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STUDY ARTICLES

DECEMBER 24-30

Teach Me to Do Your Will

PAGE 3 SONGS: 69, 120

DECEMBER 31JANUARY 6

Jesus Set the Pattern of Humility

PAGE 9 SONGS: 84, 82

JANUARY 7-13

Cultivate the Spirit of a Lesser One

PAGE 15 SONGS: 26, 68

JANUARY 14-20

What Does Jehovahs Forgiveness Mean for You?

PAGE 21 SONGS: 67, 91

JANUARY 21-27

Forgive One Another Freely

PAGE 27 SONGS: 77, 118

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Vol. 133, No. 22 Semimonthly ENGLISH

PURPOSE OF STUDY ARTICLES

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe. Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine shows us the signicance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news that Gods Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform the earth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who is now ruling as King of Gods Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovahs Witnesses continuously since 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.

STUDY ARTICLE 1 PAGES 3-8 This article shows how King David of ancient Israel had great respect for Jehovahs name, or reputation, and His purpose. David had also learned principles from Gods Law and asked Jehovah to teach him to do His will. This article also shows us why we should always try to think as Jehovah thinks.

STUDY ARTICLES 2, 3 PAGES 9-20 True Christians know that they need to be humble as Jesus was. In the rst article, we will learn about Jesus example of humility so that we can imitate him. The second article explains how we can behave as a lesser one and be humble.

COVER: Preaching in the small rural town of Albarracn in central Spain. The 78 publishers in the Teruel Congregation care for Albarracn and 188 other towns and villages

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the modernlanguage New World Translation of the Holy ScripturesWith References.

STUDY ARTICLES 4, 5 PAGES 21-32 These articles will assure us that Jehovah is willing to forgive even very serious sins. Sometimes it is dicult for us to want to forgive other people. But lessons in the Bible can help us to be more willing to forgive.

SPAIN


POPULATION

47,042,900


PUBLISHERS

Some Expressions Explained are contextual explanations of words used within an article.

111,101


The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semimonthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at additional mailing oces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

MEMORIAL ATTENDANCE IN 2012

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Teach Me to Do Your Will

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
PSALM 143:10.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

What did David do to show that he viewed situations the way Jehovah does?

What helped David to learn how God viewed the situations he was in?

HEN traveling, have you ever used a map or a computerized mapping program? It can give you a better view, or show you what the land looks like from above, so that you can gure out the best way to get from one place to another. In a similar way, when we are making important decisions, we benet when we get a better view of the matter, or learn what God thinks about it. This helps us to know what his will is. Then we can do his will, or walk in the way that Jehovah approves.Isaiah 30:21. 2 During most of his life, King David of ancient Israel tried to view situations the way God did. By doing this, David made sure that he did Gods will. He was a man whose heart was complete with Jehovah God. This article will help us to learn from what David did when he was in dicult situations.1 Kings 11:4. When David was young, he went to ght against the Philistine Goliath. Why did David think that he could ght against a giant who was about 2.9 meters (9.5 feet) tall and who had powerful weapons? (1 Samuel 17:4, footnote) Was it simply because David was courageous? Or was it because he had faith in God? Both courage and faith
3

DAVID RESPECTED JEHOVAHS NAME

How can we continue to have Gods favor?

1, 2. How can we benet when we learn what Gods will is? How will we benet from King Davids example? 3, 4. (a) Why did David think that he could ght against Goliath? (b) How did David feel about Gods name?

SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

Principle: A basic truth that helps us to make good decisions and helps us to understand how Jehovah thinks about a matter Laws: Rules in the Bible that tell us what God says is right and wrong Reputation: The opinion that people have about a person. They think of this opinion whenever they hear the persons name

were important, but the main reason that David fought Goliath was that David respected Jehovah and His great name. David was angry that Goliath spoke disrespectfully of Gods people. David said: Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has to taunt the battle lines of the living God?1 Samuel 17:26. 4 Young David said to Goliath: You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have taunted. (1 Samuel 17:45) David relied on the true God to help him. He killed Goliath by throwing one stone with his sling. Throughout the rest of his life, David trusted in Jehovah and respected His holy name. And David told his fellow Israelites to boast in Jehovahs name.Read 1 Chronicles 16: 8-10. 5 Are you proud to have Jehovah as your God? (Jeremiah 9:24) What do you do when your neighbors, workmates, classmates, or relatives speak disrespectfully of Jehovah or make fun
5. What should you do when people today show disrespect for Jehovah as Goliath did?

of his Witnesses? When people show disrespect for God as Goliath did, do you speak up to defend Jehovahs name and do you trust that He will help you? It is true that sometimes we should keep quiet, but we should

We should quickly speak up to defend Jehovahs holy name!

not be ashamed to be Jehovahs Witnesses and followers of Jesus. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7; Mark 8:38) We should be tactful and polite when we are talking to people who do not respect Jehovah or his message. But we should not be like those Israelites who became terried and were greatly afraid when they heard what Goliath was saying. (1 Samuel 17:11) Instead, we should quickly speak up to defend Jehovahs holy name. We want to help people to know what kind of God Jehovah really is. For this reason, we use the Bible to help people see why they should want to know God.James 4:8.
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We learn another lesson from the story of David and Goliath. When David came running to the battle line, he asked: What will be done to the man that strikes down that Philistine over there and actually turns away reproach from upon Israel? In reply, the people said about the one who would kill Goliath: The king will enrich him with great riches, and his own daughter he will give him. (1 Samuel 17:25-27) But David did not simply want a reward. There was something that was more important to him. He wanted to
6. What was the most important reason that

honor the true God. (Read 1 Samuel 17:46, 47.) What is most important to us? Are we interested only in our own name, or reputation? Do we think only of getting a lot of money and becoming important in the world? Surely we want to be like David, who sang:

We should be more interested in Gods name, or reputation, than in our own

O magnify Jehovah with me, you people, and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:3) We should trust in God and be more interested in Gods name, or reputation, than in our own. Matthew 6:9. 7 Young David needed strong faith and condence in Jehovah so that he could have the courage to ght against Goliath. As a shepherd, David had learned to rely on Jehovah each day. This gave him the faith he needed. (1 Samuel 17:34-37) We too need strong faith so that we can continue in the ministry, especially when people do not want to listen to our message. We can build our faith by relying on God in everything we do each day. For example, we can try to start a conversation about the Bible with people who sit next to us when we are riding on public transportation. And we should also talk to the people we meet on
7. How can we build the strong faith we need so that we can continue in the ministry even when people do not want to listen to our message?

David fought Goliath? What should be most important to us?

Why did David choose not to kill Saul when he had a chance to kill him?

