So I waz reading the August 15 WT Study article, Elisha Saw Fiery Chariots, Do You? and it made me think about this forum. If you remember, Syria was hunting God's prophet, Elisha. Eventually, the king's army tracked Elisha down and surrounded the city he was staying in. Elisha's attendant grew fearful but the prophet reassured him saying,"Do not be afraid for there are more who are with us than those who are with them." The attendant probably thought Elisha was losing his mind due to the pressure when in reality it was the attendant's perception that needed adjustment. Elisha recognized this and prayed to Jehovah saying, "O Jehovah, open his eyes, please, that he may see." Jehovah did just that and the attendant was able to see horses, chariots of fire surrounding the Syrians. Oh that had to be something to see!
You and I can do the same if we imaginate with insight too. When we see Jehovah's earthly organization growing and successfully accomplishing tasks with willful volunteers, we're actually witnessing Jehovah blessing His organization. It's just like Elisha's attendant seeing the horses and chariots of fire surrounding the Syrians. To me, the most encouraging part of it all is that I, you, all of us can have a share in working out God's will. Think about that. We're working with Jehovah when we support His organization. When we recieve privileges, or opportunities to have a greater share in the ministry, or the privilege of helping with the construction in Warwick, in a sense it's as if Jehovah patted us on the back with confidence as He gives us a task to perform.
I think the problem with many of you here at JWN, was that you had the wrong motives, or an incorrect view of your role within the Christian congregation. You saw yourselves as being taken advantage of when in reality you were being used to advance Kingdom interests. You were thinking from a selfish viewpoint, or as an individual. Really you should have been thinking about how best your individual efforts would serve in the best interest of the organization which Jehovah is using to accomplish His will. By imagining yourself as part of something bigger than yourself, you in effect see the horses and chariots. That called, insight. That's called faith. When we think individually, or selfishly, we tend to see things in a skewed manner. All we see is ourselves, instead of seeing ourselves along with our brother and sisters. The worst part is we end up losing sight of Jehovah being our refuge. I hope all of you come to your spiritual senses.
...OUTLAW