... 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 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 6, 2020

Can a woman forget her nursing child or have no compassion for the son of her womb? Even if these women forget, I would never forget you. - Isa. 49:19

We all know the strong bond between a mother and her baby. Can you realize that Jehovah really cares for you? Isaiah's book is full of expressions from Jehovah, such as the one above. Yesterday, we learned that when we're distressed, He is distressed also. Today, He expresses that he loves us just like a mother loves her child.

I have to maditate on this because I feel unloved. I don't feel worthy, because I make a lot of mistakes, and can't seem to keep it together. Sometimes, when I do good, I feel that no credit is due to me because I do something right, like the debt is just too much.

So, knowing Jehovah really feels that way is a comfort to me, that even if I'm alone or disconnected from everything, I am not truly abandoned. I have to remind myself that God will turn his attention to the world at large, and all of us, yes, all of us, will be judged based on what's in our hearts. There is no escape, so if you think you can balance the sheet by showing everyone how good you can be, but if your heart is not complete, Jehovah will know it.

I think about the simplicity of the events in Genesis. Cain made a sacrifice of vegetables to Jehovah. The sacrifice was fine, it was an acceptable sacrifice. How do we know? Later, the Israelites were given the option of doing grain offerings and other kinds that didn't involve meat, or life. So, the sacrifice was good, in itself.

So, what was wrong? Why did God not accept Cain's sacrifice? Because, Jehovah looked at Cain's heart, and found something there that he didn't like. So, the sacrifice was rejected.

Knowing this about Jehovah helps us to really examine ourselves, our motives, our personality. We have to tell ourselves the cold truth. We can't hide anything or cover it up, so why try? Why fool other humans? It may gain you prestige and popularity, but in the long run, it doesn't trick our Father. Can we use it as a bargaining chip, "Hey, everyone likes me, so I get a ticket to paradise." No, it doesn't work that way. Jehovah isn't impressed by our showing off.

Jehovah loves us so dearly, and He has so much compassion for us sinful humans. And that is truly beautiful. Let us not abuse it.

His justice is perfect, so if I stand before him, and there's something in me that's displeasing to Him, I'm still accountable. No blame can be placed on anyone else. So, again, we're reminded of the love and mercy and compassion, but it's an incentive to do our best to find favor with Jehovah.

Continue to do your best.

,,, the text for June 5, 2020

During all their distress it was distressing to him. - Isa. 63:9

The "him" in this scripture is Jehovah, Himself. The comments for today say this:

Jehovah does more than just feel compassion for his servants who suffer.

When something you witness distresses you, you want to take action, some step to relieve the affliction. Jehovah is the same way. The comments point out how He heard the outcries and witnesses the suffereing of the Israelites under Egyptian slavery. (Ex. 3:7, 8)

He is our empathetic Father, the One who understands us. He is aware of what goes on, how we are treated by others. What a wonderful God!

Many paint Him as unknowable, distant, out of reach of us, but through the pages of the Bible, He proves otherwise. Judges is probably one of my favorite books to read, and there will be many posts about it.

Why do I like it? Because it describes how the nation of  Israel enjoyed blessings from Jehovah, then they sin against Him by following other gods. He withdraws his protection, and they suffer at the hands of other nations oppressing them. They cry out to Jehovah, repent of their wrong ways, and Jehovah forgives them, sending judges to save his people.

The funny thing is, it's a cycle of sorts. Everything is great, then they got sloppy in their worship, things go bad, they feel bad and repent, Jehovah forgives and helps, then the cycle repeats itself. Can't they just figure out that doing good is the best course.

But no, they're imperfect, so they make the same mistake over and over, never really learning it. But, the book of Judges shows Jehovah's ability to forgive and to show real compassion for his imperfect servants, even when they're repeat offenders. But His patience does run out. When Jesus was put to death, he gave up on the Israelites completely, establishing a covenant with a spiritual Israel.

Isn't that the same today? Yes. For me, I have repeated my mistakes only to experience pain, then I realize that Jehovah is the One to worship in truth. So, I change.

But, I change. I try to change. I make the effort to change. I'm not perfect, and it's a long road for me. But, that's the key. We read about Jehovah's mercy and forgiveness, but there is a point. It's not limitless. It's important to try to change. Jehovah does appreciate the effort we make in that regard, and he will provide the help necessary for us to be successful. And many are successful! (1 Cor. 6:9, 10) Believing that He will accept us for who we are is wrong thinking, because the scriptures indicate otherwise, that we have to "strip off  the old personality" (Col. 3:9) That brings to mind a person taking paint off of an automobile's fender. The paint is removed all the way to the bare metal, the imperfections and blemishes are repaired (sanded down, a new piece of metal welded in), then a new coat of paint is applied. This must be done, otherwise the new paint on top of the old paint will reveal imperfections and will not adhere. Eventually, it flakes off. So, we're taught to completely remove it. Eph. 4:22 says to "put away the old personality that conforms to your former course of conduct". It's not easy, but it needs to be done.

You can succeed in doing so. Our empathetic Father feels for us, understands us, knows everything about us, and will truly help us in his compassion that moves Him to action on our behalf.