Training From Infancy

There are stages or phases in the development of infants through the years from birth to six years: muscular coordination, speech skills, emotional qualities, memory faculties, thinking abilities, conscience, and others. When the infant brain is growing rapidly and these stages arrive in their turn, that is the opportune time for training in these different abilities.

That is when the infant brain absorbs these abilities or qualities as a sponge soaks up water. Loved, it learns to love. Talked to and read to, it learns both to talk and to read. Put on skis, it becomes an expert skier. Exposed to uprightness, it absorbs right principles. If these favorable learning stages pass without proper input, these qualities and abilities will be more difficult to acquire later on.
The Bible recognizes this, so it admonishes parents: “Train up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn aside from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

The Keil-Delitzsch commentary renders it: “Give to the child instruction conformably to His way.” The Hebrew word translated “train” also means “initiate” and here indicates the initiating of the first instruction of the infant. Give it according to the child’s way, conformable to his way, according to the stages of his development that he is passing through. That is the appropriate time for him to absorb it easily, and what he learns during these formative years is likely to remain with him.

This is also the opinion of most students of human development: “Nowhere in child-development research have we demonstrated a strong capacity to alter early personality patterns, or early social attitudes.” They admit it can happen, but “more often than not, remediation will not be achieved.” Many exceptions occur, however, through the power of God’s truth to effect change.—Ephesians 4:22, 24; Colossians 3:9, 10.

Language is a good example of training given at the right time. Babies are genetically programmed for speech, but for such built-in brain circuitry to function at top efficiency, the infant must be exposed to speech sounds at the right stage of development. Growth in the speech centers explodes between 6 and 12 months if adults talk to the infant often. Between 12 and 18 months this growth accelerates as the infant grasps that words have meanings.

He is learning words before he can speak them. During the second year of life, this receptive, or passive, vocabulary may go from a few words to several hundred. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy that “from infancy you have known the holy writings.” (2 Timothy 3:15) The literal meaning of the word “infancy” is “nonspeaker.” Very likely Timothy had the Holy Scriptures read to him while he was still an infant, and thus he knew many Bible words before he could speak them.

The point is, there are specific times in the development of the child at which certain things can be learned easily, almost by absorption. If those times pass without the needed stimulation, however, abilities will not be fully developed. If, for example, children do not hear any speech at all until years later, they will then learn it very slowly and very laboriously, and usually never well.

Train Your Child in the Right Way—And Do It From Infancy!

“The period of infancy is undoubtedly the richest. It should be utilized by education in every possible and conceivable way. The waste of this period of life can never be compensated. Instead of ignoring the early years, it is our duty to cultivate them with the utmost care.”—Dr. Alexis Carrel.

THERE is a need to program both mind and heart. Men may be awed by the dazzling achievements of the mind, but God looks at the heart. Knowledge in the head tends to puff up; it is love in the heart that builds up. Bright minds need loving hearts, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Out of this figurative heart also come acts good and bad. (Matthew 12:34, 35; 15:19; 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 8:1) So while it is important to stimulate children’s minds, it is even more important to instill love into their hearts.
There is a built-in starter for this at birth. It is called bonding. The mother holds, cuddles, strokes, and talks cooingly to her baby. Baby, in turn, looks intently at its mother. Bonding takes place, maternal instincts are stirred, and baby feels secure. Some authorities believe that “there is a sensitive period in the first few minutes and hours after the infant’s birth which is optimal for infant-parent attachment.”

A good beginning, but only a beginning. The infant is helpless, dependent primarily on its mother for its immediate needs—both physical and emotional. Without food the baby starves; it can also starve emotionally. Cuddling, hugging, rocking, playing, loving—all stimulate the development of the brain. This stimulation has been likened to a nutrient for the brain. Without it the brain is impoverished and stunted for life. And because of this neglect it can also become hostile, delinquent, and violent. Mothering is a priority for the child and for society—more important than any worldly career!

Pro. 22:6 & Prov. 22:6

Lunes 30 de noviembre
Entrena al muchacho conforme al camino para él; aun cuando se haga viejo no se desviará de él (Pro. 22:6).

Monday, November 30
Train up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn aside from it.—Prov. 22:6.

Characteristics of the Unwise

James wrote very frankly about characteristics that are in direct conflict with godly wisdom. (Read James 3:14.) Jealousy and contentiousness are fleshly traits, not spiritual ones. Consider what occurs when fleshly thinking prevails. Six “Christian” groups control parts of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, supposedly built where Jesus was put to death and buried. Their relationship has been one of ongoing contention. In 2006, Time magazine told of an earlier situation when monks there “brawled for hours, . . . clubbing each other with giant candlestick holders.” So great is their distrust of one another that the key to the church is entrusted to a Muslim.

Such extreme displays of contentiousness should certainly not be found in the true Christian congregation. Nevertheless, imperfections have at times caused some to manifest a stubbornness for their own views. That could lead to a degree of quarreling and strife. The apostle Paul noticed this in the congregation at Corinth, so he wrote: “Whereas there are jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and are you not walking as men do?” (1 Cor. 3:3) That sad situation did exist for a time in this congregation in the first century. Therefore, we need to be on guard that such a spirit does not enter a congregation today.

How could such a spirit creep in? It could begin in small ways. For example, when a Kingdom Hall is being built, differences of opinion might arise as to how things should be done. One brother could become contentious if his suggestion is not accepted, perhaps becoming vocal in his criticism of decisions made. He may even refuse to do any further work on the project! One acting that way would be forgetting that accomplishing a task involving the congregation usually depends more on the peaceful spirit of the congregation than on the specific method used. A mild spirit is what Jehovah will bless, not contentiousness.—1 Tim. 6:4, 5.

Another example might be if elders in a congregation observe that one elder, though having served for some years, now clearly does not meet the Scriptural qualifications. Noting that the brother has received specific counsel in the past but has failed to improve, the visiting circuit overseer agrees and joins in the recommendation that he be deleted as an elder. How will he view that? Will he accept the elders’ unanimous conclusion and Scriptural counsel in a spirit of humility and mildness and be determined to meet the Scriptural qualifications so that he might serve again? Or will he harbor resentment and jealousy over no longer having the privilege that he once had? Why would a brother act as if he qualified as an older man when in reality he did not? How much wiser it would be to show humility and be understanding!

Sant. 3:14 & Jas. 3:14

Domingo 29 de noviembre
Si ustedes tienen en el corazón amargos celos y espíritu de contradicción, no anden haciendo alardes y mintiendo contra la verdad (Sant. 3:14)

Sunday, November 29
If you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts, do not be bragging and lying against the truth.—Jas. 3:14.

Making the Mind Over for New World Living

“And quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over.—Rom. 12:2, NW.
JEHOVAH God is away ahead of all modern thought in this world. Modern man is first catching up with the marvelous powers and faculties with which Jehovah endowed lower animal creations and insects, such as flight by birds, jet propulsion by sea animals, wireless telegraphy from insect antennae, blind flying by the radar equipment of bats, heatless internal lighting by certain insects and fishes, and other marvels. But Jehovah’s irreducible lead in thought over man is shown, not only in His living earthly creation, but also in his written Word, the Holy Bible. Modern thinkers of the world may disdain the Bible as an old-fashioned book, not suitable or equal to this day of scientific advancement. But just the same it is science and modern thought that are producing further difficulties for man with no solution by man, whereas the Bible is meeting up with no disproof but is being fulfilled as truth. Although it is over eighteen centuries since the last of the Bible’s sixty-six books was written, yet it tells us reliably of things yet a thousand years in advance of our day. What it describes for mankind at that distant time is an earth everywhere transformed into a paradise, with all men and women living on it lifted up to human perfection in body and mind, with all persons dead in the graves rescued from the terrible enemy death, and with the last effort of the foes of universal peace put down by their absolute destruction and with endless peace, health and happiness stretching ahead for loyal mankind under the blessing of Jehovah and his Christ.

