Tuesday, May 26 - A little here, a little there

Watchman

Watchman

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A true friend shows love at all times.—Prov. 17:17.

We can support courting couples by what we say or do not say. At times, we may need to control ourselves. (Prov. 12:18) For instance, we may be eager to tell others that a couple have begun dating, but the couple may want to share the news themselves. We should not gossip about a courting couple or criticize them about personal matters. (Prov. 20:19; Rom. 14:10; 1 Thess. 4:11) Furthermore, the couple may not appreciate comments or questions implying that they should or will get married. What if a couple decide to end the courtship? We should avoid prying into the matter or taking sides. (1 Pet. 4:15) A breakup does not necessarily mean that the couple failed. Usually, it simply means that the courtship achieved its purpose—it helped the couple come to a good decision. However, that decision may still have caused them emotional pain. So we can look for ways to support them. w24.05 31 ¶15-16
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"To whom will one impart knowledge,
And to whom will one explain the message?
To those who have just been weaned from milk,
Those just taken away from the breasts?
For it is “command after command, command after command,
Line by line, line by line,
A little here, a little there.”

Isaiah 28:9-10
 
"A true friend shows love at all times."—Prov. 17:17.
We were convinced we had a multitude of "true" friends within the organization.
Turns out......not so much.

Other than the brothers* that were part of the "investigative" committee, only "one" couple reached out to us in an effort to see if they could "help".
If our "friends" thought we were "headed down the wrong road", why would they not make an effort to "Save (us) by snatching (us) from the fire"?


(Jude 23) . . .Save them by snatching them out of the fire. . ."

And truth be known I don't think the brothers on the investigative committee were truly interested in us as individuals.
They were only interested in one thing......."silencing us" and, thereby, curtailing further damage to the WT Brand to the extent possible.

The hard, cold truth is, as it turns out, they were not friends at all.
 
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I suppose the ORG is trying to appeal to the youth. The older brothers and sisters have been decimated and I wonder how many younger brothers and sisters are still able to have children. And, then again, the teaching of the ORG discourages marriage and discourages having children.

The 78th Psalm is a great read and a reminder of how imperfect people can err so badly and turn to idolatry.

Psalms 78:56-63: “But they kept challenging God the Most High, and rebelling against him; They did not pay attention to his reminders. They also turned away and were as treacherous as their forefathers. They were as unreliable as a loose bow. They kept offending him with their high places, And they incited him to fury with their carved images. God heard and became furious, So he utterly rejected Israel. He finally forsook the tabernacle of Shiʹloh, The tent where he had resided among men. He let the symbol of his strength go into captivity; His splendor into the hand of the adversary. He handed his people over to the sword And became furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed his young men, And to his virgins no wedding songs were sung.“
 
Jerry&Phyllis said:
"A true friend shows love at all times."—Prov. 17:17.
We were convinced we had a multitude of "true" friends within the organization.
Turns out......not so much.

Other than the brothers* that were part of the "investigative" committee, only "one" couple reached out to us in an effort to see if they could "help".
If our "friends" thought we were "headed down the wrong road", why would they not make an effort to "Save (us) by snatching (us) from the fire"?


(Jude 23) . . .Save them by snatching them out of the fire. . ."

And truth be known I don't think the brothers on the investigative committee were truly interested in us as individuals.
They were only interested in one thing......."silencing us" and, thereby, curtailing further damage to the WT Brand to the extent possible.

The hard, cold truth is, as it turns out, they were not friends at all.
Click to expand...
It’s true that a true friend would show love at all times, but Proverbs carries the assumption that the friend is also a friend of Jehovah through understanding the principles of love. However well intended that “love” may be, if it is not based upon understanding of the scripture, then it will fail under test just as you point out. If you wish a litmus test to that; if they came to you and asked you to share your understanding of the Bible, would you not welcome the opportunity with open arms? What should we expect from friends that cannot find, reflect and demonstrate the truth of the attributes of Jehovah?

They may understand the Bible according to watchtower, but you understand it according to Jehovah’s truth. Who then, is the friend?

Jehovah gave us life. Clearly He takes delight in our reflection of that love. The bible tells us that Jehovah so loved the world that He gave us His only son. Our response to that act of love makes Jehovah’s heart glad and when we examine that statement, it suggests perhaps that Jehovah ‘grows’ from that reciprocative response. I feel that is reflected thus in the book of Genesis where it says of the creative days that Jehovah “saw that it was good.” How could Jehovah possibly ‘grow’ from our appreciation? Because He shares it with us, and thus it is reflected back to Him in our praise. He loves what he had created. The angels applauded. One can feel the happiness and response of Jehovah and His family in those few words in Genesis. We are still part of that today in that Jehovah “loves those that love Him” and do we not feel that in ourselves in the cool of the evening? Therein is your brotherhood. Do not be disappointed in the loss of what never was true. 👍
 
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