Scripture of the Day:

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This is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome.—1 John 5:3.

“Authority” is not a popular word today. Many would consider distasteful the idea of submitting to the will of another person. “No one tells me what to do” expresses the attitude of those who claim to be nonconformists. Yet, are these people truly independent? Hardly! Most merely conform to the standards of countless others who are “fashioned after this system of things.” (Rom. 12:2) Far from being independent, they are “slaves of corruption,” to use the words of the Christian apostle Peter. (2 Pet. 2:19) They walk “according to the system of things of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air,” Satan the Devil. (Eph. 2:2) It is tragic that at a time when humans so sorely need guidance, most are less inclined than ever to accept it;

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Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:1-4,

Now a comment on that scripture by a renown Bible commentator:

Concerning Christ's temptation, observe, that directly after he was declared to be the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, he was tempted; treat privileges, and special tokens of Divine favour, will not secure any from being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children of God, that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit.-Christ was directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed, James 1:14; but our Lord Jesus had no corrupt nature, therefore he was tempted only by the devil. In the temptation of Christ it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring; but he can be resisted. It is a comfort to us that Christ suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that out temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only. Satan aimed in all his temptations, to bring Christ to sin against God.-He tempted him to despair of his Father's goodness, and to distrust his Father's care concerning him. It is one of the wiles of Satan to take advantage of our outward condition; and those who brought into straits have need to double their guard. Christ answered all the temptations of Satan with "It is written;" to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the Scriptures. This method we must take, when at any time we are tempted to sin. Let us learn not to take any wrong course for our supply, when our wants are ever so pressing: in some way or other the Lord will provide.-[Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, page 677]

Now we noted in all the above Scripture it calls Jesus Christ (Yeshua) the Son of God; interesting since for if the Trinity was true, it would read God the Son instead of the Son of God. Since it reads the same in every translation I know of except one "feminists" biased Bible, where it reads Daughter of God which I am sure none of you would agree with. Therefore, it is self evident that Jesus is God's (YHWH) son and not God the Son as would be technically necessary for the trinity to be true. The commentator brought out this truth clearly when he said "He tempted him to despair of his Father's goodness, and to distrust his Father's care concerning him."

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You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.—Matthew 4:7.

In one of the temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness, the Devil stationed Jesus upon the battlement of the temple and challenged him to hurl himself down and allow the angels to save him. (Matt. 4:5, 6) Supposedly, this would result in a spectacular display of Jesus’ Messiahship. In reality, though, it would have been an improper, arrogant act that would not have had God’s approval and support. Satan may tempt us to seek glory in various ways. He may try to induce us to imitate worldly fads in dress and grooming or to engage in questionable entertainment. But if we were to ignore Bible counsel and imitate the world, could we expect the angels to shield us from the bad effects of such a course? Let us not put Jehovah to the test in improper ways, perhaps by cultivating friendship with the world.—Jas. 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17.

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Practice giving, and people will give to you.—Luke 6:38.

What really makes life worthwhile? We feel true satisfaction if we use our brief time in this system of things to do good and to please Jehovah. We can build up a close relationship with God, we can pass on spiritual values to our children, we can help others to know Jehovah, and we can forge lasting friendships with our brothers and sisters. (Gal. 6:10) All these endeavors have permanent value and bring blessings to those who achieve them. To describe the value of doing good, Solomon said: “Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in the course of many days you will find it again.” (Eccl. 11:1) Furthermore, Jehovah himself promises to reward those who do good toward others. (Prov. 19:17; Heb. 6:10) The Bible urges us to make wise decisions while we are still young regarding how we will use our life. In that way, we will be able to avoid frustration in later years.—Eccl. 12:1.

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All Athenians and the foreigners sojourning there would spend their leisure time at nothing but telling something or listening to something new.—Acts 17:21.