Matt. 24:37 & Mat. 24:37

Saturday, November 28
Just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be.—Matt. 24:37.

Sábado 28 de noviembre
Así como eran los días de Noé, así será la presencia del Hijo del hombre (Mat. 24:37).

On What Foundation Is the True Church Built?

What the Scriptures say will surprise many. The answer is vital to you.
PRIESTS of the Roman Catholic Church like to point to Matthew 16:18 when questions arise about identifying the true church. This scripture simply says: “You are Peter, and on this rock-mass I will build my congregation, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” The Catholic Douay version Bible phrases this text this way: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” From those few words of Jesus, the Roman Catholic Church has concluded that there Jesus made Peter the rock foundation on which the church of God and Christ is built, that Peter became the first pope and successor of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that there the Roman Catholic Church had its beginning, making it the first church and the only true church.

Cardinal Gibbons in his book The Faith of Our Fathers, page 100, makes this statement: “Jesus, our Lord, founded but one Church, which He was pleased to build on Peter. Therefore, any church that does not recognize Peter as its foundation stone is not the Church of Christ, and therefore cannot stand, for it is not the work of God. This is plain.” A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1953, says: “By this revelation the Father had singled out Peter as the natural foundation for his Son’s society.”

But is that what Jesus meant by the words “upon this rock I will build my church”? Was he referring to Peter when he spoke those words? Was Peter to head the congregation of God?

First note, the word “church” appearing in many Bible translations does not have reference to a literal building of stone. The Bible tells us that God “does not dwell in handmade temples.” (Acts 17:24) The original Greek word translated “church” at Matthew 16:18 is ecclésia. It has reference to a congregation or an assembly of people and not to a building of wood or stone made by men’s hands. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, page 881, makes this comment: “The ‘church’ (ἐκκλησία, the customary LXX rendering of the Hebrew qahál, i.e. religious assembly, congregation) is the new society of Christ’s faithful answering to, and supplanting, the OT qahál. Simon is to be the ultimate authority on earth of this society.”
From this Catholic authority it is evident that God had a church or an assembly or a congregation long before the time of Christ. That assembly was the Jewish nation. The martyr Stephen referred to the nation of Israel in the wilderness as an ecclesia or church or an assembly of God. Nor does this word apply strictly to religious assemblies. It can apply to any assembly duly summoned. Luke, in telling of the mob that gathered at Ephesus in protest to Paul’s preaching, refers to it as no regular ecclesia or assembly. (Acts 7:38; 19:29-41) At Romans 16:5 (AV) Paul says: “Likewise greet the church that is in their house.” Again at 1 Corinthians 16:19 (Dy) he writes: “The churches of Asia salute you.” It would be ridiculous to conclude that Paul was speaking of greeting a building inside another building, or that certain religious edifices were saluting these of Corinth. Rather, Paul is indisputably speaking about gatherings of Christians, an assembly or congregation of people.
Now, with this in mind, of whom was Jesus speaking when he said: “On this rock-mass I will build my congregation,” or “my church”? Note carefully, Jesus does not say “Peter’s church,” or “Paul’s church,” but “my church.” Jesus is here speaking about his footstep followers. The Catholic Commentary makes this point clear when it refers to them as “the new society of Christ’s faithful.” These faithful footstep followers Jesus calls his body, his bride, his congregation or church, and he has prepared a place for them with him in heaven. Revelation gives the number of them as 144,000.—Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 12:12-28; Eph. 1:22, 23; Rev. 14:1, 3.

THE ROCK OR ROCK-MASS

Who or what is the rock or rock-mass or foundation upon which the Christian congregation is built? As previously noted, Roman Catholic theologians say that the foundation is the apostle Peter. Thus The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XI, page 746, says: “By the word ‘rock’ the Saviour cannot have meant Himself, but only Peter.” Are these Catholic theologians correct in their conclusion?
Bible scholars will note that Jehovah the Almighty God is often referred to in the Scriptures as “the Rock,” because he is the eternal foundation of his holy universal organization. At Deuteronomy 32:3, 4 we read: “Do you attribute greatness to our God! The Rock, perfect is his activity.” Jehovah God Almighty is a foundation that can never be moved. Samuel’s mother Hannah in prayer said: “There is no rock like our God.”—1 Sam. 2:2.

Jesus Christ is also identified in the Scriptures as a rock. In fact, Jesus identifies himself as the rock or cornerstone that the builders rejected. (Matt. 21:42) In his writings the apostle Peter testifies to this fact, saying: “Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected, it is true, by men, but chosen, precious, with God, you yourselves also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house for the purpose of a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: ‘Look! I am laying in Zion a stone, chosen, a foundation cornerstone, precious; and no one exercising faith in it will by any means come to disappointment.’ It is to you, therefore, that he is precious, because you are believers; but to those not believing, ‘the identical stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,’ and ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock-mass of offense.’” (1 Pet. 2:4-8) Thus stones or rocks are used in an illustrative sense, representing individual faithful members who become a part of the Christian congregation built on the foundation cornerstone Jesus Christ.
Note how this view is also supported by the apostle Paul. He writes: Israel “stumbled on the ‘stone of stumbling’; as it is written: ‘Look! I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock-mass of offense, but he that rests his faith on it will not come to disappointment.’” (Rom. 9:32, 33) Now over whom did ancient Israel stumble? Was it over Peter or over Jesus Christ? Paul shows the stone of stumbling and foundation to be Jesus Christ, not Peter.—1 Cor. 10:4.

Further, when Paul mentions “apostles and prophets,” which certainly would have included Peter, he, nevertheless, refers to Christ as “the foundation cornerstone.” (Eph. 2:20) Why this if Peter headed the church? Again, at Revelation 21:14 all twelve apostles of Christ are designated as twelve foundation stones. Peter is not singled out. But it says that these twelve apostles are of “the Lamb,” who is the chief foundation and precious cornerstone.

Efe. 2:20 & Eph. 2:20

Friday, November 27

You have been built up upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.—Eph. 2:20.

Viernes 27 de noviembre

Han sido edificados sobre el fundamento de los apóstoles y profetas (Efe. 2:20).

Sex

Definition: The characteristics of earthly creatures that serve as a means of reproduction by two interacting parents. The differences between the male and female sexes have far-reaching effects in human life. Since God himself is the Source of life and since humans are meant to reflect his qualities, the ability to transmit life by sexual relations is to be treated with great respect.

In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety (known as a sex). Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells (gametes) to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents. Gametes can be identical in form and function (known as isogametes), but in many cases an asymmetry has evolved such that two sex-specific types of gametes (heterogametes) exist: male gametes are small, motile, and optimized to transport their genetic information over a distance, while female gametes are large, non-motile and contain the nutrients necessary for the early development of the young organism.

An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces: males produce male gametes (spermatozoa, or sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova, or egg cells); individual organisms which produce both male and female gametes are termed hermaphroditic. Frequently, physical differences are associated with the different sexes of an organism; these sexual dimorphisms can reflect the different reproductive pressures the sexes experience

Does the Bible teach that sexual relations are sinful?

Gen. 1:28: “God blessed them [Adam and Eve] and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth.’” (Fulfilling this divine command would require that they have sexual relations, would it not? Doing so would not be sinful but would be in harmony with God’s purpose for the populating of the earth. Some persons have thought that the ‘forbidden fruit’ in Eden was perhaps a symbolic reference to a divine restriction or even a prohibition of sexual relations on the part of Adam and Eve. But that conflicts with God’s command quoted above. It also conflicts with the fact that, although Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in Eden, the first mention of their having sexual intercourse was after they had been expelled from there.—Gen. 2:17; 3:17, 23; 4:1.)

Gen. 9:1: “God went on to bless Noah and his sons and to say to them: ‘Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth.’” (This further blessing, together with a restatement of the divine command to procreate, was given after the global Flood in Noah’s day. God’s viewpoint toward lawful sexual relations had not changed.)

