JANUARY 1 5, 201 3

34567
SIMPLIFIED EDITION

STUDY ARTICLES

FEBRUARY 25–MARCH 3

Be Courageous
—Jehovah Is With
You!
PAGE 3 ˙ SONGS: 60, 23

MARCH 4-10

Let Nothing Distance

You From Jehovah
PAGE 9 ˙ SONGS: 106, 51

MARCH 11-17

Keep Drawing Close

to Jehovah
PAGE 15 ˙ SONGS: 52, 65

MARCH 18-24

Serving Without
Regrets
PAGE 21 ˙ SONGS: 91, 39

MARCH 25-31

Christian Elders
—‘Fellow Workers
for Our Joy’
PAGE 27 ˙ SONGS: 123, 53
 STUDY ARTICLES

ˇ Be Courageous—Jehovah Is With You!

The Bible mentions many servants of God who showed faith
and courage. Their experiences will strengthen our faith and
help us to serve Jehovah courageously. In this article, we will
HAITI learn about our yeartext for 2013.

COVER: A retired couple conduct a

Bible study in Camp Perrin. Like this ˇ Let Nothing Distance You From Jehovah
couple, some Haitian brothers and ˇ Keep Drawing Close to Jehovah
sisters who lived in another country
are now moving back to Haiti to There are many things in life we cannot choose, including
help with the preaching work our parents, our siblings, and our place of birth. But we
 can choose whether to stay close to Jehovah or not. These
articles will discuss seven things that we should not let
1:557 separate us from Jehovah.
RATIO OF PUBLISHERS TO

POPULATION IN HAITI
ˇ Serving Without Regrets
17,954 All of us have done things that we wish we could go back
PUBLISHERS and do differently. But if we constantly worry about the
mistakes we have made, we may not be able to give our
35,735 best to God. In this article, we will learn how the example
BIBLE STUDIES of the apostle Paul can help us.

ˇ Christian Elders—‘Fellow Workers for Our Joy’

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul said about
himself and others: “We are fellow workers for your joy.”
(2 Corinthians 1:24) What can elders learn from those
words of Paul? And how can we encourage one another
to continue serving God with joy? In this article we will
answer these questions.

34567 6
Vol. 134, No. 2 Semimonthly ENGLISH
January 15, 2013

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 Be Courageous
Jehovah Is
With You!
JEHOVAH’S service brings us joy. But we still
“Be courageous and have problems like everyone else. And we may
strong. . . . Jehovah suffer for doing what is right. (1 Corinthians 10:
your God is with you.” 13; 1 Peter 3:14; 5:8, 9) To endure these trials suc-
—JOSHUA 1:9. cessfully, we need faith and courage.
2 What is faith? The apostle Paul wrote: “Faith

is the assured expectation of things hoped for,

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER? the evident demonstration of realities though
not beheld.” (Hebrews 11:1) Another translation

reads: “Faith is the title-deed to the things we
What did Joshua have to do hope for. Faith is being sure of things we cannot
to keep his faith and courage see.” (The Simple English Bible) A “title-deed” is
strong? a document that proves that a property belongs
to us. Because we have faith that God always
does what he promises, it is as if we have re-
ceived a valuable “title-deed.” We are absolutely
convinced that what God has promised will hap-

pen and that everything he tells us in his Word is
What examples of courage do the truth, even “things we cannot see.”
3 Courage is the strength to speak and act with-
you like the most?
out fear when we are in difficult and dangerous
situations. To have courage is to be confident and
brave, even willing to suffer for what we believe.
—Mark 6:49, 50; 2 Timothy 1:7.
4 We may feel that we need more faith and

courage. The Bible speaks of thousands of ser-
Whose example of faith and vants of God who were good examples of faith
courage can help you to do the
and courage. So one way to strengthen these
preaching work?
1, 2. (a) What qualities will help us to endure trials success-
fully? (b) What is faith? Give an example.
3, 4. (a) What is courage? (b) What is one way to strengthen
our faith and courage?

3
SOME To be courageous: To have
the strength to do God’s will
EXPRESSIONS in difficult and dangerous
EXPLAINED situations
qualities in us is to think carefully
about some of those examples.
JEHOVAH WAS WITH JOSHUA
We can think of something that
5
happened about 3,500 years ago. This
was 40 years after Jehovah had deliv-
ered millions of Israelites from Egypt.
The prophet Moses was their lead-
er. He was 120 years old when he
went to the top of Mount Nebo and
Think carefully about
the examples of
those who showed
faith and courage
in Bible times
and in our time
saw the Promised Land. Then he
died there on top of the mountain.
The next leader of Israel was Josh-
ua, a man “full of the spirit of wis-
dom.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-9) The Isra-
elite army was ready to take the land
of Canaan. To be a good leader, Josh-
ua needed wisdom from God, faith,
courage, and confidence.—Deuteron-
omy 31:22, 23.
5. To be a good leader, what did Joshua need?
4 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
6 The wisdom, courage, and faith
Joshua showed must have strength-
ened the Israelites during the many
years they fought to take the land
of Canaan. They needed courage not
only to fight in battle but also to obey
God. Just before Joshua died, he told
them: “You must be very courageous
to keep and to do all that is written in
the book of the law of Moses by nev-
er turning away from it to the right or
to the left.” (Joshua 23:6) We too need
courage to obey Jehovah at all times,
especially when humans tell us to do
something that is against God’s will.
(Read Acts 4:18-20; 5:29.) If we pray
for Jehovah’s direction and trust in
him, he will help us to have the cour-
age we need.
HOW YOU CAN “MAKE
YOUR WAY SUCCESSFUL”
7 To have the courage needed to do
God’s will, we must study his Word
and do what it says. That is what Jeho-
vah told Joshua to do when he took
Moses’ place: “Be courageous and
very strong to take care to do accord-
ing to all the law that Moses my ser-
vant commanded you.” He added:
6. (a) According to Joshua 23:6, we need cour-
age to do what? (b) What do we learn from the
words of Acts 4:18-20 and Acts 5:29?
7. To act with courage and have success, what
did Joshua need to do?
“This book of the law should not de-
part from your mouth, and you must
in an undertone read in it day and
night, in order that you may take care
to do according to all that is written
in it; for then you will make your way
successful and then you will act wise-
ly.” (Joshua 1:7, 8) Joshua was success-
ful because he followed that counsel.
If we do the same, we will have great-
er courage and will be successful in
God’s service.
8 Jehovah next told Joshua: “Be cou-
rageous and strong. Do not suffer
shock or be terrified, for Jehovah your
God is with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9) Jehovah is with us too.
Our yeartext for 2013:
“Be courageous and
strong. . . . Jehovah
your God is with you.”
—Joshua 1:9
So no matter what trials we may suf-
fer, we do not need to be afraid. We
are especially interested in the words:
“Be courageous and strong. . . . Je-
hovah your God is with you.” Those
words of Joshua 1:9 have been cho-
sen as the yeartext for 2013. These
words to Joshua and the example of
others who showed faith and courage
will give us great confidence in the
months ahead.
8. What scripture is the yeartext for 2013 taken
from? How do you feel that those words will
help you?
JANUARY 15, 2013
THEY COURAGEOUSLY
CHOSE TO DO GOD’S WILL
9 When Joshua sent two spies into
Canaan, Rahab the prostitute hid
them and then sent their enemies in
the wrong direction. Because of her
faith and courage, she and her fam-
ily survived when the Israelites de-
stroyed the city of Jericho. (Hebrews
11:30, 31; James 2:25) Of course, Ra-
hab abandoned her immoral life so
that she could please Jehovah. Some
who have become Christians have
had the faith and courage to make
similar changes in their lives so that
they could please God.
10 Ruth, who was from Moab, lived
after Joshua. She probably knew
something about Jehovah because she
had been married to an Israelite. She
had the courage to worship Jehovah.
Her mother-in-law, Naomi, had lived
in Moab, and when her husband and
sons died, she decided to return to
Bethlehem, in Israel. On the road, Na-
omi told Ruth to return to her own
people, but Ruth said that she would
not turn back to Moab. Ruth said:
“Your people will be my people, and
your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) In
time, Ruth married Boaz, a man from
Naomi’s family. They had a son and,
from him, later came David and Jesus.
It is clear that Jehovah blesses those
who show faith and courage.—Ruth 2:
12; 4:17-22; Matthew 1:1-6.
9. In what ways did Rahab show faith and
courage?
10. In what situation did Ruth choose to wor-
ship Jehovah? How did Jehovah bless her?
5
MANY RISKED THEIR LIVES!
Our faith and courage become
11
stronger when we see that God is
with those who risk their lives to do
his will and to protect their brothers.
For example, think of High Priest Je-
hoiada and his wife, Jehosheba. Af-
ter King Ahaziah died, Athaliah, his
mother, killed all the king’s chil-
dren except Jehoash and made herself
queen. But Jehoiada and Jehosheba
saved Ahaziah’s son Jehoash and kept
him hidden for six years, even though
To have courage,
we must pray
as well as study and
obey God’s Word
this was a dangerous thing to do. In
the seventh year, Jehoiada made Jeho-
ash king and ordered that Athaliah be
killed. (2 Kings 11:1-16) Jehoiada lat-
er helped King Jehoash to repair the
temple. Jehoiada died when he was
130 years old and was buried with
the kings “because he had done good
in Israel and with the true God and
His house.” (2 Chronicles 24:15, 16)
Because Jehoiada and his wife acted
courageously, the family from which
the Messiah would later come was
kept safe.
12 Ebed-melech, a servant in the
11. How did Jehoiada and Jehosheba show
courage? Because they acted courageously,
what was the result?
12. How did Ebed-melech show courage?
6 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
house of King Zedekiah, risked his
life for Jeremiah. The princes of Ju-
dah told the king that Jeremiah was
discouraging the soldiers and all the
people. The king allowed them to do
whatever they wanted with Jeremi-
ah. So they threw him into a deep
pit full of mud and left him there
to die. (Jeremiah 38:4-6) Ebed-melech
asked King Zedekiah to help Jeremi-
ah. What Ebed-melech did was dan-
gerous, since so many people hated
Jeremiah. Zedekiah agreed to help
and told Ebed-melech to take 30 men
with him and get Jeremiah out of the
pit. Through Jeremiah, God prom-
ised Ebed-melech that he would not
die when the Babylonians attacked Je-
rusalem. (Jeremiah 39:15-18) God re-
wards those who show courage to do
his will.
13 About 600 years before Christ,
three Hebrew servants of God were
rewarded for showing faith and cour-
age. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered
that all important men of Babylon
gather and worship a giant image of
gold. Anyone who disobeyed would
die in a fiery furnace. The three He-
brews respectfully told Nebuchad-
nezzar: “Our God whom we are serv-
ing is able to rescue us. Out of the
burning fiery furnace and out of your
hand, O king, he will rescue us. But
if not, let it become known to you,
O king, that your gods are not the
ones we are serving, and the image of
gold that you have set up we will not
worship.” (Daniel 3:16-18) At Daniel
13. How did the three Hebrews show courage?
What can we learn from their story?

