Jesus’ reply indicated that he was so absorbed in the spiritual discussion that his hunger could be ignored. Preaching​—even to a Samaritan woman—​was the will of his Father, and it was like food for him. (John 4:32-34) James and John did not grasp this lesson. When journeying with Jesus through Samaria, the disciples sought overnight lodging in a Samaritan village. The Samaritans refused to receive them, so James and John angrily suggested calling down fire from heaven to destroy the entire village. Jesus firmly rebuked them. (Luke 9:51-56) We may wonder if James and John would have reacted the same way if the inhospitable village had been in their home region of Galilee. It seems likely that prejudice had kindled their animosity. It could be that the apostle John felt embarrassed about his rash outburst when he later enjoyed a successful preaching campaign among the Samaritans.​—Acts 8:14, 25. w18.06 10-11 ¶12-13

How thrilling it is to hear of increases that Jehovah’s people are experiencing! In 2017 we regularly conducted over 10,000,000 Bible studies. This certainly indicates that God’s servants are letting their light shine! And think of the millions of interested ones whom we welcomed at the Memorial. They could thus learn of the love that God expressed when he provided the ransom. (1 John 4:9) Worldwide, Jehovah’s people speak many different languages. However, this does not prevent us from offering united praise to our Father, Jehovah. (Rev. 7:9) No matter what our mother tongue is or where we live, we can shine “as illuminators in the world.” (Phil. 2:15) The increase we observe, the unity we enjoy, and the watchful attitude that we strive to maintain all contribute to our bringing glory to Jehovah. w18.06 21 ¶1-3

If we keep our figurative eyes focused on Jehovah, we will not allow the actions of others to embitter us or damage our relationship with him. This is especially important if, like Moses, we have a measure of responsibility in God’s organization. While it is true that each of us needs to ‘keep working out his own salvation with fear and trembling,’ we must remember that Jehovah does not have one rigid, inflexible standard by which he judges us. (Phil. 2:12) Rather, the more responsibility we have, the greater our accountability. (Luke 12:48) But if we truly love Jehovah, nothing will stumble us or separate us from his love. (Ps. 119:165; Rom. 8:37-39) In these challenging times, may our eyes be raised continually to the One who is “enthroned in the heavens,” so that we can perceive his will. (Ps. 123:1) May we never allow our relationship with Jehovah to be negatively affected by the actions of others. w18.07 16 ¶19-20

Some Witnesses have not firmly rejected worldly conduct. Their dancing and actions at parties go beyond what is acceptable for Christians. They post on social media photos of themselves and comments that are unbecoming to spiritual people. Therefore, they can be a negative influence on their peers who are striving to maintain fine conduct among Jehovah’s people. (1 Pet. 2:11, 12) The world aggressively promotes “the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life.” (1 John 2:16) Yet, because we belong to Jehovah, we are admonished to “reject ungodliness and worldly desires and to live with soundness of mind and righteousness and godly devotion amid this present system of things.” (Titus 2:12) Our speech, our eating and drinking habits, our dress and grooming, our work ethic​—everything we do—​should tell onlookers that we are exclusively devoted to Jehovah. w18.07 25 ¶13-14