DAILY TEXT, Today Saturday August 17, 2024, Happy is everyone who fears Jehovah, who walks in his ways (Ps. 128:1).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2024

Saturday August 17, 2024

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

True happiness is not a simple fleeting joy. It can last a lifetime. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the key to achieving it. He said, “Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual needs” (Matt. 5:3). He knew that human beings were made with an intense desire to know and worship our Creator, Jehovah. This is what the Bible refers to when it talks about our “spiritual needs.” And, since Jehovah is the “happy God,” we who serve him can also be happy (1 Tim. 1:11). Is it necessary to have the ideal circumstances in life to be happy? No. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that even “those who mourn” can do so. Furthermore, he said that “those who have been persecuted for righteousness” can also be happy (Matt. 5:4, 10, 11). Jesus taught that true happiness does not depend on us having ideal circumstances in life, but on meeting our spiritual needs and drawing closer to God (James 4:8). w22.10 6 paras. 1-3.

LET'S FEED OURSELVES IN A SPIRITUAL SENSE

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

FIRST STEP: To be truly happy, we must feed ourselves spiritually. In order to continue living, humans and animals need physical food. But only humans can feed ourselves in a spiritual sense, and we need to do so. For this reason, Jesus said: “Man must not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (Matt. 4:4). Therefore, let us not let a single day pass without feeding on the valuable Word of God, the Bible. The psalmist indicated: “Happy is the man […] who enjoys the law of Jehovah; day and night he reads the law from him” (read Psalm 1:1-3).

What can we learn from the Bible? and How does reading the Bible help us?

Because Jehovah loves us, he tells us in the Bible what we can do to achieve happiness. For example, he teaches us why he gave us life, how we can be his friends, and what we must do to have him forgive us our sins. He also tells us about the precious future he promises us (Jer. 29:11). Knowing these truths through studying the Bible fills our hearts with happiness.

As we know, the Bible contains many useful tips for life. When we follow them, we are happy. Therefore, if we feel overwhelmed by problems, let us spend more time reading Jehovah's Word and meditating on it. Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice!” (Luke 11:28).

How can we make the most of the time we spend reading God's Word?

As we read God's Word, let us take time to “taste” it. What does this imply? Let's take an example. Suppose someone prepares one of our favorite meals for us. But we are in such a hurry or so many problems in our heads that we gobble it up without savoring every bite. When we finish, we realize how quickly we ate and we wish we had slowed down and enjoyed the food. Something similar can happen to us when reading the Bible. Perhaps we are in such a hurry that we do not have time to “savor” his message. Let's spend time enjoying our reading by imagining the scenes, listening to the voices and meditating on what we have read. If we do all this, we will be happier.

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

Jesus has commissioned the “faithful and wise slave” to give us spiritual food at the right time, and we are very well fed (Matt. 24:45).b The main ingredient in everything the faithful slave prepares is the inspired Scriptures (1 Thes. 2:13). This food helps us learn about Jehovah's way of thinking as revealed in the Bible. That's why we read The Watchtower and Awake! magazines, and the articles that appear on jw.org. We also prepare for weekday and weekend meetings, and watch monthly JW Broadcasting® programs if they are available in our language. Taking advantage of this abundance of spiritual food will help us take the second step that produces authentic happiness.

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