What can we learn from the example of David when he poured out the water that three of his men brought to him?

the street when we are preaching from house to house.Acts 20:20, 21.
GODS WILL WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DAVID

Another way David showed that he was willing to trust in Jehovah was by viewing Israels rst king, Saul, the same way Jehovah did. Saul was jealous of David. Three times he tried to kill David by throwing a spear at him. But David moved out of the way each time, and he did not ght back against the king. He later had to run away from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:7-11; 19:10) Then Saul chose 3,000 men out of all Israel and went looking for David in the wilderness. (1 Samuel 24:2) One day, Saul went into a cave where David and his men were hiding. Because God had already said that David would be the new king, David could have viewed this as his chance to kill Saul. (1 Samuel 16:1, 13) Davids men
8, 9. When Saul was threatening David, how did David show that he thought Jehovahs will was the most important thing to him?

even encouraged him to kill Saul. But David said: It is unthinkable, on my part, from Jehovahs standpoint, that I should do this thing to my lord, the anointed of Jehovah. (Read 1 Samuel 24:4-7.) Saul was still Gods anointed king. Jehovah had not yet removed Saul as king, so David did not want to remove him. Instead, David only cut o the skirt of Sauls sleeveless coat. This proved that David did not plan on harming Saul, even though David could have killed him.1 Samuel 24:11. 9 The last time David saw Saul, he again showed respect for him because he was still the anointed of Jehovah. David and Abishai arrived at a place where Saul was camping and found him asleep. Abishai thought that God had brought Saul to this place so that David could kill him. Abishai even oered to kill Saul with a spear. But David did not allow this to happen. (1 Samuel 26:8-11) Because David kept waiting on Jehovah, or seeking Gods guidance, David did not want to harm
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Jehovahs appointed king despite what Abishai said. 10 We too might be in a situation where others want us to do what they think is best instead of supporting us in doing Jehovahs will. Or they might want us to make a choice before we think about how Jehovah views the situation. That is what Abishai did to David. To make sure that we do not let people inuence us this way, we need to keep clearly in mind how Jehovah views the situation and to be determined to do what he wants us to do. 11 David prayed to Jehovah God: Teach me to do your will. (Read Psalm 143:5, 8, 10.) David did not rely on his own ideas, and he did not simply do what other people told him to do. Instead, he was eager to be taught by God. He said: I have meditated on all your activity; I willingly kept myself concerned with the work of your own hands. Like David, we can nd out what Gods will is by studying the Scriptures carefully and by meditating on how Jehovah guided humans in the past.
DAVID UNDERSTOOD HOW TO USE PRINCIPLES

There is something else we can learn from the way David acted. David understood how to use principles and wanted to live by them. A principle is a basic truth that helps us to make good decisions and helps us to understand
10. What dicult situation might we be in?

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What will help us to do Jehovahs will?

11. How did David keep showing that Gods

will was the most important thing in his life? How can we imitate David? 12, 13. Why did David pour out the water that three of his men brought to him?
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how Jehovah thinks about a matter. Just as David did, we can often learn a principle from one of Jehovahs laws. For example, one day David said that he wanted a drink of the water from the cistern of Bethlehem. But Bethlehem was under the control of the Philistines. Three of Davids men risked their lives by going to that city to get the water. But David refused to drink it. He poured it out to Jehovah. Why? David said: It is unthinkable on my part, as regards my God, to do this! Is it the blood of these men that I should drink at the risk of their souls? For it was at the risk of their souls that they brought it.1 Chronicles 11:15-19. 13 David knew that the Law said that blood should be poured out to Jehovah and not eaten. He also understood why this was in the Law. David knew that the soul of the esh is in the blood. However, this was water, not blood. Why did David refuse to drink it? He did this because he had learned a principle from the law about blood. He learned that Jehovah views blood as precious. Since these men could have died when they tried to get this water, David felt that drinking the water would show disrespect for their precious blood. Instead of drinking the water, he decided that he should pour it out on the ground.Leviticus 17:11; Deuteronomy 12:23, 24. 14 Gods law was an important part of Davids everyday life. He sang: To do your will, O my God, I have delighted, and your law is within my inward parts. (Psalm 40:8) David studied Gods law and meditated on
14. What helped David to make decisions that

pleased Jehovah?

what he learned. He trusted that he would benet if he followed Jehovahs commandments. David wanted to follow not just the rules in the Law of Moses but also the principles that he could learn from those rules. When we study the Bible, we should meditate on what we read. That way we can make the principles we learn part of our everyday life and make decisions that please Jehovah. 15 Jehovah gave Davids son Solomon many blessings. But later Solomon stopped obeying Gods Law. He did not obey Jehovahs command that an Israelite king should not have many wives. (Deuteronomy 17:17) Solomon married many foreign women. When he became old, his wives inuenced him to follow other gods. No matter what excuses he may have used to disobey Gods Law, Solomon began to do what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, and he did not follow Jehovah fully like David his father. (1 Kings 11:1-6) We must obey the laws and principles that we learn from Gods Word! For example, this is very important when we are thinking about getting married. 16 If unbelievers show that they are romantically interested in us, how do we react? Are we like David, who tried to view situations the way God does? Or do we ignore Jehovahs commands, as Solomon did? True worshippers are told to marry only in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39) This means that if a Christian chooses to get married, he or she should marry another Christian.
15. In what way did Solomon stop obeying Gods Law? 16. What can we learn from Jehovahs law to marry only in the Lord?

And from this law, we can understand that Jehovah does not want us to have romantic relationships with unbelievers. So not only will we refuse to marry an unbeliever but we will not allow an unbeliever to continue to show romantic interest in us. 17 Davids example of trying to view situations the way God does can also help us to ght against the temptation to view pornography. Read the following scriptures, think about the principles they contain, and try to understand how Jehovah feels about pornography. (Read Psalm 119:37; Matthew 5:28, 29; Colossians 3:5.) We must meditate on Jehovahs high standards so that we can avoid pornography.
ALWAYS TRY TO VIEW SITUATIONS THE WAY GOD DOES

Although David was a good example, he committed several serious sins. (2 Samuel 11:2-4, 14, 15, 22-27; 1 Chronicles 21:1, 7) But David always repented when he sinned. He had integrity of heart, or was complete in his service to God. (1 Kings 9:4) Why can we say that? Because David tried to view situations as Jehovah did and to do what pleased Him. 19 Even though we are imperfect, we can still have Jehovahs favor. We should continue to study Gods Word, meditate on what we learn from it, and act quickly to use what we learn. If we do this, we will be like the psalmist who humbly asked Jehovah in prayer: Teach me to do your will.
17. What can help us to avoid pornography? 18, 19. (a) Even though David was imperfect, how could he continue to have Gods favor? (b) What are you determined to do? SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION

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Jesus Set the Pattern of Humility

I set the pattern for you, that, just as I did to you, you should do also.
JOHN 13:15.

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?

How did the Son of God show humility before he came to earth?

How did Jesus show humility while on earth?

What good things resulted from Jesus humility?

