DAILY TEXT, From today Saturday July 15, Just as iron sharpens iron, a man makes his friend better (Prov. 27:17).

DAILY TEXT, From today Saturday July 15, Your work related to the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2023

Saturday July 15

Your work related to the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).

What if we give someone Bible classes, but they don't make progress despite our efforts and prayers, and we end up having to fail the course? Or what if we have never taken anyone to baptism? Should we feel guilty and perhaps think that Jehovah is not blessing our work? Let's think about how Jehovah measures the success of our ministry. Jehovah notices our efforts and our endurance. For him, our ministry is successful if we carry it out with diligence and love, regardless of people's reaction. Paul wrote: “God is not unjust and does not forget your works or the love you showed for his name by having served the saints and by continuing to serve them” (Heb. 6:10). Jehovah does not forget our efforts and our love, even if those efforts have not brought us good results. So, we can apply Paul's words to today's text. w21.10 25 pars. 4-6.

What can we learn from what the apostle Paul said about his ministry?

The Apostle Paul was an extraordinary missionary and founded congregations in many cities. Even so, when some Christians who thought they were superior to him criticized him and said that he was not a good teacher, he did not talk about how many people he had led to baptism. Instead, he defended himself by saying, “I have worked harder” (2 Cor. 11:23). Let's follow Paul's example and remember that for Jehovah the most important thing is our efforts and our endurance.

What should we remember about our ministry?

Our ministry pleases Jehovah. On one occasion, Jesus sent out 70 of his disciples to bring the message of the Kingdom to others. When they finished, the Bible says that they “returned feeling happy”. Why were they so happy? They said: "Even the demons are subjected to us when we use your name." But Jesus corrected them with these words: “Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you. Rather, rejoice because your names have been written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20). Jesus knew that they would not always have such spectacular experiences in the ministry. In fact, we don't know how many of those people who listened to the disciples became Christians. The disciples had to be happy not only because the people listened to them, but above all because they knew that Jehovah was pleased with their efforts.

According to Galatians 6:7-9, what will be the result if we don't stop preaching?

If we don't stop preaching, we will get eternal life. When we make every effort to sow and cultivate the seeds of truth, we also sow "thinking in the spirit" because we allow the holy spirit to work freely in our lives. “If we do not get tired,” Jehovah promises that he will give us eternal life, even if we fail to help anyone to get to baptism (read Galatians 6: 7-9).

What does the reaction of people to our message depend on?

The reaction of people depends mainly on what is in their heart. Jesus explained this truth in the parable of the sower. In this story, a man sowed seeds in different types of soil, but only those that fell on good soil bore fruit (Luke 8:5-8). Jesus said that different types of soil represent the hearts of people, who respond in different ways to “the word of God” (Luke 8:11-15). Just as it happens to the sower, we have no control over the fruit of our work, because it depends on what kind of heart the people who listen to us have. Our duty is to continue sowing the seed of the message of the Kingdom. As the Apostle Paul said, “each person will receive his reward according to his work”, not according to the results of his work (1 Cor. 3: 8).

All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2020 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania JW.ORG.