that found joy in Jehovah’s service. He showed it in a mild and quiet manner, such as in the happiness he manifested in doing his Father’s will as well as in helping people learn about the grand purposes of his Father. In fact, he found joy in God’s service long before he came to the earth. While he was still in the heavens as a mighty spirit creature, the first that God created, he found delight in serving Him. Speaking under the symbolism of wisdom, he says in the book of Proverbs: “Then I came to be beside him as a master worker, and I came to be the one he was specially fond of day by day, I being glad before him all the time, being glad at the productive land of his earth, and the things I was fond of were with the sons of men.” (Prov. 8:30, 31; Col. 1:15; Rev. 3:14) The joy he found in serving God in the heavens he continued to have while a man on earth.

20. How did God’s only-begotten Son react to the privilege of serving God on earth?

²⁰ When Jehovah opened a new field of service for this beloved, spirit Son of his that required him to be born as a perfect human, that faithful Son rejoiced. Regarding this it is written: “Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God’s form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God. No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and came to be in the likeness of men. More than that, when he found himself in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake.” (Phil. 2:5-8) Whatever his Father wanted him to do he was willing to do out of love for Him. With this fine attitude Jesus Christ gave a splendid example for all who want to serve the true God.

21. Relate some of the ways Jesus served God.

²¹ While on earth he served God not only by worshiping Him and obeying divine laws but also by publicly proclaiming and teaching the truth about Him. He helped people to transform their thinking and their lives so they might become approved servants of God. He taught them love for God, for one another and for enemies and gave them a hope of a world government of God’s making as well as the hope of a resurrection from the dead. This brought the people close to Jehovah God, intensifying their desire to serve him in an undefiled manner. In this godly service, Jesus found joy. But an especially great source of joy for him was having a part in vindicating his Father’s good name of the reproach that had been cast upon it by His enemies and by worshipers that had proved unfaithful to Him.

22, 23. (a) What was an especially great joy for Jesus, and how did this become necessary? (b) Why has Jesus Christ been an inspiration to worshipers of God?

²² The great enemy of righteousness, Satan the Devil, had brought the integrity of God’s creatures into question. This was done in the days of the faithful man Job, at which time Satan told God: “Skin in behalf of skin, and everything that a man has he will give in behalf of his soul. For a change, thrust out your hand, please, and touch as far as his bone and his flesh and see whether he will not curse you to your very face.” (Job 2:4, 5) This challenge was bringing not only man’s integrity to God in question but also the integrity of God’s only-begotten Son, who was in a very favored position in the heavens. Would his integrity collapse under trial as Satan charged that man’s would? The test came when that Son was born as a man. He kept his integrity even to a violent death and proved Satan a liar. His faithfulness was a vindication for Jehovah God. The prospect of vindicating Jehovah’s name was a joy to Jesus Christ.

²³ Speaking of Jesus’ course of integrity, the Bible tells us: “For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) The joy of having a part in vindicating Jehovah’s great name enabled him to endure the torture stake to the point of death. As a reward for his faithful service, Jehovah raised him from the dead, restoring him to the realm of the angelic hosts with greater power and honor than he had before. Thus his example of joyful service of God has been an inspiration to all worshipers of the true God down to this day.

24. Explain how joy is a life-preserving stronghold.

²⁴ When we consider how God’s service has been a cause for joy to faithful men throughout the ages past, we can see that such joy is a life-preserving stronghold. For those who cultivate it and maintain it, Jehovah becomes a source of strength and a protection. His truth shields them from the mind-warping falsehoods of this devilish world. He helps them to hold up under trials of their faith; and when this old system of things is swept away by his heavenly forces, he will preserve them to see the new earth he will usher in. Joy helps to keep a strong, protective shield of faith. It can, therefore, be said to them: “The joy of Jehovah is your stronghold.” (Neh. 8:10) It keeps them spiritually alive in a spiritually dead world.

25. Why can we feel the same joy in God’s service that David felt?

²⁵ Like the shepherd David, who was so impressed by the starry heavens that he gave expression to his joy in serving the Creator of them, we today have ample reasons for feeling the same joy. We too can marvel at his wonderful creations, and we can turn to the inspired Scriptures to learn about his activities and to be instructed by him. By cultivating an appreciation for his life-giving truths and magnificent purposes for mankind, we can find in God’s service today a cause for great joy.

Finding Joy in God’s Service Today

“My own servants will cry out joyfully because of the good condition of the heart.”—Isa. 65:14.

1, 2. Explain why the person that wants to serve God is a rare individual. (b) What is the world’s attitude toward such persons?

DO YOU want to serve your Creator? Do you want to give him exclusive devotion as did David? Do you want to obey his righteous laws as did Daniel? Do you want to be productively active in work he has commanded to be done as was Jesus Christ? If you do, you are a rare person in this twentieth century. Of the more than three thousand million persons living today, few have any desire to serve the true God. Like past generations, they prefer to serve the false gods of religious imaginations, of political ideologies or of materialism. Regarding such gods a prophet of Jehovah the true God wrote: “For all the gods of the peoples are valueless gods. As for Jehovah, he made the heavens.” (1 Chron. 16:26) Few