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00:00:01 The Watchtower from which our comments 00:00:04 are taken is November 2018, 00:00:08 and the theme of the article was 00:00:10 “Are You Making 00:00:11 Jehovah’s Thoughts Your Own?” 00:00:13 Now, that’s a deep subject 00:00:15 —for imperfect humans 00:00:18 to make Jehovah’s thoughts our own. 00:00:20 The theme text is Romans 12:2. 00:00:22 You might want to look at that. 00:00:25 It’s a powerful verse. 00:00:27 There Paul wrote: 00:00:29 “Stop being molded by this system of things, 00:00:34 “[and then, on the other side of it] 00:00:37 “but be transformed 00:00:40 “by making your mind over, 00:00:42 “so that you may prove to yourselves 00:00:46 the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 00:00:50 What’s he saying? 00:00:52 Basically, he’s telling us to let God’s thoughts become ours. 00:00:57 It’s interesting because, in spite of the great advancement 00:01:00 in technology and in higher education, 00:01:05 look at the world’s wisdom and what it’s produced 00:01:09 —injustice, unrest, illicit sex, abuse of drugs. 00:01:13 We could go on and on about the disastrous consequences 00:01:17 that that’s produced. 00:01:19 First Corinthians reminds us in chapter 1 00:01:23 that “a foolish thing of God is wiser than men, 00:01:27 and a weak thing of God is stronger than men.” 00:01:30 Well, that’s a principle, and we all believe that. 00:01:35 But that means that every one of us has a personal responsibility 00:01:39 to work at being transformed 00:01:44 and to fight against being molded by the world. 00:01:49 Now, Paul’s inspired admonition is very direct. 00:01:54 He doesn’t say, ‘You may have to, you know, 00:01:57 sort of look at this carefully and stop.’ 00:02:00 No. 00:02:01 He says to us, ‘Stop it!’ 00:02:03 “Stop being molded by this system of things.” 00:02:07 Now, we have to be determined 00:02:09 to transform our minds from human thinking to Jehovah’s. 00:02:12 That means we have to acknowledge that the fact is that we’re all influenced 00:02:17 to some degree by the spirit of the world. 00:02:20 We have to fight that. 00:02:22 We have our own imperfect inclination. 00:02:25 It takes determination. 00:02:27 And what he says there as far as transformation is profound. 00:02:32 It touches every fiber of our thinking, 00:02:36 of our innermost attitudes, our feelings, our inclinations 00:02:40 —things within us that no one else knows. 00:02:43 So it’s good for each one of us to ask ourselves from time to time: 00:02:48 ‘Are the changes that I’m making 00:02:51 ‘only skin-deep, 00:02:54 ‘what people can see, 00:02:56 ‘or am I making adjustments deep within? 00:02:59 ‘Is my mind influenced 00:03:01 ‘more by my culture than by Jehovah’s thinking? 00:03:06 ‘Is my heart more influenced because I’m American, 00:03:10 ‘Canadian, Russian, British, Spanish, 00:03:13 ‘black, white (whatever), Asian 00:03:17 than by being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ 00:03:20 Now, it’s easy to say, “I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” 00:03:24 But it’s not so easy to feel 00:03:27 the impact of that claim 00:03:30 within the depths of our minds and our hearts. 00:03:34 Now, there’s nothing wrong with being pleased with our culture 00:03:38 and some of the traditions that come along with it. 00:03:41 It’s evident that Jehovah loves diversity, 00:03:44 and that’s a beautiful thing in the human family. 00:03:46 But that should not determine our attitude toward others 00:03:51 in our general line of thought. 00:03:54 Most importantly, 00:03:56 it shouldn’t diminish our determination 00:04:00 to reflect Jehovah’s way of thinking 00:04:02 rather than cultural or this system of things. 00:04:07 So now, where we have to be careful 00:04:10 is when we’re studying. 00:04:13 Some of us were raised in the truth, others were not, 00:04:16 and we all know that we have to work to rid our minds of bad things. 00:04:19 That’s something that we do, 00:04:22 but it doesn’t stop there. 