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Practice Godly Devotion as Christ Did

¹ The Bible expression “godly devotion” has reference to our deep reverence toward Jehovah God and loyal service to him. The foremost exponent of godly devotion was our Lord Jesus Christ.

² By his life course here on earth, Jesus distinguished himself as the man of perfect godly devotion. Therefore, we do well to consider some things about his life, especially as they relate to his role as the foremost spokesman for Jehovah God.

BE ZEALOUS AND COURAGEOUS

³ Jesus was zealous in proclaiming what Isaiah 61:2 describes as “the year of goodwill on the part of Jehovah.” After Jesus’ example, we should zealously share in this lifesaving work during the last days of this wicked system of things. We must also be courageous as Jesus was. Why? Because the Kingdom message we proclaim is hard-hitting and disagreeable to some, especially when we speak about the day of Jehovah’s vengeance.

⁴ To help us speak with boldness and exhibit godly devotion, we need Jehovah’s spirit and direction. At Luke 4:18, Jesus said: “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me.” With Jehovah’s spirit and blessing, we also can practice godly devotion and be pleasing to Jehovah. To practice something means to become habitual in doing it. It means that something has become our daily way of life. Godly devotion must be a way of life for God’s servants. The apostle Paul stated: “Therefore, whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.”​—1 Cor. 10:31.

GODLY DEVOTION, OUR WAY OF LIFE

⁵ The summer season that is now upon us brings with it vacations, conventions, and other seasonal activities. But we must not lose sight of the continuing need to imitate Christ by taking advantage of opportunities to share the good news with others. As we do this during the month of June, it is recommended that we feature the book Mankind’s Search for God.

⁶ The December 1990 issue of Our Kingdom Ministry suggested that when people identify themselves as members of some major religious group, we can kindly acknowledge this fact and, perhaps, say: “It is interesting to meet people of different religions. Mankind’s search for God has taken many different directions. [If appropriate at this point, reference can be made to Acts 17:26, 27.] Do you not agree that generally people follow the religion of their parents, rather than search for God themselves? In other words, they were born into a certain religion. That is the point made in the first chapter of this book Mankind’s Search for God. [Show page 8, paragraph 12.] Learning more about other religions is enlightening and educational. This book explains the origin, practices, and teachings of the major religions of the world.”

⁷ Our way of life entails not only proclaiming Jehovah’s day of vengeance and the year of goodwill but also manifesting godly devotion in our personal and family life. We must imitate Jesus, teaching others by example what godly devotion really is. By following Christ’s example of godly devotion, we always strive to have the right motive in everything we do, praising Jehovah and proving to be his loyal servants.

⁸ You may wish to review the article “Offering Mankind’s Search for God” in the December 1990 issue of Our Kingdom Ministry. May our exercise of godly devotion serve to help others in their search for God and direct sincere ones to knowledge of the true God, Jehovah.