1 Cor. 7:2-5: “Because of prevalence of fornication, let each man have his own wife and each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife her due; but let the wife also do likewise to her husband. . . . Do not be depriving each other of it, except by mutual consent for an appointed time, . . . that Satan may not keep tempting you for your lack of self-regulation.” (What is wrong is thus shown to be fornication, not proper sexual relations between husband and wife.)

Are sexual relations before marriage wrong?

1 Thess. 4:3-8: “This is what God wills . . . that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you should know how to get possession of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in covetous sexual appetite such as also those nations have which do not know God; that no one go to the point of harming and encroach upon the rights of his brother in this matter, because Jehovah is one who exacts punishment for all these things, just as we told you beforehand and also gave you a thorough witness. For God called us, not with allowance for uncleanness, but in connection with sanctification. So, then, the man that shows disregard is disregarding, not man, but God, who puts his holy spirit in you.” (The Greek word por·nei′a, translated “fornication,” refers to sexual intercourse between unmarried persons, also to extramarital relations on the part of married persons.)

Eph. 5:5: “No fornicator or unclean person or greedy person—which means being an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and of God.” (This does not mean that anyone who in the past was a fornicator cannot enjoy the blessings of God’s Kingdom, but he must cease that way of life in order to have God’s approval. See 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.)

Does the Bible approve of living together as husband and wife without legal marriage?

TOPOGRAPHY OF FAITH

http://www.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm

Religion
Definition: A form of worship. It includes a system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices; these may be personal, or they may be advocated by an organization. Usually religion involves belief in God or in a number of gods; or it treats humans, objects, desires, or forces as objects of worship. Much religion is based on human study of nature; there is also revealed religion. There is true religion and false.

INQUIETUD

Hay un buen número de palabras hebreas que comunican la idea de inquietud o preocupación. La palabra tsa·rár, que tiene el significado de confinación física, se traduce ‘envolver’, ‘encerrar’ y ‘estrechar’. (Éx 12:34; Pr 26:8; Isa 49:19.) En sentido figurado, puede traducirse ‘inquietarse’, ‘estar en grave aprieto’. (Gé 32:7; 1Sa 28:15.) Otra palabra es da·’ágh, que se traduce ‘ponerse inquieto’, ‘aterrarse’, y está emparentada con de’a·gháh, que significa “solicitud ansiosa”. (1Sa 9:5; Isa 57:11; Pr 12:25.) El sustantivo griego mé·ri·mna se traduce “inquietud”, y la forma verbal me·ri·mná·ō, “inquietarse”. (Mt 13:22; Lu 12:22.)

La inquietud puede perturbar el bienestar de una persona y desembocar en un estado depresivo, erosionando su vitalidad y paralizando su iniciativa. El proverbio inspirado reza: “La solicitud ansiosa en el corazón de un hombre es lo que lo agobia”. (Pr 12:25.) La inquietud puede provocar anomalías físicas graves. La obra How to Master Your Nerves comentó a este respecto: “Los médicos saben que la inquietud puede afectar el funcionamiento normal del cuerpo. Puede aumentar (o disminuir) la presión sanguínea y la cantidad de leucocitos que hay en la sangre, y afectar repentinamente el nivel de glucosa que hay en el caudal sanguíneo debido al efecto de la adrenalina en el hígado. Puede hasta modificar el ritmo cardiaco. Como indicó el doctor Charles Mayo, ‘la inquietud afecta la circulación sanguínea, el corazón y el sistema glandular y nervioso’” (doctores P. Steincrohn y D. LaFia, 1970, pág. 14).

Sin embargo, tiene mucha más importancia el daño espiritual que una inquietud desmesurada puede ocasionar. Jesucristo dijo que las inquietudes que suelen ser parte de la vida en el presente sistema de cosas podrían ahogar el aprecio de una persona por “la Palabra de Dios”. Tal como los espinos podrían impedir que una planta se desarrolle y produzca fruto, la inquietud puede entorpecer el crecimiento espiritual de la persona e impedir que produzca fruto para la alabanza de Dios. (Mt 13:22; Mr 4:18, 19; Lu 8:7, 11, 14.) Muchas personas serán destruidas para siempre cuando se las sorprenda en una condición desaprobada durante la venida en gloria del Hijo de Dios, por haber permitido que las inquietudes de la vida las dominaran hasta el punto de excluir de su vida los intereses espirituales. (Lu 21:34-36.)

Inquietudes justificadas. Está justificada la inquietud por hacer todo aquello que agrada a Jehová Dios con el fin de no llegar a perder las bendiciones de que disfrutarán sus siervos devotos. La persona culpable de un mal grave debería sentirse como el salmista, que dijo: “Empecé a inquietarme a causa de mi pecado”. (Sl 38:18.) Una preocupación debida por un pecado cometido llevaría a la persona a confesar el mal, arrepentirse y volverse de su mal proceder, lo que restablecería la buena relación con el Altísimo.

Todo cristiano debe inquietarse o interesarse genuinamente en el bienestar espiritual, físico y material de sus compañeros de fe. (1Co 12:25-27.) Esta clase de interés es la que se refleja en la carta del apóstol Juan a Gayo: “Amado, oro que en todas las cosas estés prosperando y tengas buena salud, así como tu alma está prosperando”. (3Jn 2.) El apóstol Pablo, por su parte, manifestó su “inquietud por todas las congregaciones”. (2Co 11:28.) Estaba profundamente interesado en que todos continuasen siendo fieles discípulos del Hijo de Dios hasta el fin.
En las Escrituras se habla de ‘inquietarse por las cosas del Señor’, es decir, estar interesados en todo aquello que contribuya a dar adelanto a los intereses del Hijo de Dios. Como los cristianos solteros están libres de las responsabilidades propias del matrimonio, están en mejor posición que los casados para despreocuparse de “las cosas del mundo” y dar una mayor atención a “las cosas del Señor”. (1Co 7:32-35.)

El apóstol Pablo escribió que los cristianos casados estarían ‘inquietos por las cosas del mundo’, al tener motivos de distracción que no tendrían los solteros. Lo que para un soltero pudiera ser más que suficiente desde el punto de vista de necesidades domésticas y personales —cobijo, alimento y ropa—, puede que para una familia resulte escaso. Debido a la íntima relación que existe entre la pareja, ambos estarían legítimamente preocupados por satisfacerse el uno al otro con aquellas cosas que contribuyen al bienestar físico, mental, emocional y espiritual de toda la familia. Y aun sin tener que hacer frente a enfermedades, imprevistos, limitaciones o impedimentos de cualquier tipo, una pareja casada y con hijos tiene que dedicar mucho más tiempo a “las cosas del mundo” —actividades no espirituales relacionadas con la vida cotidiana— que el que normalmente dedicaría el cristiano soltero.
Con todo, no se debe permitir que los intereses mundanos adquieran demasiada importancia. Jesucristo puso de manifiesto esta idea en una conversación que mantuvo con Marta, la hermana de Lázaro. Preocupada por atender a su huésped, no veía manera de apartar tiempo para escuchar a Jesús. María, sin embargo, “escogió la buena porción”: beneficiarse del alimento espiritual que el Hijo de Dios les ofrecía. (Lu 10:38-42.)

Evitar la inquietud infundada. Una confianza absoluta en el interés amoroso de Jehová por el bienestar de sus siervos puede evitarle al cristiano inquietudes innecesarias. (Jer 17:7, 8.) Jesús hizo esta misma observación en el Sermón del Monte. Finalizó su consejo respecto a la inquietud con estas palabras: “Nunca se inquieten acerca del día siguiente, porque el día siguiente tendrá sus propias inquietudes. Suficiente para cada día es su propia maldad”. (Mt 6:25-34.) El cristiano entiende que como un día trae consigo sus propios problemas, no es necesario añadirle las inquietudes del día siguiente, pensando en lo que pudiera ocurrir mañana, que tal vez nunca ocurra.
Incluso si a un cristiano se le lleva ante las autoridades para ser interrogado en tiempos de persecución, su confianza en la ayuda de Dios puede evitarle la inquietud. Jehová puede sostenerle mediante Su espíritu para que sea capaz de hacer frente a la prueba, y hasta hacer posible que en esas circunstancias dé un buen testimonio. (Mt 10:18-20; Lu 12:11, 12.)