The first Christians refused to worship
the Roman emperor (See paragraph 16)
3:19-30, we can read the exciting ac-
count of how Jehovah saved the three
Hebrews. We are probably not going
to be threatened with death in a fiery
furnace, but at times we do have to
obey God in very difficult situations.
We can be sure that God will bless us
if we show faith and courage.
14 Enemies of Daniel convinced
King Darius to make a law that would
harm Daniel. They told the king:
“Whoever makes a petition to any god
14. According to Daniel chapter 6, how did
Daniel act courageously? What was the result?
JANUARY 15, 2013
or man for thirty days except to you,
O king, should be thrown to the lions’
pit.” Daniel showed faith and cour-
age in this situation. As soon as he
learned about that law, he “entered
into his house, and, the windows in
his roof chamber being open for him
toward Jerusalem, even three times in
a day he was kneeling on his knees
and praying and offering praise before
his God, as he had been regularly do-
ing prior to this.” (Daniel 6:6-10) Dan-
iel was thrown into a lions’ pit. But Je-
hovah saved him!—Daniel 6:16-23.
15 The Bible says that Aquila and
Priscilla risked their lives for Paul.
(Acts 18:2; Romans 16:3, 4) They
showed courage and did what Jesus
commanded: “I am giving you a new
commandment, that you love one an-
other; just as I have loved you, that
you also love one another.” (John 13:
34) The Law of Moses required that a
person love others as he loved him-
self. (Leviticus 19:18) So why was Je-
sus’ commandment “new”? Because it
requires us to show love by being will-
ing to give our life for others, as he
did. Many Christians have shown love
by risking their lives to protect their
brothers from being hurt or killed by
enemies.—Read 1 John 3:16.
16 Like Jesus, the first Christians
worshipped only Jehovah. (Matthew
4:8-10) They refused to burn incense
15. (a) How did Aquila and Priscilla show
faith and courage? (b) What do Jesus’ words at
John 13:34 mean? How have many Christians
shown this kind of love?
16, 17. How was the faith of some of the first
Christians tested? How has the faith of some
Christians in our time also been tested?
7
in honor of the Roman emperor. Dan-
iel P. Mannix wrote in his book Those
About to Die that an altar with a fire
burning on it was usually kept in the
arena. He said that all a prisoner had
to do was sprinkle some incense on
the flame and he would be freed. It
Many Christians
have risked their lives
so that they could
worship Jehovah
was explained to the prisoner that he
would not be worshipping the em-
peror. The prisoner was told that he
would simply be agreeing that the Ro-
man emperor was a god. Even so, very
few Christians accepted this offer to
escape.
17 Christians who were put in Nazi
concentration camps were given sev-
eral opportunities to be free again
and avoid death. All they had to do
was sign a document that said that
they no longer worshipped Jehovah.
But only a few signed. During a war
in Rwanda, Tutsi and Hutu Witness-
es risked their lives to protect one an-
other. God’s people need courage and
faith in situations like these.
REMEMBER, JEHOVAH IS WITH US!
We now have the wonderful op-
18
portunity to preach about the King-
dom and to make disciples. This is
the greatest work God has ever giv-
18, 19. What Bible examples of faith and cour-
age can help us to do the preaching work?
8 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
en to his servants on earth. (Matthew
24:14; 28:19, 20) We are very grateful
for Jesus’ perfect example. He “went
journeying from city to city and from
village to village, preaching and de-
claring the good news of the king-
dom of God.” (Luke 8:1) Like him,
we need faith and courage to preach
about the Kingdom. With God’s help,
we can be as courageous as Noah. He
was a “preacher of righteousness” in
“a world of ungodly people” who were
going to be destroyed in a flood.—2 Pe-
ter 2:4, 5.
19 Prayer helps us to do the preach-
ing work. Some of Jesus’ disciples
who were being persecuted prayed
that they might continue “speak-
ing the word of God with boldness,”
and their prayer was answered. (Read
Acts 4:29-31.) If you are afraid of
preaching from house to house, pray
to Jehovah for greater faith and cour-
age, and he will help you.—Read
Psalm 66:19, 20.1 (See footnote.)
20 It is not easy to keep doing God’s
will in this wicked world. But we are
not alone. God is with us. His Son,
the Head of the congregation, is help-
ing us too. There are also more than
7,000,000 other Witnesses of Jehovah
around the world. Let us all contin-
ue to show faith and preach the good
news. The words of our 2013 yeartext
will help us to do that: “Be courageous
and strong. . . . Jehovah your God is
with you.”—Joshua 1:9.
1 See more examples of courage in the article “Be
Courageous and Very Strong” in The Watchtower of
February 15, 2012.
20. What help do we have as Jehovah’s ser-
vants?
 Let Nothing
Distance You
From Jehovah
THE choices we make are very important. They
“Choose for yourselves allow us to control how we use our life. This is
today whom you will similar to when a person is walking along a road
serve.”—JOSHUA 24:15. that splits into two separate roads. He has to
choose which way to go. He will likely choose the
road that brings him closer to where he wants to
go instead of the road that takes him farther away.
TRY TO ANSWER
2 The Bible tells us about many people who had

to make important choices. For example, Cain

How can you make sure that had to choose whether he would control his an-
your employment and career will ger or not. (Genesis 4:6, 7) Joshua had to choose
not separate you from Jehovah? whether he would worship the true God or false
gods. (Joshua 24:15) It was important to Joshua to
be on the right road. He wanted to stay close to
Jehovah, so he made a choice that would help him
to do so. But Cain made a choice that separated
him from Jehovah.

