References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook
References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook
JANUARY 6-12
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 127-134
Spiritual Gems
it-1 543
Plants of the Bible
The Bible psalmist alluded to some characteristics of the olive tree when he promised those fearing Jehovah: “Your sons will be like slips of olive trees all around your table.” (Ps 128:1-3) Cuttings, or slips, cut from a grown olive tree are often used for starting new trees. In addition, aged olive trees may send up shoots from their roots, thereby perpetuating themselves. Like such shoots, sons would surround a father, contributing their part to the happiness of the family.
JANUARY 13-19
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 135-137
“Our Lord Is Greater Than All Other Gods”
it-2 661 ¶4-5
Power, Powerful Works
God’s control of natural forces distinctive. To prove himself the true God, Jehovah might reasonably be expected to demonstrate his control over the created forces, doing so in a way that would be distinctly connected with his name. (Ps 135:5, 6) Since the sun, moon, planets, and stars follow their regular courses, since the earthly atmospheric conditions (producing wind, rain, and other effects) obey the laws governing them, since locusts swarm and birds migrate, then these and many other normal functions would not suffice to sanctify God’s name in the face of opposition and false worship.
Nevertheless, Jehovah God could cause the natural creation and elements to testify to his Godship by using them to fulfill specific purposes beyond their ordinary function, often at a specifically designated time. Even when the events, such as a drought, a rainstorm, or a similar weather condition, were not unique in themselves, their coming in fulfillment of Jehovah’s prophecy made them distinctive. (Compare 1Ki 17:1; 18:1, 2, 41-45.) In most cases, though, the events were extraordinary in themselves, either because of their magnitude or intensity (Ex 9:24) or because they occurred in an unusual, even unheard of, way or at an abnormal time.—Ex 34:10; 1Sa 12:16-18.
JANUARY 20-26
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 138-139
Do Not Let Nervousness Hold You Back
Spiritual Gems
it-1 862 ¶4
Forgiveness
Moreover, forgiving others for personal offenses, regardless of the number of times involved, is a Christian requirement. (Lu 17:3, 4; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13) God’s forgiveness is not extended toward those who refuse to forgive others. (Mt 6:14, 15) However, even when serious wrongdoing leads to expulsion of “the wicked man” from the Christian congregation, that person may in due time be accorded forgiveness if he proves that he is truly repentant. At that time all in the congregation can confirm their love for him. (1Co 5:13; 2Co 2:6-11) However, Christians are not required to forgive those who practice malicious, willful sin with no repentance. Such become God’s enemies.—Heb 10:26-31; Ps 139:21, 22.
JANUARY 27–FEBRUARY 2
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 140-143
Act in Harmony With Your Pleas for Help
w15 3/15 32 ¶2
Marry “Only in the Lord”—Still Realistic?
Sometimes you may feel like the psalmist David, who said: “Do answer me quickly, O Jehovah; my strength has come to an end. Do not hide your face from me.” (Ps. 143:5-7, 10) At such times, give your heavenly Father time to show you what his will is for you. You can do that by taking time to read his Word and to ponder over what you are reading. You will know what his commandments are and will see how he acted in behalf of his people in the past. By listening to him, you will have renewed confidence in the wisdom of obeying him.
FEBRUARY 3-9
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 144-146
“Happy Is the People Whose God Is Jehovah!”
w18.04 32 ¶3-4
Questions From Readers
2. The revised wording fits in well with the rest of the psalm. The use of “then” in verse 12 means that the blessings that follow in verses 12 to 14 are understood as applying to the righteous—those who ask to be ‘rescued and saved’ from the wicked (verse 11). This adjustment is also reflected in verse 15, where the two occurrences of the word “happy” are now in parallel in a positive or complementary way. As a result, in both instances such happiness applies to the same people—those “whose God is Jehovah!” Keep in mind, too, that the original Hebrew text had no punctuation, such as quotation marks. Hence, translators must determine the correct sense, taking into account the Hebrew poetic style, the context, and the related Bible passages.
