STUDY ARTICLE 48
Keep Your Senses When You Facing Test to Stick to Jehovah
“Keep your senses in all things.”—2 TIM. 4:5.
SONG 123 Loyally Submitting to Theocratic Order
WETIN WE COMING LEARN? a
1. What it mean to “keep our senses” or think the right way? (2 Timothy 4:5)
WHEN something happen that really hurt us, it can make us want stop serving Jehovah and leave his organization. How we can overcome it? We need to keep our senses or think the right way, stay awake and stand “firm in the faith.” (Read 2 Timothy 4:5.) To keep our senses or to think the right way mean to control ourselves, think good-good, and look at things the way Jehovah look at it when something happen. When we do that, we will not allow our feelings to control us.
2. Wetin we coming discuss in this article?
2 In the article before this one, we talk about three problems we can face sometimes from people who not serving Jehovah. In this article, we will talk about three problems we can face sometimes from our brother and sister them, that can make us want stop serving Jehovah. (1) When we feel that our brother or sister do something wrong to us, (2) when Jehovah correct us, and (3) when we finding it hard to go by some changes the organization make. How we can think the right way and always stick to Jehovah and his organization when we face problem them like that?
WHEN WE FEEL THAT OUR BROTHER OR SISTER DO SOMETHING WRONG TO US
3. How we can act sometime if we feel that our brother or sister do something wrong to us?
3 You na ever feel that one brother or sister do something wrong to you, maybe like one of the elder them? Maybe the brother not mean it to make you feel bad. (Rom. 3:23; Jas. 3:2) But still the way he acted make you to feel bad. Maybe you were thinking about what happen and you not even sleep or maybe you were thinking if brother can act like this, I wonder that really Jehovah organization here? That just how Satan want you to think. (2 Cor. 2:11) If we start thinking like this, it could cause us to stop serving Jehovah and leave his organization. So if we feel that certain brother or sister na do something wrong to us, how we can calm down and not think the way Satan want us to think.
4. How Joseph think the right way when they treated him bad, and what lessons we can learn from his example? (Genesis 50:19-21)
4 Don’t keep grudge. When Joseph was coming up, his big brother them use to treat him bad. They use to hate him, and some of them even wanted to kill him. (Gen. 37:4, 18-22) Later on, they sold him as slave. Because of that, Joseph face plenty problems for about 13 years. Maybe Joseph was thinking whether Jehovah really like him. And maybe he was thinking that Jehovah abandon him the time he really needed help. But Joseph not get vex and keep it in his heart. He think the right way by controlling himself. When he was having the chance to pay his debt on his brothers, he not do it, but he show them love and forgave them. (Gen. 45:4, 5) Joseph acted like that because he was able to think good-good. Instead of thinking about his own problems, he was thinking on what Jehovah wanted. (Read Genesis 50:19-21.) What the lesson? If people treat you bad, don’t get vex with Jehovah or start thinking that he na abandon you. But think good-good on how Jehovah helping you to go through that problem. Beside that, when other people make you feel bad, try to understand that they not perfect and treat them with love.—1 Pet. 4:8.
5. When Miqueas was feeling that they treated him bad, what he did?
5 Let talk about the experience of one elder from South America name Miqueas. b He can remember one time, how he was feeling when some brothers who were taking the lead treated him bad. He said: “I never worry like that before. I was really worry. I not sleep that night, and I even cry.” Still, Miqueas kept his senses and he try hard to control his feelings. He use to pray regularly, asking Jehovah to give him holy spirit and the strength to go through the problem. He also look for information in our publications that could help him. What the lesson? If you feel that any brother or sister treat you bad, calm down and try to control any wrong thinking you will be having. Maybe that something make the person to talk or act like that. So pray to Jehovah, and ask him to help you to look at things the same way the brother see it. When you do it, it will help you to know that the brother or sister not mean it to hurt you and it will make it easy for you to forgive them. (Prov. 19:11) Remember, Jehovah understand everything you going through and he will give you the strength to bear your problem.—2 Chron. 16:9; Eccl. 5:8.
