Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

Good morning dear family ... :drinking:

Well we begin another new month ... and that is another day closer to seeing the 'real life' come upon us ... :cheer:

The text for today comes from Isa. 65:14 ...

''Look! My own servants will cry out joyfully
because of the good condition of the heart.''

Watchtower comments ...

''As never before, now is the time to ''consider one another to incite love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another.'' (Heb. 10:23-25)

Sticking close to and staying active with one of the over 98,000 congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses will give us the support of fellow believers as we strive to manifest ''the new personality'' and put forth wholehearted efforts to help others learn Jehovah's provision for salvation.
(Eph. 4:22-24: Col.3:9,10; ITim.4:16)

Satan and his evil world are keenly desirous of luring us away from the Christian congregation. However, we can remain a part of it and can survive the end of the present wicked system of things. May love for Jehovah and gratitude for his loving provisions move us to thwart Satan's efforts.'' w5/15/06 16-18

My comments ...

' ... because of the good condition of the heart.' :heartbeat:

Our hearts ... :heartbeat:

What a vital organ that is both spiritually and physically! Without our heart pumping we would die ... be an empty shell ... :(

I am reminded of a Scripture at Prov. 4:20-23 ...

20 My son, to my words do pay attention. To my sayings incline your ear. 21 May they not get away from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life to those finding them and health to all their flesh. 23 More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life.

I'm not really good at the way we are made ... but is not our literal heart guarded very well ... encased in our ribs for protection ... thus being 'safeguarded' from harms way ...?

So, too we need to protect our 'spiritual hearts' ... and the way in which we can do this is by drawing CLOSER to our God and his Son ... REALLY SEEKING them ... trying to discern and understand what is 'really' means to be a worshipper of Jehovah God ... seeking to truly 'know' what the sayings and words of Jehovah mean ...

They are not just mere 'words' or 'rhetoric' ... 'poems' or 'songs' ... 'laws' or 'principles' ...

They are so much more ... for they TEACH us the way in which to walk and talk ... They SHOW us how we must live and how to interact with one another ... They GUIDE us through this temporary world system of things we must live through before we behold the real life that is so beyond our imperfect human comprehension right now as we can only see 'glimmers' as of yet ...

And yet how do those 'glimmers' make us FEEL ... how does our HEARTS react ... do they not as the Scripture says cause us to CRY OUT JOYFULLY ... do we not REJOICE in the hope we have ... knowing it is SURE without any doubts as to its reality.

I decided to look up the word for 'heart' in my esword and I found it interesting to note some of the meanings ...

The Hebrew word used is ... leb

the heart; also used (fig.) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the CENTER OF ANYTHING ...

I will stop there ... for it was the 'center of anything' that caught my eye ...

Everything and anything that exists in our life revolves around the life that comes from the Creator of all things ...

Yes, we need to know this and make him the 'center' of our lives ...

I got to thinking about a circle and the center of the circle (if you can picture it in your minds eye or even draw a picture of it ...)

How protected or safeguarded is the center of the circle ... is it not from all sides ...? Is it not FULLY surrounded by the MOST that a circle can offer ...

Perhaps seeing it this way can help us to see why our God said ABOVE ALL ELSE we need to SAFEGUARD OUR HEARTS!! Keep his sayings in our 'center' and Jehovah and Christ through the holy spirit and through our dependency on them will be our strength and our might ...!!

Maybe someone else has a better illustration or a better way of saying or understanding what I'm trying to say ...:giverose:

What if we DON'T make Jehovah and Christ the center of our lives ... the life that keeps our hearts pumping ...?

Then the latter part of the days text will be what we will experience ...:(

Isa. 65:14 ...

but YOU yourselves will make outcries because of the pain of heart and YOU will howl because of sheer breakdown of spirit.

I can't help but think of a child separated from their parents for the first time ... how do they feel ...? :shocked::crybaby:

I think if we take the feelings of how a child would feel that that might give us an idea of the 'pain of heart' and 'howling' we would have if we did not make Jehovah the center of our heart ...

Anyway, I guess I've rattled on waay too long as usual ... I am hoping that there will be some more comments today so that we can be a source of encouragement and upbuilding to one another ... all the more so ...

Luv to all as always ... your sis of the heart ... BR :sheepy: :bouncyhearts:

Good points BR, and thank you for your hard work in posting these each day. We could discuss the "heart" for days, but I zoomed in on the comments portion.

The Watchtower comments, of course, link our survival with being associated with the "Christian" (insert JW) congregation. However, the point that Isaiah 65 is trying to convey is that God will reward individuals who are seeking to serve him, despite that fact that "Israel," or the congregation as a whole, is bad.

Here are some selected verses quoted from the Message Bible.

Isaiah 65, starting at verse 8, reads, "But just as one bad apple doesn't ruin the whole bushel, there are still plenty of good apples left. So, I'll preserve those in Israel who obey me, I won't destroy the whole nation...These will be for the people who bothered to reach out to me, who wanted me in their lives, who actually bothered to look for me."

Then, starting at verse 11, the contrast is made with those who "abandoned" God. Starting at verse 13, Jehovah compares/contrasts the two groups. "My servants will eat, and you'll go hungry, My servants will drink, and you'll go thirsty...my servants will laugh from full hearts, and you'll cry out heartbroken, yes, wail from crushed spirits."

The WTBTS is trying to use this scripture to support the idea that to survive Armageddon, you must be associated with a JW congregation., However, I derive comfort from the thought that I will be judged as an individual, based upon my responses to Jehovah and Jesus.

Regards,
Justicia