Scripture of the Day:

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Because of my integrity you have upheld me.—Palms 41:12.

King David once experienced a severe sickness, which is mentioned in Psalm 41. Confined for a time to a sickbed, David was so ill that it seemed to some of his enemies that he would never “get up again.” (Verses 7, 8) David did not expect Jehovah to perform a miracle and remove the sickness. Rather, David felt certain that Jehovah would “sustain him”—that is, give him support and strength while he was lying on his sickbed. (Verse 3) David definitely needed such help. In addition to the sickness that weakened him, he was surrounded by enemies who were saying evil things about him. (Verses 5, 6) Jehovah may well have strengthened David by bringing to his mind comforting thoughts. David may also have found strength in reflecting on the fact that Jehovah regarded him as a man of integrity. David did finally recover from his sickness. Is it not reassuring to know that Jehovah can sustain those who are sick?—2 Cor. 1:3.

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In her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones.—Revelation 18:24.

Among “the disgusting things” that false religion bears responsibility for are the many wars that have resulted in hundreds of millions being “slaughtered on the earth.” (Rev. 17:5; 18:24) Additional “disgusting things” include acts of pedophilia and other forms of sexual immorality committed by clergymen and tolerated by the church authorities. Is it any wonder that Jehovah God will soon rid this earth of false religion? (Rev. 18:8) True Christians, who know this, have an obligation to warn members of Babylon the Great. One way they do so is by distributing Bibles and related literature published by “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45) When individuals show an interest in the Bible’s message, arrangements are made to help them by means of a Bible study. Hopefully, they will see the need to “flee out of the midst of Babylon” before it is too late.—Jer. 51:6; Rev. 18:4.

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Because [Jehovah] is at my right hand, I shall not be made to totter.—Psalms 16:8.

To many, it is inconceivable that the Creator of our vast universe allows humans to walk with him in a spiritual sense. Yet, that is exactly what Jehovah wants us to do. In Bible times, Enoch and Noah ‘walked with God.’ (Gen. 5:24; 6:9) Moses “continued steadfast as seeing the One who is invisible.” (Heb. 11:27) King David found himself humbly walking alongside his heavenly Father. Of course, we cannot literally take Jehovah by the hand and walk with him. But we can do so in a figurative sense. How? The psalmist Asaph writes: “I am constantly with you; you have taken hold of my right hand. With your counsel you will lead me.” (Ps. 73:23, 24) Simply put, we walk with Jehovah when we closely follow his counsel, which we receive primarily through his written Word and through “the faithful and discreet slave.”—Matt. 24:45; 2 Tim. 3:16.

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My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.—John 5:17.

There is no doubt that Jehovah and Jesus derive satisfaction from work. The Bible indicates Jehovah’s satisfaction with his creative work when it says: “God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) Solomon likewise appreciated the value of meaningful work. (Eccl. 3:13) Many humans understand the value of honest work. For instance, José, a successful artist, says, “When you are able to paint on the canvas the picture you have in mind, you feel as if you had conquered a high mountain.” Miguel, a businessman, notes: “Work gives satisfaction because it enables you to provide for your family. It can also give you a sense of achievement.” Many times, however, the person who struggles hard to succeed ends up bitter and frustrated, realizing that he has kept “working hard for the wind.”—Eccl. 5:16.

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Against your people they cunningly carry on their confidential talk; . . . against you they proceeded to conclude even a covenant.—Psalms 83:3, 5.

What was the psalmist’s foremost concern? Of course, he must have been very worried about his own personal safety and that of his family. Yet, the subject of his prayer was the reproach being brought on Jehovah’s name and the threats against the nation that bore that name. May we all keep a similar, balanced viewpoint as we endure the difficult final days of this old world. (Matt. 6:9, 10) The psalmist quotes Israel’s enemies as saying: “Come and let us efface them from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” (Ps. 83:4) What hatred those nations had for God’s chosen people! But they had another motive for their conspiracy. They coveted Israel’s land and boasted: “Let us take possession of the abiding places of God for ourselves.” (Ps. 83:12) Has something similar been true in our day? Yes!

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Stop judging that you may not be judged.—Matthew 7:1.

According to Luke, Jesus said: “Stop judging, and you will by no means be judged; and stop condemning, and you will by no means be condemned. Keep on releasing, and you will be released.” (Luke 6:37) The first-century Pharisees judged others harshly, in keeping with unscriptural traditions. Any of Jesus’ listeners who did that were to “stop judging.” Instead, they were to “keep on releasing,” that is, forgiving the shortcomings of others. The apostle Paul gave similar counsel regarding forgiveness. (Eph. 4:32) By extending forgiveness, Jesus’ disciples would move people to respond with a forgiving spirit. “With what judgment you are judging, you will be judged,” said Jesus, “and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.” (Matt. 7:2) With respect to our treatment of others, we reap what we sow.—Gal. 6:7.

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I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk. O if only you would actually pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river.—Isaiah 48:17, 18.

Are you young and still unmarried? If so, how should you regard the prospect of marriage? You can avoid much heartache if you wait until you are physically, mentally, and spiritually ready for marriage before you start a romantic relationship with a Christian of the opposite sex. Of course, the Scriptures do not stipulate an age for marriage. However, the Bible does show that you do well to wait until you are past that time in life when sexual feelings are very strong. (1 Cor. 7:36) Why? Because strong sexual impulses can distort good judgment and cause you to make unwise decisions that may result in heartache later. Remember, Jehovah’s wise counsel on marriage in the Bible is for your benefit and happiness.