T IS Jesus last night on earth. He is with his apostles in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem. While they are having a meal, Jesus gets up and takes o his outer garments. He ties a towel around his waist and puts water into a basin. Then he begins to wash the feet of the disciples and to dry them o with the towel. When he nishes, he puts his garments back on. Why did Jesus do such a humble thing?John 13:3-5. 2 Jesus himself explained: Do you know what I have done to you? He continued: If I, although Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another. For I set the pattern for you, that, just as I did to you, you should do also. (John 13:12-15) With this humble act, Jesus taught his apostles a lesson that they would not forget and that would encourage them to be humble later on. 3 When Jesus washed the feet of the apostles, it was not the rst time he showed them how important humility is. One time, some of the apostles were arguing about who was the greatest among them. Jesus brought a young child to them and told them: Whoever receives this young child on the basis of my name receives me too, and whoever receives me receives him also that sent me forth. For he that conducts himself as

1, 2. During Jesus last night on earth, what lesson did he teach his apostles? 3. (a) On two occasions, how did Jesus show the importance of humility? (b) What will we study in this article?

How did Jesus humility help others?

a lesser one among all of you is the one that is great. (Luke 9:46-48) At a later time when Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, who thought that they were more important than others, he said: Everyone that exalts himself will be humbled and he that humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11) Clearly, Jesus wants his followers to be humble. He does not want them to be proud, to think that they are more important than others, or to act as if they were better than others. Let us carefully study Jesus example of humility so that we can imitate him. We will also learn how this quality helps not only the one who shows it but others as well.
I DID NOT TURN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION
4 Gods Son showed humility even before he came to earth. In heaven, Jesus had been with his Father for a very long time. The Bible book of Isaiah describes the strong relationship the Son had with his Father. It says: The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has given me the tongue of the taught ones, that I may know how to answer the tired one with a word. He awakens morning by morning; he awakens my ear to hear like the taught ones. The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself has opened my ear, and I, for my part, was not rebellious. I did not turn in the opposite direction. (Isaiah 50: 4, 5) Jesus wanted very much to learn from the true God. He showed a humble attitude and carefully listened to what Jehovah taught him. He must also have watched how Jehovah humbly showed mercy toward sinful humans. 5 Not all angels were humble like Jesus. The

4. How did Jesus show humility before he came to earth? 5. How did Jesus show humility and modesty when he

had a disagreement with the Devil?

SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

Humility: We show humility by not thinking that we are more important than others and, as a result, by not acting as if we were better than others Michael: The name of Jesus as an angel in heaven, both before and after his life on earth Modesty: A person who shows modesty knows the limits of his authority and does not do anything he does not have the right to do

angel who became Satan the Devil did not want to learn from Jehovah. He became proud and started to feel that he was more important than others. This was the opposite of humility. As a result, he rebelled against Jehovah.

Jesus was happy to wait for Jehovah to take care of things in the right way and at the right time
Jesus attitude was very dierent. He did not want more authority in heaven than what God had given him. And he never wanted to use his authority in the wrong way. For example, the Bible tells us about one time when Jesus had a disagreement with the Devil about Moses body. When this happened, Jesus did not do anything that he did not have the right to do, even though he was Michael, the angel with the most authority. Gods Son showed humility and modesty. He was happy to wait for Jehovah, the SuNOVEMBER 15, 2012

preme Judge of the universe, to take care of things in the right way and at the right time.Read Jude 9. 6 While still in heaven, Jesus knew all the prophecies about what would happen to him as the Messiah. So he probably already knew that he was going to suer. Even so, Jesus agreed to live on earth and die as the promised Messiah. Why? The apostle Paul showed that humility was what helped Jesus. Paul wrote that although Jesus was a powerful angel, he did not think that he should be equal to God. Instead, he emptied himself and took a slaves form and came to be in the likeness of men.Philippians 2:6, 7.
AS A HUMAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF

Paul wrote that while Jesus was a human, he humbled himself and became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake. (Philippians 2:8) From his childhood on, Jesus left us a pattern, or an example,
6. How did Jesus show humility by agreeing to

become the Messiah?

7, 8. In what ways did Jesus show humility

during his childhood and his ministry?

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of humility to imitate. Jesus obeyed his parents, Joseph and Mary, even though they were imperfect. (Luke 2: 51) This is a ne example for young ones. God will bless them for their obedience to their parents. 8 As an adult, Jesus showed in many ways that he was humble. The most important thing for him was to do Jehovahs will. (John 4:34) During his ministry, Jesus Christ used Gods name and taught people about Gods purpose and the kind of God his Father is. Jesus not only taught people to live in a way that pleased God but also lived that way himself. For example, when Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, the rst thing he mentioned was: Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctied. (Matthew 6:9) Here Jesus showed his disciples that the most important thing for them to do was to glorify Jehovahs name. Jesus himself did that. Near the end of his life on earth, Jesus could say to Jehovah: I have made your name known to them and will make it known. (John 17:26) Also, Jesus often said that he could not do anything without Jehovahs help.John 5:19. 9 Zechariah prophesied about the Messiah: Be very joyful, O daughter of Zion. Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem. Look! Your king himself comes to you. He is righteous, yes, saved; humble, and riding upon an ass, even upon a full-grown animal the son of a she-ass. (Zechariah 9:9) This was fullled when Jesus entered
9. What did Zechariah prophesy about the

Jerusalem before the Passover in the year 33. Many people spread clothes as well as tree branches on the road. In fact, the people in Jerusalem were excited when they heard that he was entering the city. Even when these people praised him as their King, Jesus was humble.Matthew 21:4-11. 10 While he was on earth, Jesus Christ showed humility and obedience until his death on a torture stake. He proved in the best possible way that humans can stay loyal to Jehovah even in extremely dicult situations. Jesus also showed that Satan was wrong when he said that humans serve Jehovah only because of

Jesus proved that humans can stay loyal to Jehovah even in extremely dicult situations
what they can get from him. (Job 1: 9-11; 2:4) By perfectly obeying his Father, Christ defended Jehovahs right to rule and showed he trusted that Jehovahs way of ruling is the best. It must have made Jehovah very happy to see his humble Son show perfect loyalty.Read Proverbs 27:11. 11 Jesus death on a torture stake made it possible for people to be
10. What did Jesus prove by being obedient

until death?
11. What did Jesus sacrice make possible for

Messiah? How did Jesus fulll this prophecy?

those who have faith in him?

