God's Kingdom -The Future Government

What True Love Is

"Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up,  does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

Love never fails."

- 1 Corinthian 13:4-8

This is the noblest kind of love,  called agape in Greek, which involves the heart and the mind. According to a reference work Insight on the Scriptures , “Aga′pe is not sentimentality, based on mere personal attachment, as is usually thought of, but is a moral or social love based on deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty, and propriety, sincerely seeking the other’s good according to what is right. Aga′pe (love) transcends personal enmities, never allowing these to cause one to abandon right principles and to retaliate in kind.”

Just imagine how the world would be if everyone had this kind of love!

Refreshment for the Weary Ones

"Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down,

and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly 

in heart, and you will find refreshment for your souls.

  

For my yoke is kindly and my load is light.” 

- Matthew 11:28-30

In this modern fast-paced world, where most people must work harder in order to survive, it is not easy to live a stress-free life. More often than not, we find ourselves drained of energy after performing our responsibilities. Our body wears down and our mind becomes too weary to think clearly. Because of physical exhaustion, we cannot do other things that we want to do. We feel frustrated. 

However, the Great Teacher extends to us the invitation above. He bids us to go to him so that we will be refreshed. We need to abide with him under his yoke, which is kindly and light. This means that we must keep following him and observing his Father's commandments which are not burdensome at all to follow. Far from adding more weight to our already existing loads, they give us more benefits in that they help lighten our burdens and refresh our spirits. 

We can only perfectly understand the significance of this invitation and truly experience remarkable refreshment if we hold dear what Jesus says and keep on doing it all our lives.

A Promise of Refreshment

"For he has satisfied 

the dried-out soul;

And the hungry soul he has filled 

with good things."

-Psalm 107:9

Our constant daily struggles can make us weary. Pressures and anxieties lie on our shoulders like heavy loads, gradually sapping us of energy. We want to do other things that we truly enjoy but it may not be possible because of the numerous responsibilities that we should primarily accomplish. 

Added to our endeavors to make a living, we also encounter problems with our fellows which can be discouraging and can drain us of what strength is left in us. Our soul becomes "hungry" and "dried-out", as the Scripture says.

Nevertheless, our loving Father has this promise of saturating or fully satisfying us. He sees to it that we can maintain good spiritual and emotional health which are vital for us to keep our joy amid difficulties. Such godly joy prevents us from losing our power to go on living and succeed in whatever we do.

Again, we can see from this passage that God is interested in our feelings as individuals, and he assures us that he will refresh and satisfy us. But for us to benefit from this loving assurance, we must have full trust in him and run to him for assistance. Only then can we truly feel and understand the import of this promise.

We Are Precious in His Eyes

When we lose our sense of self-worth, these two Scriptures remind us that each individual is precious in the eyes of our Creator and Father who deeply cares about us.

 

"Do not two sparrows sell for a coin of small value? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without YOUR Father’s knowledge.  But the very hairs of YOUR head are all numbered.  Therefore have no fear: YOU are worth more than many sparrows."

- Matthew 10:29-31

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt YOU in due time;  while YOU throw all YOUR anxiety upon him, because he cares for YOU." 

- 1 Peter 5:6,7

He Will Surely Provide for Our Needs

For those who put God first in their lives,  that is, who make the doing of God's will their priority, there's no cause for worry at all concerning their material needs. The Almighty Father knows all their needs, and He will surely provide for them as long as they keep the Father foremost in their lives. Here is the promise:

“Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness." 
- Matthew 6:33,34

The message is clear: If we put spiritual things first, then all our material needs will be added to us. Millions worldwide have experienced the fulfillment of this promise. They are the ones who strive to serve God first, trusting in His promises, and they have never found themselves lacking in their material provisions. 

This doesn't mean, however, that they don't work at all, and just wait for these material things to drop from heaven. They do work hard, and God blesses their efforts so that they can have what they need materially. That's how God adds to their material necessities. So they don't need to worry about the following day, knowing that God will keep providing for them.

Keep On Asking, And You Will Receive

Some people don't get what they ask for and  can't find what they're seeking for. This is especially true with regards to their pursuits of material things or emotional needs. However, persistence is one good quality in order to get what one truly needs. In the Scripture below, the Son of God tells his listeners,

“Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened."

- Matthew 7:7,8

This inspirational passage has its more profound application for us as regards our relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is to Him that we ask for whatever we need, but we must ask them in the right way. For instance, in order to have the basic material things that we need, we have to ask him for qualities that enable us to work in order to produce our material necessities. We also need to ask for wisdom and endurance to cope with difficult situations. If we feel that we are too weary or weak to care for our responsibilities, it is urgent that we ask for strength to carry them out.

