References for “Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook”

References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook

SEPTEMBER 2-8

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 79-81

Show Love for Jehovah’s Glorious Name

ijwbv 3 ¶4-5

Romans 10:13—“Call Upon the Name of the Lord”

In the Bible, the expression “call on the name of Jehovah” means more than just knowing God’s name and using it in worship. (Psalm 116:12-14) It includes trusting God and looking to him for help.—Psalm 20:7; 99:6.

God’s name was important to Jesus Christ. The very first words in his model prayer were: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified,” or made holy. (Matthew 6:9) Jesus also showed that we must come to know, obey, and love the Person behind that name if we are to gain everlasting life.—John 17:3, 6, 26.

Spiritual Gems

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Joseph

The Name Joseph Given Prominence. In view of Joseph’s prominent position among the sons of Jacob, it was most appropriate that his name was sometimes used to designate all the tribes of Israel (Ps 80:1) or those that came to be included in the northern kingdom. (Ps 78:67; Am 5:6, 15; 6:6) His name also figures in Bible prophecy. In Ezekiel’s prophetic vision, the inheritance of Joseph is a double portion (Eze 47:13), one of the gates of the city “Jehovah Himself Is There” bears the name Joseph (Eze 48:32, 35), and with reference to the reunifying of Jehovah’s people, Joseph is spoken of as chief of the one part of the nation and Judah as chief of the other part. (Eze 37:15-26) Obadiah’s prophecy indicated that “the house of Joseph” would share in the destruction of “the house of Esau” (Ob 18), and that of Zechariah pointed to Jehovah’s saving “the house of Joseph.” (Zec 10:6) Rather than Ephraim, Joseph appears as one of the tribes of spiritual Israel.—Re 7:8.

SEPTEMBER 9-15

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 82-84

Appreciate the Privileges That You Have

wp16.6 8 ¶2-3

Lessons From the Birds of the Heavens

Inhabitants of Jerusalem were familiar with swallows, which customarily build their nests under the eaves of buildings. Some made their nests in Solomon’s temple. Likely, swallows that nested in the temple area each year found it a place of safety, where they could rear their young undisturbed.

The composer of Psalm 84—one of the sons of Korah, who served at the temple for one week every six months—noticed those nests in the temple area.[2] Longing to be like the swallow that had a permanent home in Jehovah’s house, he exclaimed: “How lovely your grand tabernacle is, O Jehovah of armies! My whole being yearns, yes, I am faint with longing, for the courtyards of Jehovah . . . Even the bird finds a home there and the swallow a nest for herself, where she cares for her young near your grand altar, O Jehovah of armies, my King and my God!” (Psalm 84:1-3) Do we, along with our young ones, show a similar longing and appreciation for regularly being with the congregation of God’s people?—Psalm 26:8, 12.

w08 7/15 30 ¶3-4

Cultivate Reasonable Expectations, and Be Joyful

Advanced age or failing health may place certain limits on what we can do in Jehovah’s service. If you are a parent, you may have the impression that you benefit little from personal study or Christian meetings because much of your time and energy is taken up by young children. However, could it be that concentrating on your limitations could at times prevent you from seeing what is still within your reach?

Thousands of years ago, a certain Levite expressed a desire that was impossible for him to satisfy. He was privileged to serve for two weeks every year at the temple. However, he expressed the laudable desire to dwell permanently near the altar. (Ps. 84:1-3) What helped this faithful man to be content? He realized that even a single day in the temple courtyards was a unique privilege. (Ps. 84:4, 5, 10) Similarly, rather than dwelling on our limitations, we should try to discern and appreciate possibilities that are within our reach.

Spiritual Gems

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Fatherless Boy

Since it was easy to lose sight of these bereaved and defenseless ones, Jehovah used the expression “fatherless boy” in describing the degree of Israel’s righteousness or of its deviation therefrom. When the nation was enjoying good spiritual health, the fatherless boy was cared for. When justice became perverted in the land, the fatherless boy was sure to be neglected, and this was a symptom of national decay. (Ps 82:3; 94:6; Isa 1:17, 23; Jer 7:5-7; 22:3; Eze 22:7; Zec 7:9-11; Mal 3:5) Jehovah’s curse was on those who oppressed the fatherless boy. (De 27:19; Isa 10:1, 2) Jehovah describes himself as the Redeemer (Pr 23:10, 11), Helper (Ps 10:14), and Father (Ps 68:5) of such ones. He is the One executing judgment in their behalf (De 10:17, 18), showing them mercy (Ho 14:3), giving them relief (Ps 146:9), and preserving them alive.—Jer 49:11.

One of the identifying marks of real Christianity is its consideration for those bereaved by loss of husband or parents. The disciple James writes to Christians: “The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.”—Jas 1:27.

SEPTEMBER 16-22

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 85-87

Prayer Helps Us to Endure

w12 5/15 25 ¶10

Are You Reflecting the Glory of Jehovah?