Siempre que un cristiano sufra el asedio de situaciones que podrían inquietarle, intranquilizarle o infundirle temor, debe orar a su Padre celestial y ‘echar sobre Jehová toda su inquietud’, con el convencimiento de que será escuchado por Aquel que se interesa en él. (1Pe 5:7.) El resultado será una sensación de calma interior, la paz de Dios, que guardará su corazón y sus facultades mentales. En lo más recóndito de su ser, en su corazón, habrán desaparecido la intranquilidad, los malos presentimientos y sobresaltos, y la mente no se verá perturbada por la confusión y la perplejidad que la inquietud provoca. (Flp 4:6, 7.)

ANXIETY

Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components.[1] These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry.

Anxiety is a generalized mood condition that occurs without an identifiable triggering stimulus. As such, it is distinguished from fear, which occurs in the presence of an observed threat. Additionally, fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, whereas anxiety is the result of threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.[2]

Another view is that anxiety is "a future-oriented mood state in which one is ready or prepared to attempt to cope with upcoming negative events"[3] suggesting that it is a distinction between future vs. present dangers that divides anxiety and fear.

Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to stress. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation, for example at work or at school, by prompting one to cope with it. When anxiety becomes excessive, it may fall under the classification of an anxiety disorder.[4]

A number of Hebrew words convey the sense of anxiety or worry. One of these (tsa·rar′) means to be confined in a physical sense and is thus rendered ‘wrap up,’ ‘shut up,’ and ‘be cramped.’ (Ex 12:34; Pr 26:8; Isa 49:19) In a figurative sense it means “grow anxious; be in sore straits.” (Ge 32:7; 1Sa 28:15) Another is da·’agh′, rendered “become anxious; become frightened”; it is related to de’a·ghah′, meaning “anxious care.” (1Sa 9:5; Isa 57:11; Pr 12:25) The Greek noun me′ri·mna is rendered “anxiety,” while the related verb me·ri·mna′o means “be anxious.”—Mt 13:22; Lu 12:22.

Anxiety can be damaging to one’s well-being. It can lead to depression, robbing one of strength and the initiative to act. Says the inspired proverb: “Anxious care in the heart of a man is what will cause it to bow down.” (Pr 12:25) There can be serious physical manifestations from worry. Observes the book How to Master Your Nerves: “Doctors know how anxiety can affect the body’s functions. It can raise (or lower) blood pressure; it can elevate the white blood cell count; it can suddenly affect the blood sugar by the action of adrenalin on the liver. It can even change your electrocardiogram. Dr. Charles Mayo said: ‘Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system.’”—By Drs. P. Steincrohn and D. LaFia, 1970, p. 14.

Far more serious is the spiritual harm to which undue anxiety may lead. Jesus Christ indicated that appreciation for “the word of God” can be completely choked out by worry over the problems that are often part of life in the present system of things. Just as thorns can stop seedlings from reaching maturity and bearing fruit, so such anxiety can prevent spiritual development and the bearing of fruitage to God’s praise. (Mt 13:22; Mr 4:18, 19; Lu 8:7, 11, 14) Because of having permitted these worries to dominate their lives, to the exclusion of spiritual interests, many will find themselves in a disapproved state before the Son of God upon his return in glory, to their everlasting loss.—Lu 21:34-36.

Proper Anxieties or Concerns. It is right to be anxious about doing what is pleasing to Jehovah God in order not to miss out on the blessings to be enjoyed by his devoted servants. One guilty of serious wrongdoing should feel as did the psalmist: “I began to be anxious over my sin.” (Ps 38:18) A proper concern over sin leads to confession, repentance, and turning around from the wrong course, restoring a good relationship with the Most High.

All Christians should be anxious, or should truly care, about the spiritual, physical, and material welfare of fellow believers. (1Co 12:25-27) This kind of concern is reflected in the apostle John’s letter to Gaius: “Beloved one, I pray that in all things you may be prospering and having good health, just as your soul is prospering.” (3Jo 2) The apostle Paul spoke of “the anxiety for all the congregations.” (2Co 11:28) He was deeply concerned that all remain faithful disciples of the Son of God to the end.

The Scriptures refer to being “anxious for the things of the Lord,” that is, concerned for everything that will promote the interests of the Son of God. Free from the responsibilities and cares for a mate and children, single Christians are in a better position than are married people to minimize concern over “the things of the world” and so give greater attention to “the things of the Lord.”—1Co 7:32-35.
The apostle Paul wrote that Christian husbands and wives would be “anxious for the things of the world,” having distractions not shared by single Christians. In the case of an unmarried person, what may be ample for personal and home care and life’s necessities—food, clothing, shelter—may fall far short of what is needed for a family. Because of the intimate relationship of husband and wife, both are rightly anxious or concerned about pleasing each other in providing that which will contribute to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual welfare of the entire family. Even without having to contend with sickness, emergencies, limitations, or handicaps, married couples with children are required to devote much more time to “things of the world,” that is, to nonspiritual activities related to human life, than would usually be true of single Christians.

Still, mundane concerns should not be permitted to take on too much importance. Jesus Christ made this clear to Lazarus’ sister Martha. Anxious about the entertainment of her guest, she could not see how it was possible to take time to listen to Jesus. Mary, on the other hand, was able to choose “the good portion,” the receiving of spiritual nourishment from God’s Son.—Lu 10:38-42.

Avoiding Undue Anxiety. Implicit trust in Jehovah’s loving concern for the welfare of his servants can help one to avoid giving in to needless worry. (Jer 17:7, 8) Jesus Christ made the same observation in his Sermon on the Mount. He concluded his counsel regarding anxiety with the words: “Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness.” (Mt 6:25-34) For a Christian, there are enough problems each day without one’s adding to them by anxiety over what might happen the next day and may, in fact, never take place.

Even if a Christian is brought before interrogating authorities in times of persecution, his trust in God’s help can liberate him from anxiety. By means of His spirit, Jehovah will sustain the Christian in this trialsome situation and make it possible for him to bear witness in a fine way.—Mt 10:18-20; Lu 12:11, 12.
Whenever a Christian is assailed by anything that could make him anxious, filling him with uneasiness and apprehension, he should turn to his heavenly Father in prayer. Thus he can ‘throw his anxiety on Jehovah,’ confident that he will be heard by the One who cares for him. (1Pe 5:7) The result will be an inner calm, the peace of God, that will guard the heart and the mental powers. Deep within himself, in his heart, the Christian will be freed from uneasiness, foreboding, and alarm, and the mind will not be unsettled by the distractions and perplexities resulting from anxiety.—Php 4:6, 7.

1 Ped. 5:7 & 1 Pet. 5:7

Thursday, November 26
Throw all your anxiety upon [God], because he cares for you.—1 Pet. 5:7.
Jueves 26 de noviembre
[Echen] sobre [Dios] toda su inquietud, porque él se interesa por ustedes (1 Ped. 5:7).

The Roots of Christmas

A corresponding celebration was observed by polytheistic sun worshipers. According to The Encyclopedia Americana, such people in northern Europe “celebrated their chief festival of Yule at the winter solstice to commemorate the rebirth of the sun . . . The Roman Saturnalia . . . also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration. It is held by some scholars that the birth of Christ as ‘Light of the World’ was made analogous to the rebirth of the sun in order to make Christianity more meaningful” to converts who had previously honored their own mythical gods by such festivals.

