How will Jehovah use his holy spirit in the coming new world? That spirit will be the force behind the new scrolls that will be opened at that time. (Rev. 20:12) What will these contain? Evidently, Jehovah’s detailed requirements for us during the thousand years. Do you look forward to examining the contents of those scrolls? With eager anticipation, we await that new world. Let us never forget that Jehovah’s unfolding purpose is certain to succeed, for he uses his holy spirit—the most powerful force in the universe—to carry it out. That purpose involves you. Therefore, let it be your firm determination to supplicate Jehovah for his spirit and work in harmony with its leadings. (Luke 11:13) Thus you may have the prospect of living as Jehovah purposed humans to live—forever in Paradise on earth. w10 4/15 2:15, 17, 18
Paul did not want his beloved fellow believers to endanger their spirituality. Grieving the spirit can be the first step leading to the total loss of the influence of God’s active force in a Christian’s life. That this is possible is evident from what David said after he had sinned in connection with Bath-sheba. David repentantly begged Jehovah: “Do not throw me away from before your face; and your holy spirit O do not take away from me.” (Ps. 51:11) Only those anointed ones who prove “faithful even to death” will receive the “crown” of immortal life in heaven. (Rev. 2:10; 1 Cor. 15:53) Christians with an earthly hope also need holy spirit if they are to maintain integrity to God and receive his gift of life on the basis of faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice. (John 3:36; Rom. 5:8; 6:23) Hence, all of us must guard against grieving Jehovah’s holy spirit. w10 5/15 4:3, 4
Before learning the truth and acting on it, we were recipients of God’s kindness, or general kindness. (Matt. 5:45) As his worshippers, however, we have become the objects of his loyal love—his steadfast loving-kindness. (Isa. 54:10) How thankful we can be for that! And what a powerful reason that is for displaying loving-kindness in our speech as well as in other aspects of our daily life! An invaluable aid in our cultivating loving-kindness is the privilege of prayer. This is because love and kindness—elements of loving-kindness—are aspects of the fruitage of Jehovah’s holy spirit. (Gal. 5:22) We can instill loving-kindness in our hearts by coming under the influence of that spirit. The most direct way to receive Jehovah’s holy spirit is to ask for it in prayer. (Luke 11:13) It is appropriate that we repeatedly pray for God’s spirit and accept its guidance. w10 8/15 3:9, 10
Good communication does not mean saying everything you are thinking and feeling at any given moment, especially if you are upset. The Scriptures show that uncontrolled expression of anger is a mark of weakness, not of strength. (Prov. 25:28; 29:11) Moses—“by far the meekest” of all men then alive—once let the rebelliousness of the nation of Israel cause him to lose his temper and fail to give glory to God. Moses very clearly communicated how he felt, but Jehovah was not pleased. After 40 years of leading the Israelites, Moses did not have the privilege of taking them into the Promised Land. (Num. 12:3; 20:10, 12; Ps. 106:32) The Scriptures commend the exercising of restraint and discretion when we speak. (Prov. 17:27) Yet, discretion does not mean never expressing oneself. It means speaking “with graciousness,” using the tongue to heal rather than to hurt.—Prov. 12:18; 18:21; Col. 4:6. w10 6/15 4:4-6
Jehovah weighs all mankind in “accurate scales.” As in Job’s case, God uses his perfect standard of justice to measure our integrity as his dedicated servants. If we were to become devious or deceptive, we would not be maintaining our integrity to God. Integrity keepers have “renounced the underhanded things of which to be ashamed” and are not “walking with cunning.” (2 Cor. 4:1, 2) But what if we were devious in word or action, thus causing a fellow believer to petition God for help? Then, too bad for us! “To Jehovah I called in the distress of mine, and he proceeded to answer me,” sang the psalmist. “O Jehovah, do deliver my soul from false lips, from the tricky tongue.” (Ps. 120:1, 2) It is good to remember that God can look into our very depths, “testing out heart and kidneys” to determine whether we are genuine integrity keepers.—Ps. 7:8, 9. w10 11/15 5:6, 7
