not understand, things that just now are not entirely clear. But the light shines more and more until the perfect day. (Prov. 4:18, RS) The more one studies God’s Word and the more one lives by the commandments of God, the more he sees how reasonable it is; and life eternal is within his grasp. God’s Word is more than common sense. It is wisdom from on high. Follow it.

‘NOT OF THIS WORLD’

7, 8. What right attitude toward “this world” is maintained by one dedicated to Jehovah?

⁷ Jehovah’s witnesses are peaceful, wanting only to be exclusively devoted to Jehovah’s kingdom work. They know their position on earth is to represent God and him alone. Worldly governments do not want their constituents to be neutral as far as this world is concerned. However, when one gives exclusive devotion to Jehovah God he will not be mixed up with this world’s politics, religions or commercial movements. While in the world he is not a part of it. All so minded seek first the kingdom of heaven and Jehovah’s righteousness, and then all other things will be added to them.—Matt. 6:33, NW.

⁸ Today’s Christian minister cannot live according to the moral code of the old world, wherein it winks its eye at adultery and fornication, thinks it is smart to be drunk. Forgetting and forsaking fine counsel Jehovah has set forth in his Word, more and more persons have become delinquent. Also, more worried have become each nation’s leaders concerning the delinquency. Now any violation of God’s Word shows disrespect for the Sovereign Ruler and his enthroned Christ. Wickedness of the world as described by Jude warns us how it might infiltrate into the congregation of God. And concerning those who try to corrupt the true followers of Christ he said: “These men are murmurers, complainers about their lot in life, proceeding according to their own desires, and their mouths speak swelling things, while they are admiring personalities for the sake of their own benefit.” (Jude 16, NW) Such, of course, are not giving exclusive devotion to Jehovah God; and the scripture tells us that we cannot mingle ourselves with people of this kind or worship their gods or serve them, “for fear the anger of Jehovah your God may blaze against you and he must annihilate you from off the surface of the ground.”—Deut. 6:15, NW.

SLAVE OR MASTER?

9, 10. (a) How may we describe the exclusiveness of Jehovah? (b) What right and wrong attitudes toward Jehovah are exemplified for us by Christ Jesus and Satan?

⁹ Exclusive devotion to Jehovah God is a very serious requirement. Let us consider it now from Jehovah’s viewpoint. “Exclusive” means keeping others out, or excluding. It means single or sole, or singly devoted. No one can be included in God’s position. He is exclusive. Everyone else stays outside this most honored position that he only can hold. He is alone in his exalted place in the universe. He will not include anyone else with himself. His glory he does not share with another. Christ Jesus appreciated the very exclusive position his Father held in the universe; and on this point Paul wrote: “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, NW) Again Jesus himself said: “I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.”—John 14:28, NW.

¹⁰ Satan the Devil chose to try to push Jehovah God out of this exclusive position; and, of course, Satan has not given to Jehovah exclusive devotion, for he seriously considers being like the Most High, and he has put it into the minds of all creation that they should be as God, knowing good and evil; in other words, that they should be judges, deciding what is right and wrong in the universe. So we often find clergymen disputing, challenging, the Word of God, claiming portions of the Bible are just fairy tales; and thus they have set themselves up as God, qualified to question and dispute with Almighty God. What pride!

11, 12. (a) What is included in genuine worship of Jehovah? (b) How are love of God and love of neighbor comparable?

¹¹ A humble person, devoted to Jehovah, would be filled with zeal and piety. “Devotion” means an eager inclination or a strong attachment; an ardent love or affection for one. Devotion has to do with one’s religiousness. Today one who understands true religion carries on genuine worship, even as Jesus predicted: “The hour is coming, and it is now, when the genuine worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for such kind to worship him.” (John 4:23, NW) Anyone giving Jehovah God exclusive devotion will not allow anything else to break into that devotion or to mar it. Jehovah cannot tolerate it; therefore the individual should not let anything interfere. One’s devotion to Jehovah God must be filled with love. It must be an ardent love, a single love to Jehovah God—not a love that can be divided with someone else.

¹² On Exodus 34:14 the translation of the French (Abbé Drioux Version, 1884) puts it this way: “God wants to be loved uniquely”—that is, he wants to be loved in a class by himself, singularly. When upon earth Christ Jesus mentioned two commandments. First, said he, you must love the Father with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; secondly, Love your neighbor as yourself. Here again this puts Jehovah God in a singular or unique position, exclusive, separated from all other love. He is outstanding and in a position alone, as Sovereign. Love goes directly to him without any sharing of that love. That is exclusive devotion. The similar second commandment is that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Although this love takes in a greater sweep, embracing humankind, who in turn can love us, yet no one human becomes exclusive in this unselfishness on our part. Our love for neighbor can include all mankind. But as to the Creator, he alone claims and rightly is given exclusive devotion. Loving our neighbor as we individually love ourselves is not exclusive, though proper. We do not worship the neighbor, but just show love. With Jehovah our love involves worship, service, obedience; and in this he tolerates no rivalry.

