Proverbs 11:10 - When It Goes Well With the Righteous

Philippians 2:1,2 -- If There Is...

{Philippians 2:1} If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affections and compassions,
{Philippians 2:2} make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. -- RLIV.

WHAT exhortations these are to unity, peace, brotherly kindness! How they suggest to us patience, forbearance, gentleness, helpfulness and comfort one toward another in the church; that thus the Spirit of Jehovah may abound in all, that each may make the greatest possible progress in the right way. Dear brethren and sisters, let us more and more be worthy of the name of Barnabas -- Comforter of the brethren. Let us have the Holy Spirit abounding in us more and more, for this is Jehovah's good pleasure; that with it dwelling in us richly we may be all sons and daughters of comfort in Zion, representatives of our Father, and channels of the Holy Spirit, as well as of the Truth. -- Based on excerpt from "Sons and Daughters of Consolation", Watch Tower, October 1, 1904.

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The apostle speaks of encouragement in Christ, the Anointed of Jehovah. Jesus is the one whom God has sent to reconcile us to God, but he is also our exemplar. His words as recorded in the Bible are certainly words of encouragement to any child of God. Not only this, but his actions of love and his fidelity towards God should give us encouragement to imitate him.

Then the apostle speaks of consolation of love. God's love for us has proven to be very great. He sent His only-begotten Son to die for us. Not only that, His love is displayed in what he has provided for us while in this age, whether it be little or much. To whatever degree that we are submissive to the leading of His Spirit, he will lead us in the ways of righteousness.

Our fellowship of the spirit appears to refer to our guidance by means of God's Holy Spirit. Such guidance leads to cultivating the fruits of the spirit in our lives. Or, it could be referring our fellowship with each other as guided by God's Holy Spirit. Even this, however, would be a display of the fruits of the spirit in our fellowship with each other. 

Regardless, such would lead one to be compassionate and patient with fellow believers in the Lord Jesus, and even more so toward our brethren who may not see this or that application of scripture exactly as we think it should be seen. In all instances, we should endeavor to provide a word of encouragement in harmony with love.

Some point to Philippians 2:2 to justify this or that sectarian leadership as being an authority by which all should become like-minded in every detail of scripture. Actually, such leads one away from what Paul was writing about into the very kind of pride of sectarianism that Paul elsewhere spoke against.

2 Timothy 2:5 - By the Rules

If one competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he has competed by the rules. -- 2 Timothy 2:5, RLIV.

JESUS observed God's times and seasons and methods. He never recklessly exposed his life until from the prophets he recognized that his hour had come to be delivered into the hands of his enemies. He did not make long prayers on the street corners to be heard of men, nor exhort the multitude with noisy harangue; as the prophet indicated, He did not lift up his voice nor cry aloud in the streets. (Isaiah 42:2) He chose God's methods, which are rational and wise, and which are effective in selecting from among men the class which he desires to be heirs of the promised Kingdom. Let those who would so run as to obtain the prize, mark these footprints of the Master, and be filled more and more with His Spirit. -- Based on excerpt from "Striving Lawfully", ZWT, September 1, 1902. Reprints: R3070:5

Paul was not here telling us that each child of God should consider themselves in competition to all others who belong to Christ. Such thinking could lead one to think how he or she may be holier than others. The emphasis should be understood as being obtaining the prize "by the rules". One of the rules is that we esteem fellow believers as being better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3), and another is that we have heart love for each other. (John 13:34; 15:12,17; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11,23; 4:7,11,12; 2 John 1:5) If, in our hearts, we are thinking of putting our brothers in Christ down in some way that we may exalt ourselves, we may actually be falling short of obeying the rules. -- RRD.

* Psalm 90:12 - Numbering Our Days

So teach us to number our days, that we may attain a heart of wisdom. -- Psalm 90:12, RLIV.

THE Christian, in numbering his days, does not do so with a doleful or disconsolate sentiment, although he does so with sobriety. He counts the days as they go as so many blessings, so many privileges, so many opportunities to "show forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light," to render assistance to others in the pilgrim journey, and to develop in himself more and more of the character pleasing in the sight of God, -- to become more and more a copy of God's dear Son. -- Excerpt from "The Close of a Noble Life", ZWT, October 15, 1901.

