Rani found real happiness when she learned about the Source of true wisdom​—our Creator, the almighty God. As you read the following articles, see how his teachings can help you to . . .

• enjoy family happiness

• have peaceful relationships with others

• find contentment

• understand the root causes of suffering and death

• have a sure hope for the future

• get to know our Creator and draw close to him

You will also see that our Creator’s wisdom is not just for a select few but is freely available to all who seek it.

Husbands, Love Your Wives

“Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself, for no man ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cherishes it.”​—EPHESIANS 5:28, 29.

The husband is head of the family. (Ephesians 5:23) But a good husband is not harsh or demanding. He values his wife and takes good care of her material and emotional needs. He also tries hard to please her, not always insisting on doing what he wants. (Philippians 2:4) He communicates openly and listens when she speaks. He does not become “bitterly angry” with her or hurt her physically or emotionally.​—Colossians 3:19.

Wives, Respect Your Husband

“The wife should have deep respect for her husband.”​—EPHESIANS 5:33.

When a wife respects her husband and supports his decisions, she promotes family peace. If he makes a mistake, she does not belittle him, but she remains mild and respectful. (1 Peter 3:4) When she needs to bring a problem to his attention, she chooses a good time to do so and speaks to him respectfully.​—Ecclesiastes 3:7.

Be Faithful to Your Marriage Mate

“A man will . . . stick to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”​—GENESIS 2:24.

When a man and a woman marry, they form a close family bond. So a married couple should work hard to keep their marriage strong through heartfelt conversations and small acts of kindness. They should also be faithful to each other by not having sex outside the marriage. Infidelity is cruel. It destroys trust and can break up the family.​—Hebrews 13:4.

Parents, Train Your Children

“Train a child in the way he should go; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.”​—PROVERBS 22:6, footnote.

God has given parents the responsibility to train their children. That includes teaching them how to behave and setting a good example for them. (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) When a child misbehaves, a wise parent does not overreact. He or she is “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19) If the parent determines that discipline is needed, he or she administers it in love, not in anger.

Children, Obey Your Parents

“Children, be obedient to your parents . . . ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”​—EPHESIANS 6:1, 2.

Children should obey their parents and treat them with deep respect. When children show honor to their parents, they bring much joy into the home and contribute to family peace and harmony. Adult children honor their parents by ensuring that they are well cared for. That may include helping them to maintain their home or giving them needed financial assistance.​—1 Timothy 5:3, 4.

Be Forgiving

“Continue . . . forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another.”​—COLOSSIANS 3:13.

We all make mistakes. We might offend others, or they might offend us. Whatever the case, we all need to forgive and to be forgiven. When we forgive, we stop feeling resentment toward the person who offended us. We do not “return evil for evil,” and we do not constantly remind the person of his failings or weaknesses. (Romans 12:17) But what if we have been deeply hurt and cannot stop thinking about what happened? Then we should respectfully talk to the person about the matter in private. Our goal should be to make peace, not to win the dispute.​—Romans 12:18.

Be Humble and Respectful

“With humility consider others superior to you.”​—PHILIPPIANS 2:3.

When we are humble and respectful, people enjoy being with us. They know that we will be kind and considerate and that we will not intentionally hurt their feelings. But if we view ourselves as superior to others or if we always insist on getting our way, we create strife and tension. People will avoid us, and we will have few friends, if any.

Be Impartial

“God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”​—ACTS 10:34, 35.

Our Creator does not favor people because of their nationality, language, social standing, or skin color. “He made out of one man every nation of men.” (Acts 17:26) So in a sense, all humans are brothers and sisters. When we treat everyone with dignity and kindness, we make them happy, we ourselves are happier, and we please our Creator.

Be Mild-Tempered

“Clothe yourselves with . . . mildness.”​—COLOSSIANS 3:12.

When we are mild-tempered, we put others at ease. They feel free to talk to us and even to correct us because they know we will remain calm. And when someone is angry with us, our mild response may calm the person down. “A mild answer turns away rage, but a harsh word stirs up anger,” says Proverbs 15:1.

