The Study Watchtower, "Article 38", Week of November 14 to 20, 2022, Let's show that we are trustworthy, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, "Article 38", November 14-20, 2022, Let's show that we are trustworthy, Answers.



"A trustworthy person knows how to keep a confidence" (PROV. 11:13).

1. What does a trustworthy person look like?

A trustworthy person is characterized by striving to keep what they promise and telling the truth, and when you are trustworthy, people know they can count on you.

2. How do we show that we are trustworthy?

We show that we are trustworthy when our actions show it, for example, Jehovah has earned our trust and we never doubt him, because we know that he will never fail us. In a similar way, we earn the trust of our brothers when we show that we are trustworthy and we strive not to let our brothers down.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And in the paragraph a very interesting illustration is made, since trust is compared to money that is difficult to earn and easy to lose. And it is a great truth how everything in life is easier to destroy than to build, because if we want to build trust towards others, we must strive every day to imitate Jehovah and what will help us is to do things that show that we are trustworthy .

And we may think that because we are imperfect we will not be able to be reliable, that is why in this article we are going to analyze examples of some of Jehovah's servants who were also imperfect like us and who were able to imitate their heavenly father and proved to be trustworthy.

LET US IMITATE SERVANTS OF JEHOVAH WHO WERE TRUSTED

3, 4. (a) How did the prophet Daniel show that he was trustworthy? 

Before answering that question, let's remember that Jehovah did not ask Daniel to interpret dreams, but rather, he asked Jehovah to help him interpret those dreams. Which shows that Daniel took the initiative to show that he was trustworthy. That is why he was able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, and what is more, he was willing to communicate a message that no King wanted to hear and he also had great courage when he accurately interpreted a mysterious message that appeared on the wall of the Palace of Babylon. Without a doubt, Daniel is an example of what we must do, to be a trustworthy person.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT

And what can we say about the rulers who did not worship Jehovah. They recognized that Daniel was trustworthy, since even though they wanted to accuse him of negligence and corruption they could never prove it, the only thing that was shown was that Daniel had an extraordinary spirit and they recognized that he was trustworthy.

3, 4.b) What should we ask ourselves?

Seeing this example, we must ask ourselves: What opinion do those who are not witnesses have of me? Do they consider me someone trustworthy and who fulfills their responsibilities?

5. Why did Hananiah have the reputation of being someone very trustworthy?

Hananiah earned the reputation of being someone very reliable because he loved Jehovah and was afraid of displeasing him, that motivated him to take any responsibility he received very seriously. This teaches us that these same qualities that Hananiah demonstrated will also help all of God's servants to become trustworthy. 

ILLUSTRATION

Nehemiah gives instructions to two men outside one of the gates of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah chose trusted men to attend to important tasks. (See paragraph 5).

6. How did Tychicus show that he was a trustworthy friend of the apostle Paul?

Tychicus became a trustworthy friend and it showed when Paul was under house arrest, helping him carry the letters to the brothers in Ephesus and Colosse. he also encouraged and comforted these brothers. And what can we of our faithful and trustworthy brothers of our days who attend to our spiritual needs. They prove to be trustworthy friends just as Tychicus was.

7. What good example do the elders and ministerial servants in our congregation set for us?

Our elders and ministerial servants of our congregation, like Daniel, Hananías and Tíquico, carry out their responsibilities with great seriousness. An example of this is when we attend our midweek meeting, we are completely sure that they will have assigned all parts of the program and what can we say about our sisters and brothers who present their assignments well, they also prove to be trustworthy.

We also have the security of inviting our students to the weekend meetings, since we are confident that they will see a speaker for the public discourse, And what can we say about our publications that we use to preach, we know that we are never lacking always they are there when we need them. Without a doubt, we should feel happy, since these brothers take good care of us and, above all, we thank Jehovah.

WE KNOW HOW TO KEEP CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS

8. How do we show balance in caring for others? (Proverbs 11:13).

It is true that we worry about what happens to our brothers, but there is a limit that we must not cross, and for this we must be balanced and respect their private life.

In 1 Timothy 5:13 he shows that in the first century Christian congregation there were people who were gossips and meddled in matters that did not correspond to them. And that's something we don't want to do. That is why we do well to respect the personal space of each brother. 

An example is mentioned in the paragraph: Let's imagine that a sister tells us about a health problem that she is suffering from and asks us not to tell anyone about it. The most reasonable thing we can do is respect her position, since the sister does not want anyone to find out about her and she must have her reasons and we do well to respect her decision. 

9. How can family members show that they are trustworthy?

Each family member can work to show that they are trustworthy by keeping certain household matters private.

An example of how we can show in the family that we are trustworthy is when a husband thinks that his wife's custom is funny, and he would not talk about it with other people because if he did it would embarrass her, on the contrary we should follow the advice from Ephesians 5 33, that the husband should love his wife as he loves himself. Since love will motivate the husband not to do things that may hurt the feelings of his wife. 

