Jesus freed Mary Magdalene from the influence of seven demons! Her gratitude moved her to become his follower and to support him in the ministry. (Luke 8:1-3) Although Mary deeply appreciated what Jesus did for her personally, she may not have grasped that his greatest gift was yet to come. He would give his life “so that everyone exercising faith in him” could enjoy everlasting life. (John 3:16) Still, Mary showed her appreciation for Jesus by being loyal. While Jesus was suffering on the torture stake, Mary stood nearby, providing emotional support to him and to others. (John 19:25) After Jesus died, Mary and two other women brought spices to the tomb for his burial. (Mark 16:1, 2) Mary had the joy of meeting the resurrected Jesus and of speaking with him​—a privilege that most disciples did not have.​—John 20:11-18. w23.01 27 ¶4

We cannot rely merely on what we have done in the past in Jehovah’s service. Though we may have more limitations than before, we need to keep busy in “the work of the Lord,” remaining awake and alert right to the end. (1 Cor. 15:58; Matt. 24:13; Mark 13:33) We must be zealous and wholehearted in our worship. Jesus’ message to those in Laodicea highlighted yet a different problem. They were “lukewarm” in their worship. Because of their apathy, Jesus told them that they were in a “miserable and pitiful” state. They needed to display fiery zeal for Jehovah and his worship. (Rev. 3:16, 17, 19) What is the lesson for us? If we have lost a measure of our zeal, we must stir up our appreciation for the spiritual riches we have. (Rev. 3:18) Never would we want to allow the pursuit of a comfortable lifestyle to distract us, causing us to relegate spiritual activities to second place. w22.05 3-4 ¶7-8

For thousands of years, Jehovah has been writing a special book. This book consists of a list of names, beginning with the name of the first faithful witness, Abel. (Luke 11:50, 51) Down through the centuries, Jehovah has added names to the book, and today it contains millions of names. In the Bible, that book is called “a book of remembrance,” “the book of life,” and “the scroll of life.” (Mal. 3:16; Rev. 3:5; 17:8) This special book contains the names of all those who worship Jehovah with fear, or awe, and who treasure his name. They are in line to receive everlasting life. Today we can have our name written in that book if we develop a close, personal relationship with Jehovah based on the ransom sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, 36) All of us want our name to be found in that book​—whether we hope to live in heaven or on the earth. w22.09 14 ¶1-2