13, 14. How is this comparison made clearer by Jesus? and how may we benefit by understanding it now?

¹³ Jesus showed the principle of this individual love, for he was very well acquainted with his Father, so well acquainted that he could say, when one knew the Son he also knew the Father. “Jesus said . . . ‘No one comes to the Father except through me. If you men had known me, you would have known my Father also.’” Setting forth the principle of exclusive devotion to Jehovah God and his kingdom, Jesus also pointed out that greater love for the Kingdom and the vindication of Jehovah’s name is more important than the love of neighbor. The creature’s only approach to the heavenly Father now is through the Son; therefore Jesus said: “Everyone, then, that acknowledges his belief in me before men, I will also acknowledge my belief in him before my Father who is in the heavens.” And, then, to show how great must be this love for the Father that is shown through the Son, Jesus says: “He that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me; and he that has greater affection for son or daughter than for me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not accept his torture stake and follow after me is not worthy of me.”—John 14:6, 7; Matt. 10:32, 37, 38, NW.

¹⁴ After Jehovah’s ‘war at Armageddon’ all survivors will know him and give him their first love. Even today Jehovah’s witnesses must give him such love through the Son, Christ Jesus; and that puts us in a unique relationship with our Creator, for ‘he is a God that wants to be loved uniquely.’ “The Father is looking for such kind to worship him.” That worship will be with spirit and truth, and it will be exclusive. There is no one else involved in this love and worship; hence it stands alone.

15. Scripturally, how is the position of a slave properly viewed?

¹⁵ When one is so exclusively devoted, it suggests another unique relationship between the two, that of master and slave. Jehovah is the Master because he is the Creator, the Owner; and it is required of the creature or owned one to do the will of his Master. Jehovah is the exclusive and sole owner of the creature. He made him. Jehovah God arranged for his Son to purchase the human family; so the scripture says: “You were bought with a price; stop becoming slaves of men.” (1 Cor. 7:23, NW) In his letter to the Corinthians Paul set forth a very interesting discussion about slaves: “In whatever state each one was called, let him remain in it. Were you called a slave? Do not let it worry you, but if you can also become free, rather seize the opportunity. For anyone in the Lord that was called a slave is the Lord’s freedman: likewise he that was called a free man is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; stop becoming slaves of men. In whatever condition each one was called, brothers, let him remain in it associated with God.”—1 Cor. 7:20-24, NW.

16. One’s choice to be a slave of Jehovah today denotes what?

¹⁶ In early Christian times it did not make any difference to God or Christ Jesus if people were free men or slaves. They could still be called to the high position of joint heirship with Christ Jesus in heavenly glory. But no matter what condition they found themselves in, bond or free, such became slaves of Christ; and it was only in that manner that they could become associated with God. Now, too, the person who comes to Jehovah and dedicates himself through Christ Jesus to Jehovah’s service makes himself God’s slave. In this action the Christian is not hypocritical but sincerely pleased to give exclusive devotion to the Sovereign Ruler and to carry out the will of the Father, just as the Son showed obedience to the commandments of his Father. This slavelike relationship comes from the heart. It is the dedicated one’s innermost desire. In his heart he has the proper inclination toward God. For him it is natural to want to obey the true God. It is such an individual’s deliberate choice to be a slave. It is the dedicated person’s preference to put himself in this slavelike relationship to the rightful Master, Jehovah.

“SLAVE TO TIME INDEFINITE”

17, 18. (a) Anciently, in Israel, why might one become a “slave to time indefinite”? (b) What wholesome lessons may today’s Christian minister draw from this ancient practice?

¹⁷ In days of ancient Israel sometimes it became necessary for the Hebrew to sell himself into slavery. God’s Word tells us: “In case you should buy a Hebrew slave, he will be a slave six years, but in the seventh he will go out as one set free without charge. If he should come in by himself, by himself he will go out. If he is the owner of a wife, then his wife must go out with him. If his master should give him a wife and she does bear him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will become her master’s and he will go out by himself. But if the slave should insistently say, ‘I really love my master, my wife and my sons; I do not want to go out as one set free,’ then his master must bring him near to God and must bring him up against the door or the doorpost and his master must pierce his ear through with an awl and he must be his slave to time indefinite.”—Ex. 21:2-6, NW.

