STUDY ARTICLES

AUGUST 4-10
You Must Love
Jehovah Your God
PAGE 3

SONGS: 3, 65

AUGUST 11-17
You Must Love
Your Neighbor
as Yourself
PAGE 9

SONGS: 84, 72

AUGUST 18-24
Do You View
Human Weakness
as Jehovah Does?
PAGE 15

SONGS: 77, 79

AUGUST 25-31
Help Others Reach
Their Full Potential
PAGE 21

SONGS: 42, 124
34567
JUNE 15, 2014
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June 15, 2014
Vol. 135, No. 12 Semimonthly ENGLISH
STUDY ARTICLES

You Must Love Jehovah Your God

You Must Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Jesus discussed the two greatest commandments for Chris-
tians. We will learn what Jesus meant when he said that we
should love Jehovah with our whole heart, soul, and mind.
Also, we will learn how to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Do You View Human Weakness

as Jehovah Does?
Help Others Reach Their Full Potential
In these articles we will discuss how we can help our broth-
ers who feel weak. We will also learn how to help young or
newly baptized brothers reach their full potential.
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JESUS described the close relationship he has with his Fa-
ther when he said: I love the Father and, the Father has
aection for the Son. (John 5:20; 14:31) Before Jesus came
to earth, they worked together for many billions of years.
(Proverbs 8:30) During this time, Jesus learned much
about his Fathers qualities, and their love for each other
grew.
2
When you love someone, you have deep feelings for
that person. David sang: I have aection for you, O Jeho-
vah, my strength. (Psalm18:1) That is how we should feel
about God. He promises that if we obey him, he will show
his love for us. (Read Deuteronomy 7:12, 13.) But we can-
not see God, so how can we love him? What does it mean
to love Jehovah? Why should we love him? And how can
we prove that we love God?
WE CAN LOVE GOD
3
We cannot see God because God is a Spirit. (John 4:
1. Why did the love between Jesus and his Father grow?
2. (a) What does it mean to love someone? (b) What questions will we
discuss?
3, 4. Why is it possible for us to love Jehovah?
You Must Love Jehovah Your God
You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart
and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.
MATTHEW 22:37.
HOW WOULD YOU
ANSWER?

What does it mean to

love God?

Why should we love Jehovah?