WHEN JEHOVAH CORRECT US
6. Why it important to think that Jehovah love us when he correct us? (Hebrews 12:5, 6, 11)
6 Discipline can hurt sometimes. But when we focus only on the pain, we will start thinking that the correction was not fair or we not need it. If we start thinking like that, we will not understand something very important, that Jehovah correcting us because he love us. (Read Hebrews 12:5, 6, 11.) And if we allow that bad feeling to control us, then Satan will use that opportunity to attack us. He not want us to accept correction and most of all, he want us to go far away from Jehovah and the congregation. So if you na receive correction before, how you can think the right way?
Peter was humble to accept counsel and correction, so Jehovah use him more (See paragraph 7)
7. (a) From the picture, how Jehovah use Peter when he accepted correction? (b) Wetin you learn from Peter example?
7 Accept correction and try to improve. Jesus corrected Peter in front of the other apostle them more than one time. (Mark 8:33; Luke 22:31-34) Maybe it made Peter to be embarrass! But Peter continue to follow Jesus. He accepted the correction and learn from his mistakes. So Jehovah bless Peter for remaining loyal and give him some important work to do in the congregation. (John 21:15-17; Acts 10:24-33; 1 Pet. 1:1) Wetin we can learn from Peter example? We can benefit ourselves and other people when we not just look at the embarrassment, but we must accept the correction and try to improve. When we do it, we will be useful to our brother them and we will be even more useful to Jehovah.
8-9. How Bernardo was feeling from the beginning when they corrected him, but what help him to correct his thinking?
8 Let see what happen to our brother Bernardo, in Mozambique. They step him down from being elder. How it made Bernardo feel from the beginning? He say, “I was feeling too bad because I not like the correction I receive.” He was concern about how other people in the congregation will think about him. He say, “It was after some months before I was able to understand the situation and start trusting Jehovah and his organization again.” What help Bernardo to change the way he was thinking?
9 Bernardo change his thinking. He explain what help him: “The time I was elder, I use to use Hebrews 12:7 to help other people to accept correction from Jehovah. So I started thinking: ‘Who all need to apply this scripture?’ All Jehovah servants—including me.” Then Bernardo started doing things that make him to start trusting Jehovah and His organization again. He started doing more Bible reading and started spending more time to think good-good about what he read. Even though, he was still thinking about how the brothers and sisters were looking at him, he try hard to work with them in field service and comment in meetings. After sometime, they appointed Bernardo as elder again. If you na receive correction before like Bernardo, don’t only look at the embarrassment, accept the counsel and try to improve. c (Prov. 8:33; 22:4) If you do it, you can be sure that Jehovah will bless you for sticking to him and his organization.
WHEN WE FINDING IT HARD TO FOLLOW SOMETHING THE ORGANIZATION CHANGE
10. How it affected some Israelite men when they change somethings family heads use to do?
10 When they change something in the organization, the way we will act will show whether we loyal or not. If we not careful, it can separate us from Jehovah. For example, let see how some of the Israelites acted when somethings they use to do change after God gave the Law to Moses. Before Jehovah gave them the Law, family heads use to do the thing them the priest suppose to do. That them use to built altars and make sacrifice to Jehovah for their families. (Gen. 8:20, 21; 12:7; 26:25; 35:1, 6, 7; Job 1:5) But when Jehovah gave the Law, family heads were not allow to do those thing them again. Jehovah appointed priests from Aaron family to offer sacrifices. After they made that change, if any family head who was not from Aaron family act like priest, they suppose to put him to death. d (Lev. 17:3-6, 8, 9) You think that was because of this change Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 chieftains challenge Moses and Aaron? (Num. 16:1-3) We not sure. But whatever reason they were having, Korah and his friend them not continue to stick to Jehovah. If we not satisfy with something they change, how we can show whether we want stick to the organization or not?
When the Kohathites assignment change, they were willing to serve as singers, gatemen, or to work in the warehouse (See paragraph 11)
11. Wetin we learn from the example of some of the Kohathite Levites?
11 Support any change the organization make. When the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness, Jehovah gave the Kohathites important work to do. Each time the Israelites move to another camp, that some of the Kohathites use to carry the ark of the covenant. (Num. 3:29, 31; 10:33; Josh. 3:2-4) That was special privilege! But things change for them when the Israelites started living in the Promise Land. They were not carrying the Ark from place to place again. When Solomon was king, some of the Kohathites were assign to be singers, gatemen, and some of them were taking care of warehouse. (1 Chron. 6:31-33; 26:1, 24) The Bible not get any record to show that the Kohathites complain because they were not having special assignment again. What lesson can we learn? We must support any change Jehovah organization make with our whole heart, even if it affect our assignment. Be happy with any assignment you get. Remember that not your assignment can make you important to Jehovah. Your obedience to Jehovah more important than any assignment.—1 Sam. 15:22.