00:04:25 If we only rid our minds of bad things, 00:04:28 then Jesus, in Matthew chapter 12, shows what could happen. 00:04:33 At Matthew chapter 12, 00:04:35 verses 43-45, 00:04:41 notice what he says: 00:04:43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, 00:04:47 “it passes through waterless places 00:04:51 “in search of a resting-place 00:04:54 “and finds none. 00:04:56 “Then it says, ‘I will go back to my house from which I moved,’ 00:05:01 “and on arriving, it finds the house unoccupied 00:05:06 [that is, of bad things] but swept clean and adorned.” 00:05:11 But notice: “Then it goes and takes along with it 00:05:15 “seven different spirits more wicked 00:05:18 “than itself, 00:05:21 “and after getting inside, they dwell there; 00:05:24 “and the final circumstances of that man 00:05:27 become worse than the first.” 00:05:30 What’s the thought? 00:05:32 We have to keep pondering, 00:05:36 thinking deeply, 00:05:38 meditating, filling our minds on the things of God. 00:05:42 Otherwise, we can fall into the same snare 00:05:46 that those of the world do, even unwittingly. 00:05:49 In fact, we can really fall 00:05:53 into a dangerous position 00:05:56 of what is described at 1 Timothy 4:1, 00:06:00 where he calls out the world. 00:06:03 He says that it’s being misled 00:06:06 by “inspired statements and teachings of demons.” 00:06:11 And never before have people been so completely deluged 00:06:16 with emotionally charged 00:06:18 and misleading and distracting information. 00:06:21 You turn on the news—it’s hot with anger, 00:06:26 unrest, 00:06:28 lack of unity. 00:06:30 But pondering on Jehovah’s counsel 00:06:33 safeguards us from falling victim —inside— 00:06:37 to “misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons.” 00:06:42 There’s a very interesting thought 00:06:44 that highlights the need for meditation on God’s Word. 00:06:47 If you turn with me or go to your iPads, your devices, 00:06:52 to Psalm 119, 00:06:55 in verses 10, 11, 00:06:59 notice it says: “With my whole heart 00:07:03 “[my whole heart] I seek you. 00:07:06 Do not let me stray from your commandments.” 00:07:10 Verse 11: “In my heart 00:07:13 “I treasure up your saying 00:07:15 so that I may not sin against you.” 00:07:20 Now, we constantly hear reminders 00:07:23 of the value of really meditating on God’s Word. 00:07:28 Remember our midweek meeting part: 00:07:31 “Keep Feeding on Jehovah’s Reminders” 00:07:33 and the video with Brother Jackson, Treasure Jehovah’s Reminders 00:07:37 —something we should consider 00:07:40 meditating on even further. 00:07:42 One final thought: 00:07:44 Look with me at a prayer that’s likely 00:07:47 all of ours at Isaiah 64:8 00:07:51 —Isaiah 64:8 says: 00:07:54 “But now, O Jehovah, 00:07:56 “you are our Father. 00:08:01 “We are the clay, and you are our Potter, 00:08:05 we are all the work of your hand.” 00:08:07 That’s something; that’s a privilege. 00:08:10 To make fine quality pottery, 00:08:13 a potter uses high-grade clay. 00:08:16 That’s you, because Jehovah has picked out the precious things. 00:08:22 There are two things that he needs to do. 00:08:24 First, the clay needs to be washed 00:08:28 to remove any foreign material or contamination. 00:08:32 Then, the clay must be mixed with the right amount of water 00:08:37 and worked so that it will retain its shape 00:08:40 after being molded under pressure. 00:08:43 So water is used both in the cleansing of the clay 00:08:46 and in giving it the right consistency. 00:08:49 Well, it’s similar with God’s Word in us. 00:08:53 Jehovah works on us 00:08:56 when we meditate and ponder on his Word. 00:09:01 The Bible helps us to rid ourselves of impurities 00:09:05 and transforms us into something valuable to Jehovah. 00:09:08 And what a privilege it is to be associated with the valuable things of Jehovah! 00:09:13 The Bethel family worldwide is a microcosm 00:09:16 of a beautiful brotherhood that Jehovah is shaping. 00:09:20 And may all of us be determined 00:09:23 to ponder over the thoughts of God 00:09:25 and to resist the influence of the world.
