Tag Archives: spirituality

2 Thessalonians, chapters 1-3

“[…] The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the wicked one.”
~2 Thessalonians 3:3

It would be a mistake on my part to think I could be strong enough to make good choices without God’s guidance.
While everyone benefits from an innate conscience, gone unchecked that very conscience could end up justifying immoral or selfish behavior. (Rom. 2:14,15; Tit. 1:15)
And while I could live a fairly decent life solely based on the values my parents taught me, parents are imperfect and that approach would most certainly doom me to repeat their mistakes. (Pr. 22:6; Rom. 3:23; Eph. 6:4)
On top of this, God’s word explains that one’s personal struggle against Satanic influences is very real. (Eph. 2:2; 6:11,12; 1 John 5:19)
Knowing all this, modesty ought to move me to seek out God’s guidance through prayer and through reading the Scriptures, as well as by staying close to the congregation. (2 Thes. 3:5; Heb. 4:12)
Only then can I truly benefit from ‘protection from the wicked one.’ (Ps. 37:28)

1 Thessalonians, chapters 1-5

“[…] Just as you are in fact walking, we request you and appeal to you by the Lord Jesus to keep doing it more fully.”
1 Thessalonians 4:1

The members of the Christian congregation in Thessalonica were not perfect.
They had moral standards and love, but could improve on both counts. (1 Thess. 4:3,4,9,10)
That is why Paul commended them while tactfully encouraging them to “pursue what is good toward one another.” (1 Thess. 5:15)
Regardless of how long it has been since we became Christians, ‘making sure of all things’ and ‘holding fast to what is fine’ is something we have to remember to do every day. (1 Thess. 5:4,6,8,21)
We cannot afford to take our faith for granted, and as long as we are imperfect, there will be things we can improve on.

Colossians, chapters 1-4

“Although those things have an appearance of wisdom in a self-imposed form of worship and a false humility, a harsh treatment of the body, they are of no value in combating the satisfying of the flesh.”
~Colossians 2:23

Is it wrong to fast?
Paul asked the Christian congregation at Colossae why they continued subjecting themselves to the man-made decrees: “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch.” (Col. 2:20-22)
Although it is true that Paul himself fasted on occasion while praying, Jehovah expects his servants to serve him cheerfully and enjoy food.
(Eccl. 3:12,13; Acts 13:1-3; Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 1:11)
Furthermore, fasting itself does not help us combat other carnal desires.
And the Bible makes it clear that we cannot make up for our shortcomings through fasting. (Is. 58:3-7)
Whether a Christian chooses to fast or not is an entirely personal, private matter. (Matt. 6:16-18)

Philippians, chapters 1-4

“Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”
~Philippians 4:6,7

If this is one of the verses I’ve cited most from the Bible, it is because I often need to remind myself of this.
Jehovah does not expect us to never be anxious, but he does expect us to rely on him through our trials. (1 Pet. 5:7)
He promises to be there for us, either by providing strength to endure or by showing us the solution. (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 4:7-9; 2 Pet. 2:9)
Jehovah often answers our prayers in ways which we could never have even imagined. (Eph. 3:20)
If we look to him for comfort, his training will make us stronger and ‘firmly ground us’ in the faith. (1 Pet. 5:10)

Ephesians, chapters 4-6

“[…] Speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ.”
~Ephesians 4:15

How can I “grow up” by love, becoming a more spiritually mature Christian?
Mature Christians look for ways to promote unity in the congregation. (John 17:21,22; Eph. 4:2-4,13,16)
Instead of holding grudges, mature Christians consistently overlook the flaws of their brothers and sisters.
They view others with mercy and compassion. (Eph. 4:25,26; 31,32)
In the above passage, the Greek phrase “alitheiontes” literally means to maintain the truth.
This implies upholding Bible principles even when no one is watching. (Eph. 6:6)
But to be a mature Christian, it is not enough to obey systematically.
I have to be motivated by love.

