Snow Sculpture Contest in Breckenridge, Colorado
06 April 2013
6 April 2013 - Judges 6: 34
Saturday, April 6
Jehovah’s spirit enveloped Gideon. — Judg. 6:34
The book of Judges is replete with accounts of humans who “from a weak state were made powerful.” (Heb. 11:34) By means of holy spirit, God impelled Gideon to fight in behalf of His people. The army Gideon assembled, however, was outnumbered by the Midianite menace 4 to 1. Yet, Jehovah twice decreed that Gideon scale back the army until the enemy outnumbered Israelite fighters 450 to 1. (Judg. 7:2-8; 8:10) If a stunning victory was to take place, who could brag that it was wrought by human effort or wisdom? Jehovah’s power to save is infinite. He can deliver his people from any predicament, even doing so by using those who appear weak or helpless. Sometimes we may feel outnumbered or in desperate straits. However, we can draw abundant guidance and reassurance from God’s Word and through his spirit-directed congregation. (Rom. 8:31, 32) Jehovah’s loving promises fortify our faith and convince us that he really is our Helper! w11 12/15 3:12, 14
Jehovah’s spirit enveloped Gideon. — Judg. 6:34
The book of Judges is replete with accounts of humans who “from a weak state were made powerful.” (Heb. 11:34) By means of holy spirit, God impelled Gideon to fight in behalf of His people. The army Gideon assembled, however, was outnumbered by the Midianite menace 4 to 1. Yet, Jehovah twice decreed that Gideon scale back the army until the enemy outnumbered Israelite fighters 450 to 1. (Judg. 7:2-8; 8:10) If a stunning victory was to take place, who could brag that it was wrought by human effort or wisdom? Jehovah’s power to save is infinite. He can deliver his people from any predicament, even doing so by using those who appear weak or helpless. Sometimes we may feel outnumbered or in desperate straits. However, we can draw abundant guidance and reassurance from God’s Word and through his spirit-directed congregation. (Rom. 8:31, 32) Jehovah’s loving promises fortify our faith and convince us that he really is our Helper! w11 12/15 3:12, 14
05 April 2013
5 April 2013 - Micah 5: 2
Friday, April 5
You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, . . . from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel. — Mic. 5:2
The Messiah was to be born in the Judean town of Bethlehem, evidently once named Ephrathah. Although Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his adoptive father, Joseph, lived in Nazareth, a Roman registration decree had taken them to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born in 2 B.C.E. (Matt. 2:1, 5, 6) Another prophecy fulfilled in Jesus foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. (Isa. 7:14) Under inspiration, Matthew used the Greek word for “virgin” (par·the′nos) when showing that Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in connection with the birth of Jesus. The Gospel writers Matthew and Luke state that Mary was a virgin who became pregnant through the operation of God’s spirit. (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35) What a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy! w11 8/15 1:7, 8
You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, . . . from you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler in Israel. — Mic. 5:2
The Messiah was to be born in the Judean town of Bethlehem, evidently once named Ephrathah. Although Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his adoptive father, Joseph, lived in Nazareth, a Roman registration decree had taken them to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born in 2 B.C.E. (Matt. 2:1, 5, 6) Another prophecy fulfilled in Jesus foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. (Isa. 7:14) Under inspiration, Matthew used the Greek word for “virgin” (par·the′nos) when showing that Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in connection with the birth of Jesus. The Gospel writers Matthew and Luke state that Mary was a virgin who became pregnant through the operation of God’s spirit. (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35) What a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy! w11 8/15 1:7, 8
04 April 2013
EFFECTIVENESS OF JW.ORG WEBSITE
Nice report from Sister at Wallkill about the effectiveness of the JW.org site.
The GB is certainly progressive for Kingdom interests......
We had a nice report on Wednesday about the JW.Org site. Amazingly, the site is viewable in 230 languages and there are 440 languages in which you can download a piece of literature! I think I am safe to say that there is no other website like it. The brothers who were assigned to design it wanted to make it simple, appealing, compelling, and responsive. Some work with the web pages is automated to save time and man power. Other things have to be done manually by brothers and sisters. The brothers can monitor the locations from which downloads are being requested. They showed a world map and then had lights that lit up in different countries around the world as requests come in. It was very interesting to see how frequently persons in China, middle-eastern countries and of course Europe, America, etc, are accessing the JW.Org site. About 16,000 persons from 197 countries have requested Bible Studies via this web site in 5 months! The website is accessed about 500 times per minute, or 700,000 per day and around 300 million times per year!
A young man had left the truth and was very unhappy. He found the JW.org web site, requested someone to call on him, began a study and attended his first meeting, all from information he received on the website!
A Muslim man who speaks Persian and lives in a country where our work is not legally recognized accessed our web site, recognized the ring of truth, obtained the phone number of the Patterson complex, and called to ask for more information. The brother that took the call knew that there was a Gilead student who spoke his language and put them in touch with each other. The Gilead student started a Bible Study with this man via Skype and he is studying twice a week.
