References for “Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook”

References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook

JANUARY 13-19

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 135-137

“Our Lord Is Greater Than All Other Gods”

it-2 661 ¶4-5

Power, Powerful Works

God’s control of natural forces distinctive. To prove himself the true God, Jehovah might reasonably be expected to demonstrate his control over the created forces, doing so in a way that would be distinctly connected with his name. (Ps 135:5, 6) Since the sun, moon, planets, and stars follow their regular courses, since the earthly atmospheric conditions (producing wind, rain, and other effects) obey the laws governing them, since locusts swarm and birds migrate, then these and many other normal functions would not suffice to sanctify God’s name in the face of opposition and false worship.

Nevertheless, Jehovah God could cause the natural creation and elements to testify to his Godship by using them to fulfill specific purposes beyond their ordinary function, often at a specifically designated time. Even when the events, such as a drought, a rainstorm, or a similar weather condition, were not unique in themselves, their coming in fulfillment of Jehovah’s prophecy made them distinctive. (Compare 1Ki 17:1; 18:1, 2, 41-45.) In most cases, though, the events were extraordinary in themselves, either because of their magnitude or intensity (Ex 9:24) or because they occurred in an unusual, even unheard of, way or at an abnormal time.—Ex 34:10; 1Sa 12:16-18.

JANUARY 20-26

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 138-139

Do Not Let Nervousness Hold You Back

w19.01 10 ¶10

Praise Jehovah in the Congregation

¹⁰ Do you get a knot in your stomach each time you even think of raising your hand to comment? If so, you are not alone. The truth is that most of us feel some fear when we comment. Before you can cope with this crippling feeling, you need to identify the cause of your fear. Are you afraid that you will forget what you want to say or that you will say the wrong thing? Do you worry that your comment will not be as good as the comments of others? Actually, those fears can be a good sign. They indicate that you are humble and view others as superior to you. Jehovah loves that quality. (Ps. 138:6; Phil. 2:3) But Jehovah also wants you to praise him and to encourage your brothers and sisters at the meetings. (1 Thess. 5:11) He loves you and will give you the courage you need.

JANUARY 27–FEBRUARY 2

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 140-143

Act in Harmony With Your Pleas for Help

w10 3/15 32 ¶4

Maintain “Purity of Heart” in These Critical Times

Pressure from opposers, economic hardship, and serious illness have weighed on some of God’s servants. On occasion, their hearts too have been affected negatively. Even King David went through such an experience: “My spirit faints away within me; in the midst of me my heart shows itself numbed.” (Ps. 143:4) What enabled him to overcome such moments? David called to mind God’s dealings with His servants and how he himself had experienced deliverance. He meditated on what Jehovah had done for the sake of His great name. David kept himself concerned with God’s works. (Ps. 143:5) In a similar manner, meditating on our Creator and all that he has done and continues to do for us will help us even when we are under trial.

w15 3/15 32 ¶2

Marry “Only in the Lord”—Still Realistic?

Sometimes you may feel like the psalmist David, who said: “Do answer me quickly, O Jehovah; my strength has come to an end. Do not hide your face from me.” (Ps. 143:5-7, 10) At such times, give your heavenly Father time to show you what his will is for you. You can do that by taking time to read his Word and to ponder over what you are reading. You will know what his commandments are and will see how he acted in behalf of his people in the past. By listening to him, you will have renewed confidence in the wisdom of obeying him.

FEBRUARY 3-9

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 144-146

“Happy Is the People Whose God Is Jehovah!”

w18.01 26 ¶19-20

What Kind of Love Brings True Happiness?

¹⁹ After some 6,000 years of human misery, Satan’s world is coming to its end. The earth is filled with those who have an inordinate love of self, money, and pleasures. They are people who are eager for what they can get, people who place their own wishes at the center of their life. Such people can never be truly happy. Instead, it is as the psalmist wrote: “Happy is the one who has the God of Jacob as his helper, whose hope is in Jehovah his God.”—Ps. 146:5.

²⁰ The love of God flourishes among Jehovah’s people, and our ranks are growing every year. This is evidence that God’s Kingdom reigns and will soon bring to earth unimaginable blessings. True and lasting joy comes from doing God’s will, from knowing that we are pleasing the Supreme One. And those who love Jehovah will be joyful forever! In the next article, we will consider some of the qualities that result from selfish love and see how these contrast with the qualities found in Jehovah’s servants.

FEBRUARY 10-16

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PSALMS 147-150

We Have Many Reasons to Praise Jah

w17.07 18 ¶5-6

“Praise Jah!”—Why?

⁵ Jehovah gave comfort not only to the nation of Israel as a whole but also to each individual. The same is true today. The psalmist wrote of God: “He heals the brokenhearted; he binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3) Yes, Jehovah cares for those who are having problems—whether physical or emotional. Today, Jehovah is eager to comfort us and to soothe our emotional wounds. (Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15) He gives us wisdom and strength so that we can cope with any troubles we may face.—Jas. 1:5.