3. The revised wording harmonizes with other Bible passages that promise divine blessings for God’s faithful people. As a result of the adjusted rendering of the term asher, the psalm now reflects David’s well-founded hope that after God delivered the nation of Israel from its enemies, He would bless the people with happiness and prosperity. (Lev. 26:9, 10; Deut. 7:13; Ps. 128:1-6) For example, Deuteronomy 28:4 states: “Blessed will be your children and the fruit of your ground and the offspring of your livestock, your young cattle and sheep.” Indeed, during the reign of David’s son Solomon, the nation enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity. What is more, aspects of Solomon’s reign point forward to the rule of the Messiah.—1 Ki. 4:20, 21; Ps. 72:1-20.
FEBRUARY 10-16
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PSALMS 147-150
We Have Many Reasons to Praise Jah
w17.07 18 ¶5-6
“Praise Jah!”—Why?
5 Jehovah gave comfort not only to the nation of Israel as a whole but also to each individual. The same is true today. The psalmist wrote of God: “He heals the brokenhearted; he binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3) Yes, Jehovah cares for those who are having problems—whether physical or emotional. Today, Jehovah is eager to comfort us and to soothe our emotional wounds. (Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15) He gives us wisdom and strength so that we can cope with any troubles we may face.—Jas. 1:5.
6 The psalmist then turns his attention to the heavens above, telling us that Jehovah “counts the number of the stars” and “calls all of them by name.” (Ps. 147:4) Why the seeming change of subject and reference to heavenly bodies? Consider this: The psalmist could see the stars with his physical eyes, but he had no idea of how many there really are. Over the years, the number of stars that we can see has increased tremendously. Some think that there are billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. And there may be trillions of galaxies in the universe! To us, stars are indeed without number! But the Creator gives all of them a name or a designation. This means that each star is unique to Jehovah. (1 Cor. 15:41) What about his human creatures on earth? The God who knows where each star is at any given time also knows you as an individual—exactly where you are, precisely how you feel, and specifically what you need at any given moment!
w17.07 18 ¶7
“Praise Jah!”—Why?
7 Not only is Jehovah interested in you as a person but he also has the power and empathy needed to help you with life’s problems. (Read Psalm 147:5.) You may feel that your situation is too difficult and the load too heavy for you to carry. God understands your limitations, ‘remembering that you are dust.’ (Ps. 103:14) Being imperfect, we make the same mistakes again and again. Oh, how we regret that slip of the tongue, those fleshly tendencies that flare up every now and then, or those inclinations to envy what others have! Jehovah does not experience such shortcomings himself; yet, his understanding of us is immeasurable, unsearchable!—Isa. 40:28.
w17.07 21 ¶18
“Praise Jah!”—Why?
18 The psalmist knew how favored God’s ancient people were. They were the only nation given God’s “word” and “his regulations and judgments.” (Read Psalm 147:19, 20.) Today, we are blessed to be the only ones on earth called by God’s name. Knowing Jehovah and having his Word at work in our lives, we have come to enjoy a privileged relationship with him. Like the writer of Psalm 147, do you not have many good reasons to cry out “Praise Jah!” and to encourage others to do the same?
FEBRUARY 17-23
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PROVERBS 1
Youths—To Whom Will You Listen?
w17.11 29 ¶16-17
Let Nothing Deprive You of the Prize
16 What if you are a teenager and feel misunderstood and restricted by your Christian parents? Your frustration might even make you doubt that serving Jehovah is the best way of life. But if you allow frustration to make you give up serving Jehovah, you would soon discover that no one else cares for you more genuinely than your God-fearing parents and your congregation.
