26. Rather than the world’s riches and poverty, what do we want and how do we strive to get it?

²⁶ Let us all be content with what Jehovah God has given us and look well to the responsibilities that have been placed upon us. Let us serve our brothers with joy and gladness. It was the writer of the Proverbs who said, “Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and use profanely the name of my God.” (Prov. 30:8, 9, AS) Jehovah’s witnesses today do not want the riches of this world, nor do they want the poverty. Instead we ask as Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Give us today our bread for this day.” All we need are the necessities of life: shelter, food and clothing. With these and with godly devotion we should be content. God has promised all the necessary things to keep us alive and active in his service, and we put forth daily effort to obtain these for ourselves and our family. But more than that, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from out of the mouth of God.—Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4.

27. So in what do we want to be rich, and how shall we continue to be the happiest people on earth?

²⁷ So then it is in the abundance of knowledge that we want to be rich. We want to be removed far from falsehoods and lies. We never want to deny our God Jehovah. Because they do not take Jehovah’s name in vain, Jehovah’s witnesses are the happiest people in the world. They do not have the burden or the responsibility of trying to patch up this old world and hold it together. However, they do have the answer for today’s problems and the most comforting, cheerful and optimistic message anyone can hear and the one with the most far-reaching effects. They have the message of the kingdom of God which will bring blessings of prosperity and happiness to all those who love righteousness. They will keep on giving this message, for they know there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. So whether you are a company publisher, a pioneer, a circuit servant, a district servant, a missionary, a worker in a branch or anywhere else in Jehovah’s organization, hold to your position faithfully. Continue to give out the good news, worshiping Jehovah in holy array.

Words That Mean Life

THE spoken word of Jehovah God carries greater power than that at the disposal of all this world’s atom-smashing scientists and far greater efficacy than anything concocted by modern medicine’s wizards of healing. Jehovah spoke into existence the depths of the fathomless universe, molding it to his will. When our primitive earth was swathed in darkness, “God said—Light be. And light was.”—Gen. 1:3, Ro.

Think, therefore, of the force and power behind the message contained in the Bible, God’s Word. Some presumptuous men set themselves up as the Bible’s critics, hastily overlooking the long period of divine inspiration during which God’s spirit rested upon the many varied men from diverse walks of life to compose one harmonious book pointing up one all-absorbing purpose, God’s sovereignty and its vindication by his kingdom. Critics have brushed aside