How can we prove that we

really love God?
JUNE 15, 2014 3
24) Even so, it is possible to love Jeho-
vah. In fact, the Bible commands us to
love him. For example, Moses told the
Israelites: You must love Jehovahyour
God with all your heart and all your
soul and all your strength.Deuteron-
omy 6:5.
4
Why is it possible to love God? He
created us with the need to worship
him, and he also gave us the ability to
showlove. When we get to know Jeho-
vah, our love for him grows, and this
makes us happy. This is what Jesus
meant when he said: Happy are those
conscious of their spiritual need, since
the Kingdom of the heavens belongs
to them. (Matthew 5:3) In his book
Man Does Not Stand Alone, A. C. Mor-
rison said that it is amazing to see that
humans have always searched for and
have wanted to believe in God. Like
the writer, many understand that hu-
mans are born with a need to know
God.
5
Can we ever nd God? Yes, he
wants us to have a relationship with
him. The apostle Paul made that
clear when he spoke to a group in
ancient Athens. Many of them felt
that they needed to go to a temple
to worship the goddess Athena. But
Paul said that they could nd the true
5. How do we know that we can nd God?
God who made the world and all the
things in it. He explained that God
does not live in temples. People who
search for God can nd him, no mat-
ter where they live on earth. Then he
said that God is not far o from each
one of us. (Acts 17:24-27) Yes, peo-
ple can nd God. Over seven and a
half million of Jehovahs Witnesses
have found him, and they truly love
him.
WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE GOD
6
Howstrong should our love for Je-
hovah be? When a Pharisee, a re-
ligious man, asked Jesus: Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment
in the Law? Jesus clearly said: You
must love Jehovah your God with your
whole heart and with your whole soul
and with your whole mind. This is
the greatest and rst commandment.
Matthew 22:34-38.
6. What is the greatest and rst command-
ment?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Anointed one:
A person chosen by God for
a special purpose
Incense:
A mixture of four ingredients
that had a sweet-smelling
fragrance when burned. It
symbolized the prayers that
pleased Jehovah
Jesus said that we must
love Jehovah with our
whole heart, whole soul,
and whole mind
4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
7
What did Jesus mean when he
said that we must love God with
our whole heart, whole soul, and
whole mind? Our whole heart
means our true emotions, desires,
and feelings. Our whole soul means
who we are as a person and includes
everything we do in our life. And
our whole mind means the way we
think and what we think about. In this
way, Jesus emphasized that we must
love Jehovah with all we are and with
all we have.
8
We show God that we love him
with our whole heart, soul, and mind
when we regularly study the Bible,
carefully do everything he asks of us,
and zealously talk to others about the
Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14; Romans
12:1, 2) When we do these things, our
relationship with him will grow stron-
ger. (James 4:8) It is impossible to list
all the reasons why we should love
God, but let us discuss a few of them.
WHY SHOULD WE LOVE JEHOVAH?
9
Jehovah is our Creator, and he
gives us everything we need. Paul
said: By him we have life and move
and exist. (Acts 17:28) Jehovah has
7. What does it mean to love God with our
(a) whole heart? (b) whole soul? (c) whole
mind?
8. How do we show God that we love him?
9. Why do you love Jehovah?
given us this beautiful earth to live on.
(Psalm 115:16) He also gives us food
and other things so that we can stay
alive. That is why Paul could tell peo-
ple in Lystra that they should not wor-
ship idols but should worship Jeho-
vah, the living God. Paul said about
God: He did good, giving you rains
from heaven and fruitful seasons, sat-
isfying you with food and lling your
hearts with gladness. (Acts 14:15-17)
Jehovah lovingly gives us everything
we need. What a good reason to love
our Grand Creator!Ecclesiastes 12:1.
10
God will remove the sin and
death we inherited from Adam. (Ro-
mans 5:12) The Bible says: God rec-
ommends his own love to us in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. (Romans 5:8) If we are truly re-
pentant and have faith in the ransom
sacrice, God will forgive our sins. We
are deeply thankful to Jehovah be-
cause he loves us so much that he sent
his Son to die for us.John 3:16.
11
Jehovah has given us the hope of
living forever. (Romans 15:13) This
hope helps us to endure when our
faith is tested. Faithful anointed ones
have the hope of living forever in
heaven. (Revelation 2:10) Other faith-
ful ones have the hope of living for-
ever in Paradise on earth. (Luke 23:43)
Howdo we feel about our hope? It lls
us with joy, peace, and love for the
God who gives us every good gift and
every perfect present.James 1:17.
12
Jehovah has given us the resur-
rection hope. (Acts 24:15) We are very
10. How do you feel about the ransom?
11, 12. In what ways has Jehovah given us
hope?
We must love Jehovah
with all we are and
with all we have
JUNE 15, 2014 5
sad when someone we love dies. But
we do not have the same sadness as
do those who have no hope, because
Jehovah has promised to bring the
dead back to life. (1 Thessalonians
4:13) Jehovah looks forward to that
time even more than we do. He truly
wants to resurrect millions of people,
especially faithful ones. ( Job 14:15)
Imagine how we will feel when we
see children reunited with their par-
ents and close friends meeting each
other again! Jehovah thought of the
resurrection, he promised it, and he
will make it happen. We love Jehovah
so much because of this wonderful
hope.
13
Jehovah really cares for us. (Read
Psalm 34:6, 18, 19; 1 Peter 5:6, 7.)
Even today, we can feel safe because
we know that Jehovah is always ready
to help those who are faithful to him.
(Psalm 79:13) But imagine how much
God will do for us in the future. Je-
sus is King of Gods Kingdom, and
he will remove violence, oppression,
and wickedness from the earth. Then,
God will give all obedient humans
peace, as well as everything else they
need to enjoy life. (Psalm 72:7, 12-14,
16) When we meditate on these prom-
13. How do we know that God really cares
for us?
ises, we are motivated to love our God
with all our heart, soul, strength, and
mind.Luke 10:27.
14
Jehovah has given us the great
privilege of being his Witnesses. (Isa-
iah 43:10-12) We love God because he
gives us the opportunity to support
his Kingdom and to share our hope
with all who suer. We have the faith