3 Sometimes we too have to make important
How can you make good choices decisions so that we can stay on the right road.
about recreation and entertain-
We need to remember that our choices can either
ment?
bring glory to Jehovah and help us to stay close to
him or they can separate us from him. (Read He-
brews 3:12.) In this article and in the next, we will
talk about seven areas of life where we need to
stay on the right road and make sure that our de-

cisions do not separate us from Jehovah.
If a family member leaves Jeho- EMPLOYMENT AND CAREER
vah, how can you cope with your 4Christians must work to support themselves
sadness?
and their families. The Bible shows that if anyone
1-3. (a) Why is Joshua a good example for us? (b) What
should we remember when we make decisions?
4. Why is it important to work?

9
SOME To separate ourselves from
Jehovah: To weaken our
EXPRESSIONS relationship with Jehovah
EXPLAINED by making bad choices in
our life
does not want to provide for his fam-
ily, he is worse than an unbeliever.
(2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:8,
footnote) So it is important to work.
But if you are not careful, your deci-
sions about work can start to separate
you from Jehovah. How?
5 What if you need to find a job?
If it is difficult to find a job in your
country, you might be tempted to ac-
cept any job that is offered to you.
But what if there are Bible princi-
ples that tell you this is not a good
kind of work to accept? Or what if the
job requires so much of your time that
you cannot spend enough time with
the congregation or with your fami-
ly? Should you take the job because
you think that it is better to have a
bad job than to have no job? Remem-
ber, your choice could help you to stay
close to Jehovah or separate you from
him. (Hebrews 2:1) Whether you need
a job or are thinking about changing
your job, how can you make a wise de-
cision?
6 Your choice will depend on what
you want to do with your life. Ask
yourself: ‘What do I want a job to do
5. What should you think about before accept-
ing a job?
6, 7. (a) What are two reasons a person might
accept a job? (b) Which reason shows that he
wants to stay close to Jehovah? Why?
10
for me?’ If your main reason for hav-
ing a job is to support yourself and
your family so that you can keep serv-
ing Jehovah, he will help you. (Mat-
thew 6:33) Jehovah knows how to
help you when you suddenly lose your
Jehovah knows how
to help you when you
suddenly lose your
job or when the
economy gets bad
job or when the economy gets bad.
(Isaiah 59:1) He “knows how to de-
liver people of godly devotion out of
trial.”—2 Peter 2:9.
7 What if your main reason for hav-
ing a job is to make a lot of money?
You might be able to do that. But it is
dangerous to work only so you can be
rich. (Read 1 Timothy 6:9, 10.) If mon-
ey and your career are the most impor-
tant things in your life, then you will
separate yourself from Jehovah.
8 If you are a parent, remember that
your children learn from the way you
8, 9. What questions should parents ask
themselves about their job or career? Why?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
make decisions. What do they think
is the most important thing in your
life? Your career? Or your friendship
with Jehovah? If you keep trying to be-
come important or make a lot of mon-
ey, do you think your children will
make a similar bad choice when they
grow up? Or could they lose respect
for you as a parent? One young Chris-
tian says that for as long as she can re-
member, her father made his job the
most important thing in his life. “At
first, it seemed that he worked so hard
because he wanted our family to have
the very best. He wanted us to be well
cared for. But in recent years, some-
thing has changed.” Her father works
all the time and buys expensive things
that the family does not need. As a re-
sult, their family is known for having a
lot of money, not for encouraging oth-
ers to serve Jehovah. She says that she
would be happier if her father worked
hard to keep their family close to Jeho-
vah instead of working hard to make a
lot of money.
9 Parents, make sure that you do
not allow your career to separate you
from Jehovah. Be an example for your
children. Show them that you truly
believe that having a relationship with
Jehovah is much more important than
money or things.—Matthew 5:3.
10 If you are a young person who
is thinking about what kind of work
you will do when you grow up, how
can you make a good choice? As we
have already learned, your choice will
depend on what you want to do with
your life. If you are thinking about
10. What should a young person think about
before choosing the kind of work he will do?
JANUARY 15, 2013
getting training for a certain kind of
work, will that work help you to make
Jehovah’s service the most important
thing in your life? Or will it sepa-
rate you from Jehovah? (2 Timothy 4:
10) Do you want to be like the peo-
ple in the world who are happy only
when they have a lot of money? Or
will you have confidence in Jehovah,
as David did? He said: “A young man
I used to be, I have also grown old,
and yet I have not seen anyone righ-
teous left entirely, nor his offspring
looking for bread.” (Psalm 37:25) This
is like choosing which road to take.
Remember that one choice will sepa-
rate you from Jehovah and the other
choice will give you the best life you
could ever have. (Read Proverbs 10:
22; Malachi 3:10.) Which choice will
you make?1—See footnote.
RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT
11 The Bible does not say that it is
wrong to have fun, and it does not
say that enjoying recreation and en-
tertainment is a waste of time. Paul
told Timothy that it can be beneficial
to get exercise. (1 Timothy 4:8) The
Bible even says that there is “a time
to laugh” and “a time to skip about,”
and it encourages us to get enough
rest. (Ecclesiastes 3:4; 4:6) But if you
are not careful, recreation and enter-
tainment could start to separate you
from Jehovah. How? By your spend-
ing too much time on recreation and
1 For more information on choosing a career, see
chapter 38 of the book Questions Young People Ask
—Answers That Work, Volume 2.
11. What does the Bible teach us about recre-
ation and entertainment? What should we re-
member?
11
entertainment or by your choosing the
wrong kind.
12 First, let us think about what
kind of recreation and entertainment
we should choose. It is definitely pos-
sible to find good recreation and en-
tertainment. But much of the enter-
tainment in the world is about things
that God hates, including violence,
spiritism, and immoral sex. So you
have to be careful about what kind
of recreation and entertainment you
choose. Think about questions such
as these: How does my entertainment
affect me? Does it encourage me to
be violent or to feel proud of my na-
tion? Does it make me think I always
have to win? (Proverbs 3:31) Does it
cost too much money? Would oth-
ers be offended if they knew I chose
this kind of recreation or entertain-
ment? (Romans 14:21) What kind of
people would I be with? (Proverbs 13:
20) Does it make me want to do some-
thing wrong?—James 1:14, 15.
12. What should you think about when choos-
ing recreation and entertainment?
Recreation is good for us when it is of
the right kind and in the right amount
13 Think, too, about the amount of
time you spend on recreation and en-
tertainment. Ask yourself: ‘Do I
spend so much time on recreation
that I have little time for field service
and the meetings?’ If you spend too
much time on entertainment, it will
not be as enjoyable as it could be.
In fact, those who are careful not to
spend too much time on recreation
enjoy their recreation even more.
Why? They know that they did the
more important things first, so they do
not have to feel guilty about having
some fun.—Read Philippians 1:10, 11.
14 Although it may seem fun to
spend a lot of time in recreation, it
could separate you from Jehovah. A
20-year-old sister named Kim had that
experience. She said she used to at-
tend parties every weekend on Friday,
Saturday, and Sunday. Now, though,
she sees that there are more impor-
tant things to do. She says: “For ex-
ample, as a pioneer, I wake up at
13, 14. Why should you think about how
much time you spend on recreation?
6:00 a.m. for field service, so I can’t be
at gatherings until one or two in the
morning. I know that social events are
not all bad, but they can be a huge dis-
traction.” She has learned that she has
to be careful not to spend too much
time at social events.
15 Parents have to provide what the
family needs. They also have the re-
sponsibility to help the family to stay
close to Jehovah and to feel happy and
loved. If you are a parent, do not think
that all recreation is bad. Of course,
some kinds of recreation and enter-
tainment are bad. (1 Corinthians 5:6)
But if you make the effort to choose
your recreation and entertainment
carefully, you can find ways for your
family to have a good time togeth-
er.1 (See footnote.) In that way, your
choices in entertainment will not sep-
arate you from Jehovah.
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
16It is natural for a parent and a
child to love each other very much. Je-
hovah even said that he loves his peo-
ple as a mother loves her child. (Isaiah
49:15) When a family member leaves
Jehovah, it is normal for us to be very
sad. One sister whose daughter was
disfellowshipped said: “I was devas-
tated. I wondered, ‘Why did she leave
Jehovah?’ I felt guilty, and I blamed
myself.”
1 For information on selecting good recreation
and entertainment, see pages 17-19 of the Novem-
ber 2011 issue of Awake!
15. How can parents help their children to
choose good recreation?
16, 17. What sad situation have many parents
experienced? How do we know that Jehovah
understands their sadness?
JANUARY 15, 2013
17 If you are in this situation, Jeho-
vah understands how you feel. He
himself “felt hurt at his heart” when
his first human son rebelled and lat-
er when most of the people living be-
fore the Flood did not listen to Noah.
(Genesis 6:5, 6) Those who have nev-
er been in this situation may not un-
derstand how much this can hurt.
But it would be dangerous to allow
the wrong conduct of your disfellow-
shipped family member to separate
you from Jehovah. How can you cope
with the sadness when a family mem-
ber leaves Jehovah?
18 Do not blame yourself for what
happened. Each dedicated and bap-
tized family member must “carry his
own load” and choose whether he will
serve Jehovah. (Galatians 6:5) Jehovah
views the sinner as responsible for
his decision. God does not blame you.
(Ezekiel 18:20) Also, do not blame oth-
ers. Have respect for the way Jehovah
disciplines his people. Do not blame
the elders, who are protecting the con-
gregation. But take your stand against
the Devil, and do not let this situation
separate you from Jehovah.—1 Peter 5:
8, 9.
19 What would happen if you chose
to be angry with Jehovah for what
happened to your child? Your feel-
ings could separate you from Je-
hovah. Really, your precious fami-
ly member needs to know that you
are determined to love Jehovah even
more than you love your family. So to
18. Why should parents not blame themselves
if their child leaves Jehovah?
19, 20. (a) How can parents of disfellow-
shipped ones cope with their sadness?
(b) What hope do these parents have?
13
endure your sadness, work hard to
keep your relationship with Jehovah
strong. Associate regularly with your
faithful Christian brothers and sis-
ters. (Proverbs 18:1) Pray to Jehovah,
and honestly tell him how you feel.
(Psalm 62:7, 8) Do not try to find rea-
sons to go against his command about
disfellowshipping. We should not
look for reasons to spend time with
a disfellowshipped family member or
have a relationship with him through
e-mail. (1 Corinthians 5:11) Stay busy
in Jehovah’s service. (1 Corinthians
It is not wrong to hope that
a loved one will return to Jehovah
14
15:58) The sister who was quoted
above says: “I know that I must stay
busy in Jehovah’s service and keep
myself in a spiritually strong condi-
tion so that when my daughter does
come back to Jehovah, I will be in a po-
sition to help her.”
20 The Bible says that love “hopes
all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4, 7) It is
not wrong for you to hope that your
loved one will return to Jehovah. Each
year, many who have been disfellow-
shipped decide to repent and come
back to Jehovah’s organization. Jeho-
vah does not remain angry with them
after they repent. Instead, he is “ready
to forgive.”—Psalm 86:5.
MAKE GOOD CHOICES
21 Jehovah has given humans the
right to make choices in their lives.
(Read Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.) But
this means that we have a responsibil-
ity to make good choices. Each Chris-
tian should ask himself: ‘Have I been
making choices that keep me on the
right road? Have I allowed my employ-
ment and career, recreation and en-
tertainment, or family relationships to
separate me from Jehovah?’
22 Jehovah never stops loving his
people. So nothing can separate us
from Jehovah unless we make bad
choices. (Romans 8:38, 39) But that
does not have to happen! Make sure
that you allow nothing to separate
you from Jehovah. The next article
will talk about four more areas of
life where we need to be careful about
our choices.
21, 22. What kind of choices do you want to
make in life?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 Keep Drawing
Close to Jehovah
JEHOVAH GOD created humans with the need
to have a close relationship with him. But Satan
wants us to think that we do not need Jehovah.
“Draw close to God, and Satan has been trying to make humans believe
he will draw close to you.” this ever since he lied to Eve in the garden of
—JAMES 4:8. Eden. (Genesis 3:4-6) And since then, many peo-
ple have thought that humans do not need God.
2 We do not need to make the same mistake.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN? The Bible has explained to us the ways Satan
tries to mislead people. (2 Corinthians 2:11) He