While on a flight from New York to California a sister sat next to a woman who is a Moslem refugee, and she spoke only Swahili and Somali, but cannot read either. The sister downloaded the Listen To God brochure from http://www.jw.org/ on her iPad and showed it to her. She indicated that she could not read. So she tried to sound out the words and read it to her and the woman helped her out. She was able to read “God’s name is Jehovah” and the woman repeated it. The sister text messaged a friend who knew someone who lives in the city the woman was going to who even knew Swahili . The woman is now having regular discussions.
Each day is thrilling as the brothers and sisters see the fruitage of their hard work and the preaching work is speeded up in this time of the end!
And here at Wt. Farm we have been busy too. We were told recently that during the year of 2012, we had 72,632 persons who toured and 5,000 of those were in 22 foreign languages! So it was a busy place here this past year.
The GB is certainly progressive for Kingdom interests......
We had a nice report on Wednesday about the JW.Org site. Amazingly, the site is viewable in 230 languages and there are 440 languages in which you can download a piece of literature! I think I am safe to say that there is no other website like it. The brothers who were assigned to design it wanted to make it simple, appealing, compelling, and responsive. Some work with the web pages is automated to save time and man power. Other things have to be done manually by brothers and sisters. The brothers can monitor the locations from which downloads are being requested. They showed a world map and then had lights that lit up in different countries around the world as requests come in. It was very interesting to see how frequently persons in China, middle-eastern countries and of course Europe, America, etc, are accessing the JW.Org site. About 16,000 persons from 197 countries have requested Bible Studies via this web site in 5 months! The website is accessed about 500 times per minute, or 700,000 per day and around 300 million times per year!
A young man had left the truth and was very unhappy. He found the JW.org web site, requested someone to call on him, began a study and attended his first meeting, all from information he received on the website!
A Muslim man who speaks Persian and lives in a country where our work is not legally recognized accessed our web site, recognized the ring of truth, obtained the phone number of the Patterson complex, and called to ask for more information. The brother that took the call knew that there was a Gilead student who spoke his language and put them in touch with each other. The Gilead student started a Bible Study with this man via Skype and he is studying twice a week.
While on a flight from New York to California a sister sat next to a woman who is a Moslem refugee, and she spoke only Swahili and Somali, but cannot read either. The sister downloaded the Listen To God brochure from http://www.jw.org/ on her iPad and showed it to her. She indicated that she could not read. So she tried to sound out the words and read it to her and the woman helped her out. She was able to read “God’s name is Jehovah” and the woman repeated it. The sister text messaged a friend who knew someone who lives in the city the woman was going to who even knew Swahili . The woman is now having regular discussions.
Each day is thrilling as the brothers and sisters see the fruitage of their hard work and the preaching work is speeded up in this time of the end!
And here at Wt. Farm we have been busy too. We were told recently that during the year of 2012, we had 72,632 persons who toured and 5,000 of those were in 22 foreign languages! So it was a busy place here this past year.
4 April 2013 - Exodus 23: 2
Thursday, April 4
You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends. — Ex. 23:2
When you choose entertainment and recreation for yourself or your family, do you allow the lax consciences of others to influence your decisions and to mold your conscience? Would that not, in effect, amount to following after the crowd? Jehovah has given us a precious gift to help us make decisions—our “perceptive powers.” However, these powers need to be trained “through use.” (Heb. 5:14) Following the crowd would not train our perceptive powers; nor, on the other hand, would a host of rigid rules in matters of conscience. That is why, for example, Jehovah’s people are not given a list of films, books, and Internet sites to avoid. Because this world changes so fast, such a list would be outdated soon after it was made. (1 Cor. 7:31) Worse, it would deprive us of the vital work of weighing Bible principles carefully and prayerfully and then making decisions on the basis of those principles. — Eph. 5:10 w11 7/15 1:3, 6, 7
You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends. — Ex. 23:2
When you choose entertainment and recreation for yourself or your family, do you allow the lax consciences of others to influence your decisions and to mold your conscience? Would that not, in effect, amount to following after the crowd? Jehovah has given us a precious gift to help us make decisions—our “perceptive powers.” However, these powers need to be trained “through use.” (Heb. 5:14) Following the crowd would not train our perceptive powers; nor, on the other hand, would a host of rigid rules in matters of conscience. That is why, for example, Jehovah’s people are not given a list of films, books, and Internet sites to avoid. Because this world changes so fast, such a list would be outdated soon after it was made. (1 Cor. 7:31) Worse, it would deprive us of the vital work of weighing Bible principles carefully and prayerfully and then making decisions on the basis of those principles. — Eph. 5:10 w11 7/15 1:3, 6, 7
3 April 2013 - Ephesians 2: 12
Wednesday, April 3
You had no hope and were without God in the world. — Eph. 2:12
