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Is It Wise to Marry a Near Relative?The Watchtower—1975 | February 1
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to know that these children will be healed, by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness, during the thousand-year reign of his Son Jesus Christ. (Rev. 21:1-4; 22:1, 2) But, knowing the Christian view of marrying a near relative, one who does not now have such marriage ties and who desires to live in harmony with the principles of God’s Word would not enter into such an arrangement.
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A Fine Reward for FaithfulnessThe Watchtower—1975 | February 1
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A Fine Reward for Faithfulness
FAITHFULNESS is a quality appreciated by everyone. “A man of faithful acts will get many blessings,” says the Biblical proverb. A faithful person is not seeking first his own interests. Accordingly, the proverb goes ahead to emphasize this with a contrasting clause: “but he that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.”—Prov. 28:20.
Jehovah God is “the true God, the faithful God, keeping covenant and loving-kindness.” (Deut. 7:9) A fine thing about him is that he is the kind of God who appreciates faithfulness in others, and one cannot serve him without recognition of this fine quality. In fact, “he that approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.”—Heb. 11:6.
The acts of faithfulness that a person may perform need not be great or outstanding. The principle upon which one is rewarded is faithfulness in all things, however small. Jesus Christ said: “The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much.”—Luke 16:10.
Such is the case with all persons truly serving God. All are his “slaves,” doing his bidding, and all look, not to men, but to God for their real, lasting reward. As a congregation, body or group, the anointed, spirit-begotten brothers of Jesus Christ, while on earth, are called his “faithful and discreet slave,” or servant. Their reward for faithfulness is dispensed to them through Jesus Christ, the Head of the Christian congregation. He provided a prophetic illustration of this. Speaking of his return in Kingdom power, he said to his disciples: “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving finds him doing so. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all his belongings.”—Matt. 24:45-47.
In the preceding issue of The Watchtower we have discussed this illustration in which the term “slave” refers to these anointed Christians on earth as a body and the term “domestics” refers to them as individuals. They all assist in seeing that each one of their number is spiritually fed.
WHEN THE “SLAVE” WAS TO RECEIVE THE REWARD
A reward was to come after an inspection to see how the “slave” had been
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