tempts us to make choices that will separate
How can we make sure that us from Jehovah. The previous article explained
computers, electronic devices, how we can make good choices about our work,
and concern about our health our entertainment, and our family. This article
do not separate us from will talk about four more things that Satan uses
Jehovah?
to tempt us: electronic devices, health concerns,
money, and pride. If we make good choices in
these areas, we can “draw close to God.”—James
4:8.
COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES

How can we resist the love

3 More and more people are using computers
of money? How can we avoid and other electronic devices. When we use these
being prideful? devices in the right way, they can be very helpful.
But when we use them in a wrong way, they can
separate us from our heavenly Father. Computers
can help us. Our brothers use computers to write
and publish The Watchtower. Computers can help
us do research and communicate, and they can

be fun to use. But if we really like computers, we
How can we stay close to might spend too much time thinking about them
Jehovah?
1, 2. (a) How does Satan try to mislead people? (b) What
will help us to draw close to God?
3. In what different ways can a person use computers and
similar devices?

15
and using them. There are many
advertisements that tell us we must
have every new device that is made.
One young man wanted a certain
computer so much that he secretly
had one of his kidneys removed and
sold it so that he could buy the com-
puter. What a sad thing to do!
4 It is even worse to allow electronic

devices to harm our relationship with

Jehovah. We could spend too much
time using them or use them in wrong
ways. One brother named Jon, who is
almost 30, said that he was spending
too much time on the computer in-
stead of studying.1 (See footnote.) He
often stayed up late using the Inter-
net. He said that the more tired he
was, the harder it was to stop chat-
ting or watching videos, even some
bad ones. He wanted to change this
Parents need to control
habit, so he programmed his comput- how their children use computers
er to shut itself off automatically at
the time when he is supposed to go to
bed.—Read Ephesians 5:15, 16. As parents, it is your job to protect
5 Parents, you do not have to con- your children and teenagers from
trol everything your children do, but anything that could separate them
you do need to control how they use from Jehovah. Even animals will fight
their computers. Do not allow them to when someone threatens their young.
go to immoral or spiritistic Web sites, Parents too need to protect their chil-
play violent games, or associate with dren from danger.—Compare Hosea
bad people on the Internet. If you let 13:8.
them do whatever they want just so 6 Help your children to associate

they do not bother you, they might
think that these things are not wrong.
1 Names have been changed.
4. How did one brother change his bad habit of
using the computer too much?
5, 6. (a) What must parents do for their chil-
dren? (b) How can parents make sure that their
children have good association?
with Christians of all ages who make
good choices. And remember, your
children need you to spend time with
them! Laugh, play, and work with
them. That will help you all to stay
close to Jehovah.1—See footnote.
1 See “How to Raise Responsible Children” in the
October 2011 issue of Awake!