and condence we need to witness to
people about the good news. Why
can we be condent? Our message
comes from Gods Word, the Bible,
and his promises always come true.
(Read Joshua 21:45; 23:14.) There are
many reasons to love Jehovah. But
how can we prove that we do?
HOW CAN WE PROVE
THAT WE LOVE GOD?
15
Regularly study and apply Gods
Word. Doing this shows that we love
Jehovah and truly want his Word
to guide us. (Psalm 119:105) When
we are suering, we can be com-
forted by such loving promises as
these: A heart broken and crushed,
O God, you will not reject. Your
loyal love, O Jehovah, kept support-
14. What great privilege has God given us?
15. How can studying and applying Gods
Word help us?
Jehovah thought
of the resurrection,
he promised it, and
he will make it happen
We can feel safe
because we know
that Jehovah is always
ready to help those
who are faithful to him
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
ing me. When anxieties overwhelmed
me, you comforted and soothed me.
(Psalm 51:17; 94:18, 19) Jehovah and
Jesus show mercy to all who suer.
(Isaiah 49:13; Matthew 15:32) When
we study the Bible, we can learn about
Jehovahs love for us. This helps to
deepen our love for him.
16
Pray to God regularly. When we
pray to God and see that he answers
our prayers, our love for him grows.
(Psalm 65:2) For example, we may
have experienced that he does not al-
low us to be tempted beyond what we
can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) If
we are worried and sincerely pray for
help, we can experience the peace of
God. This peace is a calmness that
only Jehovah can give us. (Philippians
4:6, 7) Sometimes we may say a silent
prayer, as Nehemiah did, and later re-
16. How can regular prayer help our love for
God to grow?
alize that Jehovah has answered us.
(Nehemiah 2:1-6) If we keep on pray-
ing and see how Jehovah answers our
prayers, our love for himgrows. When
our faith is tested, we will be con-
vinced that Jehovah will help us to en-
dure.Romans 12:12.
17
Regularly attend Christian meet-
ings, assemblies, and conventions.
(Hebrews 10:24, 25) The Israelites
gathered to listen and learn about
Jehovah so that they could worship
him with deep respect and obey his
Law. (Deuteronomy 31:12) If we truly
love Jehovah, we will regularly attend
Christian meetings. (Read 1 John 5:3.)
Let us do everything we can to attend
all the meetings. We must never lose
the love that we had for Jehovah when
we rst learned about him.Revela-
tion 2:4.
17. If we love God, how will we feel about at-
tending the meetings?
Jehovah has provided elders who listen to us and care for us
(See paragraph 19)
JUNE 15, 2014 7
8 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
18
Zealously talk about the truth to
others. (Galatians 2:5) Our love for
God makes us want to speak to oth-
ers about Gods Kingdom. At Arma-
geddon, Gods King, Jesus, will de-
fend Jehovahs right to rule. (Psalm
45:4; Revelation 16:14, 16) It makes
us very happy to help people learn
about Gods love and his promised
new world!Matthew 28:19, 20.
19
Show that you appreciate the
congregation elders. (Acts 20:28) Je-
hovah always wants the best for us, so
he has given us Christian elders. The
elders are like a hiding place from
the wind, a place of concealment from
the rainstorm, like streams of water in
a waterless land, like the shadow of a
massive crag in a parched land. (Isa-
iah 32:1, 2) Think of how safe we feel
when we nd shelter from a strong
wind or a chilling rainstorm or when
we nd shade from the hot sun! In
the same way, the elders give us the
help and encouragement we need to
keep serving Jehovah despite lifes
diculties. Why do we obey the el-
ders? Because we appreciate these
gifts in men and we love Jehovah
and Christ, the Head of the congrega-
tion.Ephesians 4:8; 5:23; Hebrews
13:17.
LET YOUR LOVE FOR GOD GROW
20
Jehovah has given us a perfect
law, which tells us everything he
wants us to do. (Read James 1:22-25.)
If you want a strong relationship with
18. What does love for God make us do?
19. Why should we appreciate the congrega-
tion elders?
20. If you love God, what will you do?
Jehovah, you have to do more than
just listen to him. (Psalm 19:7-11) You
have to do something about what you
learn. For example, because you love
God, you will make an eort to talk to
others about him and to comment at
the meetings.
21
We pray to Jehovah constantly
because we love him. In Israel, the
priests would burn incense to Jeho-
vah every day. King David compared
his prayers to incense when he sang:
May my prayer be as incense pre-
pared before you [Jehovah], my uplift-
ed hands like the evening grain oer-
ing. (Psalm 141:2; Exodus 30:7, 8)
Jehovah listened to Davids prayers. If
we pray in a humble, sincere, and
thankful way, then our prayers will
also be like incense and will please Je-
hovah.Revelation 5:8.
22
Jesus said that we must love God,
but he also said that we must love our
neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-39) When
we love Jehovah and his principles, it
will help us to love our neighbor. We
will learn about what this means in
the next article.
21. What can you compare your sincere
prayers to?
22. What will we learn in the next article?
If you want a strong
relationship with
Jehovah, you have
to do something
about what you learn
WHEN a Pharisee asked Jesus what the greatest com-
mandment in the Law is, Jesus said: You must love Jeho-
vah your God with your whole heart and with your whole
soul and with your whole mind. We discussed what this
means in the previous article. Jesus also stated what the
second greatest commandment is. He said: You must
love your neighbor as yourself.Matthew 22:34-39.
2
Jesus said that we must love our neighbor. But who is
our neighbor? Howcan we do what Jesus said? In this ar-
ticle, we will answer those questions and will see howlov-
ing our neighbor pleases Jehovah and benets everyone.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR?
3
We usually think of a neighbor as someone who lives
near to us. (Proverbs 27:10) But when a man asked Jesus:
1, 2. (a) What did Jesus say is the second greatest commandment?
(b) What questions will we answer?
3, 4. (a) What illustration did Jesus use to show what it means to love
our neighbor? (b) How did the Samaritan help the man who had been
robbed, beaten, and left on the road to die? (See opening picture.)
You Must Love Your
Neighbor as Yourself
The second [commandment] is this:
You must love your neighbor as yourself.
MATTHEW 22:39.
HOW WOULD YOU
RESPOND?

Who really is our neighbor?

Why should we show love

for our neighbor? How can
we do this?

