Some people have friends who do not want the best for them, but the best from themselves and will take advantage of you to attain that goal. That's unfortunate, but it happens.

The Bible makes the same conclusion in other places. Proverbs says, several times, that bing with wise people will make you wise, associating with unwise people will make you unwise.

So, the scripture above carries the warning not to be mislead. Don't kid yourself. Don't suffer delusions that if you hang out with someone who doesn't have good qualities that your good behavior will rub off on them. It can have the oppsite affect, and that can be dangerous.

When I was in school, a kid I knew was in my class. I knew his family, was friends with his sister, who was in my congregation. He didn't go to meetings himself, but we knew each other. One of the teachers approached me and told me that this kid has come to her and was trying to improve his grades. Why? Because I was doing so well in the class, that he wanted to imitate me and my example.

So, it's not wrong to want to push yourself to a higher level. But you need to associate with the right people. You have a good friend that you want to do well in life, so you help him or her to attain their goals. They in turn want the same for you, so they will help you attain your goals. It's much more difficult to look at someone and think, "That person will do this or that for me and I will improve my life." It doesn't wsork that way.

This book gave an illustration. This man was manager of a department that was a well oiled machine. Everyone got to work on time, they dressed appropriately, the got their job done. In another department, there was one employee that was always late, did sloppy work and had behavior problems. So, an executive thought moving this person to the top department would "straighten him out". So, they made the trasfer. Within the six months, the morale of this top department was damaged.


What happened? Well, when the good employees saw the misfit employee come in late from lunch, leave early, make a lot of mistakes, they thought to themselves, "Why work harder? This person take advantage of everything and he's just complacent and all, so why bother?"

And so it goes. We need good association to make ourselves excel, but we can drag another person down if we're not excelling. Do we want to be bad association for someone else? We would not knowingly do this, but sometimes it happens. Having a friend who wants the bes for us, he or she is in a position to be a positive influence, to correct us when we're wrong, to commend us when we're doing well.

So, while we avoid people who have bad habits, we have to try to maintain good habits and help others do the same. Our preaching work is a wonderful thing to do, because we're trying to teach others to benefit themselves and all of us can praise Jehovah together.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 22, 2020

[Turn] away from ... the falsely called "knowledge". - 1 Tim. 6:20

Have you met a person who repeatedly says something and acts like it's true, but it's not? Have you heard three or four people say the same thing, so you may think that it was a fact, only to find out later that it was wrong? We all have.

The comments relate how the Israelites sent 12 spies into Canaan, and upon their return, 10 of the 12 made a negative report, while 2 stated a good report. Over 3 million Israelites believed the 10, but not the 2.

They failed to recognize Jehovah as the true Power. They witnessed His shaming the gods of Egypt. They witnessed the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh and his armies who were pursuing them. Egypt wasn't a small county, but a mighty nation.

Canaan had a multitude of small scity states. But, the people were afraid, they did not trust that Jehovah would help them to vanquish these nations so that they could inhabit Canaan. So, they lost out, because Jehovah made them wander 40 years in the wilderness until they all died. The few faithful remained alive and were able to enter Canaan. Such a sad lesson.

What of today? We are overwhelmed with information from all sources. It can be hard to pick out the facts from the fiction, and some figure that if they keep repeating something, it will be true even if it's not.

I was looking at Yahoo headlines the other day, and noticed headlines exclaiming: "Expert doctors claim the coronavirus is not as dangerous as you thing". "One nurse has hit upon an easy cure for coronavirus". "These are vegetables to avoid in reducing risk of coronavirus". All of these have some member of an experienced field explaining their viewpoint.

But, the "knowledge" Paul was discussing here is spiritual knowledge. We have many who were formerly Jehovah's Witnesses who publish information defaming Witnesses. One famous actress did an expose of Scientology, and then claimed she would expose Jehovah's Witnesses as a sham religion also. We must remain focused on what we know is true from the Bible's viewpoint and stick to it, ignoring information to the contrary.

As this world worsens, more and more will be saying different things. The best source right now amid this pandemic is jw.org, as it provides information that is true and Bible-based.

