Saturday, November 8

[Love’s] flames are a blazing fire, the flame of Jah. Surging waters cannot extinguish love, nor can rivers wash it away.​—Song of Sol. 8:6, 7.

What a beautiful description of true love! These words contain a reassuring truth for married couples: You can have unfailing love for each other. Whether a married couple will have unfailing love as long as they live depends on them. To illustrate, a campfire has the potential to burn indefinitely​—but only if it is fed. If left unattended, the fire will eventually go out. Likewise, the love between a husband and wife can remain strong indefinitely​—but only if they nurture their relationship. At times, a couple could feel that their love is cooling off, especially when they are weighed down by financial hardship, health concerns, or the pressures of raising children. So to keep “the flame of Jah” alive, both husband and wife should work to have a strong relationship with Jehovah. w23.05 23:1-3

Sunday, November 9

Do not be afraid.​—Dan. 10:19.

To develop courage, what do we need to do? Our parents may urge us to be courageous, but they cannot pass this quality on to us as if it were a family heirloom. Gaining courage is like learning a new skill. One way you can master the skill is by closely watching the instructor’s actions and then copying his example. In a similar way, we learn to be courageous by closely looking at how others show this quality and then copying their example. Like Daniel, we need to know God’s Word well. We must form a close bond with Jehovah by talking to him freely and often. And we need to trust in Jehovah, being convinced that we have his backing. Then when our faith is tested, we will be courageous. Courageous people often gain the respect of others. They may also attract honesthearted people to Jehovah. Certainly, we have good reasons to develop courage. w23.08 33:2, 8-9

Monday, November 10

Make sure of all things.​—1 Thess. 5:21.

The Greek word rendered “make sure of” was used in connection with testing precious metals. Thus, we need to test what we hear or what we read to determine whether it is genuine. This will be even more important for us as the great tribulation approaches. Instead of naively accepting what others say, we use our thinking ability to compare what we read or what we hear with what the Bible and Jehovah’s organization say. In doing so, we will not be fooled by any demonic propaganda or trickery. (Prov. 14:15; 1 Tim. 4:1) As a group, God’s servants will survive the great tribulation. Individually, though, we do not know what tomorrow will bring. (Jas. 4:14) Still, whether we live through the great tribulation or die before then, we will be rewarded with everlasting life if we remain faithful. May we all focus on our wonderful hope and keep ready for Jehovah’s day! w23.06 26:15-16