Ephesians, chapters 1-3

“Now to the one who can, according to his power that is operating in us, do more than superabundantly beyond all the things we ask or conceive, to him be the glory by means of the congregation and by means of Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.”
~Ephesians 3:20,21

Many people who consider themselves to be Christians seem to have an unclear understanding of Christ’s role in the divine arrangement.
The Bible clearly states that Jehovah and Jesus are two distinct beings. (Deut. 6:4; John 14:28; Acts 7:55,56; Rev. 1:1)
Jesus’ purpose is to do his father’s will. (John 4:34)
They are “one” only in the sense that they are a team. (Matt. 26:39; John 8:17,18; John 17:1-3)
But literally they are two individuals.
All the glory belongs to Jehovah by means of Christ. (Prov. 8:22-31; 1 Cor. 15:27,28; Col. 1:13-20)
If something belongs to someone by means of someone else, they cannot possibly be the same person.
By recognizing Jesus’ role of mediator, we are valuing his self-sacrifice in devoting himself to doing his father’s will and addressing all glory to Jehovah. (1 Tim. 2:5,6)

Galatians, chapters 4-6

“Now the works of the flesh are plainly seen, and they are […] strife, jealousy, fits of anger, dissensions, divisions […]. Those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.”
~Galatians 5:19-21

I am highlighting this passage because recently I decided I need to be more mild in spirit and less contentious.
Perhaps we inherited a quick temper from one of our parents or it is a result of never having cultivated patience.
Maybe we find it easy to be polite face-to-face but immediately get hot headed when someone cuts us off in traffic, or gives us less than enthusiastic customer service over the phone.
Or maybe we generally get along well with someone until we find out they were rude to someone we love.
Regardless of our reasons, as Christians we need to be in control of what we feel instead of giving free reign to our emotions. (Gal. 5:22,23)

A recent article in the JW app, titled “How to Control Your Anger,” cited the following words of wisdom:

“Let go of anger and abandon rage; Do not become upset and turn to doing evil.” (Ps. 37:8)

“Also, let the peace of the Christ rule in your hearts, for you were called to that peace in one body. And show yourselves thankful.” (Col. 3:15)

“Finally, all of you have unity of mind, fellow feeling, brotherly affection, tender compassion, and humility.” (1 Pet. 3:8)

“The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, And it is beauty on his part to overlook an offense.” (Prov. 19:11)

“Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.” (Col. 4:6)

“Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (Jas. 1:19)

2 Corinthians, chapters 11-13

“Since you are so ‘reasonable,’ you gladly put up with the unreasonable ones.”
~2 Corinthians 11:19

Was the Apostle Paul being sarcastic when he made this statement?
The context shows that the “unreasonable ones” refers to apostate Christians who were criticizing him in his absence. (2 Cor. 11:3-6,12-15).
Paul put up with a lot to carry out his ministry, including physical persecution and health problems. (2 Cor. 11:24-27;12:7).
But he was especially sensitive to the negative attitudes the Christians in Corinth had towards him.
It hurt him to have to defend his own reputation before his brothers. (2 Cor. 12:11,16)
Today we may come across negative, one-sided information about other Jehovah’s Witnesses.
It would be unwise to “put up” with apostate material that tries to weaken our faith in God’s congregation.

2 Corinthians, chapters 7-10

“So now, also complete what you started to do, so that your readiness to act may be completed according to the means you have available.”
~2 Corinthians 8:11

It is important to try to follow through on our promises to the best of our abilities.
Perhaps our health has declined and we feel that what we can offer God is no longer good enough.
We may feel irrelevant and be tempted to give up altogether.
But instead of focusing on our limitations, God focuses on what we can do, and on our attitude. (Luke 21:1-4; 2 Cor. 8:12; 9:7)
We can be confident that whatever sacrifices we make in his service do not go unnoticed (Mal. 3:10; 2 Cor. 9:10; Heb. 6:10)

2 Corinthians, chapters 4-6

“Working together with him, we also urge you not to accept the undeserved kindness of God and miss its purpose.
For he says: ‘In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you.’
Look! Now is the especially acceptable time. Look! Now is the day of salvation.”
~2 Corinthians 6:1,2

Serving God is not necessarily easy nor fun. While it is not burdensome, it does entail considerable effort and sacrifice. (Matt. 7:13,14; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 John 5:3)
It may be tempting to take the easy way out and leave drawing closer to God for a future time when life is more “settled” or we feel more “prepared.”
The reason God’s Day has not come is because he wants us to repent. (Rom. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9)
But we do not know what will happen tomorrow or a couple years down the line. (Jas. 4:13,14)
Even if we spent 80 or 90 years studying about Jehovah and Jesus, we would still have so much more to learn about them and all they have done for us. (Job 26:14)
We cannot store up time and return it to God at a later date.
If we meditate on how we can draw closer to him today, we will have fewer regrets when we finally do run out of time. (Is. 30:18; 55:6; Eph. 4:30; Jas. 4:17)