⁶ The psalmist then turns his attention to the heavens above, telling us that Jehovah “counts the number of the stars” and “calls all of them by name.” (Ps. 147:4) Why the seeming change of subject and reference to heavenly bodies? Consider this: The psalmist could see the stars with his physical eyes, but he had no idea of how many there really are. Over the years, the number of stars that we can see has increased tremendously. Some think that there are billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone. And there may be trillions of galaxies in the universe! To us, stars are indeed without number! But the Creator gives all of them a name or a designation. This means that each star is unique to Jehovah. (1 Cor. 15:41) What about his human creatures on earth? The God who knows where each star is at any given time also knows you as an individual—exactly where you are, precisely how you feel, and specifically what you need at any given moment!

w17.07 18 ¶7

“Praise Jah!”—Why?

⁷ Not only is Jehovah interested in you as a person but he also has the power and empathy needed to help you with life’s problems. (Read Psalm 147:5.) You may feel that your situation is too difficult and the load too heavy for you to carry. God understands your limitations, ‘remembering that you are dust.’ (Ps. 103:14) Being imperfect, we make the same mistakes again and again. Oh, how we regret that slip of the tongue, those fleshly tendencies that flare up every now and then, or those inclinations to envy what others have! Jehovah does not experience such shortcomings himself; yet, his understanding of us is immeasurable, unsearchable!—Isa. 40:28.

w17.07 21 ¶18

“Praise Jah!”—Why?

¹⁸ The psalmist knew how favored God’s ancient people were. They were the only nation given God’s “word” and “his regulations and judgments.” (Read Psalm 147:19, 20.) Today, we are blessed to be the only ones on earth called by God’s name. Knowing Jehovah and having his Word at work in our lives, we have come to enjoy a privileged relationship with him. Like the writer of Psalm 147, do you not have many good reasons to cry out “Praise Jah!” and to encourage others to do the same?

FEBRUARY 17-23

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 1

Youths—To Whom Will You Listen?

w17.11 29 ¶16-17

Let Nothing Deprive You of the Prize

¹⁶ What if you are a teenager and feel misunderstood and restricted by your Christian parents? Your frustration might even make you doubt that serving Jehovah is the best way of life. But if you allow frustration to make you give up serving Jehovah, you would soon discover that no one else cares for you more genuinely than your God-fearing parents and your congregation.

¹⁷ If your parents never corrected you, would you not wonder if they really cared about you? (Heb. 12:8) But perhaps it is the way your parents discipline you that upsets you. Rather than fret over the manner of discipline, try to recognize that there may be a reason for the way they act. So keep calm and do your best to avoid overreacting to criticism. God’s Word says: “A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a discerning man will remain calm.” (Prov. 17:27) Make it your goal to become a mature person who can take counsel calmly, benefiting from it without worrying excessively about how it was given. (Prov. 1:8) To have believing parents who truly love Jehovah is a blessing. They will surely want to help you to win the prize of life.

w05 2/15 19-20 ¶11-12

Safeguarding Our Christian Identity

¹¹ Seek to please God, not man. It is only natural to define our identity in part by belonging to a group. Everyone needs friends, and being included makes us feel good. During adolescence—as well as later in life—peer pressure can be powerful, generating a desperate desire to imitate or please others. But friends and peers do not always have our best interests at heart. Sometimes they only want company in doing what is wrong. (Proverbs 1:11-19) When a Christian succumbs to negative peer pressure, he usually tries to conceal his identity. (Psalm 26:4) “Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you,” warned the apostle Paul. (Romans 12:2, The Jerusalem Bible) Jehovah provides the inner strength we need in order to combat any outside pressure to conform.—Hebrews 13:6.

¹² When outside pressure threatens to damage our sense of Christian identity, it is good to remember that our loyalty to God is far more important than public opinion or the trends of the majority. The words of Exodus 23:2 serve as a safe principle: “You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends.” When the majority of fellow Israelites doubted Jehovah’s ability to fulfill His promises, Caleb staunchly refused to go along with the majority. He was certain that God’s promises were trustworthy, and he was richly rewarded for his stand. (Numbers 13:30; Joshua 14:6-11) Are you similarly willing to resist the pressure of popular opinion in order to safeguard your relationship with God?

FEBRUARY 24–MARCH 2

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 2

Why Put Your Heart Into Personal Study?

w16.09 23 ¶2-3

Young Ones, Strengthen Your Faith

² As a young servant of Jehovah or as someone learning about Him, do you feel under pressure to conform to popular beliefs, such as evolution, rather than believe in a Creator? If so, there are steps you can take to strengthen your faith and keep it strong. One step is for you to use your God-given thinking ability, which “will keep watch over you.” It will protect you from secular philosophies that could destroy your faith.—Read Proverbs 2:10-12.

³ Genuine faith is based on accurate knowledge about God. (1 Tim. 2:4) So as you study God’s Word and our Christian publications, do not just skim over the material. Use your thinking ability so that you ‘get the sense’ of what you read. (Matt. 13:23) Let us see how doing so can help you to strengthen your faith in God as the Creator and in the Bible—topics on which there is no shortage of “convincing evidence.”—Heb. 11:1, ftn.