Watchtower Study, Week of June 13–19, 2022, Giving Jehovah Our Best Makes Us Happy, Answers Underlined.

Watchtower Study, June 13-19, 2022, Giving Jehovah Our Best Makes Us Happy, Answers Underlined.

1. What makes us feel happy?

Jehovah wants us to be happy. We know this is so because happiness is part of the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22). And, since there is more happiness in giving than in receiving, we feel very good when we are very busy in the Christian ministry and helping our brothers (Acts 20:35).

2, 3. a) Considering what Galatians 6:4 says, what will help us not to lose joy? b) What will we analyze in this article?

What will help us not lose joy? The apostle Paul indicated two ideas that can help us achieve this. We find them in Galatians 6:4 (read it). First, we will have reason to rejoice in what we do in our service to Jehovah if we give him our best. And that is something we all must do (Matt. 22:36-38). Second, we should not compare ourselves with others. If our health, our training, or our natural abilities enable us to do something good, let us thank Jehovah, for indeed everything we have has been given to us by him. Now, if other brothers are more skillful than us in some aspect of the ministry, let us be glad that they are using their talents to praise Jehovah, not to show off or for their own benefit. Instead of competing with them, we must learn from them.

In this article, we will see what will help us not to get discouraged if we feel that we cannot do everything in our service that we want. We will also discuss how we can use any skills we have well and what we can learn from others.

IF WE SEEM THAT WE CANNOT DO EVERYTHING WE WANT

4. What could discourage us? Give the example of Carol.

Some brothers feel discouraged because due to age or poor health they cannot do as much as they would like in their service to Jehovah. That happened to a sister named Carol, who at one time served where she needed help preaching. She went on to lead 35 Bible classes and helped several people dedicate their lives to Jehovah and get baptized. What great results! But then she got sick and could hardly leave her house. She says, “I know that because of my health problems I can't do what others do. Still, I feel like I'm not as faithful as them. I have a struggle between what I want to do and what I can do. That discourages me a lot." Carol wants to do all she can for Jehovah, and that has much merit. We can be sure that God, who is so compassionate, appreciates his good disposition.

5. (a) What should we remember if we feel discouraged because we cannot do everything we want? (b) How has the brother in the images in this article always given Jehovah his best?

If we sometimes feel discouraged because we cannot do everything we want, let us ask ourselves: “What does Jehovah expect of me?” He expects us to give him our best, that is, to do everything we can for him according to our circumstances. Think of this example. A sister who is 80 years old is discouraged because she can no longer do in her ministry what she did when she was 40. She thinks that even though she is giving Jehovah her best, he is not happy her. But is that true? Let's see. If this sister gave Jehovah her best when she was 40 years old and continues to do so now that she is 80, she has never really stopped giving her her best. If we begin to think that what we do is not enough to please Jehovah, let us remember that he is the one who decides what pleases him and what does not. If we give him our best, he will tell us, “Well done” (compare Matthew 25:20-23).

6. What does Mary's example teach us?

Something that will help us maintain joy is to focus on what we can do, instead of focusing on what is not within our reach. Let's look at the case of Maria, a sister who, due to illness, cannot do much in the ministry. At first she felt depressed and she thought that she was no longer worth anything. But then she realized that there was a sister in the congregation who was bedridden. So she looked for a way to help her. Maria relates: “I made plans to go to her house and preach with her by phone and letter. She always came home happy and satisfied that she had been able to help my sister”. We will also feel happier if we focus on what we can do instead of what is not within our reach. But what if our case is the opposite: if we can do more or are especially skilled in a certain facet of ministry?

ILLUSTRATION:

Images of a brother who gives his best to Jehovah at different stages of his life. 1. As a young man he works in the laundry at Bethel. 2. Later he pioneers with his wife. 3. The brother is preaching with his wife and his two daughters. 4. Now that he is older, he preaches by letter.

Jehovah is happy if we give him our best at every stage of life. (See paragraphs 4 to 6). 

IF YOU HAVE A GIFT, USE IT

7. What good advice did the apostle Peter give Christians?

In the first letter that the apostle Peter wrote out of inspiration, he counseled his brothers to use whatever gifts or talents they had to encourage their fellow Christians. He wrote: “According to the gift each one has received, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's undeserved kindness” (1 Pet. 4:10). We should not refrain from using our abilities to the fullest for fear that others will be envious or discouraged. If we did, we would not be giving Jehovah our best.

