You Can Have TRUE FAITH

When Sarah Jayne was 19, she learned that she had ovarian cancer.  Following surgery, she felt good and was optimistic about the future.  So optimistic, in fact, that when she was 20, she got engaged and began to make plans for her wedding.  That same year the cancer returned, and she learned that she had weeks to live.  Sarah Jayne died in June 2000, just before she turned 21.


WHAT impressed visitors to Sarah Jayne's bedside in the hospital was her calm  confidence about the future, along with her deep faith in God and his Word, the Bible.  Despite the terrible tragedy she was facing, she was sure of the resurrection hope-that she would see all her friends again.  (John 5:28, 29)  "I will see all of you in God's new world," she said.

Some dismiss that kind of faith as delusional.  "What else is the afterlife but a belief among the insecure," asks Ludovic Kennedy,  "that at the last trump there will be cakes and ale, even caviar and trumpets for them too, that in some leafy Eden they will share happy hours with those who have good before and others who may well come after?   To that, we must raise a counter question.  Which is more reasonable-to believe that  "this life is all we have, so we had better make the most of it," as Kennedy suggests, or to believe in God and his promise of a resurrection?  Sarah Jayne chose the latter.  How did she develop such faith?

Next time: "Seek God . . . and Really Find Him"

Watchtower, 2001

HEED THE WARNING!

Are You in a Danger Zone?

We may not all live near an active volcano, yet, what if we were facing a global catastrophe, putting all of us in a danger zone encompassing the entire globe? A book that has proved to be a reliable source of prophetic information warns us of a coming worldwide disaster and describes it in this way: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken . . .All the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation." (Matthew 24:29, 30) Here celestial phenomena of universal magnitude are described as affecting "all the tribes of the earth." In other words, this prophecy relates to a catastrophe that will affect every one of us.

This book of reliable prophecy is the Bible. Interestingly, the context of the above mentioned scripture passage gives a detailed description of things that will lead up to the global calamity. Just as the lave dome and other volcanic indicators gave the Shimabara city officials reasons for designating a danger zone, the Bible gives us reasons for being on the alert and for preparing ourselves for survival. We can learn a lesson from the tragedy at Mount Fugen and discern the gravity of what lies ahead.

Next time: STAY OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE

Watchtower, 2000

LET US BE THE SORT THAT HAVE FAITH

THE next time you are in a Kingdom Hall full of worshipers of Jehovah, pause to look at those around you. Think of the many ways in which they show faith. You may see elderly ones who have served God for decades, youths who daily stand up to peer pressure and parents who work hard to raise God-fearing children. There are congregation elders and ministerial servants, who shoulder many responsibilities. Yes, you may see spiritual brothers and sisters of every age who surmount all manner of obstacles in order to serve Jehovah. How precious the faith of each one! -1 Peter 1:7.

Few imperfect humans, if any, have understood the importance of faith better than did the apostle Paul. In fact, he noted that genuine faith leads to the preserving alive of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39) Paul knew, though, that faith is subject to attack and erosion in this faithless world. He was deeply concerned about the Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem and Judea, who were struggling to preserve their faith. As we look at parts of Hebrew chapters 10and 11, let us take note of the methods that Paul used to build up their faith. In the process, we will see how we can build stronger faith in ourselves and in those around us.

Next time: Express Confidence in One Another

Watchtower, 1999