1. What relationship can faithful human beings have with Jehovah?
Jehovah has a family of servants who worship him. Among them are Jesus, who is "the firstborn of all creation," and countless angels (Col. 1:15; Ps. 103: 20). When Jesus was on earth, he showed that faithful human beings can see Jehovah as their Father. On one occasion when he was speaking with his disciples, he referred to Jehovah as “my Father and your Father” (John 20:17). Furthermore, when we dedicate our lives to Jehovah and get baptized, we become a loving family of brothers and sisters. --Mark 10:29, 30.
2. What will we discuss in this article?
Some of God's servants find it difficult to see Jehovah as a loving Father. Others may not know how to show love to their siblings. In this article, we will see how Jesus helps us to see Jehovah as a loving and close Father. We will also see in what ways we can imitate Jehovah in dealing with our brothers.
JEHOVAH WANTS US TO CLOSE TO HIM
3. Why does the Lord's Prayer bring us closer to Jehovah?
Jehovah is a caring Father, and Jesus wants us to see him as he sees him: as a caring father we can talk to at any time, not as a cold person who has authority over us. Jesus made this clear when, in teaching his disciples to pray, he began with these words: “Our Father” (Matt. 6: 9). Jesus could have said to address Jehovah as “the Almighty,” “the Creator,” or “King of eternity,” which are very appropriate titles found in the Bible (Gen. 49:25; Isa. 40:28). ; 1 Tim. 1:17). But he used a more affectionate term, like "Father."
4. Why do we know that Jehovah wants us to draw close to him?
Is it difficult for us to see Jehovah as a loving Father? Some of us do. This may happen to us because we had a difficult childhood. How comforting we know that he understands how we feel and wants to be close to us. For this reason, his Word invites us to the following: "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you" (James 4: 8). Jehovah loves us and tells us that he is the best Father we can have.
5. According to Luke 10:22, why can Jesus help us draw closer to Jehovah?
Jesus can help us draw closer to Jehovah. He knows him very well and reflects his qualities perfectly. That is why he said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father also" (John 14: 9). Like an older brother, Jesus teaches us to respect and obey our Father, and to please him and earn his approval. But above all, what he did when he was on earth shows us that Jehovah is very good and loving. --Read Luke 10:22. Let's look at some examples of this.
6. Why can we say that Jehovah paid attention to Jesus?
Jehovah listens to his children. Let's see how he paid attention to his firstborn Son. Without a doubt, he heard the many prayers that Jesus made when he was on earth (Luke 5:16). He did so when he asked for help in important matters, such as when he chose his 12 apostles (Luke 6:12, 13). Jehovah also listened to him when he came to him in times of distress. Just before Judas betrayed him, he begged his Father to help him with the ordeals he was about to face. Not only did Jehovah listen to his dear Son, but he sent an angel to strengthen him (Luke 22: 41-44).
ILLUSTRATION:
Because he is a loving Father, Jehovah strengthened his Son through an angel. (See paragraph 6.) *
7. How do you feel knowing that Jehovah hears your prayers?
Today, Jehovah also listens to us when we pray to him and responds to us in a timely manner and in the best possible way. --Psalm 116: 1, 2. A sister from India experienced it firsthand. She had been struggling with deep anxiety and begged Jehovah for help. He says: “The JW Broadcasting® show from May 2019, which talked about coping with worry and anxiety, was just what I needed. It was the answer to my prayers ”.
8. In what ways did Jehovah show his love for Jesus?
Jehovah shows his love for us just as he showed his Son when he was on earth. --John 5:20. He attended to all of her spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. And he did not hesitate to express his love and approval (Matt. 3:16, 17). Jesus never felt alone, knowing that he always counted on his loving heavenly Father (John 8:16).
9. What evidence do we have that Jehovah loves us?
Like Jesus, we have all felt Jehovah's love on many occasions. Consider this: Jehovah brought us to him and gifted us with a spiritual family full of love and unity that makes us happy and supports us emotionally. --John 6:44. It also gives us a constant supply of nourishing spiritual food. And it helps us meet the physical needs of each day (Matt. 6:31, 32). When we think of Jehovah's love for us, our love for him increases.
LET US TREAT OUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY AS JEHOVAH DOES
10. How can we imitate Jehovah's love for our brothers?
Jehovah loves our brothers. But it may not always be easy for us to feel love for them and express it to them. Sometimes it is because we have different cultures or because we grew up in very different circumstances. And we all make mistakes that can disappoint or upset others. Still, we can contribute to love in our spiritual family by loving our brothers, just as Jehovah does. --Eph. 5: 1, 2; 1 John 4:19. Let's see what your example teaches us.
11. How did Jesus reflect Jehovah's “tender compassion”?
Jehovah shows “tender compassion” (Luke 1:78). The compassionate person worries when he sees others suffering and looks for ways to give them help and comfort. The way Jesus treated people was a reflection of Jehovah's concern for them. --John 5:19. The Bible says that, “when he saw the crowds, he was deeply moved, because they were mistreated and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). Jesus' compassion was not limited to good feelings. He healed the sick and helped those who worked hard and were burdened (Matt. 11: 28-30; 14:14).
