TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: Week of December 4-10, 2023, “Can a man be useful to God?”, Prepared Discourse.

TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: December 4-10, 2023, “Can a man be useful to God?”, Prepared Discourse. 

“Can a man be useful to God?” (10 mins.).

“Why God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son” Jesus said to Nicodemus and is recorded in John 3:16. And continuing with the text: "So that no one who shows faith in him will be destroyed, but have eternal life."

If we notice, these words are not questions, but a sure confirmation that God really cares about us, to the point of giving the life of his beloved son on our behalf. Meditating on this and confirming it when we see past examples in the Bible increases our gratitude to Jehovah and our love for him, which will help us resist harmful or negative thoughts like those of Job's so-called friends. Let's go to the Biblical account of Job 22:1,,2, and see what Eliphaz said to Job.

LET'S READ JOB 22:1,2.

Eliphaza the Temanite responded with these words: 2 “Can a man be useful to God?

Can someone insightful contribute something to him?

"Can a man be useful to God?" This question, posed by Eliphaz in the book of Job, negatively questions our relationship with Jehovah, stating that we are useless to him and that he has no interest in what we do. 

And sadly, sometimes some of us come to think the same way, life experiences, economic pressures, illnesses, persecutions, can lead us to mistakenly believe that our actions and efforts are not enough for our God. Let's read together please the same Chapter 22 of Job, but this time verse 3, please accompany me with the reading, it says like this...

LET'S READ JOB 22:3.

Does the Almighty care* that you are righteous? Does he gain anything from your track record of integrity?

As we can see, Eliphaz continues with his deceptive words, he implied that God does not care if we are righteous. These words, instead of providing comfort, increased Job's emotional burden.

And similarly, we sometimes become discouraged by negative thinking, thinking that our efforts to do what is right are unimportant in the eyes of God. However, brothers, Proverbs 27:11, reveals a Powerful truth: We can give Jehovah arguments to respond to Satan's challenge. Notice how Jehovah himself expresses it, which motivates us to strive harder every day. Proverbs 27:11 says…

LET'S READ JOB 27:11.

Be wise, my son, and gladden my heart so that I can respond to him who challenges me.

Brothers: This is a call to actively participate in solving one of the greatest issues facing humanity. The biblical account shows us that Satan questioned the loyalty of Job and, by extension, all of his servants.

But how wonderful to know that as individuals, we have the power to contribute to the answer to the diabolical challenge. Jehovah invites us to be an active part in the resolution of this vital issue. Do we realize the magnitude of this call? We can follow in the footsteps of Job, Jesus and many others who with their actions have shown Satan that he is a liar.

It is extremely important to be clear about the magnitude of this challenge. For this reason we must always be motivated knowing that our God Jehovah is deeply interested in his witnesses. We are valuable in his eyes, and our choices and actions deeply impact his heart.

If we keep this in mind, we will always act like the little sister of advanced age that we see in our corresponding activities guide this week, she, despite the ailments of old age, still continues to preach with enthusiasm, as we see in the photograph of our activity guide. activities.

So, how should we feel knowing that we are useful to the almighty? Let us recognize our worth, resist negative voices and, with wisdom, rejoice the heart of our creator.

Now Eliphaz questioned: "Can a man be useful to God?" The answer is: A resounding yes, if we are useful and very valuable, and we demonstrate it with our actions and in our way of living, we will be able to gladden the heart of our creator. And in this way we will demonstrate with facts that the devil is a liar.