DAILY TEXT, Today's Thursday March 16, 2023, Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luc. 6:36).

DAILY TEXT, From Thursday March 16, 2023,  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).

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Thursday March 16

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (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). 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 make an effort to do so. A sister says that she found the Watchtower article “Forgive One Another Liberally” very helpful. She writes: “This article explained that being willing to forgive someone does not mean condoning their bad behavior or downplaying the harm it causes. But it does mean banishing resentment for that person's wrongdoing and not losing peace." When we generously forgive our brothers, we show that we love them and that we imitate our Father, Jehovah. w21.09 23, 24 pars. 15, 16.

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. Therefore, we do not want to do anything that stains the name of our heavenly Father or his people. We always try to behave in a way that people are drawn to the message of the good news (read Matthew 5:16).

What will help us to preach with courage?

Sometimes some will look down on 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 himself explained to them: “When the time comes, they will be told what to say. And it is that it will not be only you who speak: the spirit of the Father of him will speak for you ”(Matt. 10:19, 20).

How did a Bible student 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. Boldly, he explained that out of love for his Christian brothers 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 did not expect that question, but he immediately remembered the text of 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!

What should we continue to do? (John 17:11, 15).

Let us continue to value the honor we have of belonging to a loving spiritual family. We have the best Father there is and many brothers and sisters who love us. We never take all this for granted. Satan and his evil followers want us to doubt the love of our heavenly Father and try to break our unity. Instead, Jesus prayed for us and asked Jehovah to take care of us so that our family would stay 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.

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