Jesus’ followers, however, held no commemoration of Christ’s birthday at all—not on December 25, not even in October. And this held true until about the middle of the fourth century. Origen, a third-century historian, wrote that “of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a . . . birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born.” (Genesis 40:20-23; Mark 6:21-28) According to McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia, Jews of Bible times “regarded birthday celebrations as parts of idolatrous worship.”

Could Christ be honored by festivals originally designed for mythical gods and idolatrous worship? The Bible answers: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For . . . what agreement does God’s temple have with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16) Dressing idolatrous festivals with a Christian name does not make them acquire harmony with Christ.

Really Appreciating God’s Gift
No wonder Jesus did not command a commemoration of his birth! But he did inaugurate a binding Memorial of his death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) He died that you may have life. And you can show appreciation for this and truly honor him by not going beyond his instructions. As he said: “He that has my commandments and observes them, that one is he who loves me. In turn he that loves me will be loved by my Father.”—John 14:21.

Such obedience is all the more vital because Jesus is now neither a babe nor a dead Savior. He was resurrected to immortal life on the third day after his death and has been given “all authority . . . in heaven and on the earth.” As mankind’s rightful Ruler, he will shortly remove all causes for sorrow so that those truly loving him can receive the gift of everlasting life on a paradise earth.—Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:22-36; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:1-5.
Saturnalia's relation to Christmas

Main article: Christmas
Christians in the fourth century assigned December 25 (the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar[dubious – discuss]) as Christ's birthday (and thus Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. As the dates of Saturnalia are not precisely coincident with Christmas, a more refined argument is that Christmas was set on the feast of Sol Invictus, which was on December 25, and which had supplanted Saturnalia. However, with many of the traditions of Saturnalia incorporated into Sol Invictus, it is likely that some of those traditions — such as the exchanging of gifts — were also carried forward as a part of the Christian holiday.

Bibliography

• Balsdon, "Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome" p 124-5.
• Beard, M. North, J. and Price, S. "Religions of Rome. Vol II A Source Book, numbers 5.3 and 7.3.
• Dupont 1992 p 205-7. And the Oxford Classical Dictionary sv. Saturnalia.
• Woolf, Greg. ""Roman Leisure" course handout, University of St. Andrews, March 2005.

Yes, Christ, not Christmas, is God’s gift.

The Bible’s Viewpoint Is Christmas God’s Gift to You?

CAN you imagine a year without Christmas? Or December 25 without gifts? Why, even soldiers in battle have stopped fighting on Christmas Day and exchanged gifts! Millions of people believe that Christmas is God’s gift to us. But is it?
It is reported that more than three out of every four persons worldwide would answer no. That includes you if you are a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Jew, an agnostic, or an atheist—and then neither do you believe that Christ is God’s Son, and Christmas supposedly celebrates Christ’s birth, thus the Christ’s mass. Yet—Christian or non-Christian—everyone’s future is tied to belief in him.

God’s Real Gift to Mankind

More than one billion people claim to acknowledge Jesus Christ as mankind’s Savior. The Bible agrees: Jesus was a perfect man. He lived a sinless life, remaining free of any condition that could justify his death. So he had the right to live forever and father a perfect human race of his own.

But he did not claim that right. Instead, he died as “a ransom in exchange for many” of existing mankind, bequeathing human perfection and endless life to them. Therefore, Jesus is God’s gift to mankind.—Matthew 20:28; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; Hebrews 2:9, 10.

Your acceptance of this gift can bring you lasting benefits. The Bible says that “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) So faith in Christ matters; your future life depends on it. No wonder that about a quarter of mankind celebrates his birth at Christmas. And yet, was he really born on Christmas Day?

When Was Jesus Born?

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, “there were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.” (Luke 2:8-11) But in that region of Palestine the temperature at night averages 45° F. (7° C.) in December. There are chilly rains on some days. Those shepherds would not have been out of doors with their flocks at night. Their custom was to bring them into enclosed shelters.

Also, Jesus’ parents had gone to Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus had ordered an empire-wide registration, “and all people went traveling . . . each one to his own city.” (Luke 2:1, 3) Would the Roman ruler have chosen a cold, rainy month for requiring his often rebellious subjects to make long, arduous journeys? Hardly!
Then, when was Jesus born? There is strong evidence that the date was early in October. The prophet Daniel had foretold that Messiah (Christ) would appear at the start of a seven-year “week” and would be “cut off” in the middle of it, or after 3 1/2 years, when he would die a sacrificial death. (Daniel 9:24-27) Jesus was “about thirty years old” when he began his ministry as the Christ. So he was about 33 1/2 when he died about the beginning of April, on Passover Day. (Luke 3:21-23; Matthew 26:2) He would have been 34 about six months later, in October. Evidently he was not born in December!

Does It Honor Christ?

But why quibble about the date as long as Christ is honored and the spirit of Christmas is observed? After all, the festival is sacred for devout worshipers. It is a time for carols and hymns, a time for gifts and family gatherings. It is a nostalgic time, a time to be remembered. Yet, that may be the problem.
Often the memories are of personal pleasures that do not pertain to Christ. Gifts do not always express the joy of giving but, rather, the pleasure of receiving. Then there is the excessive revelry and the growing commercialization of the occasion. This is the spirit that makes Christmas popular, but it does not honor Christ.
Therefore the question arises: Is Christmas even Christian?

Phil. 2:3, 4 & Fili. 2:3, 4

Miércoles 25 de noviembre

No [hagan] nada movidos por espíritu de contradicción ni por egotismo, sino [consideren] con humildad mental que los demás son superiores a ustedes, no vigilando con interés personal solo sus propios asuntos, sino también con interés personal los de los demás (Fili. 2:3, 4).

Wednesday, November 25

[Do] nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with lowliness of mind considering that the others are superior to you, keeping an eye, not in personal interest upon just your own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of the others.—Phil. 2:3, 4.

LA PROTECCIÓN DEL CÓDIGO MORAL DE LA BIBLIA

Es comprensible que los padres se preocupen cuando las circunstancias, tal vez la vecindad en que viven o la escuela a la cual asisten sus hijos, obligan a éstos a asociarse con jóvenes que son delincuentes y que se están destruyendo a sí mismos. Los padres pueden darse cuenta de la realidad de la declaración bíblica de que “las malas asociaciones echan a perder los hábitos útiles.” Por eso no están dispuestos a aceptar el argumento que usa su hijo o hija para suplicar permiso cuando dice: ‘Todos los demás pueden hacerlo; ¿por qué no puedo yo?’ Probablemente no todos los demás lo hagan, pero aun así, eso no es suficiente razón para que su hijo o hija lo haga si es incorrecto o imprudente. “No tengas envidia a hombres [o muchachos] malos, y no te muestres vehementemente deseoso de meterte entre ellos. Porque el despojo violento es lo que su corazón sigue meditando, y gravoso afán es lo que sus propios labios siguen hablando. Con sabiduría se edificará una casa, y con discernimiento resultará firmemente establecida.”—1 Corintios 15:33;

http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+24:3&q_scope=q_es

Proverbios 24:1-3.http://biblize.com/search?q=+Proverbs+24:1-3&q_scope=q_es

Usted no puede andar detrás de sus hijos durante todos los años escolares de éstos y durante toda su vida. Sin embargo, por edificar a los miembros de su casa con sabiduría puede enviar con sus hijos un buen código moral y principios rectos que les sirvan de guía. “Las palabras de los sabios son como aguijones.” (Eclesiastés 12:11)http://biblize.com/search?q=Ecclesiastes+12:11&q_scope=q_es

En la antigüedad estos aguijones eran palos largos con extremos puntiagudos. Se usaban para punzar con ellos a los animales de modo que siguieran moviéndose en la dirección correcta. Las sabias palabras de Dios harán que nosotros sigamos moviéndonos en el camino correcto, y, si nos desviamos, harán que nuestra conciencia nos punce para que cambiemos de derrotero. Para el bien duradero de sus hijos, envíe sabiduría de esta clase junto con ellos. Comuníqueles esa sabiduría tanto por palabra como por ejemplo. Inculque en sus hijos un conjunto de valores verdaderos, y eso será lo que ellos busquen en otras personas a quienes escojan como compañeros personales.—Salmo 119:9, 63.http://biblize.com/search?q=Psalm+119:9,+63&q_scope=q_es