The meaning of "number our days" appears to be the equivalent of saying "make our days count". Sadly, very few of the consecrated do this at an early age, and even those who endeavor to do so often fall short. As we grow older, we gain experience and experience often gives us wisdom. People of the world are also learning wisdom to some extent as they grow older, and such may be of benefit for them in the day of judgment. For the child of God, however, the wisdom needed centers in Christ, through whom we obtain the wisdom of God. -- 1 Corinthians 1:30. -- RRD.

To make our days count to attain wisdom, we should have our minds set on the Heavenly Father and His Son constantly, in everything that we may say, do, or even think. It also means that we have to study what God has revealed in the Bible, with the goal of applying the principles we learn from such study to everything we do throughout each day. We should not, however, expect to become perfect in the flesh totally, but rather the goal is to perfect our faith and love in our hearts as new creatures, which will lead to subjection of the flesh to the new creature. -- RRD.

The following is adapted from The Herald of Christ's Kingdom, March 1929. The name of the author is not given:

When we gave ourselves in full consecration to the Lord, we agreed that "the time past of our life" had sufficed to have wrought in us "the will of the Gentiles" (1 Peter 4:3), and that. we should not "henceforth live unto ourselves, but unto Him which died for us and rose again." (2 Corinthians 5 :15) It was then we began truly to number our days. We commenced to measure each day by the work to be performed and by the purposes to which life should be applied; and since that time, to whatever extent our days have, in humble submission to the Divine will, been filled with acts of obedience and love, and have been given their own measure of faithfulness, they have been numbered. They have been made to count. They have, so to speak, been registered in the Divine records. The days of idleness, those where selfishness has controlled, as well as those marked by lost opportunities, unaccepted privileges and blessings, have been unnumbered.

Psalm 72:6 - He Will Come Down Like Rain

He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth. -- Psalm 72:6, American Standard Version.

 The Psalmist speaks of the coming age when God blessings all nations during the 1,000 years of Messiah's reign. The Messiah is depicted as coming downs like rain that refreshes the earth. The world has been under the darkness of Satan's rule for 6,000 years, but the time is coming when this will be reversed. In that coming age, Satan will have been abyssed, and the present veil of darkness upon all nations will be removed. Then and the sun of righteousness will shower the world with light beyond anything man has ever known. -- Ronald R. Day, Sr.

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We should not suppose that the knowledge which is to become world-wide during Messiah's Reign is merely a little sprinkling of knowledge, such as has come to a very limited portion of the world here and there in spots, up to the present time. Jehovah's people have received the droppings of grace and Truth, but the provision for the next Age will be abundant and universal. The knowledge of Jehovah shall be ocean deep – like the fullness of the sea. Showers of blessing shall come down upon the world in copious measure. The effect will be "like rain upon the mown grass." When the grass has been freshly cut and its roots are thus the more accessible, how quickly it responds to the refreshing showers! And how rapidly does it spring up in renewed vigor! So it will be with mankind, after they have been shorn of all that has encumbered them and prevented the showers of grace from reaching their hearts. How quickly they will respond to the refreshing rains and showers of blessing so copiously bestowed upon them, and will spring up into life and beauty as they drink in the rich supplies of grace!  -- Based on excerpt from "There Will Be Showers of Blessing", ZWT, November 15, 1904.

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When man was cut down, there was one thing left, and that was hope. God had not left him entirely without hope, and it merely needs the showers of blessings of our Lord's return, -- he shall come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth, and the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his beams.

We hear Christians praying for showers of blessings, but they do not realize how beautifully God has prepared an answer to their prayer when showers of blessings shall be for the entire earth, when he shall come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth. -- Excerpt from "Valley of Blessings", by W. H. Bundy; 1908 Bible Students Nashville Convention Report.

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Job 5:2 - Eliphaz Regarding Wrath and Envy

For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. -- Job 5:2, King James Version.

Eliphaz appeals to his own observation, and says that though the wicked for a time seem to be prosperous, yet he had observed that they were soon overtaken with calamity and cut down. He evidently means that prosperity was no evidence of the divine favor; but that when it had continued for a little time, and was then withdrawn, it was proof that the man who had been prospered was at heart a wicked man. It was easy to understated that he meant that this should be applied to Job, who, though he had been favored with temporary prosperity, was now revealed to be at heart a wicked man. -- Notes on the Bible by Albert Barnes [1834].