¹⁰ To reflect God’s glory, we also need to “persevere in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12) We can and should pray that Jehovah help us to serve him in an acceptable way. To that end, we can properly ask him for holy spirit, for more faith, for strength to resist temptation, and for ability to ‘handle the word of the truth aright.’ (2 Tim. 2:15; Matt. 6:13; Luke 11:13; 17:5) As a child depends on his father, so we need to depend on our heavenly Father, Jehovah. If we ask him to help us serve him more fully, we can have confidence that he will do so. May we never feel that we are a bother to him! Instead, in prayer let us praise him, thank him, seek his direction especially when under trial, and ask that he help us to serve him in ways that glorify his holy name.—Ps. 86:12; Jas. 1:5-7.

SEPTEMBER 23-29

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 88-89

Jehovah’s Rulership Is Best

w14 10/15 10 ¶14

Have Unshakable Faith in the Kingdom

¹⁴ Consider what Jehovah promised King David of ancient Israel by means of the Davidic covenant. (Read 2 Samuel 7:12, 16.) Jehovah made this covenant with David during David’s reign in Jerusalem, promising him that the Messiah would be his descendant. (Luke 1:30-33) Thus, Jehovah further narrowed the line of descent of the offspring and established that an heir of David would have “the legal right” to the throne of the Messianic Kingdom. (Ezek. 21:25-27) Through Jesus, David’s kingship “will be firmly established forever.” Indeed, David’s offspring “will endure forever; his throne will endure like the sun.” (Ps. 89:34-37) Yes, the Messiah’s rule will never become corrupt, and its accomplishments will last forever!

OCTOBER 7-13

Spiritual Gems

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“O the Depth of God’s . . . Wisdom!”

¹⁸ Notice how the apostle Paul expressed the uniqueness of Jehovah’s wisdom: “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and beyond tracing out his ways are!” (Romans 11:33) By opening the verse with the exclamation “O,” Paul showed strong emotion—in this case, profound awe. The Greek word he chose for “depth” is closely related to the word for “abyss.” Hence, his words evoke a vivid mental picture. When we contemplate Jehovah’s wisdom, it is as if we were gazing into a limitless, bottomless chasm, a realm so deep, so vast that we could never even grasp its immensity, let alone trace it out or map it in detail. (Psalm 92:5) Is that not a humbling thought?

OCTOBER 14-20

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 96-99

“Proclaim the Good News”!

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What Will Happen on Judgment Day?

As depicted in the picture on the right, many people imagine that on Judgment Day billions of souls will be brought before God’s throne to be judged according to their former deeds—some to be rewarded with life in heaven, others to be tormented in hell. The Bible shows, however, that the purpose of Judgment Day is to rescue people from injustice. (Psalm 96:13) God has appointed Jesus to be the Judge who will restore justice to mankind.—Read Isaiah 11:1-5; Acts 17:31.

w12 9/15 12 ¶18-19

Peace for a Thousand Years—And Beyond!

¹⁸ That harmonious relationship was interrupted when humans, influenced by Satan, rebelled against Jehovah’s sovereignty. Since 1914, however, the Messianic Kingdom has been taking progressive steps to restore that unity and harmony. (Eph. 1:9, 10) During the Thousand Year Reign, marvelous things presently “unseen” will be brought to reality. Then comes “the end,” that is, the close of Christ’s Millennial Reign. What will happen then? Though given “all authority . . . in heaven and on the earth,” Jesus is not ambitious. He has no intention of usurping Jehovah’s place. He humbly “hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.” He will use his unique position and authority “to the glory of God.”—Matt. 28:18; Phil. 2:9-11.

¹⁹ By then, the earthly subjects of the Kingdom will have been brought to perfection. They will follow Jesus’ example and humbly and willingly acknowledge Jehovah’s sovereignty. They will have the opportunity to demonstrate their desire to do that by successfully passing the final test. (Rev. 20:7-10) Thereafter, all rebels—human and spirit—will be eliminated forever. What a joyful and jubilant time that will be! The entire universal family will happily praise Jehovah, who will be “all things to everyone.”—Read Psalm 99:1-3.

Spiritual Gems

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Song

And what is this “new song”? As we noted in discussing Revelation 5:9, 10, the song has to do with Jehovah’s Kingdom purposes and his wonderful provision, through Jesus Christ, for making spiritual Israel “a kingdom and priests to our God.” It is a song of praise to Jehovah publicizing the new things he is accomplishing by means of the Israel of God and in behalf of it. (Galatians 6:16)

OCTOBER 21-27

Spiritual Gems

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Pelican

When the pelican is gorged with food, it often flies away to a lonely place, where it takes a melancholy posture, with its head sunk on its shoulders, so motionless that it might be mistaken from a distance for a white stone. The bird assumes this attitude for hours at a time, thus befitting the melancholy inactivity to which the psalmist refers when he illustrates the poignancy of his grief by writing: “I do resemble the pelican of the wilderness.” (Ps 102:6)