En todo esto, recuerde que hay mucha más probabilidad de inculcar los valores morales si en el hogar existe un ambiente en que se respeten y sigan esos principios. Tengan ustedes las actitudes que quieren que sus hijos tengan. En su propio hogar, dentro del círculo familiar, asegúrense de que sus hijos hallen comprensión adulta, amor, perdón, un grado prudente de libertad e independencia junto con justicia e imparcialidad, así como el tan necesario sentimiento de que se les acepta y son parte de un todo acogedor. De estas maneras comuníquenles un código moral procedente de Dios que ellos puedan llevar consigo hasta más allá del círculo familiar. No se les puede dar mejor herencia.—Proverbios 20:7.http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+20:7&q_scope=q_es

THE PROTECTION OF THE BIBLE’S MORAL CODE

Parents are understandably concerned when circumstances, perhaps the neighborhood in which they live or the school their children attend, oblige these to associate with some youths who are delinquent and self-destructive. Parents may realize the truth of the Bible’s statement that “bad associations spoil useful habits.” They are therefore unwilling to accept the begging child’s argument: ‘Everyone else gets to do it; why can’t I?’ Probably not everyone is, but even so, it isn’t reason enough for your child to do it if it is wrong or unwise. “Do not be envious of bad men [or children], and do not show yourself craving to get in with them. For despoiling is what their heart keeps meditating, and trouble is what their own lips keep speaking. By wisdom a household will be built up, and by discernment it will prove firmly established.”—1 Corinthians 15:33;http://biblize.com/search?q=1+Corinthians+15:33&q_scope=q_en

Proverbs 24:1-3.http://biblize.com/search?q=+Proverbs+24:1-3&q_scope=q_en

You cannot trail your children through school or through life. However, by building up your household with wisdom you can send with them a good moral code and right principles for guidance. “The words of the wise ones are like oxgoads.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11) http://biblize.com/search?q=Ecclesiastes+12:11&q_scope=q_en

In ancient times these goads were long sticks with pointed tips. They were used to prod the animals to keep moving in the right direction. Wise words of God will keep us moving the right way, and, if we stray, will cause our conscience to prick us to change our course. For your children’s lasting welfare, send such wisdom along with them. Communicate it to them by both word and example. Instill a set of true values, and that is what your children will seek in others they choose as personal companions.—Psalm 119:9, 63.http://biblize.com/search?q=Psalm+119:9,+63&q_scope=q_en

In all of this, remember that moral values are far more likely to be instilled if there is a home atmosphere in which those principles are respected and followed. Have the attitudes you want your children to have. In your own home, within the family circle, be sure that your children find adult understanding, love, forgiveness, a safe degree of freedom and independence along with justice and fairness, and the feeling of acceptance and belonging that they need. In these ways communicate to them a God-given moral code to take with them beyond the family circle. You can give them no finer heritage.—Proverbs 20:7.http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+20:7&q_scope=q_en

Pro. 24:3 & Prov. 24:3

Martes 24 de noviembre
Con sabiduría se edifica la casa, y con discernimiento resulta firmemente establecida (Pro. 24:3)http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+24:3&q_scope=q_es

.http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+24:3&q_scope=q_en
Tuesday, November 24
By wisdom a household will be built up, and by discernment it will prove firmly established.—Prov. 24:3.

What Is the Love of Money?

Who has it? Why is it dangerous?

UNDER the present economic system how long could you live in your home without money? How would you be able to feed and clothe yourself and your family without it? Money is necessary for practically everything you need and do. In this world it is essential for daily living. But this very usefulness of money can have a damaging effect upon you.

When your pursuit of money for providing the necessities and comforts of life changes into a consuming desire to be rich, money ceases to be your servant and becomes your master, your god. It becomes the thing for which you live. Like a degenerative cancer, greed for money eats away Christian qualities, plunging you to a bestial level where your only code becomes self-interest. It can cause you to lose sight of justice, truth, honesty, generosity and mercy. Because of money’s usefulness extreme love for it can develop. Against this wrong attitude the apostle Paul gave warning a long time ago. Writing from Macedonia, Paul told Timothy, who was in the city of Ephesus, a big commercial center of that time: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”—1 Tim. 6:9, 10.http://biblize.com/search?q=1+Tim.+6:9,+10&q_scope=q_en
It was not money itself of which Paul gave warning. He did not say money itself was the root of injurious things or the cause of hurtful desires and destruction. What he warned against was the greedy love of money, the avaricious desire to be rich. The same warning had been given long before his day and is recorded in the book of Proverbs: “Do not toil to gain riches.” (Prov. 23:4http://biblize.com/search?q=Prov.+23:4&q_scope=q_enThis toiling for riches has caused no end of misery, unhappiness and bloodshed. Paul’s warning was especially appropriate for the Christians in the commercially prosperous city of Ephesus as well as Christians living in other prosperous cities, such as Laodicea, which was only forty miles east of Ephesus. Places such as these where there were big money transactions and lots of trade could be a materialistic quagmire for unwary Christians.

Apparently the Christians in Laodicea failed to keep Paul’s warning in mind. By the time John wrote the book of Revelation, a little more than thirty years later, the Laodicean Christians had succumbed to the love of money. Because of it they had lost their spiritual beauty and spiritual riches. Addressing them, Revelation 3:17http://biblize.com/search?q=+Revelation+3:17&q_scope=q_en

says: “You say: ‘I am rich and have acquired riches and do not need anything at all,’ but you do not know you are miserable and pitiable and poor and blind and naked.” They were spiritually poor and falling into spiritual ruin because they were placing a higher value on material wealth than on spiritual riches. Their attitude toward money had become bad.

Luc. 12:21 & Luke 12:21

Lunes 23 de noviembre

Así pasa con el hombre que atesora para sí, pero no es rico para con Dios (Luc. 12:21).

http://biblize.com/search?q=Luke+12:21&q_scope=q_es

Monday, November 23

So it goes with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.—Luke 12:21.

http://biblize.com/search?q=Luke+12:21&q_scope=

Isa. 5:21 & Isa. 5:21

Domingo 22 de noviembre
¡Ay de los que son sabios a sus propios ojos [...]! (Isa. 5:21.)http://biblize.com/search?q=Isaiah+5:21&q_scope=
Sunday, November 22
Woe to those wise in their own eyes.—Isa. 5:http://biblize.com/search?q=Isaiah+5:21&q_scope=q_en

Prov. 17:17 & Pro. 17:17

Friday, November 20
A true companion is loving all the time.—Prov. 17:17.http://biblize.com/search?q=Prov.+17:17&q_scope=q_en

Viernes 20 de noviembre
Un compañero verdadero ama en todo tiempo (Pro. 17:17)http://biblize.com/search?q=Proverbs+17:17&q_scope=q_es

Saturday, November 21

They will all be taught by Jehovah.—John 6:45.

http://biblize.com/search?q=John+6:45&q_scope=q_en

Sábado 21 de noviembre

Todos ellos serán enseñados por Jehová (Juan 6:45).

http://biblize.com/search?q=John+6:45&q_scope=q_es

Domingo 22 de noviembre

¡Ay de los que son sabios a sus propios ojos [...]! (Isa. 5:21.)

http://biblize.com/search?q=Isaiah+5:21&q_scope=q_es

Sunday, November 22

Woe to those wise in their own eyes.—Isa. 5:21.

http://biblize.com/search?q=Isa.+5:21&q_scope=q_en

DEVELOPING GODLY QUALITIES

Of course, more is involved in pleasing Jehovah than avoiding things that he hates. You also need to love what he loves. (Romans 12:9) http://biblize.com/search?q=Romans+12:9&q_scope=q_en

Do you not feel drawn to those who share your views, interests, and values? Jehovah does too. So learn to love the things that Jehovah holds dear. Some of these are described at Psalm 15:15 http://biblize.com/search?q=Psalm+15:1-5&q_scope=q_enwhere we read about those whom God considers his friends. Jehovah’s friends display what the Bible calls “the fruitage of the spirit.” It includes such qualities as “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control.”—Galatians 5:22, 23.http://biblize.com/search?q=Galatians+5:22,+23&q_scope=q_en

Reading and studying the Bible regularly will help you to develop godly qualities. And learning what God requires will help you to harmonize your thoughts with God’s thinking. (Isaiah 30:20, 21)http://biblize.com/search?q=Isaiah+30:20,+21&q_scope=q_en

The more you strengthen your love for Jehovah, the greater will be your desire to live in a way that pleases God.