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saved from sin and death. (Matthew 20:28) Because of Jesus sacrice, Jehovah can forgive our sins according to his righteous requirements and give humans the opportunity to live forever. Paul wrote: Through one act of justication the result to men of all sorts is a declaring of them righteous for life. (Romans 5:18) Jesus death made it possible for those anointed by holy spirit to have everlasting life in heaven and for the other sheep to have everlasting life on earth.John 10:16; Romans 8:16, 17.
I AM LOWLY IN HEART
We should imitate the way Jesus showed compassion

Jesus invited all those who feel tired and discouraged to come to him. He said: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mildtempered and lowly in heart, and you will nd refreshment for your souls. (Matthew 11:28, 29) Because Jesus was humble and mild, he treated imperfect humans kindly and fairly. He did not expect more of his disciples than what they could do. Jesus praised and encouraged them. He did not make them feel that they were stupid or not good enough. Jesus was not harsh or hard to please. On the contrary, he said: My yoke is kindly and my load is light. He meant that the requirements for being one of his disciples were not too dicult to obey. If they learned from him and obeyed his teachings, they would feel comforted. That is why men and women, young and old, liked being with Jesus.Matthew 11:30.
12. How was Jesus humble and gentle in the way he treated imperfect humans? NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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Jesus felt sorry for those in Israel who had a hard life, and he did all he could to help them. Near Jericho, he met two blind beggars, Bartimaeus and his friend. The two of them kept asking Jesus for help, but the people around them told the men to be quiet. Jesus could have easily ignored the blind men, but he did not. He felt sorry for those two men, so he called them to him and healed them so that they could see again. Jesus imitated his Father, Jehovah, by showing humility and mercy to sinful humans. Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52.
WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED

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Jesus humble attitude resulted in joy and blessings for many. Jehovah was happy because of his Sons
13. How did Jesus show mercy to those who had a hard life? 14. What good things resulted from Jesus humility?

14

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obedience. The apostles and disciples were comforted and encouraged by the mild and humble way Jesus treated them. By being a good example for them, teaching them, and commending them, he helped them become better servants of God. Jesus helped many others by teaching them, encouraging them, and giving them what they needed. Actually, because of Jesus sacrice, all humans who have faith in him will have blessings for all eternity.

heaven and on earth.Philippians 2: 9-11.

JESUS WILL RIDE IN THE CAUSE OF TRUTH AND HUMILITY

At Armageddon, Jesus will ght to defend those who are humble

15 What about Jesus? Did he benet from being humble? Yes, he did. How? Jesus himself said: Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12) Paul explained that this is exactly what happened to Jesus. Paul said: God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Because Jesus was humble and faithful while on earth, Jehovah God exalted, or honored, his Son by giving him authority over all those in

Gods Son will continue to show humility in the future. One of the psalms foretells how Jesus, as King in heaven, will act against Gods enemies. It says: In your splendor go on to success; ride in the cause of truth and humility and righteousness. (Psalm 45:4) At Armageddon, Jesus Christ will ght to defend those who are humble and righteous and who love truth. And what will happen at the end of the thousand years of Christs reign when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power? Will he show humility? Yes. The Bible tells us that he will then give the Kingdom back to his God and Father.Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. 17 What about us? Will we imitate Jesus example and show humility? At Armageddon, the King Jesus Christ will save only those who are humble and righteous. So we need to be humble if we want to survive. Also, if we show humility, there will be many benets for us and for others, just as there were for Jesus. 18 What can help us to imitate Jesus example of humility? How can we do our best to be humble even when that is not easy to do? We will answer these questions in the next article.
16. How will Gods Son continue to show hu-

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mility in the future?

17, 18. (a) Why is it important for Jehovahs

15. How did Jesus benet from being humble?

servants to imitate Jesus example of humility? (b) What questions will we answer in the next article?
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Cultivate the Spirit of a Lesser One

He that conducts himself as a lesser one among all of you is the one that is great.LUKE 9:48.

CAN YOU FIND THE ANSWERS?

What can help us to be humble?

How can a lesser one become great?

How can we show humility in marriage, in the congregation, and in our relationships with others?

T WAS the year 32. Jesus and his apostles were in the district of Galilee. A few of the apostles started arguing about who was the greatest among them. The Gospel writer Luke tells us what happened: A reasoning entered among them as to who would be the greatest of them. Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a young child, set it beside him and said to them: Whoever receives this young child on the basis of my name receives me too, and whoever receives me receives him also that sent me forth. For he that conducts himself as a lesser one among all of you is the one that is great. (Luke 9:46-48) Jesus was patiently helping the apostles to understand that they needed to be humble. 2 Was the humble attitude Jesus told his apostles to have similar to the attitude most Jews had at that time? No. In fact, it was the opposite. One book says that it was very important for the Jews to know who deserved more honor in all their relationships, and they were always worried about whether they were giving each person the honor he deserved. (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) Jesus wanted his disciples to be dierent from most people around them. 3 The Greek word translated lesser one
1, 2. What did Jesus teach his apostles? Why did he teach them that? 3. (a) What does it mean to behave as a lesser one? Why might it be hard for us to act in that way? (b) What questions are we going to answer in this article?

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SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

To cultivate the spirit of a lesser one: To make the eort to think of others as more important than us

One that is great (Luke 9:48): A person who is very valuable to Jehovah

means someone who is less important than other people or who has no power or authority. Such a person is humble and does not think of himself as important. Jesus taught his apostles that they should be humble and modest like children. True Christians today need to learn from the lesson Jesus taught his apostles. It may be hard for us to show humility, especially in certain situations. Our imperfection causes us to have pride and to try to be better than others. Also, Satans world may inuence us to become selsh, aggressive, or controlling. What can help us to have a humble attitude? What did Jesus mean when he said that a lesser one is the one that is great? In what situations should we show humility?
O THE DEPTH OF GODS RICHES AND WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE!

ments are and past tracing out his ways are! (Romans 11:33) Humans have learned many things since Paul wrote those words almost 2,000 years ago. But what he wrote is still true. No

It is good for us to remember that Jehovah is much greater than we are and that he himself shows humility
matter how much we know, we will never stop learning about Jehovah, his works, and his thinking. 5 For example, what helped Leo to become more humble was realizing that he could never learn everything about Gods creation.1 (See footnote.) As a young man, Leo loved science. He wanted to understand the universe as much as possible, so he decided to study it in school. But he realized that science alone cannot help humans understand everything about the universe. So he started studying law instead. In time, Leo became a lawyer and then a judge. Later, he and his wife studied the Bible with Jeho1 Names have been changed. SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION

One way we can become more humble is to remember that Jehovah is much greater than we are. The truth is that no one can ever know everything that Jehovah knows. (Isaiah 40:28) The apostle Paul wrote about Jehovahs greatness: O the depth of Gods riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judg4, 5. What can help us to become more humble? Give an example.

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vahs Witnesses, accepted the truth, and got baptized. Even though he was highly educated, what helped Leo to show humility? He answers, It is the realization that no matter how much we learn about Jehovah and the universe, there is still much more to discover. 6 Something else that helps us to be humble is to remember that Jehovah himself shows humility. And think about this: We are Gods fellow workers. (1 Corinthians 3:9) Imagine that! Jehovah God, the Most High, wants
6, 7. (a) What wonderful example of humility does Jehovah give us? (b) How can Gods humility make a person great?

