What Do You Do with Your Magazines?

¹ Each time you receive a new issue of the Watchtower magazine, what do you do with it? Is your immediate reaction that of one who may be called a “caption reader,” who merely flips through the magazine, noting the titles and other highlights? Or, are you a “picture reader,” delighting in the illustrations? Or, are you a “special-interest reader,” particularly attracted to some special features of the magazine, such as “Questions from Readers” or “Insight on the News”? Or, do you do something else?

² Admittedly, each issue of The Watchtower stirs a certain measure of expectation, and it is most satisfying to thumb through its pages while it is still fresh. But now we are faced with the question​—What then? What do you do with the magazine after that initial spark of interest is satisfied? Could it be that it is simply tucked into a drawer and forgotten? Or, do you, perhaps, carefully file it away so you will know exactly where it is when it comes time to prepare for the congregation Watchtower study, and so feel you have done your duty? Or, do you at least leave it out somewhere, figuring that you will give it more attention later, only to find that, somewhere along the line, it gets buried among other things and is out of sight?

³ Whether any of these examples are true of you or not, they certainly fit some of us, don’t they? Perhaps it’s not our intention to be so negligent, but with so much demand on our precious time each day, we may just feel that, after all, the “food at the proper time” is in the study articles and they will be covered at the congregation Watchtower study. As for the other articles, some may feel that many of them are merely a review of material already quite familiar to those of us who have been in the truth for some time. So, we are not missing that much, are we?

⁴ Well, perhaps we are missing more than we realize. How is that? Not everything in those shorter articles is simply review. Some of it is quite new. Sometimes there are comments on Scripture texts that may not have been discussed in the Society’s publications for thirty or more years. We may also find a fresh approach to a familiar topic, or details that are expressed with a clarity that enables us personally to get a real grasp of the subject for the first time. All of this will be missed if we do not read those articles, won’t it?

⁵ But, what if some of us do find that the article is simply a review? Why should we spend the time on it? Because that is the way we feed our hearts. (2 Pet. 1:12, 13) It is not by always seeking something new but by reviewing and meditating on what we already know that we build up our appreciation for the truth. And this is what keeps us in the way of the truth.

⁶ Furthermore, such articles often help us in a practical way. For example, “Are You Prepared to Talk on the Bible?” in the November 1, 1977, issue has helped some to overcome the tendency to shy away from talking about the Bible to persons with special backgrounds. How about something for the family? If you feel you can use some practical suggestions on how to strengthen family ties, the article “Helpful Suggestions for Maintaining the Family Circle” in the February 1, 1978, issue may be the answer.

⁷ Of course, the fact is that not all of us are going to get everything in the magazines read. Not all of us read at the same pace, and not all of us have the same amount of time for personal study. But, let’s be sure that if we are not covering it all, it is not because of lack of concern or because worldly reading material or entertainment is more appealing to us.

⁸ Looking ahead, what practical application can we have in mind so we will read such material with the proper objective, rather than just out of a sense of obligation? Many of these articles can be excellent material for our family study. Too, the information we gain from such articles can become interesting topics for upbuilding conversations with fellow Christians. Our being personally acquainted with the magazines surely will build up our enthusiasm for recommending them to others in the field. Indeed, by our making it a point to read and apply such material regularly, meditating and pondering over it, our lives will be enriched immensely and our advancement will be manifest, to the benefit of ourselves and others.​—1 Tim. 4:15, 16.