Why will we be happy if we

love our neighbor as we love
ourselves?
JUNE 15, 2014 9
Who really is my neighbor? he an-
swered him using the illustration of
the Samaritan and explained what
it means to love others. (Read Luke
10:29-37.) A Jewish man had been
robbed, beaten, and left on the road to
die. An Israelite priest and a Levite,
who were supposed to be good neigh-
bors, saw him but did not help him.
Instead, a Samaritan helped him. At
that time, most Jews and Samaritans
hated one another.John 4:9.
4
The Samaritan poured oil and
wine on the injured mans wounds to
help the wounds heal. Then he took
him to an inn and gave the innkeeper
two denarii. This was equal to the pay
that a person would receive for two
days of work. (Matthew 20:2) When
we think of how much that Samaritan
did to help the injured man, we know
that he had real love for his neighbor.
We can be like that Samaritan if we
have compassion and love for people.
5
We live in the last days when
most people do not have compas-
sion. Many are cruel, love violence,
and have no love for their neighbor.
(2 Timothy 3:1-3) For example, in Oc-
tober 2012, Hurricane Sandy badly
damaged an area of New York City.
Many people did not have electricity,
heat, or the things they needed. Sad-
ly, looters stole from those who were
already suering. Jehovahs Witness-
es were dierent. They organized help
for their brothers and for others in the
area because true Christians love their
neighbor. What are some other ways
to show love for our neighbor?
WAYS TO SHOW LOVE
FOR OUR NEIGHBOR
6
Oer help from the Bible. In our
preaching work, we give our neighbor
5. How did Jehovahs Witnesses show love for
their neighbor after Hurricane Sandy?
6. What help from the Bible can we oer to our
neighbor?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
To have compassion for
people means that we see
their suering and we want
to do something to help
them
Neighbor:
We usually think of a
neighbor as someone who
lives close to us or someone
who has a lot in common
with us. However, in his
illustration of the Samaritan,
Jesus taught us that we
should view all people as
our neighbor, no matter
what their nationality or
culture is. Also, Jesus taught
us that we can be a neigh-
bor to others when we love
them and have compassion
for them
10 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JUNE 15, 2014 11
comfort from the Scriptures. (Ro-
mans 15:4) We show love for him
when we use the Bible to tell him
about the good news of Gods King-
dom. (Matthew24:14) It is an honor to
bring this message of hope fromJeho-
vah God to our neighbor.Romans
15:13
7
Follow the Golden Rule. Jesus
told us what the Golden Rule is when
he said: All things, therefore, that
you want men to do to you, you also
must do to them. This, in fact, is what
the Law and the Prophets mean.
(Matthew 7:12) The Law refers to
the books of Genesis through Deu-
teronomy, and the Prophets refer
to the prophetic books of the He-
brew Scriptures. Jehovah gave the
Law and the Prophets to his people
because he loved them and wanted
them to love one another. Today, too,
Jehovah expects us to love our neigh-
bor. In the book of Isaiah, Jehovah
says: Uphold justice, and do what is
righteous . . . Happy is the man who
does this. (Isaiah 56:1, 2) If we show
love for our neighbor and follow the
Golden Rule, we will be happy.
8
Love your enemies. Jehovah has
always taught us to love our enemies.
In Jesus time, some taught that peo-
ple should hate their enemies. But
Jesus counseled: Continue to love
your enemies and to pray for those
who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-
45) Paul gave similar counsel when he
said: If your enemy is hungry, feed
7. What is the Golden Rule, and what will hap-
pen when we follow it?
8. Why should we love our enemies, and what
may happen if we do?
him; if he is thirsty, give him some-
thing to drink. (Romans 12:20; Prov-
erbs 25:21) In ancient Israel, Jehovah
gave his people laws instructing them
to help their enemies and even their
enemies animals. (Exodus 23:5) By
applying that counsel, some people
who once hated one another might
have become good friends. As Chris-
tians, showing love for our enemies
may change the way they feel about
Japan
Canada
Jehovahs servants are quick to help their neighbor
(See paragraph 5)
us. Some of them may even become
servants of Jehovah.
9
Pursue peace with all people.
(Hebrews 12:14) If we must make
peace with all people, of course we
must make peace with our brothers.
Jesus said: If, then, you are bringing
your gift to the altar and there you re-
member that your brother has some-
thing against you, leave your gift there
in front of the altar, and go away. First
make your peace with your brother,
and then come back and oer your
gift. (Matthew 5:23, 24) Whenever
we have a problem with one of our
brothers, we can showlove for him by
trying to make peace as soon as we
can. When we quickly make peace, it
will be very pleasing to Jehovah.
10
Do not judge others. Stop judg-
ing that you may not be judged. Je-
sus taught us not to judge others for
the mistakes that they make. He also
said: Why, then, do you look at the
straw in your brothers eye but do not
notice the rafter in your own eye? Or
how can you say to your brother, Al-
lowme to remove the strawfromyour
eye, when look! a rafter is in your
own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the
9. What did Jesus say about making peace with
our brother?
10. Why should we not judge others?
rafter from your own eye, and then
you will see clearly how to remove
the straw from your brothers eye.
(Matthew 7:1-5) The lesson is that
we should not criticize other people
when they make mistakes because we
make many mistakes ourselves.
THE BEST WAY TO SHOW LOVE
11
There are many ways to show
love for our neighbor. But Jesus taught
us that the best way to do so is to
preach the good news of the King-
dom. (Luke 8:1) He told his followers:
Make disciples of people of all the
nations. (Matthew 28:19, 20) When
we obey Jesus, we can help our neigh-
bor to leave the spacious road that
leads to destruction and show him
how to walk on the cramped road
leading ointo life. (Matthew7:13, 14)
We know that our eorts are very
pleasing to Jehovah.
12
Jesus helped many people to un-
derstand that they needed Jehovah.
(Matthew 5:3) We imitate Jesus when
we tell people about Gods good
news. (Romans 1:1) We teach them
that Jesus sacrice makes it possible
for them to have Jehovahs approval
and friendship. (2 Corinthians 5:18,
19) Preaching the good news is truly
an important way to showlove for our
neighbor.
13
When we prepare well for our re-
turn visits and Bible studies, we are
able to teach people to obey Jehovah.
Some may need to make many chang-
es in their lives. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
11, 12. What is an important way to show love
for our neighbor?
13. How do you feel when you teach people
about Jehovah?
Showing love for
our enemies may
change the way
they feel about us
12 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
JUNE 15, 2014 13
It makes us so happy to see how Jeho-
vah helps humble ones to make prog-
ress and become his friends. (Acts
13:48) When they study the Bible,
people who had no hope become hap-
py. Their anxiety is replaced by con-
dence in Jehovah. It is an honor to
show love for our neighbor through
this special work.
PAULS DESCRIPTION OF LOVE
14
If we love our neighbor in the
way that Paul described, we will
please Jehovah, have fewer problems,
and be happy. What Paul wrote at
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 will teach us oth-
er ways to love our neighbor as our-
selves.Read.
15
Love is patient and kind. Jeho-
vah is patient and kind toward all peo-
ple even though they are imperfect.
So we need to be patient and kind
when others make mistakes, even if
they are unkind or rude to us. The Bi-
ble says that love is not jealous.
Some of our brothers may have privi-
leges in the congregation or other
things that we do not have. But if we
truly love our brothers, we will not be
jealous of them. Also, we should not
14. How did Paul describe love at 1 Corinthi-
ans 13:4-8?
15. (a) Why should we be patient and kind?
(b) Why should we not be jealous or proud?
be proud or boast about ourselves.
The Bible tells us that Jehovah hates
those who have haughty eyes and an
arrogant heart.Proverbs 21:4.
16
Love does not behave indecent-
ly. If we show love for our neighbor,
we will not lie to himor steal fromhim
or do anything else that makes Jeho-
vah unhappy. Also, we will not be self-
ish, because love does not look for its
own interests. So we will always do
what is best for our neighbor.Philip-
pians 2:4.
17
Love does not become pro-
voked. It does not keep account of
the injury. If someone does some-
thing unkind to us, we do not quickly
become angry. We should not keep a
record of all the times that a person
hurts us. (1 Thessalonians 5:15) If
we hold a grudge, our anger could
burn like a re, hurting ourselves and
others. (Leviticus 19:18) Instead, we
should forgive and forget. Love does
not rejoice over unrighteousness. If a
person who hates us is treated unfair-
ly, we are not happy to see him suer.
Read Proverbs 24:17, 18.
18
Paul wrote that love bears all
things. When we love our neighbor,
16, 17. What ways to show love for our neigh-
bor are described at 1 Corinthians 13:5, 6?
18. What do we learn about love from 1 Corin-
thians 13:7, 8?
We show love for people
when we prepare well
for return visits and
Bible studies
We should not keep
a record of all the times
that a person hurts us
14 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
we will forgive him when he does
something that upsets us. Paul also
said that love believes all things. We
believe what we read in the Bible and
are thankful to be taught by Jehovahs
organization. Love hopes all things.
We have hope because we trust in all
the things that Jehovah has promised
us. And because we love people, we
will do our best to tell them about
our hope. (1 Peter 3:15) When we
face very dicult situations, we pray
and hope for the best results. Even if
somebody sins against us or perse-
cutes us, we endure. As Paul said, love
endures all things. He also said:
Love never fails. Those who are obe-
dient to Jehovah will show love to
their neighbor forever.
KEEP ON LOVING YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF
19
If we follow the Bibles counsel,
we will always love our neighbor as we
love ourselves. (Matthew 22:39) Jeho-
vah and Jesus expect us to do this. We
must love all people, no matter where
they come from or what their culture
is. Whenever it is dicult to show
love for our neighbor, we can pray to
19, 20. What scriptures teach us that we must
keep on showing love to our neighbor?
Jehovah and ask for his holy spirit. We
know this will please Jehovah, and he
will help us.Romans 8:26, 27.
20
The command to love our neigh-
bor is so important that it is called
the royal law. (James 2:8) In the
Mosaic Law, Jehovah gave his peo-
ple many commandments that taught
them to love their neighbor. Later, Je-
hovah inspired Paul to write: What-
ever other commandment there is, is
summed up in this saying: You must
love your neighbor as yourself. Ro-
mans 13:8-10.
21
Jesus helped us to understand
more about who our neighbor is when
he said that his Father makes his sun
rise on both the wicked and the good
and makes it rain on both the righ-
teous and the unrighteous. (Matthew
5:43-45) Jesus was teaching us that
we should show love to all people,
whether they are righteous or unrigh-
teous. As mentioned earlier, an im-
portant way to show love for our
neighbor is to teach him about Jeho-
vah and his Kingdom. If our neighbor
applies what he learns fromthe Bible,
he can have the great joy of becoming
Gods friend.
22
We have already learned why we
should love Jehovah with our whole
heart, soul, and mind. We have also
learned how we can show love for
our neighbor. If we love Jehovah and
our neighbor, we are obeying the two
greatest commandments. Best of all,
we please our loving heavenly Father,
Jehovah.
21, 22. Why should we love God and our
neighbor?
We should love
all people, no
matter where they
come from or
what their culture is
WE ALL feel weak at times. Some days when we are not
feeling well, we may have no energy and may nd it dif-
cult to do what we need to do. But now imagine feeling
this way for a long time. How would we want others to
treat us? Of course, we would want them to try to under-
stand how we feel, that is, to show empathy toward us.
2
The apostle Paul sometimes felt weak because of pres-
sures from outside and from inside the congregation.
More than once, he felt that he could not go on. (2 Corin-
thians 1:8; 7:5) Because of his own experiences, Paul
could understand what it means to feel weak. He said:
Who is weak, and I am not weak? (2 Corinthians 11:29)
When he compared the members of the Christian congre-
gation to parts of the human body, he said that those who
seem to be weaker are necessary. (1 Corinthians 12:22)
What did he mean? How does Jehovah feel about those
who seem to be weak? How can we learn to view our
1, 2. Why could Paul show empathy to the weak?
Do You View Human Weakness
as Jehovah Does?
The members of the body that seem to be
weaker are necessary.1 CORINTHIANS 12:22.
WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER?