Today, many do not believe in the concept of being sinners. Why not? Even if they go to church on occasion, they consider the Bible account of Adam and Eve to be merely a fable or a myth. Others grow up in an anti-God climate. They doubt that God exists and therefore do not understand that a Supreme Being set moral standards for humans and that failure to uphold those standards amounts to sin. In the letter to the Romans, Paul presented a reason why such a background cannot be an excuse—not then, not today. It is that creation itself bears witness to the existence of a Creator. (Rom. 1:19, 20) This accords with an observation Paul made when writing from Rome to the Hebrews: “Every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Heb. 3:4) That line of reasoning points to there being a Creator who constructed, or brought into existence, the entire universe. w11 6/15 1:12, 13
You had no hope and were without God in the world. — Eph. 2:12
Today, many do not believe in the concept of being sinners. Why not? Even if they go to church on occasion, they consider the Bible account of Adam and Eve to be merely a fable or a myth. Others grow up in an anti-God climate. They doubt that God exists and therefore do not understand that a Supreme Being set moral standards for humans and that failure to uphold those standards amounts to sin. In the letter to the Romans, Paul presented a reason why such a background cannot be an excuse—not then, not today. It is that creation itself bears witness to the existence of a Creator. (Rom. 1:19, 20) This accords with an observation Paul made when writing from Rome to the Hebrews: “Every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Heb. 3:4) That line of reasoning points to there being a Creator who constructed, or brought into existence, the entire universe. w11 6/15 1:12, 13
02 April 2013
2 April 2013 - John 10: 15
Tuesday, April 2
I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep. — John 10:15
Husbands should imitate Jesus in showing affection for those under their care. Rather than harshly dominating his wife, a husband who desires God’s approval continues loving her “just as the Christ also loved the congregation.” (Eph. 5:25) His words should be kind and considerate, for she is worthy of honor. (1 Pet. 3:7) In training young ones, the family head should firmly uphold godly principles. However, he must not fail to show affection for his children. Needed discipline should be administered lovingly. Some young ones may take longer than others to get the sense of what is expected of them. In that case, a father should show them greater patience. When men consistently follow the example of Jesus, they create a home environment that is safe and secure. Their families enjoy the type of spiritual security that the psalmist sang about. — Ps. 23:1-6 w115/15 1:4, 7, 8
I surrender my soul in behalf of the sheep. — John 10:15
Husbands should imitate Jesus in showing affection for those under their care. Rather than harshly dominating his wife, a husband who desires God’s approval continues loving her “just as the Christ also loved the congregation.” (Eph. 5:25) His words should be kind and considerate, for she is worthy of honor. (1 Pet. 3:7) In training young ones, the family head should firmly uphold godly principles. However, he must not fail to show affection for his children. Needed discipline should be administered lovingly. Some young ones may take longer than others to get the sense of what is expected of them. In that case, a father should show them greater patience. When men consistently follow the example of Jesus, they create a home environment that is safe and secure. Their families enjoy the type of spiritual security that the psalmist sang about. — Ps. 23:1-6 w115/15 1:4, 7, 8
1 April 2013 - Romans 12: 9
Monday, April 1
Abhor what is wicked, cling to what is good. — Rom. 12:9
In this wicked world, much entertainment is characterized by activities that flagrantly violate Bible principles or break God’s laws. (1 John 5:19) True Christians say a resolute no to all such entertainment. This includes entertainment that features sadism, demonism, homosexuality, pornography, or violence or that glorifies other vile, immoral practices. (1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Rev. 21:8) No matter where we may be, we prove to Jehovah that we “abhor what is wicked” by refusing to get close to such entertainment. (1 John 1:5, 6) Not all forms of entertainment center on practices that are expressly condemned in God’s Word. In such cases, before choosing the entertainment, we should carefully compare the activity with Jehovah’s view of what is wholesome, as expressed in Bible principles. (Prov. 4:10, 11) Then we need to make a personal decision that leaves us with a good conscience. — Gal. 6:5; 1 Tim. 1:19 w11 10/15 1:6, 7
Abhor what is wicked, cling to what is good. — Rom. 12:9
In this wicked world, much entertainment is characterized by activities that flagrantly violate Bible principles or break God’s laws. (1 John 5:19) True Christians say a resolute no to all such entertainment. This includes entertainment that features sadism, demonism, homosexuality, pornography, or violence or that glorifies other vile, immoral practices. (1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Rev. 21:8) No matter where we may be, we prove to Jehovah that we “abhor what is wicked” by refusing to get close to such entertainment. (1 John 1:5, 6) Not all forms of entertainment center on practices that are expressly condemned in God’s Word. In such cases, before choosing the entertainment, we should carefully compare the activity with Jehovah’s view of what is wholesome, as expressed in Bible principles. (Prov. 4:10, 11) Then we need to make a personal decision that leaves us with a good conscience. — Gal. 6:5; 1 Tim. 1:19 w11 10/15 1:6, 7
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