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This verse is sometimes quoted as a scripture lesson pertaining to anger and envy, although the words were spoken, not by Jehovah, Job nor Elihu, but are the words Eliphaz. (Job 4:1) As recorded in Job 42:7, Jehovah tells what he thought of the words of Eliphaz. Jehovah said to Eliphaz: "My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." -- American Standard Version.

Obviously, Eliphaz was stating that Job was a foolish and silly man. It is possible that Eliphaz was quoting a folk saying of his time, although we cannot be certain of this. Thus, it is just as possible that the words were original to Eliphaz. We can say, however, that wrath can, but not necessarily, lead to death, and also that envy can possibly lead to being slayed. 

The real point we should note regarding this scripture, however, is that Eliphaz was obviously endeavoring to find something very evil about Job as being the reason for his suffering. We should avoid be like Eliphaz in this, and we also should be careful about how we cast our accusations and judgments against others. We cannot know absolutely everything about others so as to condemn them for whatever reason. All of us fall short due to the condemnation in Adam, and likewise, our judgment could easily fall short of fully understanding what is happening to others. -- Ronald R. Day, Sr.

1 John 2:27 - Anointing

 The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you. -- 1 John 2:27

THE blessing and power of Jehovah accompanied David's anointing in some manner -- just how we may not understand -- enabling him to progress in knowledge, etc., and fitting and preparing him for the duties of the office to which he had been anointed. May we not consider as an antitype to this, the anointing which comes upon the church from the time of her acceptance with Jehovah? Ours is not a physical anointing, nor are the blessings conferred of a temporal character: it is as New Creatures that we grow in grace and knowledge and love; and as New Creatures that, by and by, we shall be perfected in the First Resurrection and come to the throne with our Lord and Master as our Head. Z.'03-223 R3227:4 (Edited to present God's Holy Name as "Jehovah").

Malachi 3:17 - Jehovah Makes Up His Treasure

Malachi 3:17 - And they shall be Mine, says Jehovah of Hosts, for the day that I will make up My treasure. And I will pity them as a man has pity on his son who serves him. -- Green's Literal.

HAD Jehovah sent us forth to seek Jesus' bride, we might have gathered in some whom he rejects as unworthy -- because we are unable to read the heart. This thought should make us very humble, gentle and meek toward all, and very trustful of Jehovah, and very much inclined to look for his leading in respect to our labors as his servants, just as Samuel looked to Jehovah in connection with the anointing of David. -- Based on excerpt from the article, "The Lord Looketh on the Heart", Watch Tower, July 15, 1903.

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The Hebrew word rendered as "treasure" above is a form Strong's Hebrew #5459, which is often transliterated as segullah. Brown-Driver-Briggs give this word the meaning of "valued property", "peculiar treasure". In our text above it is singular, but in the next sentence, the Hebrew text refers to this singular "treasure" by using a plural form which rendered above as "them". Thus, while viewed as a singular treasure, that singular treasure is made up of many individuals.

We know that the nation of Israel is often referred to as God's "holy/peculiar people". Likewise, those who belong to Christ in this age are also designated as God's "holy/peculiar people". In our text, however, Jehovah appears to be referring to the result of the work being done in the present age. As applied to the church, it would be the time when "we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 13, World English) This work is done by God in us, for as the apostle stated: "I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase." -- 1 Corinthians 3:6. -- Ronald R. Day, Sr.