16 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
SOME To draw close to Jehovah:
To work to have a good rela-
EXPRESSIONS tionship with Jehovah
EXPLAINED
HEALTH
7 We often ask how others are feel-
ing. People have been getting sick
ever since Adam and Eve listened to
Satan and separated themselves from
Jehovah. Satan is happy that we get
sick because when we are sick, it is
more difficult to serve Jehovah. And
if we die, we cannot serve him at all.
(Psalm 115:17) So we want to do what
we can to stay healthy.1 (See foot-
note.) And we should care about the
health of our brothers and sisters.
8 However, our health should not
be the only thing we think and care
about. Some spend more time talk-
ing about certain diets, health treat-
ments, or health and beauty prod-
ucts than they spend preaching about
God’s Kingdom. They may really be-
lieve that they are helping others. But
we do not use the Kingdom Hall, our
assemblies, or our conventions to sell
products or advertise our ideas about
health. Why not?
9 We meet together to discuss
the Bible and to have the joy that
comes from God’s holy spirit. (Gala-
1 See “Five Keys to Better Health” in the
March 2011 issue of Awake!
7. Why do we all want to stay healthy?
8, 9. (a) How can we make sure that health is
not the only thing we think and care about?
(b) Why is it good for us to stay joyful?
JANUARY 15, 2013
To stay close to Jehovah:
To allow nothing to damage
your relationship with
Jehovah
tians 5:22) It is not the purpose of the
meetings to talk about health treat-
ments and products, even if some-
one else wants to talk about them.
We could make others lose their joy.
(Romans 14:17) Let people make their
own decisions about how they will
care for their health. No one, not even
doctors, can cure all sicknesses. And
it does not help us to worry about our
health all the time. (Luke 12:25) In-
stead, the Bible says that “a heart that
True beauty comes
from having “the joy
of Jehovah”
is joyful” can help us to feel better.
—Proverbs 17:22.
10 Similarly, we need to care about
how we look. But we do not need to
try to look younger than we really are.
The Bible says: “Gray-headedness is a
crown of beauty when it is found in
the way of righteousness.” (Proverbs
16:31) Jehovah thinks that the kind
of person we are inside is more im-
portant than the way we look, and we
10. (a) What does Jehovah think makes a per-
son beautiful? (b) When will we have complete
health?
17
too should think that way. (Read 1 Pe-
ter 3:3, 4.) So do we need to risk our
health or our life by getting dangerous
medical treatments or having surger-
ies only to improve the way we look?
No matter how old we are or how
healthy we are, true beauty comes
from having “the joy of Jehovah.” (Ne-
hemiah 8:10) In the new world, we
will be completely healthy and look
young again. (Job 33:25; Isaiah 33:
24) Until then, we need to make wise
choices and have faith in Jehovah’s
promises. This will help us to enjoy
our life now and not make health our
main concern.—1 Timothy 4:8.
MONEY
11 It is not wrong to have money
or to try to make money. (Ecclesiastes
7:12; Luke 19:12, 13) But if we love
money, it will separate us from Je-
hovah. (1 Timothy 6:9, 10) “The anx-
iety of this system” means worrying
too much about getting the things we
need. This anxiety can separate us
from Jehovah. “The deceptive pow-
er of riches” means we can be fooled
into believing that money will make
us happy and safe. (Matthew 13:22)
Jesus said that “no one” can slave for
God and riches.—Matthew 6:24.
12 If we think that money is the
most important thing, we might be
tempted to do wrong. (Proverbs 28:
20) Some have wanted to make a lot of
money quickly, so they bought lottery
tickets. Some brothers get involved in
11. How can money separate us from Jehovah?
12. In what ways do people try to make a lot of
money quickly? How can we avoid making bad
choices?
18
businesses that are supposed to make
them money quickly, and they even
promise others in the congregation
that they too can make a lot of money.
At other times, brothers have asked
members of the congregation for a
loan for a business and promised to
pay back a lot more money. If we are
greedy, we might accept a business
offer that could cause us to lose a lot
of money. So be careful not to become
greedy. It is usually not possible to
make a lot of money quickly.
13 If we put first “the kingdom and
his righteousness,” Jehovah will bless
our hard work to obtain what we real-
ly need. (Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 4:
28) He does not want us to fall asleep
during the meetings because we are
working too hard. He does not want
us to be worrying about money when
we are in the Kingdom Hall. Many
people in the world think that they
have to do everything they can to
make money. They do not want to
have to work later in life. They of-
ten tell their children to do the same
thing. But Jesus showed that this is
unreasonable. (Read Luke 12:15-
21.) Gehazi thought that he could be
greedy and still have a good relation-
ship with Jehovah.—2 Kings 5:20-27.
14 Eagles have drowned because
they tried to catch a fish that was too
heavy. Something similar can happen
to us if we try hard to become rich.
An elder named Alex explained that
he is normally very careful with his
money. He does not even like to waste
13. How does Jehovah want us to view money?
14, 15. Why is it unwise to think that money
will make us secure? Give an example.
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
shampoo. But he thought that if he
could make some extra money, he
could quit his job and pioneer. So he
studied how to buy and sell stocks
and used all his money to buy what
he could. He even borrowed money
to buy more stocks! But the stocks he
bought became worthless. Alex said:
“I was determined to get my mon-
ey back.” He thought that if he wait-
ed, the stocks would become valuable
again.
15 Alex found it difficult to think
about anything but his stocks. It was
difficult for him to keep his service to
Jehovah first, and he could not sleep
well. But the stocks never got their
value back. Alex lost all his money
and had to sell his house. He says that
he caused a lot of trouble for his fam-
ily. But he learned an important les-
son. He said that anyone who trusts
that Satan’s system will provide real
security and happiness will be very
disappointed. (Proverbs 11:28) If we
put all our trust in our money or our
ability to make money, we are real-
ly putting our trust in Satan, who is
“the god of this system.” (2 Corinthi-
ans 4:4; 1 Timothy 6:17) Alex has now
made changes in his life so that he
can again spend more time preaching
the good news. This has made him
and his family happier and has helped
them to draw closer to Jehovah.—Read
Mark 10:29, 30.
PRIDE
16 We should take pride in the fact
that we are Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Jer-
16. How can pride be good? What can happen
if we think too much of ourselves?
JANUARY 15, 2013
emiah 9:24) Because of this, we al-
ways try to make good decisions and
follow God’s high standards. But we
must be careful not to become pride-
ful and think that we know better
If we think too much
of ourselves, pride
can separate us
from Jehovah
than Jehovah, because this can sep-
arate us from him.—Psalm 138:6; Ro-
mans 12:3.
17 The Bible tells us about people
who were prideful and those who
were humble. King David humbly
asked Jehovah for guidance, and Jeho-
vah blessed him for this. (Psalm 131:
1-3) But Jehovah punished Kings Neb-
uchadnezzar and Belshazzar because
they were prideful. (Daniel 4:30-37;
5:22-30) We sometimes are in situa-
tions that could be difficult for us if we
are prideful. Ryan, a 32-year-old min-
isterial servant, moved to a new con-
gregation. He thought that he would
be recommended as an elder very
soon. But even after a year, he had
not been made an elder. Did Ryan be-
come prideful and get angry with the
elders for not making him an elder?
Did he stop going to the meetings
and let his pride separate him from
17, 18. (a) Who is described in the Bible as
being humble? Who had too much pride?
(b) What did one brother do so that pride
would not separate him from Jehovah?
19
Jehovah and the congregation? What in the Bible of people who did this.
would you have done if you were in Enoch and Noah “walked with the
this situation? true God.” (Genesis 5:22; 6:9) Mo-
18 Ryan did research on how to wait ses believed in God as if he could
for something good. (Proverbs 13:12) see him. (Hebrews 11:27) Jesus al-
“I began to realize that I needed to ways did what his Father wanted
learn patience and humility. I needed him to do, and He blessed him for
to let Jehovah train me.” Ryan start- it. (John 8:29) Imitate these examples.
ed to think more about helping others “Always be rejoicing. Pray incessant-
in the congregation and the people he ly. In connection with everything give
met in the ministry. Soon he had sev- thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
eral good Bible studies. “When I was Never let anything separate you from
appointed as an elder a year and a half Jehovah!
later, it came as a surprise,” he says.
“I had stopped worrying about it be-
cause I was enjoying my ministry so Rather than worrying about your assignment
in the congregation, enjoy your ministry!
much.”—Read Psalm 37:3, 4.
STAY CLOSE TO JEHOVAH!
19 The seven things we discussed
in these two articles are not always
wrong. We take pride in being Jeho-
vah’s Witnesses. We can enjoy a hap-
py family life and good health. Work
and money are necessary so that we
can take care of ourselves and our
family. Recreation is good for us, and
electronic devices can help us. But we
have to remember that if we do any-
thing at the wrong time, in the wrong
amount, or in the wrong way, we can
separate ourselves from Jehovah.
20 Satan wants you to separate

yourself from Jehovah. But you can

work hard to protect yourself and
your family! (Proverbs 22:3) Draw
close to Jehovah, and stay close
to him. There are many examples
19, 20. (a) How can we make sure that the
things we do will never separate us from Jeho-
vah? (b) What examples do we have of people
who stayed close to Jehovah?