00:00:01 The Watchtower from which our comments 00:00:04 are taken is November 2018, 00:00:08 and the theme of the article was 00:00:10 “Are You Making 00:00:11 Jehovah’s Thoughts Your Own?” 00:00:13 Now, that’s a deep subject 00:00:15 —for imperfect humans 00:00:18 to make Jehovah’s thoughts our own. 00:00:20 The theme text is Romans 12:2. 00:00:22 You might want to look at that. 00:00:25 It’s a powerful verse. 00:00:27 There Paul wrote: 00:00:29 “Stop being molded by this system of things, 00:00:34 “[and then, on the other side of it] 00:00:37 “but be transformed 00:00:40 “by making your mind over, 00:00:42 “so that you may prove to yourselves 00:00:46 the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 00:00:50 What’s he saying? 00:00:52 Basically, he’s telling us to let God’s thoughts become ours. 00:00:57 It’s interesting because, in spite of the great advancement 00:01:00 in technology and in higher education, 00:01:05 look at the world’s wisdom and what it’s produced 00:01:09 —injustice, unrest, illicit sex, abuse of drugs. 00:01:13 We could go on and on about the disastrous consequences 00:01:17 that that’s produced. 00:01:19 First Corinthians reminds us in chapter 1 00:01:23 that “a foolish thing of God is wiser than men, 00:01:27 and a weak thing of God is stronger than men.” 00:01:30 Well, that’s a principle, and we all believe that. 00:01:35 But that means that every one of us has a personal responsibility 00:01:39 to work at being transformed 00:01:44 and to fight against being molded by the world. 00:01:49 Now, Paul’s inspired admonition is very direct. 00:01:54 He doesn’t say, ‘You may have to, you know, 00:01:57 sort of look at this carefully and stop.’ 00:02:00 No. 00:02:01 He says to us, ‘Stop it!’ 00:02:03 “Stop being molded by this system of things.” 00:02:07 Now, we have to be determined 00:02:09 to transform our minds from human thinking to Jehovah’s. 00:02:12 That means we have to acknowledge that the fact is that we’re all influenced 00:02:17 to some degree by the spirit of the world. 00:02:20 We have to fight that. 00:02:22 We have our own imperfect inclination. 00:02:25 It takes determination. 00:02:27 And what he says there as far as transformation is profound. 00:02:32 It touches every fiber of our thinking, 00:02:36 of our innermost attitudes, our feelings, our inclinations 00:02:40 —things within us that no one else knows. 00:02:43 So it’s good for each one of us to ask ourselves from time to time: 00:02:48 ‘Are the changes that I’m making 00:02:51 ‘only skin-deep, 00:02:54 ‘what people can see, 00:02:56 ‘or am I making adjustments deep within? 00:02:59 ‘Is my mind influenced 00:03:01 ‘more by my culture than by Jehovah’s thinking? 00:03:06 ‘Is my heart more influenced because I’m American, 00:03:10 ‘Canadian, Russian, British, Spanish, 00:03:13 ‘black, white (whatever), Asian 00:03:17 than by being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses?’ 00:03:20 Now, it’s easy to say, “I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” 00:03:24 But it’s not so easy to feel 00:03:27 the impact of that claim 00:03:30 within the depths of our minds and our hearts. 00:03:34 Now, there’s nothing wrong with being pleased with our culture 00:03:38 and some of the traditions that come along with it. 00:03:41 It’s evident that Jehovah loves diversity, 00:03:44 and that’s a beautiful thing in the human family. 00:03:46 But that should not determine our attitude toward others 00:03:51 in our general line of thought. 00:03:54 Most importantly, 00:03:56 it shouldn’t diminish our determination 00:04:00 to reflect Jehovah’s way of thinking 00:04:02 rather than cultural or this system of things. 00:04:07 So now, where we have to be careful 00:04:10 is when we’re studying. 00:04:13 Some of us were raised in the truth, others were not, 00:04:16 and we all know that we have to work to rid our minds of bad things. 00:04:19 That’s something that we do, 00:04:22 but it doesn’t stop there. 