Yes, attaining good knowledge is useful. Your everlasting life depends on it. (John 17:3)

... the text for June 21, 2020

Never let anyone look down on your youth. Instead, become an example to the faithful ones in speaking, in conduct, in love, in faith, in chasteness. - 1 Tim. 4:12

When people treat you with contempt, what do you do? Get anry and harbor resentment or bitterness? While Paul was talking to Timothy, who likely was an elder in his congregation and a young man, his exortation and encouragement applies to all of us.

by our actions, we can show that we have the confidence in Jehovah. By the way we talk to each other shows the good qualities we have. By making wise decisions and maintaining good conduct, we show others that we do our best to imitate Jesus and Jehovah.

I know of one brother who became an elder at the age of 22. That seemed young, but you can watch how he acts and how he talks and know that he really cares about the congregation and wrks hard to shepherd it in love. He took this scripture to heart and  displays the qualities Paul recommended to Paul.

We have many young ones that help lead the congregation and they should be valued and recognized for thir love of Jehovah's name. As us older ones step aside, or limit our activities, the young will take it up and move the organization forward.

Such a wonderful thing to see and we can trust it, because Jesus is in full control of the congregations and he will assure that everything works smoothly.

but let all ov us continue to be a good example, encouraging others by our faith and determination to serve Jehovah, even in this crumbling system of things.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 20, 2020

Who volunteers to come forward today with a gift in hand for Jehovah? - 1 Chron. 29:5

The comments state:

Today, you also have many opportunities to volunteer your time, resources, and skills to help your brothers and sisters. And you will feel great joy and receive many blessings from makeing yourself available.

Many are not working during this pandemic. Many have to stay home and can't really do anything. However, you can volunteer! Can you help and older brother or sister with a phone call or text message? Can you volunteer to do their shopping, or help them with things needing to be done? Doing something like this is like you're giving Jehovah a gift. He greatly appreciates it.

Volunteering to do some form of preaching that you're not used to, such as letter writing, or telephone witnessins is a way to sacrifice your personal comfort for Jehovah's sake.

We can look around and find opportunities to volunteer. We can now make donations online at jw.org for the congregation, the circuit, the regional, the branch, the worldwide work. Such a wonderful chance to show our appreciation for what God has provided us, a way to salvation and everlasting life through His Son, Jesus Christ. Even if your donations are small and meager, your heartfelt desire to volunteer will not go unnoticed by our Heavenly Father.

You will be blessed! Stay safe!

... the text for June 19, 2020

You became precious in my eyes... and I have loved you. - Isa. 43:4

This is Jehovah talking to you and me. To all of us. The Bible is abundantly rich with such expressions from our God, Jehovah. He is constantly reassuring us, like the text yesterday, about listening and obeying. We listen and obey because we in turn love our Father.

The comments today make this point:

No matter what trials his people may face, Jehovah promises to sustain and comfort them.

He feels this way for us imperfect, miserable humans, who tail and scratch out an existence on this planet? You bet He does. As an organization, we have observed his promises being fulfilled daily! Many have died from this disease rampaging around the globe. His promises of a resurrection is wondeerful to meditate upon, and we look forward to seeing many come back, our friends, our relatives, those who don't know Jehovah will have to chance to learn about him. It will be wonderful.

But, we must all suffer before we get there. Each of us < b>will
be tested. We have to develop the firm resolve to trust our God, Jehovah, who is a "mighty One" who will act on our behalf.
This pandemic, though scary, is helping us to stay calm, look to Jehovah, and humbly follow His direction and guidance. No need to panic at all.

As the days get worse, meditating on the scriptures we read will help us focus on Jehovah, and His purposes, and not dwell on our own private misery.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 18, 2020

The one listening to me will dwell in security. - Prov. 1:33

This scripture is good to keep in mind. As we navigate our way through this pandemic, which may bring more serious pandemics, guidance and direction from Jehovah rhrough his organization is vital.

I have heard experiences of those who, when hearing a direction from the local Branch office, were initially confused, but obeyed anyway, then later saw that the instructions were for their benefit and saved lives.

The Great Tribulation is coming, as foretold by Jesus Christ when he was on earth. It is crucial to listen to God's direction, as He has everything in His control.

He loves mankind deeply, and wants us to still preach and teach to bring more people into his embrace. Let us continue to apply what we learn from the Bible in our lives and remain calm and trust our Heavenly Father, who really does know what's best.

Stay safe!

