DAILY TEXT, From today Saturday December 10, 2022, Come back to me, and I will come back to you (Mal. 3:7).

DAILY TEXT, Saturday December 10, 2022, Return to me, and I will return to you (Mal. 3:7).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022

Saturday December 10

Return to me, and I will return to you (Mal. 3:7).

What qualities must we display if we want to help those who want to return to Jehovah? Let's see what lessons the parable of the lost son teaches us (Luke 15:17-24). The son ends up coming to his senses and decides to return to his house. The father runs to meet him and hugs him lovingly to assure him that he still loves him. The young man has many regrets and thinks that he no longer deserves to be called his son. The father is moved to see that his son opens his heart to him and he is sorry. So he organizes a banquet and sends for clothes of the best quality. In this way, he shows him that he receives him as a beloved member of the family. Jehovah is like the father in this parable. He loves our inactive brothers and wants them to return to him. If we imitate him, we can help them come back. For this we must have patience, empathy and love. w20.06 25-26 pars. 8, 9.

Why do we need patience to help an inactive?

We need patience because it will take time for a person to regain his friendship with Jehovah. Many Christians who were inactive admit that the elders and other brothers in the congregation had to visit them many times before they returned to Jehovah. A sister named Nancy, from Southeast Asia, writes: “A good friend in the congregation helped me tremendously. She loved me like I was her big sister. She made me remember the good times we had together. When she told her about my feelings, she listened to me patiently and she did not hesitate to advise me. She was a true friend and she was always there to help me”.

Why do we need empathy to help someone with hurt feelings?

Empathy is like an ointment that helps us heal hurt feelings. Some inactive ones walked away because someone in the congregation offended them, and they have been resentful for years. That is why they do not want to return to Jehovah. Others may think they suffered an injustice. They may need someone to listen and understand how they feel (James 1:19). A sister named Maria, who was inactive for a while, says, “I needed someone to vent to, a hand to lean on, and a shoulder to cry on.”

In what way is Jehovah's love like a rope?

The Bible says that Jehovah's love for his servants is like a rope or rope. In what sense? Let's give an example. Imagine you are drowning in rough seas and someone drops a life preserver at you from a boat. I'm sure he appreciates it, because this is going to help him stay afloat. But just having a lifeguard is not enough. Since the water is cold, to survive you will need someone to throw you a rope and help you reach the boat. Well, Jehovah said the following about the Israelites who had drifted away: “I kept drawing them . . . with the cords of love” (Hos. 11:4). That is what God wants to do today with those who are inactive and drowning in a sea of problems and worries. He wants them to know that he loves them and wants to help them come back. And he can use us to express that love to them.

How does Paul's experience prove that our love can help the inactive to return to Jehovah?

It is important to assure the inactive that Jehovah loves them and so do we. Pablo, mentioned in the previous article, was inactive for more than thirty years. He recounts: “As I left my house one morning, an older sister greeted me and spoke to me with great affection and love. I started crying like a child. I told her that it seemed that Jehovah had sent her to speak to me. It was then that I decided to return to Jehovah.”

According to Luke 15:4, 5, what does a shepherd do when he finds a lost sheep?

Once they return, the inactive ones need us to continue to help and encourage them. They may be in intense emotional pain, like the lost son in Jesus' parable. And, since they come from the world of Satan, they will surely be weak in a spiritual sense. Therefore, we have to help them renew their faith in Jehovah. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus says that the shepherd picks her up on her shoulders and leads her back to the flock. The pastor has already spent time and energy looking for it. But he knows that he will have to help her come back because she will not have the strength to do it alone (read Luke 15: 4, 5).

How can we support the weak who want to return to Jehovah? (See the sidebar “An Invaluable Tool.”)

We may need to spend time and energy helping some who are inactive to become spiritually strong again (Rom. 15:1). For this we have the spirit of Jehovah, his Word and the publications that his organization provides us. How can we support them? An experienced elder says: “Most inactive ones need a publisher to help them when they decide to come back. Let's go study the Bible.”c So if the elders ask us to help an inactive one, let's gladly accept. The same elder above adds: "The inactive need the publisher to be a good friend, someone they can trust."

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