Jehovah s Witnesses containing report for the service year of

18 Yearbook
god of this world, will always want us to think
that life comes through possession of property,
material things, rather than through right knowledge
and understanding of Jehovah's purposes.
(2 Cor. 4:3, 4, NW) Life, to begin with, is because
God is love and has shown it through undeserved
kindness. He is not obliged to give us this life.
It is his gift to all those who "serve him with a
complete heart."
Some think that all material prosperity they
receive is due to God's blessing upon them. But,
as Paul declared, "the love of money is a root
of all sorts of injurious things." If you put money
first because of what it can get you-ahead of the
Word of God and what it surely will bring to you
in the way of eternal life-you will be sidetracked;
you will no longer be seeking first the interests
of God's kingdom. Jesus, explaining his own parable
of the sower, said: "Now the illustration
means this: The seed is the word of God. . .. As
for that which fell among the thorns, these are the
ones that have heard, but, by being carried away
by anxieties and wealth and pleasures of this life,
they are completely choked and bring nothing to
perfection." (Luke 8:11-15, NW) Millions upon
millions have heard the Word of God. They became
very much interested in it, but only for a short
period of time; for while they were studying this
Word of God they were also being carried away
by the anxieties and wealth and pleasures of this
life. So, then, these individuals were completely
choked. No sweet breath of truth could get to
them, because of their anxieties. The seed of truth
was completely crowded out of their lives. These
had had the full opportunity of hearing the truth,
but they were just carried away with the things
of this world. They wanted that way; it was their
own choice.
This can happen even to those who now have
the truth. They can still be choked if the lifeline