Search the Community

(Eph 5:21-30) An aerialist catapults from his swinging trapeze and folds into a human ball as he somersaults through the air. He snaps out of the spin and extends his arms toward his partner, confident she will be there to catch him. However, his partner is mad at him and unwilling to support him. She refuses to play her role in this very important part of the act. The result is a failed performance, a shocked audience and an injured aerialist. This illustrates the effort required from both husband and wife in a marriage. It takes two to make the marriage a success. However, if one mate refuses to play their God given role as set out in the Bible, the result can be disastrous. We should never let petty differences, or disagreements keep us from doing what God requires of us as a husband or as a wife. This becomes even more important when there is an audience, such as kids, in the home. The way the mother treats the father or vise versa can have a huge effect on them. It could even influence what type of husband or wife they will be in the future. If each member applies the counsel found in the Bible and works together, the "show" can be a success.

Ruby encourages Opal to take a difficult step in order to get her mind off of Blue. Jesus tells us at Matthew 5:30, "Also, if your right hand is making you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to land in Ge·henʹna." Jesus didn't mean we should literally cut off our hands, but rather take drastic measures to remove anything that may cause us to stumble. Maybe it's a certain movie, TV program, the Internet or game. Maybe it's an associate (family, workmate, schoolmate) that brings out the worst in us or tries to get us involved in wrong doing. Maybe it's social media and the amount of time we spend on it or possibly jealous or hurt feelings we get when we see other's posts of them having fun that we may not have been invited to. Whatever it is that causes us to feel or do things God hates we should be quick to remove it from our lives. This may require drastic measures, but it will be better for us in the long run. In any case we should be understanding of those who may refrain from certain things or activities so as to keep from stumbling. (This comic is not implying that if we have an issue with a brother or sister that we should cut them off. We want to at all time demonstrate love toward our brothers and sisters and keep peace in the congregation. In real life If we have an issue with a brother or sister we should lovingly try to solve the issue.)

Often in the bible the God's word is compared to life giving water. How important it is that we keep taking in the water Jehovah provides and keep it in our hearts.

tie_bros(REPOST) Covering Sin: Psalms 32:3-5 David tells us that when he hid his sin he felt miserable. However, once he confessed his sins to Jehovah he felt relief. Though it may be embarrassing, confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness will give us peace of mind and help us to remain close to Jehovah.

Jeremiah 17:9- The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it? Proverbs 6:27-Can a man take fire to his chest and not burn his garments?The heart can cause us to make unwise decisions when it comes to dating. It can also cause us to develop feelings for more than one person. Our heart may even convince us that we are just being kind to those of the opposite sex when in reality we may actually be flirting with others and leading them on. Thus causing them to develop feelings toward us that we have no intention of reciprocating. It can happen to anyone ( even those with privileges) and without us even noticing it. It's important we identify where to draw the line. Also it requires honest self examination as to our feelings and relationships with others. (Check out the article "Are We Just Friends-or more?, Parts 1 and 2" g 6/12 pp.15-167)

By @tie_bros Diamond tells her old friend Lynn about what happened with Blue. Lynn thinks she should get revenge. Diamond strongly disagrees. (Lynn is from Diamond's old congregation @bow_tie_bros_comics or see #bowtiebroscar) Proverbs 14:17 "The one who is quick to anger acts foolishly..." Ecclesiastes 7:22 "for you well know in your heart that many times you yourself have called down evil on others. Psalms 103:10 "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor has he repaid us what our errors deserve." How do we react when faced with rejection or when a brother or sister may do something thoughtless or hurtful? (This is an example of a courtship stopping before it really gets started but what if you were in a longer relationship that ends? Awake 7/15 p.10 "When a Courtship Ends" has great advice.)