20 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 Serving
Without Regrets
A POET named J. G. Whittier wrote that the sad-
dest words ever written or spoken are “it might
have been.” People say these words when they
“Forgetting the things think of how life might have been if they had done
behind and stretching some things differently. All of us can think of
forward to the things things we wish we had done differently. But some
ahead.”—PHILIPPIANS 3:13. constantly feel regret, or deep sadness, because of
things they did or did not do. Do you feel like that
about something you have done?
2 Some people have made serious mistakes or
THINK ABOUT THESE
done very bad things. Others are just not sure
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:
if the decisions they made in life were really the
best. Some people are able to stop thinking about
What helped the apostle Paul their past. Others constantly feel bad about deci-
to stop worrying about the sions they have made and think, ‘If only I had not
mistakes he made in the past? done that!’ (Psalm 51:3) How do you feel? Would
you like to do your best in God’s service with-
out constantly worrying about mistakes you have
made? Is there an example in the Bible of some-
one who was able to do that? Yes there is, the

apostle Paul.
3 Paul made both terrible mistakes and wise
What does the Bible tell us to do
to have inner peace? choices. He deeply regretted the mistakes he had
made, but he also learned to focus on doing his
best in God’s service. Let us see what we can learn
from his example.
PAUL’S PAST
4When Paul was a young Pharisee named Saul,
What should we do to avoid he did things that he later wished he had not
feeling regret in our service done. For example, he cruelly persecuted Christ’s
to God?
1-3. (a) How do some feel about things they have done or
have not done? How could our past mistakes affect us?
(b) What can we learn from Paul’s example?
4. What did the apostle Paul wish he had not done?

21
SOME To regret or to feel regret:
To feel deep sadness or
EXPRESSIONS anxiety because of some-
EXPLAINED thing you did or did not do
To confess: To admit to
God in prayer that you have
made a mistake
Jehovah “felt regret”:
Jehovah sometimes chang-
es his mind because of a
change in circumstances
or the response of people.
This does not mean that he
makes mistakes. Everything
he does is perfect

disciples. The Bible says that imme-
diately after Stephen was killed, Saul
“began to deal outrageously with the
congregation. Invading one house af-
ter another and, dragging out both
men and women, he would turn them
over to prison.” (Acts 8:3) Albert
Barnes, a Bible scholar, said that “to
23) While Saul was on his way to Da-
mascus, Jesus appeared to him, and
Saul was blinded by a light from heav-
en. Then Jesus sent him to Damas-
cus to wait for more instructions. We
know what happened after that.—Acts
9:3-22.
6 As soon as Paul realized that he

deal outrageously with” means that was wrong, he stopped persecuting

Saul violently attacked the Christian
congregation “like a wild beast.” Saul
was a zealous Jew who strongly be-
lieved that God wanted him to de-
stroy the Christian congregation. So
he viciously persecuted the Christians
and threatened to kill “both men and
women.”—Acts 9:1, 2; 22:4.1 (See foot-
note.)
5 Saul later wanted to go to Damas-
Christ’s disciples and instead began
to preach zealously about Christ. Even
so, Paul did not ignore what he had
Paul learned that
he had to do his best
in God’s service

cus, take Christians from their homes, in spite of his past

and drag them to Jerusalem to be pun-
ished by the Jewish high court. But Je-
sus, the Head of the Christian con-
gregation, stopped him. (Ephesians 5:
1 The Bible many times mentions that women
were among those Saul persecuted. This shows that
women had an important part in the preaching work
in the first century, just as they do today.—Psalm
68:11.
5. What made Saul stop persecuting Jesus’ dis-
ciples and start preaching about Christ?
done. He later wrote about himself:
“You, of course, heard about my con-
duct formerly in Judaism, that to the
point of excess I kept on persecuting
the congregation of God and devastat-
ing it.” (Galatians 1:13) He again men-
tioned his past when he wrote to the
6, 7. What shows that Paul realized he had
made serious mistakes?

22 SIMPLIFIED EDITION
Corinthians, to the Philippians, and
to Timothy. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:9;
Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13) Paul
was ashamed of the things he had
done, but he did not pretend that they
had never happened. He realized that
he had made serious mistakes.—Acts
26:9-11.
7 A Bible scholar named Frederic
W. Farrar wrote that when we think
about how severely Paul had perse-
cuted Christians, we can understand
the deep sadness he must have felt
and how much others may have criti-
cized him. When Paul visited various
congregations, it may be that brothers
who met him for the first time said: ‘So
you’re Paul. You’re the one who perse-
cuted us!’—Acts 9:21.
Paul learned to focus on doing his best in God’s service
8Paul realized that he was able to
serve as an apostle only because God
showed him great kindness. He men-
tions God’s undeserved kindness
about 90 times in his 14 letters, more
than any other Bible writer. (Read
1 Corinthians 15:10.) Paul was very
grateful that God had been merciful to
him, and he wanted to show his grat-
itude. So he worked harder in God’s
service than all the other apostles.
What do we learn from Paul’s exam-
ple? If we have faith in Jesus’ sacrifice,
confess our sins, and stop doing what
is wrong, Jehovah is willing to for-
give even very serious sins. So if you
8. How did Paul feel about the mercy and love
that Jehovah and Jesus showed him? What do
we learn from Paul’s example?
think that your sins are too great to
be forgiven by means of Christ’s ran-
som sacrifice, remember the example
of Paul. (Read 1 Timothy 1:15, 16.)
Even though Paul had persecuted Je-
sus, he wrote that Jesus loved him and
had died for him. (Acts 9:5; Galatians
2:20) Paul learned that he had to do
his best in God’s service in spite of his
past, so that he would not have any-
thing else to regret. Is this something
that you have learned to do?
DO YOU FEEL ANY REGRET?
9 Have you done things that you
now regret? Do you wish you had used
your time and energy for more im-
portant things? Did you do something
that harmed others? Or maybe there is
something else that you wish you had
done differently. What can you do if
you feel this way?
David was forgiven
and felt relief only
after he confessed
his sin to God
10 Some people worry all the time!
They make themselves sad and anx-
ious by thinking about their mistakes
over and over again. Will you solve
any problems by worrying? No! Imag-
ine trying to move forward by rock-
ing for hours in a rocking chair. You
would use a lot of energy but get no-
where. Instead of worrying, you must
9, 10. (a) Why might we feel regret? (b) Why
is it not good to keep worrying about past mis-
takes?
24
do all you can to solve the problem.
Apologize to the person you offended,
and try to make peace with him. Think
about why you did what you did so
that you do not make the same mis-
take again. Sometimes, though, you
may simply have to endure the conse-
quences of your mistake. But worrying
about past mistakes will not help you.
In fact, it can make it difficult for you
to give your best in God’s service.
11 Some feel that the mistakes they
have made are so terrible that they do
not deserve God’s mercy. Maybe they
feel that their mistakes are too serious
or that they have made too many mis-
takes. But the fact is that no matter
what they have done in the past, they
can admit their mistakes, make chang-
es, and ask God for forgiveness. (Acts
3:19) Jehovah can show them mercy
and love, just as he has shown to so
many others. Jehovah will kindly for-
give anyone who is humble, honest,
and sorry for his sins. For example,
God forgave Job, who deeply regret-
ted the mistakes he had made. (Job
42:6; footnote) The Bible tells us exact-
ly what we need to do to stop feeling
guilty about our mistakes and to have
inner peace: “He that is covering over
his transgressions will not succeed,
but he that is confessing and leav-
ing them will be shown mercy.” (Prov-
erbs 28:13; James 5:14-16) We need to
confess our sins to God, pray for his
forgiveness, and do all we can to show
we are sorry for what we did. (2 Co-
rinthians 7:10, 11) Then Jehovah, who
11. (a) What must we do if we want Jehovah
to show us mercy and love? (b) According to
the Bible, what do we need to do to stop feeling
guilty about our past mistakes?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
forgives “in a large way,” will show us
mercy.—Isaiah 55:7.
12 Prayer is a powerful way that God
can help us. In a beautiful psalm,
David expressed his faith that Jeho-
vah had answered his prayers. (Read
Psalm 32:1-5.) Before David confessed
his sin to God, his guilty conscience
made him feel terrible. He felt anx-
ious, sick, and depressed. David was
forgiven and felt relief only after he
confessed his sin to God. Jehovah an-
swered David’s prayers. He helped Da-
vid to feel better and to continue doing
what was right. In a similar way, if you
worry about mistakes you have made,
pray sincerely to Jehovah for forgive-
ness and do your best to make the nec-
essary changes. Then believe that Je-
hovah has carefully listened to your
prayer and has forgiven you.—Psalm
86:5.
THINK OF THE FUTURE
13 It is true that we can learn from
the past, but we should not keep wor-
rying about it. Focus on the present
and the future. Ask yourself questions
like these: ‘Years from now, will I regret
the choices I am making? Will I wish I
had done things differently? Am I serv-
ing God faithfully so that I will not have
anything to regret in the future?’
14 The great tribulation is now very
near. It would be wise to ask yourself
questions such as: ‘Can I do more in
12. (a) How can we imitate David’s good ex-
ample when we have a guilty conscience?
(b) Why does the Bible say that Jehovah has
“felt regret”? How does the answer to this ques-
tion encourage us? (See the box.)
13, 14. (a) What must we focus on now?
(b) What questions can help us to think about
what we are doing now?
JANUARY 15, 2013
God’s service? Can I pioneer? What
prevents me from becoming a ministe-
rial servant? Am I doing all I can to put
on the new personality? Am I the kind
of person Jehovah wants in his new
world?’ Instead of just worrying about
what you have not done, think about
what you are doing now and make
sure that you are giving your best in
Jehovah’s service. Make choices now
that you will not regret in the future.
—2 Timothy 2:15.
NEVER REGRET YOUR LIFE
IN GOD’S SERVICE
15 Have you made sacrifices to serve
Jehovah full-time? Perhaps you left a
successful career or business to work
harder for Jehovah. Or perhaps you
chose not to marry or not to have chil-
dren so that you could serve at Bethel,
If you worry about
mistakes you have
made, pray sincerely
to Jehovah and make
the necessary changes
do international construction work, or
serve in the circuit work or as a mis-
sionary. Should you regret those deci-
sions now that you are getting older?
Should you feel that the sacrifices you
made were not necessary or that you
made them at the wrong time? Not at
all!
15, 16. (a) What sacrifices have many made to
give their best to Jehovah? (b) Why should we
not regret any sacrifice we have made for God?
25
WHY DOES THE BIBLE SAY
THAT JEHOVAH HAS “FELT REGRET”?
Many times, the Bible mentions that Jehovah
“felt regret.” (Jonah 3:10; Genesis 6:6, 7;
Judges 2:18; 1 Samuel 15:11) The Bible does
not mean that Jehovah made mistakes. Every-
thing he does is perfect. (Numbers 23:19;
Deuteronomy 32:4) Instead, it means that
Jehovah sometimes changes his mind be-
16 You made those decisions be-
cause you loved Jehovah very much
and you wanted to help others to serve
him. Do not think that your life would
have been better if you had done
things differently. You can be very
happy about the decisions you made!
You chose the best way to serve Je-
hovah in your circumstances. Jehovah
will not forget all the sacrifices you
have made for him. When you have
“the real life,” everlasting and perfect
life, he will reward you with bless-
ings that are even better than any you
can imagine!—1 Timothy 6:19; Psalm
145:16.
HOW TO AVOID FEELING REGRET
IN THE FUTURE
17 What did Paul do to avoid feeling
more regret later on in his life? Paul
said that he stopped worrying about
his past and worked hard for his re-
ward. (Read Philippians 3:13, 14.) Paul
17, 18. (a) What did Paul do to avoid feeling
more regret? (b) How will you follow Paul’s ex-
ample?
26
cause of a change in circumstances. For ex-
ample, in the past, Jehovah decided to punish
people because of their badness. But later
he showed them mercy and forgave them
because they repented and made changes.
—Jeremiah 18:7-10.
did not keep thinking about the wrong
things he had done when he was in the
Jewish religion. Instead, he used all his
energy to stay faithful, so that he could
receive the prize of eternal life.
18 What can we learn from what
Paul said? Instead of worrying about
things in our past that we cannot
change, we should focus on what we
Let us stop worrying
about the past, give God
our best now, and think
of our wonderful future
can do now to receive blessings in the
future. We may not be able to forget
our mistakes completely, but we do
not need to keep feeling guilty about
them. We can stop worrying about
the past, give God our best now, and
think of the wonderful future we will
have!
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 Christian Elders
‘Fellow Workers
for Our Joy’
IN THE year 55, the apostle Paul heard that the
“We are fellow workers brothers in Corinth were arguing with one anoth-
for your joy.” er. He loved them as a father loves his children,
—2 CORINTHIANS 1:24. so he sent them a letter to correct them. (1 Corin-
thians 1:11; 4:15) Paul also asked his friend Titus
to visit them and then meet him in the harbor
city of Troas to tell him what happened. Some
LOOK FOR THE ANSWERS:
months later, Paul was waiting in Troas for Titus



























































































































































