TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: Week April 8 to 14, 2024, “Jehovah is my Shepherd”, Prepared Discourse.

TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: April 8-14, 2024, What helped David live with integrity, Prepared Speech. 

What helped David live with integrity (10 mins.)

When Satan revealed himself in the Garden of Eden, he raised a universal question. Does God have the legitimate right to govern all of his creatures? Some time later he launched the accusation that human beings serve God only if it suits them. Therefore, the integrity of man has become of vital importance in the question of Jehovah's Universal sovereignty. 

Although it is true, God's sovereignty does not depend on the integrity of his creatures, both his spiritual children and human beings can demonstrate who they are in favor of. As? Choosing to follow or reject the path of integrity. Therefore, our personal position constitutes a solid basis on which we can be evaluated.

And to take an example of this, let's analyze the case of King David. In this section of Bible Treasures, under the heading: What helped David live with integrity? We will see some points that will also help us in our case, to apply it personally. Let's look at David's prayer to Jehovah in Psalm 26:1 2.

LET'S READ PSALMS 26:1,2.

Judge me, O Jehovah, for I have lived with integrity; I have trusted in Jehovah without doubting. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me; purifies my most intimate thoughts and my heart.

We can see in the first verse how David is willing to be fully examined by Jehovah, because he was confident that he had served with integrity. It is worth mentioning that this term integrity communicates the idea of ​​being upright, blameless, fair and blameless. 

Now, being upright not only means doing what is right, but also manifesting moral righteousness or devotion to God with a complete heart. Therefore, in addition to acting appropriately, you must have adequate motivation. And that is why David asked Jehovah to examine him, that is, he will analyze his deepest ideas and emotions, or so to speak, his deepest and most intimate ones.

David asked Jehovah to purify him internally if something needed to be corrected, of course. In our case, it is similar. When one reflects and appreciates two pieces of advice that we receive, whether from the Bible, from Jehovah's representatives, or from his organization, we allow that advice to penetrate within us.

But one may believe that one is already complete, that one already knows everything, that one is ready to act at any moment in an integral manner. But that is not the case. We need to be constantly refined by Jehovah, because there will always be something we need to improve on, and we must always be willing to accept Jehovah's help, whether through his word or through his organization and his representatives.

Now, it is not only a matter of us asking that Jehovah examine us, We also have to avoid certain actions or bad company. Here now, in Psalm 26:4,5, David requests the following. 

LET'S READ PSALM 26:4,5.

I have no dealings with men who love deception and I avoid those who hide what they are. 5 I hate the company of evil men and I refuse to have any dealings with the wicked.

Now, David is indicating the effect that Jehovah’s counsel has had on his life. What has he motivated you to do? To avoid dealings with men who deceive, who hide what they are, and who are bad and evil. Nowadays it is very common to have dealings with people who hide what they are. Social networks are a danger where many can say I am this, when in reality they are not like that.

That is why we want to be careful in what we look for as a company, whether on social networks, as well as through the internet, television, movies, etc. They present us with a false picture of happiness by doing incorrect things, when Jehovah's advice is always very clear in avoiding practices and companies that will lead us to ruin, not only spiritual, but also physical.

For this reason we want to understand that integrity is not limited to a certain aspect of human behavior, such as religious devotion, but rather encompasses every aspect of life. That's why we want to be careful about forming close relationships with people who don't walk in God's truth. They may put on a front of sincerity, but they hide bad feelings toward us, toward Jehovah, and his organization.

For example, on social media many present questions with seemingly good intentions, when one can perceive that their intention may be to divert us from serving Jehovah. We want to avoid that, we don't want to be engaging in conversations with people who are not going to get any help, either for them or for us. We want to remember that Jesus said that we should not give "Pearls to swine."

That is, we do not want to enter into controversy with people who we know perfectly well that their questions or statements have the purpose of separating us from Jehovah and creating serious doubts in his organization. As Jesus said, they are wolves in sheep's clothing, so let's avoid engaging in conversations with them in the slightest, trying to make them reason when they have another intention with us.

Instead of wasting our time with these people, let us use it appropriately to foster the longevity of Jehovah and to increase our love for him. In Psalm 26:8. Jehovah, Now King David said:

LET'S READ PSALM 26:8. 

Jehovah, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory resides .

At the time David prayed this prayer, he was referring to the tabernacle. He was not yet in the temple, that was built by his son Solomon some time later. But he loved that place, which was many years old, but, at that time, it was the center of the worship of Jehovah in Israel.

Today we can apply to each Kingdom Hall, where that spiritual instruction program comes from, where we are encouraged to deeply love Jehovah and support everything that has to do with his worship. The meetings, essential to be in the Kingdom Hall, the assemblies, both regional and circuit, All this helps us to remember what Jehovah expects of each of us, that we demonstrate deep love for him and all that it entails with their worship.

The description that is put in the activity guide is beautiful, David praying deeply to Jehovah, making this prayer that constitutes Psalm 26. It is true this man made mistakes and some very strong ones, but he always corrected them in time, and walked in the paths of God with an entire heart and he loved and served Jehovah with all his being, which showed that he was a person of integrity. Remember it not only has to do with our religious emotions, it has to do with all our feelings, our insides.

We want Jehovah to examine us deeply, and to see that our integrity is sincere, and that we will do everything possible to encourage his worship and that we are willing to listen to him, whether by his word, by his organization, by its representatives. Let us do everything possible to maintain our integrity and demonstrate to Satan that he is a vile liar, and that we, for the love of our God, will remain intact for eternity.