Influences from the world along with inherited imperfection incline us to use time purely for our own enjoyment or personal benefit. True, “for everything there is an appointed time,” including pleasurable relaxation and secular employment to enable us to fulfill our Christian obligations. (Eccl. 3:1) However, a dedicated Christian needs to stay balanced and use his time wisely. Today, many waste their time as did those in Athens. Modern distractions include watching television, playing video games, and surfing the Internet. More and more distractions increasingly compete for our time. If we give in to them, we may neglect our spiritual needs. We might even come to believe that we are too busy to care for “the more important things”—matters related to serving Jehovah.—Phil. 1:9, 10.

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If anyone does not provide for those who are his own, and especially for those who are members of his household, he has disowned the faith and is worse than a person without faith.—1 Timothy 5:8.

An indication of whether God is in a marriage is the effort both husband and wife put forth to measure up to His requirements. Husbands have the primary obligation to provide for the material and spiritual needs of the household. They are also encouraged to be considerate of their wife’s emotional needs. At Colossians 3:19, we read: “You husbands, keep on loving your wives and do not be bitterly angry with them.” One Bible scholar explained that the expression “bitterly angry” involves “giving them either bitter words, or blows, and denying them their affection, care, provision, protection, and assistance.” Clearly, such behavior would be inappropriate in a Christian household. A husband who exercises his headship in a loving way stimulates a readiness in his wife to be in subjection.

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Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.—Matt. 5:16.

Because of our “fine works,” some “give glory” to God by becoming his servants. What an incentive for us to keep on “shining as illuminators in the world”! (Phil. 2:15) Being “the light of the world” requires that we be involved in the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work. (Matt. 5:14) But something else is also required of us. “Go on walking as children of light,” wrote the apostle Paul, “for the fruitage of the light consists of every sort of goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Eph. 5:8, 9) We need to be shining examples of godly conduct. Indeed, we must heed the apostle Peter’s counsel: “Maintain your conduct fine among the nations, that, in the thing in which they are speaking against you as evildoers, they may as a result of your fine works of which they are eyewitnesses glorify God in the day for his inspection.”—1 Pet. 2:12.

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He explained the matter to them by bearing thorough witness concerning the kingdom of God.—Acts 28:23.

The effect of Paul’s ministry was not limited to those whom he directly helped to become Christians; nor is that so in our case. We make it a point to have a regular share in the house-to-house ministry, witnessing to as many as we can. We speak of the good news to neighbors, coworkers, schoolmates, and relatives. Do we know all the results? With some, there may be immediate good results. In other cases, the seeds of truth may lie dormant for a time but then take root in the soil of someone’s heart and grow. Also, people we speak to may talk with others about what we said, what we believe, and how we act. Even as Paul did not know of all his fruitage in “the district of Asia,” you may have no way of knowing all the good results of your bearing thorough witness. (Acts 19:10; 23:11) But how vital that you keep on doing so!

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Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah.—Psalms 127:3.

Some couples who marry young find themselves expecting a child when they themselves are barely out of adolescence. They have not really had time to get to know each other properly before the arrival of the baby, who requires attention 24 hours a day. When the newborn quite naturally becomes the primary object of the mother’s attention, the young husband may feel jealous. Furthermore, sleepless nights can create tension and stress that put a strain on the couple’s relationship. They suddenly realize that they have lost much of their freedom. Now they cannot go places and do things as freely as they did before. How should they view their changed situation? They should do their utmost to deal with any necessary adjustments in a responsible way. A Christian mother and father will strive to assume their duties as “parents in union with the Lord.”—Eph. 6:1.

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Anything in which there is a defect you must not present.—Leviticus. 22:20.
As used in the Bible, integrity involves moral completeness, soundness. The Hebrew words relating to “integrity” come from a root meaning sound, whole, or faultless. One of these words is used regarding the sacrifices to be offered to Jehovah. An animal for sacrifice gained his approval only if it was sound, or whole. Jehovah strongly censured those who flouted his direction by offering lame, sick, or blind animals for sacrifice. (Mal. 1:6-8) The idea of seeking and valuing that which is whole, or complete, is not strange. Picture a woman walking on a beach, collecting some of the shells cast ashore by the waves. Fascinated by the variety and beauty of these creations, she now and again stoops to examine one. Which ones does she keep? The ones that are whole, intact. Similarly, God is seeking people who have this quality of wholeness, or completeness.—2 Chron. 16:9.

