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00:03 I often put it off until later. 00:06 So I come home in the evening tired, 00:08 and I like to relax. 00:09 Well, very often, 00:10 I was tired for many different reasons, 00:12 and that is why I didn’t have the motivation 00:14 even to start Bible reading in the first place. 00:16 I also had many phases 00:18 where it was really tough 00:20 to stick it out with Bible reading. 00:22 Especially in the age of social media, 00:25 there are many other things you can fill your day with. 00:28 One hobby that mainly got in the way 00:31 was watching movies. 00:33 I really spent a lot of time on that. 00:35 This often steals precious time you could have made better use of. 00:39 So something that moved me 00:42 was the thought that through Bible reading, 00:44 you’re actually talking with Jehovah. 00:46 You pray to him, and he is then answering you through the Bible. 00:50 As Jehovah promised, he can give us both the power and the desire to act. 00:54 I just pray to Jehovah, please, to first give me the power to read 00:58 and then the desire follows. 01:01 Then I decided to simply start and stick with it. 01:05 I started with reading my favorite book, 01:07 and that way it was easier for me. 01:10 Well, I started with Genesis just to get through the whole Bible. 01:15 My favorite Bible book is Esther. 01:18 And because I think she was a very special person, 01:21 it was especially then that I could imagine 01:23 what her situation was like and what kind of a person she was 01:27 and I could see myself in the account. 01:31 The weekly Bible reading program has been such a guideline. 01:35 It’s motivating since we discuss this content at the meetings, 01:38 and I could use the study aids in our workbook too. 01:41 You can better relate to the brothers’ and sisters’ comments 01:43 because you’ve read the material yourself, and I can comment too. 01:48 When I’m reading the Bible in the JW Library app on my phone, 01:52 there is, of course, the risk that it vibrates, 01:54 and I get a message. 01:56 And then, of course, you have the urge to check to see who just wrote me. 01:59 For me personally, then, it’s really helpful 02:02 when I put my phone in airplane mode 02:04 so that I can really focus on what I’m reading 02:07 and nothing can distract me. 02:11 I like reading at home, but I also like to do it outdoors 02:15 because I think that’s where you’re closest to Jehovah. 02:18 I never just read about the events that are described in the Bible, 02:22 but I ask myself questions like: 02:24 ‘Why did Jehovah have this written down? 02:26 What is in there for me personally?’ 02:28 This helps me to stay focused and not just scratch the surface; 02:32 otherwise, my mind would immediately start wandering. 02:36 At a convention, I learned something that helps me 02:38 to really take in the things I read. 02:40 The point discussed was to remember to look 02:42 in four different directions when meditating, so to speak. 02:46 First, look upwards to find out exactly what I am learning 02:51 from the text about Jehovah; 02:53 then downwards to find out what it teaches me about his purpose, 02:58 about what he wants for the earth; 03:00 then look at myself, how I can personally benefit now; 03:05 and eventually towards others, 03:07 thinking about how I can help other people 03:09 with this particular Bible text. 03:13 In the JW Library app, there are four different colors for highlighting text, 03:18 so I simply use a different color for each of the four directions 03:22 and highlight them on my tablet or smartphone. 03:27 For example, one of my hobbies is drawing. 03:30 I decided, one time, that I was going to draw 03:33 the spiritual suit of armor, all of its different parts 03:35 and their symbolic meanings. 03:37 And this especially helped me to actually see the benefit of it, 03:41 to see how many wonderful resources Jehovah provides us with 03:44 and that he never leaves us alone. 03:47 Another thing I like very much is the category 03:50 “Bible Study Activities” where you can directly pick a topic 03:53 that you personally find interesting 03:55 and then read that. 03:56 It’s Jehovah’s Word. 03:58 I love him and also want to please him, of course. 04:00 That’s why it’s very important to understand his Word. 04:04 It feels really good when you’ve understood 04:06 a difficult phrase by doing it this way. 04:08 It actually makes you feel like you’ve achieved something, 04:11 and this brings you a lot closer to Jehovah. 04:14 It happens often that you don’t even know what you should pray about 04:19 or what you could thank Jehovah for. 04:22 My personal Bible reading has helped me with this a lot 04:25 because now I know exactly what I want to tell Jehovah. 04:27 Daily Bible reading is very important to me 04:31 as it gives me some sort of inner balance when I face situations 04:34 that may be unfamiliar or shake me up. 04:38 I know that no matter what the problem is, 04:40 Jehovah always has the right answer prepared. 04:44 At the beginning, it is really hard. 04:46 You have to fight to keep it up, and you definitely need discipline. 04:50 But after a while, you truly start to enjoy it 04:53 and it gets easier and easier 04:55 and you’re happy that you started in the first place. 04:57 I really think that when Jehovah sees how much effort you put into it, 05:02 he is genuinely proud of you, 05:04 and that’s the best thing that can happen to you.
