The Spirit That Jehovah Blesses

“THE Lord be with the spirit you show. His undeserved kindness be with you people.” With these words, Paul concluded his second letter to Timothy. (2 Timothy 4:22) What joy this expression of commendation must have given Timothy and those with him​—to know that they displayed the spirit that Jehovah blesses!

But just what is the spirit that Jehovah blesses? What really characterizes those who have this spirit? And how may we also display this spirit and receive Jehovah’s blessing?

To help answer these questions, let us go back to the time of Moses. The Israelites are in the wilderness. Jehovah has recently concluded the Law covenant with them, and now he instructs them in the way that they should worship him. This includes the building of a portable tent of meeting that will require a great amount of gold, precious materials, and skilled workmanship to construct. The opportunity to make voluntary gift offerings to supply the needed materials and labor is presented to the nation in these words: “Let every willing-hearted one bring it as Jehovah’s contribution, namely, gold and silver and copper and blue thread and wool dyed reddish purple . . . And let all the wisehearted ones among you come and make all that Jehovah has commanded, namely, the tabernacle with its tent and its covering.”​—Exodus 35:5-19.

How did the nation respond to this opportunity? The remainder of chapter 35 tells us that those ‘whose heart impelled them’ and ‘whose spirit incited them’ made contributions and set themselves to work with a diligence that showed that they treasured this opportunity that had been put before them. (Ex 35 Verses 21, 22, 26) Their response was such that Ex chapter 36, verse 6, tells us that “Moses commanded that they should cause an announcement to pass through the camp, saying: ‘Men and women, do not produce any more stuff for the holy contribution.’ With that the people were restrained from bringing it in.” Yes, they had to be restrained! Jehovah had used no pressure tactics when he had the announcement made: “Let every willing-hearted one . . . ” The result was that the nation showed a willing spirit, and this brought blessings in the form of great joy, as well as Jehovah’s protection and direction in all that they undertook.

Years later, the same spirit was once again manifested. This occurred when King Hezekiah was working to restore pure worship in Israel. The account tells us that, when given the opportunity, “the congregation began to bring sacrifices and thanksgiving sacrifices, and also every one willing of heart, burnt offerings.” The result? “Consequently Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over the fact that the true God had made preparation for the people, because it was all of a sudden that the thing had occurred.”​—2 Chronicles 29:31-36.

Christians Demonstrate the Right Spirit

Do we observe the same spirit of willing self-sacrifice in Christian times? Note what Paul wrote about the Philippian Christians at Philippians 1:3-5: “I thank my God always upon every remembrance of you in every supplication of mine for all of you, as I offer my supplication with joy, because of the contribution you have made to the good news from the first day until this moment.” In what ways were the Philippian Christians outstanding in their ‘contribution to the good news’? The succeeding verses make it apparent that not only were they willingly conforming their way of life to Bible principles so as to advance the good news but they were also zealous in their preaching and teaching of the good news to others.

That all Christians should willingly share in the preaching work in these ways is stressed at Hebrews 13:15: “Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name.” So the preaching of the good news by each and every Christian is a key way in which we can show the willing spirit that characterizes true worshipers of Jehovah today. Additionally, Christians are reminded that they should never “forget the doing of good and the sharing of things with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”​—Hebrews 13:16.

The Philippian brothers displayed this willing spirit in yet another way. In chapter 4 Paul mentions several occasions when they came to his aid in a financial way, so that the preaching of the good news was advanced. (Philippians 4:14-17) They thus imitated the fine example of those earlier worshipers of Jehovah. They obviously honored “Jehovah with [their] valuable things.” (Proverbs 3:9) Do we show the same spirit when similar opportunities are set before us?

The Approved Spirit Evident Today

Psalm 110 shows that there would be many displaying this same fine spirit of willing self-sacrifice in the last days of this present system when the majority of people are interested only in “me.” We are told in Ps 110 verse 3 that, after the Messiah took up rulership in the Kingdom in 1914, God’s people would “offer themselves willingly” and that those doing so would be as numerous as “dewdrops.” Has this proved true?

