DAILY TEXT, From today  Monday August 21, 2023,  Actually, his brothers did not show faith in him (John 7:5).

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2023

Monday August 21

In reality, his brothers did not show faith in him (John 7:5).

When did James become a loyal disciple of Jesus? After Jesus was resurrected, he "appeared to James, then to all the apostles" (1 Cor. 15:7). This encounter with Jesus marked a before and after in the life of Santiago. He was present when the apostles were assembled in an upstairs room in Jerusalem waiting to receive the promised holy spirit (Acts 1:13, 14). Later, he had the joy of being part of the first century governing body (Acts 15:6, 13-22; Gal. 2:9). And, before the year 62, he wrote an inspirational letter to anointed Christians. That letter benefits us today, whether we expect to live in heaven or on earth (James 1:1). According to the first-century historian Josephus, James was executed by order of the Jewish high priest Anan. He remained faithful to Jehovah until his life on earth ended. w22.01 2:3, 5.

What difference was there between Santiago and the religious leaders of his time?

Santiago was humble. Let's see the difference between the reaction that Santiago had over time and the one that many of the religious leaders had. When he was faced with the undeniable proofs that Jesus was the Son of God, he humbly accepted it. But the chief priests of Jerusalem did not react in the same way. For example, they could not deny that Jesus had raised Lazarus. However, instead of acknowledging that Jesus was Jehovah's representative, they tried to kill both Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:53; 12:9-11). Later, when Jesus was resurrected, they tried not to let people know (Matt. 28:11-15). The pride of these religious leaders led them to reject the Messiah.

Why should we avoid pride?

Lesson: Avoid pride and let Jehovah teach us. Just as disease can harden the arteries of the heart and make it stop working properly, pride can harden our figurative hearts and make it hard for us to obey Jehovah. The Pharisees allowed his heart to become so hardened that they refused to acknowledge the clear evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and had his spirit (John 12:37-40). Such a bad attitude made them lose the opportunity to live forever (Matt. 23:13, 33). How important it is that we continue to allow God's Word and His Spirit to shape our personality and influence our thoughts and decisions (James 3:17). Because James was humble, he let Jehovah teach him. And, as we will see below,

What will help us to be good teachers?

Santiago did not have a great academic formation. To the religious leaders of his time, he was, like Peter and John, a common man "and with little education" (Acts 4:13). But he became a good teacher, as we see when reading the book that bears his name. Like Santiago, we may have little academic training. Still, with the help of Jehovah's spirit and training from his organization, we too can become good teachers. Let's analyze the example of Santiago and see what lessons we can learn.

How would you describe Santiago's way of teaching?

Santiago did not use difficult words or complicated reasoning. As a result, people knew what to do and how to do it. Take, for example, the simple way in which he taught that Christians should be willing to suffer injustice without holding a grudge. He wrote: “We consider happy those who have endured. You have heard of Job's endurance and seen what Jehovah ultimately did for him, so you know that Jehovah is very loving and merciful.”​—Jas. 5:11. Notice that James used the Word of God as his teaching authority. He used it to help people see that Jehovah always rewards those who are loyal to him like Job. James taught that lesson using simple words and arguments. In this way, he did not focus his attention on himself, but on Jehovah.

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