¹⁸ Here we find a man in slavery, wholly devoted to his master, and he goes so far as to say: “I really love my master.” For a Christian, too, this is the right frame of mind to be in. Always he should see himself in the slavelike position, eager to serve the Master, Jehovah, who has given him life and all its blessings. No one should ever want to be free from Jehovah God, to go his own way. The Devil was the first one to hold this wrong desire and his end will be destruction.

19, 20. How does one’s freedom to choose appear here in our study?

¹⁹ Jehovah God rightfully demands exclusive devotion. But when this exclusive devotion is given to the Sovereign Ruler of the universe it must be given on the choice of the individual. He will not be forced to it. He must desire to give it, willingly, gladly. No one will drive him into this position or push him into the service of Jehovah God. But because of his study of God’s Word, his wanting to do Jehovah’s will, it is his inclination, his preference, to be in full harmony with God and God’s purposes and to be his slave, even as Jehovah’s Son Christ Jesus was delighted to do the commandment of his Father.

²⁰ One who has dedicated himself to Jehovah’s service certainly is like this Hebrew slave who is willing to be a slave to time indefinite. As to members of the New World society, this means for eternity. Jehovah so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son to this earth so that those on earth who choose to believe on him might have everlasting life. He arranged for his Son to purchase the human family. There are many who will refuse to recognize themselves as slaves and come under this purchase price and will choose to go their own way, but that way of theirs, which is the way of “this world,” will mean their death.—John 3:16; 1 John 2:17, NW.

21. Choosing to serve Jehovah brings what obligations?

²¹ “The memory of the righteous is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot.” (Prov. 10:7, AS) Those who refuse the ransom will die eternally and thus be annihilated, never having any existence. Just as Jehovah God recorded through his prophet Jeremiah: “They shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts.” (Jer. 51:57, AS) All persons who have dedicated their lives to the service of Jehovah God must realize that being a Christian is a serious thing; and, as expressed by Moses, “You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.” (Ex. 20:7, NW) One should not think that because he has dedicated himself to Jehovah God and was baptized in water, God now is obligated to do everything for him. God certainly will carry out his part of the agreement in blessing and caring for one; but the slave, who says that he will give exclusive devotion to Jehovah God, must also carry out his part of the arrangement. He must show that he is a slave, and an obedient one of the Sovereign Ruler. One’s life is dependent on his true, genuine worship, and ‘the Father is looking for such kind of worship,’ for he is “a God exacting exclusive devotion.”

“My Load Is Light”

1. How do Christendom’s supporters think of one’s becoming a footstep follower of Jesus?

MOST people in the world take the course of least resistance, and they follow the way of the great majority, which leads into sin and eventually death and annihilation. Some think that being a Christian is a very difficult task, and greater than they can bear in this wicked world. Many do not mind being “Christians,” so called, of Christendom, where they can practice all the self-indulgences, carrying on the lusts of the flesh as Christendom approves; and they feel that they are doing all right. But to be a real Christian, one who is walking in the footsteps of Christ Jesus, is considered in the minds of most people a hard thing to do. But how can we harmonize the supposedly difficult task of being a Christian with the expression of Christ Jesus, who said: “My load is light”? Let us see what Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and become my disciples, 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.”—Matt. 11:28-30, NW.

2, 3. (a) What does Jehovah require of his dedicated servants? (b) How did Jesus himself comply with that requirement and arrange for others to do so?

² Just what does Jehovah God require us as Christians to do? As we examine the Scriptures we find that the first thing is to preach the Triumphant Kingdom message throughout all the world for a witness to all nations. All people are able to talk in some language and express their feelings and their thoughts. And if one has a real, deep feeling of devotion to Jehovah God and has the mind of Jehovah as expressed in his Word, then he will preach good news to others. This in itself certainly is not a difficult task. Those of mankind who have been toiling and slaving in the Devil’s organization and have made themselves slaves to it Jesus invites to leave their loaded-down condition and come to him and be refreshed. Jesus does not ask you to take the yoke upon yourself and do all the work alone. The marginal rendering of this expression “Take my yoke” says, “Get under my yoke with me.” In other words, pull the same load and do the same thing that Jesus did when he was upon the earth. His assigned work was to preach to the lost sheep of Israel and get them in line for the blessings of God’s kingdom. Not only Jesus himself did such preaching but he sent his disciples out to the villages