Be Generous and Thankful

“There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”​—ACTS 20:35.

Many people today are greedy and think only of themselves. But true happiness comes to those who are generous. (Luke 6:38) Generous people are happy because they love people more than things. That same love moves them to be thankful and to show their appreciation when someone is generous toward them. (Colossians 3:15) Ask yourself, ‘Whom do I like to be with​—the stingy and thankless or the generous and thankful?’ The point? Be the kind of person you want others to be.​—Matthew 7:12.

Work Diligently

“Let him do hard work, doing good work with his hands, so that he may have something to share with someone in need.”​—EPHESIANS 4:28.

Our Creator encourages us to have a positive view of work. Why? A person who works hard is happy because he is able to provide for himself and his family. He may even be able to help someone in need. His employer will value him too. So a good worker is more likely to keep his job. The Scriptures rightly describe the rewards of hard work as “the gift of God.”​—Ecclesiastes 3:13.

Be Honest

“We trust we have an honest conscience, as we wish to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.”​—HEBREWS 13:18.

If we are honest, we have self-respect, we enjoy inner peace, and we sleep better at night. Additionally, others will trust and respect us. Dishonest people rob themselves of those good things. Also, their conscience may trouble them, and they may live with the fear of one day getting caught for their dishonesty.

Have a Balanced View of Money

“Let your way of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things.”​—HEBREWS 13:5.

We need money for food and other necessities. However, “the love of money” is very dangerous. It can cause a person to use most of his time and energy striving to make more money. This quest for money can put a strain on his marriage, rob him of time with his children, and even harm his health. (1 Timothy 6:9, 10) What is more, a person who loves money may be tempted to be dishonest. A wise man said: “A faithful man will receive many blessings, but the one hastening to get rich will not remain innocent.”​—Proverbs 28:20.

Choose the Best Education

“Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability.”​—PROVERBS 3:21.

A good education helps us to be responsible adults and parents. But a fine secular education alone cannot guarantee lasting security or happiness. To be truly successful in all aspects of life, we need the education God gives us. The Scriptures say of the person who listens to God: “Everything he does will succeed.”​—Psalm 1:1-3.

Our Original Parents Caused Us to Suffer

“Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.”​—ROMANS 5:12.

God created our original parents, Adam and Eve, with perfect minds and bodies. He also gave them a paradise home on earth​—called the garden of Eden. He told them that they could eat from all the trees in the garden, except for one. However, Adam and Eve chose to eat some of the fruit from that tree, and that was a sin. (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-19) After their disobedience, God expelled the couple from the garden and life became hard for them. In time, they had children, and life was hard for them too. They all grew old and died. (Genesis 3:23; 5:5) We get sick, grow old, and die because we come from that original family.

Wicked Spirits Add to Our Suffering

“The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”​—1 JOHN 5:19.

That “wicked one” is called Satan. He is an invisible spirit creature who rebelled against God. (John 8:44; Revelation 12:9) Later, other spirit creatures joined Satan. They are called demons. These evil spirits use their power to deceive people and turn them away from the Creator. They influence many people to do bad things. (Psalm 106:35-38; 1 Timothy 4:1) Satan and the demons delight in causing pain and suffering.

We Sometimes Cause Our Own Suffering

“Whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap.”​—GALATIANS 6:7.

In various ways, we all suffer because of inherited sin and Satan’s influence on the world around us. But sometimes people add to their own suffering. How? When they do bad things or make foolish decisions, they often reap bad results. On the other hand, when people do good things, they reap good results. For example, a husband and father who is honest, works hard, and loves his family will reap many good things and make his family happy. But one who gambles, drinks too much, or is lazy may bring himself and his family into poverty. So we are wise to listen to our Creator. He wants us to reap many good things, including “abundant peace.”​—Psalm 119:165.

We Are in “the Last Days”

“In the last days . . . , men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, . . . disobedient to parents, . . . without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness.”​—2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5.

