DAILY TEXT, From today Monday January 30, Jehovah is delighted with his people (Ps. 149:4).

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Monday January 30

Jehovah is delighted with his people (Ps. 149:4).

Jehovah looks at our good qualities, sees our potential and gives us his friendship. As long as we are faithful to him, he will always be close to us (John 6:44). If we are convinced that Jehovah loves us, we will feel compelled to give him our best, no matter what difficulties we face in life. But, if we doubt his love, we "will lack strength" (Prov. 24:10). And, if we get discouraged and begin to believe that Jehovah does not love us, we will be defenseless against Satan's attacks (Eph. 6:16). Some faithful Christians have begun to doubt that Jehovah cares about them and because of this their faith has weakened. What should we do when negative feelings invade us? Get them out of our head immediately. Let us ask Jehovah to give us his peace and to protect our hearts and minds so that we can be rid of “disturbing thoughts” (Ps. 139:23; note; Philip. 4:6, 7). And let's not forget that we are not alone. w21.04 20 par. one; 21 paras. 4-6.

WHAT WE LEARN FROM THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL

What problems did Paul have?

Do we carry so many responsibilities that sometimes we feel that we cannot handle them all? The apostle Paul felt the same way. He said he was concerned not for one congregation, but "for all congregations" (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Do we suffer from a chronic disease that often robs us of joy? Paul was very frustrated because he could not get rid of a certain "thorn in the flesh", perhaps some health problem (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Do we feel discouraged by our imperfections? Paul sometimes too. He said that he was very unhappy because he had to fight all the time to do what is right (Rom. 7:21-24).

What helped Paul to continue serving Jehovah despite the problems?

Despite so many trials and difficulties, Paul continued to serve Jehovah. Where did he get the strength? Although he was very aware of his shortcomings, he had an unwavering faith in the rescue. In addition, he was well aware of Jesus' promise that everyone who shows faith in him will have eternal life (John 3:16; Rom. 6:23). There was no doubt that Paul had faith in the ransom. He was convinced that Jehovah is willing to forgive even those who have committed serious sin if they are repentant (Ps. 86:5).

What do Paul's words recorded in Galatians 2:20 teach us?

Paul had faith that God loved him very much because he knew that God had sent Jesus to die for him. Notice the comforting words at the end of Galatians 2:20 (read it). Paul said: “The Son of God . . . loved me and gave himself up for me.” Paul did not think that God's love for him had a limit, as if to say: "I understand why Jehovah loves my brothers, but it is impossible for him to love me." In fact, he reminded the Romans: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). God's love has no limits.

What does Romans 8:38, 39 teach us?

(Read Romans 8:38, 39.) Paul was totally convinced of the power of God's love. He wrote that nothing "can separate us from the love of God." He knew that Jehovah had been very patient with the nation of Israel. And he also knew that he had shown mercy to him. In short, Paul was saying, "If the Lord sent his Son to die for me, I have no reason to doubt that he loves me" (Rom. 8:32).

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