It's not enough to ask just once though. As the Scripture shows, we must keep on asking. This doesn't mean that the Almighty doesn't hear us the first time we ask. Of course, He knows what we need even before we ask Him. But if we keep on asking Him, we demonstrate that we are sincere in our requests and that we rely on Him and trust that he can give us what we ask for. So we need to keep on asking, not doubting at all that He will provide for us, and we will surely receive.

The Way To Invincibility

When we feel that everything is too much for us and that we're too tired to go on and want to give up, the Scripture below can help us re-evaluate our situations, and see that we are not completely down after all.
 

"However, we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the power beyond what is normal may be God’s and not that out of ourselves. We are pressed in every way, but not cramped beyond movement; we are perplexed, but not absolutely with no way out;  we are persecuted, but not left in the lurch; we are thrown down, but not destroyed." 
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

 

Adversities may drive us to the limit of our capacity to cope, but even before we reach that border, we can discover that all is not lost, that it is not actually the end of what we can do. We can feel that we have more power to face all these trials, and that power is being constantly recharged as long as we look to the true Source of such power, the Creator and Sovereign of the Universe. Our power as imperfect humans can diminish, but the power that we get from God keeps building up  as more trials come to attack us.It is this "power beyond what is normal" that can make us INVINCIBLE.

Adding Meaning to Our Lives Permanently

Most of us are interested in the meaning of our existence. But if we take a closer look at how short life is and full of misery, it seems like our existence is meaningless. It's like these lines from Shakespeare's Macbeth:

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player         
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”—Macbeth, Act V, Scene V.

But our existence need not be like that. We can make it significant by first acknowledging the fact that humans are not the true center of meaning. "Our Grand Creator is that center, and any real meaning to our existence logically involves him and depends upon him. To find such meaning and the deep satisfaction it brings, we need to come to know the Creator and bring our lives into harmony with his will." (Creator book published by WTBTS)

It is therefore vital to turn to the Creator for guidance in order make our lives meaningful. Psalm 90:12 says, 

 “Show us just how to count our days in such a way that we may bring a heart of wisdom in. Satisfy us in the morning with your loving-kindness, that we may cry out joyfully and may rejoice during all our days. And let the pleasantness of Jehovah our God prove to be upon us.”

These three phrases here ,‘Satisfied in the morning.’ ‘Rejoicing during all our days.’ ‘God’s pleasantness on us’, signify a truly meaningful life which is brought about by turning to our Creator and revolving our lives around him. We can only understand and experience the deep impact of this if we apply godly wisdom in our lives.

Will Our Home Planet Continue to Be Ruined?

The whole world expresses concern about the recent oil spill that has brought extensive destruction to our planet. Many are still not aware how enormous and grotesque the effect has become. Some are apprehensive about how much more damages it may yet bring in the future.

It's not only the oil spills that have caused alarm to humans, but also the other exploitations of our natural resources in the name of money. The earth is being made sick by stripping it of its precious elements. In turn, humans are also forced  into a predicament where there seems to be no way out for them. They are unsure of what the future may bring. Will unscrupulous humans continue to wreck their own home planet?

The world's greatest and most reliable book of prophecy reassures us that the Almighty God and Creator will "bring to ruin those ruining the earth." -Revelation 11:18

He wants this precious planet to be restored to its original condition just as He purposed it to be. It will again become a pristine and peaceful habitation for all righteous mankind who submit to His Sovereignty. Everyone will take good care of this home planet and preserve its natural beauty forever.

Music Video: This is the Way

Meditations

Meditating on these verses can uplift our spirits and empower us to keep on living in righteousness amid this troubled world.

Seeing the Future Through Faith

"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld."

- Hebrews 11:1

Mankind's future seems uncertain, especially in view of world conditions that are getting worse each passing day. Many spend their lives just to "live and let live", believeing that this life is all there is, followed by nothing.

However, as what I've stressed in my previous blogs, there is a wonderful future that lies ahead of us. It may be hard to believe, considering that it's an ancient promise and that mankind has been waiting for too long for its realization.

Here now is where faith comes in. It's believing in something that we cannot see and knowing in our heart that it's there, or it will come. That is why the quote above says that "faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for." If we have faith, we don't doubt at all that our hopes will become realities.

The Hearer of Prayers

Some people feel that their prayers are not being heard, let alone answered. So they begin to doubt whether there's a God who cares about us. Some cease to believe in Him.

This video shows that there's a caring Father who listens to us when we speaks to Him in prayer. It also outlines how we should pray so that our prayers will be answered.

