TREASURES OF THE BIBLE, Week September 19-25, 2022, “Let us be content with what we have and be modest”, Prepared Speech.

TREASURES OF THE BIBLE, September 19-25, 2022, “Let us be content with what we have and be modest”, Prepared Speech.

“Let us be content with what we have and be modest” (10 mins.)

On some occasions it has been heard that Jehovah's Witnesses are very conformist, that they do not like to improve themselves, that they like to live even in poverty. But is that true? The way some mention it is respectable. However, what do people who have a lot of money think? I mention what a famous Hollywood actress said during the time of the 70's. She received at that time half a million dollars per film. It's not much now, but back then it was too much money. 

What did she say about having so much money? “I have been able to taste wealth and all material things, they mean nothing. For every swimming pool here you can count a psychiatrist, not to mention divorces and children who hate their parents. How is it possible that there are different points of view about money? A person may want a lot of money and think that this produces happiness. But those who have that money, on the other hand, say that they produce hatred, unhappiness. It seems that everything has to do with the way we see the things we have.  

If you have ever seen a work of art, it can cost thousands or millions of dollars. However, for the person who did it at the time, it simply reflected a desire to express a feeling, something that they liked, but that another person valued in a totally different way. That's what we're going to talk about in this section of Treasures of the Bible. "Let's be happy with what we have and be modest." 

LET'S READ: 1 Kings 13:7,10.

7 The king then said to the man of the true God: “Come to my house and stay and eat, and let me make you a gift.” 8 But the man of the true God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go with you or eat bread or drink water in this place. 9 For I received this command from Jehovah: 'Do not eat bread or drink water, and do not return the way you came.' 10 So he went another way; he did not return the way he had come to Bethel. 

This story is of interest, since King Jeroboan was offering this prophet or the man of the true God, as he mentions here, a gift he could offer up to half of what he had. He was the king. They had the means to do it. And the curious thing was that he was offering it, after having received a message of condemnation from this prophet that Jehovah had given him. What is it that he did? He flatly rejected everything the king was offering him. 

What would you choose? We know that this world already has a message of doom. Everything we are seeing around us is a demonstration that this world is about to disappear. What will you do? Will you accept what this world offers you for a short time? Or do you wait a little while to receive an unimaginable reward from Jehovah? This prophet did well. Rejection. But he apparently he must have been thinking about what he he he had rejected and what he had lost.

LET'S READ: 1 Kings 13:14,19.

14 He followed the man of the true God and found him sitting under a great tree. He then he said to him: "Are you the man of the true God that came from Judah?" He replied, "Yes, it's me." 15 The old prophet said to him: "Come to my house and eat bread." 16 But he replied, “I cannot return to you or accept your invitation; neither can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 For I received this order from Jehovah: 'Do not eat bread or drink water there. Don't go back the way you came.'” 18 Then the other replied, “I am also a prophet like you, and an angel said to me by Jehovah's command, 'Bring him back to your house with you so that he may eat bread and drink water.'” (He deceived Him). 19 So she went back with him to eat bread and drink water at his house. 

Now we can see the deception to which this prophet was subjected and that he gave in to the pressure. It wasn't much, simply because they told him I'm also a prophet and they sent me to tell you this. With that he disobeyed Jehovah. It was a direct order from God that no one could change him, but with appropriate words they managed to change his way of thinking. So it is with a painting. When you go to see it, it seems like one thing to you, but if someone else comes up to you and says I believe this and this is so, you also believe it.

We want to be careful. Jehovah has given clear instructions on how to view money. It is necessary to live. We must obtain it by working with our hands, but if they offer us something better at this time, we must be careful. «What am I doing to show that I am happy to have what it takes? How do I show that I am modest and keep Jehovah in mind when making decisions?” 

LET'S READ: 1 Kings 13:20,22.

20 While they were sitting at the table, the prophet who had brought him back received a message from Jehovah 21 and said with a loud voice to the man of the true God who had come from Judah: “This is what Jehovah says: 'Because you You rebelled against the command of Jehovah and did not obey what Jehovah your God commanded you, 22 but you came back to eat bread and drink water in this place even though you were told, “Do not eat bread or drink water,” so your corpse will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors. 

This prophet must have realized that if Jehovah wanted to give him a new order, he should not have used another person, but rather told himself. He was predisposed to change his way of thinking, to have analyzed why he rejected what the king told me. A very tragic way to end his career as a prophet. Today we want to be careful in what we listen to, in what they promote us, in what they try to convince us to change our position. 

Let's analyze the situation well with what Jehovah says and make the wise decision. We want to show you that we are happy with what we have and that we are modest people, because we take Jehovah's point of view into consideration in matters that will affect our lives both now and in the future.