to come and tell him how the brothers in Corinth
How did Paul show that he was were doing. He was still worried about them. Sad-
not a master over his brothers’ ly, Titus did not come, and Paul then sailed to
faith but a fellow worker for Macedonia. But he was very happy when Titus
their joy? met him there some time later. Titus told him that
the brothers in Corinth had obeyed Paul’s coun-
sel and that they really wanted to see him. When
Paul heard this, he “rejoiced yet more.”—2 Corin-
thians 2:12, 13; 7:5-9.
2 Not long after that, Paul wrote another letter

to the Corinthians. He told them: “Not that we

In what ways do elders help the
brothers and sisters to be happy
are the masters over your faith, but we are fellow
in God’s service? workers for your joy, for it is by your faith that you
are standing.” (2 Corinthians 1:24) What did Paul
mean by that? And what can elders in the congre-
gation learn from those words?
OUR FAITH AND OUR JOY

3 Paul mentioned two important qualities
How can we encourage one
1. What did Paul hear about the Christians in Corinth that
another to keep serving God made him very happy?
with joy? 2. (a) What did Paul write to the Corinthians about faith and
joy? (b) What questions will we answer?
3. (a) What did Paul mean when he said: “It is by your faith
that you are standing”? (b) How do elders today imitate Paul’s
example?