References:

Bible Hub's Hebrew Analysis of Malachi 3:17
Commentaries on Malachi 3:17

1 Thessalonians 5:15 - Render Good for Evil (Working on)

 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among  yourselves, and to all men. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

ACCORDING to the Scriptural standard, the elect church of Christ should be the most polished, the most refined, the most polite, the most generous, the most kind of all the people in the world;--and should be all these in the most absolute sense; not in the mere sense of an outward form and appearance of kindness, gentleness, etc., so common in the world; but a gentleness, a kindness, proceeding from the heart, proceeding from an appreciation of the Lord's spirit and the spirit of the Truth, the spirit of love, and the spirit of justice, also. Z.'01-297 R2879:3

1 Corinthians 4:7 - ( Working on)

 Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? 1 Corinthians 4:7

ALL of the Lord's consecrated people should realize that they have come into the present grace and truth, not by their own wisdom nor by the wisdom of others, but through the wisdom and grace of the Lord. The same thought should be entertained by all who serve the Church of God as ministers, servants in any department, in any manner responsible to the Lord for their position in the household of faith, and their opportunities to serve as the Lord's mouthpieces should be felt and confessed. But failure to confess it implies a failure rightly to appreciate it. Z.'03-430 R3278:2

Romans 15:3 - Reproaches of Christ

 The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me. Romans 15:3

LET us see to it that we bear the reproaches of Christ as He bore them,--with pity and prayer for the erring and depraved, if perchance God may grant them repentance; and with humble fortitude esteeming it a privilege to prove our devotion to the Lord by enduring hardness in His service as good soldiers. He was not surprised by the exhibitions of human depravity: He knew that He was in an unfriendly world bound by sin and largely under the dominion of the prince of darkness, and therefore He expected reproaches, taunts and persecutions, all of which He endured patiently while His great loving heart, almost unmindful of its own sufferings, was full of pity and loving concern for others. Z.'96-83 R1964:5

Psalm 27:14 - Wait for Jehovah

Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. - Psalm 27:14, American Standard Version

TIME is an important element in all God's plans: we are not, therefore, to be disappointed when the test of endurance is applied while the blessings we crave tarry long. God took time to frame the world and to fit it for human habitation; time to give the world its necessary experience with evil; time to prepare for the advent of Christ as the world's Redeemer; time for the preparation of the Church to share in His glorious reign; and time must be allowed for the shaping and adjusting of the individual affairs of His people. God has not forgotten when the answers to our prayers seem to tarry long. He who heeds the sparrow's fall and numbers the very hairs of our heads is not indifferent to the faintest call or the smallest necessity of His humblest child. -- Excerpt from "The Ministry of Evil", Watch Tower, January 15, 1895.

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Our flesh usually wants everything done as quickly as possible. With prayer, however, we should always be mindful of God's ways, and how he works with us in his own time and way. Nevertheless, sometimes what we pray for may not be in our best interests, or may not be in harmony with God's will. We should not, therefore, be demanding of God, but always remember when requesting something, to add to that request, "if it be thy will". We should not endeavor to manipulate Jehovah into doing what we desire. And like Jesus, we should pray, "Not my will, but thine be done." Then, we should wait for Jehovah to perform his will in our life in his own way and his own time. -- Ronald R. Day, Sr.

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Experiences that may seem tumultuous at times are running in perfect order from Jehovah’s perspective, much like the spinning wheels seen by Ezekiel in his vision. Notice that in Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 Solomon uses “times” to describe a series of life’s events. This is not to be confused with prophetic “times,” but used as a circumstance in one’s life. Such is the transient and changeable nature of life on earth. In faith, however, we realize that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28 NASB). God will accomplish his purpose for us if we wait patiently on His timing. “These wait all for thee, that thou mayest give them their food in due season” (Psalms 104:27). -- Keith Belheumer. "Observations About Life", The Herald of Christ's Kingdom.

Related Scriptures:

Psalm 25:3

Psalm 25:5

Psalm 25:21

Psalm 33:20

Psalm 37:7

Psalm 39:7

Psalm 40:1

Psalm 62:1,2

Psalm 62:5

Psalm 60:3

Psalm 123:2

Psalm 130:5,6

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 64:4

Jeremiah 14:22

Daniel 12:12

Hosea 12:6

Micah 7:7

Galatians 5:5

Related:

Wait, O Thou Weary One (Poem)

Quietly Waiting on the Lord

Quietly Waiting on the Lord

A Little While (Hymn)

Wait Upon the Lord (Hymn)

A Brighter Day (Hymn)

Our Grateful Song (Hymn)

1 Thessalonians 5:17 -- Pray Without Ceasing

1 Corinthians 6:19,20 - Glorify God in Your Body

Psalm 119:36 - Incline My Heart