Any qualities, abilities, and special responsibilities we have, we have received from Jehovah
us to work with him. He honors us by giving us an opportunity to use his Word, the Bible, to preach the good news. Although Jehovah is the one who makes the seeds grow, he allows us to have the work of planting and watering them. (1 Corinthians 3:6, 7) In this way, God sets a wonderful example of humility for us. Surely, Jehovahs example should encourage each of us to behave as a lesser one! 7 Gods example of humility had a powerful eect on David. He sang to Jehovah: You will give me your shield of salvation, and it is your humility that makes me great. (2 Samuel 22: 36) David knew that he was able to do the great things he did in Israel only because Jehovah had shown humility by paying attention to him and helping him. (Psalm 113:5-7) It is the same with us. Any qualities, abilities, and special responsibilities we have, we have received from Jehovah. (1 Corinthians 4:7) When Jesus said that a humble person becomes great, he meant that this person becomes a more valuable servant of Jehovah. (Luke 9:48) Let us see how.
Jehovah honors us by giving us the opportunity to preach the good news

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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HOW A LESSER ONE BECOMES GREAT

Those who are humble are happy in Gods organization and support the way things are done in the congregation. For example, Petra is a young woman who was raised in a family of Witnesses. But she wanted to do things her own way and left the congregation. Some years later, she started to associate with the congregation again. She is now happy to be in Jehovahs organization and to support the way things are done in the

A humble person supports the elders and the way things are done in the congregation
congregation. How did her attitude change? She says, The two most important qualities I needed to understand and to cultivate were humility and modesty. 9 A humble person is truly grateful for all the good things Jehovah gives his people, including the help he gives them to learn about him. That is why a humble person regularly and carefully studies the Bible and reads the Watchtower and Awake! magazines.
8. Why do those who are part of Gods organi-

Many servants of Jehovah read each new publication before putting it away in their library. If we show that we are humble and grateful by reading and studying our publications, we will have a stronger friendship with God, and he will be able to use us to do more in his service.Hebrews 5: 13, 14. 10 There is another way a humble person can become great, or valuable to God. Jehovah uses his holy spirit to appoint men as elders in every congregation. These men organize meetings and eld service and shepherd the congregation. When we show humility by willingly cooperating with the elders, we help the whole congregation to have joy, peace, and unity. (Read Hebrews 13:7, 17.) And if you are serving as an elder or a ministerial servant, do you show humility by being grateful for the responsibility Jehovah has given you? 11 A humble person becomes more valuable to Jehovahs organization because his attitude makes him a good and useful servant of God. Jesus had to remind his disciples to behave as lesser ones because some of them were thinking like the proud people of that time. Luke 9:46 says: A reasoning entered among them as to who would be the greatest of them. Could we also begin to think that we are better than our brothers or than other people? We should be dierent from most people in the world around us,
10. How can we show humility in the congre-

zation need to be humble? 9. How does a humble person feel about the Bible and our publications? Why does that make him more valuable?

gation?
11, 12. What attitude will make us more valu-

able to Jehovahs organization? Why?

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What opportunities do you have to behave as a lesser one?

who are proud and selsh. If we are humble and put Jehovahs will rst, our brothers and sisters will feel encouraged when they are around us. 1 2 When we understand Jesus counsel to behave as a lesser one, we are motivated to show humility in all situations in life. Let us talk about three situations.
DO YOUR BEST TO BEHAVE AS A LESSER ONE

In marriage. Many people today care only about their own rights. The rights of others are not important to them. But a humble person has the kind of attitude that Paul encouraged the Christians in Rome to have. He wrote: Let us pursue the things mak13, 14. How should a husband or a wife behave as a lesser one? How can that help their relationship? NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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ing for peace and the things that are upbuilding to one another. (Romans 14:19) A person who behaves as a lesser one makes an eort to keep peace with everyone and especially with his or her marriage mate. 14 For example, what a husband likes to do for recreation may be different from what his wife likes to do. Perhaps the husband likes to stay at home and read a book during his free time, but the wife likes to go out for a meal or to visit friends. It will be easier for the wife to respect her husband if he has a humble attitude and thinks not only of what he likes but also of what she likes. And the husband will love and value his wife even more if she is not always trying to get what she wants but thinks of what he wants as well. The relationship between husband and wife becomes

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stronger when both of them are humble.Read Philippians 2:1-4. 1 5 In the cong regation. In the world, many feel that they must have what they want right away. They have little patience and hate waiting for anything. When we have a humble attitude, it becomes easier to wait for Jehovah, or to trust in him. (Read Psalm 131:1-3.) If we are humble and wait for Jehovah, we will be blessed. We will feel safe, comforted, and happy.

If we are humble and put Jehovahs will rst, we become more encouraging to our brothers and sisters
So we can understand why David encouraged the Israelites to wait patiently for their God! 16 You can feel comforted as David did when you humbly wait for Jehovah. (Psalm 42:5) Perhaps you would like to serve as an elder so that you can do more to help the congregation. (1 Timothy 3:1-7) Of course, with the help of the holy spirit, you should rst do all you can to have the qualities needed to be an elder. But what if you have to wait a little longer than others had to? The person who behaves as a lesser one waits patiently to receive
15, 16. According to Psalm 131, what did David encourage the Israelites to do? How can we do the same in the congregation?

more responsibilities in the congregation. He will continue to serve Jehovah and the congregation joyfully in whatever way he can. 17 In our relationships with others. It is dicult for most people to say that they are sorry. But servants of God do their best to show humility by admitting their mistakes and asking for forgiveness. They are also ready to forgive others for their mistakes. When people are proud, there are often serious problems among them, but when they are willing to forgive, there is peace in the congregation. 18 We may need to show humility by sincerely saying that we are sorry. For example, we may have made an agreement with someone but, for a good reason, are not able to do what we said we would. In this situation, we should think about our own mistakes and admit them, even though what happened may not have been completely our fault.Read Proverbs 6:1-5. 19 We are very grateful that the Bible encourages us to behave as a lesser one. It may at times be hard to be humble. But if we think about how much greater Jehovah is than we are and remember that Jehovah himself shows humility, we will want to show this wonderful quality. By doing that, we will become more valuable servants of Jehovah. So let us all do our best to behave as a lesser one.
17, 18. (a) If we forgive others and ask others to forgive us, what is the result? (b) What is the advice at Proverbs 6:1-5? 19. Why should we be grateful that the Bible encourages us to behave as a lesser one? SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION

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What Does Jehovahs Forgiveness Mean for You?

Jehovah [is] a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger . . . , pardoning error and transgression and sin.EXODUS 34:6, 7.

LOOK FOR THE ANSWERS

What did Jehovah do when David and Manasseh sinned? Why?

N THE time of Nehemiah, a group of Levites admitted in a public prayer that the nation of Israel had repeatedly refused to listen to, or obey, Jehovahs commandments. But Jehovah forgave them again and again. He is a God of acts of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness. Jehovah continued to show them undeserved kindness.Nehemiah 9:16, 17. 2 Each of us could ask himself, How can I benet from Gods forgiveness? To help us nd the answer, we will learn about how God forgave King David and King Manasseh and how they beneted from his forgiveness.
DAVIDS SERIOUS SINS

Why did Jehovah not forgive the nation of Israel?

What must we do if we want Jehovah to forgive us?

