DAILY TEXT, Sunday, August 24, 2025, My dear brothers, stand firm, immovable (1 Cor. 15:58).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2025

Sunday, August 24, 2025

My dear brothers, stand firm, immovable (1 Cor. 15:58).

In the late 1970s, construction began on a 60-story skyscraper in Tokyo, Japan. As people drove by, they wondered if it would be able to withstand the frequent earthquakes. But what did the engineers do to make it stand? They designed it to be solid yet flexible, allowing it to absorb the shocks. We Christians are like that skyscraper.

In what sense? A person who serves Jehovah must maintain a balance between firmness and flexibility. On the one hand, he must be firm and immovable when it comes to upholding Jehovah's standards and laws. He must be "ready to obey" God and never violate his principles. On the other hand, he must be "reasonable," that is, flexible, whenever possible or even necessary. (James 3:17) If we have this balanced view, we will not go to extremes; we will be neither overly rigid nor overly permissive. w23.07 14 pars. 1, 2.

What laws does Jehovah give us in Acts 15:28, 29?

Jehovah is the supreme Lawgiver, the ultimate lawgiver, and he has always given his people clear standards. (Isa. 33:22) For example, the first-century governing body identified three areas in which Christians must stand firm. They indicated that we are to 1) reject idolatry and worship Jehovah alone; 2) respect blood as sacred; and 3) faithfully observe the Bible's high standards of sexual morality. (Read Acts 15:28, 29.) How can we stand firm in these three areas today?

What does it mean to give Jehovah exclusive devotion? (Revelation 4:11)

We reject idolatry and worship Jehovah alone. He commanded the Israelites to give him exclusive devotion. (Deut. 5:6-10) And when Jesus was tempted by the Devil, he made it clear that we are to worship Jehovah alone. (Matt. 4:8-10) Therefore, we do not venerate religious images. Nor do we idolize any human being; we do not treat religious leaders, politicians, or sports and entertainment stars as gods. Rather, we stand before Jehovah, the Creator of all things, and worship him alone. (Read Revelation 4:11.)

Why do we respect life and blood as something sacred?

We respect life and blood as sacred. Why? Because Jehovah says that blood represents life, and life is a precious gift from him (Lev. 17:14). When Jehovah first authorized humans to eat animal flesh, he forbade them to eat blood (Gen. 9:4). He later repeated this prohibition when he gave the Mosaic Law to Israel (Lev. 17:10). And, in the first century, he had the governing body command all Christians to abstain from blood (Acts 15:28, 29). We steadfastly follow this command when we have to make decisions about medical matters.

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