Jehovah Reigns ‘My Food Is to Do God’s Will’ What gives you great delight? Is it some aspect of human relations, such as marriage, raising a family, or nurturing a friendship? Very likely, you find it delightful to share a meal with loved ones. As a servant of Jehovah, though, is it not especially rewarding to do God’s will, study his Word, and preach the good news? In a melody lauding the Creator, King David of ancient Israel sang: “To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is deep within me.” (Ps. 40:8) In spite of the hardships and pressures he faced in life, David genuinely delighted in doing the divine will. Of course, David was not the only worshipper of Jehovah who took pleasure in serving the true God. Applying the words of Psalm 40:8 to the Messiah, or Christ, the apostle Paul wrote: “When he [Jesus] comes into the world, he says: ‘“Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but you prepared a body for me. You did not approve of whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.” Then I said: “Look! I have come (in the scroll it is written about me) to do your will, O God.”’”—Heb. 10:5-7. While on earth, Jesus enjoyed observing creation, being with friends, and sharing in meals. (Matt. 6:26-29; John 2:1, 2; 12:1, 2) Yet, his paramount interest and greatest delight was doing his heavenly Father’s will. In fact, Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34; 6:38) From their Master,Jesus’ disciples learned the secret of genuine happiness. With great joy, they willingly and eagerly shared the Kingdom message with others.—Luke 10:1, 8, 9, 17. ‘GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES’ Jesus commanded his followers: “Go . . . and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) Carrying out this commission involves calling on people wherever they can be found, making return visits on those showing interest, and conducting Bible studies with such individuals. Doing this work can be a source of great delight. Love moves us to continue preaching despite any apathy we encounter Whether people show interest in our message or not, our attitude plays a key role in our finding delight in the ministry. Why do we continue to declare the good news even though we may encounter some apathy or indifference?Because we realize that sharing in the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work is a demonstration of our love for God and for our neighbor. Indeed, lives are at stake—both our own and that of our neighbors. (Ezek. 3:17-21; 1 Tim. 4:16) Let us consider some points that have helped many of our fellow workers to maintain or renew their zeal for the ministry in challenging territories. USE EVERY OPPORTUNITY Using appropriate questions in our ministry often leads to good results. One morning, Amalia saw a man reading the newspaper in a park. She approached him and asked if he had read any good news. When he replied that he had not, Amalia said, “I bring you good news about God’s Kingdom.” This aroused the man’s interest, and he accepted a Bible study. In fact, Amalia was able to start three Bible studies in that park. Janice has made her place of employment a preaching territory. When a security guard and his workmate showed interest in an article published in The Watchtower, Janice offered to bring them the magazines regularly. She did the same for another coworker, who was fascinated by the variety of subjects discussed in The Watchtower and Awake! This led to yet another worker asking for the magazines. “What a blessing from Jehovah!” says Janice. She eventually had 11 people on her magazine route at work. BE POSITIVE A traveling overseer recommended that in the house-to-house ministry, publishers should not conclude their conversation with a householder simply by saying that they would come again another day. Instead, they could ask the person: “Would you like to have me show you how a Bible study is conducted?” or, “What day and hour would you like me to return to continue our discussion?” The traveling overseer reported that by using this approach, the brothers and sisters in one congregation he was serving started 44 home Bible studies in one week. Making return visits promptly—even within a few days of the initial call—can be quite effective. Why? Because doing so shows that we have real interest in helping honesthearted individuals to understand the Bible. When asked why she accepted a Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses, one woman said, “I began to study because they showed me sincere interest and love.” You might ask the householder, “Would you like to have me show you how a Bible study is conducted?” Within a short time after attending the Pioneer Service School, Madaí was conducting 15 Bible studies and had turned over 5 more to other publishers. Several of her Bible students began attending our meetings regularly. What helped Madaí to start so many studies? The school had impressed on her the need to keep on returning until she found those who had originally shown interest. Another Witness who has helped many to learn Bible truths says, “I have learned that perseverance in making return visits is the key to helping people who want to know Jehovah.” Promptly making return visits shows that we have real interest in those who want to understand the Bible Making return visits and conducting Bible studies requires diligent effort. However, the rewards far exceed all the effort required. By applying ourselves in the Kingdom-preaching work, we can help others to “come to an accurate knowledge of truth,” and that can mean salvation for them. (1 Tim. 2:3, 4) For us, it can result in satisfaction and delight beyond compare.
Posted on: Tue, 20 May 2014 20:40:18 +0000
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