The Study Watchtower, "Article 41", Week of December 5 to 11, 2022, You can be truly happy, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 41», 5-11-December 2022, You can be truly happy, Answers.

"Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways" (Ps. 128:1).

1. What are our “spiritual needs”, and how do they relate to our happiness?

Our spiritual needs are the desire to know and worship our creator Jehovah. And its relationship with happiness is that those who serve Jehovah, the happy God, can also become happy. Jesus Christ himself in his Sermon on the Mount said what is recorded in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual needs."

2, 3. a) Who else did Jesus say can be happy? b) What will we see in this article, and why is it necessary for us to talk about it?

Jesus affirmed in Matthew 5:4,10,11. That in those who lament it can make them happy even if they feel guilty of their sins or are going through very difficult circumstances. Those who are persecuted for the cause of justice and those who suffer effects for being his disciples can also be happy.

2, 3. b) What will we see in this article, and why do we need to talk about it?

We will see three important steps that will help us to be truly happy. And analyzing this is important and necessary, because as Jesus said, true happiness does not depend on having the ideal circumstances in life, but on meeting our spiritual needs and getting closer to God.

ILLUSTRATION

"Happy are those who have been persecuted for justice's sake" (Matt. 5:10). (See paragraphs 2 and 3). 

 LET US FEED IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE

4. What is the first step to be truly happy? (Psalm 1:1-3).

The first step to be truly happy is to feed ourselves in a spiritual sense, Psalms 1:1-3, says that happy is the man who enjoys the law of Jehovah, the one who reads it night and day and the one who meditates on it . In fact, Jesus compared the word of God with food, It is what we should not let a day go by without feeding on the word of God the Bible.

5, 6. (a) What can we learn from the Bible? b) How does reading the Bible help us?

What we can learn in the Bible is, what we must do to achieve true happiness, we can also learn why God gave us life, how we can become his friends and what we must do to forgive our sins. Another thing that we can learn in the Bible, the wonderful future that Jehovah promises us.

5, 6. (b) How does reading the Bible help us?

Reading the Bible helps us because it contains many useful tips for life. For example, tips to be happier and to overcome the problems that overwhelm us. Hence the importance of spending time reading it and meditating on what it teaches us and on how we can put its teachings into practice.

7. How can we make the most of the time we dedicate to reading the Word of God?

What we can do is enjoy reading, for this, when reading it we can try to imagine each scene, each character and even their voices, because that will make the message of the Bible come alive and become more real for us. Furthermore, meditating on what we have read will make us understand it better and consequently, we will feel happier because it will be as if we had Savored it.

8. How is the “faithful and prudent slave” fulfilling his responsibility? (See also note.)

He is fulfilling his responsibility by giving us spiritual food at the right time so that we are well fed as Jesus entrusted him in Matthew 2:45. This is possible, because the food is prepared with the inspired scriptures with the aim of helping us to know Jehovah's way of thinking and they do it, through "The Watchtower" and "wake up" magazines and all the articles that appear in the jw. org.

In the same way, the faithful and prudent slave fulfills his responsibility to spiritually feed the people of God at the due time, through the midweek and weekend meetings, as well as the monthly programs of JW Broadcasting available in many languages. In addition, as part of that responsibility, the "faithful and prudent slave" teaches us where we can find true happiness, since it makes us see that it is not in pleasures, money, fame, power, but in following the steps that the Bible indicates and what we are analyzing today in this article.

WE OBEY JEHOVAH'S RULES

9. What is the second step we must take to be truly happy?

To be truly happy we must take the second step, which would be to obey Jehovah's rules, since in Psalms 128:1 it says: “Happy everyone who fears Jehovah, who walks in his ways. What the psalmist wanted us to understand is that we must respect Jehovah so much as to not want to do anything that displeases him, which implies an effort to follow his rules of what is right and what is wrong that we have in the Bible. If we do this, we will be happy because we will be doing what Jehovah loves and avoiding what Jehovah hates.

10. Besides knowing what God's will is, what should we do? (Romans 12:2).

In addition to knowing what Jehovah's will is, we must obey his regulations. Romans 12:2 indicates that we must stop conforming to this world and transforming our mind. That is to say, we must close our minds to the ideas of this system and constantly renew it with the exact knowledge of the Bible, because only in this way will we verify for ourselves what is the will of God and once we have understood it, then it will be very useful for us. nice and perfect, and as a consequence we will obey it.

We can understand this point better with this comparison: A government has the right to put speed limits on the roads but each person decides if one is willing to obey those laws or if they drive faster than they should. In our case, Jehovah is the one who has the legal right to decide what is right and what is wrong, but each person decides whether he obeys or not. However, if we obey, we will show that we respect Jehovah's rules and therefore people will see what is best.

In the paragraph we have the example of King David, and he believed that obeying Jehovah was the best, as recorded in Psalm 16:11. David knew that as long as he was obedient, Jehovah would be with him and show him the right way to go. He also knew that obeying Jehovah's righteous standards would make him happy. Therefore, we must strive not only to know what Jehovah's will is, but also to obey his rules, because only if we are obedient will we be truly happy. 