How does Jehovah view his

servants who seem to be
weak?

What will help us to view

our brothers the way
Jehovah does when they
make mistakes?

Who benet when we help

those who are weak, and
how?
JUNE 15, 2014 15
16 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
brothers as Jehovah does? And how
does this benet us?
JEHOVAHS VIEW OF WEAKNESS
3
In the world today, many take ad-
vantage of those who are frail and
weak in order to get what they want.
They believe that to be successful, a
person must be young and strong. The
worlds attitude could aect us too.
We may begin to have a negative view
of certain brothers who often need
help. How can we view each member
of the congregation as Jehovah does?
4
Jehovah views each member of
the congregation as important. In
chapter 12 of his rst letter to the Co-
rinthians, Paul reminds us that even
the weakest part of the human body is
needed. (Read 1 Corinthians 12:12,
18, 21-23.) Some who believe in evolu-
3. Why might we have negative feelings toward
our brothers?
4, 5. (a) What does Pauls illustration of the
human body teach us about how Jehovah views
each one of us? (b) How can we benet when
we help the weak?
tion have said that certain parts of the
body are not needed.1 (See footnote.)
For example, the little toe was once
considered useless. But now scien-
tists have discovered that our little toe
helps our whole body remain steady
when we are standing up.
5
Pauls illustration about the hu-
man body shows that every member
of the congregation is needed. Satan
wants us to believe that we are useless.
But Jehovah views all of his servants
as necessary, even those who may
1 In his book The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin
wrote that many parts of the body are not needed.
Another evolutionist claimed that there are dozens
of body parts that are not needed, such as the appen-
dix and the thymus.
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
Weakness:
This article discusses
dierent kinds of weakness.
Our brother may feel weak
because he is facing prob-
lems, such as sickness or
depression. Or he may have
made mistakes that have
aected his friendship with
Jehovah. Or he may be
inexperienced because he
has served Jehovah for only
a short time
Empathy:
To feel someone elses pain
in your heart; to try to under-
stand how he feels. When
we have empathy for our
brother, we listen to him,
we are patient with him,
and we give him the help
that he needs
Jehovah views
each member of
the congregation
as important
seem to be weaker. (Job 4:18, 19) This
means that we can feel good that we
are needed in our congregation and
among Gods people worldwide. For
example, think of a time when you
helped an elderly person. He bene-
ted, but did you also benet? Yes.
When we help others, we are hap-
py, we become more patient, we love
our brothers even more, and we be-
come better Christians. (Ephesians 4:
15, 16) Jehovah wants us to think of
our brothers and sisters as important,
even those who seem to be weak.
When we have this view, we will not
expect too much of our brothers, and
the congregation will be more loving.
6
It is true that Paul did use the
words weak and weakness when
he spoke about some in the congrega-
tion. This was because some unbeliev-
ers viewed Christians in that way. But
Paul was not saying that some Chris-
tians were better than others. Also,
sometimes he described himself as
weak. (1 Corinthians 1:26, 27; 2:3)
And when he used the word strong
to describe certain Christians, he was
not saying that they were better than
others. (Romans 15:1) He was simply
saying that those with more experi-
ence should be patient with those
with less experience.
DO WE NEED TO CHANGE
THE WAY WE THINK?
7
Jehovah helps the weak, and it
makes him happy when we do the
same. (Psalm 41:1; Ephesians 5:1) But
6. How did Paul use the words weak and
strong?
7. Why may it not be easy for us to help those
in need?
this is not always easy for us to do.
Why? Maybe we think that our broth-
er should take responsibility for his
own problems. Or maybe we avoid
him because we do not know what to
say. For example, consider what hap-
pened to a sister named Cynthia.1 (See
footnote.) She needed help when her
husband left her. She says: If brothers
avoid you or do not act the way you
would expect close friends to act, it
can hurt. When you are going through
trials, you need people around you.
King David too felt hurt when his
friends avoided him.Psalm 31:12.
8
What will help us to be more
understanding toward our broth-
ers who need help? Remember that
many of them are suering because
of sickness or depression or because
they live with family members who
are not in the truth. If we had the
same problems, we would want oth-
ers to show empathy to us. Think
about the Israelites. They had suered
a lot in Egypt, yet before entering
the Promised Land, Jehovah remind-
ed them that they should not harden
their heart. Jehovah expected the Isra-
elites to help their brothers who were
poor and weak.Leviticus 25:35-38;
Deuteronomy 15:7, 11.
1 Name has been changed.
8. What will help us to be understanding to-
ward our brothers?
Jehovah helps the weak,
and it makes him happy
when we do the same
JUNE 15, 2014 17
9
We should not be quick to blame
our brothers for their problems or
think that we are better than they are.
We want to help our brothers when
they are weak. (Job 33:6, 7; Matthew
7:1) For example, imagine that some-
one is injured in a motorcycle accident
and is rushed to the hospital. When he
arrives, would the doctors and nurs-
es waste time discussing who was
to blame for the accident? No. They
9. When our brother is weak, what does he
really need? Give an example.
would immediately give medical help.
It is the same with us. When our
brother is weak, what he really needs
is our spiritual help.Read 1 Thessalo-
nians 5:14.
10
Some brothers and sisters may
seem to be weak. But if we stop to
think about their situation, we may
nd that theyare not weak at all. Imag-
ine how dicult it must be for a sister
whose husband does not serve Jeho-
vah. What about a single mother who
is working hard to raise her children
on her own and who still regularly
comes to meetings? Or think about
teenagers in school who daily resist
pressure to leave the truth. They all
have real love for Jehovah and are
determined to remain loyal to him.
10. How are some rich in faith even though
they seem to be weak?
When our brother is
weak, what he really
needs is our help
Jehovah saw how scared
Elijah was and sent an
angel to help him
(See paragraphs 14, 15)
18 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
When we think about all that our
brothers are doing to serve Jehovah,
this will help us to view them as rich
in faith, even if they seemto be weak.
James 2:5.
THINK THE WAY JEHOVAH DOES
11
We need to think of our brothers
the way Jehovah does, even when
they make mistakes. Bible exam-
ples will help us to learn how Jeho-
vah views his servants. (Read Psalm
130:3.) For example, imagine that you
were with Moses when he was lis-
tening to Aaron make many excuses
about why he made the golden calf.
What would you have thought about
Aaron? (Exodus 32:21-24) How would
you have felt when Aaron listened to
Miriam and then criticized Moses for
marrying a foreign woman? (Numbers
12:1, 2) And what about when Aaron
and Moses did not honor Jehovah af-
ter He made water come out of a rock?
Numbers 20:10-13.
12
Jehovah could have immediate-
ly punished Aaron for making those
mistakes. But Jehovah knewthat even
though Aaron was weak at certain
times, he was not a bad person. He
made mistakes because he was in dif-
cult situations and because he lis-
11, 12. (a) What will help us to think the way
Jehovah does when our brothers make mis-
takes? (b) Why did Jehovah forgive Aaron?
What do we learn from that?
tened to the wrong people. But Aaron
was willing to admit that he made
those mistakes, and he accepted Jeho-
vahs counsel. (Exodus 32:26; Num-
bers 12:11; 20:23-27) Aaron loved Je-
hovah and was repentant. So Jehovah
forgave him. That is why many years
later, Aaron and his family were still
remembered as faithful servants of Je-
hovah.Psalm 115:10-12; 135:19, 20.
13
Like Aaron, your brother may
make mistakes. When this happens,
how do you view him? Do you need to
change your thinking? (1 Samuel 16:7)
For example, think about a teenager
who seems to have a bad attitude.
Maybe he is not careful in his choice
of entertainment. Do not be quick to
think that he is a bad person. Instead,
think about how you can help him.
Take the time to teach him how to
make wise decisions. When you help
your brothers in this way, you will be
more patient with them and your love
for them will grow.
14
How does Jehovah feel about
those who are depressed? Consider
howhe helped one of his servants who
felt this way. Elijah was a prophet of
Jehovah who had courageously chal-
lenged 450 prophets of Baal. But then
Elijah heard that Queen Jezebel want-
ed to kill him. He was so afraid that he
ran 150 kilometers (95 miles) to Beer-
sheba and then far away into the wil-
derness. He was extremely exhausted
and was so depressed that he wished
he were dead.1 Kings 18:19; 19:1-4.
13. How can we change the way we think?
Give an example.
14, 15. (a) How did Jehovah feel about Elijah
when he was scared? (b) What can we learn
from the way Jehovah helped Elijah?
We need to think
of our brothers the
way Jehovah does
JUNE 15, 2014 19
15
What did Jehovah do when he
saw how scared and depressed Elijah
was? Did he reject Elijah? No. Jehovah
sent an angel to help him. Twice the
angel gave Elijah something to eat so
that he would be strong enough to
continue his trip. (Read 1 Kings 19:
5-8.) Even before Jehovah gave Elijah
instructions, He listened to Elijah and
gave him the help he needed.
16
Howcan we help our brother the
way Jehovah helped Elijah? Do not be
quick to tell your brother what you
think he should do. (Proverbs 18:13)
When he is depressed or feels useless,
he rst needs you to listen to him and
to showhimthat you care. (1 Corinthi-
ans 12:23) Then you will know what
he really needs, and you will be able to
help him.
17
Remember the experience of
Cynthia. When her husband left, she
and her two daughters felt abandoned.
How did some in the congregation
help them? Cynthia says: They were
at our house within 45 minutes. They
were in tears. They did not leave us
alone for the rst two or three days.
Cynthia and her two daughters were
very tired and emotional. Members of
the congregation invited them to stay
in their home and gave them food to
eat. This experience reminds us of
what the Bible says in the book of
James: If a brother or a sister is lack-
ing clothing and enough food for the
day, yet one of you says to them, Go
in peace; keep warm and well fed, but
you do not give them what they need
for their body, of what benet is it? So,
16, 17. How can we help our brothers the way
Jehovah does?
too, faith by itself, without works, is
dead. (James 2:15-17) The help that
the brothers and sisters gave to Cyn-
thia and her daughters was exactly
what they needed. Only six months
later, they felt strong enough to auxil-
iary pioneer.2 Corinthians 12:10.
MANY BENEFIT
18
It takes time for us to recover
when we have been sick for a long
time. When our brother makes a mis-
take or is in a dicult situation, it may
also take time for him to recover. It is
true that he must study Gods Word,
pray to Jehovah, and attend meetings
to strengthen himself. But he also
needs our help. During this time of re-
covery, we need to be patient with
him. We need to continue to show
him that we love him and that he is a
necessary part of the congregation.
2 Corinthians 8:8.
19
Helping others makes us happy.
We also learn to showempathy and to
be patient. But we are not the only
ones who benet. The entire congre-
gation will become more loving. More
important, when we assist those who
are weak, we showthat we want to be
like Jehovah. Our loving Father views
every person as precious.Acts 20:35.
18, 19. (a) How can we help those who are
weak? (b) Who benet when we help those
who are weak?
Our loving Father
views every person
as precious
20 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
WHEN parents watch their little ones play, they are often
amazed by the abilities that their children have. You may
have seen this too. One child may be good at playing
sports, while another likes drawing or making things.
Whatever those abilities are, parents enjoy helping their
children to reach their full potential, in other words, to do
the very best they can.
2
As a loving parent, Jehovah is interested in his ser-
vants. They are precious to him especially because they
are faithful and loyal to him. (Haggai 2:7) Yet, you may
have noticed that your brothers and sisters also have
many dierent talents and abilities. For example, some
brothers are excellent speakers, and others are good orga-
nizers. Many sisters are good at learning foreign lan-
guages and use them in the ministry. Others are good at
caring for the needs of the sick or giving encouragement
to those who need it. (Romans 16:1, 12) We are deeply
grateful to be in the congregation with all such brothers
and sisters.
1, 2. How does Jehovah feel about each of his servants?
Help Others Reach
Their Full Potential
I will give you advice with my eye upon you.
PSALM 32:8.
HOW WOULD YOU
ANSWER?

