Watchtower Study, Week 6 to May 12, 2024, Do you sincerely desire to dedicate your life to Jehovah?, Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, May 6-12, 2024, Do you sincerely desire to dedicate your life to Jehovah?, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“How will I repay Jehovah for all the good he has done to me?” (PSA. 116:12).

1, 2. What must be done before being baptized?

IN THE past five years, more than a million people have been baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses. Many learned the truth from a young age, as did the disciple Timothy (2 Tim. 3:14, 15). Others came to know Jehovah as adults or even very old. In fact, some time ago, a woman studying the Bible with the Witnesses was baptized at the age of 97.

2 Are you studying the Bible? Or are your parents Witnesses and teaching you the truth? In any case, you may be considering getting baptized. And that's very good! But there is one thing you must do before you are baptized: dedicate yourself to Jehovah. This article will explain what dedication is. It will also talk about why you should not be afraid to dedicate yourself and get baptized if you are ready to do so.

WHAT IS DEDICATION?

3. Name some people who were dedicated to God in biblical times.

3 In the Bible, to be dedicated means to be set apart for something sacred, that is, for the service of God. Israel was a nation dedicated to Jehovah. But some Israelites were dedicated in a very special way. For example, Jehovah chose Aaron to be high priest. Therefore, on the front of the turban he wore a shiny gold plate, which was “the holy sign of dedication” (Lev. 8:9). The Nazarites were also dedicated to Jehovah in a very special way. In fact, the word Nazarite comes from the Hebrew nazír, which means “separate” or “dedicated.” The Law of Moses indicated that they had to follow certain specific rules (Num. 6:2-8).

4. a) What does it mean for us to dedicate ourselves to Jehovah? b) What does it mean to renounce oneself? (See also the drawing).

4 a ).  For us, dedicating ourselves means making the decision to be disciples of Jesus and putting God's will first in our lives. And what does that imply? Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be my follower, he must renounce himself” (Matt. 16:24). The Greek expression that was translated “let him renounce himself” can also be translated “let him deny himself”, b).  That is, say no to yourself. When you dedicate yourself to Jehovah, you will have to say no to everything that displeases God. (2 Cor. 5:14, 15) That includes rejecting “the works of the flesh,” such as sexual immorality (Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:18). Will it be a burden to do so? Of course not, as long as you love Jehovah and are convinced that his standards are best for you. (Ps. 119:97; Isa. 48:17, 18) A brother named Nicholas says: “You can see Jehovah's rules as the bars of a cell, which do not allow you to do what you want, or as the bars of a zoo, which protect you from the attack of lions.”

ILLUSTRATION

Do you see Jehovah's rules as the bars of a cell, which do not allow you to do whatever you want, or as the bars of a zoo, which protect you from the attack of lions? (See paragraph 4).

5. a) How does someone dedicate themselves to Jehovah? b) What is the difference between dedication and baptism? (See also images).

5 How does someone dedicate themselves to Jehovah? to).  Making him a prayer in which he promises that he will worship only him and that the most important thing in his life will be to do his will. In other words, she is promising Jehovah that he will always love him with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength (Mark 12:30). b).  The dedication is done in private; It is something between you and Jehovah. On the other hand, baptism is something public; This way people will know that you dedicated yourself to Jehovah. The vow of dedication is a very serious promise. You will surely want to fulfill it, and that is what Jehovah expects you to do. (Eccl. 5:4, 5)

ILLUSTRATION

Devoting yourself to Jehovah means promising that you will worship him alone and that the most important thing in your life will be to do his will. (See paragraph 5).

WHAT WILL MOTIVATE YOU TO DEDICATE YOURSELF TO JEHOVAH?

6. What motivates someone to dedicate themselves to Jehovah?

6 The main reason you will dedicate yourself to Jehovah is because you love him. This love is not just a passing emotion, but has grown little by little as you have learned about Jehovah and gained “accurate knowledge” and “spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:9). By studying the scriptures, you have become convinced that 1) Jehovah is real, 2) he inspired the Bible with his spirit, and 3) he has an organization and uses it to accomplish his will.

7. What is expected of someone who is going to dedicate themselves to Jehovah?

7 If someone is to dedicate himself to Jehovah, he is expected to already know the basic teachings of the Bible, to be obeying God's standards, and to be talking to others about his beliefs as his circumstances allow. (Matt. 28:19 , twenty). Furthermore, he has an intense love for Jehovah, and wholeheartedly desires to worship him alone. Can that be said about you? If you love Jehovah with all your strength, you will not think about dedicating yourself and getting baptized just to please the person who gives you Bible classes. And, if you are young, you will not take this step just because you want to please your parents or because your friends are also getting baptized.

8. What is the relationship between gratitude and dedication? (Psalm 116:12-14).

8 When you think about all that Jehovah has done for you, gratitude will naturally prompt you to dedicate your life to Him. (Read Psalm 116:12-14.) The Bible says that “every good gift and every perfect gift” comes from Jehovah (James 1:17). The most special gift he has given us is the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. Thanks to this wonderful gift, you have the possibility to be a friend of God and to live forever (1 John 4:9, 10, 19). One way to thank him for his immense love and all he has done for you is to dedicate your life to him (Deut. 16:17; 2 Cor. 5:15). This is talked about in the book Enjoy Life, in lesson 46, point 4, where there is also a three-minute video titled What we can give to God.

ARE YOU READY TO DEDICATE YOURSELF AND BE BAPTIZED?

9. Why should no one feel pressured to dedicate themselves to Jehovah?

9 You may feel that you are not ready to dedicate yourself and be baptized. Perhaps you need to make more changes in your life to obey Jehovah, or you need more time to strengthen your faith. (Col. 2:6, 7) Remember that not all students progress at the same rate. And not all young people mature spiritually at the same age. So look at your own situation and circumstances realistically, and don't compare yourself to others.​—Gal. 6:4, 5.

