“Choose for Yourselves . . . Whom You Will Serve”

1. What must we do to be genuinely happy, and why? (Isaiah 48:17, 18)

OUR heavenly Father loves us deeply, and he wants us to enjoy life now and in the future. (Eccl. 3:12, 13) He created us with some outstanding talents, but he did not give us the ability to be successful at ruling ourselves or at setting our own criteria of right and wrong. (Eccl. 8:9; Jer. 10:23) He knows that in order for us to be genuinely happy, we must serve him and live by his standards.​—Read Isaiah 48:17, 18.

2. What would Satan have us believe, and how has Jehovah responded to that false claim?

² Satan would have us believe that we can be happy without Jehovah, that humans can successfully rule themselves. (Gen. 3:4, 5) Jehovah responded to that false claim by allowing rebellious humans to rule themselves for a limited time. We do not need to look far to see the sad outcome of human rule. On the other hand, the Scriptures abound with examples of men and women who led satisfying lives in Jehovah’s service. Foremost among these is Jesus Christ. First, let us look at the reasons why he chose to serve Jehovah. Then, we will examine why our heavenly Father deserves our worship. Finally, we will review some of the reasons why we choose to serve Jehovah.

WHY JESUS CHOSE TO SERVE JEHOVAH

3. What offer did Jesus receive, and what choice did he make?

³ While on earth, Jesus had to make a choice as to whom he would serve. Shortly after Jesus got baptized, Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the earth in exchange for just one act of worship. Jesus replied: “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’” (Matt. 4:8-10) Why did Jesus make that choice? Consider some of the reasons.

4-5. What are some reasons why Jesus chose to serve Jehovah?

⁴ The primary reason why Jesus chose to serve Jehovah is love​—Jesus has a deep and unbreakable affection for his Father. (John 14:31) In addition, Jesus serves Jehovah because it is the right thing to do. (John 8:28, 29; Rev. 4:11) He knows that Jehovah is the Source of life and that He is trustworthy and generous. (Ps. 33:4; 36:9; Jas. 1:17) Jehovah had always spoken the truth to Jesus and had given him everything he possessed. (John 1:14) Satan, by contrast, has caused death. He is a liar who is motivated by greed and self-interest. (John 8:44) Knowing these facts, Jesus never even considered imitating Satan by rebelling against Jehovah.​—Phil. 2:5-8.

⁵ Another reason why Jesus chose to serve Jehovah is that he looked forward to what his loyal service would accomplish. (Heb. 12:2) He knew that if he remained faithful, he would sanctify his Father’s name and provide the means to undo all the suffering caused by the Devil.

WHY JEHOVAH DESERVES OUR WORSHIP

6-7. Why do many today not serve Jehovah, but why does he deserve our worship?

⁶ Many today do not serve Jehovah because they have not yet come to know about his appealing qualities and they are unaware of all that he has done for them. That was true of those whom the apostle Paul preached to in Athens.​—Acts 17:19, 20, 30, 34.

⁷ Paul explained to his listeners that the true God “gives to all people life and breath and all things.” He added: “By him we have life and move and exist.” God is the Creator, who “made out of one man every nation of men,” so he has the right to our worship.​—Acts 17:25, 26, 28.

8. What will Jehovah never do? Explain.

⁸ As the Creator and the Sovereign of the universe, Jehovah could force people to serve him. However, Jehovah will never do that. Instead, he provides us with evidence that he exists and that he loves each one of us dearly. He wants as many people as possible to be his friends forever. (1 Tim. 2:3, 4) To that end, Jehovah has trained us to teach others about his purposes and to tell them about the good things he will do for mankind. (Matt. 10:11-13; 28:19, 20) He has organized us into congregations and has arranged for loving overseers to care for us.​—Acts 20:28.

9. How is Jehovah’s love evident?

⁹ Jehovah’s remarkable love is evident in the way he treats those who choose to ignore his existence. Consider these facts: Throughout history, billions of people have chosen to live by their own standards of right and wrong. Even so, Jehovah has kindly given them what they need to sustain their life and enjoy it. (Matt. 5:44, 45; Acts 14:16, 17) He has given them the capacity to have loving relationships, to raise a family, and to reap the rewards of their hard work. (Ps. 127:3; Eccl. 2:24) The evidence clearly shows that our heavenly Father loves all humans. (Ex. 34:6) Let us now remind ourselves of some of the reasons why we choose to serve Jehovah and how he responds to us.

WHY WE CHOOSE TO SERVE JEHOVAH

10. (a) What is the primary reason why we serve Jehovah? (Matthew 22:37) (b) How have you benefited from Jehovah’s patience? (Psalm 103:13, 14)

¹⁰ Like Jesus, we serve Jehovah primarily out of deep love and affection for Him. (Read Matthew 22:37.) We feel drawn to Jehovah when we learn about his qualities. For example, consider Jehovah’s patience with us. When the Israelites disobeyed him, he pleaded with them: “Turn back, please, from your bad ways.” (Jer. 18:11) Jehovah remembers that we are imperfect, that we are dust. (Read Psalm 103:13, 14.) When you meditate on Jehovah’s patience and his other appealing qualities, are you not moved to serve him forever?

