God holds out to those who serve him.—1 Pet. 3:1-6.

If you have real love for God, you will not be ashamed to study his Word and speak freely about it. If you love your family, you will not hold back from setting a right example for them out of fear of what they may say. Keep in mind what the apostle John said: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.” And if the going gets hard, remember what the faithful apostles Peter and John said when they were ordered to quit their service to God: “Whether it is righteous in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves. But as for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.”—1 John 4:18; Acts 4:19, 20.

CONQUERING FEAR WITH LOVE

By cultivating a genuine love for God you too can break the shackles of fear that hold so many persons back from true worship. The apostle John emphasized how all-important this love of God is in this strong language: “He that says: ‘I have come to know him,’ and yet is not observing his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. But whoever does observe his word, truthfully in this person the love of God has been made perfect.”—1 John 2:4, 5.

Do you claim to know and love God? If so, how important it is that you observe his commandments! Otherwise the Bible says you are a liar and the truth is not in you. The Scriptures give no extenuating circumstances that nullify this requirement to observe God’s commands. True worship is the obeying of God’s Word, whereas willful failure to obey leads to his disapproval. If you really love God you will endeavor to observe his commandments regardless of the consequences.

A person is not born with this love, neither does it come automatically with physical growth. It must be cultivated through acquaintance with God and the loving things he has done in behalf of mankind. This necessitates studying the Bible diligently. By doing so you will find what the apostle John said to be true, that “the love of God was made manifest in our case, because God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.” Do you really believe that God sent his dearly beloved Son to earth as a human creature to provide a ransom sacrifice for us? If so, you no doubt have already “come to know and have believed the love that God has in our case.”—1 John 4:7-10, 14-16; John 3:16.

When you grow to appreciate this loving provision that God has made of his Son, opening to obedient mankind the door to everlasting life in a righteous new order, your love for him will become so strong that it will burst any barrier holding you back from true worship. This love can truly throw outside fear of clergymen, parents, husband, wife, friends, neighbors or whoever it may be that is trying to prevent you from taking in knowledge of and serving Jehovah God.

OVERCOMING HUMAN WEAKNESSES

This love for God can also prevent the weakness of your own flesh from holding you back from true worship. It will open your eyes to see the importance and the seriousness of learning about Jehovah’s provisions for life and living in harmony with them. Just think of it! To those who will obey Him, God has opened the way to everlasting life! Does not appreciation for that stir you to show your gratitude by doing what is pleasing in his sight?

Certainly you are not showing appreciation if you treat God’s Word and his instructions indifferently. When your employer or some other person of authority speaks, you listen attentively, getting instructions straight so as to do what he wants. Is that not so? Well, then, how much more should you be interested in pleasing the Supreme Sovereign of the universe, Jehovah God! Do you think that he will be pleased with you if you indifferently put off studying his Word?

Perhaps you used to have a weekly Bible study in your home. What caused you to discontinue it? Are you too tired at night to listen to God’s Word? Is it because watching television or doing something to please yourself is more important to you? Did you decide that serving God demanded too much, that giving up worldly habits and ways condemned by God’s Word was too great a sacrifice?

But, honestly, would you not surmount these obstacles to please someone that you truly loved? Certainly you would! How tired would a young man have to be for that tiredness to prevent him from seeing the woman he loved? You can be sure that he would not even allow overtime work or a favorite television program to interfere with his spending some time with her.

Well, then, if you truly love God and his Son Jesus Christ, you will not allow such things to prevent you from studying the Bible and obeying the instructions therein. “If you love me,” Jesus said, “you will observe my commandments.”—John 14:15.

ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITIES

Observing the commandments of Jesus and his Father Jehovah means that you will assume responsibility as a mature Christian man or woman. You will not only listen to the Word of God, having a regular Bible study in your home, but you will also ‘become a doer of the word.’ (Jas. 1:22-25) The truth that you learn will have a beneficial effect on your life, motivating you to do good works that will be a praise to Almighty God.

Yet some hold back. Why? Because they want to avoid the responsibility. Is this true in your case? Do you study the Bible in your home with Jehovah’s witnesses, but fail to put into practice what you hear? If so, stir yourself to activity. Do not remain babes spiritually who, the apostle Paul said, “need milk, not solid food.” But, rather, ‘through use train your perceptive powers to distinguish both right and wrong.’ Yes, heed the apostolic encouragement to “press on to maturity, not laying a foundation again.”—Heb. 5:12-6:3.

Is it not apparent that the true worship of God requires activity? So it should be evident, then, that a weekly Bible study in your home is not an end in itself. Rather, it is to equip you to serve God, enabling you to worship Him in the way he approves. This worship not only involves living a moral life, but it means taking an active part in sharing with yet other persons the life-giving information you have received. This requires effort, but, chief of all, it requires love. For remember: “This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments.”—1 John 5:3.

“Every Christian’s Obligation”

A Handbook of Christian Theology observes concerning early Christians: “In the little company of Jesus and his friends there was no division into clergy and laity . . . the disciples, who might look from here like laymen, were really the preachers . . . There were leaders and teachers and special spokesmen, of course. But they did no more than show or set the direction of every Christian’s obligation.”