set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) The joy of having a part in vindicating Jehovah’s great name enabled him to endure the torture stake to the point of death. As a reward for his faithful service, Jehovah raised him from the dead, restoring him to the realm of the angelic hosts with greater power and honor than he had before. Thus his example of joyful service of God has been an inspiration to all worshipers of the true God down to this day.

24. Explain how joy is a life-preserving stronghold.

²⁴ When we consider how God’s service has been a cause for joy to faithful men throughout the ages past, we can see that such joy is a life-preserving stronghold. For those who cultivate it and maintain it, Jehovah becomes a source of strength and a protection. His truth shields them from the mind-warping falsehoods of this devilish world. He helps them to hold up under trials of their faith; and when this old system of things is swept away by his heavenly forces, he will preserve them to see the new earth he will usher in. Joy helps to keep a strong, protective shield of faith. It can, therefore, be said to them: “The joy of Jehovah is your stronghold.” (Neh. 8:10) It keeps them spiritually alive in a spiritually dead world.

25. Why can we feel the same joy in God’s service that David felt?

²⁵ Like the shepherd David, who was so impressed by the starry heavens that he gave expression to his joy in serving the Creator of them, we today have ample reasons for feeling the same joy. We too can marvel at his wonderful creations, and we can turn to the inspired Scriptures to learn about his activities and to be instructed by him. By cultivating an appreciation for his life-giving truths and magnificent purposes for mankind, we can find in God’s service today a cause for great joy.

Finding Joy in God’s Service Today

“My own servants will cry out joyfully because of the good condition of the heart.”—Isa. 65:14.

1, 2. Explain why the person that wants to serve God is a rare individual. (b) What is the world’s attitude toward such persons?

DO YOU want to serve your Creator? Do you want to give him exclusive devotion as did David? Do you want to obey his righteous laws as did Daniel? Do you want to be productively active in work he has commanded to be done as was Jesus Christ? If you do, you are a rare person in this twentieth century. Of the more than three thousand million persons living today, few have any desire to serve the true God. Like past generations, they prefer to serve the false gods of religious imaginations, of political ideologies or of materialism. Regarding such gods a prophet of Jehovah the true God wrote: “For all the gods of the peoples are valueless gods. As for Jehovah, he made the heavens.” (1 Chron. 16:26) Few