Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2021
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Just as iron sharpens iron, so a man makes his friend better (Prov. 27:17).
When we preach with our brothers and observe their good qualities, we learn from them and our friendship grows closer. For example, if we go into the ministry with a brother and hear him boldly defend his faith or speak with full conviction about Jehovah and his promises, we are likely to feel more affection for him. Adeline is a 23-year-old sister who asked her friend Candice to go together to a territory where people rarely preach. Adeline recounts: “We wanted to feel more motivated and enjoy preaching more. We both needed to recharge our spiritual batteries. " How did preaching together benefit you? Adeline responds: “At the end of the day, we talked about how we felt, how we had been encouraged by the conversations we had had with people, and how we had seen Jehovah's guidance. We both loved having these deep conversations, and we got to know each other even better. " w19.11 5 pars. 10, 11
What can happen when we preach with the brothers?
Sometimes when we preach with the brethren, we see not only their strengths, but also their weaknesses. What can help us in this case? Let's go back to Jeremiah's example. What helped him to see the good in others and to overlook his mistakes?
What did Jeremiah learn from Jehovah, and how did this help him?
Jeremiah wrote the book that bears his name and probably also the books of 1 and 2 Kings. Undoubtedly, thanks to this assignment, he saw how merciful Jehovah is to imperfect human beings. For example, he learned that when King Ahab repented of his wrongdoings, Jehovah said that he would not witness the annihilation of his entire family. --1 Kings 21: 27-29. He also learned that although Manasseh offended Jehovah much more than Ahab, Jehovah forgave him when he repented. —2 Kings 21:16, 17; 2 Chron. 33: 10-13. These accounts must have helped Jeremiah imitate God's patience and mercy in dealing with his friends (Ps. 103: 8, 9).
How did Jeremiah imitate Jehovah's patience when Baruch was distracted?
Consider what Jeremiah did when his friend Baruch was distracted for a time from his work. Instead of writing him off, Jeremiah helped him by conveying Jehovah's frank but loving message. --Jer. 45: 1-5. What lessons do we learn?
As Proverbs 17: 9 shows, what must we do to keep a friendship strong?
Realistically, we can't expect our siblings to be perfect. For this reason, let's strive to keep the friendships we make strong. If a friend makes a mistake, we may need to speak frankly but lovingly to him and give him advice based on the Bible (Ps. 141: 5). And if he hurts us, we must forgive him. Once we have forgiven, avoid the temptation to bring up the offense in the future (read Proverbs 17: 9). It is of the utmost importance that in these difficult times we focus on the virtues of our brothers and not on their shortcomings. In this way, our ties of friendship will be strengthened. And it is essential that we do so because we will need good friends in the great tribulation.
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