... the Bible reading for week of June 15-21, 2020 (Gen. 48-50)

Genesis 48-50

Gen. 48:14

However, Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Eʹphra·im’s head, although he was the younger, and he placed his left hand on Ma·nasʹseh’s head. He purposely laid his hands this way, since Ma·nasʹseh was the firstborn.

This was interesting, but after researching this, it may have been a result of what happened to Jacob, when Isaac blessed him instead of his older brother, Esau. The right hand signifies favor. Both boys became many, and were listed as part of the 12 tribes of Israel, replacing Joseph. The tribe of Levi got no land, so both Ephraim and Manasseh received their land allotments.

Gen. 49;4 refers to Reuben defiling Israel's bed. This happened when Reuben had sexual intercourse with Jacob's wife, Bilhah, given to him by Rachel.

Gen. 49:10

The scepter will not depart from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiʹloh comes, and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong.

Jesus was a descendant of Judah and fulfilled this prophecy.

Gen 49:24 Jacob acknowledged Joseph's suffering at the hends of his brothers, but attributed Jehovah, "the shepherd, the stone of Israel" with protecting and blessing Joseph through his tenure in Egypt.

Gen. 50:17 showed that Joseph's brothers still felt guilty of what they had done to Joseph and were afraid that now that their father was dead, Joseph would get revenge, so they sent an apology, asking for forgiveness. This touched Joseph's heart, even thout he had forgiven them already.

We all still feel guilty over what mistakes we've done in the past. Jehovah is loving and kind. When He forgives, he truly forgives and drops it. This is a comfort to me, as I have had a long history of mistakes. Other people may not be as forgiving, but I trust my God, Jehovah, that His forgiveness is perfect. It's not limitless, meaning that if we willfully continue sin, He may not forgive us. It's important to continue to ask for forgiveness in our prayers, but we should work along with praying for it, with actions that prove that we are repentant. This may include going to the elders when it is something really serious, or some other act of atonement.

Looking forward to the lessons we can learn about Jehovah in Exodus.

... the text for June 17, 2020

Ponder over these things. - 1 Tim. 4:15

The comments make this encouragement:

Giving advance thought to the need to remain loyal can also prove helpful in the event of a medical emergency.

 It specifies medical emergencies. We now are in the days of a raging pandemic. We have been encouraged to maintain our Durable Power of Attorney medical cards and keep it current, for cases when we don't have the time to explain our religious beliefs about blood and our refusal to accept transfusions.

The importance in pondering over things is a exercise in mental preparation for things that may happen in future. We all strive to serve God faithfully. Satan is the true ruler of the world, so he's interested in making you not to be faithful to God. The way everyone acts around you should not be an influence for your actions. But, it's hard, isn't it?

We have many examples in the Bible of those who pondered over their relationship with Jehovah and made firm decisions beforehand. Joseph, confronted with adultery, refused. Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego faced idolatry, and refused even uder penalty of death.

Their resolve wasn't a spur of the moment thing, a reaction to what was going on. I'm sure they didn't consider every possible occurrence to happen, but knowing Jehovah's thinking was important for them to make the right decision and stick to it.

As you continue your Bible reading, think about how Jehovah feels about things such as lying, or tattoos (1 Lomgs 18:28), flirting, or anything that may appear harmless.

Years ago, I became friends with this young sister, who was 20. One day, we were preaching together in a group, and she elbowed me in the ribs, and, looking around to see if anyone was looking, pulled up her jacket sleeve. On her wrist was a henna tattoo. She had gone to a fair and had it done. Now, henna tattoos are not permanent, they wash off eventually. But, still, was it okay? Taking a step in that direction only makes you take one step closer, and then you have a real tattoo somewhere on your body. If you serve God, how does He feel about that?

This sister ended up leaving the truth, because she did not take the time to ponder things over from God's viewpoint, so when situations arose, she did not handle them properly.

We must remember that "narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life". (Matt. 7:14) A slight misstep will take us off this path, and the end result will not be good. 

thining that "well, everyone else is doing it, so it's okay" is dangerous thinking. Even something really small and simple like using an app. The developers have instructions for using it. Say it's a app where you offer things for sale to others. The app tells you not to cross-post into more than two categories, but people in general ignore that and put it in as many categories as they want to be seen and make a sale.