11. What are some other reasons why we choose to serve our heavenly Father?

¹¹ We are also motivated to serve Jehovah because it is the right thing to do. (Matt. 4:10) Moreover, we know what our loyal service will accomplish. Our faithful course helps sanctify Jehovah’s name, prove the Devil a liar, and make our Father’s heart glad. And if we choose to serve Jehovah today, we have the prospect of serving him forever!​—John 17:3.

12-13. What do we learn from the experience of Jane and Pam?

¹² While still very young, we can develop a deep love for Jehovah, a love that will keep burning as we grow old. Note the example of two fleshly sisters named Jane and Pam.a They were 11 and 10 years old respectively when they first started studying the Bible. Though their parents were not interested in studying, they gave Jane and Pam permission to associate with the Witnesses as long as the girls attended church services with the family on the weekend. “What the Witnesses taught me from the Bible,” says Jane, “helped me to resist the pressure from my peers to get involved in drugs and immorality.”

¹³ When they reached their late teens, both girls became publishers. Later, they entered pioneer service while caring for their aging parents. Looking back on their experience, Jane says: “I learned firsthand that Jehovah faithfully cares for his friends and that, as 2 Timothy 2:19 says, ‘Jehovah knows those who belong to him.’” There is no doubt that Jehovah cares for those who choose to love and serve him!

14. How do our words and actions help clear Jehovah’s name of reproach? (See also pictures.)

¹⁴ We want to help clear Jehovah’s name of all reproach. Consider this scenario: You have a close friend who is kind, generous, and forgiving. One day, you hear someone accuse your friend of being cruel and dishonest. How do you react? You defend him. Similarly, when Satan and those under his influence try to ruin Jehovah’s reputation by spreading lies about Him, we respond by telling the truth about Jehovah, vigorously defending His name. (Ps. 34:1; Isa. 43:10) We show that we want to serve Jehovah whole-souled by our words and actions.

15. How did the apostle Paul benefit from adjusting his goals? (Philippians 3:7, 8)

¹⁵ We willingly adjust our goals in life so that we can serve Jehovah acceptably or more fully. For example, the apostle Paul chose to give up prominence in his community in order to follow Christ and serve Jehovah. (Gal. 1:14) As a result, he led a rewarding life and received the opportunity to rule with Christ in heaven. He never regretted his decision to serve Jehovah, and neither will we.​—Read Philippians 3:7, 8.

16. What do we learn from Julia’s experience? (See also pictures.)

¹⁶ If we make serving Jehovah our main focus, we can have a rewarding life now and in the future. Consider the experience of a sister named Julia. Before learning the truth, Julia sang in a church choir from the time she was a young girl. A professional opera singer recognized her talent and trained her. Julia soon gained a reputation as a prodigy and performed in prestigious music halls. While she was attending a famous music school, a classmate started talking to her about God and explained that God has a name, Jehovah. Before long, Julia began studying the Bible twice a week. Eventually, she decided to focus her life on serving Jehovah instead of on pursuing a music career. That decision wasn’t easy. “Many people told me that I was wasting my gift,” she says, “but I wanted to use my life fully to serve Jehovah.” How does she feel today about that choice she made more than 30 years ago? “I have peace of mind, and I trust that Jehovah will fulfill all my heart’s desires in the future.”​—Ps. 145:16.

CONTINUE SERVING JEHOVAH

17. How does the urgency of our times affect those who have chosen to serve God and those who have not yet done so?

¹⁷ We live in urgent times. The apostle Paul wrote: “For yet ‘a very little while,’ and ‘the one who is coming will arrive and will not delay.’” (Heb. 10:37) How does this affect us? For one thing, the time left for people to choose to serve Jehovah is reduced. (1 Cor. 7:29) And if we have already made the choice to serve God, we know that although we will have to endure trials, it will be only for “a very little while.”

18. What do Jesus and Jehovah want us to do?

¹⁸ Jesus encouraged his disciples not merely to start following him but also to keep following him. (Matt. 16:24) So if we have been serving Jehovah for years, may we be resolved not to give up. We have to work hard to keep living up to our decision to serve him. It may not be easy, but what blessings and satisfaction we can enjoy, even now!​—Ps. 35:27.

19. What do we learn from Gene’s experience?

¹⁹ Some feel that serving Jehovah involves too much sacrifice. If you are young, do you feel that you may be losing out on something if you serve Jehovah? One young brother named Gene says: “I felt that being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses was restrictive. It seemed that many of the kids I grew up with enjoyed things like partying, dating, or playing violent video games, while I had to spend my time at meetings and in the ministry.” How did this thinking affect Gene? “I started living a double life,” he says, “and for a while I had fun. But it didn’t bring me any lasting happiness. I began to think about the Bible truths I had chosen to ignore and decided to serve Jehovah wholeheartedly. Ever since then, it seems that Jehovah has responded to every one of my prayers.”

20. What should be our resolve?

²⁰ A psalmist sang to Jehovah: “Happy is the one whom you choose and bring near to reside in your courtyards.” (Ps. 65:4) May we keep the same resolve that Joshua expressed: “As for me and my household, we will serve Jehovah.”​—Josh. 24:15.