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The Watchtower comment for today
makes a very bold statement when it says:
“Satan uses movies and television shows
to spread his way of thinking.”
And so that thought alone
should cause anyone that loves Jehovah
to think twice before turning on a television
or a monitor.
Concerning this method
that Satan uses to spread his thinking,
the Watchtower comment further says:
“He understands that storytelling
“does much more than entertain us;
it teaches us how to think, feel, and act.”
So when choosing our entertainment,
we need to remember that Satan’s storytelling
has had a detrimental effect
upon people for generations.
If you look at Isaiah 55:7,
the results can be seen.
It says: “Let the wicked man leave his way
and the evil man his thoughts.”
So the person that is taught by Satan
will have his thinking corrupted
and in time will end up
as an evil and wicked individual.
Now, verses 8 and 9
show us that imperfect thinking
is separate from Jehovah God’s thinking.
Now notice what it says at verse 8:
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
“and your ways are not my ways,’
declares Jehovah.
“‘For as the heavens
are higher than the earth,
“‘so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
So while the verse is talking
about an evil and wicked individual,
somewhere along the way that individual was
an imperfect individual only.
So something happened to push them
into the evil and the wicked category.
Well, it was being taught by Satan the Devil.
That’s what happened.
So today, we’re all imperfect individuals.
So how can we maintain Jehovah’s thinking
so that we don’t get pushed into the category
of evil and wicked?
Well, it is a fact
that Jehovah also uses storytelling
to help us to adapt our thinking
to Jehovah’s thinking.
In fact, the Bible is filled
with the experiences of individuals
—both good and bad.
The Bible gives us many illustrations
and many stories that touch the heart
that help us to understand
timeless principles
and Bible laws
that will help us in our decision process
so that our ways can become
like Jehovah’s ways.
Let’s take an example.
Now, throughout the Bible,
it really highlights
Jehovah’s forgiving nature.
And let’s talk about that.
Let’s go to Exodus (first of all)
—Exodus chapter 34 and we’ll read verse 7.
Now, remember we’re being taught
Jehovah’s way of forgiveness.
So it says this:
“Showing loyal love to thousands,
pardoning error and transgression and sin.”
Well, that’s Jehovah’s forgiving nature.
And then if you turn to Isaiah 1:18,
notice how he paints
a picture about this for us
—Isaiah 1:18.
He says: “‘Come, now,
“and let us set matters straight between us,’
says Jehovah.
“‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
“‘they will be made as white as snow;
“‘though they are as red as crimson cloth,
they will become like wool.’”
And so, there again, it’s identifying
that this is Jehovah’s way.
Now, to touch our heart
and really go to the core of the matter,
he has a story told.
And in fact, Jesus did that.
It’s found in Luke chapter 15
(about the prodigal, or the lost son),
chapter 15, verse 11.
Now, we’re not going to read it,
but I’ll start to tell the story
in just a few sentences.
If you look at verse 11,
there was ‘a man that had two sons.’
And in verse 12,
the younger son took his inheritance.
In verse 13,
“he traveled to a distant country
and . . . squandered” his inheritance.
And then, in verses 15 and 16,
he became destitute.
In verse 17, ‘he finally came to his senses’
and returned to his father.
And verse 20 shows
that “his father caught sight of him
“and was moved with pity,
and he ran and embraced him
and tenderly kissed him.”
Now, what are some of the lessons
that Jehovah is teaching us
by means of this story?
Well, first of all,
Jehovah yearns to extend forgiveness.
It’s his forgiving nature.
And just like that father,
we recognize that sinners
may waste resources given to them.
We never lose hope that a sinner will return,
and we’ll give a warm reception
when they do return to Jehovah God.
Sinners can be restored completely
and regain a place in the family of Jehovah.
And finally, we learn that sinners
may have to hit rock bottom
before they return to their senses.
Don’t you agree?
These are valuable lessons
that help us to understand Jehovah’s thinking
and to adapt our imperfect thinking to his.
Now, as a part
of using this as an illustration,
the New World Translation takes
a little over 500 words
to tell this story,
but less than 10 words are used
to describe the wrongdoing
of the prodigal son.
If you look at verse 13, it says
he was “living a debauched life.”
And then in verse 30,
(a few more details) it says
that he ‘squandered his belongings
with prostitutes.’
So here is an example of a story
that contains some wrongdoing,
but in no way does it spotlight it,
glorify it, or make it attractive.
Rather, it draws us closer to Jehovah God,
helping us to understand
his forgiving nature.
That’s just why the story was written.
Now, we can only imagine
how Satan would twist the story line
of the prodigal son.
Would he portray the father
as restrictive and intolerant?
Would he show the rebellious son’s home life
as oppressive, stifling his independence?
Would he insert some disrespectful
or obscene language in the script?
How much time do you imagine
that he would devote
to the immoral aspects of the story?
And when the son returns home,
would he be repentant?
Or would the father be portrayed as mellowing
and becoming tolerant?
Might the son even return home
with one of the women that he was with?
You see, with Satan’s stories,
when we read between the lines,
there’s always filth and untruth.
The story content is a repeating plot
—a plot of rebellion, of violence,
and of immorality.
See, it’s the same basic story
told over and over again
with different characters.
But with Jehovah’s stories,
when we read them,
we discover something every time.
In fact, when we
meditatively read between the lines,
the story blossoms, doesn’t it?
It seems that no matter
how often we read the story,
we learn something about Jehovah
that we can adapt to our own thinking.
So in making decisions
regarding entertainment,
we need to reason on the matter:
Who is teaching me?
Will the entertainment refresh me
and accomplish something good for me?
Or is there a chance that it will undermine
my faith in Jehovah God?
If in doubt,
wouldn’t it be wise to simply refrain?
So while in this system,
we need to be careful
about our entertainment choices.
Let’s be taught by Jehovah
so that we can think and feel
and reason on matters as he does
as we look forward to the time
when the only option available to us
will be safe and wholesome entertainment.

Gary Breaux: Storytelling Is an Effective Teaching Tool (1 John 5:19)