Joel Cuya

16/06/2025

11/12/2023

"Everyone is a Moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody." — Mark Twain

30/03/2023

Friday, March 31
The Son of man came . . . to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.​—Mark 10:45.

What is the ransom? The price Jesus paid to buy back what Adam lost. (1 Cor. 15:22) Why do we need the ransom? Because Jehovah’s standard of justice as set out in the Law required that a life be given for a life. (Ex. 21:23, 24) Adam lost his perfect human life. To satisfy God’s justice, Jesus sacrificed his perfect human life. (Rom. 5:17) He thus becomes an “Eternal Father” to all those who exercise faith in the ransom. (Isa. 9:6; Rom. 3:23, 24) Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life because of his great love for his heavenly Father and for us. (John 14:31; 15:13) Moved by that love, he was determined to keep his integrity to the end and to accomplish his Father’s will. Jesus did so by remaining faithful until his death. As a result, Jehovah’s original purpose for mankind and for the earth will be fulfilled.

29/03/2023

Thursday, March 30
I have other sheep.​—John 10:16.

The other sheep are happy to be present as observers at the Memorial and contemplate their hope. They look forward to the Memorial discourse, for much of it focuses on what Christ and his 144,000 corulers will do for faithful humans during the Thousand Year Reign. Under the leadership of their King Jesus Christ, those heavenly rulers will help transform the earth into a paradise and lift obedient humankind to perfection. How thrilling it is for the millions of observers at the Memorial to imagine the future fulfillment of Bible prophecies, such as those found at Isaiah 35:5, 6; 65:21-23; and Revelation 21:3, 4. By picturing themselves and their loved ones in that new world, they strengthen their hope for the future and their determination never to stop serving Jehovah.​—Matt. 24:13; Gal. 6:9.

28/03/2023

Wednesday, March 29
Strip off the old personality with its practices.​—Col. 3:9.

What was your life like before you began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses? Many of us would be frightened to think about it. Our outlook and personality were likely shaped by the world’s standards of right and wrong. If so, we “had no hope and were without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12) But, as you studied the Bible, you discovered that you have a heavenly Father who loves you very much. You realized that if you wanted to please Jehovah and become part of his family of worshippers, you would have to make significant changes in your lifestyle, outlook, and thinking. You would have to learn to live by his high standards. (Eph. 5:3-5) Our Creator and heavenly Father, Jehovah, has the right to determine how members of his family should behave. And he requires that before we get baptized, we put forth effort to “strip off the old personality with its practices.”

27/03/2023

Tuesday, March 28
I am not alone, but the Father who sent me is with me.​—John 8:16.

Jehovah loves us and cares for us, just as he loved Jesus and cared for him during his challenging earthly assignment. (John 5:20) He provided for all of Jesus’ spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. And Jehovah did not hold back from expressing love for and approval of his Son. (Matt. 3:16, 17) Because he could always count on his loving heavenly Father, Jesus never felt alone. Like Jesus, all of us have experienced many expressions of Jehovah’s love. Just think: Jehovah drew us to him and has given us a loving and united spiritual family to make us happy and to help fill our emotional needs. (John 6:44) Jehovah also provides us with a steady supply of upbuilding spiritual food. And he even helps us to care for our daily material needs. (Matt. 6:31, 32) As we reflect on Jehovah’s love for us, our love for him grows.

26/03/2023

Monday, March 27
Wisdom belongs to those who seek advice.​—Prov. 13:10.

Those who ask for counsel rather than wait for someone to approach them will often make greater spiritual progress than those who do not seek advice. So take the initiative by asking for counsel. When might we ask for counsel from fellow believers? Consider some situations. (1) A sister asks an experienced publisher to join her on a study and later asks for advice on how she can improve her teaching methods. (2) A single sister would like to purchase a pair of slacks, so she asks a mature sister for her honest opinion about the selection. (3) A brother is assigned to give his first public talk. He asks an experienced speaker to listen carefully to his talk and offer him some constructive counsel on how he can improve. Even a brother who has given talks for many years does well to ask for such feedback from experienced speakers and then to apply the counsel he receives.​—Prov. 19:20.

25/03/2023

Sunday, March 26
Abhor what is wicked.​—Rom. 12:9.