11, 12. (a) How careful should we be when we are worried or discouraged? (b) How do the words at Philippians 4:8 help us choose entertainment

When we are very worried or discouraged we must be careful, because in our eagerness to forget our worries or distractions we could end up doing something that Jehovah hates.

11, 12. (b) How do the words at Philippians 4:8 help us choose entertainment?

The words of Philippians 4:8 help us choose entertainment because it is not encouraged and teaches us that we must constantly think of chaste, virtuous and love-inspiring righteous things. Although these verses do not speak specifically about entertainment, they serve as a guide when choosing our hobbies. For example, we do substitute the word "Things" in this verse for words like songs, books, movies, or video games, so we will better understand our own. choice aggravates Jehovah or not and whether or not it agrees with his just rules. This consequently will make us happy because we will have a clear conscience.

LET US PUT THE WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH IN FIRST PLACE

13. What is the third step that will give us true happiness? (John 4:23, 24).

The third step we must take to have true happiness is to make sure that the worship of Jehovah is the first thing in our lives, but we must also make sure that this Worship is what he deserves and accepts. As John 4:23,24 says, we must let the holy spirit guide our relationship so that it is in accordance with Biblical truths.

This is why, since our ministry is part of the worship we give to Jehovah, it must be the most important thing. Even if we live in a place where the work is restricted or prohibited. We have an example of this in many of our brothers today who are imprisoned or who are insulted and persecuted and yet they cannot stop praying, studying the Bible and preaching to other people about Jehovah and his Kingdom, because they simply do not there is nothing that makes them happier. This makes us an excellent example for the rest of the world brotherhood. 

A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE

14. What happened to a young brother from Tajikistan, and why?

Brother Yovidón Boboyónov, a 19-year-old boy, was forcibly detained for refusing to do military service and was imprisoned for months and treated as a criminal. In addition, they tortured and pressured him to take a military oath and put on the uniform. After that, he was convicted and sent to a forced labor camp, until he was finally released thanks to a presidential pardon. Despite everything this brother of his went through, he remained loyal and happy because he recognized what his spiritual needs were.

15. How did Yovidón feed spiritually while he was in jail?

Although this brother did not have the Bible and none of our publications, his spiritual sense was fed, because when the brothers brought him food they wrote the daily text on the bags. In this way, he was able to read the Bible and meditate on it every day.

That is why the advice given by brother Yovidón upon leaving prison is so important to all of us. And I advise you that we should make the most of the freedom we now have to draw closer to Jehovah through reading the Bible and our publications. If we follow this advice, like brother Yovidón we will always be putting Jehovah first. 

16. What did Yovidón focus on?

Brother Yovidón always focused on obeying Jehovah. Therefore, instead of indulging in evil desires and doing wrong things, he spent time contemplating Jehovah's beautiful creation, listening to the birdsong in the morning, and looking at the moon and stars at night, since these Jehovah's gifts made him happy and helped him endure.

17. How can 1 Peter 1:6, 7 help someone in a situation like Yovidon's?

If someone is going through a situation like Yovidon's, 1 Peter 1:6,7 can help him in the sense that it reminds him that all who go through various tests of faith and remain upright will receive an extraordinary reward from Jehovah. Furthermore, these verses assure you that whatever your difficulties, Jehovah will help you through them. Therefore, one should not feel fear or cowardice, since a proven faith is cause for praise, glory and honor at the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ, how do we know if we are close.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images by Yovidon Boboyonov. 1. He looks outside through his cell window. 2. Read the daily text written on a bag of groceries. 3. Pray to Jehovah.

Yovidón was nourished in a spiritual sense, obeyed God's rules and put the worship of Jehovah first. (See paragraphs 15 to 17).

18. How can we continue to be happy?

To be happy we only have to follow the three steps that we have analyzed in this article, since despite the problems, as Psalm 144:15 says, "Happy is the people who have Jehovah as their God."

HOW DO THE FOLLOWING STEPS HELP US TO BE REALLY HAPPY?

First step: Feed ourselves spiritually.

Knowing these truths through the study of the Bible fills our hearts with happiness.

For example, he helps us by teaching us what he gave us life for, how we can be his friends, and what we must do to be forgiven of our sins. It also tells us about the precious future that it promises us.

This food helps us to know Jehovah's way of thinking, as revealed in the Bible. That is why we read the magazines, The Watchtower and Awake!, and the articles that appear on JW.org. We also prepare for midweek and weekend meetings, and watch the monthly JW Broadcasting® shows.

Second step: Obey Jehovah's rules.

If we do what Jehovah loves and obey Jehovah's rules, we will avoid what he hates, and therefore we will be happy.

Third step: Put the worship of Jehovah first.

It will help us to endure and remain faithful despite the injustices or adverse circumstances that we may be going through.