00:03 I often put it off until later. 00:06 So I come home in the evening tired, 00:08 and I like to relax. 00:09 Well, very often, 00:10 I was tired for many different reasons, 00:12 and that is why I didn’t have the motivation 00:14 even to start Bible reading in the first place. 00:16 I also had many phases 00:18 where it was really tough 00:20 to stick it out with Bible reading. 00:22 Especially in the age of social media, 00:25 there are many other things you can fill your day with. 00:28 One hobby that mainly got in the way 00:31 was watching movies. 00:33 I really spent a lot of time on that. 00:35 This often steals precious time you could have made better use of. 00:39 So something that moved me 00:42 was the thought that through Bible reading, 00:44 you’re actually talking with Jehovah. 00:46 You pray to him, and he is then answering you through the Bible. 00:50 As Jehovah promised, he can give us both the power and the desire to act. 00:54 I just pray to Jehovah, please, to first give me the power to read 00:58 and then the desire follows. 01:01 Then I decided to simply start and stick with it. 01:05 I started with reading my favorite book, 01:07 and that way it was easier for me. 01:10 Well, I started with Genesis just to get through the whole Bible. 01:15 My favorite Bible book is Esther. 01:18 And because I think she was a very special person, 01:21 it was especially then that I could imagine 01:23 what her situation was like and what kind of a person she was 01:27 and I could see myself in the account. 01:31 The weekly Bible reading program has been such a guideline. 01:35 It’s motivating since we discuss this content at the meetings, 01:38 and I could use the study aids in our workbook too. 01:41 You can better relate to the brothers’ and sisters’ comments 01:43 because you’ve read the material yourself, and I can comment too. 01:48 When I’m reading the Bible in the JW Library app on my phone, 01:52 there is, of course, the risk that it vibrates, 01:54 and I get a message. 01:56 And then, of course, you have the urge to check to see who just wrote me. 01:59 For me personally, then, it’s really helpful 02:02 when I put my phone in airplane mode 02:04 so that I can really focus on what I’m reading 02:07 and nothing can distract me. 02:11 I like reading at home, but I also like to do it outdoors 02:15 because I think that’s where you’re closest to Jehovah. 02:18 I never just read about the events that are described in the Bible, 02:22 but I ask myself questions like: 02:24 ‘Why did Jehovah have this written down? 02:26 What is in there for me personally?’ 02:28 This helps me to stay focused and not just scratch the surface; 02:32 otherwise, my mind would immediately start wandering. 02:36 At a convention, I learned something that helps me 02:38 to really take in the things I read. 02:40 The point discussed was to remember to look 02:42 in four different directions when meditating, so to speak. 02:46 First, look upwards to find out exactly what I am learning 02:51 from the text about Jehovah; 02:53 then downwards to find out what it teaches me about his purpose, 02:58 about what he wants for the earth; 03:00 then look at myself, how I can personally benefit now; 03:05 and eventually towards others, 03:07 thinking about how I can help other people 03:09 with this particular Bible text. 03:13 In the JW Library app, there are four different colors for highlighting text, 03:18 so I simply use a different color for each of the four directions 03:22 and highlight them on my tablet or smartphone. 03:27 For example, one of my hobbies is drawing. 03:30 I decided, one time, that I was going to draw 03:33 the spiritual suit of armor, all of its different parts 03:35 and their symbolic meanings. 03:37 And this especially helped me to actually see the benefit of it, 03:41 to see how many wonderful resources Jehovah provides us with 03:44 and that he never leaves us alone. 03:47 Another thing I like very much is the category 03:50 “Bible Study Activities” where you can directly pick a topic 03:53 that you personally find interesting 03:55 and then read that. 03:56 It’s Jehovah’s Word. 03:58 I love him and also want to please him, of course. 04:00 That’s why it’s very important to understand his Word. 04:04 It feels really good when you’ve understood 04:06 a difficult phrase by doing it this way. 04:08 It actually makes you feel like you’ve achieved something, 04:11 and this brings you a lot closer to Jehovah. 04:14 It happens often that you don’t even know what you should pray about 04:19 or what you could thank Jehovah for. 04:22 My personal Bible reading has helped me with this a lot 04:25 because now I know exactly what I want to tell Jehovah. 04:27 Daily Bible reading is very important to me 04:31 as it gives me some sort of inner balance when I face situations 04:34 that may be unfamiliar or shake me up. 04:38 I know that no matter what the problem is, 04:40 Jehovah always has the right answer prepared. 04:44 At the beginning, it is really hard. 04:46 You have to fight to keep it up, and you definitely need discipline. 04:50 But after a while, you truly start to enjoy it 04:53 and it gets easier and easier 04:55 and you’re happy that you started in the first place. 04:57 I really think that when Jehovah sees how much effort you put into it, 05:02 he is genuinely proud of you, 05:04 and that’s the best thing that can happen to you.