Effort is required to live in a way that pleases Jehovah. The Bible likens changing your life to stripping off your old personality and clothing yourself with a new one. (Colossians 3:9, 10)http://biblize.com/search?q=Colossians+3:9,+10&q_scope=q_en

But regarding Jehovah’s commandments, the psalmist wrote: “In the keeping of them there is a large reward.” (Psalm 19:11) http://biblize.com/search?q=Psalm+19:11&q_scope=q_en

You too will find that living in a way that pleases God is richly rewarding. By so doing, you will give an answer to Satan’s challenge and make Jehovah’s heart rejoice!

ADQUIRAMOS LAS CUALIDADES QUE LE AGRADAN A DIOS

Por supuesto, para agradar a Jehová no basta con evitar lo que él odia. También hay que amar lo que él ama (Romanos 12:9). ¿No se siente usted a gusto con las personas que tienen las mismas opiniones, intereses y principios morales que usted? Pues Jehová también. Así que aprenda a amar las cosas que él ama. En Salmo 15:1-5, donde se indica a quiénes considera Dios sus amigos, se mencionan algunas de tales cosas. Los amigos de Jehová producen lo que la Biblia llama “el fruto del espíritu”, que abarca las siguientes cualidades: “amor, gozo, paz, gran paciencia, benignidad, bondad, fe, apacibilidad [y] autodominio” (Gálatas 5:22, 23).

Algo que le ayudará a desarrollar las cualidades que le gustan a Dios será leer y estudiar regularmente las Escrituras. Además, al ir aprendiendo lo que Jehová espera de usted, llegará a tener su misma forma de pensar (Isaías 30:20, 21). Cuanto más ame a Jehová, más deseará que su modo de vida le agrade a él.

Se necesita esfuerzo para llevar una vida que le agrade a Jehová. La Biblia dice que cuando uno efectúa cambios profundos en su vida, es como si se desnudara de la vieja personalidad y se vistiera de una nueva (Colosenses 3:9, 10). Sin embargo, el salmista dijo sobre las normas divinas: “En guardarlas hay un galardón grande” (Salmo 19:11). Si usted lleva una vida que le agrade a Dios, también recibirá muchas recompensas. Además, responderá al desafío de Satanás y alegrará el corazón de Jehová.

¿QUÉ TIENE QUE VER CON USTED EL DESAFÍO DE SATANÁS?

La cuestión de la lealtad a Dios que planteó Satanás no tenía que ver solo con Job. También tiene que ver con cada uno de nosotros. La Palabra de Dios lo muestra claramente en Proverbios 27:11, donde dice: “Sé sabio, hijo mío, y regocija mi corazón, para que pueda responder al que me está desafiando con escarnio”. Estas palabras, escritas siglos después de la muerte de Job, indican que Satanás seguía desafiando a Dios y acusando a Sus siervos. Cuando vivimos de una manera que le agrada a Jehová, ayudamos a responder las acusaciones falsas de Satanás y así le alegramos el corazón a Dios. ¿Qué piensa usted de eso? Aunque tenga que hacer cambios en su vida, ¿verdad que sería maravilloso que pudiera contribuir a dar respuesta a las mentiras del Diablo?

Fíjese en que Satanás aseguró: “Todo lo que el hombre tiene lo dará en el interés de su alma” (Job 2:4). Al decir “el hombre”, Satanás dejó claro que no solo estaba acusando a Job, sino a todos los seres humanos. Este detalle es muy importante. El Diablo ha puesto en duda la lealtad que usted le tiene a Dios. A él le gustaría que, cuando a usted le surjan dificultades, desobedezca a Dios y deje de actuar como debe. ¿Qué métodos pudiera utilizar Satanás para conseguir su propósito?

Como vimos en el capítulo 10, Satanás utiliza varios métodos para apartar a la gente de Dios. Por un lado, ataca “como león rugiente, procurando devorar a alguien” (1 Pedro 5:8). De modo que usted notará su influencia si sus amigos, sus familiares u otras personas se oponen a que estudie la Biblia o ponga en práctica lo que aprende (Juan 15:19, 20). Por otro lado, Satanás siempre está “transformándose en ángel de luz” (2 Corintios 11:14). Así pues, el Diablo puede utilizar métodos astutos para engañarlo y evitar que lleve una vida que le agrade a Dios. Uno de esos métodos es el desánimo. Tal vez haga que usted piense que nunca logrará agradar a Dios (Proverbios 24:10). Pero sea que Satanás actúe como un “león rugiente” o como un “ángel de luz”, su desafío es el mismo: él asegura que cuando usted se enfrente a problemas o tentaciones, dejará de servir a Dios. ¿Cómo puede responder a su desafío y demostrar que es leal a Dios, como hizo Job?

EL DESAFÍO DE SATANÁS

Satanás desafió la soberanía de Dios. Acusó a Jehová de mentir y dio a entender que era un gobernante injusto, pues no permitía que Adán y Eva decidieran por sí mismos lo que estaba bien o mal. Después de que nuestros primeros padres pecaron, la Tierra empezó a llenarse de sus descendientes. Entonces Satanás puso en duda los motivos que tenían todos los seres humanos para adorar a Jehová. Fue como si dijera: “La gente no sirve a Dios por amor. Si se me da la oportunidad, puedo hacer que cualquier persona se ponga en contra de Dios”. El relato de Job demuestra que eso era lo que creía el Diablo. Pero ¿quién fue Job, y qué tuvo que ver con el desafío de Satanás?

Job vivió hace unos tres mil seiscientos años. Era un hombre tan bueno que Jehová dijo: “No hay ninguno como él en la tierra, un hombre sin culpa y recto, temeroso de Dios y apartado del mal” (Job 1:8). En efecto, Jehová miraba con favor a Job.

El Diablo puso en duda los motivos por los que Job servía a Dios. Le dijo a Jehová: “¿No has puesto tú mismo un seto protector alrededor de [Job] y alrededor de su casa y alrededor de todo lo que tiene [...]? La obra de sus manos has bendecido, y su ganado mismo se ha extendido en la tierra. Pero, para variar, sírvete alargar la mano, y toca todo lo que tiene, y ve si no te maldice en tu misma cara” (Job 1:10, 11).

Satanás afirmó que Job servía a Dios solo por lo que obtenía a cambio. También afirmó que si se ponía a prueba a Job, este se volvería contra Dios. ¿Cómo respondió Jehová al desafío del Diablo? Puesto que la cuestión tenía que ver con los motivos de Job, Jehová permitió que Satanás lo pusiera a prueba. De esta forma quedaría claro si Job amaba a Dios o no.

SE PONE A PRUEBA A JOB

Satanás sometió enseguida a Job a diversas pruebas. Hizo que le robaran parte del ganado y el resto muriera y que casi todos sus siervos fueran asesinados. Todo esto le causó graves problemas económicos. Después, el Diablo lo golpeó con otra tragedia, pues sus diez hijos perdieron la vida en una tormenta. Pero, a pesar de esas desgracias, “Job no pecó, ni atribuyó nada impropio a Dios” (Job 1:22).

