KEEP ON SERVING JEHOVAH WITH A STEADFAST HEART - Your Will Plays a Part

Your Will Plays a Part

Dedication and baptism have, indeed, brought great blessings to millions of people throughout the earth.  When we symbolize our dedication to God by undergoing water baptism, we die with respect to our past course of life but not with respect to our own will.  As properly instructed believers, we actually exercised our own will when we made a dedication to God in prayer and got baptized.  The course of dedication and baptism requires that we determine what God's will is and then deliberately choose to do it.  (Ephesians 5:17) Thus we imitate Jesus, who exercised his will when he laid aside his  carpenter's tools, got baptized, and devoted himself fully to the doing of his heavenly Father's will. -Psalm 40:7, 8; John 6:38-40.

Jehovah God purposed that his Son would be made "perfect through sufferings."  Jesus therefore had to exercise his will so as to endure such sufferings in faithfulness.  To that end, he offered up "supplications and also petitions . . .with strong outcries and tears, and he was favorably heard for his godly fear."  (Hebrews 2:10, 18, 5:7, 8)  If we display similar reverential fear of God, we too are sure to be "favorably heard,"  and we can be confident that Jehovah will make us steadfast as his dedicated Witnesses. -Isaiah 43:10.

Next time: KEEP ON SERVING JEHOVAH WITH A STEADFAST HEART -      You Can Maintain a Steadfast Heart

The Watchtower,  2002