(Week of March 19–25)
What Kind of Love Brings True Happiness?
Theme Scripture
(Psalm 144:15) Happy is the people for whom it is this way! Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!
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(Revelation 7:9) After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands.
(Revelation 7:15) That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them.
(Isaiah 60:22) The little one will become a thousand And the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.”
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(2 Timothy 3:1-4) But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,
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(2 Timothy 3:5) having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.
(2 Timothy 3:2-4) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,
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(Mark 12:31) The second is this, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
(Ephesians 5:28, 29) In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself, 29 for no man ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cherishes it, just as the Christ does the congregation,
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(2 Timothy 3:2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal,
READ (Romans 12:3) For through the undeserved kindness given to me, I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think, but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has given to him a measure of faith.
Paragraph 6 (Galatians 5:22, 23) On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(Psalm 144:15) Happy is the people for whom it is this way! Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!
(Acts 20:35) I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way, you must assist those who are weak and must keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said: ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’”
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(Philippians 2:3, 4) Do nothing out of contentiousness or out of egotism, but with humility consider others superior to you, 4 as you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.
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(Ecclesiastes 5:10) A lover of silver will never be satisfied with silver, nor a lover of wealth with income. This too is futility.
(1 Timothy 6:9, 10) But those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge men into destruction and ruin. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.
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(Ecclesiastes 7:12) For wisdom is a protection just as money is a protection, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
READ (Ecclesiastes 5:12) Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, whether he eats little or much, but the plenty belonging to the rich one does not permit him to sleep.
(Proverbs 30:8, 9) Remove untruth and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Just let me consume my portion of food, 9 So that I do not become satisfied and deny you and say, “Who is Jehovah?” Nor let me become poor and steal and dishonor the name of my God.
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(Matthew 6:19, 20) “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
(Matthew 6:24) “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.
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(Matthew 6:33) “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.
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(Ecclesiastes 9:7) Go, eat your food with rejoicing, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for already the true God has found pleasure in your works.
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(2 Timothy 3:4) betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,
(Luke 8:14) As for that which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, but by being carried away by anxieties, riches, and pleasures of this life, they are completely choked and bring nothing to maturity.
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(John 2:1-10) And on the third day a marriage feast took place in Caʹna of Galʹi·lee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the marriage feast. 3 When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him: “They have no wine.” 4 But Jesus said to her: “Woman, why is that of concern to me and to you? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to those serving: “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars sitting there as required by the purification rules of the Jews, each able to hold two or three liquid measures. 7 Jesus said to them: “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he said to them: “Now draw some out and take it to the director of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the director of the feast tasted the water that had now been turned into wine, not knowing where it came from (although the servants who had drawn out the water knew), the director of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him: “Everyone else puts out the fine wine first, and when people are intoxicated, the inferior. You have saved the fine wine until now.”
(Luke 5:29) Then Leʹvi spread a big reception feast for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were dining with them.
(Luke 7:33-36) Likewise, John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, but you say: ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of man has come eating and drinking, but you say: ‘Look! A man who is a glutton and is given to drinking wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by all its children.” 36 Now one of the Pharisees kept asking him to dine with him. So he entered the house of the Pharisee and reclined at the table.
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(Matthew 5:11, 12) “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be overjoyed, since your reward is great in the heavens, for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you.
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READ (Matthew 22:37, 38) He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment.
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(Psalm 146:5) Happy is the one who has the God of Jacob as his helper, Whose hope is in Jehovah his God,