In April 1881 The Watchtower printed an appeal for 1,000 preachers to take up the full-time preaching work. The May 1881 issue stressed that those engaging in this work must be those who would be “working for heavenly wages.” Within four years, over 300 had responded​—outstanding in view of the small number of dedicated Christians associated with the Watch Tower Society at that time.

This same spirit continues to be evident today. For example, in 1986 there were 391,294 pioneers (full-time ministers) reporting, on the average, each month. That was a 21.2-percent increase, or 68,473 more than the previous year! However, this willing spirit is not limited to those who are able to spend their full time in the preaching work.a

Many with other Scriptural responsibilities​—such as caring for a family, for incapacitated or aged parents—​and those whose health will not permit them to share in the full-time Christian ministry also display this same spirit of willing self-sacrifice that is so pleasing to Jehovah. This becomes evident when one realizes that the bulk of the Kingdom preaching work in most lands is actually done by ministers who have to spend the greater part of their time working at some secular job or in caring for family obligations or other Scriptural responsibilities. Truly a commendable display of the spirit that Jehovah blesses.

Displaying the Right Spirit in Other Areas of Life

As in Moses’ and Hezekiah’s day, opportunities to show a willing spirit present themselves today when local congregations build a Kingdom Hall or other similar facilities. Is the same spirit evident in such cases? Yes, it most certainly is!

This has been especially manifest in a current method of Kingdom Hall construction often called quickly built Kingdom Hall projects. Many hundreds of Witnesses will gather and work from early Saturday morning on through to Sunday evening​—some working all night—​to accomplish what newspapers have called a “weekend miracle.” Where nothing but a concrete slab was on the lot on Friday, a finished Kingdom Hall is used for a meeting Sunday evening!b

Even greater opportunities to display a willing spirit present themselves in connection with the building of branch facilities in various lands. The amount of completely voluntary labor contributed to the work being done in these various projects staggers the imagination. In addition to the contributions of labor, there are, of course, the financial contributions that make it possible to purchase the necessary materials. Very often, Witnesses will spontaneously donate needed items that greatly reduce the cost of the building.

An example of this occurred during the construction of the new branch in Sydney, Australia. There, brothers living in the far north of Queensland prepared and sent to the construction site four semitrailer loads of timber having an estimated value of from $60,000 to $70,000! During the construction of the branch, Witnesses by the busload traveled from as far afield as Western Australia, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) away, to do volunteer work for four weeks at a time. Quite a few of the skilled tradesmen voluntarily worked at the site for months and several even for a year or more. This was truly a manifestation of the same spirit that Jehovah has blessed so bountifully throughout the centuries past and that today is often repeated in other lands.

Additional opportunities to show a willing spirit present themselves when Witnesses are congregating at assemblies and conventions. Every such assembly requires many volunteers, often months in advance of the event, to ensure that everything will go smoothly and be well organized. And once under way, sometimes up to one in four of the Witnesses attending will volunteer to help do the many necessary jobs that make for a pleasant and successful convention. The work may involve serving food or cleaning. It may be a task that goes unnoticed by the majority of those in attendance. But it does not go unnoticed by Jehovah! He rewards those who willingly offer themselves to do what is needed. Do you also reap the reward that results when Christians “through love slave for one another” by voluntarily offering your services at assembly times? Have you thought of doing so as a family?​—Galatians 5:13.

While these special projects give us fine opportunities to offer ourselves with this spirit of willingness, there are many other opportunities to display the same spirit day by day and week by week. For example, once the Kingdom Hall is built, do you share fully in cleaning and maintaining it? Do you support its operations by making financial contributions as Jehovah blesses you materially? Do you support the preaching work in your land by making contributions to the local branch office? And even more importantly, do you regularly engage in the work of preaching the good news and making disciples of people in your area? Nothing can really ever replace our personal share in this work that Jesus designated as the most important work to be done at the present time, before the end of this system.​—Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8.

All who cultivate this spirit that Jehovah so richly blesses have found it to be true that Jehovah “is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name.” You too can, by displaying this spirit of willing self-sacrifice, prove that “the blessing of Jehovah​—that is what makes rich, and he adds no pain with it.”​—Hebrews 6:10; Proverbs 10:22.

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