A Christian today could be following the wrong path even while professing to worship Jehovah. (Jude 11) For instance, one could nurture immoral fantasies, greedy thoughts, or hateful feelings toward a fellow Christian. (1 John 2:15-17; 3:15) This thinking can lead to sinful actions. All the while, one could be active in the ministry and regular at congregation meetings. Other humans may not be aware of our thoughts and conduct, but Jehovah sees all things and knows if we are not wholeheartedly on his side. (Jer. 17:9, 10) Even so, Jehovah is not quick to give up on us. When a person’s steps lead him away from God, Jehovah urges him: “Return to me.” Especially when we struggle with weaknesses, Jehovah wants us to take a stand against badness. (Isa. 55:7) If we do, he will in turn prove to be on our side by giving us the spiritual, emotional, and physical strength needed to “get the mastery over” our sinful inclinations.​—Gen. 4:7. w18.07 18 ¶5-6

Some individuals may feel that since some choices in life, such as education, employment, or career, are personal, they should have the freedom to choose what they please as long as their conscience permits it. Perhaps they have in mind Paul’s words to the Corinthian Christians about food: “Why should my freedom be judged by another person’s conscience?” (1 Cor. 10:29) While it is true that we have the freedom to make these personal choices, we need to remember that our freedom is relative and that all decisions we make have consequences. For that reason, Paul prefaced his statement with the words of today’s text. That certainly helps us to see that there are far more important factors to consider than our own preferences when it comes to exercising personal freedom in all aspects of our life. w18.04 10 ¶10

Surely we are eager to show our appreciation to Jehovah for the honor of being his people. We see the wisdom in acknowledging his ownership of us by voluntarily dedicating ourselves to him. We take a firm stand against badness. And we love and respect our fellow worshippers, recognizing that they too belong to Jehovah. (Rom. 12:10) The Bible promises: “Jehovah will not forsake his people.” (Ps. 94:14) This ironclad guarantee is binding despite any calamity that might befall us. Even death cannot stand in the way of Jehovah’s love for us. (Rom. 8:38, 39) “Both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah.” (Rom. 14:8) We eagerly look forward to the day when Jehovah will bring to life all his loyal friends who have died. (Matt. 22:32) Even now we enjoy many blessings. As the Bible says, “happy is the nation whose God is Jehovah, the people he has chosen as his own possession.”​—Ps. 33:12. w18.07 26 ¶18-19

Jesus did not say that it would be impossible. He also said: “Happy are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) Yet, this did not mean that all poor people were specially blessed and responded to the teaching of Jesus. Many poor people did not respond. The point is, We simply cannot judge a person’s relationship with Jehovah by his material possessions. We are blessed to have many brothers and sisters, rich and poor, who love and serve Jehovah with a complete heart. The Scriptures instruct those who are rich “to place their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God.” (1 Tim. 6:17-19) At the same time, God’s Word admonishes all of God’s people, rich and poor, to be careful not to love money. (1 Tim. 6:9, 10) Indeed, when we open our eyes and see our brothers as Jehovah sees them, we will not be tempted to judge them solely on what they have or do not have materially. w18.08 10-11 ¶11-12

Christian parents cooperate with Jehovah when they set theocratic goals before their children. Many who have done so have later seen their sons and daughters take up full-time service assignments far from home. Some are missionaries; others pioneer where the need for publishers is greater; still others serve at Bethel. Distance might mean that families cannot get together as often as they would like to. Nevertheless, the self-sacrificing parents encourage their children to persevere in their assignments. Why? They find great joy and satisfaction in knowing that their children are putting Kingdom interests first. Perhaps many of these parents feel like Hannah, who said that she “lent” her son Samuel to Jehovah. These parents rightly view such cooperation as a precious privilege. They would not want things any other way.​—1 Sam. 1:28. w18.08 24 ¶4

Because many in these “critical times” suffer from various degrees of emotional distress, countless individuals feel like just giving up. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Estimates suggest that more than 800,000 people die every year from suicide​—about one death every 40 seconds. Sad to say, even some Christians have succumbed to such pressures and have taken their own life. Even if our brothers and sisters do not necessarily feel like giving up, many today deal with stressful situations and need to be built up in love. Some endure persecution and ridicule. Others are the victims of criticism or backbiting at their workplace. Or they are exhausted because of working overtime or having to meet relentless deadlines. Still others deal with strength-sapping domestic problems, perhaps being the target of criticism by an unbelieving mate. As a result of these and other pressures, many in the congregation feel physically and emotionally drained. w18.09 13 ¶3, 5

What did Jesus mean? He went on to say: “Rejoice and be overjoyed, since your reward is great in the heavens, for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you.” (Matt. 5:12) When the apostles were beaten and commanded to stop preaching, “they went out from before the Sanhedrin, rejoicing.” Of course, they did not relish the pain of being whipped. Yet, they rejoiced “because they had been counted worthy to be dishonored in behalf of [Jesus’] name.” (Acts 5:41) In our time, Jehovah’s people also endure with joy when they suffer in behalf of Jesus’ name or when they face difficult trials. (Jas. 1:2-4) Like the apostles, we do not take delight in any kind of suffering. But if we maintain our integrity to God during trials, Jehovah can help us to endure with fortitude. When we have the smile of approval of “the happy God,” we can be happy despite religious persecution or opposition at home.​—1 Tim. 1:11. w18.09 21 ¶18-20