27
 SOME “Fellow workers for your joy”: These were Paul and those
who worked with him. They helped the brothers serve God
EXPRESSIONS with joy. Today, the elders help us in the same way
EXPLAINED
Christians must have: faith and joy.
First Paul mentioned faith and wrote:
“Not that we are the masters over
your faith” and, “It is by your faith
that you are standing.” Paul knew that
the brothers in Corinth were serving
God loyally because of their own faith
Elders believe that their
brothers have faith
in God and serve him
with good motives
in God, not because of him or any
other human. He was sure that they
really loved God and wanted to do
what was right. So Paul did not need
to control his brothers’ faith, and he
did not want to do so. (2 Corinthi-
ans 2:3) Today, elders imitate Paul and
believe that their brothers have faith
in God and serve him with good mo-
tives. (2 Thessalonians 3:4) They do
not make strict rules for the congre-
gation. Instead, they help their broth-
ers to make decisions by using Bi-
ble principles and by following the
direction from Jehovah’s organiza-
tion. Elders today are not the masters
over their brothers’ faith.—1 Peter 5:
2, 3.
28
4 Paul also said: “We are fellow
workers for your joy.” Who were these
“fellow workers”? They were ones
who had worked hard with Paul to
help the Corinthians. How do we
know? Because in the same letter to
the Corinthians, Paul mentioned two
of them when he wrote that Jesus
“was preached among you through us,
that is, through me and Silvanus and
Timothy.” (2 Corinthians 1:19) Also,
whenever Paul mentioned other “fel-
low workers” in his letters, he always
referred to those who worked hard
with him in the preaching work, such
as Apollos, Aquila, Prisca, Timothy,
and Titus. (Romans 16:3, 21; 1 Corin-
thians 3:6-9; 2 Corinthians 8:23) So
when Paul said: “We are fellow work-
ers for your joy,” he was telling the
Corinthians that he and those work-
ing with him wanted to do all they
could to help the congregation serve
God with joy. Today, elders want the
same. They want to do all they can
to help their brothers “serve Jehovah
with rejoicing.”—Psalm 100:2; Philip-
pians 1:25.
5 Recently, some zealous brothers
4. (a) What did Paul mean when he wrote:
“We are fellow workers for your joy”? (b) How
do elders today imitate Paul?
5. What question were some brothers and sis-
ters asked? What should you do as we discuss
their answers?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
 and sisters living in different parts of
the world were asked the question,
“What words and deeds of an elder
have added to your joy?” We will now
discuss their answers. As we do, think
of things the elders have said or done
that have made you more joyful. And
you can also think about what you can
do to help your congregation be a hap-
py one.1—See footnote.
“GREET PERSIS
OUR BELOVED ONE”
6Many brothers and sisters said
that they feel happy when elders
show that they are interested in them.
One way elders do this is by imitating
David, Elihu, and Jesus. (Read 2 Sam-
uel 9:6; Job 33:1; Luke 19:5.) These
When an elder
remembers the names
of his brothers, they
feel that he cares
about them
servants of Jehovah showed that they
cared about others by using their
names. Paul too knew how important
it was to remember and use the names
1 The same brothers and sisters were also asked,
“Which quality do you value the most in an elder?”
Most of them said they like elders who are kind and
easy to talk to. In a future article, we will learn why
it is important for elders to be like that.
6, 7. (a) What is one way in which elders can
imitate Jesus, Paul, and other servants of God?
(b) Why do our brothers feel happy when we re-
member their names?
JANUARY 15, 2013
of his brothers and sisters. At the end
of one of his letters, he mentioned
more than 25 brothers and sisters by
name. One of these sisters was Persis.
Paul said about her: “Greet Persis our
beloved one.”—Romans 16:3-15.
7 Some elders find it very hard to
remember names. But when an elder
makes the effort to do so, the broth-
ers and sisters feel that he cares about
them. (Exodus 33:17) They also feel
happy when elders call on them by
their names to comment during the
Watchtower Study or other meetings.
—Compare John 10:3.
“SHE PERFORMED MANY
LABORS IN THE LORD”
8 Paul also showed others he cared
about them by praising them. This
is another way elders can help their
brothers and sisters serve God with
joy. When Paul wrote to the Corinthi-
ans, he told them that he was proud
of them. He said: “I have great boast-
ing in regard to you.” (2 Corinthians
7:4) We can be sure that Paul’s words
made the brothers in Corinth feel
loved. Paul also praised other congre-
gations for their good work. (Romans
1:8; Philippians 1:3-5; 1 Thessalonians
1:8) And after he mentioned Persis in
his letter to the congregation in Rome,
Paul added: “She performed many la-
bors in the Lord.” (Romans 16:12) Per-
sis must have felt encouraged when
she heard those words. When Paul
praised others, he was imitating Je-
hovah and Jesus.—Read Mark 1:9-11;
John 1:47; Revelation 2:2, 13, 19.
8. What was one important way Paul imitated
Jehovah and Jesus?
29
 Elders think carefully about how to encourage us before they visit us
9 Elders today also know how im-
portant it is to tell their brothers that
they appreciate them. (Proverbs 3:27;
15:23) Whenever an elder praises his
brothers, he shows that he cares about
them and notices what they do. The
brothers and sisters in the congrega-
tion need to hear encouraging words
from the elders. A sister who is over
50 years old said that she almost nev-
er gets a compliment for what she
does at work. People there do not care
about others and compete with one
another. So when an elder thanks her
for something she has done for the
congregation, she feels so much bet-
ter. She said: “It makes me feel loved
by my heavenly Father.” A brother
who is raising two children by him-
self said that an elder recently told
him how much he appreciates what
9. Why are those in the congregation happier
when they praise one another?
30
he does. The elder’s words really en-
couraged him to keep doing his best
in God’s service. It is clear that when
an elder sincerely praises his brothers
and sisters, he helps them to contin-
ue serving God with joy “and not tire
out.”—Isaiah 40:31.
“SHEPHERD THE
CONGREGATION OF GOD”
10What is another important way
elders show love for their broth-
ers and help them serve God with joy?
They act quickly to help those who
need encouragement. (Read Acts 20:
28.) In that way, they imitate faith-
ful servants of God in Bible times.
For example, the Bible says that
when Nehemiah noticed that some of
his Jewish brothers were discour-
aged, he did something to encour-
10, 11. (a) How can elders imitate Nehemiah?
(b) How can an elder strengthen the faith of his
brothers and sisters when he visits them?
SIMPLIFIED EDITION
age them. (Nehemiah 4:14) Today, el-
ders want to do the same. When their
brothers are feeling discouraged, they
do what they can to encourage them.
Elders try to visit them in their homes
and give them a “spiritual gift,” that
is, they talk about something that
strengthens their brothers’ faith. (Ro-
mans 1:11) How can elders do this?
11 An elder needs to think careful-
ly about those he wants to encourage
before he visits them. For example,
he can ask himself: ‘What difficulties
does this person have? What can I say
to make him or her feel better? What
scripture or story of a person in the Bi-
ble would encourage him or her?’ If
an elder thinks ahead of time about
the brother or sister he will visit, he
can say things that will really help that
person instead of just talking about
everyday things. When he visits them,
Elders notice when
their brothers feel
discouraged and act
quickly to help them
the elder allows his brothers and sis-
ters to speak and he pays attention to
what they say. (James 1:19) One sister
said: “It’s so comforting when an elder
listens with his heart.”—Luke 8:18.
12 Who need encouragement from
the elders? Paul told elders to pay at-
tention “to all the flock.” All mem-
12. Who in the congregation need encourage-
ment? Why?
JANUARY 15, 2013
bers of the congregation need encour-
agement, even those who have been
faithfully serving as publishers and
pioneers for many years. Why do they
need encouragement from the elders?
Although they have strong faith in
God, they sometimes feel that they
can no longer by themselves endure
the problems caused by this wick-
ed world. Such brothers and sisters
too need help, as we can see from a
dangerous situation that happened in
King David’s life.
ABISHAI “CAME TO HIS HELP”
13 Soon after young David was
anointed to be king, he fought Goli-
ath, a giant from the race of the Reph-
aim. David was courageous and killed
the giant. (1 Samuel 17:4, 48-51;
1 Chronicles 20:5, 8) Many years lat-
er, during a battle between Isra-
el and the Philistines, David fought
another giant. The giant’s name was
Ishbi-benob, also one of the Reph-
aim. (2 Samuel 21:16; footnote) But
this time, the giant nearly killed Da-
vid. Why? Not because David was
less courageous. The Bible says that
“David grew tired.” As soon as Ishbi-
benob noticed that David was tired,
he thought it was just the right time
to attack him. But Abishai came “at
once” to help David and killed the
Philistine. (2 Samuel 21:15-17) Da-
vid almost died! Surely he was grate-
ful that Abishai had carefully watched
over him and immediately helped him
when his life was in danger. What can
we learn from this story?
13. (a) When did Ishbi-benob choose to attack
David? (b) How was Abishai able to help David
at the right time?
31
 Jehovah’s people around the
14
world keep serving God even though
Satan and others try to make it dif-
ficult for them. Some of us have had
difficulties that seemed like giants to
us. But we trusted in Jehovah com-
pletely and had the strength to stay
faithful in those very difficult situa-
tions, just as David had the strength to
kill Goliath. But there are times
when we feel we do not have enough
strength to keep fighting against Sa-
tan’s world. At times like these, it be-
comes easier for us to be discouraged
by problems that we normally are able
to endure. But an elder might notice
how we feel and give us the help we
need at just the right time. We then
feel we can continue serving God with
joy. Many of us have been helped in
this way. A pioneer sister who is over
60 years old said: “Some time ago, I
did not feel well, and field service
tired me out. An elder noticed my lack
of energy and approached me. We had
an encouraging conversation based on
a Bible passage. I applied the sugges-
tions he gave me, and I benefited.”
She added: “How loving of that el-
der to take note of my weak condition
and to give me help!” It is wonderful
to know that we have elders who care
about us and are always ready to help
us, as Abishai was ready to help Da-
vid.
14. (a) What helps us to stay faithful in very
difficult situations? (b) How can elders help
others to stay faithful and be happy again? Give
an example.
s
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THEY KNEW THAT PAUL LOVED THEM
15Elders work very hard. Some-
times they may not sleep well because
they are worried about their broth-
ers and sisters, and they may get up
late at night to pray about them or
to give them help. (2 Corinthians 11:
27, 28) But elders are happy to do what
is required of them, just as Paul was.
He wrote to the Corinthians: “I will
most gladly spend and be completely
spent for your souls.” (2 Corinthians
12:15) Because Paul loved his broth-
ers, he “spent” himself, or used all
We can imitate the
elders by encouraging
one another
his energy, to strengthen them. (Read
2 Corinthians 2:4; Philippians 2:17;
1 Thessalonians 2:8) That is why the
brothers loved Paul so much!—Acts
20:31-38.
16 We too love our elders and thank
Jehovah that he uses them to care for
us. We are happy that they show inter-
est in each one of us and that they vis-
it us to give us encouragement. And
we are grateful that they are always
ready to help us when we feel that we
can no longer endure our problems by
ourselves. Elders like these truly work
hard for our joy.
15, 16. (a) Why did the brothers and sisters
love Paul? (b) Why do we love our elders?
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