That seems harmless enough, but if we develop thinking that it's okay, and just continue, eventually, we will end up doing something more serious, just because everyone does it, so it must be all right. We can't do that with Jehovah. It doesn't work, so we need to really meditate and consider our spiritual steps and make decisions before we take that step. Humbly remembering that  it says in Jeremiah 10:23 that "it does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step".

Keep pondering and be safe!

... the text for June 16, 2020

Do not lie to one another. - Col. 3:9

This simple command is at the top of a slippery slope. Why is it hard? Imperfection, and everyone else does it. We need to do our best to not lie, why?

The comments clearly point it out:

Decitful people camnot keep anything secret from Jehovah, for "all things are naked and openly exposed to him." (Heb. 4:13)

Then a reference was made to Ananias and Sapphira. They attempted to make themselves look good and appear more generous than they really were. And that was their downfall, because Jehovah saw what they were doing and took action.

Was it wrong to keep money from the sale of the field? No. Had they been truthful and said, "We sold a field for this much, and we held back this much, the rest we give to Jehovah," that would have been very acceptable. But, they fudged the figures, they smeared the facts, to impress other humans.

Now, here's a more subtle example: We tell a story, and we omit a true fact from this story, that if we said it, it would make us look bad to those listening. Have you done that? Many of us have done this, including myself.

But, Jehovah knows the whole story already. The Bible is full of writers who were honest with themselves and their readers. Think about  Jonah. He admitted to being scared and running away. David wrote many psalms about embarrassing mistakes he had made. Paul wrote that he was an insolent man who persecuted Christians. That's one of many reasons the Bible can be trusted, is the honesty of the imperfect human writers used to write  it under inspiration.

I kind of feel sorry for those who are image conscious. They work hard to create an image and carefully maintain it by crafty lies and misleading actions to appear more spiritual, more popular, more wealthy, more attractive, more superior, more intelligent, or more of whatever they want to attain. A certain amount of personal stress and anxiety goes into maintaining this image. They put a mask on to hide their true feelings from others. Last week, a daily text stated, "People lie to protect themselves or promote themselves." Those who have an image to display, stay busy keeping up appearances.

Jehovah knows the whole story. Here's an interesting thing: Even though Jehovah knows every detail of our life, the good, bad and worst, He still wants a relationship with you. James 4:8 says that if we make the effort to draw close to God, he will draw close to us. That includes whatever horrible past you may have had, or a ongoing struggle you deal with now. Our God has an arrangement, the elders, to help us in telling the whole truth about ourselves. If there are no elders, are there psychologists? Psychiatrists? Therapists? Yes, it's okay to tell the whole story to those trained to help, by providing needed counsel, discipline and prayers to God on our behalf, like what job did for the three "friends".

If you want to seem generous, really be generous, not only when it's advantageous for you to appear generous. If you want to appear kind and loving, really be kind and loving, not when people are watching. If you want to appear forgiving, really be forgiving, not only when it benefits you or impresses others. Today's text shows how we can keep from lying to one another in this way. Continue to work hard at it. It isn't easy, but nothing really is easy.

Stay safe.

... the text for June 15, 2020

Buy truth and never sell it. - Prov. 23:23

Yesterday, it was "walking in truth". Today is the step in starting the walk in truth.

The comments say:

Our most precious possession is our relationship with Jehovah, and we would not trade it for anything.

How do you start this relationship? Treasuring Bible truths. It's how we develop that bond with our God

If we sacrifice our time and personal preferences to absorb bible truths, through reading the Bible itself daily or studying through one of the publications available to help us, we can "buy" this truth, and "keep on" maintaining this truth.

jw.org has "Online Bible sessions" available free of charge. There is also many videos, talks, and even music that help us to treasure Jehovah and Bible truths. If you "buy" it with your time and energy and self-sacrifice, you will never have buyer's remorse.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 14, 2020

Go on walking in the truth. - 3 John 3

The truth is what we have learned from the Bible, that keeps us on this path through life. How do we keep walking in truth? The comments state this:

Continue to study the precious truths of God's Word and meditate on them.

Isn't that true? Those who are doctors will consider medical journals to keep up to date on new medicines, procedures, etc. That's how they stay good doctors. Same with any other profession.

I have worked in the mortgage industry for nearly 20 years. When I changed careers to work on computers, I still knew a lot. Over time, though, what I knew slipped away. Now, I don't know anything new.

It is the same when you learn the truths from the Bible.