What are some Bible exam-

ples that show that Jehovah
saw potential in his servants?

Why should we try to look for

the good in others?

How can we help young or

newly baptized brothers to
use their abilities in the best
way?
JUNE 15, 2014 21
22 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
3
Some Christians, especially young
or newly baptized brothers, may feel
that they have not yet found their
place in the congregation. How can
we help them reach their full poten-
tial? Why should we try to imitate Je-
hovah and look for the good qualities
in our brothers?
JEHOVAH SEES THE GOOD IN US
4
The Bible shows that Jehovah not
only sees the good qualities of his ser-
vants but also sees their potential. For
example, Jehovah chose Gideon to
free the Israelites from their enemies
the Midianites. Gideon felt unimpor-
tant, so he must have been shocked
when an angel told him: Jehovah is
with you, you mighty warrior. Gide-
on did not feel mighty at all, and
he felt unable to save Gods people.
But Jehovah sawthings dierently. He
3. What questions will we discuss in this arti-
cle?
4, 5. What did Jehovah see in Gideon? What
do we learn from Jehovahs example?
saw what Gideon was capable of and
knew that He could use Gideon to
save Israel.Read Judges 6:11-16.
5
Jehovah had full condence in
Gideon because He knew his po-
tential. For example, Jehovah saw
that when Gideon beat and pre-
pared wheat, he worked with all
his strength. Also, farmers usually
worked outside, but Gideon was pre-
paring the wheat inside a winepress
so that the Midianites would not see
his crop and steal it. Jehovah saw that
Gideon was more than a hard worker.
He was a clever man who was able to
understand a situation and make wise
decisions to avoid danger. Yes, Jeho-
vah sawGideons abilities and trained
him.
6
Similarly, Jehovah saw potential
in the prophet Amos. To many, he
may have seemed to be a quiet, un-
important man. He was doing very
simple work as a shepherd and a eld
worker. But Jehovah assigned Amos to
correct the ten tribes of Israel who had
stopped worshipping Him. Some Isra-
elites might have thought that Amos
was a poor choice. Why?Read Amos
7:14, 15.
6, 7. (a) How was Jehovahs view of Amos dif-
ferent from that of some Israelites? (b) How do
we know that Amos was not a poor choice?
SOME
EXPRESSIONS
EXPLAINED
To help brothers reach their full potential:
To look for the good qualities and abilities of young or newly
baptized brothers and then work with them so that they
can use all these qualities and abilities to make progress.
As a result, these brothers can assist with the future needs
of the organization
Jehovah sees the
good qualities and the
potential of his servants
JUNE 15, 2014 23
7
Amos came from an isolated vil-
lage. But he knew a lot about the
customs and the rulers surrounding
him, perhaps from men who traveled
through his village on business. For
example, Amos knewmuch about the
nations nearby and the bad condi-
tions in Israel. (Amos 1:6, 9, 11, 13;
2:8; 6:4-6) Also, Amos was a good
writer. He was able to use simple but
powerful words. He was not afraid to
condemn the corrupt priest Amazi-
ah. Truly, Jehovah had chosen the
right person to deliver his message.
He saw abilities in Amos that others
may not have seen.Amos 7:12, 13,
16, 17.
8
Jehovah notices the abilities of all
of his servants, and he wants to help
each of us to do the very best we can.
For example, Jehovah promised that
he would guide David and give him
the advice he needed. (Read Psalm
32:8.) Why is this encouraging to us?
Even though we may not be condent
in ourselves, Jehovah can help us to do
more than we ever imagined. Just as a
good teacher might guide an inexperi-
enced student every step of the way,
Jehovah guides us so that we can
reach our full potential. And he may
8. (a) What did Jehovah promise to do for Da-
vid? (b) Why is Psalm 32:8 encouraging to
those who might not be condent about their
abilities?
use our brothers and sisters to help us
to do that. In what ways?
LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN OTHERS
9
Paul encouraged all Christians to
look out for the interests of their
brothers and sisters. (Read Philippi-
ans 2:3, 4.) What was included in this
counsel? That we should notice the
abilities of our brothers and mention
them. Howdo you feel when someone
notices a good quality in you? You feel
like making more progress. The same
is true with our brothers. If we take
the time to notice the eorts that our
brothers make, they will be encour-
aged to make progress and succeed in
their service to Jehovah.
10
At times, we all need attention
from others. But young or newly bap-
tized brothers especially need to feel
involved in the congregation. This will
help them to understand that they
are a useful part of Jehovahs people.
The Bible encourages these brothers
to qualify for more responsibilities.
(1 Timothy 3:1) But if they do not feel
appreciated for the work that they do,
this may discourage them from doing
more in Jehovahs service.
11
An elder named Ludovic says
that when sincere interest is shown in
a brother, he makes progress more
quickly. One such brother was Julien.
Ludovic noticed that Julien was shy,
and when he tried to do more in the
congregation, Julien was unsure of
9. How can we look out for the interests of
our brothers and sisters?
10. Who especially need our attention?
11. (a) How did one elder help a young broth-
er to make progress? (b) What do you learn
from Juliens experience?
Jehovah wants to help
each of us to reach
our full potential
24 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
himself and behaved in an awkward
way. Ludovic says, But I could see
that he was very kind and really want-
ed to help. So instead of criticizing
Julien, Ludovic focused on his good
qualities and encouraged him. As a re-
sult, Julien was able to qualify to be-
come a ministerial servant and later a
regular pioneer.
HELP THEM REACH
THEIR FULL POTENTIAL
12
If we want to help our brothers to
reach their full potential, we need to
see more than their weaknesses. We
need to look for their good qualities
and abilities. Jesus was able to do this
with the apostle Peter. At times, Peter
did not seem to be dependable. But Je-
sus sawgood qualities in himand gave
him the name Peter, which means A
Piece of Rock. Hence, Jesus said that
he would become as stable as a rock.
John 1:42.
13
Let us also review the example
of Barnabas and Mark. (Acts 12:25)
Mark was supposed to care for the
needs of Paul and Barnabas during
their rst missionary trip. But sud-
denly, when they reached the area
12. What must we do in order to help our
brothers? Give an example.
13, 14. (a) How did Barnabas view young
Mark? (b) How did Alexandre benet from the
help he received from an elder? (See opening
picture.)
of Pamphylia, Mark abandoned them.
Paul and Barnabas were left to trav-
el alone through a dangerous region.
(Acts 13:5, 13) What did Barnabas do?
It seems that he focused on Marks
good qualities, not on his weaknesses.
He did not view Mark as unreliable.
Instead, Barnabas later trained Mark,
and as a result, he became a mature
Christian. (Acts 15:37-39) Years later,
Mark was in Rome assisting Paul, who
was in prison. And when Paul wrote
to the Colossians, he spoke well of
Mark. (Colossians 4:10) Can you imag-
ine how pleased Barnabas must have
felt when Paul even asked for Marks
help?2 Timothy 4:11.
14
An elder named Alexandre re-
members how a brother helped him:
When I was younger, saying a prayer
inpublic was a real struggle for me. An
elder showed me how to prepare my-
self and be more relaxed. Instead of
not calling on me anymore, he gave
me opportunities to pray regularly at
meetings for eld service. Intime, I be-
came more condent.
15
What do you do when you see
15. How did Paul show that he valued his
brothers?
We should look for
the good qualities and
abilities of our brothers
Each time we com-
mend our brothers for
something they did
well, they will be even
more motivated to give
Jehovah their best
JUNE 15, 2014 25
good qualities in other Christians?
Do you commend them? In Romans
chapter 16, Paul acknowledged more
than 20 of his brothers and sisters for
qualities that he valued. (Romans 16:
3-7, 13) For example, Paul commend-
ed Andronicus and Junias because
they had been serving Christ longer
than he had and because of their
endurance. Paul also mentioned the
mother of Rufus for the loving care
she had given him.
16
We too can have good results
when we commend others. Consid-
er the example of Rico, a young
boy in France whose father did not
serve Jehovah. Rico was very discour-
aged because his father did not want
him to get baptized. He was afraid
that he would have to wait until he
was an adult to do so. Rico was also
sad that children at school made fun
of him because of his beliefs. But
16. What can result when we commend young
ones?
an elder named Fr