Satanás no se dio por vencido. Seguramente pensó que, aunque Job podía soportar la pérdida de todo lo que poseía y de sus siervos e hijos, se volvería contra Dios si se enfermaba. Por lo tanto, Jehová permitió que el Diablo le provocara una enfermedad repugnante y dolorosa. Pero ni aun así Job perdió la fe en Dios. Al contrario, dijo enérgicamente: “¡Hasta la muerte mantendré mi integridad!” (Job 27:5, Santa Biblia, Reina-Valera, 1995).

Job no sabía que era Satanás quien había provocado sus desgracias. Como no conocía los detalles del desafío del Diablo a la soberanía de Jehová, temía que Dios fuera el causante de sus problemas (Job 6:4; 16:11-14). Aun así, se mantuvo íntegro, o leal, a los ojos de Jehová. Y no solo eso: con su conducta fiel, Job demostró que era falsa la acusación de Satanás de que servía a Dios por motivos egoístas.

La lealtad de Job le permitió a Jehová dar una firme respuesta al desafío insultante de Satanás. Job era de verdad amigo de Jehová, y él lo recompensó por su lealtad (Job 42:12-17).

Keeping the Mind Renewed

WE MAY get new knowledge in our heads and have new ideas, but it is not easy to keep the mind in this new state and to order our lives in harmony with it. Not in this world in which the “god of this system of things” is on the loose together with all his demons. And not now while we are in imperfect flesh with its downward inclinations toward sin, selfishness, forgetfulness and disregard for God. The apostle Paul, even though he was favored with such uplifting visions and revelations, did not find it easy to keep in the new way of living according to the knowledge he had of God’s revealed Word. He had a continual battle, and it was not all in the mind, so that we should say, “The battleground is in the mind.” He had the bodily imperfections, the passions and the groveling tendencies of his flesh, to contend with the same as we have today. And as he describes the battle he had with himself, not to speak of the battle with the Devil’s organization on the outside, we can see described our own battle with these bodies of ours which are dying because of inherited sin:

“For the good that I wish I do not do, but the bad that I do not wish is what I practice. If, now, what I do not wish is what I do, the one working it out is no longer I, but the sin dwelling in me. I find, then, this law in my case: that when I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, but I behold in my members another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my members. Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with my mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with my flesh to sin’s law.”—Rom. 7:19-25, NW.
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Take note of these apostolic expressions, “law of my mind” and “sin’s law that is in my members”. A law is a rule of action or conduct according to which a person or thing will operate or move. Jehovah God the Creator did not put sin’s law in mankind. It was our first human parent Adam under influence of the Devil that put it in human flesh and he passed it on to us as an inheritance. Unless controlled or resisted, that law of sin is bound to rule you and move you. What possible way is there of controlling or resisting it? It is by the ‘law of the mind’. Not the old mind, for this is sinful like the world, but the new mind which tends to make you an image of God the Creator of your new personality. This new mind dictates a new rule of action and conduct in your life. But since you have a new mind in an old body with an old brain, there is where the conflict arises. Due to your new process of thinking the ability to wish for better things is present with you, but the ability to do what you wish in a perfect way does not reside in you. This is because you are imperfect and the law of sin wants to have its way in and through your body and mind. Hence you find yourself often serving sin’s law with your flesh. But your comfort is that you do not find pleasure in having thus sinned, but your mind clings to God’s law and approves it and is set on doing it.

According to the inborn law in our minds, our minds desire or find it easy to gravitate to sin and selfishness. To supplant this with a better law, we have to have our minds made over with new knowledge and with what this knowledge now dictates and advises. It is not enough just to have knowledge in our heads. Many clergymen in Christendom and the members of their religious flocks have knowledge of the Bible, but they do not act according to this knowledge. It is no guiding law in their lives. But after we have gathered knowledge from God’s Word, we must work at our minds which are filled with this divine knowledge. Against the sinful inclinations within us and against the tendency to mental laziness and forgetfulness, we must cultivate proper mental habits. In this way we really develop a ‘law of the mind’, a certain mental cast or mold, a mental rule of action, and this becomes a controlling force in our lives.

With our blessed knowledge from God’s Word we must train our minds in right ways of thinking and in right processes and efforts. Otherwise, we can become persons whose minds have gone bad again, “men completely corrupted in mind, disapproved as regards the faith,” as Paul speaks of them. (1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:8, NW)http://biblize.com/search?q=2+Tim.+3:8&q_scope=q_en

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Our everlasting existence depends upon our establishing a righteous ‘law of the mind’. Our eternal destiny depends upon what we fix our attention on. “For,” as we read at Romans 8:5-7 (NW),

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“those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those in accord with the spirit on the things of the spirit. For the minding of the flesh means death, but the minding of the spirit means life and peace; because the minding of the flesh means enmity with God, for it is not under subjection to the law of God, nor, in fact, can it be.” If we get our minds off the truth and let them be corrupted again with the things of the Devil’s visible organization, it means the finish of us. “Their finish is destruction, and their god is their belly, and their glory consists in their shame, and they have their minds upon things on the earth.”—Phil. 3:18, 19, NW.
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It is right that we fear lest our minds should be corrupted while we are in this world in which the great Serpent is slyly crawling around and misleading the people. The apostle expressed that fear when he said: “I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its craftiness, your minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:3, NW)

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We remember that originally Eve had a healthy mental process or law, according to God’s revelations in the garden of Eden. But the Devil, alias the Serpent, came along and tried to put unhealthful ideas into her head. Instead of repelling them, Eve entertained them and this breakdown of the righteous law of her mind led to her being tempted into sin. She thought more on the desirability of eating forbidden fruit than on the truth of God’s word and his warning against eating. Following the righteous law in her mental processes, fixing her thoughts on God’s word as being the truth even if it made the Serpent a liar, would have spared her from being tempted and being drawn into temptation and sinning.

If we, today, while the same Tempter is still about, establish the righteous ‘law of the mind’ and resolutely stick to the thinking processes of the new mind, it will keep us from entering into temptation and sinning. Enmity against God starts in the mind. The apostle tells us who have been reconciled to God: “You . . . were once alienated and enemies because your minds were on the works that were wicked.” He says that before we gave ourselves in obedience to God “we all at one time conducted ourselves in harmony with the desires of our flesh, doing the things the flesh and the thoughts willed, and we were naturally children of wrath even as the rest”.—Col. 1:21 and Eph. 2:2, 3, NW.http://biblize.com/search?q=Col.+1:21+&q_scope=q_en
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When we were in that ignorant mental state we did not love God with our minds. The greatest of the commandments that was ever given to men requires us to love God with all our mental powers. Jesus pointed out what this greatest commandment is when he quoted it from God’s Law and said: “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.” (Matt. 22:37, NW; Deut. 6:5, AS; Luke 10:27) http://biblize.com/search?q=Matt.+22:37&q_scope=q_en

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What we think on habitually greatly affects and influences us and induces us to take a certain way. To be thinking one way and yet be doing another thing outwardly is hypocrisy. We must think lovingly toward Jehovah God. That means thinking to please him by obeying him and taking faithful care of everything that honors his name and furthers the interests of his kingdom.

We cannot wholeheartedly serve God with a double mind. The psalmist rightly expressed it: “I hate them that are of a double mind; but thy law do I love.” (Ps. 119:113, AS)

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“I hate men who are half and half, I love thy law.” (Mo) Jesus hates them, too, and says to the many modern Laodiceans: “So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16, NW) http://biblize.com/search?q=Rev.+3:16&q_scope=q_en

If you are of a double mind, dividing your attentions between this world and God and not making your mind over wholly to the image which God approves, it will in course of time betray itself without fail. That will mean your rejection. You will become corrupted mentally with infection from this world and you will enter into temptation. That is the very thing that has happened to Christendom. Your love of God with all your thinking processes is what you owe Him. He commands it. It is your safeguard.