DAILY TEXT, From today Sunday February 19, Jacob felt great fear and anguish (Gen. 32:7).

DAILY TEXT, From today Sunday February 19, 2023, Jacob felt great fear and anguish (Gen. 32:7).

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Sunday February 19

Jacob felt great fear and anguish (Gen. 32:7).

Jacob was worried that his brother still held a grudge against him. Therefore, he heartily prayed to Jehovah. He then sent Esau a generous gift (Gen. 32:9-15). And finally, when they finally came face to face, Jacob took the initiative and honored Esau. She bowed to him not once or twice, but seven times. With humility and respect, Jacob made peace with his brother (Gen. 33:3, 4). We can learn a lesson from how Jacob prepared to meet his brother and how he addressed him. First, he humbly asked Jehovah for help. Afterwards, he acted in harmony with his prayer, doing everything in his power to make the meeting with Esau as pleasant as possible. And when she finally spoke to him, she didn't start arguing who was right. His goal was to make peace with his brother. Can we imitate his example? (Matt. 5:23, 24). w21.12 25 pars. 11, 12.

HOW TO MAKE PEACE WITH OTHERS

What should we do if we have offended another Christian?

Those of us who are on the path that leads to life want to foster peace with our brothers (Rom. 12:18). Therefore, what should we do if we realize that we have offended another Christian? Like Jacob, we need to pray from our hearts to Jehovah and ask him to bless our efforts to make peace with him.

In addition, we must spend time in self-examination. For example, we can ask ourselves, “Am I willing to swallow my pride, humbly apologize, and make amends? How will Jehovah and Jesus feel if I take the initiative and make peace with my brother or sister?” The answers can prompt us to listen to Jesus and approach our brother with humility to make peace. Jacob's example can help us achieve this.

How does the principle found in Ephesians 4:2, 3 help us make peace with our brother?

What would have happened if Jacob had gone with a proud attitude to meet his brother? Things might have been very different. Similarly, if we are going to talk to a brother to solve a problem, we must do it with a humble attitude (read Ephesians 4:2, 3). Proverbs 18:19 states: “An offended brother is more inaccessible than a fortified city, and there are lawsuits that are like the bars of a fortress.” A humble apology can be the key that allows us to enter that "fortress".

What should we think, and why?

We must also think carefully beforehand about what we are going to say to the offended brother and how we are going to say it to him. When we are ready, we must approach him in order to heal any wound in his heart. At first, he may tell us things that are not very pleasant to us. But let us resist the temptation to get angry or justify ourselves, for that would not help us achieve peace. Let us remember that restoring peace with our brother is more important than seeing who did right or who did wrong (1 Cor. 6:7).

What do you learn from Gilbert's example?

Let's look at all the efforts a brother named Gilbert made to seek peace. He recounts: “He had a lot of problems with a close relative. I spent more than two years making efforts to speak calmly and frankly to try to recover our good relationship." What else did he do? “Before talking to this family member, he would pray and prepare me so that I wouldn't be offended if he said something hurtful to me. I had to be ready to forgive. I learned not to fight for my rights and I understood that my obligation was to promote peace”. Where did it all end? Gilbert says: "Today I am at peace because I get along well with all the members of my family."

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