Today, many people behave just as those words foretold. Their behavior adds to the evidence that we are in “the last days” of the present world. The Scriptures also foretold that our time would be marked by wars, food shortages, great earthquakes, and diseases. (Matthew 24:3, 7, 8; Luke 21:10, 11) These things cause much suffering and death.

God Will Remove Wicked People

“When the wicked sprout like weeds and all the wrongdoers flourish, it is that they may be annihilated forever.”​—PSALM 92:7.

As we learned in the preceding article, evil keeps increasing. This should not surprise us. After all, it was foretold in the Bible at 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that during “the last days” people would be exceptionally bad. The last days of what? Of the present world of ungodly people. Soon, God will bring an end to those who refuse to change their bad ways. Then, only good people​—those who obey God—​will be left. “The righteous will possess the earth, and they will live forever on it.”​—Psalm 37:29.

God Will Destroy Satan

“The God who gives peace will crush Satan.”​—ROMANS 16:20.

With all the wicked gone, including Satan and the demons, peace will at last prevail earth wide. Our Creator promises: “No one will make [you] afraid.”​—Micah 4:4.

God Will End Sickness and Death

“The tent of God is with mankind . . . And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”​—REVELATION 21:3, 4.

Suffering and sickness will end because God will undo all the harm caused by Satan, Adam, Eve, and our own imperfections. As a result, even “death will be no more.” Humans who love and obey the Creator will live forever. But where will they live?

Our Creator Will Make the Earth Into a Paradise

“The wilderness and the parched land will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron.”​—ISAIAH 35:1.

When God brings an end to the wicked, the earth will thrive! It will abound with delightful parks and gardens, and it will produce plenty of food. (Psalm 72:16) The oceans, lakes, and rivers will be clean and teem with life. Even the word “pollution” may disappear from our vocabulary! People will live in homes they built and own. And never again will anyone be homeless, hungry, or poor.​—Isaiah 65:21, 22.

God Will Bring the Dead Back to Life

“There is going to be a resurrection.”​—ACTS 24:15.

Would you like to see your dead loved ones again? The almighty God will bring them back to life​—or resurrect them—​in Paradise on earth. You will recognize them, and they will recognize you. Imagine your joy and theirs! Why can we be sure of this hope? Because the Bible gives us examples of adults and children who were brought back to life and reunited with their families. Moreover, Jesus often resurrected the dead in front of many witnesses.​—Luke 8:49-56; John 11:11-14, 38-44.

Our Creator Has a Personal Name

“May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”​—PSALM 83:18.

The Bible teaches that Jehovah is the one true God. He is the Creator of the universe and of all life. He alone deserves our worship.​—Revelation 4:11.

Jehovah Is a Loving God

“God is love.”​—1 JOHN 4:8.

By means of the Bible and the natural world around us, Jehovah has revealed many of his qualities. Love is his foremost quality. It defines who he is. The more we learn about Jehovah, the more we love him.

Jehovah Is a Forgiving God

“You are a God ready to forgive.”​—NEHEMIAH 9:17.

Jehovah knows that we are imperfect. So he is “ready to forgive” us. When we tell him we are sorry and try hard to stop doing bad things, he will forgive us and not hold our past sins against us.​—Psalm 103:12, 13.

Jehovah Welcomes Our Prayers

“Jehovah is near to all those calling on him . . . He hears their cry for help.”​—PSALM 145:18, 19.

Jehovah requires no special rituals or religious objects in his worship. He listens to our prayers just as loving parents listen to their dear children.

God Invites You to Benefit From His Wisdom

“I, Jehovah, am . . . teaching you to benefit yourself, the One guiding you in the way you should walk. If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”​—ISAIAH 48:17, 18.

Consider those words as a personal invitation from God. He wants you to have inner peace and lasting happiness, and he can help you to find them.

God’s Wisdom Is Available to You

“In all the nations, the good news has to be preached.”​—MARK 13:10.

The “good news” includes Jehovah’s promises to end suffering, to make the earth a paradise, and to bring our dead loved ones back to life. Jehovah’s Witnesses are preaching that Bible-based message worldwide.

If you would like to learn more about the practical wisdom found in the Bible, go to jw.org. There you will find . . .

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