Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022
Saturday March 19, 2022
Keep fighting the noble fight (1 Tim. 1:18).
A good soldier is loyal. He fights with all his might to protect someone he loves or something he values. Paul encouraged Timothy to cultivate devotion to God, that is, a feeling of love and loyalty toward him (1 Tim. 4:7). The deeper these feelings are, the stronger our desire to get a firm grip on the truth (1 Tim. 4:8-10; 6:6). A good soldier also has to be disciplined if he wants to fulfill his duty. Timothy fulfilled his duty as a soldier of Christ because he followed Paul's inspired counsel to flee from wrong desires, cultivate Christian qualities, and associate with his brothers (2 Tim. 2:22). For this he had to be disciplined. And so must we if we want to win the fight against our evil desires (Rom. 7:21-25). What's more, we must be disciplined if we want to keep taking off the old personality and putting on the new (Eph. 4:22, 24). And, when we are tired at the end of a long day, we may have to force ourselves to go to the meeting (Heb. 10:24, 25). w20.09 28 paras. 9-11
How did discernment help Daniel?
Daniel, mentioned in paragraph 8, began to realize that playing violent and demonic video games was not right. He searched the Watchtower Library for information to deal with his addiction. Which it was the result? He stopped playing video games that harmed him, canceled his subscriptions to online games, and abandoned friendships with other gamers. He says, “Instead of playing video games, I started spending more time outdoors or with the brothers in the congregation.” Daniel is now a pioneer and an elder.
Why are false stories dangerous?
Like Timothy, we too must understand that false information spread by apostates is dangerous (1 Tim. 4:1, 7; 2 Tim. 2:16). For example, they may try to spread false stories about our brothers or cast doubt on Jehovah's organization. These lies could weaken our faith. Let's not be fooled by them, because they come from "men of corrupt minds who do not have the truth" and want to provoke disputes and controversies (1 Tim. 6:4, 5). They want us to believe their deceptions and mistrust our brothers.
What distractions should we avoid?
Let's not get distracted. As a "good soldier of Christ Jesus," Timothy was to be focused on his ministry and not let material things and other goals distract him (2 Tim. 2:3, 4). Like him, we can't afford to let the desire for more things distract us. “The deceitful power of riches” could stifle our love for Jehovah, our gratitude for his Word, and the desire to bring it to others.—Matt. 13:22. We must maintain a simple life and use our time and energy to keep “seeking first the Kingdom” (Matt. 6:22-25, 33).
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