DAILY TEXT, From today Thursday July 20, 2023, Greater love has no one (John 15:13).

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Thursday July 20

Greater love has no one (John 15:13).

Jesus loved Jehovah so much that he felt compelled to make sacrifices for him and for us (John 14:31). And he demonstrated his great love for people by the way he lived while he was on Earth. He was always loving and compassionate, even with some who opposed him. He demonstrated this love in a special way by telling people about the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43, 44). He also proved how much he loved God and people by being willing to suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Thus he gave us all the chance to live forever. If we dedicated ourselves to Jehovah and were baptized, it was because we loved our heavenly Father. So, like Jesus, we should show that love in dealing with people. The apostle John wrote: “Whoever does not love his brother, whom he sees, he cannot love God, whom he does not see” (1 John 4:20). w22.03 11:8, 9.

How can we foster peace?

To foster peace, we not only have to avoid causing conflict. We need to take the initiative to make peace with others and to encourage our brothers to work out their differences (Phil. 4:2, 3; Jas. 3:17, 18). We might ask ourselves: “How far am I willing to compromise to make peace with others? Do I hold a grudge if a brother hurts my feelings? Do I want the other person to take the first step in resolving things? Or do I give it, even though he thinks it's her fault? If appropriate, do I encourage those who have problems with each other to make amends?”

How did Jesus show that he was kind?

Jesus was kind (Matt. 11:28-30). He was affectionate and reasonable, even in difficult circumstances. For example, when a Phoenician woman begged him to heal her daughter, he at first did not do what she asked. But he was kind to her and healed the girl when he saw her great faith (Matt. 15:22-28). Now, he did not allow himself to be carried away by sentimentality. Sometimes kindness demanded that he be firm with those he loved. For example, when Peter tried to influence Jesus not to do Jehovah's will, he rebuked him in front of the other disciples (Mark 8:32, 33). He did not do it to humiliate Peter, but to teach him and to warn the other disciples that they should support him and not prevent him from doing God's will. No doubt Pedro felt a little embarrassed, but it was for his own good.

What do we have to do sometimes to be truly kind?

To be truly kind to those we love, sometimes we have to speak candidly. When we do, let's imitate Jesus and base our advice on the principles of God's Word. Let's be affectionate. Let us hope for the best of them, trusting that those who love Jehovah and us will accept our advice with affection. Let's ask ourselves: “Do I dare to speak when I see that someone I love is doing something wrong? And how I do it? With kindness, or am I harsh? And why am I giving you the advice? Is it because I'm mad at the person, or because I want what's best for them?"

How did Jesus show kindness?

Jesus not only knows what is good; he does too. He loves his Father, so he always does what is right and for the right reason. The person who manifests kindness is always looking for ways to help others and to do things for them. It is not enough to know what is good; we have to do it and for the right reason. Someone might ask: "Is it possible to do something good with a bad motive?" Of course it is possible. For example, Jesus spoke of those who gave alms to the poor but made sure others knew what they were doing. These apparent good works did not impress Jehovah (Matt. 6:1-4).

How can we be truly good?

We can only be truly good if we do good things thinking of others and not out of selfishness. We should ask ourselves: “Can I say that I not only know what is right, but that I also do it? Why do I do good things?

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