12. How Zaina was feeling when her assignment change from Bethel?
12 Let look at the example of Zaina, one sister from the Middle East. They change her assignment that she really use to like. After she spent more than 23 years in Bethel, she was reassign to the field. She say: “My change of assignment affected me bad way. I was feeling useless. I started asking myself, ‘Wetin I did wrong?’ ” Then to make her situation worse, some brothers and sisters in the congregation started telling her: “If you were coming do well, the organization was not coming let you go.” It made Zaina to feel bad for some time and she use to cry every night. But she say: “I never allow myself to start thinking whether Jehovah organization correct or whether Jehovah love me.” How Zaina was able to think the right way?
13. What help Zaina to overcome her bad feelings?
13 Zaina was able to overcome that bad feeling. How? She read some article them in our publication that talk about what she was going through. And it help her to bear it. The article “You Can Cope With Discouragement!” in the February 1, 2001 Watchtower really help her. That article explain how the Bible writer Mark was feeling the same way when his assignment change. Zaina say, “Mark example was just like medicine that help me to stop feeling discourage.” Zaina was always around her friend them, she not stay by herself and she was not feeling sorry for herself. She knew that Jehovah holy spirit can guide any decision his organization make and that the brothers who taking the lead really care for her. But she also knew that the most important thing to the organization, that for Jehovah work to go on.
14. What change the organization made that gave Vlado hard time, and wetin help him?
14 One 73-year-old elder name Vlado in Slovenia, was finding it hard when they close the Kingdom Hall and join his congregation with another congregation. He say: “I not understand why they close that fine Kingdom Hall. I feeling bad because we just renovated the hall. I carpenter, and I fix some of the new furniture them in the Kingdom Hall. Beside that one, the organization change plenty thing them that was not easy for we the old publishers.” Wetin help Vlado to support this direction? He say: “Jehovah can always bless you when you support any change His organization make. All this one them preparing us for more changes in the future.” You finding it hard to accept it when your assignment change or when they join your congregation with another one? Be sure that Jehovah understand how you feel. Jehovah will surely bless you when you support any change that come from His organization and when you stick to Him.—Ps. 18:25.
THINK THE RIGHT WAY IN EVERYTHING YOU DO
15. How we can control ourselves when problem come among us in the congregation?
15 The way we getting to the end of this system, we must expect problems to come among brothers and sisters. These problem them will show whether we will stick to Jehovah or not. So we must think the right way. If you feel that your brother or sister do bad to you, don’t keep grudge. If you receive correction, don’t only look at the embarrassment, but accept the counsel and improve. And when Jehovah organization make changes that affect you, you must support it with your whole heart and obey the direction.
16. How you can continue to trust in Jehovah and his organization?
16 You can continue to trust Jehovah and his organization when you facing problem that can test your loyalty. But to do it, you need to think the right way. That mean, you must control yourself, think good-good, and look at things the way Jehovah see it. Continue to study about some people in the Bible who went through this same problem them and think good-good about their examples. Pray to Jehovah for help. Don’t stay away from the congregation. Then, no matter what happen, Satan will not be able to separate you from Jehovah or His organization.—Jas. 4:7.
SONG 126 Stay Awake, Stand Firm, Grow Mighty
a Sometime, it can be hard for us to stick to Jehovah and his organization, especially when something happen in the congregation that really make us vex. This article will discuss three of the thing them and what we can do to stick to Jehovah and his organization.
b We change some of the name them.
c Maybe you will find other thing them that can help you in the article “Did You Once Serve? Can You Serve Again?” in the August 15, 2009 Watchtower, p. 30.
d The Law say that any family head who wanted to kill animal for food, must carry the animal to the sanctuary. But this Law was not for family heads who were living far off from the sanctuary.—Deut. 12:21.