Now, many say, "Jesus saved me, so I'm always saved." Well, there are scriptures, such as the one aboe, that indicate otherwise. It says, "keep on...", meaning it's maintaining a forward momentum, not a signal to stop. Many who go to church stop "keeping on", and we see the result in all the hatred and anger, prejudice, lies, and everything else.

We need to continue to study and meditate. As we do our weekly Bible reading, we have been given only two chapters to read. Reading them doesn't take much time, but sitting bacck and reflecting on what you read is what's vital to "keep on walking in truth".

If you use audio and listen to it, still pause it when you hear something that impresses you about Jehovah and think about it, then resume listening to it.

I've been trying to get into the mode of reading those two chapters every day for a week, in both English and ASL. I have the best intentions, but imperfection ruins the best of intentions. I tend to meditate too much, which is good, but I need to continually feed the meditation.

So, this text is a good reminder to me to "keep on".

Stay safe!

... how experiences shape life

When I was growing up, I knew a family of four: parents, one son, one daughter. I was best friends with the son. The son was the third generation, taking the name of his father, as his father did his father. So, he had the "III" attached to his name.

He was meant to be the only child. His parent threw all of their attention on him. He got the best of everything he wanted. Some years later, a daughter was born, an "accident". The son continued to prosper and grow in good looks and ego. After high school, he talked his way into a well-paying job and was on a fast track to a successful career.

The daughter didn't fare so well. She was mostly ignored by her parents and wasn't as successful.

In time, the son married a nice girl. They had one boy. The son had created companies, and was very wealthy. When the son turned 18, the wife simply walked away. No words, no explanation, just walked out the door, not coming back.

He had spent so much time building material success, that he forgot about his personal success, and his spiritual success. How sad.

The daughter still lives in the area where she grew up. She is successful in other ways, friends and her ministry, serving Jehovah. But, she has little to no contact with her family. Who could blame her?

Experiences we have in live shape who we are. Good or bad, they shape up. They develop our thinking, our feelings, our emotions, the way we handle stress. Sometimes they contain scars that remain for a lifetime, until someone truly loving and discerning can see and truly help the person to feel "normal".

The experiences I have had have done the same. I use my experiences to demonstrate why I believe what I believe, why I think the way I do, and why I feel the way I feel. I can state them matter-of-factly, acknowleging that they happened, and determine the lessons from them and explain it to others, so that those who have had similar experiences may know: they're not alone, and, there's happiness to be found, somehow.

Somtimes, my experiences leave me angry and bitter, as a "why should this have happened to a nice guy like me?" and I rant. That's what happened the other day.

I began a blog post about value. The values we place on one another, how we automatically place a value based on what we see of a person, but not on how we know that person. The value can increase if we learn more and grow in appreciation and love, or it can decrese based on experiences with that person, if we experience disappointment from something that they had done.

I thought about my experiences and realized some have looked at me and thought, "Well, this guy's deaf, half blind, and looks pretty sorrowful, with little to no potential to be anything more", and stuck an "As-is" price tag on me. Whatever efforts I made to increase my value seemed to go unnoticed. It left me feeling bitter, and I expressed in in my blog draft. I could recall one time that someone really discerned what I needed and helped me.

I was transferred from a hard-of-hearing school to one that was full hearing. I was the only kid with a hearing aid, and this got some ridicule from the other kids. In my fourth grade class, I was flunking the spelling tests because with all the nose, I couldn't hear the teacher say the words we had to spell. She, discerning that I was a very smart kid, could do well in her class, needed help, took time out of her break, to go with me during recess, and we would go out on the field, and sit cross-legged facing each other. She would then give me the spelling test, so I ended up doing well in her class, getting excellent grades.

Now, I wished more people were like her, willing to sacrifice a little to give me a boost, but we're all imperfect and we forget to do the simple things that mean so much to others. So, what do I do now in my old age?

When I read Revelation 21: 4, it says:

And he [Jehovah God] 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.

Outcry and pain will be gone, forgotten! Like when you ride a bike and fall, and your knee is skinned, the wound goes away. Imagine that!

We ;have a lot of baggage in our life. We carry it around, as trophies and burdens. But, God promises to get rid of our baggage and make it disappear. It won't even come to mind for us to remember, "Yeah, that's how I used to feel." That hope is worth holding onto, for a lot of reasons. It is that hope that keeps us enduring, and endure we must, as we continue to have experiences in this world, and suffer pain, and bitterness and disappointments and resentment.

