Let us examine the scriptures every day 2025
Tuesday May 13, 2025
Let your light shine in the sight of the people. May they see your good works and thus give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
If we obey higher authorities, we and others benefit. In what sense? On the one hand, we are spared the punishment that authorities impose on those who ignore the law (Rom. 13:4). And, on the other hand, our individual obedience can influence how authorities view Jehovah's Witnesses as a collective. That is what happened in Nigeria a few decades ago. A group of soldiers entered a Kingdom Hall during a meeting. They were looking for some people who were violently protesting against taxes. But the officer in charge ordered the soldiers to leave there. He told them, “Jehovah's Witnesses don't go around protesting against paying taxes.” Every time you obey the laws, you help improve the reputation of Jehovah’s people. And someday that good reputation could protect his brothers. w23.10 9 para. 13.
How did a sister become “ready to obey” higher authorities?
However, we may sometimes find it difficult to obey higher authorities. A sister from the United States named Joanna says sincerely: “It was super difficult for me to obey because my family had suffered many injustices because of the authorities.” But Joanna set out to change her way of thinking. How did he achieve it? First, he stopped reading any messages on social media that fueled those negative feelings against the authorities (Prov. 20:3). Second, she asked Jehovah to help her trust in him instead of waiting for a change in human governments. (Ps. 9:9, 10) And, third, he began to read articles in our publications about neutrality (John 17:16). Joanna says that respecting and obeying authorities has given her “an indescribable peace.”
Why can we sometimes find it difficult to obey the instructions of Jehovah’s organization?
Jehovah asks us to be obedient to those who lead us in the congregation (Heb. 13:17). Although our Leader, Jesus, is perfect, the people he has chosen to lead us here on Earth are not. Sometimes it can be difficult for us to obey their instructions, especially if they ask us to do something we don't want to do. The apostle Peter once felt this way. An angel told him that he had to eat animals that were unclean according to the Law of Moses. But Peter refused to do it no more and no less than three times (Acts 10:9-16). In his opinion, these new instructions were not logical. He was used to doing things differently. If Peter had a hard time obeying a perfect angel, it should not surprise us that we sometimes find it difficult to follow the instructions of imperfect men.
What did the apostle Paul do when he received instructions that perhaps did not seem very reasonable to him? (Acts 21:23, 24, 26).
The apostle Paul demonstrated that he was ready to obey even when he received instructions that may not have seemed very reasonable to him. Certain Christians of Jewish origin had heard some rumors about him: that he was “teaching an apostasy against Moses” and that he did not respect the Mosaic Law (Acts 21:21, note). The elders of Jerusalem told Paul to demonstrate that he was obeying the Law. To do so, he had to go to the temple with four men and cleanse himself ceremonially. But Paul knew that Christians were no longer under the Law and that he had done nothing wrong. Despite everything, he obeyed immediately. The account says, “The next day Paul took these men and ceremonially cleansed himself with them” (read Acts 21:23, 24, 26). By his obedience, he contributed to unity among the brothers (Rom. 14:19, 21).
What does Stephanie's experience teach you?
A sister named Stephanie found it very difficult to accept a decision made by the branch. She and her husband were very happy serving in a foreign speaking group. But the branch decided that the group should disband, and this couple was asked to return to a congregation of their native language. How did Stephanie feel? She admits, “I felt very sad, and I didn't think a congregation of our own language needed more help.” Still, she decided to support the change. He says: "Over time I understood that the brothers made a wise decision. In our new congregation, many do not have anyone in their family in the truth, so we became their spiritual parents. I also give Bible classes to a sister who until recently was inactive. And now I have more time for my personal study." He concludes by saying: “I know that I have done everything possible to be obedient, and that leaves me with a clear conscience.”
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