ed

eric commended
Rico, telling him that the opposition
he faced meant that he was coura-
geous enough to preach. As a result of
these kind words, Rico was deter-
mined to continue making progress,
and he improved his relationship with
his father. Rico got baptized when he
was 12 years old.
17
Each time we commend our
brothers for something they did well,
they will be even more motivated
to give Jehovah their best. Sylvie,
who has served for years at Bethel in
France, says that sisters too can com-
mend brothers.1 (See footnote.) She
even feels that it is her responsibili-
ty to do so. (Proverbs 3:27) Many
times, sisters notice details that broth-
ers may not. So when sisters com-
mend brothers for their eorts, this
1 Name has been changed.
17. (a) How can we help our brothers to give
Jehovah their best? (b) How did one missionary
help young brothers? What was the result?
Fr

ed

eric (left) encouraged Rico to
stay determined to serve Jehovah
(See paragraph 16)
26 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
can add to what experienced brothers
may say to them. J

er

ome, a mission-
ary in French Guiana, has helped
many young brothers to set the goal of
becoming missionaries. He says that
when he compliments young brothers
on something specic they did in the
ministryor for giving good comments,
they become more condent and their
abilities improve.
18
We can also encourage Chris-
tians to make progress by working
with them. For example, an elder may
ask a young brother to print informa-
tion from jw.org that will be helpful to
older ones who have no computer. Or
you may ask a young brother to help
you with cleaning or repairing the
Kingdom Hall. When you make the
eort to work with young ones, you
will have an opportunity to notice
their abilities, to commend them, and
to see their progress.Proverbs 15:23.
18. Why is it good to work along with younger
brothers?
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
19
Jehovah chose Joshua to lead the
Israelites. At that time, God com-
manded Moses to train, encour-
age, and strengthen Joshua. (Read
Deuteronomy 3:28.) Today, there are
many people who are beginning to
worship Jehovah. We need qualied
brothers to take the lead in the orga-
nization. So all in the congregation
must help young or newly baptized
brothers reach their full potential.
As a result, more and more brothers
will enter the full-time service, and a
greater number of them will be qual-
ied to teach.2 Timothy 2:2.
20
Whether our congregation is
large and has a lot of experienced
brothers or whether we are part of a
small group, we can assist with the fu-
ture needs of the organization. To do
this, we must imitate Jehovah and
look for the good in others.
19, 20. Why should we help others to make
progress?
J

er

ome (right) helped Ryan to set
the goal of becoming a missionary
(See paragraph 17)
You probably know someone who is divorced.
That is because divorce is very common. When
people get divorced, they have to cope with pain-
ful emotions. They may feel anger, regret, de-
spair, and shame. One brother said: When we
divorced, my ex-wife prevented me from seeing
my two little girls. That led me to feel that no one
cared for me anymore and even that Jehovah
must have abandoned me. I lost my desire to live.
In time, I realized how wrong my thinking had
been.
After a divorce, some may also feel that the
brothers and sisters in the congregation no lon-
ger care about them or do not understand their
feelings. They may think that others are judging
or avoiding them. But later, as divorced ones ad-
just to their circumstances, they may realize that
others actually showed them much love and un-
derstanding.
FEELINGS OF LONELINESS
AND REJECTION
Even though we may try our best to help a di-
vorced brother or sister, he or she may still feel
lonely and rejected at times. One sister says that
even eight years after her divorce, she sometimes
still feels unloved and sad. At such times, she just
wants to be alone to cry.
It is important that those who are divorced do
not make a habit of isolating themselves. (Prov-
erbs 18:1) At the same time, they need to be care-
ful not to make a habit of seeking comfort from
someone of the opposite sex. Doing this could
lead to improper romantic feelings.
When our divorced brothers and sisters feel
lonely, rejected, and anxious about the future, we
want to try to understand their feelings and do
what we can to assist them, in imitation of Jeho-
vah. (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:6, 7) We can be sure
that they will appreciate the help we give them
as true friends.Proverbs 17:17; 18:24.
Assist Divorced
Fellow Believers
How?

A Balanced View of Divorce
As Jehovahs servants, we are always ready to
assist righteous ones who are crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:15, 18; Isaiah 41:10) At the same
time, we remember how Jehovah feels about di-
vorce. He says: I hate divorce. (Malachi 2:16)
So we also take the matter seriously. The only
Scriptural reason for divorce is sexual immorality.
(Genesis 2:22-24; Matthew 19:4-6, 9) It would be
a very serious mistake even to think of getting an
unscriptural divorce, perhaps while planning to
marry someone else.
JUNE 15, 2014 27
Show interest.
(Philippians 2:4)
Look for practical ways you
can help. For a time, your di-
vorced brother or sister may
need help even with little
things. Perhaps you could
oer a ride to an appoint-
ment or make a home repair.
The things you do for such
ones can help them cope
successfully with their
changed situation.

Be a good listener.
(Proverbs 16:20, 23)
After a divorce, some may
want to talk about what hap-
pened, and others may not.
So make it clear that you
care about their feelings and
are willing to listen but that
you do not want to pry. They
may be so frustrated that
when they talk they may say
something that they will later
regret. Reassure them that
you know they are in a dif-
cult situation and that you
are ready to help.Proverbs
12:25; Romans 12:15.
Reassure the divorced
person that Jehovah
understands the
situation.
Reassure him that even if
he feels worthless, he is pre-
cious in Jehovahs eyes.
Each of Jehovahs servants
is unique and worth more
than many sparrows. (Mat-
thew 10:29-31) Jehovah is
the examiner of hearts and
is able to understand those
who are divorced. He will not
abandon any of his faithful
servants. (Proverbs 17:3;
Psalm 145:18; Hebrews
13:5) So reassure the person
that God values his love for
the truth and his eorts to
serve Him.Philippians 2:29.

Encourage the divorced
one to strengthen his or
her relationship with
God through prayer,
personal study, and
meditation. (James 4:8)
Though Jehovah is almighty
and dwells in heaven, he
promises to provide strength
to the one humble and bro-
ken in spirit. Remind the di-
vorced one that all of us ben-
et when we draw close to
God through prayer and per-
sonal study.Isaiah 66:2.
Encourage the divorced
person to stay close to
the congregation.
Some may nd it hard to be
at the meetings. But it is at
the meetings that they will
nd the strength and cour-
age necessary to endure
this dicult time. Our meet-
ings are for building up.
1 Corinthians 14:26;
Psalm 122:1.