So, I deleted that blog post. I leave it with Jehovah, who will judge righteoudly and try to stay positive and express upbuilding, positive thoughts for the people that read my posts.

Stay safe!

... the text for June 13, 2020

Grief and sighing will flee away. - Isa. 35:10

As of June 12, 2020, in the United States, we have had over 2 million cases of COVID-19, with almost 114,000 deaths. In the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, sadly, over 700 brothers and sisters have died as a result of this pandemic.

There is grief all around. We hear news of people we know who have gotten sick and who have died. Death is not easy to take. Jehovah did not create us to experience death. Had Adam and Eve remained faithful and obedient, they would be alive today! There would have been no need for God's Kingdom at all!

But, here we are. But, we can meditate on God's promise recorded by Isaiah. It applied first to those released from captivity in Babylon and returned to their home land. There would be no grief or fear of attacks by animals and humans. There would be plenty of food. There would be no need for grief.

The comments on today's test say this:

Isaiah also said that the whole earth - not just the nation of Israel - would "be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea."

There will be a time in the near future when that promise will be fulfilled. Imagine that. Not just over 8 million Jehovah's Witnesses that live on the earth today, but 8 billion or more humans worshiping Jehovah! We have those who have recently died to come back in a resurrection.

If they served Jehovah in their life, they will be overjoyed at waking up again. Those who did not know Jehovah will have the opportunity to be taught about Jehovah and experience being resurrected.

How about those who died during the infamous inquisitions and crusades of times past? They will wake up and learn exactly who Jehovah is.

Grief will definitely flee from our memories and from our bodies. That's something worth grasping and keeping a hold on it.

If something bad makes you sad, keep your eyes fixed on a future so bright, you might have to wear shades.

Stay safe.

... the text for June 12, 2020

We ... speak, not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those taught by the spirit, as we explain spiritual matters with spiritual words. - 1 Cor. 2:13

The comments today state in part:

God's thinking is superior to that of today;'s world. Living by his thoughts will bring us the greatest happiness and success.

But, but, the answer must lie elsewhere, some think. So, they go after drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity and a host of other things in an effort to establish their own wisdom.

To truly understand spiritual things, it's important to be a spiritual person. If you were going after physical things, spiritual things would make no sense to you. So, you think you can gloss over it or ignore it completely. Well, that's incorrect hinking.

Getting to know Jehovah's thought require effort on our part. Floating through life  or taking the easiest path will not work, it will be fatal. It's important to develop a love for spiritual things in order to gain spiritual understanding. That's why jw.org has so many things to help us develop a love for spiritual wisdom: movies, music, Bible study aids, and more. Many of this information is being translated in as many languages, so that everyone has an opportuity to gain spiritual wisom.

It's not too late to start.

... the text for June 11, 2020

There is no wisdom... in opposition to Jehovah. - Prov. 21:30

Adam and Eve had everything they could want. Plenty of food, perfect bodies, the potential of living forever. They followed someone's bad advice, one who had his own motives, who was not really looking out for Adam and Eve.

Recnetly, I read a story by Louis L'Amour, who was famous for his Westerns. The title of the story was,  "One Mistake Can Kill You." At the end of the story, a man died because he misjudged just how many bullets remained in his opposer's gun.

What happened in the Garden of Eden really did cost the first human pair, and every single descendant after them. What was the wisdom of that? Zero.

Jehovah has always acted in a way that benefits humans, not Himself. Satan always acts in a way to benefit himsef at everyone's expense.

Many copy Satan's attitude. Let's say, you want to enjoy life. So, you demand and require others to improve your life. Let's say you get depressed one day. How do you feel better? By treating a friend with contempt. The friend gets hurt by the contempt, and it really puts a damper on his day. But, somehow, it makes you feel better. So, as long as you feel better, you really don't care how another person feels, even if it's a sense of despair or depression over being treated with contempt. It doesn't prick your conscience or make you feel guilty. After all, you demand that other people make you happy, because you yourself don't know how to make yourself happy.

Imitating Satan is the worst advice anyone can think of. Imitating Jehovah, who benefits us so much, is the much happier goal, one that has everlasting life attached to it. We have free will. We can choose whatever we like, but we must choose wisely if we want true happiness.