17 If your parents never corrected you, would you not wonder if they really cared about you? (Heb. 12:8) But perhaps it is the way your parents discipline you that upsets you. Rather than fret over the manner of discipline, try to recognize that there may be a reason for the way they act. So keep calm and do your best to avoid overreacting to criticism. God’s Word says: “A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a discerning man will remain calm.” (Prov. 17:27) Make it your goal to become a mature person who can take counsel calmly, benefiting from it without worrying excessively about how it was given. (Prov. 1:8) To have believing parents who truly love Jehovah is a blessing. They will surely want to help you to win the prize of life.
w05 2/15 19-20 ¶11-12
Safeguarding Our Christian Identity
11 Seek to please God, not man. It is only natural to define our identity in part by belonging to a group. Everyone needs friends, and being included makes us feel good. During adolescence—as well as later in life—peer pressure can be powerful, generating a desperate desire to imitate or please others. But friends and peers do not always have our best interests at heart. Sometimes they only want company in doing what is wrong. (Proverbs 1:11-19) When a Christian succumbs to negative peer pressure, he usually tries to conceal his identity. (Psalm 26:4) “Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you,” warned the apostle Paul. (Romans 12:2, The Jerusalem Bible) Jehovah provides the inner strength we need in order to combat any outside pressure to conform.—Hebrews 13:6.
12 When outside pressure threatens to damage our sense of Christian identity, it is good to remember that our loyalty to God is far more important than public opinion or the trends of the majority. The words of Exodus 23:2 serve as a safe principle: “You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends.” When the majority of fellow Israelites doubted Jehovah’s ability to fulfill His promises, Caleb staunchly refused to go along with the majority. He was certain that God’s promises were trustworthy, and he was richly rewarded for his stand. (Numbers 13:30; Joshua 14:6-11) Are you similarly willing to resist the pressure of popular opinion in order to safeguard your relationship with God?
FEBRUARY 24–MARCH 2
TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD PROVERBS 2
Why Put Your Heart Into Personal Study?
w16.09 23 ¶2-3
Young Ones, Strengthen Your Faith
2 As a young servant of Jehovah or as someone learning about Him, do you feel under pressure to conform to popular beliefs, such as evolution, rather than believe in a Creator? If so, there are steps you can take to strengthen your faith and keep it strong. One step is for you to use your God-given thinking ability, which “will keep watch over you.” It will protect you from secular philosophies that could destroy your faith.—Read Proverbs 2:10-12.
3 Genuine faith is based on accurate knowledge about God. (1 Tim. 2:4) So as you study God’s Word and our Christian publications, do not just skim over the material. Use your thinking ability so that you ‘get the sense’ of what you read. (Matt. 13:23) Let us see how doing so can help you to strengthen your faith in God as the Creator and in the Bible—topics on which there is no shortage of “convincing evidence.”—Heb. 11:1, ftn.
Spiritual Gems
it-1 1211 ¶4
Integrity
Such an integrity-keeping course is possible, not by the individual’s personal moral strength, but only through deep faith and trust in Jehovah and His saving power. (Ps 25:21) God’s promise is that he will be a “shield” and “stronghold,” guarding the way of those walking in integrity. (Pr 2:6-8; 10:29; Ps 41:12) Their constant concern for gaining Jehovah’s approval brings stability to their lives, enabling them to follow a straight course to their goal. (Ps 26:1-3; Pr 11:5; 28:18) Though, as Job perplexedly observed, the blameless may suffer because of the rule of the wicked and may die along with the wicked, Jehovah assures that he is aware of the life of the faultless person and guarantees that such a person’s inheritance will continue, his future will be peaceful, and he will come into the possession of good. (Job 9:20-22; Ps 37:18, 19, 37; 84:11; Pr 28:10) As in Job’s case, it is being a man of integrity, rather than one’s wealth, that makes one a person of genuine worth, meriting respect. (Pr 19:1; 28:6) Children privileged to have such a person for a parent are to be counted happy (Pr 20:7), receiving a splendid legacy in their father’s life example, enjoying a share in his good name and the respect he gained.