Although David was a man who wanted to obey God, he did commit serious sins. Two of these sins involved a married couple, Uriah and Bath-sheba. Those sins caused very sad results for David, Uriah, and Bath-sheba. But the way that God corrected David teaches us about Jehovahs forgiveness. Let us learn about what happened. 4 David sent Israels army to capture the Ammonite capital, Rabbah. It was located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Jerusalem, on the other side of the Jordan River. While the army was away, David was on the roof of his palace in
1, 2. (a) What kind of God was Jehovah to the nation of Israel? (b) What will we learn about in this article? 3-5. What serious sins did David commit?

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SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

Confess: To tell someone we have committed a sin. We must confess our sins to Jehovah, and if we commit a serious sin, we also need to confess to the elders Repent: To be truly sorry for committing a sin. Repentance involves changing our attitude and trying not to repeat the sin A God of acts of forgiveness: Jehovah is a God who wants to forgive those who repent of their sins

Jerusalem and saw Bath-sheba as she was bathing. Her husband was away with the army. David wanted Bathsheba so much that he sent messengers to bring her to the palace, and he committed adultery with her.2 Samuel 11:1-4. 5 When David found out that Bathsheba was pregnant with his child, he told his army commander to send Uriah back to Jerusalem. Then David kept telling Uriah to go back home. He wanted Uriah to have sexual relations with his wife so that Uriah would think that he was the father of the child. But Uriah would not go to his own house. So the king secretly wrote to his army commander and told him to put Uriah in the front of the battle and then to tell the other soldiers to abandon him. Uriah was quickly killed by the enemy, just as David had planned. (2 Samuel 11:1217) So the king not only committed adultery but made his sin even worse by killing an innocent man.
DAVID CHANGES HIS ATTITUDE
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thing, so he knew what David had done. (Proverbs 15:3) Even though King David married Bath-sheba after Uriah died, the thing that David had done appeared bad in the eyes of Jehovah. (2 Samuel 11:27) So, what did God do? He sent his prophet Nathan to David. Since Jehovah is a God of forgiveness, He wanted to show mercy to David. But he needed to nd

Jehovah wanted to show mercy to David, but he needed to know if David was truly repentant
out whether David was truly repentant. It is very encouraging that Jehovah was willing to do this. He did not force David to confess but simply told Nathan to tell the king a story that showed how bad Davids sins were. (Read 2 Samuel 12:1-4.) That was a very good way for Jehovah to nd out Davids true feelings!
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Of course, Jehovah sees every-

6. What did God do after David sinned? What

does this teach us about Jehovah?

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The king thought that what happened in Nathans story was unfair. David became angry at the rich man in the story and said to Nathan: As Jehovah is living, the man doing this deserves to die! David also said that something should be given to the man whose sheep had been stolen. But then Nathan said to David: You yourself are the man! This was very shocking to David. Nathan said that because of what David had done, he would experience tragedy and members of his family would die violently. He would also be humiliated in public for his sins. Because of what Nathan said, David realized how bad his sins were. He felt very sorry and said: I have sinned against Jehovah.2 Samuel 12:5-14.
DAVID PRAYS AND GOD FORGIVES HIM

King David later composed Psalm 51. The words of that psalm show how sorry he felt. David begged Jehovah for help. But he did more than just admit what he did wrong. He also repented of his sins. Davids relationship with God was the most important thing to him. Against you, you alone, I have sinned, he confessed. He pleaded with Jehovah: Create in me even a pure heart, O God, and put within me a new spirit, a steadfast one. He requested: Do restore to me the exultation of salvation by you, and may you support me even with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:1-4, 7-12) When you talk to
7. How did David feel when he heard Nathans story? 8, 9. How did David reveal in Psalm 51 how he felt about his sins? What can we learn about Jehovah from Psalm 51? NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Jehovah about the mistakes you have made, are you as sincere and honest with him as David was? 9 Jehovah did not protect David from the bad results of his sins. Those sins would continue to cause problems for David for the rest of his life. But because David had a heart broken and crushed, or a repentant attitude, Jehovah forgave him. (Read Psalm 32:5; Psalm 51:17) Almighty God understands the real feelings and reasons that cause a person to commit a sin. So God did not say that the human judges should punish David and Bath-sheba with death, as instructed in the Mosaic Law. (Leviticus 20:10) Instead, he judged David and Bath-sheba himself and showed mercy to them. In time, their son Solomon became the king of Israel.1 Chronicles 22:9, 10. 10 Perhaps another reason that Jehovah forgave David is the fact that David had shown mercy to Saul. (1 Samuel 24:4-7) Jesus explained that Jehovah treats us the way we treat others. Stop judging that you may not be judged; for with what judgment you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. (Matthew 7:1, 2) It is comforting to know that Jehovah will forgive our sins, even very serious sins like adultery or murder! But he will forgive us only if we are willing to forgive others, if we confess our sins to him, and if we change our attitude by viewing our sins the way Jehovah does. When
10. (a) What other reason may there have been for Jehovah to forgive David? (b) What must a person do to be forgiven by Jehovah?

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Eventually, Manasseh was captured and taken to a prison in Babylon. There he may have remembered these words of Moses to Israel: When you are in sore straits and all these words have found you out at the close of the days, then you will have to return to Jehovah your God and to listen to his voice. (Deuteronomy 4:30) Manasseh did return to Jehovah. How? He kept humbling himself greatly and kept praying to God (as shown on page 21). (2 Chronicles 33:12, 13) The Bible does not tell us exactly what words Manasseh said in those prayers, but it is possible that they were similar to the words of King David in Psalm 51. Either way, we do know that Manasseh completely changed his attitude.

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sinners sincerely repent of their sins, Jehovah gives them seasons of refreshing, or helps them to have a clean conscience.Read Acts 3:19.
MANASSEH SINS SERIOUSLY BUT LATER REPENTS

Manasseh was truly repentant and returned to Jehovah

13 What did Jehovah do when Manasseh prayed to him? Jehovah heard his request for favor. Manasseh understood how serious his sins were and was truly repentant like David. That is why God forgave Manasseh and allowed him to come back to Jerusalem as king. As a result, Manasseh came to know that Jehovah is the true God. (2 Chronicles 33:13) It is very comforting to learn from this example too that Jehovah is merciful and forgives those who are truly repentant!

The Bible gives another example that shows that Jehovah is willing to forgive even extremely serious sins. About 360 years after David began to rule, Manasseh became king of Judah and reigned for 55 years. Jehovah condemned him for the disgusting sins he committed during this time. For example, Manasseh made altars to Baal; worshipped the sun, moon, and stars; burned his sons as a sacrice to a false god; and encouraged people to practice spiritism. He did on a grand scale what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah. 2 Chronicles 33:1-6.
11. What bad things did Manasseh do?

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12. How did Manasseh return to Jehovah? 13. Why did Jehovah forgive Manasseh? SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION

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DOES JEHOVAH ALWAYS FORGIVE?