10. What can you do if you see that you are not ready to dedicate yourself and be baptized? (See also the box “If your parents are Witnesses”).

10 If you see that you are not yet ready to dedicate your life to Jehovah, continue striving toward that goal. Ask Jehovah to help you make the changes you need. (Philipp. 2:13; 3:16) You can be sure that he will hear your prayers and answer them (1 John 5:14).

If your parents are Witnesses

If your parents are teaching you the truth, it will help you to read the three articles in the “Should I Get Baptized?” series in the “Young People Ask” section of jw.org.

You will also find more practical information in these two Watchtower study articles from March 2016: “Are You Ready to Be Baptized?” and “How can you prepare for baptism?”

Without a doubt, you will benefit if you take time to analyze all this information and meditate on it.

WHY SOME DO NOT DECIDE TO TAKE THE STEP

11. What will Jehovah do to help us be faithful?

11 Some people are ready to dedicate themselves and be baptized, but they do not decide to do so. Perhaps they are afraid of committing a serious sin and ending up expelled. But the Bible says that Jehovah will give his servants everything they need “so that they may behave in a manner worthy” of him “and so please him in everything” (Col. 1:10). Therefore, you can be sure that Jehovah will give you the strength he needs to do what is right. After all, he has already done it with many others (1 Cor. 10:13). That's one reason relatively few people end up expelled. With Jehovah's support it is possible to be faithful to him.

12. What will help us avoid committing a serious sin?

12 Because we are imperfect, we are all tempted to do bad things (James 1:14). But when a temptation comes your way, you don't have to fall into it; What you do or don't do in your life is ultimately up to you. Although some people say that it is not possible to control our impulses, that is not true. We can learn to control what we feel and what we do. There are several things that can help us: praying to Jehovah every day, having a good personal study program, going to meetings, and preaching. If we are constant in all these things, we will have the strength to fulfill our vow of dedication. Let us not forget that we are not alone in this fight; Jehovah is with us (Gal. 5:16).

13. What good example did Joseph give us?

13 It will be easier to remain faithful to Jehovah if we think ahead of time about what we will do when faced with temptation. In the Bible we find examples of people who certainly did it, and they were also imperfect like us. Let's think about José. Potiphar's wife insisted again and again that he sleep with her. But he was very clear how to respond. The Bible says that “he refused” and she said to him: “How could I do something so bad and actually sin against God?” (Gen. 39:8-10). Everything indicates that Joseph already knew how he would react even before Potiphar's wife tempted him. So when the time came, it became easier for him to say no.

14. How can we learn to reject everything that Jehovah hates?

14 How can we imitate Joseph and be determined to be faithful? Thinking from now on how to react when temptation presents itself. We must learn to instantly reject everything that Jehovah hates, without stopping for a second to think about it.​—Ps. 97:10; 119:165. That will help us not commit a serious sin. When temptation comes, we will know how to react; We will have it very clear.

15. How can you demonstrate that you are one of those who “earnestly seek” Jehovah? (Hebrews 11:6).

15 You may know that you have found the truth and desire to serve Jehovah with all your heart. But is there something holding you back from taking the step of dedicating yourself and getting baptized? Well, you can do what King David did and pray to Jehovah: “Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart. Look inside me and know my distressing thoughts. See if there is any evil tendency in me, and lead me along the path of eternity” (Ps. 139:23, 24). By striving toward the goal of dedication and baptism, you will demonstrate that you earnestly seek Jehovah. And the Bible assures us that he blesses those who do that (read Hebrews 11:6).

KEEP COMING CLOSER TO JEHOVAH

16, 17. How does Jehovah bring the children of the Witnesses into the congregation? (John 6:44).

16 Jesus said that it is Jehovah who brings people to his people (read John 6:44). What a nice idea! Have you thought about what it means to you? Jehovah sees something good in every person he brings to his people. To him, each of his servants is his “special property,” or his “valuable possession” (Deut. 7:6; note). And that includes you.

17 Young man, if your parents are teaching you the truth, you may feel that you are in the congregation not because Jehovah brought you, but because your parents take you. But look at what the Bible says: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8; 1 Chron. 28:9). This means that if you approach him first, then he will approach you. Jehovah does not see you as one of the crowd. All the people who are in the congregation are there because Jehovah brought them one by one. And that includes the children of Witnesses. When someone takes the first step and approaches Jehovah, he does his part, as James 4:8 says (compare this idea with 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

18. What will we see in the next article? (Psalm 40:8).

18 When Jesus was baptized, he willingly came before his Father to do whatever he asked (read Psalm 40:8; Heb. 10:7). When you dedicate your life to Jehovah and are baptized, you will be imitating the attitude of Jesus. The following article will help you continue serving Jehovah faithfully after baptism.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What does it mean to be dedicated to Jehovah?

It means making the decision to be disciples of Jesus and putting God's will first in life.

It also means that we no longer live for the flesh, but for Jehovah, rejecting the works of the flesh and doing the will of Jehovah.

What is the relationship between gratitude and dedication?

A great relationship, they are very related, if one says they are grateful, but does not show it with actions, they are just words that are carried away by the wind.

One way to thank Jehovah for his immense love and everything he has done for you is to dedicate your life to him as mentioned in Deuteronomy 16:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:15.

What will help you avoid committing a serious sin?

What will help us not commit a serious sin is to learn to cultivate self-control and not let ourselves be overcome by the first temptation.

What will also help us is to understand that we are responsible for our actions, for this reason we avoid blaming others.

We can also learn to control what we feel and what we do.