God’s Powerful Word Transforms Lives
CAN God’s Word move a criminal to abandon lawlessness? Does it exert sufficient power to liberate a habitual drunkard from his degrading habit? Yes, the Bible’s message can exert tremendous power for good when persons come to appreciate it as the “word of God.” This is demonstrated in the lives of many who are now Jehovah’s Christian witnesses.
A young Catholic man living in Quezon City, Philippine Republic, at first tried to fight against the “word of God.” His desire was to become a millionaire by the time he reached the age of forty-five. Accordingly, he purchased expensive equipment to reproduce pornographic films for distribution. But when he came to appreciate the rightness and righteousness of God’s commandments as brought to his attention by Jehovah’s witnesses, he changed his whole attitude. He destroyed all his immoral films as well as the many religious images in his home. Despite bitter persecution from relatives, he and his wife took a firm stand for pure worship.
In Cebu, another city of the Philippine Republic, a man was making much money by smuggling goods into the country from Borneo and Indonesia by motor launch. To protect his illegal operations he had six bodyguards. Eventually two of his bodyguards were killed in gun battles with government authorities and rival gangs. This made him think seriously.
Therefore, when one of his men heard the message of the Bible as presented by Jehovah’s witnesses and talked to him about it, he readily accepted a Bible study for himself and his family. This led to his abandoning his illegal occupation. Today he, his wife and three of his former bodyguards are active witnesses of Jehovah, encouraging others to bring their lives into harmony with the teachings of the Bible.
Back in 1949 another man in the Philippine Islands came in touch with Jehovah’s witnesses. But he did not respond favorably. Later he moved to the island of Guam, leaving his family behind. There he frequented the bars so much that he became quite popular with some of the bar owners. One of them even permitted him to sleep on the bar table in case he got drunk. He never knew where he would wake up—in a gutter, a prison cell, the hospital or at home. Once he was horrified to awake and find that his car was parked between two excavations about thirty feet in depth. Repeatedly he failed in attempts to stay sober.
In time his wife and family joined him in Guam. One day his wife asked him to take the family to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s witnesses. Although not interested personally, he was impressed with the way the Witnesses used the Bible and their not believing in ancestor worship. He concluded that going to the Kingdom Hall would be good for his children, but not for him.
At first, he would wait around for the family outside the Kingdom Hall, sometimes half drunk and asleep in the car. Later he would wait for them at the door, ready to “take off” in case he did not like what was being discussed. But he began to like what he heard. Finally he began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses. Within three months he made his decision to be a Witness. At the present time this former town drunk is an excellent example in Christian conduct.
The changed course of life evident in Jehovah’s Christian witnesses does not escape notice. For example, the branch office of the Watch Tower Society in the Philippines received the following letter: “We are in the process of reorganizing our Manufacturing Department and in this connection we would like to know if you could kindly assist us in our search for skilled workers. The strongest reason which prompted us to approach your Society is mainly because our observation, close study and experience have proved that men belonging to your organization could be highly relied upon to perform with unselfish diligence and honesty in any given task, and we are also amazed at their capability to understand and adjust themselves to existing economic and labor problems.”
The fact that Bible study has aided many individuals to begin and continue living exemplary lives proves that God’s Word is powerful indeed. This should be a source of encouragement to persons who would like to change their way of life but simply feel that they could never do so. A transformation is possible in the case of all who allow God’s Word to exert its full force in their lives.—Heb. 4:12.