Most of Gods people will never need to ask him to forgive sins as serious as those of David and Manasseh. But we can learn from their examples that our God is willing to forgive even very serious sins if the sinner is truly repentant. 15 Of course, we should not think that Jehovah always forgives all humans for their sins. The attitude of David and Manasseh was very dierent from the attitude of the disobedient people of Israel and Judah. When David sinned, God sent Nathan to give David an opportunity to repent. David was grateful for this opportunity
14. How does Jehovah decide whether to for-

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and did repent. Manasseh was also in a very bad situation and realized that he needed to repent of his sins. But the people of Israel and Judah often did not repent of their sins, even though God repeatedly sent prophets to tell them what he thought of their bad conduct. So Jehovah did not forgive them. (Read Nehemiah 9:30.) Even after the Israelites returned from Babylon to Judah, Jehovah continued to send faithful messengers, such as the priest Ezra and the prophet Malachi. When the people did Jehovahs will, they were very joyful.Nehemiah 12:43-47. 16 Jehovah no longer accepts the
16. (a) What happened to the nation of Isra-

give a person who has sinned? 15. How do we know that Jehovah does not always forgive all humans for their sins?

el because they refused to repent of their sins? (b) What opportunity does Jehovah give to those who are descendants of the nation of Israel?

Jehovah is willing to forgive our sins completely

animal sacrices that were required of the nation of Israel. Instead, he sent Jesus to earth to be the one perfect ransom sacrice for all mankind. (1 John 4:9, 10) When Jesus was on earth, he talked about Jerusalem in a way that showed how Jehovah felt about it. He said: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent forth to her,how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks together under her wings! But you people did not want it. So Jesus declared: Look! Your house is abandoned to you. (Matthew 23:37, 38) The sinful and unrepentant nation of Israel was replaced by spiritual Israel, or the Israel of God. (Galatians 6: 16; Matthew 21:43) Is it possible for individuals who are descendants of the nation of Israel to be forgiven of their sins? Yes, Jehovah is willing to forgive them and show mercy to them if they have faith in God and in the sacrice of Jesus Christ. During the resurrection on earth, Jehovah will also be willing to forgive people who died without repenting of their sins.John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15.
HOW DO WE BENEFIT FROM JEHOVAHS FORGIVENESS?

about what we have done so that they can help us. (James 5:14, 15) No matter how serious our sins have been, it is comforting to remember that Jehovah is a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, preserving lovingkindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin. Jehovah has not changed.Exodus 34: 6, 7. 18 Jehovah promised repentant Israelites that he would forgive them completely. He said that their sins were like a red stain, but he would make them clean like white snow. (Read Isaiah 1:18.) So how can we benet

We can be completely pardoned, or forgiven, for our sins if we are repentant

from Jehovahs forgiveness? We can be completely pardoned, or forgiven, for our sins as long as we are grateful for Jehovahs forgiveness and are repentant. 19 How can we be willing to forgive others as Jehovah is willing to forgive people? How can we be forgiving when others commit serious sins and then truly repent? The next article will help us to think about our feelings so that we can be more like our Father, Jehovah, who is good and ready to forgive.Psalm 86:5.
19. What will we learn about in the following

Since Jehovah is willing to forgive us, what should we do? Surely we should be repentant as David and Manasseh were. We should admit that we are sinful, repent of our sins, beg Jehovah to forgive us, and ask him to help us get rid of our bad desires. (Psalm 51:10) If we have committed a serious sin, we should also talk to the elders
17, 18. How can we be forgiven by Jehovah?

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article?
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Forgive One Another Freely

Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely.
COLOSSIANS 3:13.

HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?

Why must we be willing to forgive?

What illustration did Jesus use to show why we need to be forgiving?

HE Bible helps us to learn what Jehovah thinks of sin and how he reacts when we sin. But it also tells us about his willingness to forgive. In the previous article, we learned why Jehovah forgave David and Manasseh. They were very sorry about what they had done, confessed to Jehovah, and were determined not to repeat their sins. They were truly repentant, so Jehovah was again willing to show them favor. 2 Let us now discuss our own willingness to forgive others. How would you have felt if one of your relatives had died because of what Manasseh did? Would you have been able to forgive Manasseh? Today, we live in a wicked, violent, and selfish world. Why should we learn to be forgiving? If you are treated badly, what can help you to control your emotions, react the way Jehovah would want you to, and be willing to forgive?
WHY WE NEED TO BE FORGIVING

How will we benet if we are willing to forgive?

We must be willing to forgive those who offend us, whether they are part of the Christian congregation or not. Doing this helps us to keep peace with our family members, our friends, other people, and Jehovah. The Bible shows that we are required to forgive others no matter how often
1, 2. Why should you think about whether you are willing to forgive others? 3-5. (a) What story did Jesus use to show us that we need to be forgiving? (b) What do we need to learn from Jesus words at Matthew 18:21-35?

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they oend us. Jesus told a story about a slave who owed his master a lot of money, and this story helps us to see why we must be forgiving. 4 The slave owed his master so much money that it would take him 60 million days of work to pay it back. His master forgave him and told him that he did not have to pay the money back. But what would this slave do in a similar situation? He had loaned money to another slave. It was the amount of money that a worker could earn in only 100 days. He refused to forgive that slave and demanded that he pay the money back. The second slave begged for more time to pay the money back, but the rst slave had him put into prison. The master, who had shown mercy to the rst slave, got very angry. He told the rst slave that he should have shown mercy to the other man. So the master had the slave put

into prison until he could pay all the money back.Matthew 18:21-34. 5 What does Jesus want us to learn from this story? He explained that Jehovah will not be willing to forgive us if we do not truly forgive others. (Matthew 18:35) We are imperfect and sin often. It is not possible for us to obey Jehovah perfectly. But he is willing to forgive us. In fact, he is willing to act as if our sins never happened. So if we want to be a friend of Jehovah, we must forgive other people. This is what Jesus meant when he said in the Sermon on the Mount: If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; whereas if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.Matthew 6:14, 15. 6 You probably agree that we should
6. Why is it not always easy to forgive?

Why did Jesus tell the story about the slave and his master?

SOME EXPRESSIONS EXPLAINED

Oended: If you feel oended, you are angry or hurt because someone treated you in a way you did not like

Forgive: To stop feeling angry or upset over the wrong conduct of someone else. This does not mean that we have to approve of the wrong conduct or pretend that the conduct did not hurt others. When we forgive, it helps us to feel peaceful inside

forgive other people, but you may feel that it is not always easy to do so. That is because we can have strong emotions when we have been oended by others. For example, we might feel angry or betrayed. Maybe we feel that we need to make sure the person is punished for what he did, or maybe we want to make him suer as we have. We might be so upset that we feel we will never be able to forgive the other person. If you have similar feelings, what can you do so that you can be willing to forgive others, as Jehovah asks us to do?
UNDERSTAND WHY YOU FEEL THE WAY YOU DO

home, feeling sorry that I got so angry. If you take some time to calm down as this man did, you can think about your situation more clearly instead of responding in a way that you will

Bible principles and prayer can help you to change your feelings
later regret.Psalm 4:4; Proverbs 14: 29; James 1:19, 20. 8 But what should you do if you still are upset even after you took time to calm down? Think about why you are upset. Is it because what happened was unjust? Is it because someone was not polite to you? Or is it because you think that the other person tried to hurt you on purpose? Was what he or she did really so bad? If you try to gure out why you got upset, you can gure out what Bible principles will help you to change those feelings. Then you can react in a way Jehovah approves.