Spring's Promise

After  a long sleep in winter, natural creations wake up to a new day. Once again, colorful vegetation is alive and exudes in fresh beauty. Young plants begin to burst out in an explosion of colors that paint the entire surroundings. The atmosphere gives off a kind of beauty that brings delight to the heart of appreciative humans. To them, the new season is a reminder that there's a loving Creator who put all these wonderful things on earth to make us happy and enjoy our lives.

Such change in season also brings to mind the Creator's promise to make all things new in the future. This old world will be cleansed of all elements that destroy the beauty of this planet, and will be replaced by a new world order where righteous mankind will attain perfection and eternal life. 

 

This is the  essence of paradise. Not just  a beautiful surrounding filled with colorful flowers, but a wonderful place where wickedness, sickness and death are non-existent. It's a place where people can truly enjoy life without any worries at all. (Revelation 21:3-5)

 

Indeed, it's a new beginning, the awakening of all things wonderful...like SPRING.

"When I Am Weak, Then I Am Powerful"

"Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses..... 

For when I am weak, then I am powerful." 

- 2 Corinthians 12:10

The daily pressures, challenges and adversities that we face may weaken and paralyze us. However, these are the times when we need strength to cope with our situation. And where can we get the power that we need? No other than the One who gives energy to the tired ones, the Almighty God, Jehovah. All we need to do is approach Him in prayer and ask for His holy spirit to guide and strengthen us. In that way, the most powerful force in the universe, God's holy spirit, empowers us to deal with difficult situations and succeed in our good works. And then we can confidently echo the expression of the apostle Paul quoted above.

The Truly Happy People

In this world filled with troubles, people often find themselves unhappy. Some who may be happy eventually realize that their happiness is shallow and short-lived. 

However, there are people who feel deep and lasting happiness despite all the adversities that they are subjected to. They are happy because they know that all sufferings and problems on earth will vanish. They have confidence their Father's promise to put an end to all these bad things that are taking place in the world.  To them, this world and everything in it will soon pass away, and real life will be in that wonderful future that God has prepared for them. 

Hence, they are a happy people. Their Father has chosen a marvelous inheritance for them: eternal life in Paradise...soon!

"Happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah,
The people whom he has chosen as his inheritance."
-Psalm 33:12

When the Whole Earth is a Garden

I never expected that I would come across this tulip garden in the picture. It's like a dream come true for me to be with my dream flowers. In the past, I just looked at them in the pictures, magazines and movies. Now, I'm face to face with them. I can touch them, smell them and drink in their fresh and exquisite beauty. Walking in such a garden transports me to paradise.

This is truly a gift from above. "Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the [celestial] lights, and with him there is not a variation of the turning of the shadow." - James 1:17

What if the whole earth will be a garden full of colorful lovely flowers? Not a remote possibility. The Giver of such gifts is so generous and He will give us the desires of our hearts. In fact, he is now very close to the point of fulfilling His promise that this whole earth will be turned to Paradise. Soon, righteous mankind who put faith in our Creator's promise will walk forever in a much lovelier garden.

World Peace and Security Will Prevail

Read the text and imagine the scenario. It is the kind of life that most of us long to have. No hatred, no wars, no armaments. People throughout the earth live in harmony and true security. Does it sound like an unrealized  dream? Or do you hear the ring of truth here? 

"And it must occur in the final part of the days [that] the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it peoples must stream. And many nations will certainly go and say: “Come, YOU people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For out of Zion law will go forth, and the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem. And he will certainly render judgment among many peoples, and set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war anymore. And they will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making [them] tremble; for the very mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken [it]." - Micah 4:1-4

This is a prophecy written hundreds of years ago, and is undergoing fulfillment right now among people who seriously examine God's Word and live by it. Wherever they are in the world, they live as one united family who love and care for one another.

In the near future, there will be a grander fulfillment of this prophecy, where wars, hatred and all sorts of wickedness will be completely eliminated. All the peoples will be free from problems, sickness and even death. To find out more about this future and why we should be confident about its fulfillment, visit this link below.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/article_03.htm

We Can Regain Power

 Life in this world is filled with difficulties and challenges as a result of our efforts to survive. Sometimes, we may get tired and feel like giving up. We can't go on anymore, the hardship is too much for us to bear. But then, we must take heart because we can have the power that we need for each day, which we can also renew each time we feel that we are tired. This assurance from Someone who cares so much about us has proved to be very helpful to many who believe in and follow it.

"Boys will both tire out and grow weary, and young men themselves will without fail stumble,  but those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not tire out.” - Isaiah 40:30,31