00:04:25 If we only rid our minds of bad things, 00:04:28 then Jesus, in Matthew chapter 12, shows what could happen. 00:04:33 At Matthew chapter 12, 00:04:35 verses 43-45, 00:04:41 notice what he says: 00:04:43 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, 00:04:47 “it passes through waterless places 00:04:51 “in search of a resting-place 00:04:54 “and finds none. 00:04:56 “Then it says, ‘I will go back to my house from which I moved,’ 00:05:01 “and on arriving, it finds the house unoccupied 00:05:06 [that is, of bad things] but swept clean and adorned.” 00:05:11 But notice: “Then it goes and takes along with it 00:05:15 “seven different spirits more wicked 00:05:18 “than itself, 00:05:21 “and after getting inside, they dwell there; 00:05:24 “and the final circumstances of that man 00:05:27 become worse than the first.” 00:05:30 What’s the thought? 00:05:32 We have to keep pondering, 00:05:36 thinking deeply, 00:05:38 meditating, filling our minds on the things of God. 00:05:42 Otherwise, we can fall into the same snare 00:05:46 that those of the world do, even unwittingly. 00:05:49 In fact, we can really fall 00:05:53 into a dangerous position 00:05:56 of what is described at 1 Timothy 4:1, 00:06:00 where he calls out the world. 00:06:03 He says that it’s being misled 00:06:06 by “inspired statements and teachings of demons.” 00:06:11 And never before have people been so completely deluged 00:06:16 with emotionally charged 00:06:18 and misleading and distracting information. 00:06:21 You turn on the news—it’s hot with anger, 00:06:26 unrest, 00:06:28 lack of unity. 00:06:30 But pondering on Jehovah’s counsel 00:06:33 safeguards us from falling victim —inside— 00:06:37 to “misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons.” 00:06:42 There’s a very interesting thought 00:06:44 that highlights the need for meditation on God’s Word. 00:06:47 If you turn with me or go to your iPads, your devices, 00:06:52 to Psalm 119, 00:06:55 in verses 10, 11, 00:06:59 notice it says: “With my whole heart 00:07:03 “[my whole heart] I seek you. 00:07:06 Do not let me stray from your commandments.” 00:07:10 Verse 11: “In my heart 00:07:13 “I treasure up your saying 00:07:15 so that I may not sin against you.” 00:07:20 Now, we constantly hear reminders 00:07:23 of the value of really meditating on God’s Word. 00:07:28 Remember our midweek meeting part: 00:07:31 “Keep Feeding on Jehovah’s Reminders” 00:07:33 and the video with Brother Jackson, Treasure Jehovah’s Reminders 00:07:37 —something we should consider 00:07:40 meditating on even further. 00:07:42 One final thought: 00:07:44 Look with me at a prayer that’s likely 00:07:47 all of ours at Isaiah 64:8 00:07:51 —Isaiah 64:8 says: 00:07:54 “But now, O Jehovah, 00:07:56 “you are our Father. 00:08:01 “We are the clay, and you are our Potter, 00:08:05 we are all the work of your hand.” 00:08:07 That’s something; that’s a privilege. 00:08:10 To make fine quality pottery, 00:08:13 a potter uses high-grade clay. 00:08:16 That’s you, because Jehovah has picked out the precious things. 00:08:22 There are two things that he needs to do. 00:08:24 First, the clay needs to be washed 00:08:28 to remove any foreign material or contamination. 00:08:32 Then, the clay must be mixed with the right amount of water 00:08:37 and worked so that it will retain its shape 00:08:40 after being molded under pressure. 00:08:43 So water is used both in the cleansing of the clay 00:08:46 and in giving it the right consistency. 00:08:49 Well, it’s similar with God’s Word in us. 00:08:53 Jehovah works on us 00:08:56 when we meditate and ponder on his Word. 00:09:01 The Bible helps us to rid ourselves of impurities 00:09:05 and transforms us into something valuable to Jehovah. 00:09:08 And what a privilege it is to be associated with the valuable things of Jehovah! 00:09:13 The Bethel family worldwide is a microcosm 00:09:16 of a beautiful brotherhood that Jehovah is shaping. 00:09:20 And may all of us be determined 00:09:23 to ponder over the thoughts of God 00:09:25 and to resist the influence of the world.