When we are treated badly or think that we have been treated badly, we can get very upset. One young man described what happened once when he got very angry: I walked out of the house and said I would never come back. It was a sunny summer day, and I walked down a lovely little road. In this quiet and beautiful place, I started to calm down. Later, I went back
7, 8. What can help you to be forgiving when someone treats you unkindly? NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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(Read Proverbs 15:28; 17:27.) When you think carefully about the facts instead of about your feelings, you may be more willing to forgive. Even though this can be dicult, the Bible can help you to understand your real feelings about the situation and to imitate Jehovahs willingness to forgive. Hebrews 4:12.
SHOULD YOU FEEL OFFENDED?

There are many situations that can make a person angry. For example, while you are driving, maybe another driver nearly drives into your car. How will you react? Some people get so angry that they attack the other driver. But as a Christian, you would certainly not want to do that.

should not be easily oended. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says: Do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become oended, for the taking of oense is what rests in the bosom of the stupid ones. Many times we may think that others have done something on purpose to offend us. But because they are imperfect, they really just made a mistake. Or we may not have understood what really happened. So try to remember that you may not know all the facts about what someone does or says. Be willing to show love for the person and to forgive him. You will be happier if you do this.Read 1 Peter 4:8.
MAY YOUR PEACE RETURN TO YOU

We may not know all the reasons someone made a mistake

It would be much better to think before reacting. Maybe you did something wrong when you were driving because you were distracted. Or maybe the other driver had a problem with his car. We can be less angry or upset about the mistakes of other people if we try to understand why the mistakes happened, realize that we may not know all the reasons for the mistakes, and are willing to forgive. We
9, 10. (a) How might you react when you feel oended? (b) How will you feel if you learn not to be quickly oended and are willing to forgive people?
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How can you maintain selfcontrol if someone is rude to you while you are in eld service? When Jesus sent out 70 preachers, he told them to say to every family they visited: May this house have peace. He continued: If a friend of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to you. (Luke 10:1, 5, 6) We are happy when people accept the good news we preach, because they will benet from it. But sometimes people are not peaceable. What should we do then? Jesus said that we should still feel peaceful. We should be able to leave each door feeling peaceful inside, no matter how the householder treated us. If we got upset because the householder was unkind, we could not continue to have the peace Jesus talked about.
11. How should we feel no matter how people respond to us in the ministry? SIMPLIFIED ENGLISH EDITION

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Do your best to feel peaceful in all situations, not just in the Christian ministry. You may be willing to forgive others, but that does not mean that you have to approve of their wrong conduct or pretend that it does not hurt others. But it does mean that you should not continue to feel upset because of their wrong conduct. You have to try to feel peaceful inside. Some people think constantly about the bad things that have happened to them and do not feel peaceful. Do not let anger control you. You cannot be happy if you stay angry with other people. So be willing to forgive!Read Ephesians 4:31, 32.
REACT IN A WAY THAT PLEASES JEHOVAH
13 There may be times when someone who is not a Christian has treated you badly. But you may be able to help him to be interested in what the Bible teaches. The apostle Paul wrote: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this you will heap ery coals upon his head. Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good. (Romans 12:20, 21) When you are polite even when people are angry with you, they may change their attitude and even act kindly. If you show understanding and compassion to the person who is treating you badly, you might make him want to learn more

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12. According to Pauls words at Ephesians 4: 31, 32, how should we act? 13. (a) How does a Christian heap ery coals on his enemys head? (b) What may happen when we react mildly to someone who treats us badly? NOVEMBER 15, 2012

about the Bible. No matter how he responds, your mild and kind actions could make the person wonder why you are dierent.1 Peter 2:12; 3:16. 1 4 There are some people with whom we should not associate. For example, we should not associate with people who are disfellowshipped. They were removed from the congregation because they committed a serious sin and were not repentant. If you have been hurt because someone committed a serious sin, it may be very dicult for you to forgive him. Even if he repents, you may still feel very hurt because of what happened. If you are in this situation, you should keep asking Jehovah to help you to be willing to forgive the one who committed the sin. This is important because you can never really know what the other person thinks or feels. But Jehovah knows. He knows each persons most secret feelings, and he is patient with people who sin. (Psalm 7:9; Proverbs 17:3) That is why the Bible tells us not to treat other people badly, even if they have hurt us. It says: Return evil for evil to no one. Provide ne things in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends upon you, be peaceable with all men. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah. (Romans 12:17-19) We cannot know all that Jehovah knows, and the Bible tells us not to judge others. (Matthew 7:1, 2) But you can be condent that Jehovah will judge correctly.
14. Why should you be willing to forgive, even

when a person has treated you very badly?

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If you nd it dicult to forgive someone who has treated you badly, it may help you to remember that he too is coping with something very difcult. Just like us, he was born imperfect. (Romans 3:23) Jehovah feels sorry for all mankind because they are all imperfect. So we should pray for the person who has hurt us. When we are praying for someone, we become less angry with that person. Jesus made it clear that we should not stay angry with others even when they have treated us badly. He said: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you.Matthew 5:44. 16 Jehovah has given Christian elders the responsibility to decide whether a person who has committed a serious sin is repentant or not. These brothers do not know everything that God knows about each situation, but they try to make a decision based on what the Bible says and with the help of holy spirit. So when they pray to Jehovah to help them make a decision, we can be sure that their decision agrees with Jehovahs thinking.Matthew 18:18. 17 In a situation like this, we have to be loyal. We should trust the way Jehovah handles the problem and accept the decision the elders make. When the elders decide that a person is repentant, will you forgive him and show that you still love him? (2 Corinthians 2:5-8) This may not be easy, especially if his sin hurt you or a member of your family. But if you trust in Jehovah and
15. What will help us to feel less angry with a

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Remember that Christians are required to forgive others

person who has treated us badly?

16, 17. How should you react when Christian

his way of handling these problems in the congregation, you will do the right thing. You will show that you really are willing to forgive others.Proverbs 3: 5, 6. 18 We will have many benets when we are willing to forgive. It helps us to feel better because we let go of anger and sadness. And it helps us to have better relationships with other people. But if we are not willing to forgive, it can make us feel sick and stressed. This can make it dicult for us to get along with others. But the most important benet of being willing to forgive is that we will have a good relationship with our heavenly Father, Jehovah.Read Colossians 3:12-14.
18. How will you benet if you are willing to forgive?

elders decide that a sinner is repentant? Why?

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