Our thoughts influence our actions. That is why Jesus taught us to reject thoughts that can lead us to commit a serious sin. (Matt. 5:21, 22, 28, 29) We want to be pleasing to our heavenly Father, do we not? How important it is, then, that we immediately reject any bad thoughts that come to our mind! Jesus said: “Whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.” (Matt. 15:18) Yes, our speech reveals a lot about who we are on the inside. So ask yourself: ‘Do I refuse to lie, even if telling the truth will cause me trouble? As a married person, am I careful not to flirt with those of the opposite s*x? Do I avoid immoral speech like the plague? Do I reply in a calm manner when someone upsets me?’ You will find it helpful to reflect on those questions. If you try your best to remove abusive, lying, and immoral speech from your conversation, you will find it easier to strip off the old personality.

24/03/2023

Saturday, March 25
I cling to you; your right hand keeps fast hold on me.​—Ps. 63:8.

Your faith will grow stronger as you meditate on what Jehovah has already done for his people and on what he has done for you personally. Most important, though, your love for Jehovah will deepen. Love, more than any other quality, will motivate you to obey Jehovah, to make sacrifices in order to please him, and to endure any trial. (Matt. 22:37-39; 1 Cor. 13:4, 7; 1 John 5:3) Nothing could be more precious than a close, loving friendship with Jehovah! (Ps. 63:1-7) Remember that prayer, study, and meditation are acts of worship. Like Jesus, seek out quiet settings in which to spend time with Jehovah. Eliminate unnecessary distractions. Ask Jehovah to help you focus when you are engaged in spiritual activities. If you make the best use of your time now, Jehovah will reward you with life forever in God’s new world.​—Mark 4:24.

23/03/2023

Friday, March 24
He viewed the city and wept over it.​—Luke 19:41.

Jesus felt pain of heart because he knew that his countrymen in general had already shown that they would refuse to respond favorably to the Kingdom message. As a result, Jerusalem would be destroyed and any Jews who survived the destruction of the city would be led into captivity. (Luke 21:20-24) Sadly, just as Jesus anticipated, most of the people rejected him. How do people in general respond to the Kingdom message where you live? If few respond positively to your efforts to teach them the truth, what can you learn from Jesus’ tears? Jehovah cares about people. Jesus’ tears remind us of how much Jehovah cares about people. “He does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) Today we show that we love our neighbors by persevering in our self-sacrificing efforts to touch their heart with the good news.​—Matt. 22:39.

22/03/2023

Thursday, March 23
Be peaceable with all men.​—Rom. 12:18.

How should we proceed when we realize that we have offended a fellow believer? We should turn to Jehovah in earnest prayer. We can ask him to bless our efforts to gain our brother. We should also take time to analyze ourselves. We can ask ourselves such questions as these: ‘Am I willing to sacrifice my pride, humbly apologize, and make peace? How will Jehovah and Jesus feel if I take the initiative to make peace with my brother or my sister?’ Our answers can motivate us to listen to Jesus and humbly approach our fellow believer in order to make peace. When we go to our brother to settle a difference with him, we need to do so with a humble spirit. (Eph. 4:2, 3) We should approach the offended one with the goal of removing any hurt from his heart. Remember that restoring peace with your brother is more important than establishing who was right and who was wrong.​—1 Cor. 6:7.

21/03/2023

Wednesday, March 22
He started to teach them many things.​—Mark 6:34.

Think of Jesus’ reaction when a multitude of people went to meet him on a mountainside. Jesus had spent the whole night in prayer. He must have been very tired, but when he saw the crowds, his heart went out to the poor and the sick among them. He not only healed them but also delivered one of the most motivating public discourses of all time​—the Sermon on the Mount. (Luke 6:12-20) Jesus was also generous with his personal time. Can you imagine how Jesus felt when he learned that his friend John the Baptizer had been beheaded? The Bible says: “At hearing [about the death of John], Jesus departed from there by boat into an isolated place to be alone.” (Matt. 14:10-13) But a large crowd arrived at that isolated place before he did. (Mark 6:31-33) He could see that they desperately needed spiritual refreshment, and he was quick to fill that need.​—Luke 9:10, 11.