8. According to 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7, why shouldn't we brag about our abilities?

It is true that we should use our abilities to the fullest, but let us be careful not to show them off (read 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7). For example, perhaps you are very good at starting Bible courses. So keep doing it! But it is one thing to take advantage of a skill and quite another to show it off. Imagine that you recently had a positive ministry experience and were able to start a Bible study. So you are looking forward to telling it to your preaching group in great detail. But, when she is finally with the group, she hears that a sister is telling that she managed to leave a magazine with a person. She put down a magazine, you started a Bible study. What will he do? You know that your experience will encourage the group, but you may decide to share it another time so as not to spoil your sister's joy. What a nice way to show kindness! Of course, do not stop offering Bible courses. You have a gift, so use it.

9. How should we use our talents?

Let us remember that whatever ability we have has been given to us by God. So let 's use it to encourage the congregation, not to show off (Phil. 2:3). When we use our energies and talents to do God's will, we have reason to rejoice. Why? Because we are using everything we have to praise Jehovah, not to stand out above others or to make them feel that we are superior to them.

10. Why is it absurd to compare ourselves with others?

If we are not careful, we could fall into the trap of comparing our strengths with the weaknesses of others. Let's take an example. A brother may be very good at giving public talks. That is his strong point. But maybe in his heart he thinks he's superior to a brother who has a hard time giving speeches. However, this brother may excel in other things, for he may be hospitable, he may be raising his children well, or he may be very enthusiastic in preaching. How grateful we are that there are so many brothers and sisters who use their talents to serve Jehovah and help others.

WE LEARN FROM OTHERS

11. Why should we strive to follow Jesus' example?

Although it is not good to compare ourselves with others, we learn a lot when we look at the example of other servants of Jehovah. Let us think of Jesus, who is our best model. Although we are not perfect like him, we can learn from his beautiful qualities and his way of acting From him (1 Pet. 2:21). If we do our best to faithfully follow in his footsteps, we will be better servants of Jehovah and have better results in the ministry.

12, 13. What do we learn from King David?

The Bible tells us of many men and women who, despite their imperfections, are good examples for us (Heb. 6:12). One of them is King David. Speaking of him, Jehovah said: “I have found . . . a man that pleases my heart” (Acts 13:22). But David was not perfect. In fact, he made some serious mistakes. Even so, he left us a good example. Why? Because, when he was corrected, he didn't try to make excuses. Rather, he accepted firm discipline and was heartily sorry for what he had done. And for that Jehovah forgave him (Ps. 51:3, 4, 10-12).

David's example can help us if we ask ourselves questions like these: “How do I respond when someone advises me? Do I immediately admit my mistakes, or do I try to make excuses? Is my first reaction to blame others? Do I make an effort not to repeat my faults? Let us ask ourselves similar questions when we study the lives of faithful men and women in the Bible. Did they face difficulties similar to ours? What qualities did they demonstrate? In each case, let us ask ourselves: “How can I be more like this loyal servant of Jehovah?”

14. How can we benefit from looking at the example of other Christians?

We can also learn a lot from our brothers, whether young or old. Perhaps we think of someone in our congregation who is facing trials with faith such as peer pressure, family opposition, or poor health. Does that person demonstrate qualities that we can improve on? If we look at his example, we will learn things that will help us cope with our difficulties. Don't we really value these examples of faith? Indeed, they give us innumerable reasons to rejoice (Heb. 13:7; Jas. 1:2, 3).

WE SERVE JEHOVAH WITH HAPPINESS

15. What advice from the apostle Paul will help us continue to serve Jehovah happily?

If we all give our best to Jehovah, we will foster peace and unity in the congregation. That is what the first century Christians did. They had different gifts and responsibilities (1 Cor. 12:4, 7-11). But that was not a reason to compete or foment divisions. Rather, Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians that each one should do his best "to build up the body of Christ." And he added: “When each member fulfills his function well, this contributes to the growth of the body by being built on love” (Eph. 4:1-3, 11, 12, 16). By doing this, they fostered peace and unity, qualities we see in our congregations today.

16. What goal should you set? (Hebrews 6:10).

Make it your goal not to compare yourself to others. Instead, look at Jesus and strive to copy his qualities. Learn from examples of faith from the past and today. Keep giving Jehovah your best, keeping in mind that he “is not unjust and does not forget the works” you do for him (read Hebrews 6:10). Continue to serve Jehovah happily, knowing that he appreciates your efforts to please him.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why shouldn't we compare ourselves to others?

If we are not careful, we could fall into the trap of comparing our strengths with the weaknesses of others. We should not compare ourselves with others because we could feel bad and get discouraged.

Why do we continue to serve Jehovah happily even when we cannot do everything we want?

If we sometimes feel discouraged because we cannot do everything we want, let us ask ourselves: “What does Jehovah expect of me?” He expects us to give him our best, that is, to do everything we can for him according to our circumstances.

What can we do to benefit from the good example of others?

If we look at his example, we will learn things that will help us cope with our difficulties. They certainly give us countless reasons to rejoice.