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Remember, now, your Grand Creator in the days of your young manhood.—Eccl. 12:1.
Jehovah views Christian youths as precious and as refreshing as dewdrops. Indeed, he foretold that on the day of his Son’s “military force,” young men and women would “offer themselves willingly” in Christ’s service. (Ps. 110:3) That prophecy was to be fulfilled at a time when people in general were godless, obsessed with self and money, and disobedient. Yet, Jehovah knew that young people who worshipped him would be different. What confidence he has in you young brothers and sisters! Remembering Jehovah involves more than merely calling him to mind. It means taking action—doing what pleases him, letting his laws and principles guide us in daily life. It also means trusting in Jehovah, knowing that he has our very best interests at heart. (Ps. 37:3; Isa. 48:17, 18) Is that how you feel about your Grand Creator?

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Jehovah is on my side; I shall not fear. What can earthling man do to me?—Psalms 118:6.

Speaking to the congregation of ancient Israel as his “woman,” God promised: “Any weapon whatever that will be formed against you will have no success, and any tongue at all that will rise up against you in the judgment you will condemn. This is the hereditary possession of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from me.” (Isa. 54:11, 17) That promise has proved reliable in the case of Jehovah’s people throughout the earth during these “last days.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5, 13) We continue to oppose the Devil, and no weapon that he tries to use to wipe out God’s people is successful, for Jehovah is on our side. (Ps. 118:7) At the rapidly approaching end of this entire wicked system of things, all aspects of Satan’s rule will be crushed out of existence.

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Evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.—Psalms 37:9.

For this to happen, the present system of things with its conflicting governments, religions, and commercial systems will have to be removed. And that is exactly what the heavenly government will do. The prophet Daniel was inspired to foretell: “In the days of those kings [now existing] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom [in heaven] that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these [present] kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Dan. 2:44) God’s Kingdom—a new heavenly government—will then rule over a new earthly society. There will be “new heavens and a new earth . . . , and in these righteousness is to dwell.”—2 Pet. 3:13

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Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God.—Acts 20:28.

Christian shepherds need to imitate “the fine shepherd,” Jesus. (John 10:11) He was deeply concerned about God’s sheep and stressed the importance of caring for them. (John 21:15-17) Especially do the sheep need such care today, for the Devil has intensified his efforts to break the integrity of those dedicated to God. Satan takes advantage of fleshly weaknesses and uses the world in an attempt to lead Jehovah’s sheep into sinful activities. (1 John 2:15-17; 5:19) Inactive ones are particularly vulnerable and therefore need assistance in order to apply the admonition to ‘walk by spirit.’ (Gal. 5:16-21, 25) Helping such sheep calls for prayerful reliance on God, the guidance of his spirit, and skillful use of his Word.—Prov. 3:5, 6; Luke 11:13; Heb. 4:12.

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I will give advice with my eye upon you.—Psalms 32:8.

Because Jehovah cherishes those who walk with him, he keeps his fatherly eye upon them, caring for them, protecting them, and teaching them. Ask yourself: ‘Do I see myself walking hand in hand with Jehovah, as it were, listening to his wisdom and knowing that his loving eye is upon me? Does my awareness of his presence influence my thoughts, words, and deeds? And when I err, do I see Jehovah, not as a God who is aloof and stern, but as a warm, merciful Father who wants to help repentant ones back into his warm embrace?’ (Ps. 51:17) At times, Jehovah may come to our aid even before we embark on a wrong course. For instance, he may observe that our potentially treacherous heart begins to desire things that are improper. (Jer. 17:9) In such a situation, he can act even sooner than human parents can because his “beaming eyes” have the ability to look deep inside us, to examine our inmost thoughts.—Ps. 11:4; 139:4; Jer. 17:10.