God saw good for all fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile again to himself all other things.—Col. 1:19, 20.

Thursday, December 30

God

saw good for all fullness to dwell in him, and through him to reconcile again to himself all other things.—Col. 1:19, 20.

“The things in the heavens” that are reconciled to Jehovah by means of Christ’s shed blood are the anointed Christians, called to reign with Christ in the heavens. Christians who are “partakers of the heavenly calling” are declared “righteous for life.” (Heb. 3:1; Rom. 5:1, 18) Jehovah then begets them as spiritual sons. (Rom. 8:15-17; Rev. 5:9, 10) “The things upon the earth” are Christ’s other sheep, who have the hope of living forever on earth. To these also Jehovah’s chosen Servant brings a righteous standing before Jehovah. Because they have faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice and thus “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” Jehovah declares them righteous, not as spiritual sons, but as his friends.—Rev. 7:9, 10, 14; Jas. 2:23.

Do

not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one.—Matt. 6:13.

How are we to understand these two related requests in Jesus’ model prayer? One thing is certain: Jehovah does not tempt us to commit sin. (Jas. 1:13) Satan—“the wicked one”—is the real “Tempter.” (Matt. 4:3) However, the Bible speaks of God as doing things that he is merely permitting. (Ruth 1:20, 21; Eccl. 11:5) Therefore, “do not bring us into temptation” is a petition that Jehovah not permit us to succumb when we are tempted to disobey him. Finally, the plea “deliver us from the wicked one” is a request that Jehovah not allow Satan to overcome us. And we can be confident that ‘God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.’—1 Cor. 10:13.

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Happy are the peaceable, since they will be called “sons of God.”—Matt. 5:9.

If we are the kind of people whom Jesus had in mind, we are peaceable and ‘do not render injury for injury to anyone.’ Instead, we ‘always pursue what is good toward others.’ (1 Thess. 5:15) The Greek term rendered “peaceable” at Matthew 5:9 literally means “peacemakers.” To be included among the peaceable, we must actively promote peace. Peacemakers do not do anything that ‘separates those familiar with one another.’ (Prov. 16:28) As the peaceable, we take positive steps to “pursue peace with all people.” (Heb. 12:14) If we are “living by spirit,” peaceableness will be one of our qualities that is readily seen by others. We will not be “stirring up competition with one another” or “provoking . . . each other.” (Gal. 5:22-26; New International Version) Instead, we endeavor to be “peaceable with all men.”—Rom. 12:18.

GOOD LIFE

All

hearts Jehovah is searching, and every inclination of the thoughts he is discerning.—1 Chron. 28:9.

Jehovah knows that rightly inclined people will be drawn to him and that knowledge of his beautiful qualities will warm their heart. Hence, Jehovah wants us to get to know him and to become acquainted with his wonderful personality. How do we do so? By studying his Word and by experiencing his blessing in our lives. (Prov. 10:22; John 14:9)

Tuesday, December 22 Make me know your own ways, O Jehovah.—Ps. 25:4.

The apostle Paul showed that he understood the importance of loving those who are being taught. (1 Thess. 2:7, 8) Similarly, we can show a sincere interest in each Bible student by taking time to get to know him. As we discuss Scriptural principles with him, it is likely that we will become acquainted with his circumstances. We may observe that he is already living his life in harmony with some of the points that he has learned from the Bible. In other areas, he may still need to make adjustments. By helping the student to see how the information presented during Bible study sessions applies to him personally, we can lovingly assist him to become a genuine disciple of Christ. Most important of all, we can pray with our student and for our student. It should be clear to him that our objective is to help him come to know his Creator more intimately, draw closer to Him, and benefit from His guidance. w08 1/15 2:16-18