12. In what practical ways can we show compassion?
If we want to show concern and compassion to our brothers, we must think about the problems they are facing. For example, a sister may have a serious health problem. He never complains, but maybe he would appreciate a little help. Is it possible for you to attend to the physical needs of your family? Would you appreciate us helping you prepare meals or clean the house? Or suppose a brother has lost his job. We may be able to give you a little financial help, perhaps anonymously, to help you until you find work.
13, 14. How can we follow Jehovah's example of generosity?
Jehovah is generous (Matt. 5:45). If we want to be compassionate, we shouldn't wait for our brothers to ask us for help. We can take the initiative, just as Jehovah does. Every day, he makes the sun rise without our asking, and his warmth benefits everyone, not just those who are grateful. Doesn't Jehovah show us that he loves us by giving us what we need? How good and generous he is, and how much we love him for it!
Many of our brothers follow the example of our heavenly Father by taking initiative and being generous. Let's see what happened in 2013 when Super Typhoon Haiyan swept through a part of the Philippines. A good number of brothers lost their homes and everything they owned. But his spiritual family from around the world immediately came to his aid. Thanks to the donations and work of many, a colossal project was able to be carried out that made it possible to repair or rebuild almost 750 houses in less than a year. And, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Witnesses went out of their way to give their siblings the help they needed. When we are ready to help our spiritual family right away, we show them that we love them.
ILLUSTRATION:
Series of images: 1. Brothers prepare boxes of food in a pantry. 2. A brother gives one of the boxes to a family.
Let us copy Jehovah's example and be compassionate and generous to our brothers. (See paragraphs 12-14). *
15, 16. In harmony with Luke 6:36, what should we do if we want to imitate our heavenly Father?
Jehovah is merciful and forgives us (read Luke 6:36). Every day, our heavenly Father shows us mercy (Ps. 103: 10-14). Similarly, although Jesus' disciples were imperfect, he showed them mercy and forgave them. He went so far as to lay down his life so that our sins could be forgiven (1 John 2: 1, 2). Doesn't the mercy and forgiveness of Jehovah and Jesus bring us closer to them?
When we forgive generously, we strengthen the love in our spiritual family (Eph. 4:32). Sure, sometimes it's not easy to forgive, but we have to work hard to do so. One sister says that the article in The Watchtower entitled "Liberally Forgive One Another" was helpful. * She writes: “Studying this article has helped me see the matter from a different, more positive perspective. He explained that being willing to forgive someone does not mean approving of their bad behavior or downplaying the harm it causes. But it does mean banishing resentment for the wrongdoings of that person and not losing peace. " When we generously forgive our brothers, we show that we love them and that we imitate our Father, Jehovah.
WE VALUE OUR PLACE IN THIS FAMILY
ILLUSTRATION:
Series of images: 1. A mother helps her little daughter to draw a picture that encourages a brother who is in prison. 2. The brother in prison smiles when he sees the drawing and the letter that they have sent him.
Young and old have shown interest and affection to their siblings. (See paragraph 17) *
17. As Matthew 5:16 shows, how can we honor our heavenly Father?
It is a great honor to belong to an international family that loves each other. And we want as many people as possible to also worship Jehovah with us. So we don't want to do anything that would stain the name of our heavenly Father or his people. We always try to behave in a way that people are drawn to the good news message (read Matthew 5:16).
18. What will help us to preach with courage?
Sometimes some will despise us or even persecute us because we are obedient to our heavenly Father. What can we do if we are afraid to talk to others about our beliefs? Let us remember that Jehovah and his Son will help us. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about what they were going to say or how they were going to say it. He explained to them: “When the time comes, they will be told what to say. And it is not only you who will speak: the spirit of your Father will speak for you ”(Matt. 10:19, 20).
19. How did a student of the Bible courageously witness?
Let's look at the case of a brother named Robert. When he was just beginning to study the Bible and had very little knowledge, he had to appear before a military court in South Africa. He boldly explained that out of love for his fellow Christians he would not serve in the army. It is obvious that he valued his place in our spiritual family. Suddenly, one of the judges asked him: "Who are your brothers?" Robert hadn't expected that question, but he immediately remembered the text from that day. It was Matthew 12:50: "Everyone who does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother." Although Robert had only been studying the Bible for a short time, Jehovah's spirit helped him answer these and other unexpected questions. How proud Jehovah must have been of him!
20. What should we keep doing? (John 17:11, 15).
Let us continue to value the honor we have to belong to a loving spiritual family. We have the best Father there is and many brothers and sisters who love us. Let's never take all of this for granted. Satan and his evil followers want us to doubt the love of our heavenly Father and they try to break our unity. Instead, Jesus prayed for us and asked Jehovah to take care of us so that our family would stick together. --Read John 17:11, 15. And Jehovah is answering that prayer. Let us imitate the example of Jesus and never doubt the love and support of our heavenly Father. Let's keep getting closer and closer to our spiritual family.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What shows you that Jehovah is a loving Father?
Jehovah wants us to call him Our Father. He also wants us to get closer to him because he loves us. He is always ready to listen to us and answer our prayers in a timely manner. He attracted us to his spiritual family, provides nourishing spiritual food, and helps us meet daily physical needs.
In what ways can we express love to our siblings?
We want not only to say that we love our brothers but to show them. Perhaps a sister with health problems needs help preparing meals or cleaning the house. Or a brother has lost his job and if possible we can help him in some way until he finds a job. We can also forgive generously to maintain the unity of our spiritual family.
How do we show that we value belonging to our spiritual family?
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