Keep Strong Spiritually
1 With increasing pressures on everyone during the last days of this old system of things, there is an ever-continuing need for all of Jehovah’s people to stay strong spiritually—strong in their love for Jehovah, his service, his organization and their brothers. Another person cannot do this for us. We individually must put forth the effort.
2 How often is it that the brothers have encouraged us in talks at the Kingdom Hall to be regular in personal study and family study? Perhaps one has visited your home to give practical help along this line. We appreciate this encouragement and assistance from our brothers. It is apparent that they desire to see us keep alive spiritually. While we know that the servants will continue to assist others in this way, could YOU help someone else to be more regular in personal or family study?
3 Some very helpful suggestions were given recently in The Watchtower to assist us in personal study. Have you read the articles “How Can You Find Joy in Personal Study?” and “Effective Use of Study Time Brings Joy,” which appeared in the January 15 and February 1, 1971, issues of The Watchtower? Are you applying the suggestions and benefiting from them? Perhaps you could read them with another publisher and help him to apply them and benefit from them too.
4 Many parents are now regularly conducting family studies and their families are growing stronger spiritually as a result. Is this true of your family? Have you read the article “Family Study a Blessing” in the February 15, 1971, Watchtower? If so, no doubt you found the suggestions given to be most helpful.
5 If your family still needs to get into this good routine, could you decide together as a family this week what time would be best? If some need to make adjustments in their schedule to make room for the family study, then this would be a wise thing to do. Sometimes parents have decided it would be well to have a short session, just twenty or thirty minutes. Then, as the family gets used to the schedule and interest grows, the study sessions can be lengthened when this is advisable.
6 Then there is the question: ‘What shall we study?’ Some families are reading the Bible together. Each takes his turn to read a paragraph. After each paragraph is read, the family is free to make comments or ask questions. Thus each member of the family has a part and is benefited greatly.
7 Some are studying a few paragraphs (or all of them) for the Watchtower study or the book study so that all in the family will understand the material and can have part in the congregation meetings. Some find that variety in the study is good and so spend twenty minutes preparing a few paragraphs for the Watchtower study, twenty minutes or so studying the Truth book or other appropriate publication and twenty minutes or so discussing or practicing presentations for the field service. Would this be a good arrangement for your family?
8 To encourage research and increase interest in personal study, some parents are encouraging their children to select a subject they are interested in from the Watch Tower Publications Index, read the article referred to in the Index and then give a brief report on it to the family. It may be that your son will choose to read an article on boats or animals, or that your daughter will choose an article on sewing. But you can be sure that the reading and research will be beneficial and equip them for research on more vital subjects in the future.
9 Will it be with you and your family as Jehovah said of Abraham? He taught ‘his sons and his household so that they should keep Jehovah’s way?’ (Gen. 18:19) Keep yourselves strong spiritually now. If you do, then, with Jehovah’s blessing, you and your family have the happy prospect of being alive together and strong spiritually in Jehovah’s new system of things too.