Oer to work together in
the eld ministry or to
prepare together for a
meeting.
This will help the divorced
Christian to feel more con-
dent while moving on with
life. One sister who has en-
couraged her divorced friend
says: We regularly share in
the ministry together. It
brings us joy when we see
that we have reached the
goals we set for ourselves.
We sometimes study togeth-
er in preparation for a meet-
ing, and then we might make
something delicious to eat.
WHAT CAN YOU
DO TO HELP?

JUNE 15, 2014 29

WHEN the Israelites left Babylon in the year 537
before Christ, Jehovah was very interested in
their trip back to Jerusalem. He told them: Clear
the way for the people. Build up, build up the
highway. Rid it of stones. (Isaiah 62:10) What
might they have done to obey this command?
Maybe a group of Israelites went ahead of their
brothers and lled in ditches or smoothed rough
parts of the road. Certainly this eort would have
made the trip back home much easier.
In a similar way, we follow a path as we care
for dierent assignments in Jehovahs service.
And Jehovah wants us to care for these with as
few obstacles as possible. To succeed in that ef-
fort, we all can benet from the following advice
found in the Bible: Smooth out the course of
your feet, and all your ways will be sure.Prov-
erbs 4:26.
MAKE GOOD DECISIONS
The Bible says: The glory of young men is
their strength. (Proverbs 20:29) Most young
people are healthy, energetic, intelligent, and ea-
ger to succeed in life. Adults often see the abili-
ties and talents of young people and hope that
they will reach their full potential. Young people
will be truly happy if they use their talents and
abilities in Jehovahs service.
Some people in the world also appreciate the
abilities and talents of our young ones. For exam-
ple, many Witnesses do well in school, so teach-
ers and other students may try to persuade them
to pursue higher education. Or young ones who
are good at playing sports may be encouraged by
others to make this a career. Perhaps you or
someone you knowis facing this situation. What
will help a Christian to make wise decisions?
Smooth Out
the Course
of Your Feet
to Make
Progress
30 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
Bible principles can help us as we follow a
path that leads to a successful future in Jeho-
vahs service. Consider, for example, what the
Bible says at Ecclesiastes 12:1: Remember, then,
your Grand Creator in the days of your youth.
How can you or a young person you know re-
member Jehovah?
Let us consider the story of a young brother in
West Africa named Eric.1 (See footnote.) He
loved soccer. By the time he was 15, he was play-
ing on a national team. He would likely have the
opportunity to receive the best training in Eu-
rope, perhaps even becoming a professional soc-
cer player. During this time, Eric began to study
the Bible with Jehovahs Witnesses. How would
he be able to remember Jehovah? And what
can we learn from his experience?
From his study of the Bible, Eric learned that
God will solve all mankinds problems. As a re-
sult, he realized that doing Gods will was far
more important than soccer. So he got baptized
and used his time and energy in Jehovahs ser-
vice. Eventually, he became a ministerial ser-
vant, assisting the congregation. And instead of
receiving training to play professional soccer, he
later received Christian training at the Bible
School for Single Brothers.
If he had become a professional soccer player,
Eric may have become rich and famous. But he
realized that the Bible is right when it says: The
wealth of the rich is his fortied city; it is like a
protective wall in his imagination. (Proverbs 18:
11) Money can fool people. It does not give them
real security. Instead, those who try to become
rich often stab themselves with many pains.
1 Timothy 6:9, 10.
Many young people feel happy and secure in
the full-time service. Eric says: I have joined a
large team of full-time servants of Jehovah.
That is the best team I can belong to, and I thank
Jehovah for showing me the only way to true
happiness and success in life.
1 Name has been changed.
What about you? Instead of setting goals in
this world, can you follow a path that will help
you to enjoy more opportunities inJehovahs ser-
vice? Can you make real eorts to become a pio-
neer?See the box Gaining Benets Unattain-
able at the University.
REMOVING OBSTACLES
FROM YOUR WAY
While visiting the United States branch oce,
one couple saw how happy the Bethelites were.
Later, the sister wrote: We had become too com-
fortable in our routine. So the couple decided to
make better use of their time and energy in Je-
hovahs service.
It was overwhelming for the couple to make
the needed changes. But one day, they consid-
ered what Jesus said at John 8:31: If you remain
in my word, you are really my disciples. They re-
alized that to be true disciples of Jesus, they had
to make sacrices. They reasoned: Whatever
we do to simplify life is worth the sacrice. They
sold their large house, got rid of other unneces-
sary things, and moved to a congregation that
needed help. Nowthey are pioneering. They also
help build Kingdom Halls and volunteer at dis-
trict conventions. How do they feel about the
changes they made? We are amazed at the joy
we have from living a simpler life, doing just
what Jehovahs organization encourages us to
do.
STAY ON THE ROAD
Solomon wrote: Your eyes should look
straight ahead, yes, x your gaze straight ahead
of you. (Proverbs 4:25) What does this mean?
We must stay focused on the path that will lead
us to more opportunities in Jehovahs service.
We should avoid distractions that could prevent
us from setting and reaching our goals.
What goals might you set? Perhaps you could
enter the full-time service. Or maybe you could
move to a congregation that has a large territo-
ry but only a few publishers. If you are a broth-
er, you may be able to serve in a congregation
that needs more elders or ministerial servants.
You can speak to your circuit overseer to nd
out which congregations in your area need as-
sistance. If you would like to serve farther
from home, you can ask for more information
about distant congregations that need help.1
See footnote.
1 See Organized to Do Jehovahs Will, pages 111-112.
Let us think again about the scene described
at Isaiah 62:10. The Jews needed to reach Jerusa-
lem, so some of them may have worked very
hard to prepare the road. Today, you too need to
continue making eorts to reachyour goals. Nev-
er give up. With Jehovahs help you can reach
those goals. Ask him for wisdom when you try
to remove any obstacles. Eventually, you will see
howGod can help you smooth out the course of
your feet.Proverbs 4:26.
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p
WHEN Flavia was a young girl, her grand-
mother, who was one of Jehovahs Witnesses,
spoke to her about the Bible. But because the
girls father was a teacher, he encouraged her
to learn more about nature and get a higher
education. Other people told her, Your gener-
ation can save the planet from ruin. With
her fathers support, Flavia went to a famous
university. There, she researched ways to pro-
duce fuel that does not pollute the air.
Flavia soon realized that many students did
not really care about the planet. Also, some
programs at the university needed business-
es to pay for their research. So the research-
ers were tempted to be partial and do things
that would benet those businesses. This
bothered Flavia. When Jehovahs Witnesses
came to her door, she again became interest-
ed in what the Bible says about God and the
future.
Flavia loved the truth from the Bible and
was baptized. But she spent very little time
preaching the good news because she was
studying at the university. One day she lis-
tened as the circuit overseer discussed James
4:17: If someone knows how to do what
is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for
him. That encouraged Flavia to think about
her own situation. She says: While wanting
Jehovahs blessing, I also wanted satisfaction
from my career in science. I had to choose.
Flavia decided to end her studies at the uni-
versity. Did she later regret her decision? She
says:
In Jehovahs service, I have gained bene-
ts unattainable at the university. Jehovah
has been good to me. He has taught me to be
kind, to show love, to help others spiritually. I
have a wonderful marriage and a future far
better than the one oered by science. Only
Jehovah can save the planet. I will not turn my
back on him. Flavia and her husband serve
at the world headquarters of Jehovahs Wit-
nesses in New York.
Gaining Benefits
Unattainable at
the University