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“Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth - as in fact there are many gods and many lords - 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one lord, Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

In the above passage, Paul is not saying that there is one God, the father, son and holy spirit. Rather, he is saying that there is only one God (the father) period; and we exist because of him. Paul also states, that there is only one master Jesus (Yeshua)), and through him we exist. All things are done through Jesus (Yeshua).

When examining this passage in Greek, we will notice that 'Kurios' is defined as master, (translated 'lord' in this passage). For centuries, the word 'lord' and 'master' were used interchangeably. Within the bible we should notice that Sarah called Avraham 'lord'. In fact, up to the 1930's, wives still called their husband's 'master'. However, this should not be confused with LORD (in the Tanach), because LORD (in uppercase) refers to YHWH (the true God), and lord (in lowercase) means adon (in Hebrew) and kurios (in Greek). Hence, Paul understood that Jesus (Yeshua) is not God, but rather he is master.

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Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.—Matthew 4:4.

The Devil tried to break the integrity of Jesus. In the wilderness, Satan used temptations in an effort to get Jesus to compromise His obedience to Jehovah. However, Jesus refused to make use of his God-given power for personal benefit. Today, the Devil seeks to exploit the natural physical desires of Jehovah’s servants. We must therefore be resolute in resisting illicit sexual temptations, which are especially common in this immoral world. God’s Word emphatically states: “What! Do you not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.” (1 Cor. 6:9, 10) People who live immoral lives and refuse to change will not be allowed to live in God’s new world.

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Can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, "I am God's Son'? John 10:36

The Father sent Yeshua into the world. How can the Father send his son into the world if he was from only the world? It is clear Yeshua was in heaven with the Father as his own individual. The Father sent his Son to the world to lead us to righteousness and to die for us, and many other reasons.

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Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Yeshua, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!" Matthew 27:54

After they seen the earthquake and what took place, they then became believers, and said "Truly this man was God's Son." The Jews understood him to be God's son not to be God.

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[Jehovah’s] eyes examine the sons of men.—Psalms 11:4.

No servant of Jehovah is ever truly alone. Our Father lovingly watches over us. How pleased Jehovah must be when he sees you resisting temptation! Do not trade your precious integrity for the shameful act of looking at or reading pornography! We can also be integrity keepers by obeying Jehovah when we are among unbelievers. Think of Daniel and his three companions. As youths, they were taken as captives to Babylon. There, surrounded by unbelievers who knew little or nothing of Jehovah, the four Hebrews were put under pressure to eat delicacies that God’s Law forbade. Those boys might easily have rationalized a course of compromise. After all, their parents, the elders, and the priests could not see what the four of them were doing. Who would know? Jehovah himself would. So they took a firm stand and obeyed him despite the pressure and the risk.—Dan. 1:3-9.

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Stop being anxious.—Matthew 6:25.

Jesus knew that as imperfect creatures, we have a tendency to become anxious about mundane matters. It is understandable that we are concerned about important issues, such as pleasing God, caring for Christian responsibilities, and providing the necessities of life for our family. (1 Cor. 7:32-34) What, then, can we learn from Jesus’ warning? The world’s spirit, with its emphasis on the showy display of one’s means of life, infects many individuals with an unhealthy anxiety. They would have us believe that money equals security and that a person’s worth is measured, not by his spiritual qualities, but by the quantity and quality of his possessions. Those duped by this propaganda will slave to gain riches and are constantly anxious about acquiring the newest, the biggest, the most advanced products. (Prov. 18:11) Such a distorted view of material things breeds anxieties that choke an individual’s spiritual development.—Matt. 13:18, 22

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God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name.—Hebrews 6:10.

All that you aging Witnesses of Jehovah have done and are now doing for God’s glory is never far from his mind. Therefore, resist adopting a negative viewpoint, wrongly thinking that because of advanced age, you are no longer useful to Jehovah. Endeavor to replace depressing, pessimistic thoughts with positive ones. Rejoice over your blessings and your hope for the future! We have “a future and a hope”—the best possible—and these are guaranteed by our Creator. (Jer. 29:11, 12; Acts 17:31; 1 Tim. 6:19) Reflect on your hope, work to stay young in heart and mind, and never underestimate the value of your presence in the congregation! The psalmist declared: “Those who are planted in the house of Jehovah . . . will still keep on thriving during gray-headedness, fat and fresh they will continue to be.”—Ps. 92:13, 14.

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Both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to wise and to senseless ones I am a debtor: so there is eagerness on my part to declare the good news also to you.—Romans 1:14, 15.

Out of gratitude for the mercy he had been shown, Paul felt compelled to try to help others to benefit from the undeserved kindness of God just as he had benefited from it. (1 Tim. 1:12-16) It was as if he owed a debt to each person he met, a debt that could be repaid only by sharing the good news with that person. Do you feel such a debt to the people in your territory? (Acts 20:26, 27) At Malachi 1:11, Jehovah declares: “My name will be great among the nations.” In fulfillment of this prophecy, Jehovah’s dedicated servants are publicly praising his name in all the earth as they humbly carry out their ministry. (Ps. 109:30; Matt. 24:14) Rendering “a sacrifice of praise” to Jehovah is our foremost reason for preaching publicly and from house to house.—Heb. 13:15.