In Colossians 3:21, we find good advice for parents about what we should not irritate our children so that they do not get discouraged, and an example of what we should not do is tell our children's mistakes to other people, that it would discourage them and be humiliating for them, so we must remember that adolescents like to be treated with respect and consideration.

Children can also struggle to be trustworthy, as they have to learn to be discreet and not tell things that might embarrass a family member. If everyone individually does their best to keep household affairs private, the result will be that the family will be more and more united.

10. How does a true friend behave? (Proverbs 17:17).

In the paragraph, mention that at some point we might need to vent to a good friend, since we are possibly one of the people who find it difficult to talk about our deep feelings. But what would happen if we do it and we find out that our friend told others what we told him, thinking about him Proverb 17:17 will help us understand that a true friend loves at all times, that is why love motivated us to strive to learn to keep a confidence.

11. (a) How do elders and their wives show that they are trustworthy? 

The elders prove to be trustworthy by not telling others the personal or confidential matters of other brothers with anyone. That includes the wives of the elderly. And wives demonstrate this by not questioning their husbands and not pressing them for confidential information about other brothers' private affairs.

11.b) What can we learn from an elder who discusses a confidential matter and is later with his family? (See photo).

We learn that being trustworthy and keeping discretion in confidential matters can bring positive effects. For example, in experience, the wife of an elderly man felt free to tell her husband anything, because she knew that she was never going to tell him. to anyone and all this because the elder proved to be trustworthy by never telling him about confidential matters of the congregation, which is a great example for each of us.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Two old men visit a sister at her home. 2. Then one of the elders reads a Bible story to her little daughter while the wife brings them something to eat.

The elders do not tell their family confidential matters. (See paragraph 11).

LET US CULTIVATE QUALITIES THAT HELP US BE RELIABLE

12. Explain why love is the basis of trust.

Love is the basis of trust, because as Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39. The two most important commandments are to love Jehovah and your neighbor, that is why if we love Jehovah we will want to be like him, since he is the most reliable person in the universe. And if we love our neighbor, it will prompt us not to divulge a personal matter, because if we do, we could hurt the feelings of our brothers and embarrass them. 

13. How does humility help us to be trustworthy?

This quality is very important, since humility helps us greatly. Because when we are humble, we will not try to impress anyone by being the first to break the news and neither will we pretend that we already knew about a confidential matter. in order to highlight or make us important.

14. How does discernment help us to be trustworthy?

In proverbs 11:12. He mentions that the one who has authentic discernment remains silent and that is why this quality of discernment helps us to perceive when it is time to be silent and when it is time to speak.

15. Explain with an example how honesty helps us gain the trust of others.

Let's think about a brother who wants to improve his way of giving talks and asks a friend to listen to him and tell him how he can improve. He has two options: go to someone who tells him what he wants to hear, or someone who is honest and kindly tells him the truth, and criticizes him for his benefit, these corrections are likely to be painful at first. But in the end they will help him to progress, since what makes a trustworthy person is the honesty that he shows. 

16. How does Proverbs 10:19 show that self-control is very important?

The text makes us clearly understand that the person who talks too much runs the risk of sinning, but the one who restrains his lips is a prudent person, this idea conveys to us the importance of having self-control, because if we cultivate that quality we will avoid divulging personal or confidential matters of our brothers. Self-control also helps us to be careful with what we say or post on social media. Since by uploading this information we expose Jehovah's organization to the enemies of the Kingdom trying to get information from us that can endanger the brothers, especially where the work is restricted.

17. What can we all do to create an atmosphere of trust in the congregation?

Each one of us must strive to show humility, discernment, honesty, self-control, because if we do our bit so that there is an atmosphere of trust in the congregation, we will imitate the example of our God Jehovah and in this way we will continue to demonstrate that we are worthy trusted.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What can we learn from Jehovah's trustworthy servants?

We learn the importance of striving to be trustworthy, since doing so produces benefits as demonstrated by the examples of Daniel, Hananías and Tíquico, because they took their responsibility seriously. Our elders today imitate the example of these servants and strive to fully fulfill the responsibilities that Jehovah commands them, and in order for them to fulfill that task, we must also strive to be trustworthy. In this way, an atmosphere of trust will reign in the congregation.

In what situations can you show that you are trustworthy?

In the family. All family members should keep certain household matters private.

With friends. Almost everyone needs to vent to a good friend at some point in their life.

In the congregation. The elders who know how to keep a confidence are like a shelter from the wind for their brothers as mentioned in Isaiah 32:2.

What qualities will help us gain the trust of others?

The qualities that will help us gain the trust of others are discernment, love, humility, honesty and self-control, but we may think that because we are imperfect we will not be able to be trusted, but let's remember that 3 imperfect servants arrived to be trustworthy. which shows us that it is possible, but we will only achieve it if we cultivate these aforementioned qualities.

Comments