DAILY TEXT, Today Tuesday, November 21, 2023, Do not make for yourself any graven image or anything that has the shape of something that is in the heavens above or on the earth below. (Ex. 20:4, 5).

DAILY TEXT, For today Tuesday, November 21, Do not make for yourself any graven image or anything that has the shape of something that is in heaven above or on the earth below (Ex. 20:4, 5).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2023

Tuesday, November 21

Do not make for yourself any graven image or anything shaped like something in the heavens above or on the earth below. Do not bow down to such things (Ex. 20:4, 5).

Because Jesus loved Jehovah very much, he worshiped him alone, both when he was in heaven and when he was on Earth (Luke 4:8). And he taught his disciples to do the same. Neither he nor his faithful disciples ever used images in their worship. Since God is a spirit, nothing man does to represent Him can ever come close to His incomparable glory (Is. 46:5). And what about making images of so-called saints and praying to them? In the second of the Ten Commandments, Jehovah spoke the words of today's text. For those who want to please God, these words leave no room for doubt. Historians recognize that first-century Christians only worshiped God. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses follow the example of the first-century Christians. w21.10 19, 20 paras. 5, 6.

What clear differences exist between Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions?

Today, many people enthusiastically follow very popular religious leaders, to the point of almost idolizing them. They crowd their churches, buy their books, and donate lots of money to support them. Some believe everything they are told. Not even seeing Jesus in person would they get so excited! In contrast, true servants of Jehovah do not follow any human leader. While we respect those who lead us, we are guided by this clear teaching of Jesus: “You are all brothers” (Matt. 23:8-10). We do not turn men into idols, whether they are religious leaders or political rulers. And we do not support their causes, but remain neutral and separate from the world. In all of these areas we are very different from many groups that claim to be Christians (John 18:36).

How do we know that Jehovah wants us to glorify his name and make it known to the whole world?

On one occasion, Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify your name.” Jehovah himself responded with a thunderous voice from heaven, promising to glorify his name (John 12:28). Throughout his ministry, Jesus gave glory to his Father's name (John 17:26). So it is logical to expect that true Christians would be proud to use God's name and make it known to others.

How did first-century Christians demonstrate that they respected God's name?

In the first century, shortly after the Christian congregation was formed, Jehovah “turned his attention to the nations to raise out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14). Those Christians were proud to use God's name and make it known to others. They used the divine name openly in their ministry and in writing the books of the Bible.b Thus they demonstrated that they were a people for the name of God (Acts 2:14, 21).

What evidence is there that Jehovah's Witnesses are a people for the name of God?

Are Jehovah's Witnesses a people for the name of Jehovah? Let's see the evidence. Today, many religious leaders have done everything in their power to hide the fact that God has a name. They have eliminated it from their Bible translations and in some cases have prohibited its use in their religious services.c But it is undeniable that Jehovah's Witnesses are the only ones who give God's name the honor and respect it deserves. No other religious group makes the name of God known to as many people as we do. We do our best to be what our name says we are: Jehovah's Witnesses (Isa. 43:10-12). We have published more than 240 million copies of the New World Translation, which uses Jehovah's name in places where other Bible translators have omitted it. And we publish biblical publications that use Jehovah's name in more than 1,000 languages.

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